MEATLESS MONDAY - Mary's Flavorful Red Sauce

My friend Mary made this for my family years ago and I fell in love with it. It really is so flavorful. It has a very pronounced salty flavor which I love from the olives and capers. It's super quick and easy to make. It's on the thinner side which I also love.

She came over a year or so ago and made it for us again, served it with a red wine and crusty french bread. It was such a treat!

Mary's Flavorful Red Sauce

6 cloves garlic, diced or minced

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cans (soup can size) stewed tomatoes

3 Tbsp capers with juice

3/4 jar black kalamata olives, PITTED & sliced, with juices

4 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 cup Fat Tire Beer (optional)

In pan over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic. Cook garlic until soft but not brown. Add stewed tomatoes. Mix well. Add capers, olives, balsamic vinegar & beer. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes over low heat. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Pasta with Prosciutto and Peas

Super yummy and super tasty. Best combo to have when you're cooking!

Bowtie Pasta with Prosciutto and Peas

12 ounces of pasta (whichever you like, I used Farfalle (bowtie)

1 T butter

1 large shallot finely chopped (sweet yellow onion will work too)

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 small package of peas, thawed (about 10 ounces)

8 slices of Prosciutto, cut in half and thinly sliced crosswise

1/2 C Parmesan Cheese, Grated

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

1. Boil the pasta, Reserve 1 cup of the pasta to add to the sauce to thin it out

2. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat, add the shallot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, peas, and prosciutto. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the peas are heated through, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the Parmesan cheese to the sauce. Add the pasta water to thin to your liking. I used about 1/4 a cup. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with additional Parm if desired. Serve immediately.

Delish! Enjoy!

Super Easy Shrimp Scampi

This dish is so delicious and so easy and SO fattening. Which of course means it's something I've been eating for quite some time. Even though, I will not be eating this anytime in my near future as I am on a diet...EEK! That's right folks, I'm dieting. So this might/maybe be my last posting for a FAT GUT BUSTING meal and I might move on to healthier things to post. BUT before you decide to stop checking our blog now...Jen is still on and I'm sure until she's done nursing sweet Gillian she'll have some yummy gooey food to post. So here's to you enjoying one of my family's favorite meals. My mom got this recipe from my mother-in-law, long before I was her daughter-in-law and made it for my family all the time. We call it Spaghetti Shrimp as we used Angel Hair Pasta or Thin Spaghetti but my mother in law always uses Fettuccine noodles. Try it out...you will NOT be disappointed.

Shrimp Scampi

1 lb raw deveined shrimp
1 stick butter
4-5 cloves garlic, presses, minced
2 Tablespoons cornstarch in 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup chicken broth
Salt and Cracked Pepper, to taste

Boil your noodles first. When your noodles are almost al dente, melt butter in large skillet. Saute shrimp and garlic till they change color, just a few minutes. Add cornstarch mixture and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over hot, cooked fettuccine noodles, or mix together and serve.