Creamy Shrimp with Corn and Bacon

This recipe is in the April 2009 issue of Real Simple magazine -- which is one of my favorite magazine's!  I made this on Sunday night and Jason and I both really loved it.  It was very easy and didn't take long at all.  It also made a lot of shrimp mixture and I didn't even use as much shrimp as they said to.  I would recommend making more rice though.  1 cup of uncooked rice is typically two servings of rice and this recipe is supposed to serve four, so I would make enough rice for four based on what the box of rice says is a serving for four.  Also, I used Minute Brown Rice instead of Long Grain White like the recipe in the magazine says and it was just as good.  Enjoy!

Creamy Shrimp with Corn and Bacon

Serves 4

1 c Rice

4 slices Bacon

1 T Olive Oil

1 Onion, chopped

1/2 c Dry White Wine

3/4 c Heavy Cream

1 1/4 lbs Large Shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 10 oz package Frozen Corn

1/4 teaspoon each Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

1. Cook rice according to directions
   
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over M/H heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to a paper towel, let cool, then break into pieces.  Wipe out the skillet.  (Ok, confession, I also used the boxed bacon and cooked it in the microwave.  Probably not as good as skillet fried bacon but MUCH easier and still tasty!)
   
3. Heat the oil over M/H heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.  Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the cream and bring to a boil.  Stir in the shrimp, corn, and salt and pepper. Simmer until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes.  Stir in the bacon and serve over rice.

As we started last week, if you are posting a recipe this Wednesday link your post with Mr. Linky below!

Empanada Grande

This recipe is from an old friend from high school.  Brittanie Temple sent this yummy recipe to me and I just had to share it!  It looks so good!

Empanada Grande (Mexican Pizza)

Makes 8 servings

 

Ingredients:

1 package refrigerated pie crust (the ones in a can...should have 2 in one can)

1 lb ground beef

1/3 cup of chopped onion

3 tblsp snipped cilantro

1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese (I used a little more...you can never have too much cheese!)

1 packet of Taco seasoning

1 tblsp minced garlic

1/3 cup chunky salsa

1 egg, lightly beaten

 

Steps:

1. Brown meat and in a large bowl combine meat, onions, cilantro, cheese, taco seasoning, garlic, and salsa.

2. Layout one pie crust out on cooking sheet (cookie sheet). Brush the crust with some of the egg.

3. lay the mixture out on the pie crust, leaving about 1 inch around the edge.

4. Lay the other pie crust on top of the mixture and press edges together to seal with a fork. Brush more egg on top of pie crust.

5. Cut 4 slits in the top.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes until crust is golden.

7. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

If you're anything like me you love PF Chang's.  One of my favorite parts of eating at PF Chang's are the lettuce wraps before the meal.  I found a recipe on AllRecipes that makes great lettuce wraps.  The recipe calls for making it with beef, which I did.  They were great with beef but next time I'll try making it with chicken; I bet that they'll be just as good and taste almost exactly like the lettuce wraps at PF Chang's!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

16 Boston Bibb or Butter Lettuce leaves

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

1 T Cooking Oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 T Soy sauce

1/4 c Hoisin sauce

2 t Minced Pickled Ginger (I couldn't find this so I left it out -- they were still great!)

1 T Red Wine Vinegar

Asian Chile Pepper Sauce (optional -- I used maybe a teaspoon of this)

1 8 oz can Water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 t Asian (dark) Sesame Oil

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not to tear them.  Set aside.

2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground been in 1 T of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary.  Drain, and set aside to cool.

3. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently.  Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions and stir.  Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about two minutes.

4. Combine the beef with the onion mixture.  Spoon onto individual lettuce leaves and roll like a burrito to eat.

Jason and I created our own PF Chang's sauce to go with the lettuce wraps.  We each created our own but started with a base of soy sauce and then added chile pepper sauce.  We then added white vinegar to cut the spice and get the sauce to the right temperature.  It was a delicious meal!

Spicy Chicken Pasta

This recipe from our local hospital foundation's cookbook is great!  My mom used to make it when we were little and I always loved it.  No that I'm older I know that it's pretty easy to make and makes a lot of pasta!  However, it is spicy so if you are looking for something to make for someone who just had a baby or is sick this probably isn't the dish the take.  But, for something like my friend Leigh's shower a few weeks ago, it was the perfect pasta with chicken dish.  Please note that the picture above is from Leigh's shower and this was about 2/3's of the recipe.  I also filled a disposable round cake pan full of pasta and Jason and I ate that for dinner one night.  I'm not kidding when I say that it makes a lot!

Spicy Chicken Pasta

4 to 6 chicken breasts

12 oz Vermicelli Noodles

1 small Onion, chopped

1/2 c Melted Margarine (you can use about half of this amount and it still be great)

1 10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup

2 cans Tomatoes with Green Chilies (aka Rotel)

1 T Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 t Garlic Powder

1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed

Parmesan Cheese

Rinse chicken.  Boil chicken in water until tender.  Remove skin, if needed, and chop.

Cook noodles using package directions.

Saute onion in margarine in sillet.

Combine soup, tomatoes with chiles, Worcestershire Sauce, Garlic Powder, and Velveeta Cheese in bowl.  Add chicken and onions to soup mixture.  Layer pasta and soup mixture in a 9x12 glass baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

Creamy Fettuccine with Asiago and Thyme

Kelly gave me  this recipe and I made it as one of the three pasta's that I offered at my friend Leigh's shower a few weeks ago and it was great! It's pretty simple to make and the thing that I loved (and was looking for) was a white sauce pasta that baked so that I could have it in the oven with the guests arrived and just pull it out and put it on the table ready to eat.  This recipe was perfect for that.  It rounded out my offerings as a meat-less pasta to go with Baked Ziti and Spicy Chicken Pasta (coming up next week).  

Creamy Baked Fettuccine with Asiago and Thyme

1 lb Fettuccine Pasta

2 cups Grated Asiago Cheese, plus 1/4 cup

2 8 oz containers Creme Fraiche (we used Sour Cream since we couldn't find this)

1 cup Grated Parmesan

1 1/2 T fresh Chopped Thyme Leaves

1/2 t Salt

1/2 t Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

In a large bowl combine the 2 cups Asiago cheese, creme fraiche, Parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, cooked pasta, and pasta cooking liquid. Gently toss until all the ingredients are combined and the pasta is coated. Place the pasta in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Let sit for at least 5 minutes and serve.