Placing New Posts Over at Dennys Food and Recipes

*** Check out my newest food blog where all 3 food blogs are now combined into one easy place to search for your favorite recipes or try something new!





From Denny: The way the online world has changed so much in the past year it's time to pare back down to just a few blogs. Most people find a blogger through search engines, social sites and blog or rss directories now.

There is so much great news going on that it's just plain easier to place post drafts all in one place when I'm grabbing research and links to write a post. I've experimented the past year with various themes and niche only blogs only to find out my instincts were right all along and the so-called internet experts were wrong: generalized blogs do get more traffic over small niche blogs. So, my niche blogs are getting combined so I can stretch out a bit more, put my elbows on the table and write about all the other goodies I've wanted to include but was constrained by the narrow niche writing.

I'm leaving up this blog as an archive. Why spoil all those wonderful links littered all over the internet? You will still find all the posts here also over at Dennys Food and Recipes - even the funny posts.

Google and the other search engines keep changing their requirements and bloggers have to keep jumping through hoops. Who knows? If the web world changes yet again then I'll adapt yet again. :) Such is life in the fast lane.

I'll be writing on fav food stories and news, posting recipes for everything from pasta to chocolate to Louisiana food to the newest trends in beverages and international food. Come check out Dennys Food and Recipes where you can find all - in one place - all the posts of my three food blogs! And please join me on Google Friend Connect too! :)


*** THANK YOU for all your support this past year as it's been fun writing for you. I enjoy researching to find those little gems to bring back home for you! :)

Spicy Shrimp Fra Diavolo Sauce Used 3 Ways: Seafood, Chicken, Polenta

Shrimp fra diavlo by arthurohm @ flickr


From Denny: What's great about this pasta sauce is it's basically a marinara sauce and incredibly versatile. Chef Lidia demos how to use it over sauteed fresh shrimp, spooned over sauteed boneless chicken breast and yellow bell peppers or over cooled, cut and grilled polenta rectangles.

You can use this spicy hot sauce over fish and with pasta too. You can freeze the sauce and use canned tomatoes if fresh are too expensive or not available.
I like more spices in mine than her traditional simple version so feel free to add spices you like. I guess you can tell this is one of my favorite dishes and we use ground cayenne pepper at our house for this dish.

By the way, "Fra diavolo" is Italian for "Brother Devil." It's a name they use for any spicy sauce using red pepper for pastas or seafood dishes. Chef Lidia Bastianich's recipe is utterly simple, so fast and easy that you will have dinner on the table in no time at all - and with style! :)

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Shrimp Fra Diavolo

From: Chef Lidia Bastianich

Serves: 6 lucky people! :)

This dish is excellent served as a main course or as a dressing for pasta.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 2 1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp (about 30) peeled and deveined
• Salt
• One 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), cored and coarsely crushed
• 8 fresh basil leaves, torn into quarters
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook, shaking the pan, until golden. This takes about one minute. Add as many shrimp as fit in a single layer with some space between each. If you crowd the shrimp, they will steam in their own juices rather than get crunchy with a lightly browned exterior. Cook, tuning once, until lightly golden, about three minutes. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a plate, leaving as much garlic as possible in the pan.

Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the tomatoes into the skillet, season with salt and crushed red pepper, and bring to a vigorous boil. Lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer and cook until it is lightly thickened. This takes about 10 minutes.

Stir in the shrimp, basil and parsley and cook until the shrimp are heated through. This takes just a few seconds.



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