Garlic Shrimp Linguine

Oh, yum.  This is one of my very favorite pasta dishes.  It tastes surprisingly light for a dish with cream sauce.  Then again, you are only using 1/3 cup of cream in the whole recipe.  If you are not a shrimp person you can substitute cooked chicken strips/pieces.  This recipe cannot be doubled but it comes together so quickly that if you ever want to serve it for a large group you could make the recipe twice in about a half hour.  I did that for a dinner party and made one recipe with shrimp and one recipe with chicken while everyone was having appetizers.

1 lb. Linguine
3 T. Butter
2 T. Olive Oil
6 T. Chicken Broth
1/3 C. Heaving Whipping Cream
4 tsp. Grated Parmesan
5 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 tsp. Dried Parsley (or 3T. fresh)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 lb. Cooked Shrimp, peeled and deveined ( I buy frozen and just thaw them out really good before I use them)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  While pasta is cooking, melt butter over medium low heat and add broth, cheese, oil, garlic and parsley.  Cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes.  Add shrimp and cook for another 3 minutes until shrimp are heated through. Add whipping cream and stir to combine.  Leave sauce over low heat until pasta is drained then pour sauce and shrimp over top of linguine.  Toss to coat and grate additional parmesan over top before serving.  Serves 8.

Carrot Cake

I was browsing on allrecipes.com the other day and found this recipe.  It had been reviewed by over 2,000 people who all rated it with 5 stars.  That is pretty impressive so I had to try it myself to see what all the fuss was about.  I thought the cake was delicious.  It was moist and with the cream cheese frosting I put on top it was the most perfect treat! 

4 Eggs
1 1/4 C. Oil
2 C. Sugar
2 C. Flour
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Cinnamon
3 C. Grated Carrots
1 C. Chopped Pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat eggs with sugar, oil and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients.  Mix until combined.  Mix in carrots then fold in nuts.  Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.  Bake 40-45 minutes or until cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Real French Toast

I call this "real" french toast because you use french bread for this recipe.  The result is a chewy, hearty breakfast dish you and your kids will love.  It seems to stick with you a little longer than french toast made with sandwich bread.  There are 5 people in my family and a whole loaf is more than we can eat so I usually reserve 5 pieces for dinner and cook up the rest.  A whole loaf makes about 16 pieces. 

4 Eggs
1/4 C. Flour
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 C. Milk
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
2 T. Butter
French Bread, cut into 1" slices

Begin heating  your skillet.  Beat the eggs with an electric hand held mixer until frothy.  Add flour, salt, milk and vanilla and beat with mixer for 2 minutes.  Pour into a pie plate.  Melt 1/2 T. butter in skillet then quickly coat slices of bread and transfer to skillet.  (You have to do this quickly so the butter doesn't burn.)  Brown on each side then transfer to a plate.  Melt another 1/2 T. of butter in skillet before doing the next batch of french toast.  Serve warm with regular syrup or for a special treat try it with coconut syrup, it is so delicious! 

Coconut Chicken Curry

This was the best dinner we've had in weeks, and we've had some really good meals but this...outrageously good, that's what I'd call it.  I am already thinking about the leftovers and it's not even time for breakfast yet.  My mom doesn't care for curry so I always assumed I didn't either but oh, how wrong I was!  I thought it was odd to pair potatoes with rice and milk with tomatoes but no, it's perfect.  The flavors were subtle, not strong so don't worry about being overpowered by spice in this dish.  I am pretty sure I sounded like Bill Murry on "What About Bob" during dinner going "mmmm. mmmmmmmm.  mmmmmmmmmmmm."  every few minutes.  You must try this dish!

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I just used some shredded chicken I had in my fridge)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 T. oil
2 T. curry powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp. for less heat)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
4 red potatoes, cut into 1 " chunks
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 T. sugar
Cooked Rice

Heat oil in a large skillet. When hot, add curry powder and cayenne pepper and cook for 2 minutes on medium low until fragrant.  Add onion and garlic and cook on medium heat until onion is translucent. Add chicken pieces and sprinkle with the salt and pepper then saute until completely cooked through.  Add potatoes and mix around with a spoon to coat with the curry.  Add all other ingredients and stir until well combined.  Cover and simmer on medium low heat for 30-40 minutes stirring occasionally.  Cook rice while chicken mixture is simmering.  Ladle sauce over top of rice and enjoy!

Coconut Banana Muffins

Of all the muffins I have ever made I would have to say that these tie with the glazed lemon muffins for my very favorite. I think it is the coconut milk that makes these muffins so fantastic.  They are moist, light and delicious.  I can't even remember where I found this recipe but I have changed it so much I don't think I would recognize it even if I saw it.  The original recipe didn't use coconut milk and called for a high calorie topping that I eliminated to make these muffins less sweet and more healthy.  If you like banana bread and you are a fan of coconut you have got to try these! 

2 1/2 C. Flour
1/2 C. Sugar
1 T. Baking Powder
3/4 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 C. Coconut Flakes
3/4 C. Coconut Milk
3 Very Ripe Bananas
2 Eggs
6 T. Butter or Margarine
1 T. Vanilla Extract (or Coconut Extract if you have it)

Combine the first 5 ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Combine all other ingredients and blend well in a mixer to mash up bananas.  Add dry ingredients and mix until just barely combined.  Grease or line muffin cups and fill each cup with 1/4 C. of batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Makes 24 muffins.  (These muffins freeze very well.)

Yoshida Meatballs

It is time to introduce you to one of my favorite products- Yoshida Sauce. 

If you have never used this you are missing out.  It is super yummy and very, very convenient to have on hand.  I use it in lots of different ways.  Sometimes I put chicken thighs in a skillet, pour Yoshida over top and cook it on low heat for 45 minutes.  Then we have the chicken and sauce over rice.  I have also used several of the recipes on www.mryoshida.com.  I especially like the beef and broccoli recipe.  Last night I made meatballs and cooked them in a skillet with the yoshida sauce.  It was so, so good.  The only place I have found Yoshida is at Costco and it is cheap.  For a big bottle I think it costs about $5.00.  So worth it, trust me!

1 lb. ground beef
2 slices sandwich bread, crumbled into fine bits
1 egg
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Yoshida Sauce

Combine all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and mush together with your hands.  (If raw meat grosses you out then just try to do it with a spoon.)  Shape the meat mixture into meatballs and put them in a skillet.  (No need to grease the skillet.)  When you have used all of the meat, heat the skillet over medium heat and cover with a lid.  Cook 10-15 minutes until meatballs appear to be browned.  Remove lid and turn meatballs with a spatula.  Pour Yoshida Sauce over top.  I never measure, just be generous since you will be using the sauce over top of rice.  Cook uncovered (if you try to cover the pan the Yoshida sauce will boil out even on a very low heat) for 20 minutes or until rice is done.  Serve meatballs with sauce over top of the cooked rice.

Apple Cranberry Granola Bars

This morning I wanted to make my kids a healthy snack for after school.  I have never made homemade granola bars and have always wanted to.  After consulting several recipes I created my own version.  I wanted to imitate this apple cranberry granola bar that we can't find anymore at our local grocery store.  Most granola bars, homemade or otherwise, have corn syrup in them.  Disgusting.  I stay away from that stuff as much as possible so I used a combination of butter, applesauce, and honey and the result was so delicious.  If you want to give this a try and you don't have dried cranberries on hand try using raisins and omitting the almond extract. 

2 C. Quick Oats
1/2 C. Rice Crispies
1/4 C. Coconut
1/4 C. Dried Cranberries
1/4 C. Pecans, chopped pretty small but not into dust
1/4 C. Dried Apples, chopped into small bits (if you don't have dried apples just use fresh)
1/3 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Egg
1/4 C. Butter, softened
1/2 C. Applesauce
1/2 C. Honey
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Almond Extract (optional)

Combine all dry ingredients and mix together well.  Add egg, butter, applesauce, honey and extracts.  Spray a 9x13 (or a 8x12 pan if you want your bars to be a little thicker) with cooking spray and press granola mixture into pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting into bars.  Allow to cool for another hour or until completely cool before serving.

Baked Ziti

Being the pasta lover that I am, I cannot believe that it took me until about a year ago to make Baked Ziti.  Now I can't stop making it!  I so love this recipe.  It is inexpensive to make and is the perfect comfort food.

2 14oz. Cans Tomatoes with Juice
2 Cans Tomato Sauce
2 T. Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, chopped
5 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 tsp. Basil
1 tsp. Oregano
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 lb. Tube Pasta (Most of the time I use rigatoni)
2 C. Mozzerella Cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions being very careful not to overcook.  While pasta is cooking, puree tomatoes in a food processor or blender and set aside.  Saute onion and garlic in oil until onions are translucent.  Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and spices.  Bring to a low boil and simmer for at least 30-40 minutes.  When pasta is done, drain and transfer to a large casserole dish.  Pour sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Applesauce Pancakes

I know, I know, another pancake recipe.  But you are going to love this one!  It tastes so different with the crunch of the toasted pecans.  I could really taste the applesauce in them and they added a mild sweetness which I really enjoyed.  This recipe makes about 20 pancakes. 

2 C. Flour
1 1/2 C. Applesauce
1 C. Milk
2 T. Sugar
1/4 C. Oil
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 T. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
2 eggs
Chopped Pecans (about 1 Cup)

Mix together all ingredients except the pecans.  Pour batter onto skillet or griddle then sprinkle pecans over top.  Watch pancakes carefully because they don't really get those air bubbles like most pancakes do when they are ready to turn.  Turn pancakes and cook until pancake is golden brown and nuts are toasted sufficiently.  Serve with your favorite pancake toppings.

Spice Muffins

I love muffins! I am getting the idea that someone else may like them too. It could be the seven posts of muffins from one of our peaches! I am going to be trying all of those recipes! This is one of the easiest recipes. I love that it's almost a sure thing that I'll have these ingredients on hand. We eat them with applesauce.

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. flour

1 egg

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 c. milk

1/4 c. cooking oil.

1 T. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. ginger

1/4 t. ground cloves

1 T. baking powder

1 t. salt

1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Combine wet ingredients separate from dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until combined. Spoon into muffin cups and fill two-thirds full. Bake at 375 for 10-15 min.