Pasta Weesie - NJ Fresh Style!

In case you don't know, Pasta Weesie is one of my favorite dishes from Carrabba's. I put my own twist on it here for you!

15-20 small shrimp, peeled and tails removed
10 porcini mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup prepared alfredo sauce
1/2 lb cooked linguine
3 tbsp butter
Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

In a large saute pan, cook the mushrooms until soft. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, partially cook the shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, peas and cooked mushrooms to the pan. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the butter, zest and lemon juice. Cook until butter melts.
Add the alfredo sauce and the pasta. Stir to combine until noodles are completely coated in sauce. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

*Oh. My. Goodness. Talk about delicious. This pasta dish is so creamy and good, you will not want to stop eating it. It is even good if you leave the shrimp out. You could substitute chicken if you really wanted to. I just love pasta dishes that include everything you need in one dish: meat, starch and vegetables. If this dish wasn't so rich, I would make it every week!

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. Psalm 63:5

Shrimp Cocktail with Homemade sauce

As many shrimp as you want, any size
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp prepared horseradish
Dash of hot sauce
Pinch of salt & pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper or chili powder

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. In a pan, sear the shrimp on both sides until they turn pink (about 3-4 minutes). Remove from pan and allow to cool.
In a small bowl, mix together the ketchup, horseradish, salt, pepper, cayenne, and hot sauce until well blended. (You can adjust the "hot" seasonings to your taste.)
Place the cooled shrimp either on a platter or hung around a bowl with the dip in the center. Enjoy!

*I don't know many people who don't like shrimp cocktail. The traditional way to make it would be to boil the shrimp and then let them cool before digging in. But searing the shrimp gives them so much more flavor, and doesn't take long at all. For the sauce, I like my cocktail sauce spicy, but as I said, you can adjust the seasonings to however you and your guests like it. This is a great way to start off your Thanksgiving dinner, or any dinner for that matter!

For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 1 Peter 2:15-16

New Jersey Clam Chowder

I apologize for not having a picture for this recipe! I was too busy eating the soup, I forgot to take the picture!

Just like the stuff from New England, only from Jersey!
*Makes about 5 quarts*

6-8 potatoes, diced
2 large celery sticks, diced
3 carrots, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 strips bacon, diced
4 tbsp butter
4 cans clams, reserve the juice
1/3 cup flour
6-7 cups whole milk
1 cup half & half (or heavy cream)
Salt & pepper

In a large 6-qt stockpot, cook the bacon bits until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel - set aside. In the same pot, melt the butter and add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Season with salt and cook for about 5 minutes, or until veggies start to become tender. Add the potatoes and cook for another minute. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat all the vegetables. Cook for 1 more minute.
Slowly add the milk to the pot and stir to get out any lumps. Cover and bring to a boil, stirring often. Once potatoes have softened (like for mashed potatoes), turn off the heat and add two cans of the clams. CAREFULLY blend the soup with an immersion (or, stick) blender, or in a regular blender. Leave some of the soup chunky.
Put the soup back on the stove over low heat and add the clam juice, half & half, bacon bits and the remaining clams. Stir until well combined and just heated through.
Serve hot.

*This is my favorite soup to make, but be warned - it does take some time. I recommend prepping all your ingredients first: chop the veggies, set out the milk, chop the bacon, have the butter and flour ready...you get the idea. Once you have everything set out, you can start making the soup. It's just so much easier that way, than to try and do things during the cooking process. When the NY Giants beat the NE Patriots in the Superbowl in 2007, I temporarily renamed this soup to "Big Fat Loser Clam Chowder." Then, I permanently changed the name to New Jersey Clam Chowder. It's pretty much the same as NE Clam Chowder, but I'm sure there are some true New Englanders who will tell me it's not "authentic" enough. So, this is the Jersey version. I usually make this soup for our church soup suppers, and it's always the first one to be sold out. Try it out for yourself...you'll see!

A man finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word! Proverbs 15:23

Beer Battered Tilapia

1 bottle beer (dark brews work best)
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
4 tilapia filets
Cornstarch for dredging
Oil for frying

Mix together the batter ingredients in a large bowl until well blended and there are almost no lumps. Set in the fridge for 15-30 minutes. Season the fish with salt and pepper, and dredge in the cornstarch, shaking off the excess.
Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet to about 350 degrees. Dip the fish into the batter, enough to coat (NOTE: this batter is thick and sticky! Make sure you shake off the excess batter!) Carefully drop the fish into the hot oil and fry on both sides until golden brown and crispy.
Drain on a wire rack with a paper towel underneath. Serve with your favorite dressings, and enjoy!

*I had so much beer left over from going to the Giants game, and I didn't know what to do with it. I'm not a big beer drinker, and so I was trying to think of recipes that use beer. Beer batter is a great way to use beer. The batter doesn't necessarily taste like beer, but it makes a wonderfully thick and tasty batter for the fish, or whatever you're frying. This batter works for fish, shrimp, and even onion rings! So, if you've got some beer lying around in your fridge, go ahead and try this batter out...you won't be disappointed!

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36

Shrimp Scampi Orzo

1 cup dry orzo
About 15 shrimp, cleaned and shells removed
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large clover garlic, minced
2 tbsp dry white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 small bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
Salt & pepper

Cook the orzo in boiling water for about 7 minutes, or until al dente.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the butter, olive oil, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, basil and wine. Cook over low heat until the butter melts and the sauce comes together. Add the frozen peas to the sauce at the last minute and turn off the heat. The hot sauce will cook the peas. Put the lid on the saucepan and set aside.
Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and cook in a pan over medium heat - about 2 minutes per side or until just cooked. Remove them from the pan and set aside on a small plate.
Once the orzo is done cooking, drain and in the same pot, toss with the sauce and shrimp until everything is coated in sauce.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and serve with our So Yummy Garlic Bread.

*I am a huge fan of shrimp scampi, and also a huge fan of pasta. One day I was having shrimp scampi and thought it would be great as a pasta dish. I was right! It's a nice light pasta dish that as great in the summer as it is in the winter. In the winter, when fresh herbs are not as prevalent, you can absolutely use dried herbs. But don't use as much because dried herbs are much stronger in flavor than fresh. In case you were wondering, Orzo is a great pasta that looks like rice, but it is actually pasta. You will often see it used in soups, or rice pilaf. I love it because it cooks fast and is very versatile.
I like the slight tang that the mustard gives to this dish, and the hint of wine really comes through. Of course, if you just want to have shrimp scampi, just omit the pasta and the peas!

When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Jonah 2:7

Citrus Marinated Shrimp

For the Marinade:
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 orange
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp each Salt & pepper
1 clove garlic, minced fine
1/4 tsp each ground cumin, dried basil & dried parsely

15 to 20 shrimp with tails still on
1 zip-top bag
5 to 10 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

Combine the marinade ingredients in a 4 cup measuring cup and whisk until well blended.
Put the shrimp in a zip-top bag and carefully pour the marinade in the bag with the shrimp. Get as much air out of the bag as you can, and seal it well. Mush around the marinade to coat the shrimp completely. Place the bag in a glass container or on a plate and place in the fridge for up to 8 hours.
Put about 5 shrimp on each skewer. Cook the shrimp for about 1 minute per side on a grill, griddle, or flat pan.
Serve immediately.

*This is a great summery dish. The citrus flavors really come through and almost "cook" the shrimp while it's marinating. If you wish, you can use the remaining marinade as a sauce, just make sure to bring it to a boil first to kill the bacteria. Shrimp is great to have as a treat every now and again. We always have a big bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer and just pull out whatever we need, whenever we need it. You don't really need to put these shrimp on skewers if you don't want to, but it just makes for easier turning and handling. Try it! You'll love it!

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Phillipians 3:20

Tuna Noodle Casserole

(The cold kind)
1/2 box of macaroni noodles, or any other similar pasta
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cans of tuna, drained
1 cup mayo
Salt & pepper, to taste

Cook the pasta according to directions on the box, about 8 minutes in boiling water. Drain and spread out on a lightly greased sheet pan to cool.
Meanwhile, mix together the tuna, mayo, celery, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside while the pasta is still cooling.
Once the pasta has cooled completely, mix it in with the tuna mixture.
Serve immediately, or store in fridge until ready to serve.

*This is a recipe that I remember most from my childhood. My mom would make it on lazy days when she either didn't really feel like cooking, or as a side dish to burgers and hot dogs. It's such an easy dish to make and it's actually kind of fun to make it. The important step is letting the noodles cool down completely before mixing them in with the tuna and mayo. Otherwise, the mayo just melts away and the pasta won't be creamy and delicious. Also, use just a little more mayo than you think because some of it will get absorbed into the pasta. (Yes, you can use less mayo if you're watching your diet, but it just won't be as creamy). Enjoy this fun summer dish!!

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6