3 keepers...

I have been so behind on blogging.  I have been reading a lot, but writing very little  This whole pregnancy thing has given me and undeniable love of sleep!  lol. 

I recently (um, 2 weeks ago) had my girls Lauren and Megan over to thank them for everything they did to help my wedding planning and day go smoothly.  I decided to have them over to give them a gift and serve them lunch.  For lunch, I fixed three Pioneer Woman recipes and loved them all!  All three were easy, relatively quick, mostly with ingredients I had on hand, and delicious too!  Here they are...

 (Olive bread just before it goes in the oven to bake)

OLIVE BREAD

14.5 oz can black olives

6 oz jar pimiento-stuffed green olives, drained

2 green onions

1 stick of butter (softened)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 pound Monterey Jack cheese

1 loaf crusty French Bread

Preheated to 325.

Roughly chop the olives and green onion (I used the Pampered Chef manual food processor... it took seconds... it was perfect!)

In a large bowl, combine the butter, mayo, cheese, olives, and onions.  Thoroughly combine. 

Slice the French bread loaf in half lengthwise.  Spread the olive-cheese mixture in an even layer on each half.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese mixture is melted and begins to turn light brown and bubbly.

YUM.

PASTA ALLA BETSY

1 pound penne pasta

1 pound large shrimp (I subbed cooked shredded chicken)

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs olive oil

1 mall onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

14.5 ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream (I never said this was low fat!)

Milk for thinning (I didn't need this)

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

6 basil leaves, cut in chiffonade

salt

black pepper

Cook the Penne

Cook and pull apart chicken.

In small skillet over medium high heat add 1 Tbs of the butter and 1 Tbs of the olive oil.

When the pan is hot, if you are using shrimp, cook them in butter until opaque (about 2 minutes) and remove from pan. 

Finely chop the onion.  Add 1 Tbs butter and 1 Tbs olive oil.  Add garlic and onion.  Cook until translucent.

Add the wine to the pan and allow to evaporate for about 45 seconds.  Pour tomato sauce in and stir, reduce head to low.  Pour in the cream, reduce heat to simmer.  Add the chicken (or shrimp) and herbs, stir.  Add Pasta and stir to gently coat.

This is SOOOOOO good.

FLAT APPLE PIE

(I made 1/2 a recipe)

5 peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples

2 Tbs all purpose flour

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 pie crusts (I used the frozen that you unroll because I didn't have time to make my own).

1/2 stick of butter.

Preheat to 375

Stir together the apples, flour, lemon juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt.  Set aside.

Roll out two pie crusts into large circles and place each on its own large baking sheet.

Place half of the apple mixture in each crust.

Fold over the edges of each crust sot that it covers 2-3 inches - it's a rustic look).

Dot the tops with chunks of butter.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the filling is golden and bubbly.

YUMMY!!

Happy Cooking!