Sweet & Sour Pineapple Shrimp and Rice Bowls

I've been searching the Internet for recipe ideas that would be outside our normal everyday meals. I found a recipe on Kraft.com for Pineapple Shrimp Kabobs. Instead of making this a kabob meal, I made it a "stir fry" of sorts. It turned out to be a quick 30 minute meal with tons of flavor.

I made some changes to the recipe and in the end I was very pleased at how it turned out. My happiest moments came as my kids took their first bites and both surprisingly said "I really like this!" You had to be here while I was preparing the meal. My daughter kept insisting that she hated shrimp and that she wasn't going to eat dinner ...and, of course, she said that I was going to starve her on purpose. She ended up eating more shrimp than anyone else. My son admitted that he thought that he would hate but that he really liked it.

What more could I ask for?  :)

Sweet & Sour Pineapple Shrimp and Rice Bowls
adapted from Kraft.com

4 cups of cooked rice of your choice, kept warm
3/4 c. zesty Italian dressing
2 tbsp + 2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 - 4 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
2 bags large size frozen shrimp, tails removed and thawed
3/4 can of unsweetened pineapple chunks
1/3 c. fresh basil, chopped

Prepare rice and keep it warm until ready to eat.

In a medium-sized frying pan, stir together Italian dressing, brown sugar, garlic, chili sauce and pineapple juice. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and starts to thicken just a bit.

Stir in shrimp. Cook for 5- 6 minutes.

Add pineapple and basil. Continue cooking for 2 more minutes.

To Serve:

Scoop rice into individual bowls.

Spoon the pineapple shrimp sauce over the rice.

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Linking to:

Tempt My Tummy

Tuesdays at the Table 

Tasty Tuesdays

May Secret Recipe Club: Strawberry Mascarpone Ice Cream

It's strawberry time here in NC. When I decided to participate in this month's Secret Recipe Club, I was hoping that my secret blogging buddy would have a strawberry recipe on her/his blog that would draw me in and convince me to make it.

I was in luck! I was matched up with Ruchi @ Ruchi's Simply Food. She has a delicious recipe for Strawberry Mascarpone Ice Cream that I just had to try. Her ice cream recipe has just a handful of ingredients and she made it into a no churn recipe.

I made a few changes to the recipe, plus I used my ice cream maker to make it smooth and cold. I did need to convert her recipe amounts. Once I converted the amounts, I rounded everything up for ease and also so that I didn't have bits of everything left over. The results were delicious. A thick and creamy strawberry ice cream that my whole family loved. Excellent in a dish or a cone!

You can view her original recipe here.

Here's my version:

Strawberry Mascarpone Ice Cream

14 ounces strawberry, diced into small chunks
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
8 ounces homemade mascarpone cheese* - recipe below
8 ounces heavy cream
1/2 c. powdered sugar - I added this to make the cream a bit sweeter

Mix chopped berries, powdered sugar and lemon juice together and set aside.

Using a hand mixer, mix together Mascarpone cheese* and heavy cream.

Mix in extra 1/2 c. of powdered sugar.

Mix in strawberries.

Pour mixture into the frozen bowl of an ice cream maker.

Process according to manufacture's directions until ice cream is thick and creamy.

Serve in bowls or ice cream cones or freeze until ready to eat.The consistency will change from smooth and creamy to a hard ice cream texture if frozen. It is delicious either way.

To make homemade Mascarpone Cheese:

8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 c. heavy cream
2 1/2 tbsp. sour cream

Mix together until smooth and creamy

If you would like to join us in the Secret Recipe Club, here's what you need to know.

Enjoy our blog hop! Comments are welcomed!

Linking to:

It's Berry Season! Gooseberry Patch

Menu for May 15 - 21

This month seems to be flying by. We're not as busy this week as we were last week. My son has one game playoff soccer game scheduled for Tuesday if the weather holds out. Weather reports are conflicting right now. Some say rain, some say sun so we'll just have to wait and see. The end of grade tests are over so the kids can relax now. All reading points have been earned, too. It's just a matter of waiting it out 'til the end of the year. We are attending my son's honor roll awards ceremony on Thursday.

Can't wait until our tomato plants have tomatoes hanging on them. I've been craving fried green tomatoes. :) Haven't had them in so long. Yum.

On to this week's menu:

Sunday - meatloaf and mac n cheese - didn't have it last week

Monday - pineapple shrimp skewers with Asian noodles

Tuesday - blts and hashbrowns

Wednesday - pastitsio (Greek lasagna) with salad and bread

Thursday - Greek lemon roasted chicken with rice and corn

Friday - open

Saturday - Tuscany chicken and pasta with garlic bread

Enjoy the week! If you're reading this, stop by and say "hi!". I'll visit you back.

Whole Wheat Pita Pizza with Cheese, Mushrooms & Fresh Herbs

Here's a more grown up version of our family's favorite pita pizzas. White pizza is one of my all time favorites. I like to change up the ingredients every time I make it for myself. This one gets lots of flavor from fresh oregano, rosemary, basil and thyme.

Whole Wheat Pita Pizza with Cheese, Mushrooms & Fresh Herbs
makes 2

2 whole wheat pita breads
2/3 cup shredded cheese. I used Sargento
Artisan Blends Mozzarella & Provolone &
Double Cheddar - 1/3 c. of each
1c. white button mushrooms, sliced
olive oil
fresh herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. ricotta cheese

Lay the 2 pita breads on a baking sheet. Divide  and sprinkle 1/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese over both pitas. Set aside.

Thoroughly wash the fresh herbs. Pat dry with paper towels. Finely chop herbs and set aside.

In a frying pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add mushrooms. Saute mushrooms in oil until soft, stirring in herbs and garlic during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

Divide the mushrooms mixture between the two pitas, covering both to the outer edges.

Divide and sprinkle 1/3 c. shredded mozzarella and provolone cheeses on top of the pitas.

Using a teaspoon, drop the ricotta into 6 small circles on each pita. I used a butter knife to lightly draw lines in the cheese, dividing the pitas into 6 pieces. The end point of each piece got a dollop of ricotta cheese.

Bake at 450* for 8-10 minutes.

Pineapple Sage Cupcakes

I'm so happy that my little herb garden is in full bloom. I planted the regulars like basil and oregano but I also veered off the beaten path and bought some pineapple sage and cinnamon basil that day, mainly because they smelled so good. I figured that I would find something to do with them when the time came to use them.

I was looking through a new cookbook that I just received called "Southern Living Big Book of Cupcakes". In it there's a recipe for Lemon Basil Cupcakes that convinced me that I could use my pineapple sage to flavor some cupcakes of my own.

The results were light, airy cupcakes with a hint of pineapple. I used pineapple in the cupcakes to add to the flavor of the pineapple basil since the flavor of the pineapple basil is so faint when you cook or bake with it. Whole wheat flour adds a bit of nuttiness to the cupcakes, too.

Pineapple Sage Cupcakes
inspired by Lemon Basil Cupcakes from 
Southern Living Big Book of Cupcakes

3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice, reserved from can of pineapples
1/3 c. unsweetend pineapple chunks, crushed or cut into very small pieces
4 tbsp. pineapple sage, chopped into small pieces
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt 

Preheat oven to 350* Line cupcake pans with papers for 24 cupcakes and set aside.

Stir together milk and pineapple juice.

Crush pineapple chunks in a food processor or cut the chunks into very small pieces. Add to the milk and pineapple juice.

Cut pineapple sage into small pieces. Stir into the pineapple mixture and then set the bowl aside until you have finished mixing the dry ingredients.

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until combined.

Combine flours, baking powder and salt. Mix in butter mixture, alternating with pineapple mixture, mixing just until everything comes together resembling a cake batter.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full - do not over fill. These cupcakes do not rise too high.

Bake for 14 - 15 minutes or until the edges of the cupcakes turn light brown.

Cool in pans for 2-3 minutes. Remove cupcakes to cooling racks to cool completely.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Linking up with:

Cupcake Tuesday at Hoosier Homemade