Chipotle Alfredo with Shrimp

Here's a delicious recipe I found at Kraft Foods. It is so delicous and easy to make. Leftovers were especially good, too. Tastes way better than it looks, it's not bland at all like the picture.

I cut the recipe in half. Follow the link above if you want to serve eight. My version below serves four.

CHIPOTLE ALFREDO WITH SHRIMP

3 tablespoon butter, divided
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo puree (see tip in this post)
8 ounces linguine or fettuccine, cooked and drained

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add shrimp; cook and stir 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Remove shrimp from skillet; cover to keep warm. Reduce heat to low.

Add cheeses, milk, remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the chipotle peppers to skillet; cook 5 min. or until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Gently stir in shrimp.

Toss with the hot pasta.

Another Good Salad Combination

This has become one of my favorite 'big salad' combinations for lunch.

Lettuce
Cucumber
Sweet onion
Garbanzo beans
Feta cheese
Pickled Beets
White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Don't turn your nose up at pickled beets if you haven't tried them. They are so good, I just love them.

Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes

This was a quick and easy recipe from Campbell's Kitchen. Just follow that link to the recipe, I'm too lazy to type right now.

I used fresh basil from my garden which made this so delicious. The red wine vinegar seems to add a 'gourmet' taste to the cream of mushroom. You knew it had 'cream of something' didn't you? It's a Campbell's recipe after all.

Happy 50th Anniversary to my Parents!

That's another carrot cake like I made a few weeks ago.



Decorated it with gold sprinkles. I made my own stencil for the 50. Then, placed a small paper plate over it to get the nice circle of sprinkles around the edge.



Miniature chocolates wrapped in custom wrappers that I made myself.

A New Career is in Sight!

It's official, I am on my way to a new career! I have been accepted to the Radiologic Technology program at Gwinnett Technical College. I have been in school for a year taking pre-requisite classes, but now, the real fun begins. For the next two years, I will be in class and doing clinicals about 40 hours a week. It will certainly be an adjustment to be doing something full-time again, I have had a lot of free time on my hands.

Regarding that post a few days ago about Plan B - I was actually looking for a Plan B because I was initially rejected from the Rad Tech program. I visited the head of the program to discuss how I might improve my chances for next year. They use an elaborate point system to determine who is accepted (they only accept 34 students out of about 160 applicants). In reviewing my score, it turns out they missed giving me 1 point that I should have received. Since I had missed getting in by only 1/3 of a point, the 1 additional point put me over the top of the cut-off score. So...... the head of the program is a man of much integrity.... the problem was quickly corrected and I'm in! Thank goodness, I went in for that discussion!

Pizzas!

I just love these thin whole wheat pizza crusts by Mama Mary's. They come out so crispy and because they are so thin, you can really enjoy the toppings and not feel bad about eating so much bread. And I'm enjoying making up new combinations of toppings.

First up - Zucchini Feta Pizza

Basil pesto (instead of tomato sauce)
Sauteed zucchini and onion slices
Crumbled Feta cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Greek seasoning on top (Cavender's)

First photo - before the mozzarella


Just out of the oven.




Second pizza of the day - Hawaiian Pizza (like Domino's makes it)

Tomato sauce (Hunt's basil, oregano, garlic flavor)
Pineapple tidbits
Diced ham
Bacon pieces (like Hormel)
Roasted red peppers (from a jar)
Mozzarella

First photo - before the cheese


Hot and crispy out of the oven.

Pizzas from the past:

Mexican Pizza

BBQ Chicken Pizza and Smoked Sausage Pizza

Veggie Pizza

Cranberry Turkey Salad

Another salad experiment... This turned out to be a really nice combination for a big, filling lunch salad.

Lettuce, cucumber, onion, chopped turkey lunchmeat, dried cranberries, crumbled feta and a lite rasberry vinaigrette dressing (Kraft). Super delicious!