Classic Salsa

The other day I made a great salsa that is very simple. It contains five ingredients so it is very fresh and you can taste each individual ingredient perfectly. After making this salsa, I don't know that I will ever buy one at the grocery store. I love making things that are fresh and especially natural. No preservatives.

Here is what you'll need:

• 4 Tomatoes
• 1 Red Onion
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• 1-2 Jalapeños
• 1 Handful Cilantro

Chop all ingredients and combine in a medium mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate 20-30 minutes before serving. This will allow the flavors to combine more but it is not necessary to do. Serve with some good yellow or blue corn tortilla chips!

Sautéed Shrimp in a Lemon Butter with Tagliatelle

The recent Spring weather inspired me to make a dinner that is light and fresh. Shrimp in a lemon butter with pasta. This quick and delicious meal is the perfect spring dish.


The hardest part of cooking shrimp is deciding how much to buy. I was making dinner for four adults. The man helping me at Byerly’s said “well that depends on how much shrimp you want in your pasta.” I prefer about equal pasta to shrimp; so with each bite of pasta there is a piece of shrimp. The shrimp that I purchased was a 41-50 count, meaning there are roughly 41-50 shrimp per pound. They were little guys. I ordered 1¼ pounds and I could tell my brother was still hungry. If you are feeding any big guys I would suggest getting 1½ pounds for four people. That comes out to 15-18 small shrimp per person assuming you buy the 41-50 count.

You will need:
• 1 Box Pasta of your choice (a long noodle is best; spaghetti, linguini, etc.)
• 1½ Pounds Shrimp; raw, peeled and deveined
• 1½ Lemon
• Olive Oil
• 4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
• ½ Cup Butter, 1 stick
• ¼ Cup White Cooking Wine
• Salt & Pepper
• Basil, sliced
• Parmesan, grated

Bring 1 gallon of lightly salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente. For the pasta, I used tagliatelle nests (photo below) which worked really well. When the pasta is done, strain and rinse with cool water to immediately cease the cooking.

While the pasta is cooking, you can start the shrimp. If frozen, rinse the shrimp in cold water until thawed. Microwave a whole lemon for 15-20 seconds; this makes squeezing the juice easy. Squeeze ½ of the lemon over the raw shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan at medium heat. Add enough olive oil to lightly coat the entire pan. Add the garlic and sauté 30-60 seconds, and then add the shrimp. Once the outside of the shrimp has cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes (depending on the size), begin adding the butter tablespoon by tablespoon. Once the butter is all melted, add the white cooking wine and squeeze the rest of the lemon halves over the pan. Let simmer allowing the shrimp to finish cooking, another 1-2 minutes.

Toss the cooked pasta into the sauté pan with the shrimp. This allows the pasta to warm while being coated with the lemon butter. Sprinkle the slices of basil and grated parmesan over the shrimp and pasta mixing everything thoroughly.


Serve in a bowl or on a plate. Garnish each dish with more basil and parmesan if desired. Finally, Enjoy!

Again this serves 4-5 people and takes about 20 minutes.

Chicken Quesadillas

I found a recipe for quesadillas made with Pillsbury Grands biscuits on the Food Network website and they looked really good. I took the idea and made my own recipe. These are super easy to make and are a great appetizer for a group of people.

• 1 container (8 oz) sour cream
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced (4 tablespoons)
• 1 cup chunky-style salsa
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ lb sliced roasted chicken (from deli), chopped
• ¾ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend or crumbled queso blanco cheese
• 1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury Grands Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Heat closed medium-size contact grill for 5 minutes (I used a Panini maker and that worked pretty well); spray grill plates with no-stick cooking spray.


In a medium bowl, mix sour cream, green onions, salsa, cilantro, chicken and cheese. (I used a rotisserie chicken and pulled about ¼ lb of meat off of it.)




Separate dough into 8 biscuits; press or roll each into 5-inch round. Place 1/4 cup chicken mixture on one side of each biscuit round. Fold biscuit over filling; press edges to seal.


Place biscuits, two at a time, on grill; close grill. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Cut each quesadilla into 3 wedges. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Make these for your next party and they will be a hit!