Recipe: Shrimp Fettuccine

Boys and Girls of all ages! Do you need a delicious, scrumptious meal? A meal that tastes ‘out-of-this-world’ good and guaranteed to put the yum-yum face on everyone at the table? This is your go-to meal. Creamy, buttery, shrimpy (is that a word – and does anyone really care?). Whip up a batch of Shrimp Fettuccine and get ready to knock their socks off.

SHRIMP FETTUCCINE

3 sticks butter or margarine
3 medium onions, chopped
3 to 4 ribs celery, chopped
2 large bell peppers, chopped
¼ cup flour
¼ cup fresh parsley
3 crushed garlic cloves
3 to 4 lbs. peeled shrimp (or crawfish tails) cut up
1 pint half and half
1 pint whole milk
1 lb. Velveeta jalapeno (Mexican) cheese cut into pieces
Salt, black pepper and red pepper to taste
1 ½ lbs. fettuccine, broken
Parmesan cheese

Sauté onions, celery, and bell peppers in butter until clear and mushy. Add the flour, stirring well and often, cooking at least 30 minutes.

Add parsley, garlic and shrimp or crawfish tails, cooking at least another 30 minutes. Add half and half, Velveeta and seasonings, stirring well until cheese has melted. Cover and cook over low heat (simmer) at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook fettuccine, adding a little oil to salted water, according to package directions. Drain well and place in a large pot. Using a slotted spoon ladle shrimp and vegetable mixture over fettuccine. Add enough sauce until mixture is well balanced.

Pour into two buttered casserole dishes. Add more sauce after ingredients settle. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly (30 minutes or longer).

Serves 18 to 20

Recipe: Dad’s Shrimp Scampi

Dad - 1990

My father-in-law’s name was C.E.   Those are not his initials – that is his name.  Simple.  Just C.E.   A tall west Texas farm boy who grew up in the dusty panhandle.   He went on to work in a local bank as a teller and eventually worked his way to the position of bank president in a small town in Arkansas.  He was quiet, soft-spoken when he spoke and fiercely protective of his family.  But to us – he was just Dad.  Everyone called him Dad.  I loved his laugh.  Not really a laugh – just a chuckle.   He made up nicknames for his grandchildren like hoch-in-bocker, toad frog, or spider-toe and they still remember that he called them that.    A special man and we miss him all the time.  We lost him in 1994 after a 3 year battle with prostate cancer. 

This week’s loss of Farrah Fawcett and every time we hear of someone taken by cancer, it brings back all those memories of losing Dad.  I wanted to remember him today by sharing one of his recipes.  Dad was a great cook.  A GREAT cook!  Whether he was in the kitchen or at the grill – a great cook.  I treasure my little recipe cards of his recipes written in his handwriting.  So – here we go. 

Dad’s Shrimp Scampi

1 lb. Shrimp – raw/peeled/de-veined
6 tablespoons butter (salted)
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Tabasco red pepper sauce to taste

In a wide frying pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in onion, oil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt.  Cook until boiling.  Pat shrimp dry with paper towel and add to mixture in frying pan.  Cook stirring occasionally until shrimp turns pink (about 5 minutes).  Blend in parsley, lemon peel, and Tabasco sauce.  turn into serving dish.  Garnish with lemon wedges.  Serve with hot rice or linguine.  Serves 4 to 6. 

Love you Dad!

Y’all Enjoy! 

Recipe: Gulf Coast Shrimp Casserole

Yummy for the tummy!  A great casserole that is easy to prepare and will freeze well if you need to make ahead of time.

GULF COAST SHRIMP CASSEROLE 

½ cup butter
1 small can sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup chopped green pepper
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped green onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chopped parsley
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. black pepper
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
Italian bread crumbs
1 lb. cooked, peeled, shrimp or crawfish, seasoned with salt and crab boil 

In a large skillet, sauté the onion, pepper, celery and garlic in butter over medium heat until transparent and tender.  Stir in mushrooms, soup, rice, green onions, parsley, Tabasco, pepper and Creole seasoning to taste.  Add cooked shrimp and mix well.  Place in a 9 x 13 inch greased casserole dish and sprinkle with Italian bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes.  Freezes well.  Serves 6

From the kitchen of Helen Presswood, life-long friend of my parents from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Y’all Enjoy!