Shrimp Scampi

This always reminds me of my Dad and the boys actually picked this for dinner tonight so they made it all themselves :)  Turned out yummy!!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup dry white wine or broth
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
•  Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ¾ pounds large or extra-large shrimp, shelled
• ⅓ cup chopped parsley
•  Freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon
•  Cooked pasta or crusty bread    

• PREPARATION

  1. In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine or broth, salt, red pepper flakes and plenty of black pepper and bring to a simmer. Let wine reduce by half, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add shrimp and sauté until they just turn pink, 2 to 4 minutes depending upon their size. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and serve over pasta or accompanied by crusty bread.

Italian Sausage Flatbread Pizza

 This was delicious and quick to make!!!  The boys weren't huge fans so made them a pepperoni/sausage pizza!!

Ingredients

2 large Naan loaves (like 1 8.8 ounce package of Stonefire Naan)
1/4 cup pesto (I like the fresh stuff that you get in the deli section of the grocery store rather than the shelf-stable pesto in jars; you can also make your own!) mixed with 2–3 tablespoons of water (enough to get a nice drizzling consistency)
1/2 pound Italian sausage, crumbled and cooked
1 small zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
About 1/2 cup pizza sauce (we love this recipe!)
Ricotta cheese to taste (about 1/4-1/3 cup will probably do)

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with foil, place flatbreads on the sheet, and set aside.

If you haven’t cooked your sausage yet, crumble it into the pan and cook completely. When the sausage is done cooking, remove the sausage from the pan, but leave about 2 tablespoons of the drippings in the pan. Cook the zucchini over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, just enough for it to soften. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel and season lightly with salt and pepper.

While the sausage is cooking, spread pizza sauce on the flatbreads. Top with the sausage, zucchini, and shredded mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven for 5-6 minutes or until the cheese is melted but not burned.

Remove the pan from oven. Add a few dollops of ricotta cheese evenly distributed over the pizzas. Drizzle with pesto. Cut into pieces and serve immediately.

Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pastry Pockets

We had some time at the cabin to make a new recipe and this was DELICIOUS!!!  Reminded us a little of Chicken in Crescent Roll - I will make this again for sure!!!

Ingredients

·       1 box puff pastry (2 sheets)

·       1 8oz container Philadelphia Chive and Onion flavor Cream Cheese

·       1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

·       1 1/2 cup cooked shredded chicken breast

·       1/3 cup cooked crumbled bacon

·       3 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

·       1 egg

·       1 tablespoon water

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Instructions

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.    Warm cream cheese in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to soften. Place in a mixing bowl with mozzarella cheese, chicken, bacon, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine and set aside.

3.    Defrost puff pastry sheets according to package directions. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll one sheet at a time into a 12 x 12 inch square. Cut 4, 3 inch strips each direction to make 16 squares, 3 x 3″ each.

4.    Place about 2 teaspoons of cream cheese mixture onto each square. With your finger, brush a dab of water around the edges of each square and fold over diagonally to make a triangle. Press edges together and crimp with a fork to seal.

5.    After stuffing and folding each pastry, place on a baking sheet. Whisk egg and 1 tablespoon water together and brush over the top of each pastry. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving. Can also be served at room temperature.

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Notes

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS

·       Follow directions through egg wash. Place baking sheet in the freezer. When pastries are solid to the touch, transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer. When ready to bake, place frozen pastries directly on a baking sheet in preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden.