Shrimp Scampi and Artichoke

Ingredients:

2 TBS Olive Oil
1/4 C Shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 to l lb shrimp, shelled and divined
11 oz. frozen artichoke thawed
1/3 C. dry white wine (I used white grape juice)
1/2 lemon

Directions:
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat,
add shallots, cook for a minute add garlic cook for 2 - 3 minutes careful not to over cook.
stir in shrimp, mix through
add artichoke, stir through
add wine and juice from lemon
let simmer 3 to 4 minutes until shrimp are cooked through

add 2 TBS chopped parsley for color and flavor

serve with simple salad and hunk of whole grain italian style bread

simple salad
Open bag of prepared salad

Dressing:
in small dish mix:
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS red wine vinegar
Pinch of: Basil, salt and pepper

pour over salad and serve

Mini Beef Wellingtons

Ingredients:

8 small beef tenderloins steaks, cut 1-inch thick (4 oz. each)

4 TBS olive oil

1 lb. mushrooms, finely chopped

6 TBS dry red wine (I used cranberry juice)

6 TBS green onions, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed

1 tsp. salt divided

1 tsp. pepper divided

12 phyllo dough sheets, defrosted

cooking spray

directions:

1. Heat oven to 425

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender.

3. Add wine; cook 2-3 minutes or until liquid is evaporated.

4. Stir in green onions, thyme, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper. Remove from skillet; cool completely.

5. Heat same skillet over medium heat until hot. Place steaks in skillet; cook 3 minutes turning once. (Steaks will be partially cooked. do not over cook.)

6. Season with salt and pepper, as desired

7. Create 2 stacks o 6 phyllo sheets on flat surface, spraying each sheet thoroughly with cooking spray.

8. Cut stacked sheets lengthwise in half, then crosswise in half, making 8 equal stacks.

9. Place about 2 TBS mushroom mixture in center of each phyllo stack, spreading mixture to diameter of steaks. Place steaks on mushroom mixture.

10. Bring all four corners of each philly stack together; twist tightly to close, lightly spray each bundle with cooking spray; place on greased baking sheet.

11. Immediately bake in 425 oven 9 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. let sit for 5 minutes. serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings

Found on Jenny Craig site - loved it anyway.

cut recipe in 1/2 as there are only 2 of us.

Korean-Style Beef Bowl

This recipe is super easy and easily one of Kurt's favorite dishes I make. It's from the Pampered Chef 29 Minutes of Less cookbook -- which is even better for me, because I'm really bad at planning ahead. :) However, if you do plan ahead the steak would probably be even tastier if you started marinating it earlier in the day.

Steak & Marinade:
2 green onions w/tops, divided
1 lb skirt steak - also called flank steak (we've tried other cuts of meat and they don't work as well)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vegetable oil (I used Olive oil)

Rice & Vegetables:
1 cup uncooked jasmine rice (I usually use our Japanese white rice, either would work)
2 medium carrots
2 cups bean sprouts

1. For steak & marinade, thinly slice green onions, reserving 1 tbsp of the tops for garnish; place remaining green onions into bowl.

2. Cut steak crosswise into 2-in (5-cm) pieces. Slice each piece into thin strips, cutting against the grain; add to bowl. Press garlic over beef. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper &; sugar; mix well. Cover & refrigerate until ready to use.

3. As beef marinates, cook rice.

4. Meanwhile, for vegetables, peel carrots; discard skin. Continue peeling carrots to make long ribbons. Place ribbons into ice water until ready to serve

5. To finish steak, add vegetable oil (or what ever type of oil you want to use) to (12-IN/30-CM) SKILLET; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add beef to skillet in a single layer and cook undisturbed 2 minutes or until beef is brown. Stir; cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Remove from heat.

6. Divide rice among serving bowls and serve with beef, carrots and bean sprouts. Garnish with reserved green onion tops.

Yield: 4 servings

US Nutrients per serving: Calories 410, Total Fat 20gt, Saturated Fat 7g, Cholesterol 70mg, carbohydrate 29g, Protein 28g, Sodium 790mg, Fiber 2g

US Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 starch, 3 medium-fat meat, 1/2 fat (2 carb)

Festive Fudge

I copied this recipe from my Family Fun magazine, but it turned out super cute so I had to share.

Ingredients

• 3 cups semisweet- or milk-chocolate chips
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Assorted sprinkles, sugars, and candy decorations

Instructions

1. Place the chocolate chips in a 2-quart bowl and microwave for 1 minute, then stir them with a wooden spoon. If the chips are not completely melted, microwave them again for 30 seconds, then stir until they're smooth.

2. Stir in the condensed milk, salt, and vanilla extract.

3. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, extending it about 2 inches beyond each side. (This makes it easy to remove the fudge later.) Lightly spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

4. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan.

5. Chill the candy until firm, about 30 minutes in the freezer or 1 hour in the refrigerator.

6. Lift the foil from the pan and place it on a flat work area. Use 1-inch cookie cutters to cut out the fudge, then lightly press decorations onto each piece. Makes about 50 pieces. (Note: mine recipe didn't make 50 pieces, but I didn't use very small cookie cutters)
   

Sorry, Another Sugar Cookie Recipe

Sorry I'm doing another Sugar Cookie recipe, but I'd planned on submitting this for a few days and I made cookies with the girls last night so I would have some pictures to post. They are just too cute! =) Growing up we always made sugar cookies out of the dough you buy at the store and the few times since then I've tried making dough from scratch, I've always thought the end product tasted too floury. I got this recipe from a friend and I really like it. It has a great almond taste!

1 C. Butter (softened)
1 1/2 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 t. Vanilla
1 t. Almond
4 C. Flour
1/4 t. Salt
1 t. Baking Powder
4 t. Milk

Cream the shortening and sugar together. Add eggs and flavorings. Mix together dry ingredients and add alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, roll and cut out. Cook at 375 degrees on a greased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes.

Frosting

1/4 C. butter (softened)
2 C. Powder Sugar
1 t. Almond flavoring
Milk

Cream butter and sugar together. Add Almond, mix in. Add milk just a little at a time until the desired consistency. Frost your cookies, then decorate.

The decorating part was what my girls enjoyed the most!

She would have kept going with the sprinkles if we hadn't stopped her.

Sugar Cookies

What are the holidays without Sugar Cookies! This is the best sugar cookie recipe I have come across. We love it!

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 tsp baking powder
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs. Add sour cream. Add vanilla. Add soda, salt, baking powder, and flour. Mix to a stiff dough. If too sticky, you can chill before rolling. Roll out 1/4 inch think and cut in desired shapes.
Bake on greased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and frost with butter cream frosting.

Vanilla Butter Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
about 2-3 Tbsp milk

Special K Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 ½ cups peanut butter

1 cup karo syrup

5 ½ cups Special K cereal

1 cup (6 oz.) butterscotch chips

1 cup (6 oz.) chocolate chips

Bring sugar and syrup to boil, JUST until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter until well mixed. Add cereal and stir until well coated. Pat out on large cookie sheet or a smaller one if you want thick squares. Melt chips and spread over top of cookies. Set in refrigerator a short time to harden frosting. Cut into 1 ½ inch squares.