Shrimp Fra Diavolo

1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
1 medium onion, diced
1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
3 minced cloves of garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Pasta of your choice

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 tsp of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 3 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside.

Add the onion to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil if necessary. Saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic and oregano. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together. Stir in the parsley and basil. Serve over the pasta of your choice!

Shrimp & Asparagus Pasta Toss

We found this recipe after an incident in which I burnt the top layer of my tounge off because I'd been eating too much spicy food. Having been told to "tone it down a bit" by my doctor, we faced the challenge of making something tasty, soft and flavorful without depending on spiciness. Granted, this will probably only make seafood lovers happy, but it IS a tasty sauce even without the seafood.

6 oz uncooked angel hair pasta
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. chicken flavor instant bullion
1 1/2 c. milk
2 oz (1/2 c.) shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 lb. fresh or frozen uncooked shrimp, deveined
1/2 lb- 1 lb fresh uncooked sea scallops
1 bunch of fresh asparagus, cooked, drained and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 oz. (1 c.) sliced fresh mushrooms

Cook pasta to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain, rinse with hot water and keep warm.

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Blend in flour and bouillon; cook until it's smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk; cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Add cheeses; stir until smooth. Stir in shrimp, scallops and mushrooms; cook until thoroughly done. Add cooked asparagus. Serve over pasta.

Kickin' Jambalaya

This is a recipe I've been adjusting for about a year and a half. It rose out of a desire to cook spicy foods and take my time doing it. I'm quite confident when making this recipe and enjoy sharing it with others (it makes a lot of food) as an introduction to the kind of foods I make. I apologize in advance for linking to Wikipedia for some of these definitions, it just seemed easier (the historian in me protests, but the lazy slob in me wins).

1 lb spicy sausage (andouille is perfect but hard to find sometimes, I usually go with a 'hot italian brat' or the good old Bob Evans 'spicy italian sausage' in a tube)
1 lb chicken, cubed
1 lb shrimp peeled and de-veined
"cajun seasoning" (2 tsp Cayenne, 1 tsp Black Pepper, 1 tsp White Pepper, 1 tsp Oregano, 1 tsp Thyme)
2 cup rice
8 oz can tomato paste
8 oz can chicken stock
14 oz can diced tomatoes (I like the getting the kind with the jalapenos inside for this, but do as you will)
Trinity
-1/2 cup celery, chopped
-1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
-1 yellow onion, chopped
2 Tbsp garlic
1 Tbsp chili flakes or red pepper flakes

Start by browning your sausage in a 10 inch skillet (med high heat). Let the grease collect in the pan and when you're satisfied that the sausage is mostly done, transfer it to a 12 inch 'meat' skillet on low heat (you're going to keep the sausage and chicken warm here while you saute the trinity).

After you've transferred your sausage, add the chicken to the greasy pan. Salt to taste, and add your chili flakes. When the chicken is white and cooked through transfer to the large skillet holding the sausage. Now you're ready for the veggies.

Still using our first skillet, we're going to add the garlic and maybe some olive oil if there isn't enough grease left over from our first two steps. When the garlic is looking a little brown it's time to add the onions, bell pepper, and celery. Wait until the onions are clear and the celery is soft before adding the tomato paste. Now you're going to let it brown in the skillet for awhile, and you should get out a large sauce pot (at least 4 quarts, 6 might be better).

Heat the tomatoes and chicken stock in the sauce pot with the rice until it boils. Now...you ready? Add everything to the sauce pot: meat, veggies, spices, and shrimp. Cover that sucker up and let it simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes (or until the rice is done). If you're worried about over cooking the shrimp you can wait until the rice is 1/2 way done to add them, but I've never had a problem with it.

When this comes off the stove it's going to be hot and practically overflowing out of your sauce pot (that's why 6 quart may be better than 4). I've served this with beer but I prefer a Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay. Hope you enjoy.