Shrimp Scampi

Apparently "scampi" in restaurant lingo means "lots of butter". While this recipe does use some butter, most of the flavor is derived from the spices and herbs used. This will not clog your arteries as much as you think it might.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 lb. shrimp, deveined and peeled
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. oregano
• Pepper to taste
• Red pepper flakes
• Parsley, to garnish

Directions:

• Rinse shrimp in colander and dry each piece with a paper towel (cooking wet shrimp does not cook it thoroughly and it tends to burn on the outside too quickly).
• Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook until garlic is golden brown.
• Add shrimp to pan. Season with pepper and oregano. Stir occasionally until shrimp is mostly pink and has a defined carmelized look to it. Add lemon juice and stir until it is mixed in well.

• Serve over bed of buttered pasta and garnish with parsley.

Makes about 3 servings.

~Geno

"If there's two things that I hate...

...it's havin' to cook and tryin' to date." -- Jason Isbell

Last night, like most nights, I was in no mood to make anything fancy for dinner, so I turned to one of my go-to meals: macaroni and cheese.  However, my preferred mac and cheese has a very simple twist that gives a new spin on a meal that is a true warhorse for all bachelors (and perhaps the single ladies as well).

Sriracha

Sriracha is a Thai chili hot sauce that is markedly spicier than say, Frank's Red Hot, and has a great flavor to it as well.  It's hard to miss, as it prominently features a rooster on the bottle, and is fairly commonplace at grocery stores (if not, go to a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, or other store of that ilk).  Its combination of heat and taste is tops and compliments the flavor of whatever you're making--a little bit goes a long way.  I can't recommend it highly enough and it's incredibly versatile--I use it all the time to make canned vegetables far more interesting.

Another easy addition to mac and cheese that ups the "comfort food" level are cut-up hot dogs.  My personal favorite, Berks Foods' Fiesta Franks, also add a kick to the dish, as they're made with jalapenos and cheese.  When it's all done, it looks something like this:

So there you have it: two easy ways to make a great dish even better.


~J.J. Gittes

Easy Breakfast Potatoes

This is a great little morning wakeup side dish that goes great with eggs - actually it goes with basically any dish.

Ingredients:

• 5 all purpose potatoes, chopped into small squares
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 peppers (I used yellow, red and orange but you can use green too)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Half cup of rosemary seasoning

I served the potatoes here with some scrambled eggs and sausage. 

Directions:

• Heat oil in large, deep non-stick frying pan. Cut up potatoes into half inch squares while the pan is warming up.
• Add potatoes to pan. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut up onions and peppers into small pieces and add to pan.
• Cook evenly for about 15-20 minutes over medium heat. You don't want heat to be too high where it might burn the outside of the potatoes without cooking them all the way through.
• Add rosemary seasoning once the potatoes are starting to brown.

This is a VERY easy side to make to compliment virtually any meal, especially breakfast. 

~Geno

Chicken Cacciatore

This is one of America's best renditions from the collection of classic Italian dishes. Tender, savory chicken is complimented by a lustful stew-like mixture of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and wine. 

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless chicken breasts
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth (I used Swanson brand)
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup of dry red wine (I used Merlot)
• Parsley, to garnish

Directions:

• Heat oil in large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken (I sliced the breasts down the middle the long way to have the appearance of more chicken and to make it cook faster and more evenly.) Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook for about 8 mins, flipping sides periodically. Transfer to plate.
• The key here is to brown the chicken lightly on all sides without cooking it too long. There will be long periods of time when the rest of the ingredients are added where the chicken will be soaked under lower heat to tenderize.
• Turn heat down to medium-low. Add peppers, onion, and pepper flakes and cook until the veggies soften, about 8 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes. Garlic tends to burn quickly and become bitter, so you don't want to put it in with the veggies initially. Now it's time for the wine - pour in the red wine allowing it to soak into the veggies for about 5 minutes. Be VERY careful with the wine. Because it has sugar in it, wine can be very prone to carmelizing too quickly and burning, thus charring the veggies. Just make sure the heat is low at this point and you stir often. 
• Add broth and tomatoes to pan. Stir this "stew" to evenly distribute all of the ingredients. Then add the chicken. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. This will give the effect of a slow cooker which will tenderize the chicken and allow it to have the explosive flavor of the ingredients of the stew. Every stovetop is different, so make sure to keep an eye on this last step to ensure the veggies don't burn. 
• Add parsley to garnish. Serve over bed of pasta.

Serves 6.

~Geno