What to do with Chorizo

I discovered Chorizo a while back and fell in love. It's SO flavorful and makes Mexican meals a breeze. Tonight, I made Rachael Ray's Smoky Chipotle Mac and Cheese and it was comfort food at its best!

Creamy Shrimp Pasta Oh YEA!

I don't cook shrimp a lot because I'm always so scared I'll overcook them but with a little practice I think I'm getting the hang of it! Tonight, I made a Creamy Shrimp and Pasta meal and we couldn't have been happier with it! It was so easy and so incredibly delicious!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
1 Tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c chopped green onions
1/4 c heavy cream
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
Pasta, cooked

Prep:

1. Pat shrimp dry with paper towel. Melt over in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add shrimp and green onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until shrimp is cooked.

2. Add cream and Parmesan. Stir until cheese is melted. Add pasta and coat the noodles well. Serve.

Easy Stuffed Pasta!

We LOVE stuffed pasta at our house and one of our favorites is Manicotti. It's great cuz you can stuff them with anything and tonight I made mine with left-over chicken and cream cheese. All topped with Marinara Sauce with Mozzarella and dinner is served!

Happy Valentine's Day with Lobster Tails!

These are not your ordinary Lobster Tails, they're Crabcake-Stuffed Lobster Tails! I don't have an actual recipe for these but I basically just mixed together crabmeat, breadcrumbs, an egg yolk and seasoning and topped my lobster tails with it. Then I baked everything in the oven for about 20 minutes and I was rewarded with the BEST Valentine's Day present ever, good food! :)

Stuffed-Meatballs to Get Us Through the Week!

I don't know about you, but we LOVE meatballs at our house, especially if they're stuffed with cheese. Ok, we just love anything with cheese in it! LOL. Anyway, tonight, I decided to stuff some meatballs with Pepperjack and we had an amazing comforting meal!

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk
1/4 c ketchup

1/4 c chopped onion

1/4 c Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 lb ground beef

6 (1/2-inch) Pepper Jack cheese cubes

1 Tbsp oil

2 c Marinara, Sauce

Penne, for serving

Parsley, for garnish

 

Prep:

 

1. In a large bowl, stir the egg, ketchup, onion, bread crumbs, garlic, salt, and pepper together. Gently mix in the ground beef.

2. Divide the beef mixture into 6 balls. Firmly wrap each piece of meat around a cheese cube.

3. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and brown 5 minutes on each side.

4. Add Marinara and down heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook until meatballs are cooked through, 10 minutes.

5. Serve over penne and garnish with parsley.

It's ALL Peachy!

I LOVE the combination of chicken and fruit so tonight I decided to braised some thighs with a peach flavor. It was AMAZING! The sweetness of the peach preserve and canned peaches pair just perfectly with the Worcestershire and ginger. I served the thighs over rice to soak up the amazing sauce! What a yummy weeknight meal!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
1/2 c onions, diced
1 tsp ginger, grated
1/4 c chicken stock
1/4 c peach preserve
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 c peaches, diced
1 tsp lemon juice

Prep:

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Brown 5 minutes on each side and remove.

2. Add the onions and ginger, and cook 1 minute. Stir in stock, preserve, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Bring mixture to a boil and add chicken back.

3. Turn heat down to a simmer and cover. Cook until chicken is cooked through, 20 minutes. Remove chicken to serving platter.

4. Stir in butter, peaches and lemon juice. Turn heat up to a boil and cook until sauce thickens, stirring often, 5 minutes. Pour over chicken and serve.

Fire-Roasted Tomatoes and Sausage Equals DELICIOUS!

I LOVE using Fire-Roasted Tomatoes wherever I can because they're so incredibly flavorful but pair them with Hot Sausage and I can't think of anything better! Tonight, I decided to make some Rigatoni with a sauce of that combination and I couldn't have been happier! Try it, you'll like it, I promise!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb hot sausage, casing removed
1/2 c onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 c red wine
1 c fire-roasted tomatoes, diced
1/4 c beef broth
Rigatoni pasta, cooked
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Fresh parsely, for garnish

Prep:

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown, crumbling the meat, 5 minutes. Stir in the onion, garlic and pepper flakes until softened.

2. Stir in tomatoe paste for 1 minute, then add the wine and reduce for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and stock and simmer to thicken.

3. Add the pasta and toss for 1 minute. Serve with cheese and parsley on top.