Memorial Day is this weekend. How did that happen? In case you’re entertaining I have a few delicious and easy-to-make grilling recipes to help you out this coming Memorial Day weekend. I love a good shrimp boil! But to be honest, I’ve never done it the traditional way… I’ve always done a grilled shrimp boil.
A few years back I started making shrimp boil kebabs. They are great, but lets face it kebabs take time for skewering and take extra room on the grill. Why not dump all the shrimp boil contents on the top of the grill and let them sizzle for a few minutes. This recipe for a grilled shrimp boil is what I like to call easy entertaining. You can serve this up in large pasta bowls, on a large platter, or do what traditional shrimp boil practice is and serve it on top of the newspaper. I like minimal cleanup so when I make this recipe I like to serve everyone there portion of the grilled shrimp boil in large pasta bowls and I put a big bowl in the center of the table for shrimp peals and corn cobs!
I also want to add that its rare of me to photograph food in its element. I’ve been making this recipe for years and when I started thinking about how I wanted to photograph the grilled shrimp boil I realized I should do it on top of the grill. So as our dinner cooked I began photographing making this one of few hot dinners my husband and I could enjoy! That is true food blogger style… I rush home and hurry up and cook so that way if I plan on photographing dinner that night its done as soon as possible for optimal lighting!
In a large pot, add a teaspoon of old bay seasoning and boil the baby yukon potatoes on medium-high heat for 20 minutes. Stir often, and set to the side after the 20 minute mark. You don't want your potatoes to be mushy but you want them to be almost cooked through for the grill.
Preheat the grill to high heat, clean, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Clean corn and cut kielbasa and set to the side.
Melt 1/2 stick of unsalted butter and combine with 3 teaspoons old bay seasoning.
Place drained potatoes, kielbasa, and corn (layer in this order) in a large bowl. Pour the butter/old bay seasoning mix over the large bowl filled with potatoes, kielbasa, and corn. Mix well to ensure that the butter mixture got on everything.
Place the corn, potatoes, and sausage on the grill (save the butter in the bowl). Close lid and cook for 5 minutes, flip items over and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the cleaned shrimp to the butter bowl and toss to coat. Add the shrimp to the grill and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Do you love home takeout? I do! I love takeout in general, but sometimes we don’t want to spend the money on eating out so I turn to my home-takeout method. About two months ago I stumbled across a recipe for Shrimp and Veggie Lo Mein. Ironically, although I’m not a big fan of lo mein at the local takeout joints I am head over heals for this Shrimp and Veggie Lo Mein I make at home. So much so that I have made this over a handful of times over the past two months!
I would like to thank my mom for my love of Chinese food. Growing up I would beg for Chinese food for breakfast; back then I would eat chicken and broccoli with white rice. If my mom would have allowed it I would have consumed it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then repeated the same meals over and over again until my little heart was content. Chinese food brings me comfort and I think that might be why I find myself yearning for it when I’m sick. Of course I love homemade chicken noodle soup, but the next best thing in my book is wonton soup and vegetable fried rice. I also love to make my Asian chicken and rice soup, too when I’m sick or on a cold winters day. But since winter has long escaped from sunny Florida I’ll take this Shrimp and Veggie Lo Mein. It’s comforting, light, and best of all you can add as many vegetables and proteins to this simplistic Asian dish.
1/4 lb. shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
1/3 lb. snowpeas, trimmed and Julianne sliced
1/2 cup matchstick carrots
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp dry sherry
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. Add the cabbage, bell pepper, mushrooms, snow peas and carrot; cook for 30 seconds. Drain the noodles and vegetables thoroughly and set to the side.
In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium for 1 minute. Then, add the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Then add the soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil; bring the mixture to a bubble for a few seconds. Add the raw shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Then add the noodles and vegetables; toss well. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are fully cooked and the peppers are tender but still slightly crunchy, about 3 minutes.
Let’s get our enchilada on today, shall we? With just 3 days until Cinco de Mayo I hope I’ve been able to inspire you with a few new Mexican recipes this week to share with your family and friends. I’m the first to admit that enchiladas are not top on my list. I’d much rather prefer a chicken chimichangas or grilled chopped chicken tacos. But my husband on the other hand loves enchiladas. He has complained that my enchiladas were never that great over the years. That was until I created this recipe!
I also created this recipe during my husbands brew day back in March. The guys tore threw my beef and green chile enchiladas faster than I could even try a bite! Our friend Ricardo (who blogs at The Beer Guerrilla) even mentioned to me that he thought these were extremely authentic and asked where I got the recipe… of course, me being me, responded “I just created it“! To be honest I was taken back by that statement. I have finally gotten to the level of cooking where I’ve turned everyday recipes into authentic recipes. Now, don’t get me wrong–that was just one person telling me that but I feel like I’ve finally jumped to the next level in my culinary journey. I think a big part of the authentic flavor came from my homemade spicy enchilada sauce. The deep bold flavors of this rich sauce really bring this recipe to the next level. So I can also credit me taking a risk and making my own sauce. Let me just tell you… you will want to lick the jar clean. If you can reserve a little extra sauce for topping/dipping your enchiladas in. We were all scraping the jar dry. We couldn’t resist the homemade enchilada sauce.
So whether your hosting a fiesta this Sunday or just making a quiet meal at home with the ones you love… give these (authentic (I say that term loosely here)) Beef & Green Chile Enchiladas a try!
Cook the ground beef in a skillet on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Stir frequently, and break up the beef. Then add the chopped green chiles, garlic, and onions. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the drained black beans, mix well, and remove from the heat.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray a large rectangular glass pan with cooking spray. Spread a half cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan. Warm the corn tortillas in the oven for one minute. Remove and then begin to create the enchiladas. One spoonful of filling per corn tortillas, carefully roll, making sure not to tear the tortillas. Place seam side down. Repeat until all the tortillas have been used/filled. Pour the remaining 1-1/2 cups of enchilada sauce over top of the enchiladas. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Top with 1 cup shredded cheese. Serve immediately and top with green onions and cilantro if desired.
Would you hate me if you knew that I ate my first bowl of Spaghetti Carbonara last year in Europe? Yep totally true. I think the whole egg thing has thrown me off all these years, and thus kept me far, far away from the egg based pasta. But while on vacation I tend to get a little more adventurous. I was craving creamy pasta and I gave it a try… and what do you know? I loved it, and then proceeded to gorge myself until I had a stomach ache (which by the way I don’t recommend that).
I was inspired to make a lighter version of spaghetti carbonara at home. I was craving comfort food. I had a busy day at the office and all I wanted to do was eat a quick comforting dinner and then veg on the couch (which lets get real I rarely ever veg on the couch. I typically get my second wind after dinner and start working on blog stuff until the wee-hours of the morning).
So on that sluggish evening (this happened be right after I made tons of homemade spaghetti) I knew I wanted to make pasta but I didn’t know what. I typically make my go-to Shrimp Scampi recipe, but on this particular night I did something I haven’t done in a while… I opened a cookbook! gasp! I find myself opening cookbooks less and less and going straight to the internet. And then, of course, once I open the cookbook I tend to get lost in it for hours just as I would the internet. That’s when I flipped to this glorious recipe. This was also around Easter time when I had leftover Slow Cooker Ham. Might I add, that I never have ham in the refrigerator, so I felt that this recipe was destine to be cooked. I will tell you that Spaghetti Carbonara is not as scary as it might seem… even if you aren’t a fan of egg yolks–its creamy and comforting and brought me right back to Italy!
Cook fresh spaghetti for 3 minutes or until al dente. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta and set to the side.
Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the diced ham and cook for 2 minutes. Add the pasta to the pan and stir well.
In a large bowl, combine the Parmigiano-Reginnao, sour cream, skim milk, salt, and lightly beaten eggs. Mix well, then add the reserved pasta water. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and stir until incorporated and cook for 5 minutes. You'll want the sauce to thicken--make sure it does not boil. Stir in ground black pepper and fresh chives and serve immediately.
Today, I’m over at Food Fanatic contributing the most divine one-pot meal recipe I’ve created to date. I’d like to introduce you to the Italian Sausage Bake. This is perfect for a weekend meal. Fresh ingredients such as pepper, onions, grape tomatoes, and potatoes tossed with spicy Italian sausage that bakes in the oven for a whopping 2 hours. I’ve made this recipe a few times now, and found that tits best to let the sausage cook on top over the vegetables. The juices from the sausage permeate into the veggies creating the most flavorful and simple dish. Since you have your starches, veggies, and proteins all in one–this is all you have to make. Of course you can always pair it with crusty Italian bread and a side salad.
I love a meal where I can use up leftovers. Transform them into something new. That is exactly what this recipe is today. Back in January, I shared how to make Spicy Italian Sausage Subs with Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce in the Slow Cooker. Super simple meal that allows your slow cooker to do all the work for you. Then a few weeks later I showed you how to Roast Red Bell Peppers. Well, I don’t know about you but when I have lots of leftovers I like to transform them. And thus this beautiful Fire-Roasted Tomato & Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta Bake came to life.
Not only did I utilize some of the leftovers I had on hand, but I used a few more pantry staples include Dreamfields Pasta, some fresh herbs from my garden, and cheese in the refrigerator. After boiling up my pasta, I toss all the ingredients together and voila a beautiful pasta bake ready in less than an hour. Typically, most pasta bakes are loaded with cheese. This pasta bake just so happened to not be loaded with cheese. I chose to place a few dollops of ricotta in the bake. Every now and then we don’t need our pasta loaded with cheese, right? Ok, maybe I’m wrong, but I loved it just the way I made it. If you love cheese feel free to load it up! Either way–its a great way to use up leftovers!
Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Then add in pasta, chopped roasted red bell peppers, spicy Italian sausage, and sauce. Toss well them add 8 dollops (tablespoons) of ricotta, sprinkle with caramelized onions and grated cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the inside of the pasta is hot and the cheese is melted.
This recipe is brought to you by Katie Jasiewicz of Katies Cucina
Disclaimer:I received pasta from Dreamfields pasta; however, I was not compensated nor required to write about them. This is a brand I buy on a regular basis and enjoy eating. As always, all opinions are my own.
I love meatloaf! If you asked me that when I was growing up I would have told you differently, but now that I’m older (and wiser) I can now tell you that I’m a big fan of meatloaf. Let me preface though… there is to be no ketchup slathered on my meatloaf. I think I’ve written about it before, but I hate ketchup. Like I can smell it from a mile away and it gives me the heebee-jeebees. I can’t deal with it. I was traumatized as a kid and still refuse to eat it as an adult. Except for last year when I tried homemade ketchup at Food Blog Forum.
So back to this meatloaf. Its divine. The crispy slices of bacon on top really bring all the flavor to this meat loaf. I never cook meat loaf in individual servings, but for some reason the idea was calling my name. I’ve had these mini loaf pans for almost a year now. My dear friend, Jaclyn, from Food plus Words gave them to me when she was moving away last year. I felt like it was time to give them a whirl. Plus for some reason why my husband doesn’t see me using certain kitchen items he is more prone to want them to be donated ASAP. So, in an effort to save these beauties from the dreaded donation bin… I needed to use them.
I only had three loaf pans, but this definitely will feed a family of four no problem. Just remove them from the pans and cut them into four slices. Plate up 3 hearty slices per person. Given that I’m a brown gravy girl and love to drench my meatloaf with it–it pairs well although even a salt-aholic like me thought at times it might be a tad too salty. My husband was craving ketchup with this one but since we don’t have that offering in my house he went the brown gravy boat as well.
Yesterday, I shared my Baked Cheddar & Chive Mashed Potatoes. My Individual Bacon-Cheddar Meat Loaves paired beautifully with them. I love when a great idea comes to life and proves to really be a good idea. Whether you’re entertaining or just looking for comfort food on a Sunday–this recipe duo is one not to be missed. Of course, I’m not sure if your waste line will be happy with you after this hearty meal, but remember; everything in moderation.
Yearning a moist and flavorful meatloaf? Give these Individual Bacon-Cheddar Meat Loaves a try. If you love it really cheesy then double up on your cheese both in the meatloaf and on top. The fat renderings from the bacon make this meatloaf magical.
Ingredients
1 lb. lean organic ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried minced onions
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 cup shredded cheddar + 3 tbsp
cooking spray
3 bacon slices
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit).
In a large bowl add ground beef, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, beaten egg, minced onion, parsley, and 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Mix it well until just combined. Then using your hands divide into 3 equal parts.
Wash hands well then spray three individual loaf pans with cooking spray. Add the divide meat mixture into each loaf pan, and press down to fill gaps. Sprinkle the tops of the loaves with 1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese then cut the bacon slices in half. Lay two mini slices on top of each loaf. Place the mini loaf pans on a larger baking sheet. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees and the bacon is crispy on top.
I didn’t learn how to make shrimp scampi until I was in my early twenties. I just thought it was a delicacy you could only get at restaurants. I had no idea how easy it was to make at home! I’ve been making my Shrimp Scampi Pasta for years now, and as the years progress I keep finding ways to make it healthier. One of the ways I make my pasta healthier is buy using Dreamfields Pasta. Their healthy pasta recipe has fewer digestible carbs, about the same high fiber as whole wheat pasta, and it can help you manage your blood sugar. I’ve served this pasta to countless people and no one can tell the difference!
Ove the years I’ve went from making Shrimp Scampi Pasta for only special occasions like Valentine’s day to entertaining with this main entree when all my family comes in town (about 15+). If you omit the broth and just use water for the cornstarch slurry (and of course omit the pasta) the shrimp scampi portion is gluten free! So it has always worked for me to make this dish when I entertain for my family since my cousin has a gluten allergy. I’ll dish hers up first (a nice hearty portion of shrimp is garlic-lemon wine sauce) and then continue to plate others on top of pasta. No need for me to have to make multiple meals to suit all needs.
So if you haven’t thought about what you are doing for Valentine’s Day dinner tomorrow night you might want to consider this quick-and-easy Shrimp Scampi Pasta to impress the one you love! Oh and if you want to spice this up a little I’ve been known to add in a handful of chopped fresh spinach or even some grape tomatoes into the scampi sauce as it reduced down. Get creative!
Looking for a quick and easy fancy dinner that will impress just about anyone? This Shrimp Scampi Pasta will not only impress the ones you love, but satisfy everyones craving for a rich shrimp scampi dish that is lighter on the waistline!
Bring a pot of water to a boil (make sure you salt your water). Once the water comes to a boil put in the spaghetti. Cook until al dente (according to package).
In a skillet, on medium heat add butter and olive oil cook until butter is melted (about 1 minute). Then add the lemon pepper seasoning, thinly sliced garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cover and let this marry for a few minutes (5 minutes) (make sure that the butter and garlic do not burn)!
Add white wine to the pan and stir. Let the wine cook out of the dish (about 5 minutes) then add shrimp. Cover and cook on medium for 2-3 minutes.
While shrimp is cooking mix together teaspoon chicken stock with 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Set to the side.
Stir the shrimp, and then push them against the pan to create a hole. Turn the heat off on the stove burner. Whisk in cornstarch liquid mixture making sure that it doesn't get lumpy. Sprinkle half of the fresh parsley in the pan. Mix everything well. Remove the pan from the heat.
Plate spaghetti and then generously dish out shrimp and sauce over pasta. Serve with a wedge of lemon and enjoy!
Notes
*If you omit the pasta and the stock using water instead for the cornstarch slurry this can be served as a Gluten Free dish.
This recipe is brought to you by Katie Jasiewicz of Katies Cucina
Disclaimer:I have a working relationship with Dreamfields pasta. I received pasta to create this recipe; however, I was not compensated. As always all opinions are my own.
I made these crunch-baked chicken strips on Sunday night for dinner. These plump and juicy chicken strips were so amazing that I had to blog about them this week. Seriously, I needed to share this amazing recipe stat with all my readers. I’m going to tell you a little secret here… typically I cook/bake a few months out from when my post actually go to publish. It is just how life is, and its nice because I always have a nice little stock-pile of recipes waiting to be debuted (they always just need the TLC aka photo editing and recipe writing to be completed). So, with all this being said. You must now realize how special these chicken strips are. If I go back for seconds on any meat of any kind I know its damn good!
I rarely ever make a breaded chicken that is baked. It’s either baked naked with seasoning on it, grilled, or sauteed in a pan. As I “thumbed” through the pages of my online copy of Eating Light I stumbled across this recipe. (A big thanks to a twitter follower who informed me that I can download magazines for free from our public library right on to my iPad!) It looked homey and comforting and low-calorie; which we can all afford to cut a few calories from our diet since binging on cookies, gingerbread, and all things peppermint in December.
The photo in the magazine of the super-crunchy chicken reminded me of the Shake-n-Bake chicken my mom would make when I was a kid. (I recognize, I’m sure to get a phone call and/or text message/email from my mom about “outing” her once again.) Nothing wrong with Shake-n-Bake. Let’s just put that out there. The calories in such crispy chicken mixture isn’t so great for us. So why not recreate an old favorite and be able to control what is going into it? I can attest that this chicken is 100 times better the new and improved way. And are you wondering how we achieve the crunchiness to the chicken? Cornflakes! Which I could write a whole other post on how my mom use to make what we called cornflake chicken when I was a kid. By the way, my husband had no idea he was eating what he would call a “diet” recipe. So with that being said… run. Don’t walk, and go make this recipe.
I can’t end this post without wishing my parents a happy 30th wedding anniversary! Seriously, in this day-in-age its unheard of for two people to be together for so long. So congrats to them and heres to another 30 years together!
While oven is preheating, mix buttermilk egg white and hot pepper sauce in a deep bowl: mix well until incorporated. Rinse off chicken strips and add them to the buttermilk mixture. Let them sit while you prepare the crunchy mixture.
In a large food processor add cornflake-cereal, paprika, fresh thyme, garlic powder, and salt. Pulse until you have crumbs and all the seasonings have been incorporated together. Carefully pour the bread crumb mixture into a shallow plate.
Line a baking sheet with a Silpat (or tinfoil) then place a metal cookie cooling wire rack on top of the lined baking sheet. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Then, begin assembling the chicken. One-by-one place the buttermilk chicken into the shallow plate and coat with crumb mixture. Then place on to the wire rack. Repeat until all the chicken strips have been covered and are on the wire rack.
Bake for 20 minutes or until crumb coating is crusty and browned and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
A few months ago, the amazing people at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute reached out to me after Christine and I talked with Maureen during our Salmon Google Hangout. They wanted me to give Alaskan salmon a try as well as some of the other seafood species native to Alaska. This was a perfect offer for me to accept since we love seafood in our home. I had my box of seafood delivered to my office, and I must say it was quite comical. The mail room was confused and my coworkers weren’t too happy that my big box took up 1/3 of our community refrigerator. I called my husband, Jon, and told him that we were having a fancy-pants dinner that night. If you follow me on instagram you might have saw a random wednesday night indulgence of Alaskan King Crab legs among other sides.
After our feast I started dreaming up recipe ideas. And well… then we went on vacation, and now its November, and I finally got to dig into the delicious Alaskan seafood! I wanted to make butternut squash risotto the other week; however, thats when I realized I didn’t have any arborio rice! So I went to the next best thing… orzo pasta. Not the same, but worked. I was still trying to figure out what to pair with this pasta when it dawned on me that I had plump and juicy Alaskan scallops hanging out in my freezer. That’s when I got this really crazy idea. Why not sprinkle some pumpkin pie spice on them!??! Crazy thought turned AMAZING. The flavors complimented one another so well. I can’t wait to make this recipe again!
Pumpkin Spiced Alaskan Sea Scallops with Butternut Squash Orzo
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4
Ingredients
Butternut Squash Orzo
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups orzo
32oz box of chicken broth
1 cup butternut squash roasted
Pumpkin Spiced Alaskan Scallops
1lb Alaskan Scallops
1/4 tsp each; dried thyme, dill, garlic powder
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice
salt
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
lemon juice
Directions
Butternut Squash Orzo
In a large pot pour one tablespoon olive oil and heat at medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Add orzo pasta, toasting for one minute (and constantly stirring). Then pour in one 32 ounce box of chicken broth. Place a lid on the orzo, bring to a boil then reduce down to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add in the roasted butternut squash and cook for up to 5 more minutes or until most liquid is absorbed, pasta is cooked, and butternut squash is warm.
Pumpkin Spiced Alaskan Scallops
During the last 10 minutes of the orzo cooking begin preparing the scallops. Rinse scallops, then pat dry.
In a small bowl mix together all the spices; dried thyme, dill, garlic powder, and pumpkin spice. Sprinkle salt on top of the scallops followed by sprinkling the dry spice mix (on one side--you will have spice mix leftover).
In a frying pan add butter and olive oil and heat on medium-high heat. Add seasoned-side of scallops face down on the pan. Then sprinkle with additional salt and remaining herb mix. Cook for 5 minutes then flip the scallops. They should have a nice caramelized color on the bottom. If not kick up the heat to high. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 and both sides of the scallops are caramelized. Serve on top of a bed of butternut squash orzo.
Notes
This recipe requires pre-roasted butternut squash. Roast a big batch and use it throughout the week! To roast: peel and cut butternut squash, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast at 450 for 20 minutes or until soft.
This recipe is brought to you by Katie Jasiewicz of Katies Cucina
Disclaimer: I received seafood from Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute for free; however, I was not compensated to write this post. All opinions are my own.
I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. I’ve always had a love for cooking, and more so in the past few years a love for eating!
Join me on a culinary adventure where life always tastes good. {more}
I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. I’ve always had a love for cooking, and more so in the past few years a love for eating!
Join me on a culinary adventure where life always tastes good. 
