Shrimp Marinara

This is a family favorite recipe. My mom wanted a different kind of pasta. She was watching Robin Miller on food network and came across this recipe.

The crushed red peppers add such a kick of heat, and the shrimp after simmering in this simple sauce just pop with flavor in your mouth.

What we use:

1 pound spaghetti noodles
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 shallots (sometimes you can get already minced shallots in a little jar in grocery store!)
2 cloves garlic (sometimes you can get already minced garlic too!)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

What we did:

Cook the pasta in some boiling water for 7-10 minutes; drain and leave in pot until sauce is ready.
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add shallots and garlic to skillet and saute for 1 minute.
Add oregano, basil and red pepper flakes and stir to coat.
Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and bring mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
To the simmering sauce, add shrimp, cover skillet and simmer for 2 minutes, until shrimp are bright pink and cooked through.
Pour sauce over spaghetti.

This goes great with parmesan cheese grated over top! I even shave thin slices right on the plate, then add the pasta and sauce over that. Then by the time you get to the bottom of the plate you have a nice melted surprise of cheese on bottom.
And don't forget the garlic bread... enjoy!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken and Ratatouille

I wanted to thank my friend Gail for fixing up some chairs of mine. She re-upholstered the chairs and they look great!

I decided to make a twist on a recipe that I saw Giada De Laurentiis make on Food Network. She was making Goat cheese stuffed pork chops. I don't eat pork so I used chicken instead.

I wanted to pair it with some type of nice vegetable. I was watching Tyler Florence make his ultimate Ratatouille, so I just had to try it.

These two dishes went perfectly together.
Recipes follow:

Goat cheese, spinach, sun-dried tomato stuffed Chicken Breasts


What I used:


1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 (10-ounce) bag of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese
1/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese
4 big boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt
freshly ground black pepper

What I did:

I mixed the goat cheese, cream cheese, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes all in a bowl until it formed a nice filling.

I cleaned the chicken breasts and slit a pocket into the side of each one, just deep enough to stuff filling into. I took a heaping table spoon of filling and stuffed each chicken breast pocket.
I then got a skillet hot and added some extra virgin olive oil to coat the pan. I made a light dredging flour by mixing some flour and thyme together in a flat pan. I dredged the chicken in the thyme/flour and then lightly browned both sides of each chicken breast in the skillet.

Then I transferred all the chicken into a pan to finish cooking in the oven at 350 o F, about 45 minutes for large chicken breasts, until internal temperature was at least 160o F. You could probably turn up to 400 o F and cut some cooking time off; I just did it slower to make sure the chicken was moist. I also wanted the ratatouille to come out at same time as the chicken.

Ratatouille

What I used:

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound small Italian eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound zucchini, cut crosswise into 1-inch sections
3 anchovy fillets, finely minced
2 onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Leaves from 1/2 bunch fresh basil,
coarsely chopped Leaves from 4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 pints cherry tomatoes
Splash balsamic vinegar

What I did:

I lined a large platter with paper towels, heated 1/3 cup olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. I then fried up the eggplant, seasoning with salt and pepper; until the eggplant is soft and wilted. I placed the eggplant on the paper towels to remove some of the oil and then began the same process for the zucchini. When it was soft I added it to the eggplant.



I took the same pan and added more oil if needed. Then I added the anchovies (you can find them by the sardines and canned tuna in the supermarket), onions, garlic and herbs. Then cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions get nice and caramelized/wilted. Then add the tomatoes and cook that down until pulpy.

Then add back in the eggplant and zucchini, season with salt and pepper and let the ratatouille cook slowly until the mixture is soft, mushy and juicy. It begins to look like a stewing vegetable soup goulash. I placed all of the finished ratatouille into a big bowl and drizzled balsamic vinegar over top.

I enjoyed this recipe the most. And it was a perfect complement to the stuffed Chicken.

Once again, THANK YOU FOOD NETWORK for giving me such great ideas!

Benton Lee's Steakhouse Day Trip

Last Saturday my family, friends and I drove 2 hours to Benton Lee’s Steakhouse. What makes this place so special? The fact they serve enormous steaks, awesome catfish, frog legs, and even gater nuggets! I love going for the catfish, fried oysters and gater nuggets, which is what I had this time. The best part is they serve you on silver platters!

My dad got the medium T-bone, and my mom got the small T-bone with a side of gater.

Everyone else had steaks and my friend Louie got frog legs, gater and oysters.

Here is a before and after shot of my friend Mike's steak!

It was wonderful! Eating, talking, and enjoying the Altamaha River.

Benton Lee’s has become a legend to my family and I’m sure other’s feel the same way. Just check out their website for history, even more pictures and directions to this Southern paradise of food!