PENNE WITH VODKA SAUCE AND SHRIMP

PENNE WITH VODKA SAUCE AND SHRIMP

DINNER AT HOME

Readers of this blog know that I am a huge lover of Bertolli Tomato and Basil Sauce.  Probably the best pasta sauce you can buy in a jar.  When I saw Bertolli Vodka Sauce for $1.59 a jar at Wall Mart, I just had to give it a try.  We picked up some fresh Kauai Shrimp and used fresh Basil and Parsley from our garden.  A little garlic and shallots completed this simple recipe.  Took only a few minutes to make and looked and tasted great.  The sauce is light with a mild tomato flavor and there is no taste of vodka.  Hey for $1.59 a jar this is a perfect low cost meal that the entire family will like.

PENNE WITH VODKA SAUCE AND SHIRMP

BERTOLLI VODKA SAUCE

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS TO ADD SOME FLAVOR.  FRESH PARSLEY AND BASIL, GARLIC, SHALLOTS, OLIVE OIL AND KAUAI SHRIMP.

FRESH SHRIMP FOR THE ISLAND OF KAUAI

FRESH HERBS FROM OUR GARDEN

SAUTE GARLIC AND SHALLOTS IN OLIVE OIL

ADDED THE KAUAI SHRIMP

SHRIMP COOKED TO PERFECTION

REMOVED SHRIMP FROM PAN

HEATED UP THE BERTOLLI VODKA SAUCE AND ADDED A PINCH OF CRUSHED RED PEPPER FLAKES

ADDED SHRIMP TO HEATED SAUCE

ADDED PENNE PASTA

PENNE WITH VODKA SAUCE AND SHIRMP

CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND BACON - PRESSURE COOKER RECIPE

CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND BACON

PRESSURE COOKER RECIPE

So surprised to see how many hits my pressure cooker recipes receive on this blog.  Literally hundreds of thousands.  With that kind of interest, I decided to break out the pressure cooker and the Bob Warden cookbook Great Meals Fast.  I am telling you, if you have a pressure cooker or are going to purchase one, please buy the Bob Warden Cookbook as the recipes are simple, fast and delicious.  I usually start by looking in my refrigerator and pantry to see what we have that needs to be used and then open the cookbook to see what recipes match what we have.   On this evening I found Chicken Breasts, Apples, Bacon and Onion.  Opened the cookbook and began looking at chicken recipes.  Saw the Chicken with Apples and Bacon and bingo that is what we are having for dinner.  I assembled all of the ingredients not really knowing what to expect and then followed the recipe. The result was amazing.  A delicious dinner with moist chicken, sweet apples, sage and dijon.  Each ingredient added a depth of flavor with the dijon really complimenting the sage and bacon.  I did not think that pressure cooked apples would be good with chicken but wow...so delicious together.  This is a great recipe.  I served it up with some Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Sautéed Carrots which added color to the plate.  Looked and tasted amazing.  Another winner recipe from Bob Warden!
You may buy the Bob Warden cookbook on Amazon via the link below:
http://www.amazon.com/Presents-Wardens-Ultimate-Pressure-Recipes/dp/1934193798

CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND BACON 

CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND BACON

CHICKEN BREASTS, BACON, ONION, SAGE, BUTTER, APPLES, DIJON MUSTARD,
BROWN SUGAR AND APPLE JUICE

SLICED THE ONION THIN AND PEELED, CORED AND CUT THE APPLES

TURN THE PRESSURE COOKER TO BROWN SETTING AND LET IT HEAT UP

ADD THE BACON

COOK THE BACON ON BOTH SIDES UNTIL DONE

REMOVE THE BACON AND CHOP IT INTO PIECES

ADD CHICKEN BREASTS TO THE BACON DRIPPINGS

BROWN CHICKEN ON BOTH SIDES AND THEN REMOVE

SET CHICKEN ASIDE

ADD THREE TABLESPOONS OF BUTTER TO BACON DRIPPINGS

ADD SLICED ONIONS

COOK ONIONS UNTIL TRANSLUCENT

ADD THE CHICKEN AND BACON

CHOP THE SAGE AND ADD

ADD ALL OTHER INGREDIENTS AND STIR IT UP

STIR UP SO ALL THE INGREDIENTS ARE MIXED

SET PRESSURE COOKER TO 8 MINUTES ON HIGH

FINISHED PRODUCT LOOKS BLAND BUT IS PACKED WITH FLAVOR

CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND BACON 

WEBCO GOLF TOURNAMENT

WEBCO GOLF TOURNAMENT

KAPOLEI GOLF CLUB

I attend a few golf tournaments each year but rarely blog about them.  Most are for great causes but not done so well.  In retaliation for bad golf tournaments, me and some friends got together and created our own tournament which is now in its fourth year.  My tournament (www.coolingcancer.org) raises money for cancer research and I feel that it is one of the best golf tournaments in all Hawaii.  And then theres Webco....The Webco tournament could be the BEST tournament of the year if you are into taking home free stuff and enjoying the best in food and wine.  This is a first class experience made special by the dozens of students from St. Louis School that greet you at every hole.  The boys are true gentlemen and dedicated to making every golfers experience special.  What is different about this tournament is that you are given gifts at each hole.  I mean a lot of gifts.  We had to make four runs from the course to our cars to empty out bags of free stuff.  Everything from razor blades to bbq's, coolers, laundry detergent, shampoo, curling iron, electric razors, batteries, canned tuna and pretty much everything you can buy at a drug store.  Turns out that Webco is a distributor of these products to many of Hawaii's largest retail chains.  Every single hole has tables and box loads of gifts and when you arrive at the hole, the boys from St. Louis fill your cart with the goods.  Many of the holes also serve food or adult beverages.  The on course food is the best of any tournament period.  When you can dine on Braised Short Ribs by Along Wong's, BBQ Ribs by Roy's and Veal Ravioli by Ruth's Chris, Soft Shell Crab Sliders by Tiki's (just to name a few) you know this is not your normal golf tournament.  The food on the course and at the banquet is first class and unmatched.  From the reception to the banquet this tournament rocks.  Incredible people running the event and really interesting and influential people attending the event.  From politicians, to Police Chiefs, Chefs and the movers and shakers of Hawaii's business community, they are all here and all happy.  Where else can you jump into a golf cart next to Chef's Alan Wong and Roy Yamaguchi and then eat a hot dog with bankers, builders, architects, lawyers and Hawaii and International movers and shakers.  Pretty cool day on the links and great to see the Webco Foundation raising lots of money to provide scholarships to St. Louis School and support a dozen more local charities.  A great time for even greater causes.  I love it.   I know what it takes to pull off a successful golf tournament and nobody does it better than Webco.  They literally have to pull in 40' containers filled with products and distribute them by the pallet to all 18 holes.  Just removing the empty boxes from the course takes a team of workers and coordination to break them down and move them back to the clubhouse.  What a production and I am impressed.  Great job Webco and all of the students and Alumni of St. Louis School!

THE WEBCO FOUNDATION GOLF TOURNAMENT HELD AT KAPOLEI GOLF CLUB

KAPOLEI IS BEAUTIFUL COURSE

KALBI MARINATED STEAK LETTUCE WRAPS

BEVERAGES HOSTESSES ON MANY OF THE HOLES PROVIDE GREAT DRINKS AND SERVICE

ALL 18 HOLES DISTRIBUTE FREE GIFTS.  SO MUCH IN FACT IT TOOK FOUR
RUNS BACK TO THE CAR TO EMPTY OUT OUR GOLF CARTS.

MILLER/COORS BEER CART GIRLS - ALWAYS LOVE FREE BEER!

ROY'S SIGNATURE RIBS WITH GRILLED SHRIMP

MM'S ICE CREAM SANDWICH

3660 ON THE RISE RESTAURANT SERVED UP INCREDIBLE GRILLED SCALLOPS

ALAN WONG'S BRAISED SHORT RIBS AND GINGER SHRIMP.
BRAISED SHORT RIBS WERE AMAZING AND BEST THING EVER ON A GOLF COURSE!

SOFT SHELL CRAB SLIDERS SERVED UP BY TIKI'S RESTAURANT

CHICKEN KATSU SANDWICH BY MR. OJISAN RESTAURANT

I HAD TO TRY A KLONDIKE BAR AND LOVED IT

VEAL RAVIOLI SERVED BY GREAT STAFF FROM RUTH'S CHRIS RESTAURANT

GREAT PRIZES FOR GOLFERS AT THE WEBCO TOURNAMENT

THIS IS JUST THE SEAFOOD APPETIZERS AND INCLUDED POKE, CRAB, SHRIMP, MUSSELS, SASHIMI, CLAMS, TOFU SALAD AND MUCH MORE.  THERE WAS ALSO A SUSHI STATION AND PRIME RIB STATION AND MORE THAN I COULD GET AROUND TO

I WENT FOR SASHIMI AND ALASKAN KING CRAB...YUMMY!!!