The Mouth; it is Watering

Whew, it has been a hectic week! And it didn't help that I was totally immersed in this book and could. not. put. it. down! You can see my review of it here. Just scroll down to #19. I've had some really great reads this year. But it does make for crunched time because I'm getting so caught up in the stories, I just want to keep reading and the chores, well, they don't leave just because I'm ignoring them. And funny, but neither do hungry family, I notice.

This week so far, suppers have been pretty easy. Sunday was Mother's Day so I didn't cook then and Monday I roasted a whole chicken. I decided to shred it and used half to make quesadillas that night and used the other half for a chicken, spinach pasta (whole wheat gemmeli) dish. And tonight I'm making one of my favorite ever pasta dishes. It's sooo easy and soooo good! I use linguine in this dish because it's my favorite. I love the texture and "bite" of linguine but you can use angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti if you prefer.


SHRIMP AND BASIL LINGUINE (4-5 servings)

-1/4 c olive oil, divided
-1 1/2( 8 oz.) pkg. linguine
-1 lrg. clove garlic, chopped or crushed
-1 lb. bag lrg. frozen cleaned shrimp (thaw in the fridge for a few hours before)
-2 28 oz. cans Italian style diced tomatoes or 2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes plus 1 tsp. oregano or italian herb mix
-1/4 dry white wine (or apple juice and/or gingerale + 1 Tbsp. vinegar if you don't cook with wine)
-1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
-fresh ground pepper to taste
-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tsp. dried sweet basil
-1 cup frozen baby sweet peas
-3 Tbsp grated parmesan (fresh grated is best is possible)

Cook pasta in boiling water with 1 Tbsp of the oil until al dente. Drain well.

Drain the canned tomatoes well.

Heat remaining olive oil in a 10 inch sauce skillet. Cook garlic, stirring constantly, until tender. You do NOT want burnt or dark brown garlic as it gets bitter. This will be very quick. Add the thawed shrimp and cook for 3 - 5 minutes. Remove shrimp to bowl and set aside.

Stir drained tomatoes, parsley, pepper and basil into skillet. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half, about 8 - 12 minutes. A couple minutes before done throw in the frozen peas. Add shrimp and heat through. Toss with the pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan before serving.