Quick Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients
250 grams spagetti
1 lb raw medium size shrimp shelled and cleaned
1 lb fresh plum or cherry tomatoes
butter
oil
TUONG OT TOI VIET-NAM Chili Garlic Sauce

Prepare the spaghetti as directed on the package.  Keep in mind the sauce will take about 30 minutes.

For the sauce...

Chop the tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces (if cherry tomatoes, cut them in half)

Put 2 table spoons of oil into a frying pan and heat slightly.  When the pan is warm (not hot) add the chopped tomatoes (if the oil is hot it will splatter when you add the wet tomatoes).

Add salt, black pepper, a table spoon of Chili Garlic Sauce, and a table spoon of butter.

Simmer the sauce on medium heat to cook down the tomatoes (not so hot that you evaporate the liquid) for about 20 minutes.

Add the shrimp and cook until they are cooked through.

Serve over the spaghetti.

Quick Pineapple Ham with Rice (about 35 minutes)

Actually the rice will pace this dinner which takes about 35 minute.

Serve two.

Prepare 1 cup (uncooked) rice as directed on the package (typically 2 cups water to 1 cup rice. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 30 minutes)

You will need about 3/4 pound (give or take) of left over ham or a portion of ham steak (not sliced lunch meat...  the ham needs to be chunky)

one 8 oz can of Dole sliced pineapple (4 slices)
1 green or yellow pepper (or any type of whole pepper you prefer)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon back pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
butter
vegetable oil
2 table spoons honey

Open the can of pineapple, remove the slices and reserve the juice.

While the rice is simmering, brown the pineapple slices in a little butter in a none stick pan then set them aside.

While the pineapple is browning, chop up the green pepper into 1/2 inch pieces.

Add the cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt to the reserved pinapple juice

Chunk up the ham into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces

Using the same pan, used above add a table spoon of oil and sauté  the pepper for about 5 to 10 minutes then add the ham and continue to sauté the combination on low.

About 8 minutes before the rice is done, add the pineapple, pineapple juice and honey to the pan and simmer on low.

Serve the mixture over rice when the rice is done.  A little soy sauce is good with this dish.

Super Simple Pot Roast

We tried to do a pot roast with minimal preparation for a weeknight dinner.  Minimal slicing and dicing.  This turned out surprisingly well and got rid of some left over pasta sauce at the same time.

Beef pot roast  (about three pounds)
Salt
Pepper
1 bay leaf
4 garlic cloves
3 celery stalks
2 medium onions
1 cup of beef boulion or beef stock
1 cup of pasta sauce

Salt and pepper the roast then brown it on both sides in a dutch oven (about 10 minutes per side).
Cut the two onions in half and add to the pot.
Add the celery stalks and four whole cloves of garlic and a bay leaf.
Add one cup beef boulion and one cup of past sauce.
Place in oven at 325 for about 3 hours.
Remove meat and vegetables and thicken the remaining sauce with a little flour and water to make a gravy.
Serve with mashed potatoes.