Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta

I guess you could say that today was All New Recipes day in the Nielsen house.

I found this recipe here and that's also where the picture came from. I have a house of seafood lovers so this was a giant hit here. I imagine it takes a lot like a shrimp Alfredo would, but I wouldn't exactly know because I'm not a fan of Alfredo. This is so yummy! It's easy to cook but paired with garlic bread and a green salad you could serve it at your fanciest of dinner parties. As I was cooking it I thought it would make a great anniversary or valentine's dinner. (Why was I thinking that? Who knows?!?!?!)

4-8 oz. fettuccine or linguine. (I used fettuccine. The author says she prefers less noodles but I had a family to feed. I used about 12 oz. of fettuccine.)

10 TBS butter (The author says, I know, but I've tried it with less and it's just not the same.)

8 oz. fresh, sliced mushrooms

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 oz. cream cheese, cut into small pieces

2 TBS fresh parsley, chopped

1 TBS fresh basil, chopped. (The author says you can use dried herbs if that's all you have, but I(Kristen) know dried and fresh measurements are not the same and I don't think the flavor is as good with dried.

2/3 cup boiling water (from your noodle pot)
1 lb. cooked shrimp (feel free to buy frozen)

1. Boil and salt a large pot of water and cook your pasta.

2. While your pasta is cooking, cook your shrimp if necessary and reserve. If your shrimp are pre-cooked and frozen, quickly thaw them under running water.

3. In a large skillet melt 2 TBS butter over medium heat and saute mushrooms until soft and brown. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Reserve cooked mushrooms and melt remaining butter in the skillet. Add minced garlic, cream cheese and herbs. At this point, I generally fell like something has gone terribly wrong. The cream cheese doesn't really melt and starts to look almost curdled, don't worry about it It will all smooth out and be wonderful when we add the water, I promise.

5. Simmer cream cheese mixture until well blended. Get a scoop of boiling pasta water from your noodle pot and mix it in, stirring quickly to smooth out the sauce.

6. Keep sauce hot and add shrimp and mushrooms. Mix well and simmer (stirring often) until everything is hot and thickened, about 10 minutes. You won't ruin this sauce by accidentally boiling it so don't worry.

7. Toss sauce with cooked noodles and serve.

Salmon and Wild Mushroom Casserole

*Courtesy of Josi Kilpack in "Blackberry Crumble"

I don't like salmon so I substituted chicken

1 12oz package wide egg noodles

4 tbsp butter plus 2 tbsp (divided)

1 (14 oz) can salmon*

1/2 onion chopped

3 celery ribs, diced

4-8 oz wild mushrooms (oyster, shitake, etc.) washed and sliced

1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsp flour

1 tsp double mustard powder

1 cup milk

1 can chicken broth

1 cup crushed oyster or saltine crackers

Preheat oven 350.  Butter a 2 qt casserole dish.  Cook the noodles according to the package directions (don't forget to add salt to the water). Drain, then return to the pot and toss with 2 tbsp. butter. Set aside.

While the noodles are cooking, open and drain the can of salmon. Remove any round bones and discard them.  (Other bones are soft enough to mix with the fish) Mash the salmon with a fork, set aside.

Melt 4 tbsp butter in a large skillet over med. heat.  Add the onion and celery and saute until transluscent, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the mushroom and salt.  Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms give up their juices, about 4 minutes.

Add flour to the skillet and stir well.  Add mustard powder.  Stir until combined.  Cook 2 min.  Slowly add the milk and broth, stirring constantly (remember to scrape up any browned flour on the bottom of the pan for extra flavor).  Stir until thick and bubbly.  Add the salmon.  Turn off the heat.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the vegetable-salmon mixture over the buttered noodles and mix until combined.  Pour into the casserole dish.

Melt remaining 2 tbsp butter and toss with cracker crumbs. Spread buttered crackers on top of the casserole.  Bake 30 min.

* Could use canned chicken in place of salmon*

Spinach, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Pizza

Jeremy I love watching Sam Zien on Just Cook This on Discovery Health. His recipes are so accessible, and he's pretty entertaining. I've made a lot of his stuff, and I always love it. And they are easy!!

I made this pizza for lunch because I knew Jeremy wouldn't eat it (I think the goat cheese weirds him out). It was sooooo good! Meredith even ate it.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients


1 10"-ready-made pizza crust

1/2 cup softened goat cheese

1/3 pound pound shitakes, sliced thin

1/3 pound crimini, sliced thin

6 ounces baby spinach (one of those already cleaned kinds)

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan



Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.



Heat large pan, add oil and cook mushrooms until softened. Add garlic and stir for a minute. Then add spinach and stir in until the spinach wilts all the way down—only a minute or so.



Spread goat cheese on crust and top with mushroom-spinach mixture. Sprinkle a bit of shredded Parmesan on top.



Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes.