Shrimp and Pasta Casserole

I cannot believe how long I have been "gone". Seriously, it went in the blink of an eye.
My last post re-hashed my fabulous experience with my first kidney stone.
Gah.
I would like to never do that again.

Since then, it has been a whirlwind of not-so-spectacular experiences.
Nobody needs to hear about that though.

We did have some really great stuff going on too!
My (not so little) cousin turned 21 and we got to have some fun.
Another cousin graduated college with a double major.
Hired some great new employees at work.

I'm OK (if you wondered) I truly just did not realize how long I had been gone!
Back to it!!



Ingredients:

1 ½ Lb Shrimp

1 (16oz) jar Salsa

1 (9oz) Box Angel hair pasta

1 Tsp Dried oregano

1 Tsp Dried basil

1 Tsp Crushed red pepper

⅓ Cup Parsley (chopped)

⅓ Cup Feta cheese

½ Cup Swiss cheese (grated)

1 Cup Plain yogurt

1 ½ Cup Half and Half

2 Eggs

½ Cup Monterrey Jack cheese (grated)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350

2. Cook pasta per package directions. Drain and set aside.

3. In large bowl, combine eggs, half & half, yogurt, swiss cheese, feta cheese, parsley, basil, and oregano

4. Grease a 9 x 13 pan

5. Spread half of the pasta on the bottom of the dish

6. Pour all the salsa over the pasta

7. Add half the shrimp

8. Top with monterrey jack cheese

9. Add remaining pasta

10. Top with remainder of the shrimp

11. Pour egg mixture over the top

12. Bake 35-40 minutes or until bubbly

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Adapted from: Kitchen Life of the Navy Wife

Come party with me HERE!

Mom's Clam Chowder

This is called Mom's Clam Chowder, but it didn't come from my mom.
It did come from a mom...my aunt's mom.
(no, that does not make her my grandmother...this would be an aunt by marriage)

She did not make this up, she found it somewhere once upon a time.
Mom B has been making this for so many years now, she wasn't sure where it originally came from.

This is quick enough to make as a weeknight meal (oh how I love those!), it was done in less than 30 minutes.

The girl child is a clam chowder purist. She likes it one way and one way only (so far). She took about 3 bites and respectfully asked to make something else for herself.
Hubby and I enjoyed it though. It has a nice clam flavor without being overpowering.

I would make this again, but probably not when the girl is at home looking to be fed.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter

1-2 Onions (sliced)

1 Cup water

2-3 Potatoes (cubed)

1 Can corn (drained)

1 Can baby clams (with juice)

1 Can minced clams (with juice)

1 Cup dry milk powder

Salt

Pepper

Garlic powder

Directions:

1. Heat butter and onions in saucepan

2. Heat onions until cooked through and browning

3. Add water, potato, corn, minced clams (and juice), and baby clams (and juice)

4. Cook until potatoes are tender

5. Add dry milk powder

6. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder

7. Cook about 10 minutes

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Come party with me HERE!

Creamy Gruyere Shrimp Pasta

Today is going to be an interesting day. I am sort of looking forward to it.
Why so interesting? Our fluffy little (not so) Lennon has his yearly vet appointment.

Our lovely lady kitty, Cookie, had passed away due to lung cancer. The girl child was more sad than she had ever been before. About a year passed and she decided it was time. Time for the pitter patter of little paws in our house again.

We went on the hunt for a new kitty. We went through all the paperwork for the MSPCA and got approved as appropriate pet owners. None of the kitties seemed to be the right fit though.

My aunt happened to call me one day. She knew of the great kitty search, and had taken her dog to the vet that morning for an appointment...only to find out that someone had found a litter of 4 kittens under some stairs and brought them to the vet.

A couple of days later, we went to visit the kitties and check them out.
O...M...G...I cannot clearly express the level of fluffy, black cuteness!

They let us hang out in an exam room with all 4 of the babies. The littlest runty baby was very interested in us! He kept coming to check us out...especially the girl child.

All of our hearts turned into a pool of melted butter.
We told the techs that we were interested in the peanut.
All of their faces lit up! "That is the only one that isn't spoken for!".
This was obviously meant to be.

How can one not fall in love with this king of cute?

Stay tuned for the remainder of our "why the vet is interesting" story!

Now, back to the reason you are reading this post!
While surfing the Recipe Girl site, I came across this recipe.

My first intention was to make this for a shrimp loving friend who was coming over, but as the night dissolved into chaos, we decided to order a pizza instead.
I made this for my own family the next night instead.
To quote hubby, this is "the best "new" pasta dish you have made in a long time"!

I did use already cooked shrimp, so when it was time to add it to the wine and butter, I just heated them through in the sauce.

Ingredients:

8 oz Penne

¼ Cup all purpose flour

½ Tsp salt

2 Cups milk

1 ¼ Cup (5 oz) gruyere cheese (grated)

1 Tbsp butter

1 ½ lbs raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)

4 Cloves garlic (minced)

2 Tbsp white wine

¼ Tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray

3. Cook and drain pasta

4. Combine flour, salt, and milk in a large skillet. Stir thoroughly.

5. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly

6. Cook for an additional minute until thick.

7. Remove from heat and stir in ¾ cup of cheese. Stir until melted.

8. Melt butter in large skillet.

9. Add garlic to butter and cook for 3 minutes.

10. Add shrimp, wine, and cayenne. Cook until shrimp turns pink.

11. Add pasta and shrimp to cheese mixture, toss to combine.

12. Pour everything in prepared dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

13. Bake for 20 minutes.

14. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving

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This recipe was shared with:
Flour me with Love, Tumbleweed Contessa, Grace Langdon, A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Uncommon Designs, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, The Chicken Chick, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, Skip to my Lou, Mom Favorites, April J Harris, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word, Pint Sized Baker, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Cornerstone Confessions, Lou Lou Girls, My Joy Filled Life, Yesterfood, Timewarp Wife, Mandy's Recipe Box, The New Mrs Adventures, Hope Studios, Kathe with an E, Stone Gable Blog, Someday Crafts, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Milk and Cuddles, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, Buns in my Oven, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Crafty Allie, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Ivy and Elephants, Recipes for our Daily Bread, Feeding Big, Grace and Good Eats, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lambert's Lately, Embracing Change, Katherine's Corner, A Delightsome Life, The Pin Junkie, The Grits Blog, Play Party Pin, Lady Behind the Curtain, Marly's This and That, The New Mrs Adventures, The Better Baker, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Craft Dictator, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, Diary of a Real Housewife, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Coffee with us 3, Simple Nature Decor, Sweet Haute

Shrimp Dip

Karma Karma Karma Karma Karma Chameleon...




I have the most indulgent hubby.
He knows the 80's are the way to my heart.

We were unpacking some long-stored bins today and needed some background music. He threw on one of those Music Choice channels...80's of course!

Had so much fun cleaning (yes, I really did say that) be-bopping around to awesome throwbacks!

Ingredients:

1 Cup tomato soup

1 ½ Tbsp unflavored gelatin

8 oz cream cheese

1 Lb shrimp

1 Cup diced celery

¼ Cup diced onion

½ Cup diced pepper

1 Cup mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Heat soup, cheese, and gelatin in top of a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Cool.

2. Add remaining ingredients

3. Pour into a well oiled mold

4. Chill for several hours

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This recipe was shared with:

Monday: Pioneer Momma, Kitchen Table Art, The Bitter Side of Sweet, The Chicken Chick, Flour me with Love, New Mama Diaries, Jam Hands, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, A Southern Fairytale, Uncommon Designs, A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, Boogieboard Cottage, Moms the Word, Feeding Big, Say Not Sweet Anne

Tuesday: Pint Sized Baker, Inside Bru Crew Life, New Mrs. Adventures, Mini Van Dreams, Cornerstone Confessions, Chef in Training, Memories by the Mile, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, A Bowl Full of Lemons, My Joy Filled Life, Our Table for Seven, Time Warp Wife, Mandy's Recipe Box, Kathe with an E, Sweet Silly Sara

Wednesday: Recipes for our Daily Bread, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Crafty Allie, Lady Behind the Curtain, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Buns in my Oven, Milk and Cuddles, Wine and Glue, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Mom's Test Kitchen, Mostly Homemade Mom, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Gooseberry Patch

Thursday: Lambert's Lately, Sweet Haute, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Embracing Change, Sweet Bella Roos, The Nourishing Gourmet

Friday: The Grits Blog, O Taste and See, Daily Dish, Craft Dictator, Mommy on Demand, A Conquered Mess, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom, Coffee with us 3, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Thirty Handmade Days, Angel's Homestead, Morsels of Life

Saturday: What's Cooking with Ruthie, Simply Gloria, The Weary Chef, Sewlicious Home Decor, Raising Memories

Sunday: A Peek into my Paradise, Beauty Through Imperfection, Denise Designed, Three Mango Seeds

Creamy Shrimp Fettuccine

Yet another recipe card (I told you, I have a million of them!)

The girl child had a friend spending the night who happens to be a pescetarian. As a former vegetarian, I do try to be aware of her wishes and make dishes I think she might enjoy.

I wish I had taken a picture of the girls LICKING the plates when they finished! They both ate this faster than lightning.

Hubby dearest says it's his favorite "new" recipe to date.

Explaining this to my mother, she asked if we could exchange the meat (and the fungi as far as she is concerned) and I am sure chicken would be just as yum.

The card also enclosed a handy tip for reheating: Put in a casserole dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.



Ingredients:
1 Lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
¼ Cup chicken broth or white wine (I used broth)
2 Cloves garlic, minced
8 Oz Fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 ½ Cups heavy whipping cream
1 Tsp dried basil
1 Tsp salt
8 Oz fettuccine
⅔ Cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Bring two cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat
2. Add shrimp and boil for 1 minute or until shrimp turn pink
3. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon
4. Continue boiling shrimp liquid. Add broth/wine and garlic.
5. Boil until liquid is reduced to about ½ cup (about 12 minutes)
6. Add mushrooms, whipping cream, basil, and salt
7. Simmer sauce over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 6 minutes
8. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain well. Place in a large bowl.
9. Add shrimp to saucepan, heat for 1 minute.
10. Spoon shrimp and sauce over pasta.
11. Sprinkle top with parmesan, toss, serve immediately

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Ingredients

Tartar Sauce

Once again, is this even classified as a recipe?

Anytime we have fried fish at home, we have tartar sauce. It's so basic, but it's a comfort food thing. You understand, I know you do!

I can't justify buying the ready made in the store, not when it is this easy to make!

Ingredients:
1 Cup mayonnaise
1-2 Tablespoons sweet relish
Lemon juice

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients, lemon juice is to taste
2. This is better if it sits in the fridge overnight

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Ingredients

Bring on the fish!

Garlic and Peppercorn Fried Shrimp (Applebee's)

I found this recipe online here, and have made this a few times.
Apparently this is an Applebee's coy cat recipe. I eat there so infrequently, that I don't even know if this is really on the menu or not...and if so, I wouldn't know if the taste is "spot on" or not.
If anyone knows this answer, please chime in!

This makes for yummy, crunchy shrimp for that meal. I have yet to master making them crispy again as leftovers.

As a hint, you might want to use jumbo shrimp. I used little, as that is what I had on hand.
Jumbo will take less cooking time.


Ingredients:
1 Pound shrimp: raw, peeled, tail off, thawed
Vegetable oil as needed
½ Cup wheat flour
¼ Teaspoon salt
2 Teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
1 Teaspoon garlic powder
½ Teaspoon paprika
1 Teaspoon sugar
2 Eggs, slightly beaten
1 Cup bread crumbs


Directions:
1. Fill pan with 2-3 inches oil and heat to 350 degrees
2. Combine flour, salt, 1 tsp pepper, garlic, paprika, and sugar in a bowl
3. Beat eggs only slightly in a separate bowl
4. Mix breadcrumbs and 1 tsp pepper in a third bowl
5. Coat shrimp with flour mixture, then eggs, then bread crumbs (shake off excess between coats)
6. Fry 2-3 minutes until golden brown

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Ingredients 

Mounds of crispy (mini) shrimp, served with cocktail sauce.