Baby Shrimp Scampi and Angel Hair Pasta

Dinner last night was an oldie but goodie, a RR recipe from a while ago. As usual, I tweaked the recipe to fit my tastes and what I have in the kitchen at the time. Hubs mentioned after sitting down to eat that we should have had garlic bread or something, to which I replied, you have enough starch on that plate!! Somehow angel hair pasta always seems to make more than one pound. One of life's great mysteries.

Recipe:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 large shallot, finely chopped (left this out, didn't have it)
1 lemon, zested (forgot a lemon at the store too)
1/3 pound baby shrimp, 300 count
1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine, eyeball it
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
1/3 pound angel hair pasta, cooked to al dente
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped or snipped fresh chives (I laugh in the face of garnish)

Get your pasta water going. Start the scampi sauce when you drop your pasta into boiling water to cook.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and melt the butter into it. Add shallots and cook a minute or 2, stirring constantly. Add lemon zest and shrimp and heat shrimp through, another minute or two. Add vermouth or wine and tomatoes. Toss another minute to heat the tomatoes through. Add cooked pasta to the pan and toss to coat evenly in sauce and to distribute the shrimp. Season liberally with salt and pepper and serve with chives to garnish.

I actually garnished with some Fontinella cheese, sooooo good on top of pastas. Now I'm gonna have to find something to use it for though as I have tons of it left!

Muffins: Accomplished

FINALLY made my blueberry muffins this weekend. Used below recipe from one of the Nestie's blogs, but I can't remember which one!!! It will be written down next time, oh yes. I skipped the topping though, plain muffins are good for me.

To Die For Blueberry Muffins (allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

(I cut these last four out)

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Didn't get to the muffins yet.

Spent my night going through my collection of mags, which is extensive, and was also a bad idea, because now I'm wishing it was fall! I heart October.
So, needless to say, dinner last night was not the best because I had no idea when hubs was getting home (which turned out to be around 7, when he promptly walked in and said, what's for dinner? oh no he DIH-ent...). It was deer sausage and Velveeta shells 'n' cheese, not entirely unpalatable, but not a fab dinner either... maybe tomorrow will be better! I work tonight so I think it'll be the new Kashi stuffed pocket thingy for me. boo work.

Mmm...muffins...

So this weekend was a busy one, even though we technically didn't go anywhere of interest. I spent a lot of time Sat morning cleaning up the house, organizing all the wedding gifts and kitchen stuff, and doing laundry. I am amazed to find that I am not completely minding doing laundry for two - I thought I'd hate it even more now that I have to fold 8million pairs of socks, boxers, jeans, etc., but not so much.
Made coffee Sunday morning and promptly forgot about it until I got back from church, so I made iced coffee and sat out on the porch reading one of my 8million Martha Stewart magazines (as an effort to clean up for the hubs I'm attempting to get rid of my magazine collection, so I'm tearing out pages I want and discarding the mags...sorry Mar!).
Had a hankering for blueberry muffins last week, so went to Zern's (local flea market/farmer's market and apparent teenager hangout) and got a pint of blueberries, asked the girls from the Nest for recipes, and got home to find that I don't have a muffin tin. That's right. NO muffin tin. So I made an emergency run to BB&B Sunday night for my tin - HOPEFULLY I can get to those muffins today!

Dinner last week: I usually only have time to make one dinner a week, so here was last week's.
Fettuccine Alfredo - my first attempt at the actual homemade version. The recipe was simple and called for parm and half&half - I wasn't completely satisfied with the results, wanted something creamier and more substantial - it seemed like there was too much pasta and not enough sauce. But I got to use my new Emerilware!!! I heart cooking pans that work.
Dinner this week: who knows. Wednesday looks like a good day for cooking!

IT'S OVER!!!... wait... it's over? what do I do now?

So the ol' wedding is finally done. It went off without a hitch (or so I can say now). A & K were nervous for me, which was pretty funny, because I wasn't nervous at all. I think the thing I remember most is walking up the church stairs to the strains of Andre Campra. Mmm, sweet sweet non-secular music.
The only things that went wrong (if you can say that) were - me forgetting the vendor meals (I'm sorry photogs!!!) and someone drawing on our engagement photo with the Sharpies we had put there for people to sign the photo's matting. We're not entirely sure, but we have some ideas who it was.
It was a great day, and only rained when we were indoors. Can't wait to see the pics!!!

So, now we officially live together. In inauguration of my new status as 'wife,' I have joined TheNest.com, changed my last name on all of my bills, and started wearing an apron. J/K on that last one, I'm too macho for aprons.
It's a bit odd, I still half expect him to go 'home' some nights. But we're getting to the point that we're more comfortable living with each other, and everyday I'm still amazed that we're married and I'm someone's wife. I'm sure everyone reading this feels the same. Also, it's pretty exciting to have someone to talk about the house with me. we're gonna do this, and this, and this... and maybe I'll make that dish you like for dinner...
so, wedded bliss? not exactly... wedded contentment? definitely.

Tuesday List

CBAG. Sounds like a hospital acronym, doesn't it... it's where I'm going for lunch today! Thanks to A, I have a fun new name for California Bar & Grill.
Ok, L, I'm back, happy now? I haven't written in a loooooong time because I've been so busy what with the two jobs and wedding planning. But I'm having a good day, everything's on time, so here I am!

Top Three

Yesterday, extraordinary happenings took place. You be the judge of which is best. Names have been changed to protect the innocent/stupid.

1) After almost being mugged in the big city, Gomer decided he needed to get a 'permit to carry.' It's not like a license to kill, although I'm sure there was some James Bond-style posing involved. So he was walking home the other night with said weapon in sweatshirt pocket...and it went off. When this story was being relayed to me, the person relaying was laughing hysterically, so I was sure no one was hurt. I asked, "did it hit anything or anyone?" Relayer replied that he had asked him the same question... "yeah, my leg."
2) College student Abe was sleeping at his parent's house while construction people were welding. When they accidentally set off the fire alarm with their tools, it started to beep, alerting the local fire company. With the way the alarm works at that house (ancient/screwed up), it didn't completely start to wail, so the emergency company called the house to see if it was an accidental activation. It was somewhere around midday. Abe kept sleeping. Hence: the fire company came to the house in full force.
3) Carrie is living with her boyfriend, and has been talking about future plans to wed lately. Plans, mind you, nothing definite, just ideas being thrown around. Carrie's mother decided to take her to every jewelry store in the local shopping plaza. There are only 6, it's not Mall America, but still... She insisted they talk to every clerk, telling them 'just looking.' When she asked her boyfriend, he said he had no idea, so she still doesn't know what caused the mall-a-palooza.

Ok, back to work...and putting the finishing touches on my address labels! 60 days!!

Argh Tuesday

So I'm trying not to be bitter, but I can't help it.
St. Patty's day is fun, right? Green beer, lots of college students at the bars at 11am, etc. Everyone goes out. Except me.
I had a committee meeting from 7-9pm. I didn't get to go to the pre-party because that was the only time I had this week to shop for food (food trumps beer). I didn't get to go to the after-party either.
Someone went out to the bar after class that night, but it wasn't me. I would have gone, but the bar that was picked (presumably for proximity to said someone's house) was about 5x5 and had no parking. Someone had to park 2 blocks away, which they told me on the phone when they asked if I wanted to stop by.
If I had the chutzpah, I would've gone to the bar 2 blocks from my meeting place, but I didn't want to go out alone with the crazies.
I tried to rationalize it this morning by saying, well, I had my college years, said someone didn't, so it's ok if they go out with friends from school and NOT me. That didn't work so much.
Special days should be saved for me! I'm the one who works 2 jobs and does 8 million things dammit! I deserve a freaking beer! And while I'm on the subject, I never get invited to go out with someone anymore after class/work. It used to be a usual Tuesday thing.

Ok, done.