Sundried Tomato and Shrimp Pasta - Home Cooked Recipe #73

I have been eating a lot of shrimp lately so I am always on the look out for new recipes to try.  I was perusing a couple and came up with this dish that contains some of my Mediterranean favorites, sundried tomatoes and feta cheese!  Easy enough to make on a weeknight, it's great to try this spin on a pasta and shrimp dish.

Sundried Tomato and Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients:

• 12 oz thin spaghetti (or use whatever pasta you like)
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (mine also were tail off)
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced (this can be omitted or you can use another kind of onion)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 tbs flour
• 1 to 2 cups chicken broth (or seafood, or veggie)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped (I used the kind in oil)
• 1/2 cup feta crumbles

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, toss shrimp with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes or until shrimp is cooked through.  Remove shrimp and add shallots and garlic.  Let cook 1 minute, then add butter.  Saute 1 more minute then add tomato paste and saute a few more minutes.  Add flour and stir well.  Cook for 2 minutes then add broth.  Add lemon juice and sundried tomatoes and mix well.  Reduce heat to low and stir in cream until completely combined. Remove from heat and mix well with pasta.  Plate and top with crumbled feta.

Enjoy!

We Made Room For Dessert 26 - Glazed Donut Bread Pudding

This. Is. DELICIOUS!  Warning, this is not diet friendly and may have a bazillion calories.  But when we make room for dessert, we definitely make room.  This bread pudding is amazing.  It is so easy, and can easily be doubled for a bigger group. Try it, try it, try it!

Glazed Donut Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

• 6 glazed donuts (I used Krispy Kreme, that is what I recommend, but I bet any glazed donut that's your favorite will be yummy)
• 1/2 cup raisins (I soak mine in water then drain 30 minutes before) - this is optional
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbs cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• dash of salt
• ***other optional additions could be pecans or walnuts, and maybe diced apple.  Just add when you would add raisins

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix together eggs, cream, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.  Beat together well.  Cut each donut in to 6 pieces.  Put pieces in custard, making sure each piece gets soaked with custard.  Stir in raisins and let sit for 10 minutes.  Grease a 9X9 baking dish with nonstick spray.  Pour in bread pudding.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Eat plain, or serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream or chocolate sauce.
Enjoy!

We Made Room For Dessert 25 - Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake

For my fiance's birthday a month agoI wanted to make a cake, and not just a normal birthday cake.  I decided on a pineapple upside down cake as I know he loves that type.  I looked for a recipe that I could make in a bundt pan as I just love a good bundt cake.  And here it is!

Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake 

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 cup sour cream (next time, I would use a cup of Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream)
• 4 eggs
• dash almond extract
• dash vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup veg oil
• 1 can crushed pineapple
• 1/2 jar maraschino cherries
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 tbs butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Grease bundt pan liberally with cooking spray.  Mix together butter and brown sugar and pour in pan.  Place cherries on top.  Spread pineapple carefully on top.  
Mix together cake mix, sour cream, eggs, oil, and extracts.  Beat well until batter is well combined and light and fluffy.  Carefully spread on top of pineapple layer.  Bake for 30 minutes.
Enjoy!

Chipotle Barbacoa Copycat - Home Cooked Recipe #73 plus BONUS RECIPE

I have always enjoyed the Barbacoa (a shredded beef) from Chipotle.  I have seen several recipes on the internet of how to make it, but this past week I just took some stew meat, made my own blend of spices, and I kid you not, it tasted almost EXACTLY like Chipotle's.  So I am sharing my own special copycat recipe, just in time for your Cinco De Mayo celebration at the end of the week.  Also, because I LOVE my readers, I am including a BONUS RECIPE for a copycat of Chipotle's cilantro lime rice,  Enjoy!

Chipotle Barbacoa Copycat

Ingredients:

• 1 lb beef stew meat
• 1 tbs onion powder
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1 tbs chili powder
• 1 tbs cayenne (start with 1 tsp and work up from there, depending on your tolerance of spice, you can also omit this)
• 1 tbs salt
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 cups water

Directions:
In a slow cooker mix broth, water, and all spices.  Stir in beef.  Cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.  Serve with rice recipe below.
Enjoy!

BONUS RECIPE!
Chipotle Copycat Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• juice of half a lime
• juice of half a lemon
• fresh cilantro, about 1/4 a bunch, finely chopped
• salt

Directions:
***Note, I cook my rice in a rice cooker.  But you can also convert this to stovetop by cooking rice and bay leaf in water (after water is brought to a boil) over low for 25 minutes.
Cook rice in water with bay leaf in your preferred method of cooking rice.  Remove bay leaf.  Stir in lemon and lime juices, plus cilantro.  Season with salt to taste.  Enjoy!