Shrimp Scampi

It IS possible to have a delicious home-cooked meal in 15 minutes...who knew! This was yummy, although the kids didn't seem to like it, the phrase "looks like throw-up" was used more than once at the dinner table tonight. However, with how fast and easy it was, I think I'll make it again. Yeah, cuz I'm a mean mom. :)


First of all, I changed the recipe quite a bit, I totally took the easy road on all the ingredients.

3 packages of ramen noodles, without the flavoring (or you can use an 8 ounce package angel hair pasta to do it the "right" way)
1/2 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used pre-cooked, and just defrosted it first)
1/3 cup white wine (I subsituted canned chicken broth)
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs (I used italian seasoned bread crumbs)
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese



Cook pasta (or ramen noodles) according to package directions, except don't add the seasonings.

In a large saucepan, melt butter, saute garlic until tender, remove garlic and discard. (I left the garlic in) Add shrimp and cook until colored pink (or, if it's precooked, just cook until defroasted). Stir in white wine (or chicken broth). The bread crumbs are used as thickening, so stir in a little at a time until desired thickness is reached.


Serve shrimp over pasta, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

I also cooked a package of steam fresh brocolli in the microwave and tossed it into the mix.

Mexican Pizza

This is similar to the Mexican pizza at Taco Bell. Pretty yummy and pretty cheap too. The presentation is nice enough for company, and it's made from ingredients we usually have on hand. Plus, it's ready in about 45 minutes....it's like the perfect fall-back meal!

1/2 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 TBS chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 (16 oz) can refried beans

4 (10 inch) tortillas

1/2 cup salsa

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded monterrey jack cheese

2 green onions, diced

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup finely chopped jalepenos

1/4 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat 2 pie plates with cooking spray.
2. Place beef, onion, and garlic in skillet over medium heat. Cook until browned. Drain grease, and season with chili powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper, and salt.
3. Lay 1 tortilla in each pie plate. Spread half the can of refried beans on the tortillas. Spread half ground beef mixture on each. Cover with 2nd tortillas. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
4. Let cool slightly. Spread 1/2 of each on each tortilla: salsa, cheeses, tomatoes, green onions, and jalepenos.
5. Bake 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let cool slightly before slicing.

We are sour cream lovers, but this meal was able to hold it's own without the sour cream. The jalepenos were a little too spicy for the kids, I think next time I'll only add them to one of the Mexican pizzas.