Monterey Seafood Pasta

Monterey Seafood Pasta

Monterey Seafood Pasta

Seafood and pasta……..a match made in heaven. There is something about seafood, that when combined with pasta and something creamy, turns those ingredients into the yummiest thing ever!

I was going through some of my old recipes……….I have tons of them……. I have been collecting them since I was in High School. Home-Ec classes were my favorite. So, along with Home-ec and influences from my Grandmother, I have always loved to cook ……..it’s my way of showing love to friends, but mostly to family.

Monterey Seafood Pasta 1

Tim’s twin brother Tom is here from the Philippines, and we wanted to stay in and have a nice dinner (we wanted to show Tom a little love) and watch our new TV……….48″ Sony with a new sound bar. So, while going through those old recipes, I found a seafood pasta dish called “Monterey Seafood Pasta”. I have no idea where I got the original recipe. After a bit of rewriting, I made it last night and the result was wonderful………creamy, a little bit spicy, with mushrooms and tomato, and of course the star of the show, the seafood. We added a loaf of crusty whole grain Italian bread and both Tim and Tom said it was a tasty pasta dish. Tim looked at me while eating and said “complements to the Chef”. If I can please my spice loving husband, it is a success!

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 We never made it to the TV portion of the evening ………well, Tom did, we got him hooked on one of our favorite TV shows “Blacklist”……..but Tim and I were pooped, so off to bed we went! Can’t wait to watch our favorite show on the big screen……..maybe with a bowl of Monterey Seafood Pasta ……….:)

Monterey Seafood Pasta Collage

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Monterey Seafood Pasta

Monterey Seafood Pasta

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Cook
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 5 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 pound scallops, cut in half if large
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 cups sliced mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 tablespoon brandy
  • 3 cups diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 pound pasta
  • Chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese for garnish.

Instructions

  1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons flour, stirring 1 minute, whisk in 2 cups milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened.
  2. Meanwhile melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, add shrimp and scallop, season with salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
  3. Add garlic and mushrooms to same skillet and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Add to bowl with shrimp and scallops. Increase heat to high and add white wine and brandy and cook for 2 minutes. Add milk mixture, tomatoes, sriracha sauce, and heavy cream to skillet. Bring to a boil. Return shrimp and scallops to skillet and heat through. Pour over pasta. Sprinkle with parsley and parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Keywords: pasta, shrimp, scallops, mushrooms, parmesan cheese,

 

 

BLT Potato Sandwich

BLT Potato Sandwich

BLT Potato Sandwich 2

You make a really nice dinner…..you make baked potatoes………dinner is over……..What do you do with the left over bakers?????

You make BLT Potato Sandwiches of course!

This is more of a method than a recipe. The standard BLT is made up of five ingredients: bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and bread. The BLT evolved from the tea sandwiches served before 1900 at a similar time to the club sandwich. The first “recipe” for a BLT was published in the 1903 Good Housekeeping Everyday Cook Book, a recipe for a club sandwich included bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and a slice of turkey sandwiched between two slices of bread.  But, everyone has their own way of making BLT sandwiches………. some  like toast, some like variations on bread, which is where my recipe…….a.k.a. method comes in.

Tim and I had a really nice steak and potatoes dinner one night. My intention was to make potato salad with the remaining potatoes. I was working on a BBQ recipe and we all know that BBQ needs either cole slaw or potato salad. That being said, I also have a ton of lettuce in my garden to use. Tomatoes are not ready yet………we had a very late start to the growing season here and a very cool summer so far, so things are not quite where they should be……but I digress. We also had some bacon to use up.

For me, a traditional BLT is on toast with chips on the side…….hmmmm……….why not use the potato for the base of my BLT. At first I was going to just warm up the potatoes and fill them with the BLT stuff, but as I looked at the potatoes I kept seeing bread. If I sliced them and sautéed them, maybe they would hold as the the bread………Glory Hallelujah it worked…..The “bread” for my BLT worked!!!!

BLT Potato Sandwich 1

The rest of the story is a lot less note worthy………just your basic BLT with Basil mayo. Now, as with any BLT, use the bacon you like, whatever tomatoes and lettuce you grow or purchase from your local Farmers Market……..Please visit your local Farmers Markets, your support means the world to them and the taste of local grown is beyond compare!

So the next time you are looking for something to do with those……..leftover potatoes……….try our BLT Potato Sandwich!

BLT Potato Sandwich Collage

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BLT Potato Sandwich

BLT Potato Sandwich

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 2 1x
  • Category: Sandwich
  • Method: Saute
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 Baked potatoes cut in quarters lengthwise
  • Non-stick cooking spray
  • 8 slices applewood smoked bacon (or your favorite bacon)
  • 8 tomato slices
  • Romaine lettuce
  • Basil Mayo – 1/4 cup mayo or salad dressing mixed with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil.

Instructions

  1. Spray potato slices with cooking spray. Sauté slices over medium to medium high heat until crispy.
  2. You are using the potato slices as the bread. Spread the basil mayo on the potato slices, add the bacon, tomato slices, and lettuce. Place a slice of potato on the lettuce to form your sandwich. Secure with toothpick.
  3. Serve.

Keywords: baked potato, bacon, lettuce, tomato, basil, mayo, easy, quick

 

Crockpot Tarragon Leek Chicken

Crockpot Tarragon Leek Chicken

Crockpot  Tarragon Leek Chicken

Sometimes, when you are either lazy, time is of the essence, or it’s just to hot to cook, a girl needs to bring out the crockpot. This recipe is quick to throw together, and you can have dinner ready when you need it.

Tender chicken breast with baby red potatoes, sweet peas, and leeks for that mellow onion taste. Low fat sour cream, a few smashed potatoes, and a touch of fresh tarragon make a creamy sauce for this “all in one” dish……meat, potatoes, and a veggie.

I really am not usually a fan of chicken in the crockpot, its kinda sickly white, so I sautéed the chicken just to give it color. I cut the potatoes in half….mine were small, so if you have larger potatoes cut them in quarters.

A word about leeks……wash them very well, or you will have a mouth full of grit. I cut mine in the way they need to be for a recipe, them plunk them in a bowl of cold water, swish them around and let them set a minute. Use a slotted spoon to get them out of their…….bath. Then use as indicated in the recipe. The first time I used leeks in a recipe I made the mistake of just rinsing the whole leek and the result was…….grit…..yuck!

If you do not have fresh tarragon like me……my tarragon was so out of control I had to move it from the garden to its own area. It’s a huge bush……I swear it was four feet tall and about that big around. You can use dried, but I would cut the amount in half……it’s a strong flavor, and add it when you put the chicken in the crockpot.

So, how did it taste………well let me put it this way……..Tim does not like peas and he thought is was really good. I love peas and I thought the same.

So, if you are looking for quick, ready when you are meat and potatoes dinner, try the Crockpot Tarragon Leek Chicken.

Crockpot Tarragon Leek Chicken Collage

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Crockpot Tarragon Leek Chicken

Crockpot Tarragon Leek Chicken

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 4 hours
  • Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Crock Pot
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 small new red potatoes, halved
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 1 leeks, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces, throughly rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • Kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup frozen (or fresh ) peas,
  • 2 tablespoons low fat sour cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

Instructions

  1. Place the potatoes on the bottom of crockpot. In a skillet over medium high heat in 1 teaspoon coconut oil, sauté chicken breast just to brown.
  2. Transfer the browned chicken, leeks, wine, and salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Cook, covered, until the chicken and potatoes are tender, on high for 3 to 4 hours, or on low for 6 to 7 hours.
  4. Transfer the chicken and all but 4 of the potatoes to plates. Using a fork, smash the remaining potatoes into the cooking liquid to thicken.
  5. Add the peas and sour cream and cook just until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Spoon over the chicken and sprinkle with the tarragon.

Keywords: chicken, potatoes, tarragon, peas, main dish, crock pot, slow cooker