Spinach Alfredo Pizza

I was really worried Derrick wouldn't like this pizza with all the spinach and tomatoes - but he said it was really good!  I think the Alfredo sauce really makes it.  I adapted it from my Almost Homemade cookbook.

1 Pillsbury pizza crust
1/2 cup Alfredo sauce (I used light)
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 cups (8 oz) mozzarella or Italian cheese blend

Roll out pizza dough on pan.  Spread Alfredo sauce over dough.  Top with spinach and tomatoes

Sprinkle on cheese.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 13 minutes.  Might need longer if you are not using a convection oven.

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

Last night I used the Bangin' Good Shrimp recipe and put it into taco shells.  This time I added a little more sriracha which gave it a tad more kick.  Then we just put them in tortillas.  I made Spanish rice for a side, but Derrick had the idea of putting the rice into the tortilla with the shrimp.

 This filled it up a little better and made it more delicious!  There is plenty of sauce on the shrimp, so it is really all the taco needs, but feel free to add lettuce, sour cream, cheese, salsa, avocado, etc.  Derrick even made a couple hard tacos which he said were good too!

Banana Bread

I love sweet breads.  Derrick's mom makes really good Zucchini Bread homemade from her garden!  Lately (maybe it's the heat and humidity?) bananas seem to get too ripe way to fast to eat them, so I keep finding myself with tons of spotted bananas that end up getting thrown out since they're past the point I'll eat them.  Since I had some free time today, I decided to make them into something more delicious.  Now I don't think I'll ever be able to throw them out again, the banana bread is so good!

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 beaten eggs
5 medium mashed bananas (I just mash them on a plate with a fork - the more ripe they are, the better)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil

Grease bottom and sides of one 9x5 or two 7 1/2x3 1/2 inch loaf pans.  Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and a dash of salt.  Make a hole in the middle of the mixture.

Combine beaten eggs, mashed bananas, sugar, and oil.  Add it all at once to the flour mixture.  Stir until it is moistened.  It will be lumpy.  Pour into pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes.  If you are using one pan it will probably take 55 to 60 minutes.  Test with a toothpick.  You can cover them with foil the last 15 minutes to prevent them from getting too brown.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan.

I am definitely freezing one loaf to take to the lake!

Bangin' Good Shrimp

One of our favorite restaurants is Bonefish.  And you cannot eat there without ordering the Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer.  It is to die for.  I found this lighter version of Bonefish's specialty from Ginas Skinny Recipes.  It was very easy and quick to make, and Derrick liked it!  The shrimp really only takes 3 minutes to cook.  I could hardly believe this and probably cooked it about a minute too long.  The Thai Sweet Chili Sauce and Sriracha were in the Asian section of the grocery store.  Two HyVee's were out of the Sriracha, but I found some in stock at Price Chopper.  Now that I have a huge bottle of it, I need to find some more recipes with Sriracha!  Send them my way if you have any!  I served the shrimp over a bed of chopped romaine (iceberg or cabbage would work fine) with yellow rice.  Wild rice or a veggie would also go very well.  This shrimp would also be a good filling in soft tacos like the Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos at Bonefish. 

5 tbsp light mayo
3 tbsp thai sweet chili sauce
1 tsp sriracha (to taste) - add more to make it spicier
1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp olive oil
lettuce or cabbage, chopped
4 tbsp chopped scallions, optional

In a medium bowl combine mayo, thai sweet chili sauce, and sriracha.  Set aside.  Divide lettuce between 2 -4 plates (however many you are serving - I think this recipe serves 2-3 people pretty well).

Coat shrimp with cornstarch and mix well with your hands.

Heat a large skilled or wok on high heat.  Add oil.  When oil is hot add the shrimp and cook tossing a few times until pink, about 3 minutes.  Remove from pan and combine with the sauce.  Coat well.

Place shrimp on lettuce and top with scallions.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Derrick loves cookie dough, so when I found this recipe from the-girl-who-ate-everything I knew I would make it for him - what better occasion than his birthday?  These were a bit time consuming.  I cut back by using premade icing.  Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Buttercream is delicious.  I was thinking I could have saved a ton of time by using a cake mix, but you do NOT want to do that.  The homemade cake part of these cupcakes is worth it! 

For the cupcakes:
3 sticks butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the cookie dough filling:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
6 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tbsp flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Frosting

For decoration:
sprinkles

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake pan with liners.

Combine butter and brown sugar.  Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir together to blend.  Add the dry ingredients to the mixer on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Blend in the vanilla.  Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until smooth.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate until it has firmed, about 30 minutes.

Cut a cone-shaped portion out of the middle of each cupcake.  You can taste-test this part!  Yum!  Fill each hole with a couple tablespoons of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

Frost the cupcakes.  Sprinkle with sprinkles.  I kept them chilled, but some like them room temperature so the frosting and cookie dough melt in your mouth.  It is funny to see the surprised look on people's faces when they think they are biting into a regular cupcake.