Shrimp Pasta Salad

This makes a great cold salad, something a little different to add to the menu.

What Ingredients You Need	Directions
2 cups small shell pasta, cooked 1 1/2 pounds cooked shelled shrimp, halved 1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced 1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped 1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped black olives 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar	Cook pasta in boiling salted water as directed on package. Rinse under cold water. Drain. In a large bowl, toss pasta in with shrimp, celery, green and red bell peppers, cucumber, olives and red onion. Mix mayo and vinegar. Pour over pasta mixture and mix well. Cover. Refrigerate 2 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle with chopped parsley and reserved shrimp.

Summer Salad Q&E

Cool and fast just perfect for the warm days.

Summer Shrimp Salad
What	Directions
1 lb. of cooked Shrimp 3 cups cherry tomatoes 1 stalk of celery chopped on the bias 1  bag arugula 1 TBSP Balsamic vinegar 3 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salt and Pepper to taste	Defrost shrimp. In a bowl whisk together balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil untill smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Combine shrimp. arugula, celery and scallions. Add the tomatoes with dressing, toss until evenly coated. Four servings

Q&E Tip Martini Glasses

Purchase plastic or glass martini glasses and use them for serving shrimp cocktail or a fresh fruit medley.

Q&E Crepes Not Just For Dessert

Crepes are not just for desserts. They make very good quick and easy entrees for lunch, brunch and dinner. They make guests dropping by, easy peasy. Just grab a handful of crepes from the freezer and pair them with chicken, shrimp, ham, or mushroom. Your imagination is the limit. Whip up a batch of crepes when you have time. Freeze them with a piece of wax paper between each crepe. Store in a freezer plastic bag. They will be ready at a moments notice and provide a quick and elegant entrée or have a crepe brunch buffet with both savory and sweet crepes and let guest make their own.

Basic Crepe recipe:

Ingredients:
4 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 ¼ milk
¼ cup (½ stick) melted butter or margarine

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and eggs while gradually adding in the milk, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.  The first crepe never comes out, just toss it and move on.

Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Cool and wrap for freezer. When removing from freezer, wrap them in foil and warm in a 325-degree oven for 10-15 minutes until heated through.

Fillings
There’s nothing better than crepes filled with meats or vegetables and covered with  cheese sauce.

Chicken (frozen cooked from freezer, cream of mushroom soup, frozen peas.l Make cream of mushroom soup using half the milk, heat then add chicken and peas. Lay each crepe on the serving plate, put 1/4 cup chicken mixture, fold in half and sprinkle with cheese (optional). Serve. These can also be filled with shrimp, substituted for chicken.

Hard cooked eggs in cream sauce or cream soup.

Grilled veggies in a cheese sauce.

Spinach, Bacon and Mushroom Filling

Q&E Entrees

These are  suggested entrees to have on hand in the freezer. Add a salad and bread to some of these entrees and you will be one smart host/hostess.Your guests will never guess how you did it.  I will be adding additional frozen entrée recipes and suggested menus.

C=Cooked		R=Raw
Chili		Lasagna
Chicken Spaghetti		Meatballs cooked+
Sweet and Sour Chicken*		Beef Cubes for Kabobs
Pizza		Shrimp C&R
Taco Filling		Cube Steaks
Salmon Fillets		Bacon
BBQ Chicken+		Hamburger

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, cut in cubes
1 can pineapple chunks (save juice)
one garlic clove, minced
1/4 Cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
l teaspoon ginger
1-2 carrots cut in small pieces
1 green pepper cut in pieces
Directions
Add all ingredients together in a ziplock bag. Freeze. In frying pan add chicken and vegetables  and allow to cook on low for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Cook frozen rice to go with the meal.

For dessert serve vanilla ice cream with chopped almonds and fortune cookies.  Fortune cookies can be stored in the pantry for just such an occasion.

+Flash freeze the meatballs and store in a zip lock bag when frozen.

+ Chicken cooked and shredded can be thawed and mixed with bbq sauce, serve over rice or on a bun.

Hamburger can make quick tostados, taco salad, nachos for unexpected company.

Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp

Want a great hot Q&E recipe for the super bowl.  This is the one, if you just don't want to dive in, I don't know what will. Easy prep and a great hot dish with out the bother be sure to get crusty bread to soak up the juices.  This is one of my staples in my kitchen.

New Year's Entertaining

Don't forget the party hats and noise makers.
Here are some great  sparkling wines that are fine to serve at your New Years Eve party. Be sure to include non alcoholic beverages including sparkling water, fancy juice drinks, soft drinks and bottled water for the designated drivers.

Here are some appetizers to serve through out the evening. 


Italian White Bean Dip
Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 (15 oz.) can can white beans (Northern White or Cannelloni), drained, rinsed
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 Teaspoon salt
• 1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil (yes you can taste the difference)

Directions

• Peel garlic and add to the food processor and process until minced. Add beans, juice and salt, and process into a puree (smooth).
• With processor running, slowly add olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube. Process until mixture thickens, about 1 - 2 minute.
• Spoon into serving dish and serve as a spread for bread or crackers. Bring to room temperature before serving. Makes about 1 cup

Pasta Salad in Martini Glasses Spoon store bought pasta salad into Martini glasses to make individual portions for guests. Serve with spoons

Shrimp Krispies from  Contessa Foods

 Contessa Foods

Ingredients:

12 ounces Contessa Cooked Shrimp, thawed and chopped

8 ounces cream cheese

2 shallots, chopped fine

1 teaspoon ginger root, minced

1 tablespoon chives, chopped

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Wonton wrappers

Sesame seeds

Sauce:

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine

1 tablespoon cold water

Steps: Preheat oven to 425º F. Mix first six ingredients together until well blended. Place 1 tablespoon shrimp mixture in center of wonton wrapper. Bring corners together, twist and pinch tight. Flatten bottom. Place in baking pan, brush with water, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with dipping sauce made by combining soy sauce, rice wine and cold water.

Check out the Brie appetizer

Spanish Shrimp Cocktail

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups tomato  juice
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/4 cup prepared horseradish
• salt to taste
• 1 ripe avocado - peeled, pitted and chopped

Directions

Place the shrimp in a large bowl. Mix all the other ingredients together except the avocado. Pour over the shrimp and stir Fold in avocado. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve in a martini glass with a salted rim. 
Check out the tip for New Year's decorations.