Kendi's Kitchen: Shrimp Scampi pasta

One of the blogs I look at every day has amazing recipes on it.  I think those girls really love to cook.  I haven't had the guts to try anything until they posted a pasta with shrimp.  To be honest, cooking shrimp intimidates me.  But the ladies at A Beautiful Mess gave good instructions on how to cook the frozen stuff, so when Kevin called and asked "what do you want for dinner?", I emailed him the link.  He said he could do it so we were off and running to our first meal using shrimp.  It came out great!  Now, the possibilities are endless...

Cheers!

Shrimp Scampi Pasta via A Beautiful Mess

1/2 red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 tablespoon EVOO
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 lb. cooked, frozen shrimp
salt + pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan
linguine
1/4 cup chopped parsley (fresh is best but dried works too)
1 lemon

In a large pan melt the butter and oil together. Add the onions and red pepper, cook.  Add in the garlic and let cook another minute or two. Pour in the wine and cook until reduced slightly.
Cook the pasta.  Drain and set aside.  Add the shrimp to the veggie pan (thaw it first).  Add red pepper flakes and lightly salt and pepper everything. Once everything is warmed through but there is still plenty of liquid in the pan add in the cooked pasta and Parmesan. Toss so everything gets lightly coated in the cheese.  Squeeze on some fresh lemon juice and sprinkle on the parsley.

Really good.  An easy recipe to try cooking shrimp.  If you use a whole box of pasta, you get a couple meals out of it.

Stats
Time:  30 min
Servings:  4
Leftovers:  yes
Cost:  $6

Kendi's Kitchen: One Pot Pasta

Kevin does most of the cooking at the Kendi Haus (he is braver than me).  I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm so lucky I married a man that can cook.

We've had this twice.  It's from Pinterest via Martha Stewart.  I was skeptical at first, but it turned out really nice.  Highly recommended for a quick dinner that will impress.

Cheers!

One Pot Pasta (link to Martha)

1 box of linguini
1 can diced tomatos
1 sliced onion
4-5 sliced garlic cloves (we always use more garlic than the recipe says)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
some fresh basil leaves (we just grab some and go)
4 1/2 cups of chicken broth (we use the powder and and make our own)
2 tbsp EVOO
2 tsp oregano

Cut up you veggies, make the broth and get the spices.  Put everything in a big pot.  You don't have to cook the pasta first, just put everything in the pot.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes, covered.  Stir every now and then.  Cook until there's no liquid left, or just a little left.  Season with salt, pepper and Parmesan. 

You wouldn't think this would work, but the pasta cooks and it has a lot of flavor.  Makes great leftovers if you use the whole box of pasta.

Stats
Time:  20 min
Servings: 4+
Cost: $3
Leftovers:  yes

Get YDFM bread as a great side

Best Baked Ziti Ever

I don't generally like to toot my own horn, but I'm not ashamed to say that I make some of the best baked ziti ever. It's my go-to meal for special occassions and Sunday dinner. It's probably the only dish I can make without looking at the recipe cards. I start by making a batch of homemade marinara. While the marinara is simmering I boil the noodles and cut/grate the cheese. Usually the noodles and marinara are done at just about the same time as I finish with the cheese. I mix together the ingredients, transfer to a baking dish, top with a layer of cheese, and stick it in the oven. Half an hour later we have a bubbling mass of cheesy goodness topped with a golden-brown layer of more cheesy goodness. Yum! Oh, and the leftovers are great for taunting your co-workers at lunch the next day.

It pairs great with a Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir. This was the first meal I cooked in my new kitchen in Lansing. After spending a year without a functional kitchen I needed to celebrate with my favorite meal and one of my favorite wines - a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon from McKenzie-Mueller. My brother and I discovered McKenzie-Mueller when I was visiting him in San Francisco several years ago. We were driving around hitting up some wineries in Napa Valley and stumbled on them after getting a recommendation from another winery. They aren't usually open for tastings, but it was the 4th of July so they had special hours. The owner spent a lot of time with us explaining all of the wines and letting us taste just about everything they make.

Stats:
Cost: $7
Servings: 6-8
Leftovers: Yes
Time: 60 min

Summer Ravioli

Over here in the Kendi Haus, Kevin and I have a system for meals.  He enjoys cooking them, I enjoy eating them.  I am very fortunate to have a husband that is a really good cook.  Lately, we have established a pattern of me finding recipes to try, and Kevin trying them.  So far, it has worked out pretty well with a bunch of new dishes to add into dinner rotation.  Here was a keeper that we tried last night.

Summer Ravioli (originally found here) with our modifications:

1 package frozen ravioli
1 large, ripe tomato, washed, stem removed, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped
¼ cup Italian parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons sweet butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup water
½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Heat to boiling, 5-6 quarts of water salted with kosher salt. Drop in the fresh pasta, being careful to separate the ravioli. Cook 4-5 minutes until al dente.
2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a sauté pan, add the cooked ravioli, tomato pieces and garlic. Season with sea salt and pepper. Toss and stir 5 minutes.
3. Raise the heat, add ¼ cup water. Simmer and reduce the sauce.
4. Serve on a plate, topped with a sprinkle of Italian parsley and grated cheese.

We changed the recipe on accident (note the use of pasta water in the original), but it still came out great.  Next time we try it, we'll cut back on the butter to make it a little bit healthier.  We try to only have one pasta dish a week, and this one is filling and gives you good left-overs for lunch (a must for any Kendi meal).  Highly recommended.

Cheers!

Stats
cost:  less than $6
servings:  4
leftovers:  yes
time:  35 minutes