Shrimp Paravicini

4 TBSP Olive Oil
4lbs Medium shrimp peeled and de veined (or pre-cooked)
3+ cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup white wine
6-8 garlic cloves sliced or minced
2 onions diced
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2lbs fettuccine pasta (home made is best)

Heat oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp and cook abut 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, onions and garlic.  Splash with wine.  Increase heat to high for 3 min, stirring.  Add cream and butter.  Reduce heat and simmer about 1-2 min longer.  Serve over cooked pasta.

Meat Ball Alfredo Pasta with Spinach

1 bag Rainbow Pasta
2  lbs beef
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 small can tomato sauce
1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
1 bag Cremini mushrooms
1 cup fresh parmesan cheese
1 large bag fresh baby spinach

In a large bowl add beef, salt, pepper, tomato sauce and basil. Mix well and form balls.  Put meatballs in cupcake pan and bake 350 about 20 min. or golden on top.  Start making the Alfredo sauce.  (http://addthelove.blogspot.com/2012/01/alfredo-sauce.html) Add cooked meatballs to the Alfredo Sauce and simmer 10 min.  Start cooking pasta.  While pasta is cooking steam mushrooms. In a very large pot add cooked pasta and fold in fresh spinach, mushrooms and parmesan cheese.  Poor sauce and meatballs over the top..  Mix.

Chicken and Dumplings

Feeds 14+  

 

Tall big pot:

1 box (about 4 cups) chicken broth (organic from Trader Joes)

4 cups water

6 chicken breast (boil in broth/water until almost done and then cut up and put back in)

 

Add:

1 bag organic baby carrots cut in half

2 1/2 cups peas

1 large yellow onion

 

boil until carrots are tender

 

Add:

2-3 cups pasta

1 bottle heavy cream (Trader Joes is good)

2 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

 

Mix about 3 1/2 cups multigrain baking mix (trader joes) with milk to make the biscuit mix and drop on top.  (mix should be formable but gooey) I used the large pampered chef scooper it was PERFECT! They double in size.

 

cook 10 min uncovered

cook 10 min covered

 

 

 

 

 

Cold Ham Pasta Salad

Cook and cool:
1 box Organic Whole Wheat Pasta

Dice:
2 cucumbers
3 red bell peppers
2 large shallots
3 tomatoes
1 cooked ham steak (3+ cups diced ham optional)

Add:
1/2 cup pitted Kalmata Olives
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup Trader Joes Tuscan Italian Dressing (optional)

Chicken Saltimbocca and Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce

8-10 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves THIN cut
4 tablespoons butter
4 garlic gloves minced

Heat up butter and garlic on stove till garlic is soft.  Place chicken in butter/garlic and cook just to seal in the juice.  Your chicken should be white all over.  About 3 min each side.  Place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper or sprayed.  I added SOME of the butter/garlic that was left in the pan to the top of each chicken. 

Start Sauce while chicken is cooking IF you are making pasta to go with it.

2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tbsp. butter
2 c. heavy cream/milk
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
1 TBSP lemon juice

In a saucepan over medium heat melt butter and cook garlic 4 min. Add cream or milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook to heat through. Add thickener if needed.  Add to cooked and drained pasta.
Set aside until pasta and chicken is cooked. Before serving add Parmesan cheese and the lemon juice. Adjust seasonings as desired. Cover and set aside keeping warm.

Finish CHICKEN (this only takes a few minutes to prepare)

Pre-heat oven 300

Salt
Basil Leaves
Prosciutto
Mozzarella thinly sliced strips

Sprinkle a little salt on top of chicken.  Place a few basil leaves on each piece of chicken, strips of prosciutto and finally your strips of mozzarella. Bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

Foil Baked Salmon

8 Alaskan wild caught salmon 
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Large can diced tomatoes
2 yellow onions
2 lemons for juice
Spinach
Organic butter
2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon dried thyme

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle salmon with olive oil, salt and pepper. (I put all the salmon in a big bowl and mixed it) In a small bowl stir the tomatoes, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and more salt and pepper. 

Place a big handful of spinach on a square of foil large enough to hold your salmon. Place about 2 tablespoons of chopped onion on top of spinach. Next place salmon on top of spinach and onion.  Add a small bit of butter to top of fish and then spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon.


Fold the sides of the foil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely and seal the packets closed.  Place the foil packets on a large baking sheet.

Bake until salmon is just cooked through. About 25-30 minutes.

Use a large metal spatula works well to transfer salmon to plate. Use the juices left in the foil and pour over the top of the fish and pasta.

HOMEMADE NOODLES:

2 cups semolina
1/2 tsp salt (opt) 
2 eggs 
2 TBSP water
2 TBSP olive oil 

Kneed dough WELL until stretchy.  Use your pasta maker to roll out dough and cut into desired noodles. Cook in boiling water for 5 min.

Nutty Eggplant Pasta

When I first tasted this dish, I closed my eyes and pictured myself in the snowy mountains, warm and cozy by a fire in a cabin.  The cinnamon and cocoa add an amazing aroma, adding the walnuts to this delicious combo of seasonings bring it to an Earthy and natural flavor.  The eggplant gives it a slight kick, while the ricotta and romano keeps this dish a mild, yet savory essence.

Begin with boiling water to cook desired pasta style for this dish. 

3 white eggplant cut into large pieces
3 purple eggplant (hanzel and gretel)
1 large onion chopped

Spread over bottom of large deep baking dish.  Sprinkle cinnamon and cocoa over the top of veggies.  Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake 425 about 15 min.

While roasting do the following:

2 cups raw walnuts (chop large pieces).  Sprinkle over veggies and continue to bake another 10 min. 

In a large bowl mix together:

A handful of fresh italian parsley (chop)
1 cup grated pecorino romano
1 tub of whole milk ricotta cheese

Add this mixture to the cooked pasta.  By now the eggplant mixture should be roasted.  Add eggplant to pasta and cheese. 

Homemade Whole Wheat Spaghetti

Making pasta at home is EASY!  Make sure you have a small pasta machine to roll and cut your dough and you'll have meals in no time!

3 eggs room temperature
1 1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)
2 cups whole wheat flour
(1/2 cup water) on the side if needed to form soft dough

Mound flour on a work surface or bowl.  Make a deep well and drop eggs into the well.  Add salt if you are using it.  Using a fork, beat egg mixture together.  Slowly add in flour and a circular motion until all flour has been incorporated.  If the dough is too thick or dry, add the water a little at a time until dough forms a soft and firm ball.

Kneed until smooth and elastic.  About 5-10 min.  Divide the dough into 4 parts and place in plastic bag to sit for 20 min.

Using 1 ball, flatten with your hands on a flour surface.  Feed through the widest roller setting on your pasta machine.  (0-1)  Flour dough and feed through a setting of 2 or 3.  Depending on how thick you want your noodles.  I like 3.  Flour dough well before feeding through the cutter.

Either lay pasta out in groups to dry or hang on a pasta dryer rack.  You can place in freezer bags to store or keep out on the rack and cook later that night!

Boil 4-5 min. in a large pot of water with about 1 TBSP Olive Oil.  It's not dehydrated so it doesn't take as long to cook.  Be careful not to overcook! 

To spruce up your spaghetti sauce you can dice up 3 tomatoes and add some fresh basil, garlic powder and chopped onion along with some meatballs if you'd like!

Makes enough spaghetti for a family of 8! 

Top with some fresh Parmesan or grated cheddar cheese!

THAT'S IT!!!

Cold Chicken Pasta Salad

2 pkgs. rainbow noodles - cook
3 chicken breast cooked, diced and cooled (I like to boil my chicken)
2-3 cups broccoli chopped and then steamed for only 1 min! Will turn bright green but NOT soft!
1 cup mayonnaise
1 pkg. Italian dressing mix
1 can black olives(slice)
1/4 cup sour or dill pickle juice
2 cups diced chedder cheese

Mix in LARGE BOWL w/ LID: pasta, chicken, broccoli, cheese and olives
Mix: mayo, dressing and pickle juice in separate small bowl
MIX ALL TOGETHER in the large bowl- CHILL