I will be working on my blog all summer to make it better. I have changed the background a few times and have been playing with fonts. I want to reformat it all and make it more professional looking. I may even host my own website, we'll see how far I feel like going. I used to design websites in college but haven't done it in a long time. I certainly like the ease of blogger posting so I'll see what all I can change behind the scenes yet keep the ease of posting. :)
Wish me luck and keep checking back to see what's been changed. This morning it had cute pics from old blogs as a border and now...monkeys. :p
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Shrimp and Leek Pasta
This pasta is inspired by a dish my mom used to make with crab meat and a super spicy creamy sauce. It is deceivingly rich for being so light and fresh.
1/2-3/4 pound pre-cooked shrimp de-veined and shelled
2 large leeks
2 tbpsns butter
1 tbspn olive oil
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tspn salt
bay leaf
1/2 tspn basil
1/2 tspn white pepper
2 cups milk
1/2 pound linguine
Bring water to a boil for the pasta.
Slice the leeks in half vertically and then slice into thin slices. Soak in water for 10 minutes to remove the sand, tossing occasionally. Drain the leeks and then place into a 12" frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil. Saute until bright in color and fragrant. Add the flour, white pepper, basil, and bay leaf and stir well. Let cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Your pasta water should be ready now so cook your pasta according to your package instructions. Back to the pan with the leeks, the sauce should thicken nicely and then reduce to low. Add the shrimp and stir in to combine. Cover and let sit on low heat until your pasta is ready. Drain your pasta and toss to combine.
This dish tend to make 5-6 servings for me which I eat throughout the week for lunches. I make mine super spicy by upping the white pepper to about a tablespoon...hotness!
1/2-3/4 pound pre-cooked shrimp de-veined and shelled
2 large leeks
2 tbpsns butter
1 tbspn olive oil
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tspn salt
bay leaf
1/2 tspn basil
1/2 tspn white pepper
2 cups milk
1/2 pound linguine
Bring water to a boil for the pasta.
Slice the leeks in half vertically and then slice into thin slices. Soak in water for 10 minutes to remove the sand, tossing occasionally. Drain the leeks and then place into a 12" frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil. Saute until bright in color and fragrant. Add the flour, white pepper, basil, and bay leaf and stir well. Let cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Your pasta water should be ready now so cook your pasta according to your package instructions. Back to the pan with the leeks, the sauce should thicken nicely and then reduce to low. Add the shrimp and stir in to combine. Cover and let sit on low heat until your pasta is ready. Drain your pasta and toss to combine.
This dish tend to make 5-6 servings for me which I eat throughout the week for lunches. I make mine super spicy by upping the white pepper to about a tablespoon...hotness!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
That's a Healthy Meataballa!
I am trying to make healthier recipes since most people are gaining 10 pounds just by looking at the recipes I make. :p
I was watching Alton Brown the other night and he was doing an episode on meatballs and he baked them. I'm all for baking but I had always pan fired mine in oil so I thought I'd try my own healthy version. And what could be healthier than baked fat-free turkey meatballs!?
Healthy Meataballas
1 pound ground turkey
1 Tbspn Italian seasoning
1 tspn garlic powder
1 tspn onion powder
2 Tbspns parmesean cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tspn salt
1/4 tspn pepper
Preheat your oven to 400F.
Combine in a bowl and mix up with a fork or your hands until just combined...over mixing will make them chewy. Then shape into 2" balls and place in a 9x9 square baking dish. I made 15 balls with my meat but it may vary based on ball size and if you have exactly 1 pound of meat or not.
Place the baking dish in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the balls are white and firm to the touch. If you need to sacrifice one to check if they are done then please do so, I don't want anyone getting the turkey flu! (but seriously, make sure they are cooked through)
You can serve these in any dish due to their subtle flavor but I like to move them into marinara sauce (recipe follows) and eat meatball subs and meatballs with spaghetti.
Ignore the eggplant roasting underneath...that's another meal... :p
Shortcut Marina Sauce
This sauce takes no time and is much less work than making it totally from scratch. The sugar is necessary due to the short cooking time. Canned tomatoes can be really acidic and the sugar helps to tone that down quickly. Otherwise, you'd need an hour of higher heat to break it down.
2 tbpsn olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large 15 oz cans pureed tomatoes
1 tspn oregano
1 tspn basil
1 tspn onion powder
1 tspn salt
1/4 tspn pepper
2 tspns sugar (white or brown)
Put the olive oil in the pan over medium heat and add garlic, cook until lightly colored and fragrant. Add the tomatoes and all seasonings, bring to a boil over medium heat. Drop the heat to low (simmer) for 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if necessary - careful not to burn your tongue!
I add the meatballs at this point and let cook for 15 more minutes over medium-low heat. This way they absorb flavor and if you misjudged the "doneness" earlier, then they are done for sure now.
You can serve it as a meatball sub or over pasta as seen here! For meatball subs, I toast french bread, slather on meatballs with sauce and top with shredded mozzarella. For pasta, I used regular spaghetti and topped with parmesean. :)
I was watching Alton Brown the other night and he was doing an episode on meatballs and he baked them. I'm all for baking but I had always pan fired mine in oil so I thought I'd try my own healthy version. And what could be healthier than baked fat-free turkey meatballs!?
Healthy Meataballas
1 pound ground turkey
1 Tbspn Italian seasoning
1 tspn garlic powder
1 tspn onion powder
2 Tbspns parmesean cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tspn salt
1/4 tspn pepper
Preheat your oven to 400F.
Combine in a bowl and mix up with a fork or your hands until just combined...over mixing will make them chewy. Then shape into 2" balls and place in a 9x9 square baking dish. I made 15 balls with my meat but it may vary based on ball size and if you have exactly 1 pound of meat or not.
Place the baking dish in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the balls are white and firm to the touch. If you need to sacrifice one to check if they are done then please do so, I don't want anyone getting the turkey flu! (but seriously, make sure they are cooked through)
You can serve these in any dish due to their subtle flavor but I like to move them into marinara sauce (recipe follows) and eat meatball subs and meatballs with spaghetti.
Ignore the eggplant roasting underneath...that's another meal... :p
Shortcut Marina Sauce
This sauce takes no time and is much less work than making it totally from scratch. The sugar is necessary due to the short cooking time. Canned tomatoes can be really acidic and the sugar helps to tone that down quickly. Otherwise, you'd need an hour of higher heat to break it down.
2 tbpsn olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large 15 oz cans pureed tomatoes
1 tspn oregano
1 tspn basil
1 tspn onion powder
1 tspn salt
1/4 tspn pepper
2 tspns sugar (white or brown)
Put the olive oil in the pan over medium heat and add garlic, cook until lightly colored and fragrant. Add the tomatoes and all seasonings, bring to a boil over medium heat. Drop the heat to low (simmer) for 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if necessary - careful not to burn your tongue!
I add the meatballs at this point and let cook for 15 more minutes over medium-low heat. This way they absorb flavor and if you misjudged the "doneness" earlier, then they are done for sure now.
You can serve it as a meatball sub or over pasta as seen here! For meatball subs, I toast french bread, slather on meatballs with sauce and top with shredded mozzarella. For pasta, I used regular spaghetti and topped with parmesean. :)
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