Roasted Shrimp Orzo

I’ve been in a cooking rut. But because I’m nursing I need to eat. A lot. I’m literally withering away because I’m producing milk and it’s taking all my calories and turning it into fatty milk for my baby. We are still using Blue Apron for dinner.  But I miss picking out my own meals, and eating what I WANT to eat versus what I have to eat. However, in order to not waste food, I need to create my own meal plans before I cancel or skip orders.

My friend Rosie came by with lunch one weekend and it was delicious. So tasty, healthy and yet so simple. I decided to go ahead and make it myself for our dinner and lunches one week. It’s filled with fresh herbs, which gives it great flavor and without the extra sodium.

This roasted shrimp orzo pasta is delicious. Lemony, bright and eaten cold makes it a perfect lunch.  Shrimp is roasted in the oven with just a little salt and pepper.

Dressing is salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice.

Red onions and cucumbers add a crunchy texture.

Salt and pepper, easy peasy.

Stir in some feta and voila! She used Ina Garten’s recipe and its perfect the way it is!

What’s For Dinner: Mushroom Florentine

EL9b85bJ7ERAwigh.jpgI have not been cooking a lot lately. You probably noticed on the blog and on my instagram, and when I do, it’s something fairly quick since I don’t have the stamina to stay on my feet for too long. I found this recipe while perusing on pinterest and gave it a shot. Pretty good! This is definitely going into my weekday meal catalog of things that are quick and easy to make after work. Need a meatless pasta for the weekday? Look no further than the Mushroom Florentine.

I made this recipe exactly the way she wrote it, except I didn’t go by her cooking times. I just watched and felt my way through the recipe through instincts with those.

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One thing I like to do before I start cooking, is read the recipe all the way through, then prep all the ingredients. I feel like things go much faster and smoothly when all your ingredients are measured out and ready to go. First I freshly grated gruyere.

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Slice the mushrooms.

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They say to mince the garlic, I like to grate them. But be careful, this makes it cook faster, so I add them at the last possible moment. I do this because even though I love garlicky foods, I actually hate biting into it directly.

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After I prep those, I get my pot ready for pasta.

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While I wait for the pot to boil, I whisk together the  flour, milk, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Then heat up a pan with olive oil.

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Brown the mushrooms, then add in the garlic. When the garlic is fragrant and not burnt add in the liquid.

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Simmer until slightly thickened.

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Then add cheese, and stir until melted.

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Add spinach and stir until wilted.

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Once everything is wilted and well mixed…your pasta should be done and drained.

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Stir in pasta and add more cheese if you’d like. Remove from heat and enjoy!

Mushroom Florentine from She Wears Many Hats

Quick Garlic Bread

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I’ve never made garlic bread before. I was always the…buy some from the freezer aisle and throw it in the oven type. It’s so good, I just felt like it would be more complicated that it really is. And honestly…I didn’t even look up a recipe for this. I was like, lets use my cooking instinct.

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I bought a block of KerryGold butter and a baguette from Society Fair the day before and when it was decided I was making fancy spaghetti for dinner, I decided to use my left over baguette to finish off the meal. Garlic bread literally tastes like, butter, garlic and Italian herbs. So that is what I did. I cubed up some room temperature butter, a couple cloves of garlic, and sprinkled in some dried Italian herb mix. Stir.

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I cut the baguette in half, then I generously rubbed my butter mixture on it. In every nook and cranny.

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Then I baked it in a preheated oven at 375F and watched it until browned. I like mine extra garlicky, and the Kerrygold was salted, so it was deeelicious.

What’s For Dinner: “Fancy” Jar Spaghetti

9Wk5WSJBpk3dmMSC.jpgI’m excited that it’s September. Temperatures should start cooling, and yes, it’s time for comfort food. Next up for this round of “What’s for Dinner” is what I like to call Fancy spaghetti. Why is it fancy? Because it’s a dressed up version of your jar spaghetti sauce. No time to get fresh tomatoes and make your own sauce from scratch. But with all these additions it will give you that fresh taste you need to please your family.

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I brown hot Italian sausage as my base. Lots of flavor in there!

5EelFM9ibg4NKy00.jpgThen I add the extras. Green bell peppers.

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Sauteed onions and mushrooms.

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I then add my favorite jar of spaghetti sauce. Ragu in traditional.Let them simmer together. If your family likes meatballs you can throw those in too. Sometimes, if I don’t feel like meatballs, I’ll brown ground beef, and throw in slices of Italian sausage instead.

How about that for a quick way to fancy up a jar of spaghetti sauce?

Fancy Jar Spaghetti

Ingredients
2TB Olive Oil
1/2 a sweet onion, diced
1 Small package of white mushrooms, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb Italian Sausage (I use hot, you can pick what you like)
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
45 oz jar of Ragu Traditional (or your favorite jar sauce)
1 pkg of spaghetti noodles, cooked per instructions on box

Directions:
In a large saute pan, toss olive oil, garlic and mushrooms until tender and onions until clear. Set aside. In a large sauce pot, brown Italian sausage. Add in the green bell peppers, onions and mushrooms. Stir until well mixed. Season if you’d like. Top with spaghetti sauce. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Serve over noodles with garlic bread.

Gnocchi Pesto with Shrimp

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I love pasta. It’s so filling and comforting. And it can be quite a quick meal! Even when you make your sauce from scratch.

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Pestos are awesome. You can pretty much make them out of anything. I’ve done it with arugula, you can do it with spinach, and even use pistachios! But for tonight’s dinner we are going classic. Pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, basil, olive oil, and a little salt and pepper.

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Blend it all up, to your liking. Set aside.

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Saute some shrimp in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.

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Boil up some gnocchi according to the package. Then toss everything together. Add more Parmesan, salt and pepper to your liking. EASY RIGHT?

It’s so quick, so easy! Who needs a recipe? You could also buy the pest pre-made if you really don’t have time. Enjoy 😀