Spicy Shrimp Pasta in Garlic Tomato Cream Sauce

Spicy Shrimp Pasta in Garlic Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

crushed red pepper

paprika

salt

1 small onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups canned crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup water

half a cube chicken bullion

1 tablespoon basil

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 oz penne pasta


Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook on one side for about 1 minute, until shrimp turns pink on that side. While it cooks, sprinkle the top of shrimp with crushed red pepper, paprika and salt to cover every single shrimp. Make sure not to crowd the shrimp in the skillet, otherwise moisture will form and shrimp won't sear right. And, don't skimp on spices. Using spatula turn shrimp over to the other side and cook for about 2 more minutes.
Remove shrimp to a plate, being careful to leave all the oil in the skillet.

To the same skillet, add chopped onion and minced garlic and cook on medium high heat in the olive oil that will have a nice reddish color from paprika and crushed red pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, occasionally stirring, until onions soften.

Add crushed tomatoes and chicken bullion cube dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water. Add basil and oregano, mix, bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, mixing occasionally and crushing all tomatoes into very small bites, until the sauce reduces just a bit. Season with more red pepper and salt, if needed. In the end, while on simmer, add heavy cream, mix it in, and immediately remove from heat.

Add back the shrimp and pasta. Mix everything well to combine. Reheat on low simmer, if needed. Do not bring to boil or high heat as it might affect the sauce texture. Add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Buffalo Chicken Cups

Buffalo Chicken Cups

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup Ranch dressing

1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken

24 wonton wrappers

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tin very lightly with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese, Ranch dressing, wing sauce and 3/4 cheddar cheese (save remaining 1/4 cup for topping). You can soften the mixture slightly in the microwave if needed to make it come together. Stir in shredded chicken.

Start layering your cups. Begin with a wonton wrapper and press it into the bottom of each muffin tin. Spoon about a tablespoon of the chicken mixture. Top with another wonton wrapper and add another tablespoon of chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and a little blue cheese.

Bake for 18 minutes or until edges are brown. Check cupcakes after 10 minutes into cooking and if edges are browned cover the cupcakes with foil for the remaining cooking time. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. To remove, use a knife to loosen the edges then pop each cupcake out.

For mini cups: Cut each wonton wrapper into 4 squares. Layer wonton, about 1 teaspoon of filling, wonton, then another teaspoon of filling. Top with shredded cheese and blue cheese. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then remove from pan.