Shrimp-Stuffed Shells

This recipe came out of a Cooking Light magazine. I made some adjustment with the supplies I had on hand... They were pretty good, and pretty healthy too. My husband says I can definitely make them again. :)

The recipe said that you can find potato starch near the cornstarch in the grocery store. It also explained that the shrimp goes into the pasta shells raw to prevent it from over cooking while the pasta bakes.

{ingredients}
20 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (about 8 oz)
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 c. chopped shallots
2 Tbsp minced garlic (about 6 cloves) {I used some garlic powder... as I didn't have the other stuff}
1/2 c. (4 oz) cream cheese {you can use 1/3 less fat version}
1/4 c. milk
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/3 c. chopped fresh basil {nope didn't have any of these. I used Italian seasoning instead}]...}
1 lb medium shrimp- peeled, deveined, and coarsley chopped {I had pre-cooked, frozen shrimp. So I thawed them and used them instead. It is also important to take not of the coarsly chopped... I used a food processor and it made them a little too fine it made a funny texture.}
1 Tbsp potato starch {I had no idea what this was... and didn't get any before trying it...}


{directions}
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cook pasta 7 minutes, or until al dente, omitting salt and fat. Drain well. {I only cooked them for 5 minutes so they were less likely to break. upon filling and baking...}
3. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots; cook 4 minutes, stirring ocasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4. Add cream cheese mixture to shrimp; toss well.
5: {this is where I took the liberty to make them my own way} Put the mixture in a ziploc bag and cut one of the corners off. Use it to squeeze it into the shells.
6. Coat a 9 X 13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray; spread 1 c. marinara sauce over the bottom of dish. Arrange shells in prepared dish; top with remaining 2 cups marinara. Sprinkle shells evenly with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until shrimp is done.

The Unsuspecting Crowd

They say you should never serve something you haven't made before to guests at a party. . . . . After being invited to my nephews wedding (yeah!!) I asked if there was anything I could bring and I was assigned a salad. I chose to bring a pasta salad that I had tried recently at a neighborhood bar-b-que. I then started planning the salads I wanted to "try". I decided that if I had one that I was pretty sure would be eaten, then I could bring others that might actually be a flop ;-)

The nice thing about a Pasta salad is that each recipe is similar and you can exchange ingredients if you want. They all call for some shape of pasta, different add ins, and some kind of dressing. This one calls for Caesar dressing. and pine nuts. I haven't used either of those in a pasta salad before so I wanted to give it a try.

Tri Color Pasta Salad

12 oz. tri colored rotini, cooked and drained

3 roma tomatoes, diced I used grape tomatoes cut in half

1 can black olives, sliced

1/4 c. red onion, finely diced

3/4 c. parmesan cheese

6 fresh basil leaves, julienned

4 T. basil pesto I mixed it in with my dressing the first time I made it--forgot it the second time

2/3 c. creamy caesar dressing

1/2-1 c. pine nuts, toasted

Cook pasta and coat with Caesar dressing while warm. Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the pine nuts) and toss. Top with toasted pine nuts just before serving.

I didn't realize they would be serving fresh fruit or I wouldn't have done this next salad, but I was trying to think of something fun for those that might not be able to eat the pasta salad. This is one that I have wanted to try. Simple, but different. It is kind of like eating a helping of fruit (all grapes) with a yummy fruit dip slathered all over it.

Best Grape Salad

2 lbs. green seedless grapes these were sour so I only used red

2 lbs. red seedless grapes

8 oz. sour cream

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping ingredients

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. chopped pecans

Wash and stem grapes. Mix sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla until blended. Stir grapes into mixture, and pour in large serving bowl. For topping: Combine brown sugar, and pecans. Sprinkle over top of grapes to cover completely. Chill overnight

I wasn't sure about adding the topping, but if you got a bite with the brown sugar and pecans, it was definitely a bonus. I didn't use a cup of each. I just sprinkled some brown sugar on top (about a fourth of a cup) and then sprinkled pecans on top until it looked like enough.

This next recipe I have wanted to make for a long time. I bought the ingredients once before and chickened out. Even though I had tasted it, (just a bite) the list of ingredients do not sound like they would make something you would want to eat. After eating mine, I went back for more and it was gone! Several asked for the recipe! Don't be afraid to try this one. (In fairness, I will tell you that my husband did not like this one at all. He didn't like the flavor of the fritos)

Chili Cheese Frito Salad

3 (14 oz.) cans of corn, drained see note below

1/4 of a red pepper, diced

1/4 of a green pepper, diced

1/4 of a red onion, diced

1 c. grated cheddar cheese

1 1/4 c. mayonnaise

1 (9 1/4 oz.) bag chili cheese fritos

Combine corn, peppers, onion, cheese and mayo in a bowl. Measuring is not really necessary in this recipe. Add each item until it looks like enough. I think I used more corn and peppers, but not as much cheese. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Just before serving, mix in the fritos. (I put my cheese in at this time also) Enjoy and eat it all. This does not make a good leftover because the fritos get soggy.

Note: I couldn't bear to use canned corn because I like the frozen sweet corn you can get at Costco or Sams (it tastes so fresh), so that is what I used. I cooked it in the microwave until it was warm so I could drain any moisture off of it. I then put it in the fridge and mixed in the other ingredients after it was cold again.

Talk of the Town Chicken Salad

The first time I tasted this salad was at a relief society luncheon. I remember being surprised with the sweet taste. It was different from any other pasta salad I had eaten before. When our ward put together a cookbook a few years ago, 4 different recipes were submitted for this salad (or variations of it). For curiosity sake, I checked the ward cookbook I just bought from my friend. There were 3 versions of this salad in there. Most of the ingredients are the same with only a few variations. (One called for water chestnuts and one had chopped apples in it)

Interest in this salad was expressed at the last family get together, so I thought I would post the recipe, but alas there is no picture.

12 oz. spiral pasta

12 oz. bow tie pasta

20 oz. pineapple tidbits, drained

2 c. chopped celery

4 green onions, sliced

1 pkg. Craisins

1 c. red grapes, cut in half

1 c. cashews (add right before serving)

4 whole chicken breasts, cooked and diced

Dressing:

1 c. mayo

16 oz. bottle Kraft coleslaw dressing

Cook the pastas, drain and cool. Add the rest of the ingredients (saving the cashews until right before serving). Stir in the dressing.

Toasted Orzo and Peas

{ah the classic story of a new recipe turned family favorite. This is one experiment that had the best turn out a recipe could hope for. Easy to cook, dish after-math is low, tasty, and relatively healthy! (ok so maybe not totally healthy, but its close!) My husband actually requested we put it on the "family favorite list"}



{ingredients}
2 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, minced
3/4 tsp salt
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 c. orzo
2 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. frozen peas
1 oz Parmesan cheese-grated {about 1 c.)
2 Tbsp. fresh minced parsley leaves {I didn't really measure... but it all worked out}
ground black pepper
1 lemon, cut into wedges- for serving {optional}

{directions}
Melt the butter in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Add onion and salt and cook, stirring often, until softened {5-7 minutes}
Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant {about 30 seconds}
Stir in orzo and cook, stirring often, until most of the grains are golden {i didn't believe it, but about 5 minutes... its longer than you might think}
Carefully stir in the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium- low and simmer, stirring occasionally until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the orzo is tender {about 10-12 minutes}. {Be careful not to cook at too high of heat at this point because the liquid will evaporate and the orzo will not cook...}

Off the heat, stir in the peas, Parmesan, and parsley and let sit until the peas are warmed through {about 2 minutes}.
Season with salt and pepper {or if you're my husband, Tony's} to taste and serve with the lemon wedges. {seriously, the lemon makes all the difference!}

{we were thinking this recipe would be great with any veggie you wanted and however many you might want. The orzo is very forgiving and is fairly versatile.... }

Enjoy!