Shrimp Scampi with Capellini

Makes 6-8 large servings

Ingredients:

Two 450 g packages of capellini (angel hair pasta)  I like to buy the nests instead of straight pasta (La  Molisana Nidi '0' Capelli Angelo Pasta #100)
1/4 cup olive oil
40 or more med/large shrimp fresh or frozen (if frozen defrost in fridge overnight)
6 large cloves of garlic (squeezed through a garlic press)
1-2 teaspoons red chili pepper flakes (add more if you like it hot)
3/4 cup of dry white wine or more if it evaporates too much
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons of butter
chopped Italian parsley as desired

Preparation:

Bring water from Capellini pasta to boil while preparing shrimp (below)
Heat olive oil on high heat in a large skilled, then add shrimp and cook, stirring until cooked through
Using a slotted spoon to keep oil in pan, move shrimp to a bowl.
To the heated olive oil in the large skillet, add garlic, red pepper flakes, wine, salt and pepper cooking and stirring over high heat for about two minutes.
Add butter to skillet and stir until it is dissolved.
Add shrimp from the bowl back into the skillet, stirring to fully coat.
Remove skillet from heat.
Cook Capellini pasta for about 5 minutes according to directions.  Reserve 1 cup of water from the pasta in case you need to add more moisture to the pasta after combining shrimp and oil mixture. Drain pasta.
In the large skillet or stock pot, mix the drained capellini pasta with the shrimp mixture, tossing and coating pasta well.  Add reserved water only if needed for more moisture.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley as desired.  Enjoy!




Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shrimp-scampi-pasta-234258

MACARONI AND CHEESE CASSEROLE

This is a retro Macaroni and Cheese Casserole recipe that I adapted from my Betty Crocker cookbook that I purchased in 1986 and was printed in 1984 (eleventh printing).  It has a copyright of 1969 and 1978 from General Mills Inc. It is my go to recipe for Macaroni and Cheese and it is the original way to make it and the best way, in my books.  I have added more macaroni and more cheese to make a large casserole in an 11 x 14 glass casserole dish.

Ingredients:

900 grams of uncooked elbow macaroni
1/4 cup margarine or butter (4 tablespoons)
1 onion (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1 package (450g to 500g) of cheddar cheese cut up into cubes
Add in:  cooked ham, cut up into cubes

Instructions:

Cook elbow macaroni according to package instructions. Add margarine, chopped onion, salt and pepper to a pan and saute until onion is slightly tender and translucent. Stir in flour.  Cook over low heat stirring constantly until mixture is smooth.

Remove from heat and stir in milk.

Return pan to heat and stir constantly until mixture boils ad thickens.  Reduce heat and add cheese.  Stir thoroughly until cheese is melted and evenly mixed through the sauce.  This is where you can also add cubed ham if desired.

Grease casserole dish with margarine or softened butter.

Mix cheese sauce into the macaroni either in the pot where macaroni was cooked or pour macaroni into casserole and stir sauce evenly into the macaroni.

Cook uncovered in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

I found this recipe online that is exactly like the original one from my Betty Crocker cookbook that I adapted above:  http://www.food.com/recipeprint.do?rid=350280

Zeppole Cake

Instead of making individual Zeppole, I made a quick boxed French Vanilla Cake in a bundt pan and combined custard cream and sour pitted cherries for the filling.  Sprinkle icing sugar on top and you have the taste  and look of Zeppole in a cake.

Ingredients:

1 boxed French Vanilla or White Cake mix prepared in a bundt pan
1 jar of sour pitted cherries
1 recipe of easy custard cream that you can get from here (Cooking with Nonna site)
Icing sugar for sprinkling

Instructions:

Cut in half a cooled prepared vanilla or white cake (from a mix) baked in a bundt pan
Lift off the top half of cake and place cut side up on another plate.
Spoon juice from jarred sour cherries on the two halves of the cake to moisten and flavour the cake.
Spread half of the cooled custard cream on the bottom half of the cake
Add cherries on top of the cream
Add the remaining custard cream in dollops and spread--save about half a cup of custard cream
Place the top half of the cake back on.
Add custard cream to the hole in the center of the bundt cake
Place cherries in the cream center (hole) and around the perimeter of the cake
Sprinkle icing sugar over cake and enjoy!