OMG Shrimp Pasta!

I have discovered the most fantastic blog!  The Pioneer Woman.  I know, I know, I am a little late in finding her but better late than never!!!!!  This woman is amazing.  She has published 2 books, one cookbook (which I just ordered)...

Full of butter, cows, and chocolate.

 ...and a children's book about her super cool basset hound named Charlie who lives with her family on the ultra hip Ranch.

"I have determined that Basset Hounds are my favorite breed of dog, and that their temperaments are most aligned with my needs. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go try to figure out what that means."-The Pioneer Woman

Charlie the Ranch Dog

Under a Basset Hound---this is my favorite view.

She also home schools all FOUR of her children AND runs a Ranch and a Bed & Breakfast AND does book tours!!  OH YEAH, she is also a MASTER PHOTOGRAPHER....and a MASTER BLOGGER!!!!!!!!!!    Unbelievable.    How does she do all this?!!?!?!?!?!?!  Seriously!?!?!  I have ONE child and I want to pull all of my hair out?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I found her through another blog I follow and I thought "what the heck, I'll try it"....EVERY recipe I have made for my family is AWESOME and I am not exaggerating.   There is a great link on her site called "Cowboy Food" and I tell you my husband loves all of it.  Especially when I whipped out the Chicken Fried Steak, (he's from Texas so he loves him a good Chicken Fried Steak!)

You will get lost in this blog and die over the breathtaking pictures of her horses....

This one is called "The Redheads"

How beautiful is this?

I could go on and on about this spectacular woman all night, however, I was supposed to tell you about the OMG Shrimp Pasta I made for dinner tonight.

So as my family and I were trying to decide if we could actually sit down for a second and relax or make a mad dash for the basement because the crazy tornado sirens kept going on and off ALL day, I had to figure out what to fix for dinner.  We couldn't BBQ like the REST of America because of the crazy weather.   I don't like to complain, especially after seeing all the poor families in Missouri and the Midwest, but the rain is getting kind of depressing now.  I usually adore rainy days and thunder showers but the weather has not been fun.  The hail shredded all my new plants and sprouts, and it's not getting warm enough for things to kind of grow............too wet to mow.  However, we are supposed to get up to at least 95 degrees tomorrow...mind you it's in the 50's now.  We can't just have anything normal like in the 70's or something like that....it's either wear a coat cold or sweat to death hot...I can't win....


...whatever...

BUT


Back to Dinner!

We had a very SIMPLE meal and it was very special.

Shrimp Pasta in Foil  (Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Ree Drummond)


Here is the recipe and she takes the most SPECTACULAR photos to help you along.  Step by step on your way to culinary bliss I tell you!!!!!

Now, this is a fun meal to cook. Yummy, delicious, scrumptious…and fun, fun, fun for a big group. The point here is, you just throw a bunch of sauce ingredients into a skillet, cook it up for a few minutes, then throw raw shrimp and (partially cooked) pasta on top. Then you wrap up all the deliciousness in a big foil parcel and finish off the cooking in the oven. It turns into a big, beautiful package of yum. The seafood cooks in the foil, which means all the juices and aroma stay in there…it’s so utterly delightful.

I used shrimp because it’s what I had on hand, but you can use any combination of seafood: scallops, mussels, or whatever you have.

Let’s make it, baby!

The shrimp pasta, that is.

Garlic. Lots of big, fat garlic.

Peel it…

Then chop it up, nice and fine.

Grab a pile of peeled, deveined shrimp. I love buying the bags of the frozen stuff, where they split the back of the shell.

I leave on the tails, though. I’m not sure why, but I’m pursuing that in therapy.

Also chop up a bunch of flat leaf parsley.

It’s the right thing to do.

Boil some linguine, but stop cooking it once it reaches half the recommended cooking time. You want it to still be very firm, because it’s going into the oven for a bit.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat…

Then pour in about 1/2 cup of olive oil. I know this sounds like a little much, but we’ll need it to coat all the pasta later.

Please trust Pioneer Woman.

Now dump in the garlic, along with three 14.5-ounce cans of diced tomatoes. You can buy the plain ones (my preference) or you can grab the ones with seasonings. Whatever floats your boat!

And pour in a good half a cup of dry white wine. Add plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

And your kitchen is getting ready to smell really, really good.

Like, really.

Please believe Pioneer Woman.

Now cook this over medium heat for a good ten minutes. We just want all the flavors to meld a bit, and get the cooking process started.

Now throw in the shrimp!

And…throw in the drained pasta right on top. Toss it around just slightly…

Then pour the whole darn thing onto the large sheet of foil. The shrimp will finish cooking in the oven.

Make sure you get all the juice in there. Yum!

Throw a bunch of chopped parsley over the top.

Now roll up and seal the foil parcel, then pop it into the oven (on a rimmed baking sheet) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Keep it sealed until you’re just ready to serve…then unfold the gorgeousness!

Use tongs to lightly toss it all together…

You want the noodles to be nicely coated with all the olive oil…wine…tomato…and shrimp flavor. Mmmm. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top if you’d like, and drizzle a little olive oil if it needs a little moisture.

Recipe: Shrimp Pasta in a Foil Package

Prep Time: 20 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 15 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 8

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Ingredients

• ½ cups Olive Oil
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3 whole 14.5 Ounce Cans Diced (or Whole) Tomatoes
• ½ cups White Wine
• 2 pounds Jumbo Or Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Fresh Parsley, Minced
• 1 pound Linguine, Uncooked
• Red Pepper Flakes, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta for 1/2 the recommended cooking time. Pasta should still be very firm.

In a large skillet or pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for a minute. Dump in the tomatoes and wine. Stir the mixture together, season with salt and pepper, and allow to cook for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a large parcel of heavy duty aluminum foil. It should be large enough to hold the entire pasta dish.

Throw the shrimp on the top of the pasta sauce. Throw the drained pasta over the top, then pour the whole dish onto the foil. Tightly wrap the foil into a parcel.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and keep warm until serving.

Open the foil parcel right before serving. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over the top. Squeeze on lemon juice, if desired.

Because I am originally from Louisiana, I always add my own special cajun seasoning to everything I cook so I added my own little spice to this without burning up my little 3 year old...LOL
SUPER DUPER EASY and tastes SPECTACULAR!

Bon Appetit Mon Cheri!!

*All photos and recipe from the superstar Ree Drummond...The Pioneer Woman.  =)





"Je suis reconnaissant pour mes bénédictions."
 "I am thankful for my blessings."