Recipe #30: Cornbread Taco Bake

Another new recipe this week! Woo hoo! DH and DS both really enjoyed this one. I did as well! One of our household favorite meals in the winter months is taco soup, and this dish reminded me a little bit of it. I got this recipe from food.com last week - here is the link.

I'm going to wait and put the picture at the end of the recipe... the picture isn't as appetizing as the meal actually was. I often forget to take a picture of the dish PRIOR to serving it, and this is one of those dishes that doesn't serve in a pretty way.

Ingredients:
*1 lb ground beef (I used lean ground turkey)
*1 package taco seasoning
*1/2 cup water
*1 can corn, drained
*1/2 cup chopped green pepper
*1 8 oz can tomato sauce
*1 package Jiffy cornbread (you'll need one egg and some milk to make this)
*1 can French fried onions
*1/3 cup shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 400*. Meanwhile, brown the meat in a skillet; drain. Return meat to skillet, and stir in taco seasoning, water, corn, green pepper and tomato sauce. Pour mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish. Prepare cornbread mix as directed on box. If desired, add half of the French fried onions into the batter. Spoon the batter into the casserole dish. (The original recipe calls for the mix to be spooned only around the outer edge of the casserole dish. Next time, I'm going to try spooning the batter across the entire top of the casserole dish, to see the difference it might make.) Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered. Top with cheese and remaining French fried onions, and bake for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

TTFN!

Recipe #29: Shrimp over Angel Hair Pasta

It's been SOO long since I posted anything. We've been nothing less than busy for the last 4 months - I just took my last of 4 tests for the CPA exam, we sold our house, moved into an apartment temporarily and are waiting on our new house to be built. Whew!!

I've still been cooking, but most of it has been on recipes I've tried before. Occasionally I'll try some new ones, but not like I used. This week, I have 3 new recipes to try! I made the first one last night. It was good. I'll make it again, but I'll make changes to the recipe, more in line with our taste preferences. The original recipe is here, from food.com.

Ingredients:
*1/2 lb angel hair pasta
*2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil, separated
*1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined - can be raw or cooked (follow instructions accordingly)
*2 tsp garlic, chopped
*1 tsp salt
*1 tsp pepper
*1 cup chicken broth
*1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
*1 tblsp freshly grated lemon peel
*1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx. 2 large lemons)
*1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
*1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

First of all, let me tell you what I would change from the ingredients (based on our personal preferences). I did not use any salt, and only about 1/2 tsp of pepper. I omitted the grated lemon peel, and I would only do 1/8 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 large lemon). I thought the final dish was too lemony, which is why I would cut back. I might add a little more cheese, also, to make it a bit cheesier, but the 1/3 cup is a nice amount. (We love our cheese.)

One last note... make sure all of your ingredients are ready to go before you start cooking. The recipe cooked very quickly, leaving little downtime between steps. The original recipe implies cooking the pasta while also cooking the shrimp/sauce. I couldn't keep up with both. I was too afraid that I'd overcook the pasta or shrimp, so I called DH in to help me out. He's a good guy, he is.

Cook the pasta; drain and pour into a serving bowl. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, garlic, 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper, and shrimp (if using uncooked) over medium-high heat. Cook for two minutes, or until shrimp are barely pink or garlic is soft. Add broth and crushed red pepper and increase the heat to high. If using cooked shrimp, add cooked shrimp now. Cook shrimp mixture on high for 2-3 minutes, until shrimp are thoroughly heated (may just be 1-2 minutes, if you originally started with raw shrimp). Stir in lemon peel and juice.

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper to pasta. Toss pasta to coat. Add the shrimp mixture, parsley and cheese. Mix the mixture well and serve immediately. Add some garlic bread, a nice glass of wine, and you'll have yourself a nice meal! :)

Enjoy! TTFN!