Gnocchi with Roasted Shrimp & Asparagus

GNOCCHI WITH ROASTED SHRIMP & ASPARAGUS
recipe found at Cooking with Jamie

4 cups (1 inch) sliced asparagus
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 (16 ounce) package vacuum packed gnocchi
2 tablespoons pesto
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Place asparagus on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; add salt and pepper. Stir to coat. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. Add shrimp to the baking sheet with asparagus; cook 5 to 8 minutes until shrimp are done.

Meanwhile, cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain gnocchi and return to pot. Add shrimp, asparagus, pesto and shredded cheese. Toss gently.

Yield: 4 servings

My Awesome Brunch Burrito

This is what I created for brunch today. It was delicious. I wish I had the time on a weekday morning to make this.

BRUNCH BURRITO
Not A Real Housewife Original

diced onion
fresh spinach, chopped
pre-cooked bacon pieces
egg and 2 tablespoons milk whisked together
crumbled feta cheese
large flour tortilla

Saute the onion in a little oil for about a minute, then add the spinach. Saute another minute before adding bacon pieces. Saute one more minute. Add the egg and milk mixture and cook and stir until the egg is done the way you like it.

Place egg mixture on flour tortilla, top with feta cheese and wrap it up. Add a little more oil to the pan and brown the wrap on both sides.

Blue Hawaiian Sherbet

This was the most delicous of the sherbet recipes so far!


BLUE HAWAIIAN SHERBET

1/2 of a 2 liter bottle of pineapple soda
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 small can crushed pineapple in juice
4 tablespoons blue curacao

Chill the soda and crushed pineapple several hours or overnight.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Turn on your ice cream maker and pour in the mixture. Continue as directed by manufacturer's instructions.

When complete, move to a freezer container and store in freezer.


Don't forget to try Orange-Pineapple Sherbet and Peach Sherbet, too.

Chex Barbecue Snack Mix

This recipe is straight from the Chex website. In fact, just follow this link to see the complete recipe.

There's just one thing that I would change for next time. I used a vinegar based barbecue sauce, which is a little thinner consistency. A thicker and sweeter sauce would probably be better for this.

BBQ Ribs & Peanutty Coleslaw

This method of cooking the ribs makes for really tender, moist meat. We've had trouble with drying them out in the past, so this made us very happy. The coleslaw has a bit of an Asian flair.

BBQ BABY BACK RIBS
recipe from Publix Apron's Simple Meals

1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
1 1/4 cups barbecue sauce, divided
4 -5 pounds pork baby back ribs
1 tablespoon blackened seasoning

In a small bowl, combine apple cider and 3/4 cup of the barbecue sauce. Set aside.

Place ribs on a large piece of heavy duty foil. Rub the blackened seasoning into ribs on both sides. Pour sauce over top of ribs. Bring up ends of foil and double-fold ends to seal. Double-fold both sides up to completely seal ribs. Place on baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes. (For more tender ribs, cook up to 15 minutes longer.)

Ribs can be finished on grill, for best flavor. Preheat grill. Remove ribs from foil pouch; place on grill. Brush with remaining 1/2 cup barbecue sauce as ribs grill 3–4 minutes to improve flavor.

PEANUTTY COLESLAW
adapted from Southern Living

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (16 ounce) package shredded coleslaw mix
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Whisk together first 10 ingredients in a large bowl; add coleslaw mix, stirring to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour; stir in peanuts just before serving.

Note: I combined 2 different barbecue sauces, one spicy and one sweet.

Tonkatsu

I love trying new and interesting recipes. Doesn't Tonkatsu sound exotic?? It was very easy to make and super tasty!

TONKATSU
recipe adapted from Beyond Kimchee
(go visit for more information about the name Tonkatsu)

sauce:
1/2 apple, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Heinz 57 steak sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup

meat:
1/4 cup flour
1 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 egg, beaten
2 pork cubed steaks
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons oil

For the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. Boil and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes until it gets thick and syrupy. Strain the sauce through a strainer pressing with spoon to get all the liquid. Discard the fruit and onion mixture (See note!!) You will have more sauce than needed for just 2 servings.

Place flour in a shallow bowl. Place egg in a second bowl. Place bread crumbs in a third bowl. Season both sides of pork with salt and pepper. Dip pork into flour, coating both sides. Then dip into egg mixture. Finally dip into bread crumbs, pressing to hold. Place coated pork on a plate with wax paper between and covering them. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. (Crumbs will stick better when cooking.)

Place oil in pan and heat on medium heat. Place pork in pan and cook approximately 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Serve immediately with sauce drizzled over each serving.

Yield: 2 servings

Notes:

• I changed the original recipe to only fry the meat once in a little oil, instead of deep frying twice.



• I strained the sauce, but could not bring myself to discard the apple/pineapple/onion mixture. It was too delicious. We ended up putting the mixture on top of our meat and eating it. It was like a fruit chutney meant to eaten with it.

Crafty Housewife

I found some time to be crafty while on my break from school. (It starts back tomorrow!)



I combined my love of cooking with love of x-ray (sort of!)... I made my own stencil and painted this apron.


My new favorite little mascot is the Japanese Maneki Neko (Lucky Cat). I painted it on this water bottle I found at a thrift store (found the image on the internet to copy).

I found this sign, unfinished, printed in just black, at a dollar store last year. I finally painted it.

But, the real reason for the sign was to paint this version on the other side. Joe's Crab Shack has a sign that says "Joe's Big Deck" on the door leading to their outdoor patio. Eddie always thought it was really funny. I don't get it... HeeHee

I'm still making some leather koozies, coming up with new ideas. See previous koozies here.

I made Sheldon a leather collar with studs! Like he's really going to wear it. You should have seen him trying to get out of it the second it went on! This is the one picture where he stayed still for a second. All the other pictures were of him wrestling to get it off.

I have a crafty husband, too. He made this scratching post and bird-watching platform for Sheldon.

Fresh Tomato, Brie & Blue Pasta

FRESH TOMATO, BRIE & BLUE PASTA

1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped (I use Roma)
1/4 cup basil pesto
6 ounces Brie
2 ounces Stilton or other blue cheese
8 ounces thin spaghetti (I used whole wheat)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Combine tomatoes and pesto in a large microwaveable casserole dish. Cut/crumble both cheeses into small pieces and mix in with tomato mixture. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and add to the casserole dish; mix well. Microwave for 2 or 3 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Yield: 3 - 4 main dish servings

I love to eat this as a meatless meal, but for the hubby, I added a piece of grilled chicken coated with pesto. That's also a good way to make it more filling and/or eat less carbs, too.