Creamy Butter-Garlic Shrimp over Pasta

Creamy Butter-Garlic Shrimp over Pasta

8 oz. pasta
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups half-and-half
3 or 4 fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup good quality fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the butter and garlic until just fragrant and the butter has melted. Add the shrimp and saute for about 4 minutes or until the shrimp is opaque; remove shrimp from skillet. Add the half and half and bring to a boil; reduce heat, add the basil leaves and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, removing the basil leaves after about 8 or 10 minutes. Stir in the cheese, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Add the shrimp back into the skillet.
Place pasta into a large serving bowl. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss well.

Kani Salad

Kani Salad

10 imitation crab sticks
3 to 4 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise
1 cucumber
2 tablespoons tobiko (flying fish roe)
1 scallion, green and white parts, sliced very thin

Shred the imitation crab sticks into very thin strips. Cut the cucumber into thin matchsticks the same size as the imitation crab strips. Place into a small bowl
Gently fold in the mayonnaise. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Top with the fish roe and sprinkle with the scallions.

Footnote - If you prefer your kani salad spicy, mix the mayonnaise with a little Sriracha.

Grilled Potato Salad

Grilled Potato Salad

6 Yukon gold potatoes, should be about 2 lbs.
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for grill
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 small large onion, finely diced
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Preheat your grill to medium heat. Oil the grill grates well.
Slice the potatoes lengthwise into 3/4-inch thick slices. Place the potatoes in a bowl and add the oil, paprika and season with 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Toss to coat.
Place the potatoes on the grill and cook until slightly puffed and nicely golden brown on both sides, 20 to 30 minutes, flipping and repeating on the other side. Remove and allow to cool completely. Dice each potato slice into quarters.
In a large bowl, add the diced potatoes, celery, red onions and parsley.
In a medium bowl, add the sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons pepper and the lemon juice.
Fold the mayonnaise mixture into the potato mixture, cover and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes. Stir and add additional salt and pepper as needed.

Original recipe adapted from Guy Fieri

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream...no ice cream maker required!!

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

1 - 8 oz. package Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1 - 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
3 graham crackers, honey or cinnamon, coarsely chopped

Beat the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream and lemon zest with a mixer on medium speed until well blended. Scrape it into a resealable container and freeze until almost solid, about 4 hours.
Blend the strawberries in a blender until smooth. Beat the frozen cream cheese mixture with the mixer until creamy. Add the strawberries to the cream cheese mixture along with the graham crumbs and stir with a spoon to combine. Return the ice cream to the resealable container and freeze until firm, about 8 hours or so.
Remove the ice cream from the freezer about 15 minutes before serving and let stand at room temperature to soften slightly. Scoop and serve. I like to top with whipped cream and a few pinches of graham cracker crumbs.

Adapted from Spreadphilly.com

Filipino Chicken Adobo

Filipino Chicken Adobo

4 piece whole chicken legs
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 whole garlic bulb, peeled and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons corn starch
4 bay leaves
2 scallions, sliced thin, green parts only
Salt to taste

Bring the vinegar, soy sauce, water, bay leaves, peppercorns and 2 chopped cloves of garlic to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Lover heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Place chicken in a large bowl and pour marinate over the chicken; cover and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Remove chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Reheat the marinade. Heat the oil in a large deep-sided skillet. Sear the chicken on both sides. Add the remaining chopped garlic to the pan and fry it with the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the marinade into the pan. Bring to a boil then let simmer for about 30 minutes. I usually taste it to see if it needs salt. Place the corn starch in a small bowl. Add a little water to make a paste. Add the paste to the pan and stir well. Continue to cook until the sauce has reduced slightly and has thickened up.
Serve the chicken over white rice (I buy my rice already made from the Chinese food restaurant. Not only does it save time, but it's 1 less pot to clean.)with some sauce and garnished with the scallions.

Ombre Glitter Nails...

Hello. My name is Arge and I am a Pinterest addict. LOL....
My newest project - pink ombre glitter nails.

Here is the how-to -

1 - Paint on your base color and allow it to dry between coats.
2 - Wait for your nails to dry.
3 - Cut off a small piece of a makeup sponge to use as your “brush”.
4 - Brush a small amount of your second nail polish onto your makeup sponge. (I used pink glitter polish...Sally Hanson Gem Crush in Razzle Dazzler).
5 - Carefully dab a very thin layer of the second polish on the tip of your nail. The trick is to use the second polish sparingly & make sure not to be too heavy handed with the application.
6 - Build more glitter at the tips of the nails by dabbing more glitter polish on, making sure to allow the first layer to dry before building on more glitter. You want most of the concentration of the glitter to be at the very tip of your nail
7 - Use a super-shiny fast-dry topcoat to finish your nails off...and you are done!