Shrimp Scampi

One of my favorite pasta dishes!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. linguine
• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deviened, tails removed
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• Pinch crushed red pepper (optional)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Fresh grated Parmesan cheese, for topping
• Handful fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Sauteing the shrimp

1. Begin heating a skillet over medium heat and a pot of water to boil.
2. Add 2 Tbsp. butter and the extra virgin olive oil to the pan; let it heat through then add the shallots, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. Let them saute for a minute or two.
3. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper then add to the pan. Cook no more than 2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the pan. Try and shake off any excess garlic or shallots, since we'll want them to flavor the sauce.
4. At this time, the water should almost be or already be boiling. Add a Tbsp of salt and the linguine.
5. To the pan, add the wine and lemon juice. Stir and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes then lower it to simmer until the pasta is done.
6. Drain the pasta and add the last 2 Tbsp of butter to the pan.
7. Add the pasta to the pan and the shrimp back into the pan, and mix everything together with tongs. Toss some of the parsley in. 
8. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan on top.

Tomato Sauce + Spaghetti and Meatballs

Tomato Sauce
It only takes minimal effort to make your own homemade spaghetti sauce. Mine uses San Marazano tomatoes. You can find these in almost any grocery store and definitely at any specialty grocery store like Whole Foods, Fresh Market, or Sunflower Market. they cost a little over a dollar more than regular canned tomatoes and taste much more fresh.

Ingredients:

• 2 28 oz. cans whole peeled San Marazano tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh  basil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and let saute for about 2 minutes
2. Meanwhile, open the cans of tomatoes. Begin hand crushing each tomato. If you don't like your tomato sauce chunky, add the full contents of each can to a blender and puree.
3. Add all the tomatoes, including the sauce they were in, to the pot. Stir to combine.
4. Add basil, salt, and pepper, and let simmer. If you are cooking this ahead of time and not using it for a recipe that evening, let it simmer for about 20 minutes and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Tip: This is just a base recipe. You can add lots of other things to make it the way you like. Examples: onions, pancetta, bay leaves, parsley, olives, sausage, etc.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Traditionally, meatballs are made from a combinations of ground meats like beef, veal, or pork. Mine just use beef, but you can add any combination you like.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup regular breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1/2 Tbsp. pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet with the oil over medium heat and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Timing tip: At this time, begin boiling a large pot of water
2. In a bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, dried basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Mix with your hands until everything is evenly combined
3. Roll individual meatballs in your hands. I mine the size of golf balls
4. After forming each meatball, add it to the oil. Brown on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from the heat. Timing tip: At this time, the water should be boiling. Add about 1 Tbsp. salt and add spaghetti (or whatever shape pasta you like) to the water.
5. Transfer meatballs to a baking sheet and place in the oven. Let cook for about 10 minutes. Timing tip: At this time your pasta should be cooked and drained. Serve meatballs on top of spaghetti and top with spaghetti sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Tilapia Piccata with Garlic and Herb Rice

This is one of my favorite recipes; especially during the week because it takes so little time. You can make lots of things Piccata-style, including chicken, shrimp, and other types of fish besides Tilapia. For rice, I have Wolfgang Puck's Multi-Cooker, which doubles as a rice cooker, but you can do the same thing cooking rice the traditional style. Note: this recipe, as most of my others, serves two people. If you want to make more, double or triple this.

Ingredients
For the Tilapia Piccata:

• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 fillets Tilapia
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, or about half a lemon squeezed
• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/4 cup Flour
• 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp. capers (optional)

For the Garlic and Herb Rice:

• 2 cups rice (White basmati is my favorite)
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 Tbsp. parsley
• 1/2 Tbsp. chives
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Start cooking rice. If you don't have a rice cooker, this is how you do it: Place rice, chicken broth, and 1 Tbsp. butter in a pot. Bring to a boil. Once the broth has reached a boil, reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and let simmer until all the broth has absorbed, about 15 minutes.
2. While rice is cooking, heat a saute pan on medium with 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. olive oil
3. Season Tilapia with garlic powder, salt, and pepper
4. Combine flour and Parmesan cheese. Dredge Tilapia in this mixture and shake off any excess. Be sure that the entire fish is coated.
5. Place Tilapia in saute pan. Cook on each side until slightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on a plate. Don't worry if the entire fish is cooked through because it will go back in the pan before serving
6. Pour 1 cup chicken broth and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice into the saute pan. Use a wooden spatula to stir; be sure to scrape up all the bits of flour. This helps thicken the sauce.
7. Let the sauce come to a boil and let boil for about 6-7 minutes; reduce heat to simmer for the remainder of the time. If you feel there is not enough sauce, add more chicken broth and lemon juice, bring to a boil, then bring back to simmer.
8. Place the Tilapia back in the saute pan and cover with a lid or foil. The Tilapia will suck up a lot of the sauce, giving it really good flavor. If you want, add the capers at this point. (Personally, I don't like capers, which is why you don't see them here; Piccata is traditionally served with capers though)
9. At this point, the rice should be done or close to done. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp butter, garlic powder, parsley, chives, and salt and pepper to the rice. (Hint: if you don't have these herbs or don't feel like buying them, it's okay! I always keep a seasoning packet of Garlic and Herbs in my pantry. You can find this on the aisle with the gravy, chili, and other seasoning packets. If you do this, only use about 1 Tbsp.)
10. Turn off all heat. Serve the Tilapia on the rice and pour any remaining sauce over it.

Gahlic Bread

We went over to a friends house for dinner last night and she asked me to bring garlic bread. This recipe, I think, is better than anything you can buy frozen at the grocery store. Plus you probably already have everything you need, except maybe the 99cent baguette!

Ingredients

• 1 baguette (I like french, but Italian, sourdough, and wheat are also good)
• 3 Tbsp. butter at room temperature (if you use I can't believe it's not butter light, like I do, it's already pretty soft)
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced (Tip: the garlic press is my favorite tool ever, it gets the garlic super tiny, you don't have to chop anything, and your hands don't smell like garlic for 5 days)
• 1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley (Tip: After I buy fresh parsley, I know I'm not going to use it before it all goes bad. Instead, I chop it all up and seal it in a ziplock bag--making sure it's airtight. I freeze it and can use it whenever I want. Note: this doesn't work if you want to use something as a garnish, just if you're actually cooking with it)
• 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese (Don't ever even THINK about buying that crap in the green cans; get it near the deli section or, better yet, grate it yourself)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

[Step 4]

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, mix the softened butter, parsley, and garlic until everything is well dispersed. Season with salt and pepper. I usually use about a 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper
3. Cut the ends off the baguette and slice the baguette in the middle, lengthwise; kind of like a sub sandwich.Lay the baguette on a baking sheet with the cut side up.
4. Spread the butter mixture over the baguette until you've used it all.
5. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the baguette.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, then cut and serve

Finished product; some is missing because we wanted to eat it right away!

You can add any kind of herbs you want to the mixture. Basil tastes great. You can also add a little kick by adding some crushed red pepper.