Thursday, March 29, 2012

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

You know it's good when the kids shut up and actually eat for 10 minutes straight!  

1 lb favorite pasta
1 T butter
3 T white wine (we used white grape juice)
2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp parsley
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Boil your pasta in salted water.  In a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat, add wine, cheese, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer over low heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.  
Increase heat to medium high and add shrimp.  Cook for 3-4 minutes or until shrimp begins to turn pink.  

Serve over pasta and garnish with Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!
Got this recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Honey-Ginger Glazed Tilapia

So, Bryan and I have been trying to change our eating habits and loose weight - stuff like that.  I am proud to say that between the 2 of us we have lost a total weight of 24 lbs!!!  Go us!  Anyways, we have been trying to eat healthy and we found this recipe from my cousins food blog ( http://cabbagepatchcait.wordpress.com/ ) which had a link to www.ourbestbites.com

Seriously enjoy becasue it was SO YUMMY that I will be making it again.  (Mom and Dad we are making this for you when you come :)  )

Marinade:
3 T honey
3 T light soy sauce
3 T balsamic vinegar
1 tsp grated ginger root (I used ground)
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp olive oil

Whisk together all ingredients.  Marinate the 2-6 tilapia for 20 minutes - 1 hour. 
Broil for 4-6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes with a fork. 

If you follow the link there is a recipe for a Creamy Dipping Sauce, we didn't do this, but I am sure it is yummy too. 

We had this with brown rice and steamed broccoli.  Yummy!

Lemon Cookies

I found the recipe on Pinterest which then directed me HERE

These were soooooo yummy!  I ommitted the poppyseeds because honestly, I can't ever taste them AND they are pricy!  I made a special trip to the store to buy lemons and the the zested lemons are STILL sitting in my fridge.  These were so good that I made them AGAIN the next day because we devoured them so quickly.  SO GOOD.

Frosted Lemon Poppyseed Cookies
Lemon Glazed Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp poppyseeds

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or just grease a cookie sheet :)
In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Beat in egg.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix until just combined, then stir in poppyseeds.
Drop by 1-inch balls onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, until cookies are set and just begin to brown at the edges (the bottoms may be lightly browned, but not the top of the cookies)
Cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to a wire rack to cool before glazing.


Lemon Glaze
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
Whisk together juice and sugar until icing is a smooth, pourable consistency. Add additional juice if yours is too thick to drizzle easily or additional sugar if it is too thick.
Drizzle over cookies. Cookies should not be hot, but it is ok if they are not completely at room temperature before frosting.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Bridal Shower Tea Party Style

I love throwing bridal showers! This one was super fun. See below recipes for Ginger Berry Lemonade, Lavender Lemonade, Orange Pistachio Cupcakes, and Cucumber Sandwiches! We also put fresh fruit in cute little cups with colored toothpicks.

Ginger Berry Lemonade

You'll need: 3 cups sugar, 1 1/4 cups finely chopped ginger, 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries and/or raspberries, 4 cups fresh lemons (from about 32 lemons), 4 cups cold water, and extra lemons/berries for garnish

What to do: In a large saucepan over high heat, combine sugar and ginger with 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Boil for 15 minutes. Transfer from heat, and let cool for 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, discarding solids, and refrigerate until well chilled. Set aside about a third of the berries for garnish. In a blender or food processor, process remaining berries until smooth. Strain puree through a mesh sieve, pressing berries with back of a wooden spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Discard solids. In a pitcher, combine ginger syrup, strained berries, lemon juice, and water. Serve over ice, garnished with reserved berries and lemon slices.

Lavender Lemonade

You'll need: 2 cups sugar, 2 cups water, 1/2 cup tightly packed fresh lavender buds, 1 1/3 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice, 8 cups water

What to do: Bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and add lavender, simmer 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely or overnight. Combine syrup with lemon juice and water, and enjoy! This is also delicious served warm.

Orange Pistachio Cupcakes

You'll need: 1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt, 2/3 cup soy milk, 1/3 cup canola oil, 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar, 1-2 tsp orange extract, 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, generous pinch cardamom, 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios, about 1/2 cup chopped pistachios and pink sugar sprinkles for decorating

For the frosting you'll need: 1/2 cup shortening, 1/2 cup vegan butter, 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp orange extract, 1/4 cup soy milk

What to do: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt, soy milk, oil, sugar, and orange extract. Sift in dry ingredients, mix until relatively smooth. Fold in pistachios. Fill linters three-quarters of the way, bake 20-22 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

How to make the frosting: Beat the shortening and butter together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla, orange, and soy milk. Beat for another 5-7 minutes until fluffy.

To assemble: Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and sprinkles!

Cucumber Sandwiches

You'll need: rye bread, vegenaise or cream cheese, salt, pepper, oregano, cucumbers, and fresh mint or Italian parlesy leaves.

What to do: Spread your vegenaise or cream cheese on the bread. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and oregano to taste. Peel the cucumbers lengthwise with a vegetable peeler to produce thin cucumber strips. Layer the strips diagonally on the bread. Remove the crusts and cut the sandwiches into the desired shape. Place a mint or parsley leave in the middle for extra garnish.