Anna’s Angel Shrimp with friends, monkeys & dogs.

The laundry from our snowboarding trip is finally caught up. I went from piles of wet and sandy, to piles of wet and muddy…neat oh! I have restocked the pantry so that the guys can no longer claim that there is nothing to eat in the house. Dinner is done and the monkeys are in bed. Now I get to sit back, breathe and write a little bit about our trip without being rushed.

This weekend was not just about fueling my guys testosterone levels, which of course  must be at full capacity nearly 24-7 . Yes, those would be my adrenaline junkies, I claim them. Our trip was also about catching up with our dear friends Anna, Greg and their three dogs. We are just in love with all of them…oh! Anna and Greg too :) They were so nice to let us bombard their home with snowboarding gear and three boys who enjoyed getting their dogs all excited. Opps! Two boys and one young adult. Sorry Blaine.

Anna & Greg-aren’t they cute. No comment Greg :)

The monkeys were completely enthralled with Anna and Greg’s dogs. You would think that they didn’t have one of their own at home. Okay, so our Zach is a ginormous beastie who lives outside and doesn’t snuggle in their bed with them. Having little dogs to snuggle with in the house made their weekend.

Angus the studly pug has a tongue with a brain unto it’s self that never ever stops licking the air. I am of the belief that it is to force the air closer to his cute little squished nose. Who knows, but it is definitely entertaining. Gracie the very elegant Boston terrier loves to start wrestling matches with the other two dogs. She also, as my darlin’ surfer will tell you, does the typical girlie sneak attack poots. Sorry, it had to be said Gracie. I love you and you are still a lady in my book.

Then there is Laney, what can I say other than the monkeys had her sleeping in their bed with them. Miss independent sweetie and the monkeys were attached from the get go. Even my brother, who is not a big dog fan, wants one just like her. To bad for Blaine, she is one of a kind and she is also Greg’s baby.

So what do you do for dear friends that allow you to invade their home with silly monkey heads for a whole weekend? You bring them fresh shrimp and take over their kitchen as well as their home in order to make them dinner :) I would love to be able to tell you that I was brilliant and organized enough to remember to take pictures of the step by step process for you as usual but that would not fit into my Adult ADD tendencies now would it.

Alright now, don’t fuss. I had 5 starving men who had been on a mountain all day and 1 hard working lady needing to be fed and fed quickly. It was pure luck that I remembered to take a couple of photos before everything was all gone. Okay,  I can’t blame them. It was just me being my typical jabber jaw self and hamming it up in the kitchen with everyone. I completely forgot about my camera until it was to late. I can tell you that it was yummy, then again when is fresh shrimp not.

We made made fried shrimp with 4C Panko Seasoned Bread Crumbs which turned out very lite and delicious. I also did my usual cooking at random and made shrimp in a white wine sauce with tomatoes, capers and olives over angel hair pasta. Other than peeling the shrimp, which thrilled my darlin’ surfer and lil’ brother to no end, these were both quick dishes. Of course you probably already have a version of this recipe but I am calling it Anna’s Angel  Shrimp in honor of our lovely hostess.

Anna’s Angel Shrimp

Prep: 10min/35 min (if  you are peeling your own shrimp) 

Cook: 15-20 min.

Servings: 6

1 lb teeny tiny fresh shrimp peeled (the big one’s creep out Anna)

2 tsp olive oil

3 cloves of garlic pressed

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup white wine

1 Roma tomato diced

1/2 jar capers

1/2 can black olives 0r olives of your choice

1 box angel hair pasta

In a stock pot on medium heat cook the pasta until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking; in a medium sauce pan combine the olive oil and the butter. Heat for about 3 min be careful not to burn the butter.

When the butter is melted add the wine. Simmer for about 7 min. As always when cooking with wine taste before you add any other ingredients in order to make sure that there was enough butter to cut the acid in the wine tannins. If it still has a bite to it add more butter.

Once the wine and butter are to your liking add the tomato paste and garlic until well blended approx. 2 min.

Now toss in those lovely teeny shrimp tomato, capers and olives. Cook until all of the shrimp are pink. This will take about 6-8 min. Be careful not to over cook the shrimp. They should be tender and give a little when you push down on them, not overly firm.

Serve over the pasta and enjoy :)

It is to bad that my little beach raised monkeys will not eat fish. I know crazy isn’t it! They can be weirdos sometimes. Trust me I keep trying though.

The best part of the evening for me was this…

someone other than me doing the dishes :) Greg you are the best!

Anna making some killer double chocolate cookies for dessert, Greg doing the dishes, my darlin’ surfer and my brother avoiding the camera. Being in the kitchen with family and friends TICKLES me so.

Thank you Anna and Greg for taking such wonderful care of us. We had so much fun, especially going to see the 80’s cover band Reflex with you. (Another blog for another day :) ) As always it is a pleasure to visit with you two and the doggies. We miss you and can’t wait for your wedding.

Tickled Red