Shrimp Scampi

Every now and then I feel the need for some shrimp in my pasta so tonight it was Shrimp Scampi night. We made enough for two with some leftovers. It goes a little something like this...


Shrimp Scampi

1/2 box spaghetti (I use Barilla Plus)
1/2 lb asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound uncooked shrimp (peeled & de-veined)
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 finely chopped parsley

1. Cook spaghetti 1 minute less than what is suggested on package. Drain when finished.

2. In large pan, sauté 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoons olive oil, asparagus, mushrooms, garlic, red pepper flakes. Add shrimp and season with salt and pepper until shrimp turns pink. Remove shrimp and veggies from pan.

3. Add wine and lemon juice to pan. Bring to a boil and add 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the butter melts, add shrimp and veggie mixture, cooked pasta, and parsley. Mix well and serve.

AEM

Chocolate Cranberry Biscotti

When Mike caught wind of my plan for the Lemon Biscotti (send half to Nana), we realized I needed to make another batch. I had some chocolate covered craisins (a seasonable stroke of brilliance from Ocean Spray) in the pantry that I thought might make a nice addition to biscotti. Of course they are seasonable and no longer in the grocery store and because I'd eaten most of the bag, I added a few chocolate chips to ensure a bit of flavor in each bite.

Chocolate Cranberry Biscotti

2 3/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup  craisins (I used chocolate covered craisins)
1/4 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons water
3 large eggs

Chocolate Glaze (optional)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl (I use my stand mixer because I'm lazy). Add eggs, water, craisins, and chocolate chips to flour mixture. Mix until well-blended. Dump onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 6 times.

2. Divide the dough in half. Shape into a rectangular loafs (Mine are usually about 12 inches long, 4 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick...or whatever shape you like your biscotti). Place shaped loafs onto lightly greased baking sheet.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes in the center of the oven. Remove loafs from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes. Cut, using a serrated knife, into about 1/2 inch slices. Lower oven to 325 degrees. Stand slices up on baking sheet, evenly spaced, and bake at 325 degrees for about 15-18 minutes. Remove form baking sheet and cool on wire rack.

4. Optional: Once cool, mix powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and milk in a small bowl. Glae will be thick but spreadable. Dip biscotti in glaze or use knife to spread on biscotti. Let cool completely before storing so glaze can harden.

AEM

The End of the Lemons - Lemon 'Scotti

Life gave us lemons so we got busy and made Limoncello. Life gave us more lemons so I made Lemon Honey Chicken. Life decided to really test my patience with the lemons and gave me more so I made Lemon Biscotti...twice. And because I still have limoncello hanging out in the freezer, that also became part of this adventure. I'm not really sure I even like lemons but these biscotti have a nice, light flavor that goes perfect with morning tea or coffee. Or, if you're like Mike, these 'scotti are good at about 15 different points throughout the day! This recipe officially marks the end of the lemon season at the McCann's.


Lemon Biscotti

2 3/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 3 very large lemons)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (or limoncello!)
3 large eggs

Lemon Glaze (optional)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon limoncello (or lemon juice)
2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl (I use my stand mixer because I'm lazy). Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs and add to flour mixture. Mix until well-blended. Dump onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 6 times.

2. Divide the dough in half. Shape into a rectangular loafs (Mine are usually about 12 inches long, 4 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick...or whatever shape you like your biscotti). Place shaped loafs onto lightly greased baking sheet.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes in the center of the oven. Remove loafs from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes. Cut, using a serrated knife, into about 1/2 inch slices. Lower oven to 325 degrees. Stand slices up on baking sheet, evenly spaced, and bake at 325 degrees for about 15-18 minutes. Remove form baking sheet and cool on wire rack.

4. Optional: Once cool, mix powdered sugar, lemon zest, limoncello, and milk in a small bowl. Glae will be thick but spreadable. Dip biscotti in glaze or use knife to spread on biscotti. Let cool completely before storing so glaze can harden.

AEM

Super Bowl Snacks

The Super Bowl is such a great excuse to make fun snacks and eat way too much (I think I saw a stat yesterday that American's consumer more food on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year except Thanksgiving). Fine by me!

This year we whipped up homemade chicken nuggets, guacamole, edamame, homemade soft pretzels/pretzel bites, and cake pops! 

Let the games begin!

AEM

Cake Pops

The brilliance of cake pops is that it doesn't matter what your cake looks like! You don't have to be an artist to create a fancy caked carved like a cartoon character and it doesn't matter if you run out of trays and you put half your cake batter in a round pan and half in a square and it doesn't matter if the middle grows more than the edges. It's fancy desserts for dummies. Just the way I like it!


Cake Pops

1 box cake mix (I used yellow cake and made it low fat. Of course you could also use your favorite cake recipe)
1 cup frosting (I used chocolate)
1 bag candy melts (I got this at Michael's and used white/vanilla this time)
Candy/Cake Pop sticks (I got these at Michael's and they had a variety of sizes)
Decorations (I went simple and used sprinkles)

1. Bake cake as directed. I actually made it in advance and when it was cool I froze it, knowing I wouldn't need it right away.
2. Once cake is cool (or defrosted) crumble cake into bowl until there are no chunks. Add frosting and mix (I used my mixer). It will almost become a consistency similar to play-doh.
4.  Roll cake/frosting mix into little balls (mine were about 1.5 inches in diameter) and place onto a tray/dish lined with wax paper (make sure the tray fits into your freezer first!). Once the balls were rolled I used one of the sticks to poke a hole in each one, about 1/4 of the way through to help later. Put the tray into the freezer for about 10 minutes.
5. In the meantime, melt your chocolate or candy melts and digoutp your sprinkles/decorations from storage. I also used this time to take an old box, line it with foil, and poke holes for holding my finished pops
6. Pull about 4 cake balls from the freezer. Dip stick into chocolate and then put it into the pop, about 1/2 way through the ball. Dip the ball in the chocolate, using a spoon if necessary to help with coating. I gave them a slight spin and a few taps to help deposit the dripping chocolate. Add sprinkles/decorations immediately. Place upright for drying. Continue with the remaining cake balls.
7. Once the candy coating hardens, enjoy!

This time I made half a batch (1/2 cake and 1/2 cup frosting). My cake balls were about 1.5 inches in diameter and I had 17 pops when I was finished.

AEM