Friday, July 31, 2015

♥ ♥ Penne Alla Betsy from the Pioneer Woman ♥ ♥

Lately I have been enjoying reading The Pioneer Woman’s blog and going through her cookbooks. So many tasty recipes but wait….that’s not all. There are great stories about living on a cattle ranch, cowboys…real cowboys, and loads of gorgeous photos.

It’s a life I love reading about but I know I couldn’t hack it. Living so remotely would be a piece of cake – both Doug and I would love that – having acres and acres of nothing between our little home and city life.

But I was not born into that lifestyle which translates to ….I am seriously too lazy to take all that on. You should see our house…….I ought to name it Dust Bunny Colony instead of Squirrel Head Manor.

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Laziness is also one of the reasons we don’t have livestock even though we have 7 little acres zoned for chickens, horses, pigs and goats. I’d love fresh eggs but I couldn’t kill a chicken destined for a roasting pan. Goats are one of my favorites (have you seen our Christmas tree ornaments) but there is the care and feeding which = zero vacations.

So, this brings me to the part of The Pioneer Woman life where I will participate – food!

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Here is a recipe we are adding in our rotation of meal plans. It's delicious.

Shrimp with Penne Pasta

Ingredients

Salt
1 pound penne pasta (I used ¾ of a box so just under 1 pound)
1 ½ pounds large shrimp, peeled
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
One 14.5-ounce cans tomato sauce
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 leaves fresh basil, cut in chiffonade
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions..........

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the penne until al dente (firm yet tender). Drain and set aside.

My husband peeled the shrimp and placed them in a bowl so I wouldn’t touch the raw shrimp. It gives me a horrible rash if I touch them raw or get the juice on me.

Now heat up a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. After this melts add the shrimp. Cook on both sides until the buggers turn opaque. Remove them from skillet and set aside to cool. You’ll need to chop them up later. Cooking the shrimp only takes about 3 minutes.

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In that same skillet add the remaining tablespoon butter and tablespoon of olive oil. Once the butter softens (don’t let it burn), add the garlic and onion. Stir occasionally until the onion is limp and translucent. Maybe 3 or 4 minutes, depending on your stove.

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Now add the wine. Stir it up well before tipping in the tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to low and pour in the half-and-half, trying to keep the temperature low so it simmers.

While that sauce is simmering gently, pull the tails off the shrimp, if they have any, and chop shrimp into pieces, tossing them into the sauce as you go. Now add parsley and basil and give it a good but gentle stir.

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Is the pasta done and drained? Add it to the sauce and stir to coat the noodles. Season with salt and pepper per your taste.

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Read more at Foodnetwork

We loved this dish. Usually I don't add tomatoes or tomatoes sauce to any sort of shrimp dish but this one rocked. And yes, as lazy as I am this one was easy enough to toss together on a work night. Perfect, try it - you will thank me. I'm sure you'll be seeing more recipes here from Pioneer Woman. If you have a favorite please share with me ♥ ♥

I am sharing this with Beth Fish's Weekend Cooking Series.



Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.


19 comments:

  1. I'm not a big farm person either. Most livestock makes me nervous and I have no interest in gardening on that scale! I have the cookbook that has this recipe and have really been wanting to try it. Glad you enjoyed it! I'll have to add it to my menu plan.

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  2. I am big fan of this dish. Not such a fan of PW, but it is probably jealousy. :)

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  3. This looks awesome! We love shrimp. I don't usually cook with cream (one of the reason I don't cook a lot of PW recipes), but I'd give this shrimp a try.

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  4. Katherine, it's a good recipe. I won't make it all the time but it's definet going on rotation!

    Debra, I am a wee bit jealous of her organizational skills for sure. Her recipes are not low fat, that's for sure!

    BFR, I actaully used some half and half but this isn't a recipe you make too often, health wise 😊 I am a sucker for pasta dishes.

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  5. I love breaded shrimp but not a fan any other way.

    I watch the Pioneer Woman's tv show a lot and think she's got a lot of great recipes.

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  6. I've never seen the show, Vicki, but I would like to. I need a friend with Cable TV to watch the occassional cooking show ☺️

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  7. I love the idea of farming but I know I can't hack the reality. I do love her recipes though. That pasta looks good.

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    1. Linda, that truely sums it up for me, I couldn't hack the reality. Love the books though.

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  8. This recipe sounds like one to try for sure. I'm with you on the care and feeding of animals. Done it. Now down to fish, which require no attention. They eat what's in the pond.

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    1. You have fish? That sounds great, low maintenance !

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  9. Shrimp - now that's just what would hit the spot this weekend. Thanks, Tina!

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    1. I'd eat shrimp at least once a week if I could 😊

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  10. I like the Pioneer Woman's Penne with Chicken in a Tomato Sauce, it's great for a crowd.

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    1. I'll have to look for that one, Diane. Sounds good.

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  11. Can't eat pasta anymore, but that looks delicious! I watch The Pioneer Woman sometimes, too!

    Sue

    2015 Big Book Summer Challenge

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    1. Bummer on the pasta abstinence bit maybe you coul substitute ??

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  12. Looks yummy. I tried to tell my husband we should buy a farm - and then I realized that my allergies would make it practically impossible.

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  13. This looks so good and is right up my alley but shrimp is bloody expensive in the UK.

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