Dinner fit for a Network Administrator.

I have to start this story with the depressing fact that I couldn't find my camera once I was done cooking, so this post is actually 99% useless. But since when has that stopped me?

 

So the other half is gone to Phoenix for a few days to see her Mom, the new roommate is over at his dad's house for dinner. That leaves two people at home: me and the mutt. This means that I can cook whatever I want, and not worry about hearing complaints about 'weird' ingredients, or worry about it disappearing from the pans faster than I can put it there. So what to make? Since DaNece hates shrimp and I am slowly gaining an appreciation for it I figured a nice shrimp scampi would about fit the bill.

And so began the madness:

- Get pot of water boiling

- Dissect red peppers and stick under the broiler to roast (and stink of the house)

- de-shell and de-vein the pound of shrimp that I bought

- mince up some garlic

- throw some butter under the stove heat-vent to soften

- chop up zucchini, onion, and yellow squash. Toss with salt/pepper/olive oil/garlic and throw in roasting pan

- pull out peppers and seal up to steam for ten minutes / throw zucchini pan in oven at 3:75 to roast

- chop up some parsley

- juice a lime and throw some of that tangy goodness in the softened butter, along with some black pepper. Mix and refrigerate to re-harden a bit

- get oil and butter heating up in a big pan for the shrimp

- throw the pasta in the water

- pull the skin off of the peppers, add to food processor along with 1/2 container of sour cream, some cayenne, salt, pepper, and minced garlic

- get pad of butter warming in small pot, once melty, throw pepper sauce in there to make it a little richer, and keep it warm. I can handle this

- throw the shrimp in the hot butter/oil

- drain the pasta. Should have tossed with olive oil, but at this point my head was starting to panic with all the things that were getting done at the same time

- hmm - the shrimp are cooking REALLY fast (only my second time cooking shrimp, and my first time with raw shrimp)

- scramble to flip the shrimp

- oh no, the pepper sauce is bubbling and needs a lid, and a stir

- shit the pasta still needs olive oil - screw it

- didn't i buy bread?

- locate loaf of roasted garlic bread and throw some slices in the toaster

- I could have sworn i had some butter..... i made butter didn't I?

- OH MY GOD the shrimp are done! I need a plate, where do we keep the plates? There isn't any room for a plate on this counter!!! They are going to burn!!!!

- finally find a space for a plate, yank the now-blackening bread from the toaster.

- pull butter from fridge, and butter bread

- toss shrimp with parsley and lime juice

- grab a plate to eat off of, and assemble pasta/red pepper sauce/shrimp/extra dash of lime.

- That's good... didn't I make something else? ZUCHINI!!!!! Pull it out and thankfully it isn't dead - just right actually.

 

So after all of that madness, I enjoyed one of the best meals I've made it a few weeks. And the best part: leftovers for lunch/dinner this weekend! Oh yeah, and lime butter + roasted garlic bread = something i could eat all day long.

 

Oh yeah; the camera? On the couch under my sweatshirt. A damn crying shame as it was also one of the prettiest meals I have made in a while.... Alas; such is the way of life.