Asparagus, Shrimp, and Dill Fettuccine

{Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Cookbook}
2 servings
Start to Finish: 25 min

Ingredients:
6oz uncooked fettuccine
3/4c chicken broth
1T all-purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2t finely chopped dill weed
2t olive oil
1c cut (1-inch) fresh asparagus spears
1/2lb uncooked deveined peeled medium shrimp
2 lemon wedges

Instructions:
Cook and drain fettuccine as directed on package. Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix broth and flour. Stir in lemon juice and dill. Set aside.

In 10-inch nonstick skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat until hot.

Add asparagus; cook and stir 2 minutes.

 Add shrimp; cook and stir 3 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink.

Add broth mixture to skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened.

Add cooked fettuccine to skillet; toss gently to coat. Garnish each serving with lemon wedge.

Small changes I made...
*I used dried dill weed, and eyeballed it.
*I used pre-cooked shrimp, and did not leave it long between adding it and adding the broth mixture (because it only needed time to heat, not cook)
*When I ate it, I found that it was a little bland. I added a little salt (little!!) and pepper to my plate, and it was much tastier!
*It could easily be made into 3 servings if you have a side or two. There is plenty of food here for 3 servings (my opinion!)

Overall, it was pretty good! The shrimp and asparagus have wonderful flavor, so the flavor lacking in the sauce shows up there. Don't be afraid to add a little more shrimp and asparagus than is in the recipe.

***

Nutritional Information:
1 Serving (1/2 recipe)
Calories: 470
Total Fat: 11g
Carbs: 63g
Fiber: 4g

Terrific Turkey Burgers

I'm not sure why I've been holding out on you so long! Ok... it might be because I thought that I'd already blogged it! It has officially been summer for 9 days, and in honor of summer, I plan to get my act together and post a "Summer Series" of recipes for you! If you haven't checked out the Quick Tea post below, that would be a lovely addition to this recipe!

Terrific Turkey Burgers
{Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Cookbook}

Prep Time: 25 min (start to finish)
Makes 8 sandwiches

Ingredients:
2lb lean (at least 90%) ground turkey
1c unseasoned dry bread crumbs
2/3c finely chopped onion
1/2c ketchup or tomato sauce
2T lemon juice
4t soy sauce
4t Worcestershire sauce
1/4t pepper
8 whole wheat burger buns, split
Lettuce, if desired

Instructions:
Heat gas or charcoal grill. In large bowl, mix all ingredients except buns and lettuce until well blended. Shape mixture into 8 patties, 1/2 inch thick.

Lightly oild grill rack. Place patties on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until meat thermometer inserted in center of patties reads 165 degrees (F).

Meanwhile, place buns cut sides down on grill. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Place patties in lettuce-lined buns. If desired, serve with additional ketchup and pickle slices.

To broil patties: Place a sprayed broiler pan; broil 4 to 6 inches from heat using times in the recipe as a guide, turning once. Place buns, cut side up, on broiler pan; broil 1 to 2 minutes.

How I do it: I use the recipe, and they make great turkey burgers. I do not, however, own a grill or a broiler pan. I use my George Foreman grill. I also usually form all of the burger patties, but only cook the number that I'm wanting to eat. I freeze the rest (it works best to freeze them on a flat surface first, like a cookie sheet, then to place them in a freezer safe bag or container). I freeze them, because it's only me, and there are lots of leftovers, and pull them out, defrost them lightly, then cook them when I'm feeling like a burger - talk about a quick and healthy dinner! I also eat mine on Multigrain Sandwich Thins - easily found in the bread section of your grocery store - rather than a regular bun. I just don't need or want all that bread!

--I'll add a picture next time I make one (I was sure that I had a picture somewhere... oh well!)

Nutritional Information
1 Sandwich (includes ALL ingredients - wheat bun and all)
Calories: 340
Total Fat: 9g
Carbs: 34g
Fiber: 4g

(let me know if there's something more specific you'd like the info on)

Quick Tea

Happy Summer, Friends!

I apologize that it's taken me so long to make it back here (and this isn't even technically a real recipe). However, I have had time to rest and relax and and I'm ready to get back to business! Today, I'm going to do one of the classic summer drinks - ice tea. This summer, I'm attempting to cut out soda again (I was drinking more of it than I like during the school year this year). So, last weekend while I was at a friend's parents' house, I saw ice tea made in a way that I'd never seen before...

In a glass or mug, put just enough water to cover a couple of tea bags. Put two tea bags in the water and put it in the microwave for a minute or two. This will create a tea concentrate of sorts. Let the tea sit and steep for a few minutes. Fill your tea pitcher with ice, pour in the hot tea, and add water to fill the container. Surprisingly, it actually makes descent tea! My family has always made sun tea in the summertime, but this was almost as good. I did it recently with a yummy green tea that I am currently hooked on, and it was quite tasty as well!

this is the green tea, so it's supposed to be lighter than normal/black tea

This is an excellent option if you're looking to have ice tea 10 minutes or less. So refreshing!

Coming Soon...

... the end of the school year (less than a week!) and more time

... more time to add to the quick list

... more time to cook yummy new foods

... more time to blog about it!

... stay tuned!

Cake Mix Cookies

Last night, I decided to try out something new... found on Pinterest and from this blog. It is very simple, so the question now is - are they any good? I think they're pretty good, but I'll be serving them to my co-workers for a birthday celebration on Tuesday, so we'll see what happens there... I would also like to try the chocolate version (recipe on the blog linked above). Let me know what you think!

Ingredients
1 strawberry cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup coconut

Instructions
*Mix eggs and vegetable oil until well combined.
*Stir in cake mix and coconut
*Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet.
*Cook for 8-10 minutes at 350 F.

The Quick List

Hello Friends,

Just a quick note about the Quick List. I've been a bit busy this month and haven't added much lately, or updated the Quick List as I'd planned to. However, I started a page {tab at the top} which will eventually contain my full quick list, with links to some of the things I've blogged, which are referenced on the list. Use it as you'd like.

French Toast

Last night, I decided to make french toast for dinner (I was feeling the breakfast theme), so I thought I'd throw that out there here - even though I'm sure that most people are very clear on how to make french toast. Once upon a time, I was not so clear on how simple it can be, so I'll share for those out there who forgot about or don't know quite how to make french toast. Beware that this is something I do not actually make with a recipe...

Basic Ingredients
bread {the fatter and drier the better... mine was neither fat nor dry, so I let it sit out for a few minutes before I started}
eggs {I usually do about 2 eggs for every 3 pieces of bread}

Optional Ingredients
cinnamon {I add it to the eggs}
toppings {peanut butter or butter, syrup, powdered sugar, fruit, etc}

Instructions
*Heat a skillet or pancake griddle.
*Scramble the eggs in a bowl.
*Add cinnamon {if you like it - I did a few dashes}.
*Cover both sides of bread pieces in egg.

*Cook on a hot griddle {just like you would pancakes}

*Flip, cook, serve, add toppings, enjoy!