Shrimp Penne with Tomato Cream Sauce

I have had some people e-mail me off of Facebook and ask why it is we are seemingly eating oh so very early.  The answer is simple...because we are!  Since my hubby works from home, and the kiddos are home-schooled, and I am home all day, we have a pretty unique situation.  We thought we would try to go European and start eating our big meal, aka dinner, during the time we would normally eat lunch.  We have now been eating that way for a month and LOVE it!  We are able to burn off the big meal through the course of the rest of the day, then in the evening, we have a light something...like a salad, soup, or sandwich.  It has done wonders for our digestion (and waist line) to not have a big ol' meal lurking in our bellies before we go to bed.  I know that most people would not be able to make that type of switch-up, but if there is anyway you can, even if just on the weekend, give it a try!  You might find yourself surprised at the benefits :)
Moving on to the recipe.  When my friend Amber from This Mommy Cooks posted this, I knew I wanted to try it and boy am I glad I did!  Though the ingredients seem quite simple, it is truly fabulous and easy, but totally special enough that you could serve it to guests....or a certain holiday for sweeties coming up!

Shrimp Penne with Tomato Cream Sauce   

• 1 pound Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3/4 pound (uncooked) Penne Pasta
• 2 TBSP Butter
• 2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 small Onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 cup White Wine...make sure you like the taste of it!
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 ounces)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 TBSP fresh chopped Basil
• 1 TBSP fresh chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Parmesan Reggiano cheese, to sprinkle

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add some salt and the pasta and cook according to package directions. 
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter and olive oil.  Cook shrimp for a few minutes just until pink.  DO NOT over cook shrimp, they will become rubbery...bleck!  Remove shrimp to a plate and set aside.  Add onions to skillet and cook until transparent.  While onions are cooking, put the shrimp on a cutting board and chop into smaller bite sized pieces.  Add garlic to the pan and let cook until fragrant.  Add the wine to deglaze the pan, scrapping up any browned bits that may be on the bottom.  After the wine has cooked down a bit, add in the tomato sauce.  Give it a good stir, then slowly add the cream.  Turn heat down to a low simmer and let in hang out for a few minutes.  Add your herbs and stir again.  Add in shrimp and pasta and give it another good stir to warm them back up.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with some grated Parmesan Reggiano on top.  ENJOY!

This recipe has been linked up at:
Nikki's Nifty Knacks
Mommy's Kitchen
This Chick Cooks
Eat at Home

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerio Chewies

I have been posting a lot of main dishes lately.  I can't help it, when it is so stinkin' cold out, all you want to make and talk about is the warm, gooey, and yummy stuff.  Not to mention the whole trying to eat healthy after the holidays thing.  Anyway, as I was looking through my food photos of recipes to post, I saw this little gem I made back in sunnier days.  Now, I am not sure how many of you have had Chocolate Cheerios yet, but can I just say they are FABULOUS?!?!  Dry as a snack, or with milk...they totally ROCK!  And guess what?  When you use them in this recipe, holy chocolate and peanut butter Batman, it is a winner!  This was a fabulous treat for the kiddos and the adults too!

Cheerio Chewies

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 5 cups Cheerios  (I used 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 regular...or maybe 2/3 chocolate and 1/3 regular...whatever, don't judge me.)

In a large sauce pan, combine sugar and corn syrup. Bring to boil over medium heat.
Allow mixture to boil for one minute and remove from heat.
Add peanut butter and vanilla to mixture and mix until smooth.
Add Cheerios and mix until all coated.
Drop mixture by spoonful onto waxed paper and allow to cool.
ENJOY!

Recipe adapted from:  Real Mom Kitchen

This recipe has been linked up at:
Nikki's Nifty Knacks
Frou Frou Decor
Tidy Mom
Simply Sweet Home
Mommy's Kitchen

Taco Salad Dippers

I am not sure why this is named Taco Salad Dippers and not just "Ohhhh yeahhh, baby!" (in your best Isaac Hayes voice.) 
It is so scrumptious!  An absolute perfect combination of meat, taco-ish sauce, rice, and beans.  The first time I made it, I topped it with cheese, lettuce, and sour cream then scooped up the goodness with tortilla chips, my hubby ate his like a bowl of chili, and my daughter made a bed of lettuce and crushed up Doritos for the filling to rest it's sleepy self on.  The possibilities are endless!  In fact, this week, I am wrapping the filling and some cheese in a flour tortilla and baking them smothered in Enchilada Sauce and more cheese....viola!  Supreme Burrada!  The point is, however you choose to eat this, you will LOVE it! 
As an added bonus, this one pot wonder is freezable!

Taco Salad Dippers

• 2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup white rice, not instant
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
• 2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
• 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

In a large pot, brown the ground beef or turkey with the onion and garlic and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are translucent. Drain any accumulated grease. Add the water, rice, seasonings, tomato sauce, tomato paste and beans. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, watching to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. The mixture will seem very watery at first, but after simmering, it will thicken to perfection as the rice absorbs water and all the ingredients meld together.

A HUGE shout-out to Mel from My Kitchen Cafe for another a-mazing dish!

This recipe has been linked up at:
Nikkis Nifty Knacks
Frou Frou Decor
Tidy Mom
Simply Sweet Home
Mommy's Kitchen
The Country Cook

Monterey Ranch Bread

I am keeping this post short and simple, like this recipe! 
Remember the bread I made with the BBQ Chicken Soup?  That's right, the intriguing Monterey Ranch Bread.  This bread is so simple to make and a nice change to garlic bread.  At first I was a little skeeved-out at the thought of adding Ranch Dressing to cheese, but guess what, it totally worked!  There is a nice tang and medley of spices that you can't quite put your finger on.  Give it a whirl and ENJOY!

Monterey Ranch Bread

• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, or Cheddar Jack Cheese.  Shred the cheese, don't use the stuff in a bag, it just doesn't melt the same way.
• 3/4 cup Ranch Salad Dressing
• 4 Bolillo or Hoagie Rolls, split in half lengthwise to make 8 slices
• 4 TBSP butter, melted

In a bowl, combine the cheese and salad dressing; set aside.
Brush slices of bread with butter. Place on baking sheet. Broil in oven 4 inches from the heat until golden brown. Spread with cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

Recipe slightly adapted from:  Cassie Craves

This recipe has been linked up at:
Simply Sweet Home
Frou Frou Decor
Tidy Mom
Mommy's Kitchen
Nikkis Nifty Knacks

BBQ Chicken Soup

Sometimes, great things come out of those "whoops" moments.  Chocolate Chip Cookies, Ice Cream Cones, and Potato Chips were all "whoops" moments.  Now, I am not claiming my "whoops" as life changing as those, but it did work well for us!  I mis-read the amounts for parts of this soup, but thankfully, I was able to fix it...except that it basically doubled everything except the chicken and corn.  But guess what...we LOVED it!  And by "we" I mean, the hubby AND the kiddos.  It was a perfect broth to chunk ratio for us and the next day, we ladled the leftovers over a bowl of hot rice (not pictured above) and that was fabulous too!!  I also served this with some Monterey Ranch Bread, recipe coming later this week.  This was a great and welcome change to soup time, not to mention it is insanely fast and easy, easy, easy.

BBQ Chicken Soup

• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 TBSP fresh minced garlic
• 1can (11 ounces) corn with peppers, drained.  Also called MexiCorn.
• 2  cans (12 ounces each) White Chunk Chicken, drained.  Don't let this scare you!  I used Trader Joe's, but Swanson and Costco have a version that is great too.  You of course can always use diced or shredded chicken breast as well
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup your favorite BBQ Sauce.  I used Bullseye Original.
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt, i.e., Johnnie's or Lawry's
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• Optional:  steamed White Rice to ladle soup over

Heat oil into a medium pot over medium heat. When hot, saute onions for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in garlic, corn and chicken breast; mix to combine. Pour in chicken broth, BBQ sauce, salt, pepper, and seasoned salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, add cilantro leaves and simmer an additional 5 minutes or until ready to serve.  ENJOY!


Recipe adapted from:  Picky Palate

This recipe was linked up at:
Nikki's Nifty Knacks
Frou Frou Decor
Tidy Mom
Simply Sweet Home
Mommy's Kitchen
Delightful Country Cookin'
Eat at Home
The Country Cook