Cookies!! I love you so much that I’m giving you another recipe today! You can thank your fellow Cookie, Marla. She requested a shrimp fettuccine recipe and I remembered that I owed my Facebook friends this one. This is the ultimate “Cooking for Bae” dinner lol I also included my shrimp brine instructions. Works amazingly for frozen shrimp! Try it out! Thank you so much for your support, Cookies! I adore you guys. Keep those requests coming!! Happy cooking!
Melt butter and sauté garlic in it for 1 min. Don't burn that dang garlic!
Whisk in flour and season the roux with kosher salt, cracked pepper, & onion powder. (Seasoning the roux helps lock in flavor better than waiting to season after adding in liquids.)
Then pour in 2 cups of milk. (Whisk while you pour cause that stuff will clump up on you and that ain't my business.)
Bring that to a simmer and after it thickens a little pour about a cup of it into a bowl
Mix the sauce with half a block of cream cheese until it's smooth.
Pour that back into the saucepan. (Don't be lazy and drop that cream cheese in the pot and try to stir it until it dissolves. The sauce won't be smooth and I'm sensitive about my recipes being ruined. Don't play me like that. Lol)
Stir in the grated Parmesan and shredded Romano cheeses.
Taste and adjust seasoning if need be. This makes enough for 1 lb of pasta.
Shrimp
Toss the shrimp in olive oil and season with Tony's, minced garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, lemon juice, fresh basil, and parsley.
Heat a skillet and sear shrimp until the turn pink. (Please don't overcook your shrimp. As soon as they fully turn pink they're done.)
Enjoy!
Notes
If you're using frozen shrimp that are not wild caught they tend to have a weird texture in comparison to fresh and wild caught frozen shrimp. So, brining them helps a lot and makes them extra juicy. To brine, thaw in cold water then mix equal parts of salt and sugar (1/4 cup of each per lb of shrimp) and add enough water to cover them. Let them soak for 30 mins then drain, pat them dry w/paper towels (important), and season as usual.
As for the pasta, do not rinse your pasta after cooking! The sauce sticks better that way.
Cookies! Happy Sunday! Hope you’ve had a great weekend. Wanted to share a simple, yet delicious chicken pasta recipe! Stop buying that Alfredo sauce in the jar! lol This is easy and sooo much better! Try it out.
Marinade the chicken using a 1/2 a packet of ranch dressing mix and a little Italian salad dressing for at least 2 hrs.(If you don't have time, make time! Lol nah it's ok. Proceed)
Preheat oven to 375.
Break out that beloved cast iron skillet
Coat the skillet with olive oil and get it good and hot.
Meanwhile, season the chicken. Watch the salt. Italian dressing has plenty.
Add dried thyme and basil too, just a little.
Then add the chicken into the heat. 2-3 mins per side.
Put em in the oven for 8-10 mins. Be careful not to over cook.
SAUCE
Melt butter and sauté garlic for a min. (You know my rule: don't burn my garlic!!)
Now add the heavy cream and cheese.
Simmer until it starts to thicken for about 6 mins
Toss in the tomatoes and some parsley.
Chicken should be ready by then.
Let it rest for a few mins before slicing it.
Oh, don't forget to boil the pasta! Use whatever pasta you prefer.
I received a request from a Cookie for an easy, kid-friendly meal. This is it! Cheeseburger Macaroni. It’s also a guilty pleasure of mine. I love this stuff! Brings me back to my High School days. I used to reeeeally think I was doing something by cooking Hamburger Helper! Chile, you could not tell me I wasn’t a chef! lol But, what really makes this recipe so great is that it calls for ingredients you probably already have at home! And what kid doesn’t love Mac & Cheese?! Just serve it with some corn or a salad and you have a bomb dinner in less than 30 mins! You’re welcome, my darlings! Keep those requests coming!!
Oh, I also filmed a recipe tutorial for this, so check it out!
To all of my babies working on their Summer ’16 bodies, I promise to look out for you guys as well. ??Lol I know I post a lot of indulgent things, but, believe it or not I only use whole wheat pasta in all of my pasta dishes. No one can ever tell the difference! Take this Spaghetti for instance. I made this “meat” sauce out of Morning Star’s veggie crumbles. My family thought it was real meat! Lol
Recipe:
Olive or coconut oil
12oz bag of veggie crumbles or 1 lb of ground turkey
2-3 cans crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
Fresh basil
2 teaspoons of oregano
Red pepper flakes
Fresh parsley
Minced garlic
1/2 cup of red wine
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup of brown sugar
Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or olive oil to a saucepan. (Coconut oil is a solid when stored in cooler temps. It liquefies with the slightest exposure to heat.) Now, sauté onions till translucent and add EVERYTHING else to the pot. Bring it to a boil, stir, turn it down to low, cover w/a lid then leave a crack and let it simmer for 30 mins – 1 hr stirring occasionally. Now taste it, adjust seasoning (add more sugar if you need to) then let it simmer for at least another 30 mins!
You can serve this over wheat, thin spaghetti like I did this time or spaghetti squash!
For spaghetti squash, all you have to do is cut it in half, scrap out the seeds, then place it cut side down into a roasting pan. Pour about 1/3 cup of water into the roasting pan to make the squash more tender. Cover pan with foil and bake on 400 for 35-45 mins or until it’s tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Now, using that same fork, scrap out the contents horizontally, toss in a little olive or coconut oil and serve!
May look like a lot of cheese, but it’s only about 2 tablespoons of shredded sharp cheddar. Dieting or not, I can’t let go of my cheese!!? lol however, if it’s not apart of your meal planning, just omit it! All of my recipes can be tweaked to fit your lifestyle. Look for **in future posts on subtle changes that will make my recipes a little lighter. Oh, and let’s just pretend that bread in the picture doesn’t exist. It’s a mirage!!! ?
Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or olive oil to a saucepan. (Coconut oil is a solid when stored in cooler temps. It liquefies with the slightest exposure to heat.)
Now, sauté onions till translucent and add EVERYTHING else to the pot.
Bring it to a boil, stir, turn it down to low, cover w/a lid then leave a crack and let it simmer for 30 mins - 1 hr stirring occasionally.
Now taste it, adjust seasoning (add more sugar if you need to)
Let sauce simmer for at least another 30 mins!
You can serve this over wheat, thin spaghetti like I did this time or spaghetti squash!
Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
For spaghetti squash, all you have to do is cut it in half, scrap out the seeds, then place it cut side down into a roasting pan. Pour about 1/3 cup of water into the roasting pan to make the squash more tender. Cover pan with foil and bake on 400 for 35-45 mins or until it's tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Now, using that same fork, scrap out the contents horizontally, toss in a little olive or coconut oil and serve!