Monday, October 15, 2012

Shrimp Penne with Spinach



Okay, three posts in one day is exhausting so I'm going to make this right to the point. Feel free to read the two posts below for my awesomeness.


Ingredients:
1/2 bag baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 box mini penne pasta
1/4 cup Parm. cheese
20 large peeled detailed shrimp
garlic salt
black pepper

Wilt spinach in 1/2 tbsp melted butter over medium heat. Cook pasta. While pasta is cooking, saute shrimp in 1/2 tbsp melted butter. Combine pasta, spinach, shrimp and toss in remaining 1/2 tbsp butter. Sprinkle with garlic salt, black pepper and the parm cheese. Simple, easy, and delicious.

Homemade Bread Bowls & Soup


I've never understood why fall and soup go hand-in-hand so well. I used to think it was because it was always chilly outside and you come in and think 'burrrr, man it sure it cold out there, I wish someone would make me a big pot of delicious soup that I could heat my starving belly up with' but then you come inside and there isn't a heaping pot of warm, delicious, mouth watering soup on the stove and you're still cold. Now your stomach hates you because you tricked it into thinking it was going to have liquid hot deliciousness inside of it but you forgot to add that you grew up with someone that skills didn't quite go hand-in-hand with cooking. She made up for it in other ways, my mother. I now theme many situations to the tune of 'How Much is That Doggie in the Window' *ruff ruff*. I have the image of cats eating my mothers goldfish when she was a small child every time I look at my own cat, and she taught me to never treat your children as though you have a favorite, but clearly have a favorite nonetheless. (it's clearly me) Now, I'm not quite sure how I always get on the topic of myself, oh yeah, because I'm so awesome, it's easily done of course. What is equally awesome was the amazing, hot, delicious pot of soup I made this Sunday.

I wasn't so thrilled with this photo either, but it tasted so good, who needs quality photos? The bread bowls turned out okay, my husband really liked them, but he smokes so I claim he can't really taste anything, and he doesn't have the smartest of taste buds to begin with. The bread was just too dense for me, I'm not sure if I just didn't let it rise enough before I baked it or what but I was slightly disappointed, therefore I won't bother posting the recipe, it was a fairly simply bread recipe anyway, so find your own! The soup recipe I based off of an Oktoberfest Lager soup I liked on FoodGawker.com but there isn't anywhere around here to get decent lager, not that I have any clue on lager and when I expressed this to my husband, he suggested I put one of his watered down American bottles of piss in it in which I was so greatly insulted I almost fell over into my steaming pot of soup and died. I also get my dramatics from my mother. Now, for the recipe, which I will definitely be making again, and might I add the leftover soup the second day was even better (which is usually the case with homemade soup) Mmm.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
14 oz. beer smoked sausage
1/2 head cabbage (thinly sliced)
1 onion (thinly sliced)
4 large russet potatoes cubed
(I left the skin on)
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
5 cups hot chicken stock
3 gloves garlic minced
1 cup milk
2 tbsp flour

Directions:
Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add sausage and allow the brown. Add onions until carmelized and tender. Add cabbage and allow to soften and take in flavors. Add garlic and allow to cook for 3 minutes or until it has cooked down. Add hot chicken stock, pepper, and milk and potatoes. I wanted to thicken my soup up a bit so I mixed 2 tbsp of flour with water before adding it to the pot, it thickened it just a bit, however if you like a really thick dense soup I would add 2-4 more tbsp flour. Allow pot to come to a boil before reducing heat to simmer. Soup is ready once potatoes are cooked through and soft, however, soup is always better the longer it simmers, in my expert opinion!

Sopes


Ahh, Sopeeeeeeee. Mmm. There is a little hole-in-the-wall El Salvadorian place in Bellevue, Ne that my dad and I enjoy pigging out at. We took my husband once and decided he needed to try everything on the menu, our whole table was filled with food, Pops ended up taking most of it home since we were all stuffed to the brim, and the tab was like $22.00? Amazing. Now, since I'm far-far away from home it's one of the places I miss going every time my dad goes he sends me a text just to rub it in. I made sure we went while I was home a few months ago and they gave me chicken instead of steak and well it just ruined the whole experience.

So, what did I do? I made 'em myself. It was actually super easy except that frying anything in something other than an actual fryer always seems to be a huge mess and I decided to make my sopes the size of a large dinner plate and it was a bit difficult to properly flip them without cracking them. It also didn't help that each one took up the entire pan I was attempting to fry them in, but hey, lesson learned, right? Next time I'd just make cute little ones and use the excuse that they're so little to eat, oh I don't know, 27 of them? My stomach is smiling at the mere thought. Anyways, I'll get on with it already. The photo isn't very bright, but hey, they tasted amazing enough I didn't even care about the photo!

Ingredients:
2 cups Maseca brand corn masa
pinch of salt
1/2 tbsp butter
1 can refried beans
1 pkg. thinly sliced sirloin steak (sliced into strips)
shredded lettuce
Creama
Queso Fresco

Directions:
On medium heat, melt butter in medium-large skillet. Brown sirloin in butter, set aside. Following directions of Masa bag for desired amount (I used 2 cups) mix masa with water and pinch of salt. Shape into flat patties then mold lip around edge with fingers. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side in oil filled pan. Remove and set on paper towel to absorb extra oil. Spread thin layer of warmed up refried beans on flat portion of the shell. Add desired amount of steak, lettuce, crumbled queso fresco, and lastly the creama. Eat every last bite, or you should be ashamed of yourself.