{What's for dinner?}

I've been experimenting with new recipes A LOT lately. And... I love it. Most recipes turn out well and I
 add them to my list of meals to make frequently. But let me tell you, this last recipe knocked our socks off.

It's the top right recipe from last month's edition of Martha Stewart Magazine.

I looked for the recipe on her website to link but it's not there.

So for those of you who want a fantastic meal that will wow your husband (Lance was in love),

here it is:

CONCHIGLIE WITH SHRIMP, ROASTED TOMATOES, AND PIMENTON

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes (12 ounces)

4 thyme sprigs

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick (2 cups)

3 garlic cloves, halved

coarse salt

1 pound conchiglie

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon pimenton

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 375. Gently toss tomatoes with thyme, and 1 T oil. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes. Add zucchini and garlic; toss to combine. Roast until tomatoes are just broken down and zucchini is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook conchiglie until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

3. Meanwhile, season shrimp with salt. Heat remaining T oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Cook shrimp, stirring occasionally, until just opaque, about 3 minutes. Add cream, pimenton, red-pepper flakes, and roasted-tomatoe mixture. Bring to a simmer. Toss in pasta and reserved cooking liquid. 

SOOO yummy! 

I did a couple of things different, just to make do with what I had.

I used regular tomatoes, chopped instead of grape. I used 4 teaspoons dried thyme. I added extra 

zucchini because we love it around here. I used shells instead of cochiglie. I used frozen shrimp and only

 half a pound because shrimp can be expensive and I like to make it go further. I used paprika instead of

 pimenton (pimenton is a spanish paprika), and I probably put double the amount of the last 3 ingredients

 because we like things a little more spicy and creamy around here.

I also signed up for the free email newsletter EVERYDAY FOOD on Martha's website

and I'm really excited to get a new recipe every week.

If you have a new favorite recipe, I would love to get it from you! 

Feel free to leave it as a comment or email it to me.

Happy cooking :)

{domestic}

I've been so very domestic lately and here are a couple of scrumptious recipes to prove it...

I've been trying new recipes almost every single night for dinner. Lance loves it and I love it and coincidently, so does Crew because with me eating so much, my milk is flowing! TMI? Sorry :)

One of my favorites to get recipes from is the Pioneer Women's cookbook. I LOVE that book! Not only are the recipes so yummy, but she also has easy step-by-step instructions and pictures. Thanks for the thoughtful gift Kirstin :)

The first recipe I am going to share with you is one I snagged off of my friend Rachelle's dinner blog. It's called Let Me Plan Dinner and I'm in love...She posts an entire week's worth of meals, recipes and shopping lists. Heaven! Planning dinner can be such a task and it seems I always fall into the same 5 recipes which I make over and over. But her blog has helped me think outside the box and we've been trying all sorts of new things.

Ok. Ready? It's called Neapolitan Baked Ziti. Mmmm. SO yummy and perfect for leftovers. If you are anything like Lance and I, leftovers never last for more than a day.

Neapolitan Baked Ziti


1 lb ziti pasta
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes
4-5 leaves basil, torn
salt and pepper to taste
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1 bay leaf
dash nutmeg
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup parmesan cheese


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Boil pasta till just shy of al dente. Drain well. In medium sauce pan saute onion and garlic in olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes and smash with the back of a spoon or a potato masher. Add basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a bubble and simmer for 15 minutes. Now start on the white sauces. Melt butter, add flour and cook together for 1 minutes. Whisk in milk. Add the rest of the seasonings and simmer for 5 minutes on low. Mix pasta with red sauce and pour into a glass 9x13 pan. Poor the white sauce over the top then sprinkle with cheeses. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees.

The next recipe is a very tasty treat that is actually VERY easy to make and takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. Its from Paula Deen on the cooking channel. It's the ultimate sweet tooth fix. I used roasted almonds instead of pecans.

English Toffee

14 tablespoons (1 stick, plus 6 tablespoons) butter

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Dash salt
• 1 (6-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips or thin chocolate bars

Start by Generously buttering a cookie sheet. Put butter, sugar, and water in a heavy pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to a bubbling boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove spoon from pan, and cook to a very brittle stage (300 degrees to 310 degrees F on a canyd thermometer). Or, make a cold water test: candy will separate into hard, brittle threads when dropped in cold water. Remove from heat and add nuts to mixture. Add vanilla and salt. Pour onto prepared cookie sheet and spread to 1/4-inch thickness. Cool slightly, top with chocolate chips or chocolate bars, and spread as it melts. Cool completely and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Some other recent favorites around our house are homemade lasagna, Macaroni Grill's Rosemary bread, and Zucchini Bread. I always knew I wanted to be a little mommy and stay-at-home wife but I just never knew I would enjoy it quite so much! 

Happy Homemaking :)