I wanted to make something a bit different for dinner than our usual fare. We love shrimp. I decided to lean toward Italian and made up this recipe.

Shrimp & Spinach Manicotti Rosa Alfredo

Ingredients

  ·         1 pound small shrimp, cleaned, peeled, with tail off

·         2 cups ricotta cheese

·         1 egg

·         1 ½ cups spinach, chopped

·         ½ cup onion, chopped or minced

·         1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

·         1  cup Parmesan cheese, shredded and divided

·         1 tsp garlic powder

·         Italian Seasonings

·         Salt and Pepper

·         A package (8 oz.) Manicotti

·         1 cup diced tomatoes

·         1 cup water

·         2 cups Alfredo Sauce

Directions 

 1.       Preheat oven to 350ºF

2.       In a large bowl combine shrimp, ricotta, egg, spinach, garlic powder, onion, half the cheese, seasonings, and salt and pepper. Mix well

3.       Fill Manicotti with ricotta mixture

4.       Place tomato juice and water on bottom of baking dish, top with filled manicotti

5.       Put tomatoes over manicotti

6.       Cover with Alfredo Sauce

7.       Bake for 45 minutes

8.       Remove from oven, top with remaining cheese

9.       Return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes

This dessert is pure magic.

Magical Chocolate Custard Cake


INGREDIENTS

·         4 eggs, at room temperature

·         1 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract

·         1 and ¼ cup sugar

·         ½ cup butter, melted

·         ½ cup all-purpose flour

·         ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

·         2 cups milk, lukewarm

·         1 tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 325ºF

2.       Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.

3.       Separate eggs.

4.       Beat egg whites in a bowl until stiff and put aside.

5.       Whisk egg yolks, vanilla powder and sugar until creamy.

6.       Add melted butter and mix for about 30 seconds.

7.       Add the flour and unsweetened cocoa powder. Mix with a spatula until incorporated well.

8.       Pour the milk gradually and continue beating.

9.       Add in the egg whites, one third at a time and gently mix with a spatula.

10.   Pour this batter into the baking pan and bake for 60 minutes.

11.   Let it cool and when it comes to room temperature chill for an hour.

12.   Dust with powdered sugar just prior before serving.

Crème Brulee

 

INGREDIENTS:

·         6 egg yolks

·         6 tablespoons white sugar, divided

·         ½ tsp. vanilla extract

·         ½ cups heavy cream

·         3 tbsp. brown sugar

 

DIRECTIONS:

1.    Preheat oven to 300ºF

2.   Beat together egg yolks, 4 tbsp. white sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy

3.   Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to boil

4.   Remove the cream from heat immediately

5.   Stir cream into the egg yolk mixture; beat until combined.

6.   Pour cream mixture into the top of a double boiler

7.   Stir over simmering water until mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon approximately 3 minutes

8.   Remove mixture from heat immediately and pour into ramekins (or one larger baking dish)

9.   Bake for 30 minutes

10. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature then refrigerate for 1 hour, or overnight

11.  Preheat oven to broil

12. In a small bowl combine remaining 2 tablespoons white sugar and brown sugar

13. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over custard

14. Place ramekins under broiler until sugar melts, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so as not to burn

15. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature

16. Refrigerate until custard is set again

 

Do you want an easy recipe for shrimp that will taste and look like it was ordered from the fanciest restaurant? This is it and it is what I am making for dinner tonight. It can be served over pasta for shrimp scampi or with potatoes, rice, or couscous.

Lemon Butter Shrimp

Ingredients:
  ·         ¼ cup butter (1 stick), divided

·         1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

·         2 tsp. chopped parsley

·         2 pounds of shrimp, cleaned

·         2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
1.       Preheat oven to 450ºF

2.       In saucepan, sauté garlic in 1 tsp of butter

3.       Reduce heat to medium-low

4.       Add remainder of butter and parsley

5.       When butter is melted remove from heat

6.       Put shrimp in baking dish

7.       Pour melted butter mixture over shrimp

8.       Sprinkle lemon juice over shrimp

9.       Bake for about 12 minutes until shrimp are pink and opaque

These carrots are simple to make and refreshingly bright.

Donna’s Orange Glazed Carrots

Ingredients:

·        1 pound baby carrots

·        ¼ cup orange juice

·        2 tbs. sugar

·        ½ tsp ginger

Directions: 

  1.     Place carrots and juice in saucepan over medium heat

2.    Stir in sugar and ginger

3.    Cook over medium heat until boiling

4.    Turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes

This delicious seafood dinner is so much easier than you imagine. perfect for a romantic meal for two or that dinner party for twelve.



Camarones y Langosta (Shrimp & Lobster)

Ingredients:
  ·         2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined.

·         1 pound scampi shrimp or seafood of choice.

·         2 Lobster tails

·         ½ cup sliced green olives

·         2 cups fish or shrimp stock

·         2 tomatoes, (to make about 2 cups) diced, or tomato sauce

·         ¼ cup tomato paste

·         Sazon or Adobo to taste

·         Garlic to taste, chopped

·         1 onion, chopped

·         ½ cup sweet peppers, chopped


Directions:
1.       Sauté onion, garlic and sweet peppers in large pot until onions are translucent.

2.       Add stock, remaining seasonings, and tomatoes, to pot, bring to boil.

3.       Add seafood and olives

4.       Simmer for twenty minutes

This soup is so delicious and surprisingly easy to make. It is a nice addition to a romantic dinner or even if you just want to "fancify" your meal.
Asparagus Soup

 

INGREDIENTS:

·         1 asparagus chopped to about 1 cup

·         ½ Onion chopped

·         1 tbsp. lemon juice

·         16 oz. Vegetable broth, divided

·         1 tbsp. butter[1]

·         1 tbsp. flour

DIRECTIONS:

1.       In a soup pot combine asparagus, onion, lemon, and 7 oz. broth

2.       Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes

3.       Put this mixture in a blender and blend until smooth

4.       In the soup pan, melt butter over medium high heat

5.       Add flour and form a roux

6.       Slowly add remaining broth and stir ‘til smooth

7.       Slowly pour blended asparagus into roux mixture while stirring

8.       Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve



[1] For a vegan alternative make the roux using vegetable broth as follows:

1.       Heat 1 oz. vegetable broth to boil

2.       Stir in 1 tbsp. flour until smooth

Cornish Game Hen doesn’t have to be some difficult thing to make. It is actually very easy and makes dinner an experience as well as a meal. Are you looking for just the right dinner party meal? Are you making a romantic dinner? Cornish Game hen is simple and doesn’t fail to impress.

I personally like to split one hen between two people because my parents have smaller appetites but I will include recipes for split or whole birds.

Split Cornish Game Hen over Dressing

Ingredients:
  ·         1 Cornish game hen

·         2 tbsp. and 2 tbsp. Butter, divided

·         Dash Rosemary, ground

·         Dash Sage, ground

·         Dash Thyme, ground

·         ¾ cup Chicken broth

·         1 cup Bread, cubed

·         ½ onion, chopped

·         1 piece of celery, chopped

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350ºF

2.       Place cubed bread in one layer on baking sheet – use any kind of bread or a mixture of breads.

3.       Bake for 10 minutes or until dry and golden.

4.       Mix together rosemary, sage and thyme

5.       Combine 2 tbsp. butter, ½ seasoning mix, bread cubes, onions, celery, and broth in baking dish

6.       Cut hen in half

7.       Spread butter on skin side and under skin of the hen

8.       Rub remaining season on skin side

9.       Place on top of dressing

10.   Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165º


OR
Stuffed Cornish Game Hen

Ingredients: ·         2 Cornish Game Hens

·         ½ tsp Rosemary

·         ½ tsp Thyme

·         ½ tsp Sage

·          4 tbsp. and 4 tbsp. Butter, divided

·         ¾  cup Chicken broth

·         1 cup Bread, cubed

·         ½ onion, chopped

·         1 piece of celery, chopped

Directions: 1.       Preheat Oven to 350ºF

2.       Place cubed bread in one layer on baking sheet – use any kind of bread or a mixture of breads.

3.       Bake for 10 minutes or until dry and golden.

4.       Decrease oven temp to 325ºF

5.       Mix together rosemary, sage and thyme

6.       Combine 4 tbsp. butter, ½ seasoning mix, bread cubes, onions, celery, and broth in bowl

7.       Rub butter and remaining seasoning mix onto the skin of the hens and ender the skin of the hens.

8.       Stuff the birds with dressing and place remaining mixture in baking dish or roasting pan

9.       Place hens in baking dish or roasting pan over dressing and cover

10.   Bake for 1 ½ hours

11.   Remove cover increase oven temp to 450ºF and bake an additional 10 minutes for a golden crispier skin

12.   Make sure inner temp is 165ºF

If you don’t want the bread stuffing you can stuff it with a vegetable mix something like root vegetables. Parsnips, carrots, and celery are delicious roasted with the hens.