I know there is only one lone shrimp to be seen in this picture, but there really are more in there. I didn’t get the shrimp stirred into the pasta as well as I should have. Maybe this plate should be called “shrimp skimpi”. I adapted this from a Rachel Ray recipe. The original called for grilling the shrimp. I shortened it by using pre-cooked, deveined, tail-off frozen shrimp.
Pasta
Super Simple Asian Noodles with Stir Fry Veggies and Chicken
Only have 10 or 15 minutes to get dinner ready? This is your meal. Four ingredients that cook in just minutes, providing you have cooked chicken available in the fridge or freezer. If not, it will take a couple extra minutes but this meal still comes together fast.
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Red Sauce DiPaola
If you’ve read this blog very much at all, you know I love pasta. Pasta meals tend to come together quickly, making them perfect for hungry families and this one is no exception. This recipe was shared by DiPaola Momma on her blog, Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom. (Don’t you just love the title of her blog?) I altered it a tiny bit, but didn’t mess with the secret ingredient.
Grandma’s Spaghetti Sauce in the Crockpot
When I was little, my favorite meal was my Grandma’s spaghetti and meatballs. This is her recipe, but I can never make it taste just like hers. I think she had a special spoon she stirred it with. Cooking the sauce on the stove and simmering it for hours makes it taste better than cooking it in the crockpot, but I didn’t have hours the other day. It was still yummy in the crockpot. It only took a few minutes to put the sauce together and turn the pot on high. I had already made the meatballs, so they just had to be added to the pot to heat with the sauce.
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Pasta Salad – Perfect to Make Ahead or Pack Up
This is my favorite pasta salad. I like to make a whole meal of it by adding grilled chicken. (Somehow the chicken never made it into the photos.) It also holds up well in a packed lunch. You’ll be the envy of others eating a fast food meal or lunch meat sandwich as you feast on this.
This is one dish that turns out a bit different every time I make it, because I use what I have available or what sounds good at the moment. As always, feel free to substitute ingredients to your own tastes and pantry items.
For the salad:
bowtie pasta – This was only a 12 oz box. I prefer 16 oz box, just because I end up with more.
broccoli
red pepper
grape or cherry tomatoes
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Chop the veggies. Add the chopped broccoli to the pasta water about 2 minutes before the pasta finishes cooking. This is enough time to make the brocoli a bit more tender, but still crisp. Drain the pasta and broccoli and run it under cool water to stop the cooking process. Put it in a big bowl with the other veggies.
For the dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white or red wine vinegar (I used white this time)
2 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
black pepper
fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, chives, tarragon etc. or use dried like I did this time
This dressing recipe comes from the New Recipes from Mooswood Restaurant cookbook. Just whisk all the ingredients together, or put them in a container with a tight fitting lid and give it a good shake.
I really like using fresh basil in this, but I didn’t want to pay for it in the grocery.
Stir the dressing into the salad. I added some mozzerella cheese to this that didn’t make it into the ingredients photo. I also like adding shredded parmesan and after cooking with gorgonzola the other day, I think that would taste great in this pasta salad too.
For the grilled chicken, just season it with salt and pepper and grill. Slice or chop it into the salad.