Spicy Shrimp and Garlic

 

Summer was coming to an end for us and we wanted to savor our last night with our daughter before we took her back to school. Our little guy, who really isn't so little, was spending the night at a friends house because there  would be no room in the car for him on our college drop off trip.  Plus, he really didn't want to take the 2 1/2 hour trip down and then the 2 1/2 hours trip back.  

So our last Saturday night with our daughter I made this great shrimp and pasta dish that had such great flavor.  On top of that I made her cookies to take bake to school and homemade chocolate chip ice cream!  This recipe is definitely a keeper and one that our son will love as well.  

Spicy Parmesan Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil 
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar 
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce 
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, to taste 
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 
• 8 ounces penne 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, Parmesan, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine shrimp and olive oil mixture; marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. 
• In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well. 
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp and sauce mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2 minutes. Stir in pasta and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste. 
• Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan and green onions, if desired.

Adapted from Damn Delicious and my Pinterest page for Lenten favorites

So post dinner we packed the car to the brim and then enjoyed a fire at the pit.  It was an early morning with getting ready to leave, going to mass and hitting the road by 9 a.m.  But, we made it.  She is back at school and we are back to a table for 3 at dinner.

Can you find the college Sophmore in there?

Look how happy we are!  But we miss her too.