Seafood Pasta

I bought  some nice "Wild Caught Shrimp" and "Scallops" for New Years Eve. I don't buy seafood very often (probably because we live in the middle of the country, with no accessible fresh seafood),  but we have been craving it lately... which I think is due to our Vitamin Sea deficiency, haha . Evidently, I bought much more than 2 people can eat in one night, so it is seafood week here at out house. Tonight I made Seafood Pasta  and oh my goodness, it was delicious, you are going to want to make some of this.

 Ingredients:
12 ounces Spaghetti and 1 Tablespoon butter or Olive Oil
1 1/2 pounds seafood, such as Shrimp, Scallops, Clams, Crab meat etc.
1 cup White Wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)
1 cup half and half
4 Tablespoons Butter (divided in half)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 small Onion minced
3 cloves of Garlic, crushed and minced
1 1/2 cups chopped Cherry Tomatoes
1/8 cup chopped Parsley
1/ 8 cup minced Green Onion
1/4 cup Parmesan

Instructions: 

1. Cook Spaghetti according to package instructions until just almost al dente. Drain and place back into pot with 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil; stir, cover and set to the side.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt half of the butter with the olive oil. Add the shrimp and scallops. Brown and cook approximately 2 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate. 
3. Add remaining butter, onion and garlic to the skillet cook and stir until soft.
4. Add tomatoes, and saute lightly
5. Add wine and most of the parsely.
6. Simmer about 3 minutes more, then return shrimp, scallops and add the clams or crab meat toss until combined.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
   
8. Stir in the Half and Half and Parmesan Cheese.
9. Add Spaghetti, and stir to combine.
10. Transfer to a serving dish or dish into bowls.
11. Top with Green Onions, remaining Parsley and Parmesan Cheese
12. Enjoy!
    

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt half of the butter with the olive oil. Add the shrimp and scallops. Brown and cook approximately 2 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate. 

 Add remaining butter, onion and garlic to the skillet cook and stir until soft.

 Add tomatoes, and saute lightly

Add wine and parsely.  Simmer about 3 minutes more, then return shrimp, scallops and add the clams or crab meat toss until combined.Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the Half and Half and Parmesan Cheese.

Add Spaghetti, and stir to combine.
Transfer to a serving dish or dish into bowls.
Top with Parmesan Cheese and chopped Parsley.

Enjoy!

Oh, and this was the view out of my kitchen window, while I was cooking this afternoon.

Have a great week, Everyone!

Stuffed Potato Pancakes

Don't you think one of the best things about a Thanksgiving feast, is the leftovers?  I love them eaten cold for breakfast (as in turkey on roll sandwich or pumpkin pie), rewarmed for lunch or dinner, (as in hot turkey and gravy over roll and mashed potatoes and stuffing), or re-made into new meals. I think I look forward to leftovers more than the actual holiday meal itself; Perhaps because it is a meal already fixed and ready to go.  It is like a present to myself.

With a large abundance of turkey and mashed potatoes after Thanksgiving, these two items are a sure thing to get made over.  At our house, left over mashed potatoes are almost always turned into potato pancakes. Sometimes we fix them plain, and  sometimes we jazz them up with cheese, onion and/or some sort of bacon. They are delicious served with eggs, or even just on their own as a meal in themselves. My Mom often made them for us when were little and I have often made them for our family.  In Russia they take the potato pancake idea a little further and stuff it with delicious fillings, such as sauted mushrooms, or ground meat, and then fry them until golden brown. When we adopted our kids ten years ago, my eyes were opened to the many delicious Russian comfort foods, and have loved trying them to please the kids. Here is my own adaptation of "Zrazy" which is the Russian name for this kind of Stuffed Potato Pancakes.

Put mashed potatoes, eggs and flour into a mixing bowl.

Mix together well.

Set aside until the filling is prepared.

Gather together stuffing ingredients: Chopped chicken or turkey, green onions, mushrooms and grated carrots.

Melt a half of a stick of butter in a frying pan. Stir and saute until vegetables are tender.

Put sauted mixture into a measuring bowl ready to fill the potato pancakes.

Create pancakes with one large spoonful of potato mixture on a floured surface to keep from sticking.  If the mixture is still sticky while working with it, add flour as you form your pancake as needed.

Top pancake with a tablespoon of meat mixture.

Fold pancake in half and pinch edges together. Forming and smoothing into a nice shaped pancake.

Take up prepared pancakes and place on  a plate Set to the side while you heat the oil.

Fry 3-4 minutes over medium high heat until well browned on all sides.

(sorry missed the pictures on this one).

Top with fresh green onions and sprinkle liberally with sea salt.

Stuffed Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:
6 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra to dust the pancakes with
2 large eggs
2 cups cooked and chopped Chicken or Turkey
5 or 6 mushrooms, minced

1 carrot, grated
1 garlic clove, minced

5 green onions finely chopped and or 2 TB fresh parsley,  minced
1/2 stick butter
Sea Salt or natural salt and pepper to taste
Flour or breadcrumbs to roll pancakes in before frying
Natural Palm Oil for frying

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed potatoes eggs and flour.
2. Mix well and set to the side while making the filling.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat.
4. Add butter, Chicken/Turkey and vegetables
5. Saute, and stir until the vegetables are tender.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Place in a mixing bowl to have ready for filling the potato pancakes.
8. Dust a working space with flour.
9. Using a large serving spoon or ice-cream scoop, take up a spoonful of the potato mixture and place it onto the floured surface.
10. Work the potato mixture into a flat circle or oblong.
11. Place a tablespoon of the filling onto the pancake.
12. Fold pancake in half and pinch the edges together, forming a nicely shaped oblong.
13. Roll in flour or bread crumbs. Place on a plate.
14. Repeat until all of the pancakes are made. 
15. Heat a large fry pan (non-stick ceramic is a good choice) with a little oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
16. Once the oil is hot, fry the pancakes until golden brown on each side (about 3 or 4 minutes per side).
17. Place on paper towel covered plate to drain.  Keep warm in a low oven until all is ready.
18. Delicious served with Sour Cream; we also love them with a little hot sauce.

Enjoy!

Muffin Tin Mania: 20 Unique Muffin Ideas

"Muffin Tin, how do I love thee, let me count the ways.  You have faithfully cooked up delicious little cakes and breads since the day of your invention, and we have discovered that you are the perfect pan to make delightful, little portable, handheld meals, snacks and desserts already portioned out in just the right size.  Children and adults  love the foods that pop out of those little cups of yours; food that is perfect for  parties, picnics, or lunch boxes; breakfasts, lunch or dinner; to stay or to go; beautiful or rustic; wholesome or comforting, glitzy or humble, your creations are perfect for any occasion. You are adorable".

One of the most viewed posts on this blog,  is Spaghetti Pie Meal in a Muffin as pictured in the header. It isn't the post I would have thought to have had so much traffic. It has been featured in several websites such as Chowhound,  Luvo, Huffington Post and The Whoot, all of which have contributed to its popularity; but I think the main reason that it has done so well, is that Muffin Tin ideas are flourishing and I can understand why, they are irresistible. I find myself often thinking of meals that I can make for the muffin tin.

Soooo …..I decided to share some of my favorite muffin tin ideas that I have saved on my Muffin and Cupcake Pinterest board; they are from a variety of websites, including this one. So get out those  muffin tins, and put them to use with some of these recipes, and change up the menu plan with a little bit of fun.

Cheesy Steak Cups

by Gather For Bread

Pizza Pie Muffins 

From Where Your Treasure Is

Hashbrown Egg Muffins 

By Play Party Pin

Meatball Sandwich Muffins

by Where Your Treasure Is

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

by Circle of Moms

Mini Corn Dog Muffins

by Iowa Girl Eats

Shepherd's Pie Muffin

From Where Your Treasure Is

Breakfast Oatmeal Cupcakes

From Chocolate Covered Katie

Reuben Sandwich Muffins

From Where Your Treasure Is

Almost No Bake Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Pies
From Carlsbad Cravings

Impossible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

From Cakes Cottage

Meatloaf Cupcakes

from Cincyshopper.com

Eggplant Parmagiana Meal in a Muffin

From Where Your Treasure Is

Baked Potato Cupcakes

From Dairy Makes Sense

Granola Yogurt Cups

From Muffin Mania

Mac n Cheese Muffins

From Fifteen Spatulas

Trim Healthy Mama Compliant

Chocolate Pecan Muffins
from Flowers in His Garden

Eggs in a Potato Nest

from Stranded Foodie

Pancake and Sausage Muffins

from Heavenly Homemakers

Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Muffins
from Where Your Treasure Is

Cowboy Caviar

I've been making my Hubby of few of his favorites this weekend.  This is one of them.  You probably guessed by the title of this post that this dish is called "Cowboy Caviar".  I love the name don't you?  It is one of those eat off and on through the day sorts of dishes that disappears quickly. It can be served with chips as a bean salsa or as a side dish as a bean salad and it is delicious in either capacity.  It is a hit at "get togethers", and is nice to keep in the fridge to serve to a hungry cowboy with some tortilla chips to take the edge off of a hungry appetite before dinner.  

Here's what you will need: 

1 15 oz can of Black Eyed Peas 

1 15 oz can of Black Beans, 3/4 cup Fresh Corn off the cob or two cobs of corn (Frozen is okay).

1/2 cup red onion, diced

3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced (I like to use the little grape tomatoes…but any will work).

1 Pickled Jalapeño  pepper, diced (optional… or you can replace with green chilis).

1 ripe avocado, chopped

6 strips of bacon fried and crumbled

1 cup crumbled feta or chopped queso fresco or cheddar cheese

Cilantro for garnish.

Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Tortilla Chips

Begin by chopping vegetables, frying bacon and cutting the corn from the cob; Reserve 1 Tablespoon of bacon grease after frying, and lightly and quickly brown the corn.  Set to the side until needed.

Drain and rinse your beans and place in a medium sized serving or mixing bowl.

Add peppers,

Tomatoes, onion and corn,

Avocado,

Cheese,

and bacon.

Stir gently.

Whisk together dressing ingredients.

Drizzle over beans and vegetables. Stir until dressing is well distributed.  

Put into a nice serving bowl.

Enjoy!

I love this as a bean salsa and so does Steve.

Num Num!

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can seasoned black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can seasoned or plain black beans or pinto beans drained and rinsed
3/4 cup Fresh Corn off the cob or two cobs of corn (Frozen is okay).
1/2 cup red onion, diced
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced (I like to use the little grape tomatoes…but any will work).
4 or five slices jalapeno pepper slices, diced (optional… or you can replace with green chilis).
1 ripe avocado, chopped
6 strips of bacon fried and crumbled

1 cup crumbled feta or chopped queso fresco or cheddar cheese
Cilantro for garnish.

Dressing:
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1  large lime, juiced (or two small limes juiced)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Fry up bacon and reserve 1 Tablespoon of drippings.
2. Cut corn from the cob and brown quickly in the bacon drippings; no need to cook thoroughly, allow the corn to remain crisp.
3. Chop remaining vegetables.
4. Gently combine all ingredients except Cilantro.
5. Make dressing by combining all the ingredients and whisking together well.
6. Drizzle the dressing over the bean and vegetable mixture, then stir gently.
7. Garnish with Cilantro.
8. Serve with Corn Chips or as a salad/sidedish.
9. Enjoy!

This makes a nice appetizer for a Holiday.  I'm serving a it up for our Labor Day weekend.

Have a nice Labor Day Weekend Every One!