Sunday, February 24, 2013

Small In Stature, Big In Flavor

Hello Sweets,

I cannot even begin to explain how good, no wait amazing it is to feel like my old self again, and that my passion for all things tasty and blogs have been reignited and are stronger than ever :)  If you knew what my happy dance looked like you'd get a little giggle and a big smile, you can thank Nathan since I stole his (I love you handsome!) *happy dance*.  Did you all have a great weekend?  Was it full of smiles, fun, and good eats?  My weekend definitely embodied all of these things, I finally sorted through the things that were stressing me out, which has been a big reason my passion is back : D  I had a "play date" with the love of my life Saturday, for those of you who don't know we live far apart (1,290 miles to be exact lol) so we FaceTime a lot and we play an online game together so we make due.  Today even though I didn't get too much sleep I got ready for church and my friend surprised me by taking me out to breakfast first, and then I "payed it forward" by cooking my grandparents dinner.  As an added bonus my cutie nephew was there visiting when I got there (love that little guy to bits), so it was very much a family and friends weekend.

I know I had said in previous posts that I would be making them dinner a few times a week, but unfortunately that hasn't panned out as much as we had hoped so we just play it by ear.  They invited me over for dinner earlier this week where I tried breaded salmon for the first time, and it was actually pretty good.  My grandmother's parents came from England so fish and chips we very normal for us growing up, however my grandmother didn't realize she was out of tartar sauce so I whipped some up quickly and the meal was saved lol (alas I didn't even think to take pics so it's not making it to the blog........yet anyways).  While I was getting everyone dessert I noticed that they had shrimp in their freezer (I LOVE seafood, like love love), immediately I knew my passion was back because the ideas came rushing through my head.  So I asked them if I could make Sunday dinner at their house. They agreed but I told them it would be a surprise what I will make, so they had to trust me.  So for the last few days I had been thinking about what they had there and what is something they didn't make for themselves, and thus today's blog was born.

Canuckette's Spicy Shrimp Linguine
Ingredients
linguine pasta
 3Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2Tbs butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1Tbs red pepper flakes (I like spicy!)
1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1C peppers, assorted and chopped
salt
pepper
1/3-1/2C pinto grigio (dry white wine)
1 lemon, juiced
1/4C parsley, chopped

Directions:
1)  For the pasta; bring a large pot of water to boil, add a pinch of salt and the linguine, stirring to ensure the noodles don't clump together and cover with a lid.  When the water returns to a boil (6-8 minutes) drain the pasta, you want the pasta to be undercooked slightly as it will be going in the frying pan.
 
steamy

2)  While the noodles are cooking; in a large frying pan, melt 1Tbs of butter and 1 1/2Tbs of the olive oil over medium heat.  Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes until the shallots become translucent (this only takes a few minutes).

3)  Season the shrimp with a small amount of salt and pepper, adding them to the frying pan, cook until they turn pink (2 minutes).

4)  Remove the shrimp; set aside and keep warm.  Add the wine and lemon juice and bring the mixture to a boil.  Add the remaining butter and olive oil and bring to a boil, then add the peppers and allow them to soften.
 

5)  Return the shrimp back to the pan along with the fresh parsley and cooked pasta.  Stir the mixture, slightly sauteing enough for the pasta to finish cooking and serve immediately.
 
I paired it with a french baguette and a small glass of the pinto grigio

The hardest part of this meal is the chopping of all the fresh ingredients, and I think it only took 30 minutes from start to finish.  It's very simple and delicious, not to mention healthier because it's not a cream based pasta and it's full of fresh ingredients :)  If you try it give it a twist of your own to make it your own, and whether or not you make any changes I would love to hear how you guys liked it too!

Funny side note, about a third of the way typing this post up I realized I had two other recipes (with photos) sitting waiting to be written lol, actually three now that I really think about it, and they are good ones too.  Well at least I know if I have a "sicky" day that I have some to fall back on, either way I'm ahead of the game for a little while at least :)  Sometimes I do the darnedest things, and I'm not a child!!  Until next time.....................



Stay sweet,



Jennifer xoxoxo








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