Lemon Shrimp Pasta Salad

Tonight's meal came from the Kraft Food and Family magazine, Spring 2007 issue. I of course tweaked it a bit to my liking but it turned out great and had amazing flavor. Now I think this is supposed to be served lukewarm to cold (like most pasta salads) but I really wanted something hot for dinner so I thawed my frozen shrimp in a collander and when it was time to drain the noodles and asparagus, I drained them over the cold thawed shrimp, thus making everything warm and toasty! The cheese melted into it too making it extra good. The only thing that wasn't cooked or warmed were the tomatoes that were mixed in after. The only downside is that Aiden wouldn't eat more that 3 noodles out of it....too much flavor for him I guess. Tim and I loved it though and there were plenty of leftovers to go around. I give this recipe a 4.5!

3 cups (8 oz.) farfalle (bow-tie pasta), uncooked (I used garden rotini)
1 lb. fresh asparagus spears, cut into 2-inch lengths
1 cup KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Reduced Fat Dressing
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 lb. cooked large shrimp (20 to 25 count) (I used a lb. of the small shrimp)
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes (I used regular tomatoes)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Natural 2% Milk Reduced Fat Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese Crumbles (I used regular shredded cheese)

COOK pasta as directed on package, adding asparagus to the cooking water for the last 3 min. of the pasta cooking time; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well.

MEANWHILE, mix dressing, oregano and lemon peel.

PLACE pasta mixture in large bowl. Add dressing mixture, shrimp, tomatoes and cheese; mix lightly. Serve immediately. Or, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tuna and Green Chile Melt

Tonight's meal came from the Pillsbury Bake off. This recipe was the $10,000 3-a day dairy award winner. I'm always a little wary when a recipe calls for tuna but this one turned out great! There was hardly even a tuna taste! I didn't use the low fat mayo and I skipped the egg yolk sesame seed step since I didn't have sesame seeds. I also didn't have cajun seasoning so I used Essence of Emeril which I figured would give the same POW effect! Definitely one I'll make again. I give this recipe a 5!

Ingredients:
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated reduced-fat buttermilk biscuits
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon sesame seed
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles
2 cans (6 oz each) albacore tuna in water, drained
2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
Chopped tomato, if desired
Shredded lettuce, if desired

Preparation Directions:
1 . Heat oven to 350°F. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Separate dough into 8 biscuits; place 2 1/2 inches apart on cookie sheet. With bottom of flat 2-inchdiameter glass or with fingers, press biscuits into 3 1/2-inch rounds with 1/4-inch rim around outer edge.
2 . In small bowl, beat egg yolk and water with fork until well blended. Brush over tops and sides of biscuits. Sprinkle each with sesame seed. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.
3 . Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix mayonnaise, cilantro, salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and green chiles. Stir in tuna; set aside.
4 . Set oven control to broil. Spoon about 1/4 cup tuna mixture into indentation in each biscuit; sprinkle each with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Carefully remove biscuits from cookie sheet. Garnish with tomato and lettuce.

No-Fail Baked Seafood Lasagna

This recipe comes from the Spring 2006 issue of the Kraft Food and Family magazine. It's funny that this recipe says it's a "no-fail" recipe because this happened to be one of those recipes that Tim said "wasn't bad, but wasn't his favorite". I thought for sure it would be a hit because it had shrimp in it, which is Tim's favorite thing to eat. I thought it was pretty good but it was a little too sweet. The recipe calls for just a little bit of nutmeg and I used imitation crab meat instead of canned crabmeat which already has a slight sweet taste to it. So instead of nutmeg I think I would just add salt. We'll be adding salt to the leftovers. I give this recipe a 3.

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Cottage Cheese
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
9 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained
1/2 lb. fresh or thawed frozen cleaned medium shrimp (31 to 35 count), cooked
2 cans (6 oz. each) crabmeat, drained, flaked

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Melt butter in large saucepan on medium heat. Add flour; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Gradually add milk, mixing well after each addition. Bring to boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 to 5 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese; set aside. Combine spinach, cottage cheese, 2/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the nutmeg.

SPREAD 1/4 of the Parmesan cheese sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan. Cover with 3 of the lasagna noodles and layers of 1/2 each of the shrimp, crabmeat and spinach mixture; top with 1/4 of the Parmesan cheese sauce. Repeat layers, starting with the noodles. Top with remaining 3 lasagna noodles, remaining Parmesan cheese sauce and the remaining 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil.

BAKE 25 min. Uncover; bake an additional 20 min. or until lasagna is heated through and top is lightly browned. Let stand 10 min. before cutting into 12 pieces to serve.

Crab Corn Bisque

Well since I'm nearing the end of the recipes in the crock pot cook book....well more boring of them really, I thought I'd give you the recipes that I find in other places that I make and like. Tonight was Crab Corn Bisque and it's found in the "Favorite Recipes from Quilters" cookbook on pg 55. I found quite a few recipes I've liked in this book so maybe you will too. I was a little skeptical of this recipe since you make it entirely in the microwave but it turned out pretty good. I give this recipe a 3

Makes 6 servings

2 Tbsp. margarine
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 tsp. thyme
10 3/4 oz. can cream of potato soup
1 1/2 cups milk
17 oz. can creamed corn
12 oz. imitation crab meat

1. Melt margarine in a 3-quart casserole dish in microwave on high.
2. Add chopped vegetables and thyme and cover with plastic wrap which has several slits in top. Cook in microwave on high for 5 minutes, stirring one time.
3. Stir in all remaining ingredients, cover with vented plastic wrap and microwave on high for 7 minutes or until boiling hot. Serve.

I cooked up some crescent rolls to go with it!