BBQ Shrimp over Buttered Noodles

Finally, I'm back with a new recipe to share with you! It seems like lately I've been cooking household favorites that I've already posted -- or cooking nothing at all. But I'm trying out quite a few new recipes this week, so hopefully I'll have some yummy things to post!

This recipe for BBQ shrimp over buttered noodles is definitely yummy. And I promise you, that's not just my BBQ craving talking. This was really, really good. I loved the smokiness of the bacon paired with the sweetness of the shrimp, and it worked perfectly served over silky buttered noodles. The best part, aside from the fact that I already had all of the ingredients on hand? This meal only took about 20 minutes to prepare, start to finish. And that is definitely my kind of weeknight dinner.

I've adapted the recipe below to serve two (and a half), but I've also linked to the original, which serves six. Joe and I both really enjoyed this (Andrew liked the noodles, and he loved licking the BBQ sauce off the shrimp), and it will be a repeat in our house for sure. With a simple salad and some crusty bread on the side, this was the perfect weeknight meal!

BBQ Shrimp over Buttered Noodles
source: adapted from Taste of Home's Busy Family Cookbook; original recipe here

8 ounces angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
6 bacon strips, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 10-ounce package frozen medium shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined
1/4 to 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (I eyeballed it and, as always, used Sweet Baby Ray's)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Saute onion in the drippings until tender. Add garlic and shrimp; season with salt and pepper and cook and stir until shrimp are no longer pink.

3. Return bacon to the skillet. Add barbecue sauce; cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Drain pasta and stir in butter, parsley, and parmesan cheese until butter is melted. Top with shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.

Weekly Meal Planning

Short and sweet this week, as we're leaving soon for the zoo (hoping and praying that the rain holds off).

Last week's meal plan was a big ol' FAIL for the most part. My husband has been on vacation, and we've been doing lots of fun family-type things, so I'm finding it nearly impossible to do anything productive -- and that includes cooking. Hopefully this week I'll do better!

Monday -- Soup or Casserole: French onion soup, roast beef panini. This was on the menu last week, but we ate leftovers instead, so we're having it this week. I really, really want to eat this meal.

Tuesday -- Pasta: BBQ shrimp and buttered noodles, salad, crusty bread. The BBQ is back, baby!

Wednesday -- Free Night: Sausage-stuffed baked apples, salad Unexpected guests showed up (with a beef roast!) so we ate that along with some mashed potatoes and broccoli. I'll be moving this to a later menu, because it just screams fall to me.

Thursday -- Quick and Easy: Grilled cheese sandwiches, steak fries, pickles. Joe will probably request that I put ham on his sandwiches, but it'll just be straight-up American cheese for Andrew and me. (Why yes, sometimes I do like to eat like a three-year-old, why do you ask?)

Friday -- Burgers and Fries: Patty melts with special sauce, steak fries. I know, I know, buttered bread and melty processed cheese and fries two nights in a row -- but that's what the baby wants, and I must indulge him.

Saturday -- Regional or International: Arroz con pollo, cheesy drop biscuits (with Spanish olives folded into the batter) It was Joe's grandma's birthday, so we went out to dinner with his family. I'm definitely coming back to this one sometime in the near future, though. FOR SURE. It sounds so delicious.

Sunday -- Comfort Food: Spaghetti pie, salad

Weekend Breakfast: Banana nut pancakes and bacon

Baking: Chocolate truffle cookies. Also, pumpkin pie snickerdoodle bars. I didn't get to make these last weekend because we were really busy, so now I have to make them as soon as possible. I can't stop thinking about them. It's not really fall to me until I've cooked with pumpkin!

Scrambled Eggs in Potato Nests

Sorry for the craptastic picture, folks. The morning light in my kitchen is kind of wonky, so sometimes it's hard to get good pictures of all the yummy breakfasts we've been eating lately.

I made this cute little take on "birds in a nest" last weekend for breakfast, and it was heartily enjoyed by all -- including Andrew, who's never really been a huge fan of scrambled eggs (he'd like his eggs fried hard, thank you very much, and do not skimp on the black pepper). They tasted great and were really easy to prepare. I had two issues with this meal, though: It dirtied a lot more dishes than I like to deal with on a Sunday morning, and the hashbrowns didn't get as crispy as I would have liked. If I make these again, I'll mix a small amount of vegetable oil in with the hashbrowns, just to help them get a little bit crispier.

Those two things aside, though, this was a flavorful and fun weekend breakfast. Plus, it was a great way to use up some of the chives from my herb garden before the frosts come and kill them off for the winter.

Scrambled Eggs in Potato Nests
source: adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

2 cups refrigerated hash brown potatoes
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon snipped fresh chives
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together potatoes, the 2 beaten eggs, 1/2 tablespoon chives, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Shape mixture into 6 equal-sized mounds on prepared baking sheet. Press the back of a tablespoon into each mound, making a nest. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned and set.

2. Meanwhile, beat together the 6 eggs, milk, 1 teaspoon chives, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. In a 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat; pour in egg mixture. Cook over medium heat without stirring until mixture begins to set on the bottom and around edge.

3. With a spatula, lift and fold the partially cooked egg mxiture so that the uncooked portion flows underneath. Continue cooking over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until egg mixture is cooked through but is still glossy and moist. Remove from heat.

4. Spoon a small amount of egg mixture into each potato nest. Sprinkle cheese over eggs. Return to oven; bake about 2 minutes or until cheese melts. If desired, garnish with chives. Makes 6 "nests"

Grilled Banana Sundaes

One of the things I'm definitely going to do next spring and summer is experiment with more grilled fruits. Earlier this summer I made pork chops with grilled peaches, and I absolutely loved the extra flavor and sweetness the grill gave the peaches. When I saw a recipe on the Better Homes and Gardens website for grilled banana sundaes, I was instantly intrigued. Since bananas are so soft, I had my doubts about how well they'd hold up to grilling -- but much to my surprise, they actually held up very well. The warm bananas had a velvety texture, and grilling them gave them such an interesting depth of flavor. They were the perfect pairing for spicy caramel sauce and cool, creamy vanilla ice cream.

We liked these sundaes a lot, and I think I'll make them frequently when we start grilling again next spring. We don't typically do dessert during the week, so this was a nice mid-week treat for us. The original recipe suggests topping the sundaes with toasted coconut and sliced almonds, but I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanuts instead -- both because I had them on hand, and because I thought they'd be the perfect toppings. They were. What a yummy treat!

Grilled Banana Sundaes
source: slightly adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

2 large firm bananas
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 teaspoons orange juice, divided
1/2 cup caramel ice-cream topping
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream
Optional toppings: semi-sweet chocolate chips, honey-roasted peanuts, toasted coconut, sliced toasted almonds

1. Cut bananas in half lengthwise, then cut each piece in half crosswise. Stir together margarine or butter and 1 teaspoon of the orange juice. Brush mixture on all sides of banana pieces.

2. Place bananas directly on the grill rack over medium-hot coals. Grill, uncovered, for 2 minutes; turn over and grill for 2 minutes more or until heated through.

3. Meanwhile, in a heavy, medium skillet or saucepan combine the caramel topping and the remaining 1 teaspoon orange juice. Heat on the grill rack alongside bananas directly over the coals, or on a stovetop, until bubbly, stirring frequently. Stir in cinnamon. Add bananas and stir gently to coat.

4. To serve, scoop ice cream into dessert dishes. Spoon sauce and bananas atop ice cream. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and peanuts, if desired.

Worcestershire-Glazed Vegetables

Last week, we did something that Joe absolutely dreads doing every fall: We put the grill away for the year. But before we put it away, we said goodbye to the grilled foods of summer in style: with gorgeous T-bone steaks, velvety baked potatoes, grilled banana sundaes (I'll share the recipe tomorrow), and these vegetables.

This vegetable medley, a mixture of zucchini, mushrooms, pearl onions and garlic, is one of our favorite pairings for steak during the summer months. It's a delicious side dish, and equally as yummy piled directly on top of the steaks themselves. The vegetables are already rich and earthy, but the Worcestershire sauce really adds something special and makes them unbelievably flavorful. You could absolutely cook the vegetables on the grill in foil packets, but I like the caramelization they get in a saute pan.

Worcestershire-Glazed Vegetables
source: Cassie

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons
5 ounces button mushrooms, stemmed
1/2 cup pearl onions
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1. Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add zucchini, mushrooms, and onions and cook until vegetables are tender. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and red pepper flakes; cook and stir one minute.

2. Add Worcestershire sauce to vegetables. Reduce heat to low and cook until the sauce thickens and coats the vegetables.