Shrimp Francesca and Information On Some Great Giveaways!

It's only Tuesday.  Wash day for me - oh boy!  I'm getting very tired of summer and can't hardly wait for cooler temps.  Looking forward to the days and nights when we can open the house up and let in the cool breezes and turn off the money eating AC!  Sorry, just had to vent. 

Hope your day is progressing nicely.  Other than wash I hope to design another Hawaiian quilt pattern.  My instructor really liked the one I did, but stressed that this lesson is on design and that I should work on a couple more.  I don't know if my brain and my hands can coordinate for another one, but I will give it a try. 

Today I thought I would share a new recipe that I prepared last week.  My hubby and I really liked it plus it reheats well in the micro.  Once again, this recipe was found at allrecipes.com

Shrimp Francesca

Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I also removed the tails)
1 (8 ounce) can (8 to 10 count) artichoke hearts in water, drained
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup butter
1 1 /2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely shredded imported Romano cheese

Here's what I used

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13 inch baking dish.
2.  Arrange the shrimp in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Gently squeeze any excess liquid from the artichoke hearts, break the hearts into quarters, and arrange in spaces between the shrimp. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and parsley over the shrimp and artichoke hearts; sprinkle lemon juice over the crumbs.
3. Melt better with garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; drizzle the butter mixture over the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the top with Romano cheese
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the crumbs and cheese brown lightly and the shrimp turn opaque and orange-pink in color, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

All ready to serve!

Personal Notes:
1. I was able to find a can of artichoke hearts that measured 8 ounces once the liquid was removed (according the can label) and they were already quartered so one more step saved!
2. I used dried parsley sprinkled sparingly, I used bottled lemon juice and jarred minced garlic
3. I think I will put it under the broiler for a minute or two next time to aid in the browning.

This recipe was extremely easy to prepare and tastes delicious!!  Give is try.  It is even worthy of serving to guests.

Monday I will be hosting my first giveaway.  I'm not sure exactly what it will include but I'm already gathering quite a collection of things.  In the mean time, here are some great giveaways that are currently happening:

$40 gift certificate to CSN Stores from Megan at http://kitschysuburbia.blogspot.com/

A darling FQ pack of Opal Owl from http://littlemissshabby.blogspot.com/

A great bag from J.Rae at http://jraedesigns.blogspot.com/

A wonderful pattern and 3 charm packs from Jennifer at http://craftyjennifer.blogspot.com/

Check these out since some of them end in just a couple of days.

Let me know if you try the recipe.  Also, let me know if there is any way that I may improve my blog - always looking for suggestions.  Please share my blog with your friends and become one of my followers! 

Have a terrific Tuesday!