Penne and Shrimp with Tomato Cream Sauce

Looking for something to cook that will WOW your guests?  Look no more.  This is our new favorite 'knock-their-socks-off' dinner.  Pretty sure this would help you get that marriage proposal, or maybe a raise!  :-)  

You'll need:
3/4 lbs. penne pasta
1 lb. shrimp
3 T. butter
3 T. olive oil
1 whole onion (small)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c. white wine
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz.)
1 c. heavy cream
fresh parsley, to taste
fresh basil, to taste
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Cook the penne pasta until al dente or tender-firm.

Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1-pound of  large or extra-large shrimp. Heat about 1-tablespoon butter and 1-tablespoon olive oil in skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Put the cooked shrimp on a cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.

In a large skillet, heat 2-tablespoons of butter and 2-tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and saute, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit, add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about 1/2 cup). Now add the can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined, then add 1-cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil.

Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

Thank you, Pioneer Woman!

Memories of the School Cafeteria: Chili and Cinnamon Rolls

Most people probably don't have fond memories of the lunches at their school cafeteria, but then most people didn't have Mrs. Brewer cooking their school lunches.  Most of the meals were great, but there was always one day when the cafeteria seemed busier than usual.  It was a day when no one packed a PBJ and chips.  Yes, my friends, that was the day that chili and cinnamon rolls were on the school lunch menu.  Oh, so good!  And apparently very popular here in Nebraska as one of the local fast-food stores now has a chili and cinnamon roll combo on the menu.  I never saw this in Texas.  Texans could learn something here. 

So, here is my recreation of this delicious combo.  It must be served together.  That's not an option; it's an order.  Just a couple of side notes...this is not a spicy chili but it is a great basic recipe.  Feel free to doctor it up with jalapenos.  I also will probably not add the cinnamon next time.  Just my opinion.  You might love it.  Now the cinnamon rolls are divine; so caramely and yummy.  No one will ever know you used frozen dough, I promise.  Enjoy!  :-)

Oh, and a shout-out to Mrs. Brewer and all of the other lunch ladies across America.  Thanks for the memories!!

~Ranch Chili~
You'll need:
2 lbs. extra-lean ground beef
1 T. dry minced onion or 1/2 c. diced fresh onion
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1-2 tsp. salt
2 T. flour
1 T. sugar
1 46-oz. can tomato juice
1 c. water
2 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon or 1/2 cinnamon stick
2 cans dark red kidney beans, undrained

In soup pot, brown hamburger with onion, salt and pepper. Add flour and sugar; cook 2-3 minutes. Add tomato juice and water; stir. Add remainder of ingredients and bring to simmer. Remove cinnamon stick before serving. Serve hot with shredded cheddar cheese and crackers.
(adapted from recipe in Nebraska Life magazine)

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~Caramel Cinnamon Rolls~
You'll need:
12 frozen unbaked cinnamon rolls
1/2 stick butter
2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. real vanilla
1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Butter or spray 9x13" cake pan. Melt butter; add sugar and cream in sauce-pan. When mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and add cinnamon and vanilla. Pour mixture in prepared cake pan and spread evenly. Place frozen cinnamon rolls in pan. Cover with greased plastic wrap and set aside in warm place. Let dough rise according to package directions (3-4 hours).
Preheat oven and bake at 350 degrees on middle rack for 20 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately flop rolls onto cookie sheet, scraping all of the caramel from bottom of pan.
Eat as soon as the rolls are cool enough to bite into.
(adapted from a recipe in Nebraska Life magazine)

Southern Living Christmas 2010

Well, here is the newest and most exciting addition to my cookbook collection.  Did I mention I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with cookbooks?  Oh well, there are worse things that I could obsess over, right?  Anyway, I'm so excited to dive into some of these recipes.  There are hundreds of divine recipes and crafts in the 2010 Christmas book.  Where will I begin?  Go get yours.  You won't be disappointed.

Chicken Noodle Soup & Mom's Peanut Butter Cookies = LOVE

There is a beautiful chill in the air today.  I love fall and am looking forward to enjoying a change of seasons this year. We went to the apple orchard today so I probably should be making an apple pie or something, but today, I'm craving something something warm and comforting.  What screams comfort food more that a bowl of Chicken Noodle soup?!  I've been making this Chicken Noodle Soup since my daughter was little.  It was something that she would eat so we had it quite often.  It makes a big pot so you can count on enjoying the leftovers for awhile.

Chicken Noodle Soup

You'll need:
1 1/2 lbs. chicken (I like dark meat so I use boneless, skinless thighs)
A large package of egg noodles (We like the Reames Homestyle, but I've used regular egg noodles before and it's just as tasty)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 tsp parsley
1-2 tsp pepper
salt to taste
stick of butter

Place the chicken in a large pot. Add water to cover by about 2 inches.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for about 20-30 minutes.  Remove the chicken from pot.  Don't worry if it's still a little pink, it will go back in the pot to cook longer.  To the pot of water, add the can of chicken broth and the chopped veggies.  Continue to cook over medium heat so the veggies cook.  Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, then return them to the pot.  Add the bag of noodles.  Add the parsley and pepper.  Once the noodles are cooked, stir in the can of cream of chicken soup and the stick of butter.  Add salt to taste.  Continue to stir until the butter is melted and the soup is heated through.

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These are my favorite Peanut Butter Cookies EVER!  These are the Peanut Butter Cookies I grew up on, and the ones that I will forever measure all other Peanut Butter Cookies by.  Thanks Mom!!

Mom's Peanut Butter Cookies
You'll need:
1 c. shortening (like butter-flavored Crisco)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. peanut butter
 3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soda

Cream sugars with shortening.  Add remaining ingredients. Roll into 1-inch balls and flatten slightly with a fork.  Bake for 11-13 minutes at 375 degrees.

Best when served with a glass of cold milk!

Happy Fall, Y'all!! 

Football Fever!

Well, it's that time!! The first Husker game is on Saturday!   Literally, everyone I've talked to has mentioned it.  This is a BIG deal here in Nebraska! My social calendar has exploded with football party invitations and I'm loving it!   So of course, I set out to find the perfect football party food and decor ideas.  I found this perfect idea board at the Birthday Girl blog.  You can bet the I'll be using some, if not all, of these ideas.  Now I'm off to find the perfect Husker outfit for the first big game.

As a side note to my Texas friends, I have not lost my love for the Aggies.  I will also be sporting the maroon.  But when in Rome...

Now let's get ready for kick-off!!!

Resources
Row 1: cupcakes, drinks via Apartment Therapy; mini hot dogs via Martha Stewart; chip dip
Row 2: wings via Martha Stewart; football cake via Kaboose: gathering via Real Simple; party supplies via Plum Party
Row 3: sliders via Martha Stewart; pillows via Land of Knod; football kids via kamarah; centerpiece via Stiletto Sports
Row 4: invite via Tiny Prints; trophy via Beau-Coup; vinage scene via Evite; barware via Pottery Barn

Shrimp Peel

Living in Texas, you tend to take some of the local flair for granted.  Good TexMex food and fresh Gulf Coast shrimp are the first things that come to mind.   So when the craving came for some good seafood in Nebraska, rather than run to Red Lobster to satisfy my taste buds, I reluctantly headed to the frozen food section for some frozen shrimp.  Fortunately, this easy recipe did not disappoint.  The flavor is a lot like a shrimp scampi.

Here's a shout out to my niece, Jill, who went to Peace Preschool in Cedar Park.  The cookbook they did in 2008-2009 is one of my absolute favorites.  I haven't made a recipe from it yet that wasn't fabulous, this one included. Kudos to the parents who submitted all of their best dishes.

Here is what you'll need:
3 to 4 lbs. frozen uncooked shrimp

Heat in sauce pan:
1 stick butter
16 oz. Italian Wishbone dressing
2 cloved garlic, minced or pressed
1 1/2 T. fresh ground pepper (may use more) or 1 oz. can pepper
2 lemons halved - squeeze the juice

Place shrimp in Pyrex 9x13" baking dish and pour mixture over shrimp. Place lemons on top of shrimp. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Stir after 15 minutes.  Shrimp will turn pink when it's done.  Serve with French bread for dipping in the sauce.

So easy, a caveman can do it.  Enjoy!

We've come a long way, Baby!

As a lover of all things vintage, I couldn't resist sharing some of these vintage advertisements. 

Here is a Campbell's Soup ad from 1945. I have to admit, I still open up a Campbell's Vegetable Soup for lunch from time to time.  Some things really don't change.

Seriously?  All I had to do was open up a can of Underwood Deviled Ham?  Wonder if this will still work today?

This sugar ad just makes me smile.  Definitely don't see ads talking about the benefits of sugar anymore. :-)

Yep, this will win him over. :-) 
Although, I always loved it when my Mom served us TV dinners.  It was such a rare event, it felt like we were given a treat.

You can check out more ads on Found in Mom's Basement. Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies Made Easy

Christmas is only 5 months away from today.  Have you started your shopping yet?  Just kidding.  I'm a classic procrastinator. While I have the best of intentions, every year, I find myself standing in line on Christmas Eve for one more gift.  You'd think I'd learn.  Given that the Christmas rush is on (wink), it got me thinking about Christmas cookies today.  I have a insatiable sweet-tooth so there aren't very many cookies that I've met that I didn't like.  However, there is something about a frosted, sprinkled sugar cookie.  Did I mention that I'm a procrastinator?  I think I did.  So by the time I set out to make them, I was running short on time.  Can I tell you how happy I was to find these amazing Sugar Cookie Bars?  Problem solved!  It took no time at all to throw these together.  Try them.  You won't be disappointed.  Happy Holidays! ;-)

Here's what you'll need for the cookies:


1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda


Here's what you'll need for the frosting:

1/2 cup butter; at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
pinch of salt
2 cups powdered sugar (sift after measuring)
3 Tbsp. milk
food coloring, if desired

Prepare bars: In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Mix in vanilla.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt & baking soda. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased, rimmed baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan). The dough will be just like cookie dough- heavy & sticky- so you might to spray your hands with a little nonstick spray and use them to help mold the dough into the pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Prepare frosting: In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in vanilla, almond flavoring and salt. Add powdered sugar (1 cup at a time) until combined, then add milk & mix until smooth and spreading consistency. Add a few drops of color, if desired. Spread over cooled cookie, then cut into bars.

Yield: 32 bars

Tips:
*Refrigerate the bars until firm… it will be easier to get nice, clean cuts.

Adapted from a Grin and Bake It recipe.   I only changed the frosting, mainly because I didn't have enough powdered sugar. Still very yummy!

Super Veggie-Stuffed Peppers

I love trying new, healthy recipes. It took some coaxing for my Mom to finally give in and try anything that I cooked using soy, but now, she doesn't mind it at all. These peppers are delicious, and the soy crumbles really are a great replacement for the ground beef. And did I mention, it's healthy? Someday, I'm going to sneak some soy crumbles into a dish for my Grandpa or Dad. If they can't detect that 'something different', no one will. I'll be sure and keep you posted on how that goes. :-)

Here's what you'll need for one serving:

1 large red bell pepper

1 plum tomato (preferably Roma), deseeded and chopped

1/2 cup frozen ground-beef-style soy crumbles, thawed
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup canned tomato sauce

2 tablespoons shredded fat-free cheddar cheese

1/2 teaspoon dry taco seasoning mix

1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a medium pan to medium-high heat on the stove. Add mushrooms, onion and green bell pepper. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are slightly softened. Add garlic to the pan and cook for 1 additional minute.

Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. To the bowl, add tomato, soy crumbles, tomato sauce, cheese and taco seasoning mix. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Slice off the top of the red pepper, and then slice it in half lengthwise. Remove seeds.  Spray a medium baking dish lightly with nonstick spray. Place pepper halves in the dish, cut side up, and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

Remove pepper halves from the oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees.  Once pepper halves are cool enough to handle, use paper towels to soak up any excess moisture. Evenly spoon veggie mixture into pepper halves. Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly then dig in!

Recipe adapted from Hungry Girl 200 Under 200.

Lemony Fresh

Mmmmm...Lemons!  They just scream summer, don't they?  I love pretty much anything with lemon in it so when I saw the recipe for Lemon Lemon Lemon Loaf that our friends at Like Mother Like Daughters posted, I had to give it a try.   So I ran to the store to grab a a few lemons to recreate this masterpiece, and lo and behold, came home with a 2-lb bag of the little yellow beauties.   While I would have been just as happy squeezing these into an ice cold glass of water, I decided to be a little more inspired so I made the ever so yummy English Lemon Shortbread Bars.  Wish you could have been here this morning.  Having zested and squeezed all of them, my home smelled like a lemon sanctuary.  I could get used to this.  Note to self...buy more lemons.

You've gotta try this one!  We LOVE Nancy, Ellen and Robin! 5..6..7..8..!  (They'll know what this means) :-)
'Lemon Lemon Lemon Loaf' from Like Mother Like Daughters

And now...the English Lemon Shortbread Strips.
These are now one of my new favorite desserts.  I'll be making these often!  They're soooo gooood!

Photo credit to Land O' Lakes
(We ate them all before I could get a picture...I'm not kidding)

Here what you'll need...

Shortbread Ingredients:
2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Garnish Ingredients:
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon peel

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all shortbread ingredients except flour in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour. Beat until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press dough evenly into lightly greased 15x10x1 jelly-roll pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely.

Combine all glaze ingredients in small bowl with wire whisk until smooth. Spread thin layer of glaze over cooled shortbread; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon lemon peel, if desired. Let stand 30 minutes to set. Cut into 2 1/2x1-inch strips.

Adapted from a Land O' Lakes recipe

The Green Glass Company

The Green Glass Company is one of my favorite new finds.  They reclaim/recycle bottles and transform them into amazing glassware.  Just one more way we can do our part for this beautiful Mother Earth. The glassware below is from the Mist Collection.

Family cookbooks

Good news!  There are still copies of  the ever popular "Stir Crazy" available.  The price of $10 includes shipping so hurry and get 'em while you can. 

Photo shoots

Brittany is a talented photographer who just finished an internship with a top photographer in Austin.  She is ready to put her unique style to work in Kearney. Here are some shots from some of her recent shoots. Look for her updated website to be up soon. In the meantime, if you need a photographer, let me know. :-)