Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Ok, it's been ages since my cooking experiment of new dishes. Why??? I've been such a busy bee in all aspects of my life. Some busy was good and some no good at all. Well, am I any freer? Nope but I came across this recipe and found it easy enough and true enough, it was super easy to prepare and easy to cook.

 

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz linguine

2 Tbsp. olive oil

8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1¼ lbs large shrimp

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp dried oregano

4 cups baby spinach

¼ cup Parmesan

2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

PREP:

1. In a large pot, boil water and add pasta. Cook (stirring frequently) until al dente.
2. Drain and set aside pasta.
3. In the same pan, heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, cook until fragrant.
4. Toss in shrimp, salt and pepper to taste, and stir until shrimp start to turn pink, but are not fully cooked.
5. Add oregano and spinach, cook until wilted. 
6. Return cooked pasta to the pot, add remaining butter, parmesan, and parsley. Stir until well mixed and the butter is melted.
7. When the shrimp are cooked, add lemon juice, mix once more, then serve while hot. 

And most importantly, I got a thumbs up from my baby girl. She loved it and that smile on her face was priceless!!! 

Easy Chicken Pie

Hmmmmm......nothing like some yummy chicken pie. Something I've always loved and so does my little girl. So, as usual I try to hunt for some Chicken Pie recipe and make sure it's an easy one. So, I found this Pillsbury one. Simple and easy though I need to practice a bit more in laying the crust which in my opinion is not an easy feat.

Ingredients:-

- 1/3

cup butter or margarine

- 1/3

cup chopped onion 

- 1/3

cup all-purpose flour

- 1/2

teaspoon salt

- 1/4

teaspoon pepper

- 1 3/4

cups chicken broth (from 32-oz carton) 

- 1/2

cup milk

- 2 1/2

cups shredded cooked chicken

- 2

cups diced celery, carrot and potatoes 

1. Heat oven to 220°C. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan or any pie pan.

2. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and potato; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

3. Stir in chicken. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

A very easy recipe unless you are going to make unless you're going to make your own pastries which is never my forte but do keep an eye on the oven and watch the crust from been burned. One thing I like about home cooked pies is that one can add as much chicken or vegetables as one likes unlike restaurants whereby ingredients are at a minimal only and sometimes, I can't even taste the chicken and using frozen peas as vegetables is an absolute Yuck!!!!