'Simi's Scrumptious Scampi'

     Am I the only one that fumbles through life? My planning skills, for the most part, SUCK!! So I continue on, day after day, and just fumble! Oh sure, I get through the duties of life and continue on. And I guess things could be worse like doing absolutely nothing everyday but sitting around on my fat, eating out of a can & watching tv...but hell no, I always seem to find a way to get it done, like dinner each & every night, weather I'm prepared or not...we eat (and drink)!!! So, trying to get it together without too much fumbling, I grab a bottle of chardonnay (with a glass of course, I'm not THAT bad...YET) and head to the freezer to discover tonight's epicurean delight. Shoving a few things around, I notice white butcher paper wrapped around shrimp, ohh yeahh, a pound of med shrimp...no fumble here, tonight we feast, tonight we have "Simi's Scrumptious Scampi'! (by the way, Simi is one of my chickens, she loves garlicy noodles :)
      This is what I've got:
      1. 1 bottle of chardonnay oh wait, that's not part of the recipe HA!
      2. 1 lb med shrimp, cooked & cleaned with tail on
      3. 2 to 4 minced garlic cloves (depending on who your kissin')
      4. 1/4 cup butter or marg
      5. 1/4 cup lemon jc.
      6. 1/4 cup olive oil
      7. 1/4 cup parm cheese (or a little more like I do)
      8. 2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley (less if using dried)
      9. a few good sprinkles dry oregano
    10. a good pinch or two of blk pepper (as much pepper as you like)
    11. 1/2 spring onion chopped (green & white parts)
    12. angle hair pasta, as much as you need (I'm using 8oz but you can use up to 16oz)
        This is such a quick cook recipe so if your in a hurry, this is the one for you! More wine and
get out your skillet...let's go! Heat butter and oil on med-lo then add the garlic. Saute a few mins until you can smell the garlic (DO NOT BROWN)! Meantime, boil the pasta according to directions (it only cooks for 3-4 mins). Add the lemon jc, herbs and pepper to the garlic butter. Stir it up a bit then drop in the shrimp. Toss the shrimp around in the garlic butter until warmed thoroughly (DO NOT OVER COOK)!! Spoon the hot scampi over each portion of pasta, sprinkle with cheese and top with a little chopped green onion. Get you some crispy bread to dip and more wine.
How DERN TASTY can life be?? Enjoy!!

'Weeknight Mexican Casserole'

       That's it, enough is enough! I NEED to win the lottery!!! Just think of all the fantabulous things we would do with all that dough - oh the dreams we can conjure, the possessions we would accumulate, yet, I think the thing that would make me the happiest is food and drink (shocking huh)? Yup, I would travel the world and EAT! Imagine it...all sorts of folks cooking all sorts of strange morsels to tantalize the taste buds - how joyous! But as for now, time for a reality trip to the freezer. With a very cold drink for the journey, I'm on my way! More hamburger meat, really? Seriously?? It's fine, it's all good, we can do this! We are 'The S!#t in The Freezer' after all, we can find something to do with anything!! With a little of this and that, how bout' a 'Weeknight Mexican Casserole'! Why not, let's jump right to it! This is what I've got:
        1. 1lb ground beef, I have a little over (turkey's good too)  
        2. 1 packet taco seasoning (and you know my mantra, always keep plenty of sauces, soups &  seasoning envelopes on hand)
        3. 1 med onion, chopped
        4. 4 taco size tortilla shells (corn or flour, you pick)
        5. 1 can re-fried beans (cup of blk beans instead...tasty)
        6. 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (spice it up with pepper jack)
        7. blk olives sliced
        8. 1/2 cup salsa (as hot as you like)
        9. your choice of toppings, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, sr. cream, jalapeno slices, skies the limit!
      10. 3 tablespoons water
        Take a wild guess as to what's first. Preheat the oven to 350!! You got it! Go get another adult beverage. Brown ground beef with the onion on med heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Pour water and seasoning package into the meat and combine. Lower heat & simmer for a few while you spray a baking dish with a non stick spray (I'm using a 10 x 10 dish). Lay 2 tortillas on the bottom, ripping them to fit the best you can (no stress). Plop refried beans by tablespoon full onto tortillas and spread out the best you can (no stress again). Dump meat over the beans and spread evenly. Spoon salsa over the meat and spread again (whole lotta spreading going on huh) :) Place remaining tort shells on top (ripping again if needed). Sprinkle cheese over all of it all then decorate with olive slices...so pretty!! Stick it in the oven, uncovered for approx. 25-30 mins until cheese is melted and everything is heated through. Remove from the oven and top with your fave toppings. Serve it hot with maybe some Mexican corn mix on the side...OLE!! This recipe is so DERN TASTY, it sure don't last long in this house. Enjoy my friends and have a drink on me :)

'Creamy Ham and Potato Au Gratin'

     POOPED...That's how I feel...yes, pooped, that's it! This week has just exhausted me! Something easy but super tasty is just what the doc ordered for tonight oh, and a cocktail of course!! So, marching my fat over to the freezer, cocktail in hand, I notice (under a bag of frozen veggies) a big ol' ham steak - hhhmmm, this could be interesting. I do have a few potatoes I need to use before they start to root so tonight we'll enjoy 'Creamy Ham and Potato Au Gratin' YUMMOLICIOUS!!
    This is what I've got: 
        1. 1 lrg ham steak (mine is a little over 1lb) cut into cubes
        2. 3 cups potatoes  boiled, peeled & also cubed
        3. 3-4 strips of 'crispy' bacon crumbled
        4. 1/2 cup diced onion (I'm using green onion, white and green parts)
        5. 1/4 cup mayo
        6. 3/4 cup whole milk
        7. 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or a little more if your feeling cheesy)
        8. butter
        9. pepper
      10. a little flour for thickening 
Top off your cocktail, relax and let's wet that appetite! Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
    Drop a little glob of butter into a large skillet (naturally), and sauté onions until tender. Toss the potatoes, mayo, ham and bacon in with the onion. Stir it up then pour it into a greased 11in x 7in baking dish. Use that same skillet (why dirty more jazz) melt about a tablespoon of butter. Stir in a tablespoon of flour and a good amount of pepper until no longer lumpy. Slowly add the milk stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Cook for a min or so (keep stirring). Add the cheese, lower heat and stir until cheese is melted. Pour cheese mixture evenly over ham & potatoes (you can always add a little more butter on top for more richness). Cover. Bake for approx. 30 min. until heated through and bubbly. Now this is what I call DERN TASTY!! May the rest of your week be fab. Go eat (& drink)

'Simple Saucy Stroganoff'

   Lot's going on this week, kids graduating, rug rats getting out of school for the summer (WHAT THE??? relax, OTHER people's kids goofy)!! Everyone is rushing around like crazy...what IS going on? It's all madness! We have got to slow down or we're gonna drop dead I tell you - I NEED WINE!!! That's the ticket, now I can concentrate, now I can slow down, now I have to come up with something fantastic that will hopefully make enough for an extra meal and save me some time this week (which we can certainly use with weeks like this). Alright already, enough bitchin', off to the freezer!  I spy with my bloodshot eye (behind a bag of frozen something I don't even recognize) a baggie of ground turkey AND a baggie of ground beef...It's use up leftover night! We can use both these leftover meats and dispose of some of this jazz. We have all the stuff we need for 'Simple Saucy Stroganoff'! From the pantry (& fridge), this is what I've got:
       1. 1/2 lb ground turkey
       2. 1/2 lb ground beef (all beef or all turkey, your call)
       3. 8oz sliced mushrooms
       4. 1 lrg garlic clove (or 2 small) minced
       5. 1 lrg onion chopped
       6. 1 can condensed cream of mushroom or cream of  chicken soup (I'm using chicken)
       7. 3 cups cooked egg noodles (mashed taters are awesome too)
       8. 3/4 cup sour cream
       9. 1/4 cup heavy cream
     10. 1 tbsp butter or marg
     11. salt & pepper to taste
 Open another bottle of wine, get your large, deep skillet out (AGAIN) and let's boogie!!
         Heat your skillet on med heat. Cook the meat, onion, garlic & mushrooms together
         until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in the soup, a good amount of pepper and a little
         salt (the soup has salt in it also). Cook just a few mins till soup heats through. Lower the heat,
         add the butter, sour cream & heavy cream. Stir it up then throw in the noodles. Toss it all
         together until noodles are covered in sauce (if you like it a little more saucy, add a little more
         sour cream or heavy cream), Simmer 2-3 mins till thoroughly heated. Serve this all by itself,
         with a little green veg or buttery dinner rolls. But definitely, another glass of wine! This lip
          smackin' and DERN TASTY recipe was brought to you by...me!