Easy Shrimp Scampi

I'm in to pretty easy cooking lately.  This recipe serves 4 people. Finely chop up a half of an onion.  Heat 4 tablespoons of butter, and a tad of olive oil in a fry pan - add onion and 4 cloves of garlic.  Cook till the onions are transparent, then begin to add the additional ingredients.

I buy my Basil and Garlic from Trader Joes - these are ready at my fingertips from the freezer.  You press them out from the back, one clove of garlic in a small cube.

About 1-1/2 cups of peas with pearl onions...and really these are leftovers from the night before

1/2 cup of dry white wine.  Add to the skillet. We only drink red wine in our house, but found this in our wine pantry, which was lucky for me.  This wine brand is great, the Wine Sisterhood, and they make a variety of reds, and I love their  "Rebel Red."

I bought these from Trader Joes, and I had to laugh when I opened the package, because on the outside it said "Jumbo" and really they were medium size shrimp.  That must be a shot glass on the front of the package.  This recipe would lend itself to using "Jumbo" shrimp.

Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook in the sauce, turning them over here and there, and bring to a short boil.  You want the shrimp to be cooked through.

Cookin' up nice and my kitchen is filled with the scent of garlic.  Yummy delicious.  I think I will have a nice glass of Cupcake Red Velvet wine, while I finish this up.

Okay, I admit that I want to cook the simple way, and I didn't want to deal with cooking the noodles from scratch, which I could have done, but didn't want to take the time.  So, I had this in the freezer, and I cooked it in the microwave.

After it was done cooking, I carefully took out the noodles, trying not to get any of the mushroom sauce.

Add noodles to the skillet

Add peas

and you have dinner! 

Butterscotch Pie & Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars

In honor of my mother, who adored butterscotch, especially butterscotch meringue pie (more than anyone in the world!), I give you a couple of yummy butterscotch treats that I found on the internet.  Please stop by these blogs for more wonderful food inspirations!

On the 9th anniversary of losing my mom, I want to tell you that the very last thing I put into her mouth, the last thing she tasted, was butterscotch pie.  I can't tell you how glad this one little thing makes me.

First up:  Butterscotch Pie, courtesy of , recipe & image courtesy Gale Gand and Jimmy Cooperman, found on the Food Network website.

3 hr 20 min

Prep

30 min

Inactive

2 hr 0 min

Cook

50 min

Yield:

8 to 10 servings

Level:

Intermediate

This is one of my brother Gary's favorite pies made by my Aunt Jimmy. She was called Jimmy because when she was little she got a very short haircut which made her look like a boy so instead of her brother calling her by her right name, Sylvia, he called her "Jimmy". It's good after spicy food like barbecue.

Ingredients

Filling:

• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons Scotch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 (9-inch) prebaked pie shell, your favorite recipe

Meringue:

• 3/4 cup egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Make the Filling: In a large saucepan, combine the milk and cream and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately remove from the heat and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the brown sugar, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, until caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes. (You'll smell a characteristic nutty caramel odor when the butter browns, signaling that the mixture is ready.)

Whisking constantly, gradually add the butter/brown sugar mixture to the hot milk/cream mixture. If the mixture isn't smooth, blend for 20 seconds with a hand blender or pour through a fine sieve.

Put the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture. Whisk in the cornstarch and salt until dissolved. Whisk the cornstarch mixture back into the hot milk mixture in the saucepan. Whisk in the Scotch.

While whisking constantly, cook over medium-high heat until thick and just boiling. When the mixture thickens, the whisk will leave trail marks on the bottom of the pot and the mixture will have a few large bubbles boiling up to the top.

Turn off the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour into the prebaked pie shell and set aside while you make the meringue.

Make the Meringue: In a standing mixer fitted with a whip attachment, whip the whites in a clean dry bowl on low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue whipping on medium speed until soft peaks are formed. Gradually pour in the sugar and continue whipping on high speed until stiff and glossy. Pile the meringue onto the pie and swirl to cover, spreading it to the edge. (Making sure it touches the edge.) Bake the pie until the meringue is lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Chill the pie, uncovered, at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.

From the Sweet Treats & More site:

Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars with Brown Sugar Glaze
adapted from Food.com

1 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 c butter, soft
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 c oatmeal
1 (12 oz) package of Butterscotch Chips

Preheat oven to 350. 

1. Grease a 9x13 in. pan and set aside.

2. In a small bowl combine flour, soda, salt and cinnamon and set aside. 

3. In another large bowl, beat butter then add sugar and beat until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. 

4. Gradually add the flour mixture.  Stir in oatmeal, then butterscotch chips. 

5.  Spread batter into the greased pan.  Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes

***If the edges seem to be browning but is still gooey in the middle, reduce to temp to 325 for last 5-10 minutes. 

6. Once cool, frost with brown sugar glaze. 

Brown Sugar Glaze
Cupcake Project

1/4 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1/8 c milk
1/2 c sifted powdered sugar

In a saucepan melt butter.  Stir in brown sugar and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to medium and continue to beat for two minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the milk and return to boil (continually stirring).

Remove from heat and let cool to luke-warm temperature.  Gradually stir in powdered sugar and beat until smooth.  Add more powdered sugar if needed.  If it seems too thick you can add a little bit of warm water until you reach the desired consistency.

"Hunger Game" Fans: Here are some food resources for you!

If you are a "Hunger Games" fan, like we are, you will enjoy these links.
MyReciptes.com has a post dedicated to the food from the book series.  Stop by and check them out!

image of Goat Cheese bites taken from myrecipes.com website

You will need something to sip on with these treats.  Stop by Adagio Teas and look for their teas honoring the Hunger Games.  There is even a Katniss blend!

Let us know if you are a Hunger Games fan!

A Week of Meal Plans

I grocery shop on the weekends and make a list of the main dishes that I will be creating, then think of the side dishes to each one.  I have a busy life, and this seems to work for me.  My meal plans for this week:

Sunday - Corned Beef, cabbage, carrots and a tossed green salad

Monday - Marinated Swordfish steaks, wild rice, and baby broccoli

Tuesday - Pork Tenderloin, applesauce, Trader Joes Beans so Green, and rice pilaf

Wednesday - Shrimp Scampi, with garlic, pasta and a green salad

Thursday - Trader Joes Korean Short Ribs, mushroom risoto and a green salad

Friday - Let's see what is leftover from some of these dinners!

Saturday - Steak night!

Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs

I am a huge fan of having a stash of deviled eggs in the fridge.  I'm working on getting some weight off, and I am focusing on a 7-day carb cycle.  Having some low-carb/high protein things that are tasty and easily available is a good way for me to stay on track.
For this easy-to-make recipe you will need:
6 eggs, previously hard-boiled
3-4 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tsp dried mustard powder
1/2 to 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
3 or more Tablespoons soft goat cheese (chevre)
1/2 teaspoon of ground ancho chili powder (or other chili powder)
1/2 teaspoon regular or smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
pinch salt

Ancho chili powder is dried, roasted poblano chili (a bit milder and smokier tasting).

Use regular chili powder if you can't find this.  

Whenever possible, use bulk and replenish fairly often, as spices lose their potency after a few months!

coarse sea salt

I used this hot sauce, but any red sauce will work just as well.

This can be found in the Asian food area of your grocery store (I hope).

I replenish my dried mustard into this old tin!

Remove shells from boiled eggs and cut into halves, lengthwise.  Remove the yolks and place them in bowl.  Place boiled egg white halves in a shallow dish, preferably one that can be covered.
Using a fork, mash the yolks until well crumbled.  Add goat cheese, mayo, and hot sauce and mix well until you reach a smooth consistency.  Add remaining ingredients.
Spoon portions into the hollowed area of each egg white.  Finish with a tiny dash of paprika to add color.
Yum!