Best of the Month July 2014

A recap of my most popular posts from July 2014

I'm late getting this written and posted.  I like to try to post these on the last day of the month but the end of August was opening weekend of college foot ball, Bacon Day, and then Labor Day on the 1st of September.  I'm still trying to get my blogging groove back with my weekends being occupied with football (my husband and I love football season).  So this is a little late but oh well...what can I do I like to procrastinate.

I finally broke 1,000 followers on Google Plus this month YAY!

**I've noticed that my "pin it" counter buttons don't always show the correct number of pins.  I know that I have personally pinned each picture at least once and usually more when I pin them to group boards but the counter has a big fat zero.  It also makes me wonder if my pins with a large count are correct.  This is very frustrating because I'd like to know actual counts.  Does anyone else experience this?  Know how to fix it?

Wild Rice Cherry Pecan Salad

A salad of wild rice, dried cherries, and pecans tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette.  It makes a great side dish or lunch. 241 views and 67 +1s.

Pudding Popsicles

A simple way to turn your favorite pudding into a frozen treat.  213 views and 37 +1s.

White Wine Sauce and Shrimp Scampi

A delicious and simple sauce made with white wine and butter.  Used to flavor pastas and many other dishes. 210 views and 37 +1s.

Tzatziki

A deliciously cool and refreshing yogurt dip/sauce made with cucumbers and dill.  176 views and 32 +1s.

Blue Cheese Alfredo

Whole wheat pasta tossed in a creamy, cheesy, blue cheese sauce studded with pistachios.  174 Views and 46 +1s.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Cook Craft Share, Full Plate, Best of the Weekend, See ya in the Gumbo, Merry Mon, Two Cup, Tasty Tues, Tickle my Tastebuds, Wonderful Wed, Wed Roundup, Cook Craft Share


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White Wine Sauce and Shrimp Scampi

A delicious and simple sauce made with white wine and butter.  Used to flavor pastas and many other dishes.

*picture courtesy of  Pixaby.com (free images) 

If you have never tried white wine sauce you definitely need to.  The first time I made this for myself was when I made a Shrimp Scampi.  At once I was addicted.  It's a very simple sauce to make and takes very little time but the flavor is absolutely amazing.  The wine adds a very delicate and fruity flavor to the sauce and you just mix it with butter, garlic, and shallots.  Such simple and easy to find ingredients combine to make a delicious sauce that tastes luscious and is great with pastas and shellfish. 

Some things to keep in mind about White Wine Sauce (note that I'm no expert I know very little about wine but I know what I like and I love to experiment):

Use a wine that you would drink.  It doesn't need to be expensive (I'm no wine connoisseur I usually spend no more than 5-10 dollars on a bottle of wine) but it is reduced so the flavors are concentrated.

Use a dry white wine.  I prefer Pinot Grigio but a sauvignon blanc or even a chardonnay would be fine.  I have used sweeter white wines before, because that's what I had, and it's not bad (it will do in a pinch) but not as good as the pinot.

If you prefer not to use wine you could substitute a light broth like chicken or vegetable but keep in mind that the wine adds a fruitiness that broths won't.  

Also note that the wine is cooked and reduced so the alcohol is cooked off so it's not like you will get drunk or even buzzed from it (but I do understand some people prefer to abstain).

Click here to see how to make a white whine sauce and my Shrimp Scampi recipe. 

Linked to:  Two Cup, LouLou Girls, Teach Me, Cook Craft Share, Full Plate, Eat Create Party, Freedom Friday, Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, Show Stopper, Sat Night fever, Share it, See ya in the Gumbo, Much Ado

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Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp and pasta tossed in a garlic and white wine sauce.

Shrimp are a good protein source and they are low in fat.  All in all shrimp are a healthy choice (if you're not allergic).  I cook shrimp pretty often as they are easy to find and relatively inexpensive in Chinatown.  Garlic is a favorite flavor to pair with shrimp, I make Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry frequently, but this time  I had some fettuccine in the house so I went with shrimp scampi.  This pasta would be great even with out the shrimp as the butter, olive oil, garlic, shallots, wine, and lemon juice make a wonderful sauce on their own.  This recipe is simple and quick to prepare (if the shrimp are peeled ahead of time) and tastes better than anything I've had at a restaurant.

Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients:


1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound shrimp
1 cup white wine
1/2 package fettuccine
1 lemon, juice
1/2 cup chopped parsley
salt to taste

In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook pasta.  It should take about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, melt butter and mix in olive oil.  Then add the garlic and shallots and saute over medium heat for about 1 minute until soft and fragrant (I added a little salt with the garlic and shallots).

Add the shrimp and stir quickly (no more than a minute, the shrimp will not be fully cooked, I added salt with the shrimp) to coat with the oil and garlic then add the wine (I used pinot grigio) and lower heat to a simmer.

Allow shrimp to simmer in the wine sauce for a few minutes, until fully cooked and the wine has reduced by at least half.

By now the pasta should be done, drain it and add it to the skillet and toss with shrimp until coated with the sauce.  Turn off the heat, add lemon juice and parsley, stir to combine and serve.


Makes 2-3 servings.  Serve topped with Parmesan and fresh cracked pepper.  Enjoy.

Linked to:  Tasty Tues, Food on Friday


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