Orzo

09.19.

Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Orzo with Basil

ShrimpTomatoesandOrzo

(Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookbook, “One Pot Meals”)

Hello, my beautiful Friends! I have really missed you!

I am so excited to get back to blogging after this long hiatus I have been on. I thought it would be simple to blog while my family lived in our tiny little apartment for the past 6 months, but boy was I wrong. We were falling on top of each other all the time and adding blogging to that situation was a NO GO! We just recently started liking each other again. LOL!

I kept telling myself that one day I would be able to look back on this temporary decision and be happy I made it. Honestly, I second guessed myself ALLLLLL THEEEEE TIME!

BUT!

I can finally say that the day came when I could finally say that the decision did actually pay off. We couldn’t afford to build our home while still living in the home we had. So, we sold first, then did a 6 month lease while it was built.

That is behind us now since we recently moved in. (Everybody take a deep breath with me and exhale slowly now…………AHHHHHHHHHHH! )

Ok, enough jibber jabber!

In honor of the interesting Summer I had, I want to share a recipe that represents everything Summer to me! Shrimp, basil, and tomatoes!

This recipe is both yummy AND light!

ENJOY!

Recipe: Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Orzo with Basil

• 3 Cups halved Grape Tomatoes, Halved

• 6 Garlic Cloves, Minced

• 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

• 3/4 lb. Orzo

• 3 1/4 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth

• 1 1/2 lbs. Large Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined

• 1 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves, Chopped

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position rack in the top position.

• In a large ovenproof skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat.

• Add garlic and cook until just beginning to brown, 1 minute. Increase heat to high and add tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 minutes.

• Add orzo and broth, and bring to a simmer.

• Cover and bake until liquid is mostly absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes.

• Toss shrimp with remaining teaspoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Remove skillet from oven, and place shimp on top of orzo.

• Heat broiler. Broil until shrimp are opaque throughout, 4 minutes.

• Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Tags: Fresh, Healthy, Light, Martha Stewart, One Pot Meals, Orzo, Pasta, Recipe, Shrimp, Southern, Summer, Swim Suit Season

08.27.

Beef Orzo Skillet

Now that school is back,

I really want to utilize my time and be more productive during the day. I have all these wish lists of things I want to accomplish. Like for instance, simplifying MY LIFE! LOL! That will always be #1 and most important on my list. However, I will probably NEVER accomplish it……. and I’m ok with that……… most of the time.

One thing I can probably, maybe, sort of do that with is dinner. You always hear about 30 minute meals and while some of them are good…… others are GREAT!

I happened to find one of those the other night when I was scouring the internet for some culinary inspiration. I ended up finding this one on my Calendar site I use, www.cozi.com.

It was SOOOOOOO good! The best part was that my kids gobbled it up and my little one didn’t even realize that there was Spinach in it!

It’s so nice to only mess up one pan when cooking and not a million bajillion (is that a word?) of them. I honestly do not know how my fingers do not shrivel up and wither away from all the pots and pans I wash????

You MUST give this one a try!

Recipe: Beef Orzo Skillet

Ingredients

½ tsp salt
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes ( I use the garlic, basil, oregano flavor)
1½ cups low sodium beef broth
1 tsp minced fresh oregano or ½ tsp crumbled dried oregano
¼ tsp pepper
8 ounces orzo pasta, dried (1 cup) – try whole wheat if you can find it!
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
½-¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Sprinkle salt into a 10 to 12 inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Crumble beef into pan and cook, stirring often, until meat begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium, stir in onion, and continue to cook, stirring, until onion is soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Drain grease from meat in a colander and return to pan.
Add garlic, tomatoes (break them up with a spoon) and their liquid, broth, oregano, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil then stir in pasta. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently until pasta is tender to bite, 10 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, squeeze as much liquid as possible from spinach. Stir spinach into pasta mixture just until heated through. Serve with cheese to add to taste.