Crispy Shrimp Pasta

It looks like we are making the transition back to normalcy fairly smoothly.  Of course now that I've said that something will go sideways.  Two weeks and a half to back to school, to routine and everything that goes with it.  I'm sorry to see summer go, but I am looking forward to the return of school days.  Even though Grade six is now considered "middle school" my brain still considers Grade seven as the milestone start to Junior High.  And I am amazed at how quickly we got here, for all that that sounds like a cliche.  It wasn't so long ago I had a very little girl all excited for Kindergarten.  Now she's spending her days babysitting a little girl starting Kindergarten and excited about junior high.
Last weekend Emily wanted to have a couple of her little friends for a sleepover.  I reluctantly agreed, (it had been a long week, I just wanted to drink wine and watch Mad Men) after making sure both girls would eat shrimp, since that was what I had taken out of the freezer before work.  They all said they did, so they followed me home.  I had to feed them. While the girls played Uno I made supper- it was a hit, not a scrap left.  Emily wanted more, so I assured her she could give the recipe a try the next time she cooked.  So what if we had the same dinner twice in three days?  We do leftovers all the time after all.
This is a fast and easy dish, although Emily didn't realize the shrimp had shells on, not just the tails, so the shrimp she peeled only had the tails removed.  Not the worst thing, and a good lesson.
Once the shrimp were peeled (or de-tailed) she tossed them in a bowl with a little flour, salt & pepper, while she cooked the fettuccine.
She fried the shrimp in a little butter and olive oil, then (after arguing with me about this step) removed them to another small bowl.  To the pan she added chicken stock and cream, stirring until it thickened.  Once it had thickened she tossed the pasta with the sauce and added the shrimp.
She's getting better in the kitchen all the time, although she doesn't always read all the instructions with due care.  She wanted to add the broth to the pan without removing the shrimp first, which would have made deglazing the pan difficult, but would have resulted in overcooked seafood.
This was a fast, easy and relatively inexpensive meal and will certainly remain in our rotation.

Crispy Shrimp Pasta

4ounce fettuccine                                                       1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 pound raw shrimp, peeled & deveined                1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon salt                                                            1 1/4 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon pepper                                                      1/2 cup whipping cream*

2 tablespoons flour                                                     1/2 teaspoon cajun seasoning**

Cook pasta according to the package directions.  Sprinkle shrimp with 1 tablespoon flour, salt & pepper, toss to combine.  Sprinkle with the second tablespoon of flour, toss to evenly coat the shrimp.

Melt the butter & olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the shrimp in a single layer & cook on each side until golden brown, flipping once, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove to a plate.

Pour the chicken stock into the skillet & cook for about 5 minutes, whisking the bottom of the pan to deglaze.  Reduce the heat to medium & pour in the cream, whisking constantly.  Cook sauce over medium heat until bubbly & the cream starts to thicken the mixture, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Cajun seasoning, adjust the salt & pepper if necessary.  Add the drained pasta & shrimp, stir to combine.

*The first two times I prepared this dish I used milk instead of cream, A little flour may be needed to help thicken the sauce

**I have also made this using Tex-Mex seasoning.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

It has been a month since my last post, and here we are in mid-August.  Emily was awy for the last two weeks of July (a mini vacation for me, I admit unabashedly) It took us another week to settle back into our routine.  She's been getting lots of babysitting jobs which keeps her busy, and is adding nicely to her small pile of savings.
I had stumbled across this recipe one afternoon and thought it looked really good.  We both like sweet potatoes and I like having a solid list of fast and easy meals tucked away, recipes with ingredients we usually have in the house.  This fit the bill.  Not really a summer dish, but last Monday the forecast was for cool, rainy weather - which we have had far too much of this summer!  Still, it seemed a good opportunity to take this recipe out for a test drive.
While Emily peeled and chopped the sweet potatoes I peeled and grated some ginger.  My sister said someone at work had told her to grate any excess ginger root and freeze in tablespoon sized portions, as ginger root, while relatively inexpensive, does dry up pretty quickly for those of us who don't use it daily.  I'll let you know how this experiment turns out.  I suppose you could use dried ginger in the soup, but you'd have to play with the amount a little.  I'd suggest starting with a teaspoon or so, as the ginger was not a hugely present in the flavour profile of the soup, but it did add something.
Sweet potatoes, onion, garlic and ginger were simmered in vegetable broth (I'm sure chicken stock would work just as well) until the potatoes were tender.  When the broth first came to a boil, at which point the recipe directs you to reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, Emily pulled out the immersion blender.  Thankfully I was in the kitchen.  You cannot puree something that is as firm as a raw potato.  At least not without making a colossal mess.  She waited, impatiently until the potatoes were finally sufficiently soft, and then put the immersion blender to use.
The soup was rich and creamy; topped with crispy bits of bacon and a dollop of sour cream.  Definitely a keeper, although I would be inclined to double it.  I had a bowlful for lunch the next day, Emily ate the rest for her own lunch.  More leftovers are never a bad thing.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

3 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped       1" piece of ginger root, peeled & grated

         (about 4)                                                            1 quart vegetable broth

1 medium onion, chopped                                           salt & pepper

3 cloves garlic   

Combine all ingredients in a large pot, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  Cool slightly and puree in a food processer, blender or with an immersion blender.

Serve topped with bacon, Greek yogurt, sour cream, croutons, or fresh herbs, as desired.