Frugal Mom of Two Teens

General Mills Cereal Product Review and Giveaway

2010-01-07T01:46:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to see that General Mills is going to a reduce sugar option for their cereals. That is great for a mom who is trying to keep a bunch of sugary foods out of the house and for someone who is trying to lose weight.

Note: Did you know that people that eat ready to eat cereals consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters? That these cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal one of the top source of key nutrients in children´s diets.

Other cereal benefits:

* Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets.

* Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child´s diet today.

* More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.

Studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.

For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness.

Right now if you visit here you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals. Blog Spark and I will be giving away 1 coupons valued at $6.00 to three different winners for you to pick your brand of General Mills cereal you may have been wanting to try.

To enter: Go to General Mills and pick a cereal you have always wanted to try just for yourself. Maybe it's the Yogurt Cheerios. Or the Fiber One cereal. Leave me a comment on which one it is you want to try.

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Giveaway ends January 16,2010 at 11:50pm EST.

Pom Wonderful Product Review and Pom Princess Non-alcoholic Drink

2010-01-07T01:03:00.000-05:00

I had the chance to sample the Pom Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice and loved it. It has both a tart and sweet taste. It was smooth in drinking without any bad after tastes. I read the health benefits of the Pom Wonderful and the nutritional values are great. The label says it's 100% authentic and that is the case. Other brands that claim they are just the Pomegranate Juice could also contain apple, cranberry, white grape, lemon and others not making it a pure Pomegranate product. It is also filled with a ton of antioxidants. The best part of Pom Wonderful is:

it contain no added sugars, preservatives or colors
is a good source of potassium
is gluten-free
is flash pasteurized to retain both flavor and nutrients
is certified kosher

For centuries, the pomegranate has been valued as a symbol of health and has been the centerpiece of many traditional folk medicine practices.

In 1998, POM initiated modern medical research to understand the health benefits of the Wonderful variety of pomegranates. To date, we’ve invested $32 million. This research has involved a number of top scientists from leading universities around the world, including a Nobel Laureate.

So far, 47 total studies, including 14 clinical studies, have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Primary research areas have included prostate, cardiovascular, and erectile function as well as antioxidant composition and safety/bioavailability.

I did use one bottle to make a Non Alcoholic Pom Princess. I didn't make the fresh lemonade but used crystal light natural lemonade instead. I really enjoyed it.

Pom Princess Non Drink

Ingredients

3/8 cup freshly squeezed pomegranate juice* or POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice

3/8 cup fresh lemonade**

1-1/2 oz. sparkling water

Garnish

lemon slice

mint sprig

Preparation

Fill a tall tumbler glass a little more than halfway with ice cubes.
Pour 3/8 cup fresh lemonade into the glass, up to the halfway mark.
Slowly add pomegranate juice. (The goal is to create a mix of half lemonade and half pomegranate juice, so adjust accordingly for the size of your glass.)
Add sparkling water.
Stir with an iced-tea spoon or a swizzle stick.

Note

* This cocktail can be made with freshly squeezed juice from a large POM Wonderful Pomegranate or by using POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice. To juice the pomegranate, cut it in half (as you would a grapefruit) and juice using a citrus reamer or a juicer. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. One large POM Wonderful Pomegranate will produce about 1/2 cup of juice. ** To make fresh lemonade, roll six lemons on a wooden board to loosen the juice. Juice lemons using a hand reamer or electric citrus juicer; strain juice into a pitcher. Add 3/4 cup sugar and 8 cups of water, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Adjust for taste, but be sure to taste it before adding more sugar; the tartness of lemons can vary greatly).

Progresso Panko Bread Crumbs and Broth Giveaway

2009-12-17T23:50:00.002-05:00

UPDATE: I HAVE MY FIRST WINNER FOR MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!
Congrats to #30 Cheryl. I will be sending an email to get your address to have the gift pack mailed out to you. Thank you all for entering! :) I hope you will add me as a blog you will follow! Merry Christmas.

This drawing was held by Becky Davis in a fair and unbiased manner, using RANDOM.ORG's Third-Party Draw Service. For details, please see the drawing's record.

My first product review and giveaway!!! Woo Hoo!! And its for a product I love!
About a month ago before my son was in the hospital, I was sent a cool package from Progresso (via MyBlogSpark) with their amazing broth and Panko bread crumbs. I usually always use their brand of broth, the lower sodium one, but I had never tried the panko before. I had looked for something like that before in the grocery stores but it was always really expensive so I never tried it. The day it arrived, I got out a recipe that had been featured on Devin Alexander's show called Fit and Fabulous Fried Chicken. It was really good and my children enjoyed it very much. They liked the crispiness of the chicken but felt it was just a tad to spicy. I will next time not put as much as the cayenne pepper in it for them. With the broth they sent to me, I made a cornbread dressing. I really love their broth because it's not only rich in flavor but it's also very affordable. It's normally cheaper than the store brands here in my area. The kids do not like carrots and celery in the cornbread dressing like some families do but that can be added into this recipe as well as gizzards to add a little more texture to it. I just didn't have any at the time of making it. Both seemed to be a hit with the kids and we'll try it again soon.

Now great news! Progresso is going to send one of you a great prize pack which consists of the following:
Progresso Panko
Progresso Broth
Measuring Cup
Slotted Spoon
Soup Ladle
Sheet Pan for baking
Recipe booklet

Visit their website http://www.progressofoods.com/ and tell me which recipe you would like to try with one of these great products. Deadline for the contest is December 23, 2009. Winner will be pick at random. (Please make sure to leave your email with your comment.)

FIT AND FABULOUS FRIED CHICKEN

2 bone-in chicken breasts (approximately 8-10 ounces each)
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
olive oil spray
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup whole wheat Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Remove the skin and all visible fat from the chicken breasts. Transfer them to a re-sealable plastic container that is slightly larger than the breasts. Pour the buttermilk over the breasts, then turn them, to coat them. Marinate them in the buttermilk at least 6 hours or overnight, rotating them once or twice.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly mist a small, non-stick baking pan or sheet with spray.
In a small bowl, mix the onion powder, paprika, salt, black pepper and cayenne. Add the panko to a medium, shallow bowl.
Remove one chicken breast from the buttermilk and let any excess buttermilk drip off. Sprinkle both sides of the breast evenly with half of the seasoning mixture. Then transfer it to the bowl of panko and cover it completely with the crumbs. Place the breaded chicken breast down (ribs up) on the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken breast.
Lightly spray the top of both breasts with spray. Bake the chicken for 10 minutes, then carefully, being sure not the remove the breading, flip the breast. Lightly mist the tops with spray and continue to bake them for another 10-15 minutes or until the breading is crispy and the chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve it immediately or refrigerate it for up to 2 days to eat it cold. Makes 2 servings.
http://health.discovery.com/fansites/devin-alexander/recipes/fried.html

CORN BREAD DRESSING

3 boxes of Jiffy Mix
3 eggs
1 onion
1/2 stick butter
1/4 tsp sage
chicken broth

Cook cornbread according to the directions on the package of the Jiffy Mix.
Boil the 3 eggs. Dice eggs into small pieces.
Dice the onion and cook in the butter and sage. Set aside.
When cornbread is done, take out of oven and let sit for 10 minutes until just warm. Take a spoon
and scrape the corn bread until it is chunky. Add chicken broth to moisten. Add the onion/butter mixture.
Combine well. Press down cornbread mixture into a 9x13 pan. Put in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until browned.
Serve warm.

Macaroni Pizza Casserole

2009-11-14T00:13:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything. I am sorry about that. My son ended up having a fracture in his pelvis. Apparently the inflammation and pain he was experiencing from the stress fracture was what was causing the protein level to be high according to the Specialist he saw at Levine Children Hospital in Charlotte. The Orthopedic Surgeon said that with teenage boys, stress fractures are not uncommon in the back area due to growing, especially when they are growing fast. My son is 15 and is almost 6 feet tall. James has been limited on the things he's allowed to do to give it time to heal before he actually breaks the bone. Of course, keeping him down has been a nightmare because he always like to be on the go with Boy Scouts and ROTC. Thank you to all of you who thought about him and us during this time.

I tried an old recipe that the kids use to enjoy when they were younger called Macaroni Pizza Casserole. It's a pretty simple dinner and when you go to make it yourself, you can add your own ingredients to the casserole. Seeing as my son hates anything like green peppers or mushrooms, we didn't add that in the recipe. I also remembered to get you some pictures as well. :)

Macaroni Pizza Casserole

Heat oven to 350^.
1 1/2 lb lean ground beef, or ground turkey
1 box of Elbow Macaroni Noodles. (I used the Razoni Smart Taste)
1 Large jar of Ragu with Meat sauce, or any that you prefer.
1 6oz package of Turkey Pepperoni (or regular pepperoni)
2 8oz package of Italian Five Cheeses, low fat
1 package of Hot Italian Sausage, grounded (Johnsonville brand)

Cook the Macaroni noodles according to the package directions. Drain. Set aside.
While the noodles are cooking, brown up your hamburger meat and your hot Italian Sausage. Drain grease. Set aside.
In a 13x9 inch pan, add a layer of the meat, than the noodles, Ragu Sauce, a layer of the pepperoni, and cheese. Repeat steps to make a 2nd layer with the cheese layer having a little more cheese than the 1st layer of cheese.
Bake on 350^ for 30-40 minutes or until browned.
Set aside 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut.

I served it with a Dole salad mix that is the more Veggies bag. Used Italian Dressing, Garlic Croutons. Also served Roasted Garlic Bread.

My Stressful Week

2009-10-11T23:17:00.000-04:00

I haven't been able to do any cooking experiences this week or anything else for that matter. My kids decided to put me through a trying time so I've been dealing with that. This is the stressed out mom part of my heading in this entry this week. I’ve always heard about peer pressure but never thought "peer pressure" was something you had to worry about with your ex husband doing to your kids. Let's just say he talked them into making a very poor choice. He is now deciding he wants to get full custody of them. It's funny (well, not really) how he didn't spend any time with them, call them, etc until they started becoming teenagers. His idea of taking care of them while they are visiting him at his house is: A) Leave them home by themselves or B) Leave them at his sister’s house. While I would love to smear my ex-husband on this blog, I will refrain as he's not here to defend himself. I will never understand why I can't bring myself to do it but I just can't. I hope we have stopped all this early from going any further than it already has.

On top of that, my son has been sick for several weeks now. At first they thought possibly mono and did a test for it. Negative. Flu? Negative. Sinus infection? Maybe. He was achy especially in his back that just kept getting worse. When they did the Mono test, they noticed his protein was abnormally high. They just sent a letter saying it was possibly due to feeling sick. The achy feeling didn't go away and it was really becoming painful. So, three doctor visits later they decided to do an x-ray just to make sure there wasn't a small fracture or something. That x-ray was ok and they were just going to send him home yet again. I was relied but disappointed not knowing still what was wrong. I was still worried. Because it was around his kidney, I told the doctor I thought they should check for a kidney infection. I don't think the doctor wanted to do it but he did anyways. I think he thought I wouldn't leave if he didn't and I admit that I was to that point. After the test, He came in and said, “Ok there isn't an infection, but.....” BUT??? (Isn’t that just the worst words to hear from the doctor?) Yes, Doctor? Did I have the right to be concern? Oh, doctor who thought I was being paranoid??? It seems that protein level was still way too high! Apparently too high for the tests there at the office to even give an accurate reading of how high it was. The doctor then ordered a 24 hour urine test and more blood work for my son to have completed by Monday morning. Thank God the urine test was being done over the weekend because I know my son would have been totally embarrassed taking a jug of urine around school. So, I can't wait until tomorrow to find out what's going on and praying that they find whatever is causing this pain fast! Oh, but wait! Of course it doesn't end there. My son maybe coming down with the flu now after all! I guess it shouldn't surprise me since every time we were at the doctor; we were around people with the flu. So, who knows what this urine and the blood result will show. How do you pray? That he only has the flu and it just took forever for it to show up? That they find out what's wrong by those test results tomorrow? Or that there isn't anything wrong and the pain is just a mystery and a part of growing up? It's just hard waiting around when you know your child is in pain.

I found a really cool blog that I like and have been reading it. It's by a lady named Deb whose weight is the same as mine. Her blog sounds how I feel with my weight. It's almost like I could have written it to describe my weight loss journey in the past months with the ups and downs of gaining, losing and gaining. I have only read a few months of the blog that she started last year. (May 2008) I am going to use one of her ideas on setting my weight loss goal on here. That way I have accountability with anyone who reads this blog and wants to keep up. With the past few weeks, I've managed to totally go off track with my diet. Hopefully I can get back on track this week and reading this lady's blog will be encouraging to me.

I have mentioned (I think) that I am planning a cruise with past contestants of the Biggest Loser show. The planning has been going pretty well and we are having a lot of the new cast members contacting us wanting to be involved. It is so exciting to see how excited these folks are in helping others with their weight loss journey. I now have to decide who to add on the cruise that is new, who to tell we can't use them because they aren't promoting the cruise to their fans, etc. I hate being the mean person but if someone doesn't step up to the plate than what choice do I have but to let them go. I just wish my partner would do it instead because I hate disappointing people. Isn't that what got me to being overweight to begin with? Worrying about what people thought about me? Feeling down about myself? That nobody thought I was good enough to do anything? I don't want to be the cause of these feelings to someone else. Hopefully I'll figure out the best way to do what needs to be done.

Anyways, hopefully I'll be able to try this Buffalo Chicken Chili that I keep seeing on the Rachael Ray website. My kids love Buffalo Chicken and love chili so I'm hoping it will be a hit. I think I'm going to also look for a Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe just in case my son does have that flu bug. (Praying please let me look for no reason, please!)

Chicken Parm Soup

2009-10-05T21:13:00.000-04:00

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
4 chicken breasts, pounded out and cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic (3 chopped, 1 for rubbing bread)
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can chunky tomatoes
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup basil, chopped
8 thick slices Italian semolina bread
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to pot. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until just cooked through. Remove from the pot and set aside. Add the other 2 tablespoons of EVOO along with the chopped garlic, onions and red pepper flakes.

Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes and the stock, bring to a simmer and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add chicken back to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped basil and stir to combine.

While the soup is cooking, drizzle the sliced bread with some EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oven, rub each piece with the garlic clove and top with parmesan cheese. Place back in the oven for 1-2 minutes.

Serve soup topped with 2 pieces of parmesan toast or, if you prefer, put the bread on the bottom and the soup on top.

I couldn't find the Italian semolina bread so I used Roasted garlic bread instead. I just added the extra clove of garlic in the soup. My kids really liked this and it was great for a cold, rainy day today. It was very easy to make. I actually used the Target brand crushed tomato instead of chunky tomatoes. My kids aren't much for eating big chunks of tomato so it was a great. It was like a thick tomato soup with chicken. I also used two more chicken breasts because it really wasn't a lot of meat and my son just has to have his meat. I added more red pepper flakes as we like it a little spicier. Rachael Ray has some great, easy soups out there. Will make this again for sure!! I will eventually remember to take pictures while I'm cooking this stuff. I always remember right when I'm about done.

Cadet Davis

2009-09-29T18:06:00.000-04:00

Today was my son's Pass and Review for NJROTC at his high school. I am so proud of him. He hasn't been feeling well but he was determined to make it to school today to take part in today's activities. He's at that stage where he is not sure if he wants to join the military or not. But he's very determined to do the best he can in this program. If he does go into the military, he would be carrying on the legacy of our family's commitment to our Country.
To get ready for the ceremony, the Commander asked them how motivated are they. They all replied in unison and as loud as they could, "Motivated! Motivate! Down right Motivated! You check us out! You check us out! Smooth Stop!" At the "Smooth Stop" part, they do like a wave with their upper torso. It's so funny. Of course, I forgot about it from the last time so I didn't get that on film. :( Hopefully next year I will remember. Hopefully!
Here is a few pictures from today. Hope you enjoy them.

Oh Yeah! Mom's cooking with Rum!

2009-09-24T03:02:00.001-04:00

Last night, I was looking through a cool blog I found called the Pioneer Woman. Oh wow! All I can say is there is some really amazing recipes on there that are hers and that are added by her readers. Seeing as it was the day before payday, I diligently looked in her "recipe box" and found these two great recipes. And I had everything in my cabinets that was needed. Don't you hate that time of month when you have to scramble all together what you have and cook with that? It's annoying and the kids especially hate it. Well anyways, I started getting the stuff out and my son walks in saying, "Wow, it smells good in here!" as I am dumping the 1/2 cup of rum into the chicken. Being of all of 15 years old and not understanding that alcohol cooks out of the food, he was like, "Oh Yeah!!" which should concern me he would feel that way but I know he's a good kid that hasn't touch the stuff in the year that I've had it. Wondering how I know that, you ask as you are chuckling. Because the bottle was stilled sealed closed. Then my daughter comes in while I was cooking the asparagus. Now she was excited about the asparagus. I guess my daughter isn't as picky as my son. I should thank Mrs. Anita, her Big Sister, for that. She's cooked things like tofu, fried pickles, and other things my palate would find weird but my daughter finds interesting. It’s funny how it's good when Mrs. Anita cooks compared to when I cook it. Even when I follow the recipe to the letter. People say that's normal for kids to think that way. I know I always thought things like my granddaddy's cornbread dressing and sweet potato pudding was the greatest. Nothing compared then or even today. Anyways, here are the recipes. Try them and tell me what you think. My kids loved it and want me to make it again. Another hit for mom! makes it but not when mom does. Even if I follow her recipe to the letter it’s still not as good as Mrs. Anita’s

Pollo al Rhum (Chicken with Rum)
(Added by bell'alimento)

* 4 whole Chicken Thighs
* 3-½ Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
* 4 whole Fresh Sage Leaves
* 1 cup Chicken Broth
* ½ cups Rum
* 1 pinch(es) (large Pinch) Of Nutmeg
* Salt And Pepper (to Taste)

Pat your chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and season well with salt and pepper on all sides. Set aside.

Place your chicken fryer/skillet over med-high heat. Once your pan is hot, add in your butter.

Once the butter is melted, add in your sage leaves and then your chicken thighs. Sprinkle thighs with your nutmeg. Cook thighs until they are browned on all sides, turning as necessary.

Once the chicken is browned, add in chicken stock and cook for approximately 5-6 minutes. Lower the heat to simmer/low and add in the rum. Cover your pan with a lid and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until your chicken is cooked through, turning every so often.

Garlic Asparagus Bake
(added by NormaJean)

* 1 bunch(es) Asparagus
* 4 cloves Garlic, Sliced
* ¼ cups Butter Sliced
* Olive Oil
* Salt And Pepper (to Taste)

Clean and cut the bottoms of the asparagus (the thick part). Lay them on a cookie sheet and drizzle olive oil on top.

Sprinkle garlic and butter over everything. Add salt and pepper to your taste.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon

2009-09-16T22:34:00.004-04:00

After watching the movie Julie and Julia, I came to realize this dish was one of the main dishes that Julie was determined to make during her year of cooking Julia Child’s recipes. I decided I would find the recipe, figure out how to make it and hope for the best. After talking with the kids and them seeing the ingredients, they said sure. I think what sold them was the bacon. No matter what, kids love bacon. I can't wait to try this and will post pictures as I make it. Has anyone else with kids made this? What did they think after having it?
****UPDATE****
I made this for my children and they absolutely loved this! No leftovers whatsoever! Thank you Julia Child for a recipe my kids loved!

Julia Childs Beef Bourguignon

Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon good olive oil
* 8 ounces dry-cured center-cut
* Apple wood-smoked bacon diced
* 2 ½ pounds chuck beef cut 1" cubes
* Kosher salt as needed
* Freshly-ground black pepper as needed
* 1 pound carrots sliced diagonally
* Into 1-inch chunks
* 2 yellow onions sliced
* 2 teaspoons chopped garlic - (2 cloves)
* ½ cup Cognac
* 1 bottle good dry red wine - (750 ml) (such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir)
* 1 can beef broth - (2 cups)
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried thyme)
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided, and at
* room temperature
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 pound frozen whole onions
* 1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, and caps thickly sliced
* FOR SERVING:
* Country bread or Sour Dough toasted or grilled
* and rubbed with garlic clove
* ½ cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.

Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 ¼ hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.

Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Sauté the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

To serve, toast the bread in the toaster or oven. Rub each slice on 1 side with a cut clove of garlic. For each serving, spoon the stew over a slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley.

This recipe yields 6 servings.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp

2009-09-16T22:11:00.004-04:00

My kids loved this. Yay! Mom hits another home run this week. I took a basic recipe off the Internet and then added more shrimp, the lemon pepper, lemon juice and cheese. I mean, everything taste good with a little bit of sprinkled cheese on it that contains a lot of garlic. Am I right? I just played around til I felt the taste was right. They have asked me to fixed this again soon. I'm not a cook by any means but I think it turned out pretty good.

13 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1-1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2-2lbs shrimp, medium to large
salt, to your taste
lemon pepper, to your taste
fresh lemon juice
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Heat skillet to medium high heat. Add oil and butter. Heat until butter is melted. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook in butter mixture for a minute. Add shrimp and sprinkle with salt to taste. Combine butter mixture over the shrimp well. Cook another 2 minutes. Add lemon pepper and lemon juice. Cook shrimp stirring frequently until pink head curls to tails. Serve over angel hair pasta. Sprinkle with fresh cheese.
(You can pour some of the lemon-garlic sauce remaining in the skillet over the pasta and toss it. I think my son did that with his.)

Serves 4.

Meatball-Sausage Pizza Stoup

2009-09-06T17:30:00.004-04:00

I really love this recipe. I don't know why I do except to tell you that the flavors of this is so good. I think I could make it once a week but I think my children would get really sick of it. It is a Rachael Ray recipe from her book, "30 Minute Get Real Meals". Try it. I think you will be surprised and will love it too. I serve it with roasted garlic bread baked at 400^ the last 12-15 minutes of the stoup cooking, turning it over once for it to cook evenly. But I like mine a little harder and not fall apart when I "dunk" it in my stoup.

MEATBALL AND SAUSAGE PIZZA STOUP

Serves 4

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (twice around the pot)
1 pound bulk Italian sausage (hot or sweet)
4 garlic cloves (2 crushed 2 minced)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 quart chicken stock or broth
1 can (15oz) pizza sauce
1 pound ground beef, pork, and veal mix or ground sirloin
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (a couple of handfuls), plus more to pass at table
2 tablespoons Italian bread crumbs
1 egg yolk, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp allspice
A handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add EVOO and the sausage. Break up the sausage with the back of a wooden spoon and brown it, about 3 minutes. Add the 2 crushed garlic cloves and the chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and pizza sauce and raise heat to high to bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a bowl mix the ground meat with the minced garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, egg yolk, salt, pepper and allspice. Form bite-size balls and drop them into boiling liquid. The meatballs will cook like dumplings in about 8 minutes. When all of the balls have been added and the stoup returns to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the parsley, stir and ladle into shallow bowls. Top with a little grated cheese at the table.

**Notes**
I use for the pizza sauce the brand called Ferrara or you can even go to your local pizza shop and buy their pizza sauce.
I use the brand Colavita for my EVOO
If I do not want to spend the extra money for the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, I instead will get the 3 cheese blend of Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheese.
I also like it spicy so I will add some red pepper flakes to taste.