Shrimp Pasta

• 1 pound Penne Pasta
• 1 pound Shrimp
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Onion (small)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• ½ cups White Wine, Or To Taste
• 1 can Tomato Sauce
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Fresh Parsley, to taste
• Fresh Basil - To Taste
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.
Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a 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. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.
Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.
In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).
Now add an 14-ounce 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. 

Strawberry-Orange Salad

School has started back and summer seems to be coming to an end.  Boo!!  I absolutely love salads in the summer and this one is probably my favorite summer salad. I could seriously eat it every day!!

Ingredients: 
Spinach
Strawberries
Mandarin Oranges
Pine nuts or Almonds or any other nut of choice :)
Monterrey Jack Cheese

Dressing: 

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup canola oil

 Mix up dressing and pour on top of salad right before you are ready to serve.  Enjoy!

White Bean Dip

1 Can of Cannellini Beans drained and rinsed, 3 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped, 2 1/2 TBSP lemon juice, 1/3 cup oregano oil, Salt to taste. Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Serve with pita chips or bread.

Crockpot Pesto Ranch Chicken

What in the world did I do before Pinterest???  I have no clue!  Well, we are in a little bit of a transition phase.  We are moving into our new house when it closes in a few weeks but until then, we are bunking with some friends in their basement.  My cooking is quite limited because of this so I am relying on lots of crockpot meals.  We have a kitchen in the basement but no stove so the crockpot is coming in handy.  I found this yummy dish the other day and decided to give it a whirl.  I changed what I found up a little bit and here is the recipe:

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

6 ounce jar of pesto

1 package Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix

1/2 cup chicken broth

Mozzarella Slices

Directions:

Turn crock pot to high setting. Place chicken thighs in crockpot.  Mix pesto, ranch mix and chicken broth together and pour onto chicken.  Close with lid and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.  About 10 minutes before you are ready to eat, place cheese slices onto the thighs.  Enjoy!

Easy Crockpot Roast Beef

I love anything easy to fix.  I throw everything into my crock pot first thing in the morning and by dinnertime VOILA..I have a oh so yummy dinner!!

Ingredients:

Chuck Roast

1 packet brown gravy mix

1 packet zesty italian dressing mix

1 packet ranch dressing mix

Put desired vegetables on bottom of crock pot.  I use potatoes and carrots. Place roast on top of vegetables.  Mix all 3 packets with 1 cup of water and pour on top of roast.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

Blueberry Basil Balsamic Mozzarella Crisps

I came across these beauties when I was browsing through Pinterest.  We had just picked a ton of blueberries and I was looking for anything to make with them.  OMG these are AHHHHmazing!!  I think I ate every last one of them.  Trust me....if you like blueberries you will LOVE this dish!! 

Ingredients

1 pint blueberries

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoon fresh basil chopped

5 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

1 1/2 tablespoon canned coconut milk or heavy cream

1/2 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing

1/2 of a whole grain baguette, sliced into 12 half inch thick slices

salt and pepper, for sprinkling

fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions

1.Preheat your grill to high heat or preheat your oven to 400° degrees F.

2.In a medium saucepan, cook the blueberries, honey, balsamic vinegar and the lemon juice over high heat, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the blueberries burst, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3.While the blueberries cook mix together the mozzarella cheese, coconut milk or heavy cream and the 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a medium bowl. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill or toast the baguette slices in the oven on a baking sheet for about 5 minutes flip and top with a dollop of the cheese/milk/olive oil mixture and grill or bake until the cheese melts, about three minutes.

4.Immediately top with the blueberries and a sprinkle of fresh basil and a grate of lemon zest if desired.

Holy Yum Chicken

I found this recipe on Pinterest and OMG it is Holy Yum just like it's title!  My family couldn't get enough of it!!  I will be making this dish over and over again!!!

Holy Yum Chicken

SaveYield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 – 2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (most of the fat cut and discarded)



1/2 cup Dijon mustard (must be Dijon mustard, no substitutes)



1/4 cup pure maple syrup (again, no substitutes. No fake Aunt Jemima stuff)



1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar



1/4 tsp. salt



1/4 tsp. ground black pepper



1 tbsp. cornstarch



2 tsp. fresh rosemary for garnish



Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 8×8″ oven-proof pan with 2 layers of tin foil.

2.In small bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

3.Place the chicken thighs in the foil layered pan then pour the mixture on top of it. Turn the chicken around in the sauce to make sure it gets all coated.

4.Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

5.Remove from oven and let chicken sit for 5 minutes then transfer to a plate. Do NOT discard the liquid.

6.Immediately after plating chicken, whisk in the 1 tbsp. of cornstarch into the liquid in the pan. You’ll create a nice, thick sauce to drizzle over your chicken. You need to do cornstarch mixing immediately because the liquid needs to be hot in order for it to thicken properly. If it’s still not thickening after 1 tbsp., you can add a little more.

7.Sprinkle rosemary on top before serving.

8.Serve with rice or potatoes or vegetables.

Note: If you like things more tangy, I would add 2 tbsp. of rice wine vinegar instead of 1 tbsp. I did this the second time I made this and it was a nice tangy kick with the sweetness that subdued it. If you like things on the sweeter side, keep it to 1 tbsp. of rice wine vinegar. Regardless, taste the sauce after mixing it together and adjust to taste