Gorgeous Garlic Shrimp

I was addicted to the Real Housewives of New Jersey since the very first episode and even though Teresa comes off as a big mouthed, big hair, guidette, I couldnt help but love her. I received her cookbook for Christmas and not only is is full of really good information on Italian cooking (real Italian cooking, none of that fake stuff!), it is also full of delicious recipes, this being one of them.

My husband whipped this up real quick last night as a sort of "snack" since we had a late lunch and werent hungry. We had originally planned to serve it with rice and a veggie but ended up just making the shrimp to nibble on.

Gorgeous Garlic Shrimp by Teresa Giudice

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Heat oil and garlic together in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the oil is hot and the garlic is softened, about 1 1/2 minutes.
2. Add the shrimp and season with the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the shrimp turns opaque, about 4 minutes. 
3. Add the lemon juice and parsley and stir well. Serve hot. 

sausage, spinach & roasted red pepper alfredo

We've made this before... several times actually but it was so yummy the other night I had to take a picture to share. Click below for the original recipe.

Recipe: Sausage, Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I'm only a little bit late on this one ;-) but at least it's still March? We enjoyed some delicious corn beef, cabbage, potatoes & carrots on St. Patty's Day and it was delicious! All of the the leftovers are officially gone... bummer :(

Irish Soda Bread

I was feeling festive this year for St. Patrick's Day and even though we arent Irish... or remotely close to being Irish, I wanted to go "all out". I like to celebrate and do special little traditions or have parties for no reason other than to eat good food and enjoy the company. I dont need a reason to celebrate, I'll make up my own and since there is no holiday for the Italians, I might as well live it up like I am Irish. So I did, and I made this bread with my son and it was delicious and my daughter ate a majority of it which is of no surprise, she is carb lover.

Hope you enjoy it!

Irish Soda Bread by MP Welty

Ingredients

• 4 cups Flour
• 4 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup buttermilk 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degres. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl mis together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. 
3. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. 
5. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet.
6. In a small bowl combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk. Brush the loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to carve an X onto the top of the loaf.
7. Bake in oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Continue to brush the loaf with butter mixture will it bakes for a crispy crust.

Spinach & Mushroom Quesadillas

I love quesadillas but wasnt in the mood for regular cheese or chicken ones. So we decided to switch it up after seeing Pioneer Woman's spinach & mushroom quesadillas. So this is our adapted version of hers and its REALLY good and there werent any leftovers, my kids even loved it. We served it with some salsa on the side for dipping which gave it a nice little kick.

Spinach & Mushroom Quesadillas by Pioneer Woman, adapted by Kimba


Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
• 16oz sliced mushrooms
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 3 tbsp (additional) white wine
• Kosher salt & pepper to taste
• 1 bag baby spinach
• 1 pkg flour tortillas
• 8oz Monterey Jack cheese
• Extra butter for tortillas
• Salsa, for serving

Directions

1. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet and add sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, than saute over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then pour in the wine. Add salt & pepper. Continue cooking for 6 to 8 minutes, or until all liquid is evaporated. Remove mushrooms from skillet and set aside.
2. Return skillet to stovetop and reduce heat to medium-low. Melt additional 1tbsp of butter and add a couple tbsp's of wine. Add spinach to skillet and stir gently as it wilts. Sprinkled with salt & pepper, then cook for 2 minutes. Remove from skillet.
3. To assemble the quesadillas, arrange cheese, spinach and mushrooms on top of one tortilla. Top with second tortilla and then smear softened butter lightly on both sides of the quesadilla and bake until golden brown and cheese is melted. 

Ranch Chicken

I've had this recipe for a while now and really wanted to try it but never got around to it. The other day I took chicken out of the freezer to defrost and planned on putting it in the crockpot the following morning. Well I ended up being busy and not getting around to putting it in the crockpot so I looked at my recipes on hand to see what I could make and already had ingredients for. We ended up making this and it was really good. Both of the kids goobled it right up too. It takes even better with a little hot sauce on the side to dip it into.

Ranch Chicken by Betty Crocker

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup ranch dressing
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Dip chicken into dressing, then coat with bread crumbs.
2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. 
3. Cook chicken in oil for 12-15 minutes, turning once, until outside is a golden brown color and juice is no longer pink when cut in the thickest part.

Meatloaf

Believe it or not, I went almost my entire life thus far without eating meatloaf. I guess because the name is kind of sketchy and I watched several shows as a child where the cafeteria served mystery meat which I linked directly with meatloaf. My mom never made it so I never ate it. Then last year I was thinking about how many people love meatloaf and decided to try and make it. My first time didnt go horribly (I did enjoy it enough to make again) but I felt like it was missing something. So after several attempts at meatloaf, this is my tried and true recipe. We always come back to this one. 

Meatloaf by Kimba

Ingredients

• 1.5- 2 lbs of ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1/4 tbsp pepper
• 1/4 tbsp sage
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

Topping Ingredients

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup

Directions

1. Mix together beef, onion, garlic, pepper, sage, and ground mustard. Once it is mixed add in egg, milk and worcestershire sauce. Once that is mixed add in breadcrumbs. Mix until evenly coated.
2. Form meatloaf into loaf pan.
3. In a small bowl combine vinegar, ketchup and brown sugar. Whisk to dissolve of any clumps. 
4. Spread ketchup mixture over the top of the meatloaf and bake at 350* F for 45 minutes.

Oriental Glazed Chicken

I was in the mood for something different and kind of Asian but not the traditional type stirfry. We all ended up enjoying this and my daughter who is the pickiest eater ever, actually ate quite a bit of it.

Oriental Glazed Chicken 

Ingredients

• 1lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" peices
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp chili sauce (dont worry, you dont even taste it)
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 4 cups coleslaw mix
• 3 cups of rice (I used brown).

Directions

1. Place chicken in a baking dish. (Make sure you pound the chicken before cutting it up so that it absorbs the marinade).
2. In a small bowl combine soy sauce, honey, 2 tbsp veg oil, chili sauce, ground ginger and garlic power. Pour over chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
3. Mix together the broth and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
4. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and marinade and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove chicken; set aside.
5. Add reamining oil to skillet and add coleslaw mix. Cook, stirring until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in broth mixture, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 1 minute, until suace thickens. Add in chicken and any accumulated liquid and heat through.
6. Serve over rice.