Rosemary Skewered Grilled Shrimp and Pasta

I think the title says it all, but if that wasn't enough to sell you how about, "It's Seafood Sale Season!"  Which is where the inspiration for this dish came from, in case you couldn't guess.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did-- And everyone I served it too!

Ingredients:                                                                                                               12 jumbo shrimp,     1 jar pasta sauce,     1 bag pasta,    4 rosemary springs,    seasonings to taste: I strongly recommend basil, black pepper, and garlic salt

Time: 35 min

Serves: 4, (With left over pasta and sauce...)

Directions: 

1) Shell and rinse the raw shrimp.  For the pretty final effect, leave just the tail on the shrimp, although this isn't necessary.

2) As pictured in series above, once you have shelled and washed your shrimpies, you must devain them.  Please actually do this step!  Turns out the toxins from eating shrimp are almost exclusively in their shit-- Literally.  By devaining the shrimp you get rid of any possible DDT contamination.  ALL shrimp are at risk of DDT contamination, no matter where you buy them or how much you pay.  Shrimp just like to grow in DDT dump sites ;P The "vain" is on the back side, so the opposite of where the legs were.  You will have to cut along the back of the shrimp to find the vain.

3) Skewer the shrimp onto the rosemary springs.  Season as desired-- and pop them in the oiled pan!  If you are grilling, you should oil the shrimp themselves before putting them on the fire. :)

4) Turn the shrimp over after 5-10 minutes.  During this time you should also be boiling your water for the pasta!  You will know when the shrimp are thoroughly cooked because the split you cut into the shrimp to devain them will become very apparent as the meat seems to expand!  Cooked shrimp will look opaque and the outside will have the classic pink look.

5)  Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add the pasta sauce directly to the pot with the pasta in it.  I am a fan of less dishes.  This will heat the pasta sauce quickly too!  Then just plate up, and serve hot!  Bon Appetite!!

Cost:
Shrimp            $6
pasta sauce     $2
pasta               $1
rosemary         hopefully free :)
Total               $9
Per serving    $2.25

Smokey Chicken Alfredo

Without the smoke!

This is a quick and easy meal that has never failed to trick every person I have ever served it to-- People assume either various (much more expensive) ingredients are in it that are not, or they assume I spent hours making it (which I definitely did not).  So if you are looking for a really easy and fast way to make a fantastic meal: This is it!!

Ingredients:

2         Chicken breasts

7 oz    Shell pasta

3/4 jar Alfredo sauce

2/3 c   Frozen peas

1 tbs   Fresh rosemary

1/2     of a white onion 

Time:

30 min to table!

I would like to add that you can do this "trick" to most pasta dishes (see #  from the directions.)  Also, the way you present this meal does make a difference.  If you slop it in a bowl and say "I'm tired and done..." Everyone will assume it's a box mix.  Is you plate-it-proper and serve it with a small side of red wine-- People will assume you spent hours getting meal prepared.  It's just one of those tricks that are part of the meal-- After all, the meal starting with the eyes.  :)

Directions:

1) Set up the kitchen.  Start the water boiling for the pasta, oil or butter the pan for the chicken, and get the plates heating for the finish!

2) After the oil is hot in the pan, place the chicken breasts, frozen or fresh directly into the pan.  This is one of those meals that no one will ever know the difference. 

3) Add the chopped onions to the pan.  Note: Usually you cook onions first as they take a long time to "sweat-out."  Part of the smokey is that the onions are more done on the outside than the inside.  You want them to be slightly crunchy by the end of the meal.  If you are concerned about the chicken, especially if you are using fresh chicken, just wait to add the onions but you will want to microwave them a few minutes first...

4)  After about ten minutes of watching the pan, flip the chicken and add the frozen peas.  The peas can be clumped.  You do not want to over cook the peas, so the later you add them the better.  (No English food here!!)       

5) Once the chicken is close to fully cooked, add the Alfredo sauce.  People are scared, rightly so, of chicken, but consequently they WAY overcook it. The pan is still hot, the chicken is still cooking, just relax and enjoy the cooking experience! If you are someone who knows you are paranoid about chicken, add the sauce about 3 min. before you want to.  If you are someone who does not know what I'm talking about right now, add the Alfredo sauce when you normally would.

6) Add the pasta to the now boiling water to start cooking.  This means you are 12 minutes from serving to the table!

7) This is the important step! Work the pan with a spatula to get the slightly brown bits of the pan from the onions etc into the sauce. You need a good spatula for this-- But by the time you are done, this should be the easiest pan in the world to clean because EVERYTHING is in the sauce!  For this reason you must add the Alfredo sauce cold to the hot pan.  

8) Work the pan for about 5 minutes.  This just means to continually move all of the contents of the pan around, making sure to scrap the bottom of the pan each time.

9) Add your now cooked and drained pasta to the pan of sauce and chicken directly!

10) Mix well and plate up!  Don't forget the beverage (Wine or otherwise :) )

 Cost:

$2         Chicken breasts

$0.25    Shell pasta  

(Seriously, if you are paying more, you should look into making your own!)

$2         Alfredo sauce

$1         Frozen peas

$0.10    Fresh rosemary

$0.50    White onion           

$5.85 total (serves 2)