What do you want to be when you grow up? Do you remember being asked that question over and over again as a kid? I’m sure you do. What was your response? A doctor? A Lawyer? Fireman? “Sonia what do you want to be when you grow up?” My response… “A Photographer!’ I wanted to take pictures of celebrities for magazines.Yup that was my dream. The photography thing was before the “I want to be a Chef” came about. That was before I decided to cook a pot of oodles and noodles at the age of 5 or 6 and spilled boiling water all over my little legs trying to drain them. I don’t know who let me cook at that age… hmm I was probably sneaking 🙂 lol. Oh yeah chef wasn’t even a thought then, well not at that age.I am still no photographer but now that I am blogging I think it is a great way to combine both. Even if it is just a hobby. Hey did I mention I wanted to be a writer too? Ha ha! I am NO writer lol.
I am now a owner of a Canon Rebel T3i dslr camera and YES I am VERY excited about it. I’ve had it for only a week and I am still learning which I am sure it will be a learning process each and every day. Luckily I was able to get a GREAT intro lesson from my dear friend Sophorn over lunch @ Chipotle and coffee @ Starbucks! Sophorn has agreed to be on stand by for any questions I may have (which I have several). So yes, she will be harrassed. 🙂 I can already see the difference in my photos which is great!But I will be doing lots of practicing.
My first meal I made and took pictures of with my new Canon was this Shrimp and Bacon Penne. I was watching Giada DeLaurentiis and she made a Seafood Penne on her “Surf and Turf” Episode of Everyday Italian. I was thinking… Hey, I love pasta and Bryan loves Seafood. So why not! Giada’s recipe did call for lobster tails which I had to omit because lets just admit it, Giada’s balling and I’m on a budget.
Note: *I added more shrimp to the recipe to make up for the lobster tails I omitted. You can add any type of Seafood to this recipe. Next time I think I will use shrimp and scallops.
Whole wheat Penne with Shrimp & Bacon
Giada DeLaurentiis
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
- 1 pound thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- One 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 3/4 cup clam juice
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup chopped fresh basil
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Directions
In a large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels.
In the same skillet, add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes (and juices), clam juice, cream, 1/2 cup basil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add the lobster and bacon. Simmer until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.
Pour the tomato mixture over the cooked pasta and toss until coated. Garnish with the remaining 1/2 cup basil and season with salt and pepper.
Blade's Culinary Creations 