February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day

So instead of going out, D and I thought it would be nice to stay home and celebrate with the boys.  Our dinner tonight was way better than anything we could have gotten at any restaurant.

Steamed Shrimp and Lobster
2 lbs shrimp, devained and cleaned
2 medium lobster tails, cut and cleaned
Zatarain's Crab Boil
Any seasoning in your cupboard

In a steamer pot, bring water and 2 oz Zatarain's Crab boil to a boil.
Cut down the center of the lobster tail and pull the meat out so it is resting on top of the shell
Dust shrimp with any seasoning you want.  Tonight we used Oregano, Basil, Old Bay and who knows what else D pulled out of the cupboard.  Place the steamer basket over boiling water and cover.  Let the tails steam  for 5-8 minutes or until they are white in color and not to tough to push on.  Remove lobster tails and add shrimp and steam until pink.

Pasta and Peppers
12 ounces uncooked penne or bowtie, or large shell pasta
2 medium sweet red peppers, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium yellow peppers, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tbsp butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth
2 tbsp white wine or additional broth
2 tbsp minced fresh basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
crushed red pepper
Parmesan Cheese
Parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large non stick skillet, saute peppers in butter until crisp tender.  Add garlic; saute 1 minute longer.  Combine cornstarch, broth and wine or more broth until smooth; stir into pepper mixture.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-23 minutes or until thickened.

Remove from heat; stir in the basil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, oregano.  Drain pasta and toss with pepper mixture.  Stir in Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with parsley.

Like I said, this was an awesome Valentine's day dinner.