Shrimp with Lemon Pasta

This recipe is a little bit of work than some of the recipes I posted lately but it is so worth the effort.  And it's still really easy and doable for a weeknight meal.

Pasta

2 Tablespoons butter

zest and juice of one large lemon

16 oz linguini or spaghetti

salt

4 Tablespoons heavy cream

3 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan

a little of the pasta water to thin (if desired)

Shrimp

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves minced garlic

1 1/2 pounds raw, deveined shrimp

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

For the pasta

Heat butter and zest over med-low heat. Boil salted water for pasta. Add cream to butter/lemon zest mixture. When pasta is al dente, drain (reserving a bit of the pasta water) and add to the sauce. Add the lemon juice and parmesan and toss well.  If you prefer a thinner sauce, add some of the pasta water that you reserved.

The shrimp can be served on the side but I prefer to add them (along with the pan drippings) to the pasta.

Heat oil over medium heat (preferably in a cast iron skillet). Add garlic and stir for about a minute.  Add shrimp and seasoning and cook shrimp (about 5 minutes). Toss with the pasta or serve on the side.

Peanut Butter Truffles and a Tea Party

I was fortunate enough to get to attend a lovely Mother-Daughter tea party over Mothers Day weekend.  It was an event for the Little Flowers group that we belong to and it was perfect!  We had nice dresses, hats, gloves and our very best manners on display.  It was so much fun to see all the little girls behaving like young ladies.



We each brought a dish to share for the party.  I choose this recipe because it's easy, simple ingredients, and who doesn't love peanut butter/chocolate?

Ingredients

12oz bag of semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
finely chopped nuts for coating (optional)

Directions:

Microwave chocolate, cream, and peanut butter for 1 1/2- 2 minutes until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Let cool slightly.  Mix with hand mixer or stand mixer for about 2 minutes.  Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours (can be longer if that works better for you schedule). Roll mixture into 1 inch balls.  Roll in nuts if you want like.  I rolled about half in nuts and left the other half plain because my daughter didn't want nuts on hers.  I also topped a few with a sprinkle of himalayan sea salt (but ate those myself since I wasn't sure if the girls would like it).

Place the truffles on a foiled lined baking dish  for an hour.  That's it - easy, delicious, and a big hit with the girls!