Shrimp Trotolle

So I have gotten many requests to post the recipe of a dish I made for lunch a few days ago. I appreciate the support and requests, so here it is. It has taken me a very long time to write this recipe because I couldn't remember the name of the pasta shape. It is not your average shape that people just know. I couldn't even remember what store I bought it from so I searched google images and the databases of the store I shop at. I gave up yesterday, lol. But today, after searching more than 3000 items, I finally found the picture of the pasta shape, and the friggin name. :) I hope you enjoy this dish because there was some hard work behind the scenes to make it available to you, lol.

Let's start with the pasta name. It is called Trotolle (pictured below). It is in a spring like or coiled form and it very filling. I find that this type of pasta works well with soaking up sauces.

Ingredients
4 oz Trotolle pasta 
3 Tablespoons of Oil (Any oil like vegetable, canola, avocado- I used this one, corn, olive, etc)
1 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon of Onion Powder
2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Teaspoons Pepper
1 Lemon Wedge
1/2 Large Onion (Diced)
8 oz Cremini Mushroms (Sliced) (These are baby portabello. You can find them at Walmart.) 
1 Orange Bell Pepper (Diced)
2 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
1/2 lb Shrimp (Peeled, tail off. . . or on, whichever you'd prefer. I have the tails
1 Tablespoon Chopped Parsley (If you don't have fresh parsley, you can used dried parsley flakes)


Directions
1.) In a medium sized bowl, add 1 Tablespoon of oil, the Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and 1 Teaspoon of the Salt and Pepper. Mix and add Shrimp to marinate. Set aside. 

2.) Cook pasta according to package directions. (Make sure your pasta is not too soft though. It needs to have just a bit of bite left in it. Al dente.)

3.) In a large skillet, on medium high heat, add 2 Tablespoons of oil and saute the diced onions for about 5 minutes.

4.) Add the mushrooms and the other Teaspoon of Salt and Pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes. 

5.) Add the bell peppers and cook for 3 more minutes.

6.) When the vegetable are all deliciously cooked and ready, add the heavy cream and turn the heat up to high. (Do NOT walk away from the stove. Keep stirring and when the sauce comes to a rapid boil, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 4 minutes until it thickens a little.)

7.) Saute the shrimp on medium high heat until pink on both sides. Squeeze the lemon wedge over the shrimp. Shouldn't take more than 3 minutes. (Nothing like a hit of fresh lemon juice on seafood!!)

8.) Add cooked pasta to the sauce. Cook for 2 minutes.

9.) Add the shrimp and the parsley and stir. 

10.) Serve and enjoy :) Serves 2

Cheesecake? Yes, please.

So I'm back at it again and I feel great after having a wonderful conversation with my brother. It provided me the motivation necessary to persevere. Gotta love family :)

Today I want to share my recipe for Cheesecake. I absolutely love cheesecake and have gone through many test phases to create a recipe that works for me. The one that I have formulated does not include any added sugar. Notice I said no ADDED sugar. The ingredients that already have natural sugar content in them do the trick to make this dessert just right, so there is no need for the white sweet stuff today, lol.

Follow the instructions below and prepare for a party in your mouth!!

This recipe makes about 8-10 servings depending on the size and depth of your spring-form pan. (And how hungry you are, lol)


Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups- Ground Graham Crackers
1/2 teaspoon- Ground Cinnamon
1 stick- Butter, unsalted, melted (Microwave to melt. Takes about 20 seconds. Be sure to keep your eye on it though!!)

Filling:

1 pound- Cream Cheese, softened (Just leave it out on the counter for about 30 minutes before you start)
3- Eggs
1 cup- Honey (Yep, I said Honey. Surprise! Lol.)
1 pint- Sour Cream
1- Lemon, zested
1 tablespoon- Vanilla Extract (Imitation vanilla extract will work too. Tastes good to me!)



Directions 

1.) Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F, (Make sure you do this please!) and boil a large pot of water (You'll need it later. Just do it.)

2.) In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients for the crust.

3.) Spray your spring-form pan with non-stick spray and pour in the crust mixture. (You'll want to slap yourself if you don't use the non-stick spray. Trust me.)

4.) Mold the mixture to create a bottom crust in the pan while working the sides up to about 1 inch so you can have side crust. (Yummy!) Place this in a refrigerator until it's time to pour in the filling.

5.) In another bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the cream cheese on a low speed adding in the eggs, one at a time, until it is smooth. (If you don't have a mixer, feel free to use a wooden spoon and mix the hell out of that cream cheese. The end result is just the same.)

6.) Add the sour cream, honey, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

7.) Fill a large roasting pan with the boiling water about 1/2 inch deep.

8.) Cover the bottom of the spring-form pan with aluminum foil and fold up the sides. Place in the roasting pan. (Yes! Put the pan, covered in foil, in the water.)

9.) Bake for about 40 minutes.

10.) Remove from oven and let the cheesecake sit for about 30 minutes before you handle it. After that, chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

11.) Cut, serve, enjoy.


I hope you love the recipe as much as I do. If you don't love it, tell me why. I'm always looking for ways to improve. Oh, and for an extra yummy tip you can add strawberries and whipped cream to top it off. :)

Below is a picture of a mini cheesecake cupcake I made. To make this, simply divide the above recipe in half and mold the crust into a cupcake pan. Bake the same way and time.

I'll have to get a camera and learn to take better pictures so I can show you food porn, lol. #Coming Soon.

Thanks for visiting. Come back really soon.