Fra Diavolo Sauce With Pasta

Posted by CK in pasta, recipe, shrimp, vegetarian

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As an attempt to reduce my red meat intake, my kitchen has become a haven of good and nutritious foods. Yes, as a new year resolution, I have decided to try and control my cholesterol before my heart gets the best of me. Because of this newfound love for my health, I somewhat force myself to try things that I used to hate in the hopes that I will now like them, having acquired this new perspective. Canned tomatoes was one of those things. I always found them too mushy for me (as I do love a very hard tomato). So, here's a recipe that is sure to please both vegetarians and carnivores, as well as you canned tomato haters. Truly didn't taste the usual nastiness of it all. And if you're a seafood lover, even better! :) 

Ingredients:

- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

- 6 cloves garlic, crushed

- 3 cups whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped

- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

- 1 (16 ounce) package linguine pasta

- 8 ounces small shrimp, peeled and deveined

- 8 ounces bay scallops

- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Note: having no scallops nor small shrimp, I used a very big amount of large shrimps. Also not having red pepper flakes, I simply used black pepper. The canned tomatoes come in when it says: "3 cups of whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped".

Directions

1.In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the garlic over medium heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle, pour in the tomatoes. Season with salt and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

3.In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. Add the shrimp and scallops. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the shrimp turn pink. Add shrimp and scallops to the tomato mixture, and stir in the parsley. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce just begins to bubble. Serve sauce over pasta.

 Serves 8.
 
T'was delish!

Enjoy! :)
 
[source]
 
- CK

Mamma's Turkey Recipe

Posted by CK in peppers, recipe, turkey

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I know, I know...the holidays are over (boooo). Yet, I still crave some of the food I had over the holidays!! Having newly been introduced to the traditional Christmas dinner in the last two years by A, I had the desire to host one myself! That's why A and I invited his hockey team over for a delicious pot luck, which involved me cooking a turkey.

My mom's always been famous for her most delicious turkey. Never having cooked a turkey in my life, I decided to try and go ahead with her recipe and hoped to God that I wouldn't disappoint our guests! It turned out absolutely amazing and it was the simplest thing to make!! I cooked it the night before too so I wasn't in a rush to make it the evening of the party! Here's how:

Get:
- 3 large green bell peppers
- 4 large red bell peppers
- 6 large onions
- 2 tablespoons of margarine (or butter)
- salt and pepper
- 1 6 lb frozen turkey, with skin
- a dash of olive oil

1. First, get your frozen turkey the night before your party. We didn't think that it would take us forever to unfreeze it. So make sure you give yourself plenty of time to unfreeze your turkey. How I did it? I put my turkey in the sink and soaked it in cold water for 3 hours, changing the water every half hour.
2. While the turkey is busy unfreezing, preheat your oven at 400 degrees F. Then, chop your vegetables into small pieces (that takes a while, which also wasn't anticipated. So give yourself some time to do that). Once everything's cut, mix with the margarine, salt and pepper and put on the side.
3. Once the turkey is mostly unfrozen (it may still have be frozen a bit on the inside, but that doesn't matter much. As long as the outside is, that's the important part), take it out of the sink and use salt to "clean" your turkey. Basically simply rub alot of salt on your turkey, no rinsing.
4. Separate the skin from the meat with your hand without ripping the skin off. That's where you'll put the stuffing in your turkey.
5. Once separated, stuff the turkey with your bell pepper/onion mix. I used my hands because I thought it would be easier to get it in there as much as possible.
6. Stuff the turkey as much as you can. Once the skin is done stuffing, try stuffing the neck as much as you can. DON'T THROW LEFT OVER STUFFING JUST YET!
7. Put your turkey - breast up - in a roasting pan and add the left over stuffing to the pan. Add a dash of olive oil on top of the turkey.
8. Cover your pan and cook until the skin is golden (about 3 hours).
9. Take your turkey out, let it cool. While still in the pan, put it in your fridge. You'll finish the cooking the next day.
10. About 2 hours before your guests arrive, take your turkey and flip it onto it's breast. don't throw out the juice that's in the pan. You want the breast to soak in the juice, that's how it doesn't dry out. Once flipped, put it back in the oven for 2 hours.

By the time your guests arrive, your turkey should be done!! Flip it onto a serving plate and put on your table for everyone to admire!

Note: I think the fact that the turkey was still a little frozen on the inside helped keep it moist.

Who said that turkey is only for the holidays? ;)

What were some of your favorite recipes from the holidays?! :D

Enjoy and good luck!!

-CK

FREE COOKBOOK!

Posted by amanda in cookbook, recipe

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For a limited time, download Martha Stewart's Thanksgiving e-cookbook !!! Just in time for...thanksgiving? Oh well....it's comfort food with MARTHA...and that's all I need to know :)

You're invited to a Recipe Party!!

Posted by CK in

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Sew Many Ways (a fun crafting blog ran by a mom with very clever crafting ideas) is hosting a Holiday Recipe Linking Party! Starting November 28th and on into December, people from all over the blogosphere will link up a recipe that they've posted on their blog and you can do the same!

This is a great way to find new recipes for the holidays and share your recipe with others who might enjoy it! Isn't it a neat idea?! If you want more info, follow the link here where Karen explains how to participate!

Spread the word! the more recipes the better! :)

Enjoy!!

Easy Peasy Split Peas Soup!

Posted by amanda in easy, healthy, soup, vegan, vegetable

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OOOOhhh BABY those cold nights are coming on! Nothing says cozy on a crisp Fall evening like pea soup and a fuzzy blanket! Here's a super easy recipe courtesy of my Nanny!

Metric	Ingredients	Imperial
500 ml	split peas (green or yellow)	2 cup
2 L	cold water	8 cup
2	celery stalks, chopped	2
2	medium carrots, chopped	2
2	small onions, chopped	2
-	salt & pepper to taste	-

Rinse peas in colander with cold water. Place in large saucepan. Add cold water and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to simmer and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peas are soft.

Add celery, carrots, onions, salt and pepper. Bring back to boil and simmer, covered, for another 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Serves 6