Project Pantry...The End

Project Pantry continued to be a success at my house.  Thursday we had Spaghetti.  Not all that creative but hey, who says every meal has to be a big deal?  Not me!  So Tony pulled some of his moms delicious spaghetti sauce out of the freezer and we cooked up some pasta from the pantry.  We also had some meatballs in the freezer so I pulled those out and put them in the oven.  I tossed together some salad and voila! Dinner is served.    I love spaghetti dinners, they are easy to make and fun for the kids!

Friday was another pasta day, which my kids loved.  I had a handfull of rotinis and another opened box of penne.  Fortunately they had the same cooking time so I decided to throw them in the pot together with some chicken broth.  I cut up and roasted the last of the sweet potato and onion. 

The kids always love pasta, especially Sam, because it's easy to pick up with his chubby little fingers.

Saturday was more of a laid back, eat what you can find day because I was busy getting ready to go out with my Dad and Mom was watching the kids.  

Sunday we gobbled up the rest of the leftovers, popped popcorn and chilled!

Did you have any success with your Project Pantry?  Any hits? misses?  Tell me about it! 

Project Pantry... an update

Monday we had delicious butterfly grilled brats with sauted red bell peppers, onions and garlic with saffron yellow rice.  Unfortunately it didn't really last long enough to take a picture but here's the menu:

mmmmm brats!

I started off with one red bell pepper and one yellow onion I had hanging out in the fridge.  Earlier in the day I had pulled out some Johnsonville Beer Brats and they were defrosted and ready to grill.  I grabbed some Mahatma Yellow Rice out of the pantry and got the water started.  While that was happening  I cut the bell pepper and onion in to bite sized squares and coarsely chopped up some fresh garlic.  Then I butterflied the brats.

I sauted the veggies until they were soft but not mushy.  The brats took about 7 minutes total grilling both sides.  Once everything was done I spooned some rice on the plate, layed out a brat and covered it with the peppers and onions.  It was delicious!

Sizzle, Fo Shizzle!!

Tuesday I had originally planned to make chicken enchiladas.  Well you know what they say about the best laid plans...exactly.  So we ended up with chicken taco's instead.  Which worked out well because I had a bunch of taco shells to use up.  So, I defrosted some chicken breast and then marinated it in kosher salt, coarse ground pepper, olive oil and freshly chopped cilantro.  I then made a corn salsa with finely chopped onion and coarsley chopped cilantro.  A dab of olive oil and a couple pinches of salt, stir and set.  I grilled the chicken and then cut in on a diagonal across the grain. 

Into each taco shell went 2-3 slices of chicken, a small dallop of low fat sour cream, the corn salsa and some monterey jack shredded cheese.  Everything was okay.  I think the chicken may have been freezer burnt because despite my  marinate and my superior chicken grilling skillz, the chicken tasted dry and a little chewy.  Not a total FAIL but not a home run either.  I am ashamed.

Wednesday I redeemed myself.  We pulled a pork loin out Tuesday night and by Wednesday afternoon it was ready to receive it's marinade.  I marinated the pork around 3pm.  This gave it at least 2 hours prior to grilling to bask in the glory of the marinade.  I got the recipe out of Everyday Food magazine.  Here's the recipe:



•4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


•1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar


•1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder or other single chile powder


•1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon


•1/2 teaspoon ground cumin


•1 boneless pork loin (approx 3 pounds)
 •Coarse salt and ground pepper


Now, no offense to Ms. Stewart, however I added a couple dashes of low sodium soy sauce and a dash of dry white wine.  It's worth it.  Trust me.

To go with my sexy pork loin I pulled out some sweet potato and yellow onion.  I cut the sweet potato up into about 1 inch 'fries' about a 1/4" thick and cut the onion into crescents.  I placed the sweet potatoes in a bag, drizzled about a tbl spn of olive oil on them, then sprinkled them with salt, fresh pepper, cumin and chili powder.  For the onions I drizzled them with olive oil, salt and pepper. 

Pork so good, you'll wanna slap yo mama!

I also had a box of butternut squash risotto squatting in my pantry so I pulled that out got that prepped.  Depending on the size, a pork loin can take 20-30 minutes to grill properly.  So I put the veggies in the oven on 400 at the same time Tony started grilling the pork.  Then a few minutes later I started the risotto. 25 minutes later the pork was almost done and the risotto was just finishing.  I turned the oven on to broil and set the veggies under the broiler. 

The finished product was a 5 star meal at my house.  Even Anna (my picky eater) asked for more pork.  It was a fine night at the Lego house.  And this time, I managed to snap a picture before the feasting began!

We have 4 more days to go, and so far, Project Pantry is a hit!

P.S. Don't forget to leave a comment on each post to win a free years subscription to Everyday Food Magazine.

Project Pantry

No dear friends, this is not a food shelter, this is my pantry.  Overflowing with food.  I'm afraid to show you my freezer!  In fact just yesterday I had throw out a pound of shrimp that was freezer burnt!  Looking at all this has brought me to one unavoidable conclusion, I need to eat.  Not just in general but I need to eat what I have.  Granted many of the items in here are foods that go with other foods, such as salad dressing or bbq sauce.  However there are lots of other items in here; rice, pasta, risotto, etc...  And like many people I look in my pantry and say to myself "Uh, there's nothing to eat!"  Oh, the shame!

As I browsed through my Samaritans Purse catalog looking at buying a chicken for a village for $14 I could not help but feel disgusted and ashamed at how much food I have.  Here's these kids, all over the world, who are happy just to have a hot rice meal and this is my pantry. 

So I resolved to eat what I have, and be thankful for it.  Through out this week I will be making a concentrated effort to eat only what I currently have on hand.  If that means I have to practice portion control to avoid over eating a high calorie dish (Hello Hamburger Helper!) then that is what I will do.  The only exception I am making to this resolution is fresh fruit and vegetables.  Otherwise I have a fridge full of protiens, a pantry full of sides and accompaning ingredients, and no more excuses. 

Last night was day one of the Pantry Project.  So for dinner we had some Saffron Yellow rice with butterflied, grilled brats and sauted red bell peppers and onions.  It was delish!  (Sorry, no picture, it didn't last long enough).

Tonights menu: Chicken Enchiladas.  I am pretty sure I have everything I need. Stay tuned for pictures and results. 

Does your pantry look like mine?  Are you willing to take the challenge?

Want to win a free one year subscription to Martha Stewarts Everyday Food Magazine?  Enter a comment below and at the end of Project Pantry one winner will be selected to receive a free subscription.

Blackbean Layer Dip

I love to cook.  Anyone who knows me knows this.  I especially like to take traditional recipes and put my own spin on them.  This weekend we decided to make some carne and pollo asada for my Dad and my Stepmom.  Well you can't have carne or pollo asada with out some chips and dip, not in my house!  So looking through a recipe book I spied a recipe for 7 layer bean dip.  A classic.

The recipe usually calls for refried beans.  This was my first modification, I'm not a big fan of refried beans for several reasons.  #1. They are high in fat, #2.  (and this is a big #2, no pun intended) they give me horrible gas and #3. black beans are naturally high in fiber and I personally prefer the taste.

I wanted to take a picture of my creation, unfortunately, it didn't last long enough.  By the time we were done, the bowl looked like a war zone, bits of dip randomly scattered around the bowl clinging to life and begging for mercy.

What you'll need:

• medium bowl
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can green chiles
• 1 cups mexican blend cheese made with 2% milk
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 2 large Roma tomatoes
• 6 scallions
• 1/2 cup yellow sweet corn
• lime juice
• cilantro

Start by putting the black beans in a processor and pureeing them.  Once they have reached a slightly chunky paste texture add 1 tbsp lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Chill the beans while you do the rest of the prep.  Take out the sour cream and let that warm up a little bit as well.  Dice up your tomatoes into bite sized pieces removing the seeds and liquids.  Set aside.  Dice up the scallions as well and set aside.  Taking a handful of cilantro chop it up and set aside.  Open the can of green chilis and drain.

Taking out the beans, use a spatula to add a layer of sour cream.  Then add a layer of cheese.  Now, at this point you can choose to heat the dish and melt the cheese.  If you do this you have to keep the dish warm other wise the cheese turns into a big glob of cheese that makes it nearly impossible to scoop with a tortilla chip.  Or you can leave it cold as is.

Next add a layer of tomatoes, then the chilies and the scallions and corn.  Sprinkle the cilantro on top of it all.  Done!  Serve with warmed tortilla chips and watch it disappear.  It's magic.

Shrimp with Steamed Vegetables and Brown Rice

This is a delicous, flavorful, light dish that my husband and I loved. I'll definately make it again.

To make this recipe you will need:

1 lb large shrimp raw
1 medium yellow onion
1 red bell pepper
1 large italian squash
1 cup brown rice (instant)
1/2 cup finely chopped chives (fresh is best)
2 cups vegetable broth (I used Knorr Vegetable Boulion)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
6 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

I used my Oster Steamer for the vegetables and rice.

Clean shrimp, if using frozen shrimp make sure it's fully defrosted. Combine 1/2 cup vegetable broth, oil, garlic, chives, salt and pepper in a large zip lock bag and add shrimp. Make sure shrimp is fully coated. Place in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

Cut up onion, bell pepper and squash into bite sized pieces. Place in lower steamer basket, combine 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth with 1 cup brown rice in rice bowl and place in upper steamer basket. Set aside the remaining 1/4 cup of broth. Set steamer to 15 minutes to start. Stirring both vegetables and rice about half way through cooking time. If your rice has already soaked up all the broth add the remaining broth a tbsp at a time.

Once the vegetables and rice have started place the shrimp in a saute pan and cook on medium-low heat until shrimp is fully cooked.

Check the doneness of the rice and vegetables after 15 minutes. If either is not the desired tenderness cook for an additional 5 minutes.

When the vegetables and rice are done remove from steamer. Serve vegetables over the rice with the shrimp on the side. Be sure to spoon some of the liquid from the saute pan over the shrimp.

Voila! A very yummy low fat meal.

I reheated the left overs the next day and it was just as delicious as the night before.

Steamed Fish with Vegetable Pasta

Since I've had a great deal more time at home, I've been cooking dinner every night. Oh the yummy goodness. It's nice to know what's going into my food and that it didn't come out of a cardboard box.

So last night, I was looking in my pantry and trying to create a delicious but low fat meal. I spied the 6 boxes of wheat spaghetti and was inspired.

For the following recipe I used my Oster Steamer which I am maddly in love with. You will also eed the following ingredients.

2 Medium Italian Squash (also referred to as Green Zucchini)
2 Heads Broccoli
4 Fillets Tilapia (or other white fish)
1 Knorr Vegetable Boulion cube
1 Pkg Wheat Pasta
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Light Margarine (I use Smart Balance Light because it tastes good and cooks well)
1 Tsp Lemon Juice

Rosemary, Basil, Lemon Pepper, Garlic Salt
Start by cleaning your fish. You can also use chicken if you don't like fish. Cut a piece of foil large enough to wrap around the fish. Place the fish on the foil and sprinkle both sides with Salt, Lemon Pepper and Rosemary. You really only need a pinch of Rosemary, a little goes a long way.
Fold your fish up in the foil and place in the refrigerator. You will cook the fish last because it takes the least amount of time to cook.
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil with the vegetable boulion cube.
Cut your squash into quarters and your broccoli into bite sized pices. Do not include broccoli stems. Fill your steamer up with 4 cups of water to start. Add the broccoli and squash and set the steamer to 15 minutes. This will cook your vegetables to a soft interior with a crunchy exterior. If you prefer your vegetables more tender cook for addtional 5 minutes until desired tenderness.
Once your water is boiling, using about half of the package of spaghetti, snap the noodles in half and place in the boiling water. Cook for 10 minutes.
While the pasta and the vegetables are cooking prepare your pasta seasoning. Combine 2 tbsp Olive Oil, 1 tbsp light margerine, 1 tsp Lemon Juice, 1 tsp garlic salt and a pinch of rosemary & basil. Set aside.
As soon as your vegetables are done place the fish in the steamer basket and steam for approx 8 minutes. Fish should be white and flaky when it's done.
When the pasta is done remove from heat and drain, do not rinse noodles! Add the vegetables to the pasta and toss with the Olive Oil mixture.
As soon as the fish is done, grab it out of the steamer using oven mitts. Arrange on a plate and serve. If you would like to add a little more buttery flavor to your pasta and vegetables I suggest using I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray.

Chili - WW Style

Since I am bound and determined to lose this baby weight, I have decided to get my flabby but on track with Weight Watchers. I know some of you are rolling your eyes but let me tell you, I have seen this program work first hand. My mom at the age of *50* decided she was done messin' around and joined WW. She lost...wait for it.......twenty five pounds!!! 25 pounds!!! I figure if she can do it at 50 I can do it at 30.

Therefore I introduce to you a chili recipe which is not of my own creation, well sort of but not really. The original recipe has long since been lost and this recipe is a combination of the original with my own spin.

You'll need a large simmering pot with a lid.

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic

1 tbs cumin

2 tbs chili powder ( or more depending on how hot you want it, and I likes it HOT so I put lots in.)

2 - 15oz cans Pinquitos

2 - 15oz cans Black Beans

1 - 15oz can Pinto Beans

2 - 28oz cans of diced tomatoes

1 - 14oz bag of shredded cabbage or coleslaw (just the veggies, not including the dressing)

(all beans can be subtituted with any other bean you like, White, Navy, Kidney, etc... I have simply chosen this combination because I like the taste best. Keep in mind that black beans do have a point value of 3 points per 15oz can. Therefore if you increase the amount of black beans you will increase the points value.)

Pour the tomatoes into the simmering pot, DO NOT drain them. Drain the beans and add them all to the simmering pot with the spices. Allow the mix to simmer for a 15-20 minutes on low heat allowing the flavors to mix. Next add the cabbage. I like to add the cabbage last so that it gets soft but not mushy. When you first add the cabbage it may seem that you need to add water, DON'T. The cabbage will boil down and if you add water your chili will come out soupy.

Allow the mix to simmer on low until it is thoroughly mixed and the cabbage is cooked to your preference. Remove the chili from the stove and enjoy. This recipe freezes great.

One cup equals one WW Point. It's very filling and it really does taste delicious, although it can (read will) give you the farts, but hey it's a small price to pay for a smaller pant size.

In other variations I have added corn, or browned ground turkey. Again this adds points to the chili and you should count 2 points per cup.

Breakfast Frittata

I love me a breakfast frittata. If you don't know what a frittata is, it's basically an Italian Omelet. Unlike a traditional omelet which is made in a skillet and the eggs folded over, a frittata is left open and finished in a broiler. Frittata's are generally chunkier as well, in that they are packed with vegetables, and meat if you want. I like to keep my frittata's lower in fat so I skip the meat and go straight for the veggies.

Frittata's aren't just for breakfast. They make a great lunch or dinner item depending on their ingredients.

Ingredients:
3 Eggs
1/2 Portobello Mushroom
1/4 Red Onion
1 Tomato
1 Clove Garlic
Cilantro

Tools:

Omelet skillet (oven safe)

Soft spatula





Start by chopping up your veggies, bite size pieces or smaller, depending on your preference. Mince the garlic. Toss the veggies and the garlic into the skillet with a little bit of olive oil and saute until the onions are soft. Chop up about half a hand full of the cilantro and set it aside. In a separate bowl whisk together the three eggs. Once the veggies are ready reduce the heat to low, add the cilantro and pour in the eggs. Cook the eggs on low for about 5 minutes or until the edges are set. You can use the soft spatula to lift a side of the frittata to check the bottom. Once the edges are set, turn the broiler on high. The rack should be at it's highest position, closest to the heat. Place your frittata on the rack, and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
You'll know it's ready when the eggs are set, and the frittata has pulled away slightly from the edges of the pan. Carefully remove the skillet from the broiler. You should be able to slide the frittata right out of the pan and onto a plate. If it's sticking a little use the soft spatula to help you. I like to sprinkle a little mozzarella cheese on top right after it's come out of the broiler. The eggs are still so hot that they easily melt the soft cheese. You could also top it with some home made salsa. YUM.
If you wanted to add meat to your frittata make sure it's precooked.

Spicy Peel and Eat Shrimp

My husband and I live on a cul-de-sac, and when we first moved in we met a few of our neighbors, but not all of them. We decided to have a block party and invite all the neighbors to get to know one another. It was a huge success and one of the most wonderful surprises was a Portuguese couple that lived at the end of the cul-de-sac. This older, retired couple was frequently seen, but no one had actually met them. They showed up at the block party bearing a dish that was absolutely divine. It was a spicy shrimp dish that for me was like crack. In an effort not to piss off my neighbors I restrained myself and ate only a 1/4 of the dish instead of the whole thing. A few weeks later I was craving shrimp, but I had never gotten the recipe from the Portuguese couple. So I began deconstructing the recipe as best I could from memory. What I created was similar but not quite the same. I made the dish for our New Years eve party and it was such a hit I had to run back in the kitchen and make some more. I made the dish again a few weeks later when I friend (Superstar) was coming over and between the two of us, we devoured an entire pound of spicy shrimp. I did eventually get the originally recipe from the Portuguese couple and I might share that later on down the road.

I'm still learning how to make good food pics. Sorry.



So I present to you, my own concoction of spicy shrimp.



Ingredients


7.75oz can of El Pato
1/2 Stick of butter
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp white wine (Chardonnay or Pinot Gricio work best - Zinfandel's are too sweet)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb peal and eat shrimp, raw
1 loaf french or sourdough bread (optional)

Instructions

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a sauce pan and stir until butter is melted. Using a medium to large frying pan, saute shrimp in olive oil until just pink. Reduce heat to low, combine shrimp and sauce in pan and cook for 10 minutes. Pour entire mix into a round casserole dish to serve.

Slice the loaf of bread into 1/2 thick pieces and dip in the remaining sauce for another tasty treat.

Irish Cream Cheese Cake

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Back in the day, some friends and I would always get together on St. Patrick's Day and have a pot luck. One year I was designated to bring desert. I was on a cheese cake kick and descided to make an Irish Cream Cheese cake. I searched all over (this is looooong before there were food blogs, and on-line recipe finders) and could not for the life of me find a recipe, so made up my own.

Ingredients

9" spring form cake pan

Filling

24 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup Irish Cream liqueur

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Crust

8 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a food processor, combine cream cheese, sugar, eggs, whipping cream, vanilla and liquer. Pulse until thoroughly mixed. Next combine butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs in a bowl, mix together using a fork. Once the butter, sugar and crumbs are thoroughly mixed, press them into the bottom of your cake pan. Bake crust for 10minutes to make firm. Once your crust is done baking allow to cool for a few minutes. Add filling to your cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 and a quarter hour, or until center is firm.

If you want to decorate your cheese cake mix some powdered sugar with green food coloring. It's easiest to mix with a fork. Be careful not to add too much food coloring or your sugar will get soggy. Then sprinkle over your cheese cake using a small strainer. To do this place your green sugar in the strainer then tap it with a fork or knife as you sprinkle it over your cake.

Serve with a cold pint of Guinness, and enjoy!

Portabello Pizza

Back when I was a starving college student I discovered that it was much cheaper to make my own pizza and typically I didn't have to wait as long either. Not to mention I could add what ever fresh toppings I wanted and I wouldn't be told by some pimple faced kid that each topping would cost an additional $ .99

So yesterday, I had a hankerin' to make myself a pizza. I grabbed the bag of pizza dough mix and some veggies from the fridge and discovered much to my dismay that I had no pizza sauce. GASP! I quickly checked the pantry and all I could find was a 6 oz can of tomato paste. Hhhmm a challenge you say? I accept! In no time at all I was munchin' on some delicious Portabello Pizza.

Here's what ya need:

6.5 oz packet Martha White Pizza Crust mix

12" Pizza Pan

Sauce:

6 oz can tomato paste
3/4 cup hot water
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Splenda or Sugar
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Marjoram
1 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Rosemary

Pizza topping:

1/2 Tomato
1/2 Portabello Mushroom
1/8 Red Onion
2 1/2 cups finely shredded Mozarella cheese
2 tbsp Parmasean Cheese

Instructions:

Start your sauce first. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and stir until well blended. Leave on the stove over low heat for 30 minutes. This will allow the flavors to merge.

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. (If cooking with a gas oven I suggest turning the heat down to 450) While the oven is preheating prepare your toppings. To clean your Portabello mushroom simply wipe it down with a damp paper towel. You don't want to wash it under water as it will absorb the water and get mushy. Now slice your tomato, mushroom and onion into 1/8" thick slices. Cut the portabello again into quarters. This may seem like a lot of mushrooms but remember that mushrooms shrink when cooked. Set aside.

Prepair the dough as directed. The dough won't congeal totally, but once you start shaping it into a ball it should all bind together. If not, add water to the dough one tsp at a t ime until the dough sticks together. If the dough is too sticky add a little flower. Pay attention to the time! Don't let your dough sit for too long or it will be ruined.

When spreading your dough out in your pizza pan don't be afraid if it doesn't look perfect. If you have a hard time getting your dough to spread out to the edges use a rolling pin. I found it helpful to position the rolling pin like a clock hand and roll it clockwise around the pan once I had spread the dough out as far as I could with my fingers.

Bake the dough for 5 minutes (per package directions). To make clean up easier place the pizza pan on a rack over a counter top to add your toppings. Using a large spoon spread your pizza sauce all around your dough, not too thick, but enough to give it a fair layer of sauce. Using 2 cups of the Mozarella spread the cheese evenly over the sauce. Next add your toppings. When you are finished with your toppings use the remaining 1/2 of cheese to sprinkle over the top. I like to take a brick of Parmesean and do a very thin sprinkling of freshly grated cheese on the top.

Place your pizza on the bottom rack and cook for 9 minutes. Keep an eye on your pizza, once the edges start getting golden, take the pizza out of the oven. I was preoccupied with my daughter and my dough got a little over cooked.

Once the timer goes off or the edges are golden remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.

My crust turned out over cooked for two reasons, #1. I forgot that with a gas oven things cook more efficiently and therefore don't need to be cooked at as high a temp or as long and #2. I wasn't checking my crust as I was busy feeding my daughter.

Even though my crust got a little over cooked, the pizza still turned out superb, I'll definately be making some more pizzas. Yum!

Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp

The first recipe I learned to cook was my dad's fettuccine alfredo with shrimp. My dad is an excellent cook and for many years I simply assumed that my mom could not cook because she didn't. My dad loves rich foods and bold tastes, so when he made his version of alfredo he didn't mess around.

A few years back I decided to make this for a girl friend of mine. She wanted to have a dinner party but didn't know how to cook and I wanted to have a dinner party but lived in an apartment, so we decided to co-hostess. The day of the event we went grocery shopping together and she suggested we split the list so we could get out of there fast. It was at that moment that I realized my friend had no clue what was in store for her. She asked me which aisle she would find the "can of alfredo sauce." I stood in stunned silence for a few seconds and then burst into uncontrolled laughter. I informed her that we were making the sauce from scratch and she replied "you can do that?" I was floored. I knew my friend didn't cook but I had know idea how kitchen challenged she was.

Later on while making the sauce at my friends house I asked her for a whisk. With blank, blinking doe eyes, she asked me in all seriousness, "what's a whisk?" Once again I found myself laughing uncontrollably and trying to explain to my dear friend what a whisk looked like. I described it as looking like a light bulb made out of wire. She jumped up and down excitedly and said "Oh! I have one of those." Too funny!! This woman is no idiot, she's the VP of a HUGE financial company, she went to Berkley for cripes sake!

Anyway, I have modified Dad's recipe to make it a little less fattening, but the results are still the same, simple, delicious fettuccine alfredo you're going to LOVE.

Ingredients:

8 oz whole grain fettuccine noodles (Barilla makes an excellent tasting version. Dad always liked to use a combination of regular and spinach fettuccine because it tastes great and looks yummy.)

1/2 pin Fat Free Half and Half (Dad uses full loaded, however it is virtually impossible to tell the difference)

4 oz unsalted butter

2 oz finely grated Parmesan

2 oz finely grated Romano (most recipes only call for Parmesan, however Dad likes to buck the system. Plus Romano has a wonderfully rich taste that really adds to the sauce.)

1lb medium shrimp, raw, peeled, tails off *

A couple sprigs of fresh parsley

Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Cook your fettuccine according to package directions adding a pinch of salt to the water. While waiting for the water to boil start grating your cheeses. Combine the cheeses together and set them aside. Cut the butter into cubes, so it melts faster. Combine the cream, butter, and cheeses in a medium sauce pan. Place in on the stove over medium, stir ingredients until butter melts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low, just to keep the sauce warm, continue to stir occasionally so your cheese doesn't clump at the bottom of the pan. A whisk works excellent.

Using a medium skillet, saute shrimp until they are pink. I like to coat my pans with extra virgin olive oil. I have this wonderful sprayer I can put my evo in and it sprays just like Pam, but it's healthier! Dad likes to saute the shrimp in 2 tbsp of butter, but I think that adds unnecessary calories and fat, so I just use olive oil.

Once your shrimp are ready combine your pasta and your sauce and toss. Once your fettuccine is well coated add the shrimp and gently fold them into the pasta to get them coated with the sauce as well. Tossing works best, if you use a spoon be very gentle or you will break apart your shrimp.

Arrange your pasta on the plate and sprinkle with the fresh minced parsley. I like to serve my fettuccine with freshly steamed broccoli, but it's your dinner, make it your own.

* If you are not partial to or are allergic to shell fish, I would recommend substituting with grilled chicken, or immitation crab chunks. Or just plain leave it all out and just have the fettuccine Alfredo.

Product Review: Vegetable Steamer

When I first saw this item at my local Target I was intrigued. I had previously been using the microwave to cook my veggies to save time, which really wasn't working well. Microwaving vegetables makes them kinda mushy and bland. I was also eyeing the rice cooking feature of the device. I like to make a lot of brown and long grain/wild rice to go with my dishes, but my rice was always...wrong. It never quite tasted right. Before I purchased the steamer I did my homework. I checked it out on epinions and read as many product reviews as I could find, including the reviews on Target.com and other sites. The reviews were mixed, but one thing stood out to me, which was that most of the issues stemmed from user error, or misunderstanding of what steaming entailed. Some complaints centered around getting a nasty steam burn lifting the lid off. Personally I found this to be kinda silly. It's quite obvious where the steam vents are in the lid and how to avoid them. The only way to get a steam burn is by 'absent mindedly' placing ones hands directly over the steam vent.


After reading the reviews I booked it down to Target and picked up my Oster 6.1 Qt Food Steamer. It comes with a basic usage book as well as a book filled with meal ideas. You can steam anything but your clothes in this bad boy and it does an excellent job. I found it quite easy to avoid the steam burn issue by not placing my hands over the vents. The steamer comes with two steam baskets and a small tray for foods like rice, cous cous, etc... Using the steaming guide you simply fill up the bottom of the steamer with the necessary amount of water and set the timer. A wonderful feature on this steamer is that it has a warming fuction, therefor when your timer has gone off the steamer will kick it down a notch and keep your food warm until you remove it from the machine. However, you food will still cook a little so I would advise removing your food promptly if it is sensitive to slight overcooking.


If you have never had steamed food before, especially vegetables, you might be surprised at the difference in taste. Boiling or microwaving vegetables degrades their taste, in some cases more than others. Don't be surprised if your favorite vegetables taste a bit different, and a lot more flavorful. Rice is a bit more, sticky, as it is meant to be. It took me some trial and error to discover the correct amount of time for each type of food, so I would suggest starting with the least amount of time for the food you want to cook and working forward in 5 minute increments.

This machine is very easy to clean up, just pop it in the dishwasher and voila! I'll post some of my steam recipes here in the future.

Happy Steaming!