Day 31: Shrimp Scampi w/ Linguine & Ceasar Salad

After a few bites of dinner, Randy sits back and says, "I can officially say that this is the best shrimp scampi I've ever had."  I guess after several tries over the years, I finally got it right.  It's not that I want to boast about myself in the kitchen, but rather encourage you that this is a great recipe!  Again, it comes from trial and error, and a bit of research.
My biggest problem with shrimp is the work that goes into it.  As a rule, I don't like spending extra money on pre-packaged stuff that has been prepared for me when I can easily do it myself.  The operative word in that sentence is "easily."  Before I had 2 kids and before my husband worked 2 jobs, I didn't mind peeling and deveining the shrimp on my own.  But now, it's a different story.  I did peel and devein the shrimp myself tonight, but thought it was pretty much the last time I would ever do that.  I now think the extra money it costs to buy peeled and deveined shrimp is totally worth it.  Perhaps someday I'll go back, when the kids are older and maybe moved out of the house...

Shrimp Scampi w/ Linguine
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb linguine
3 TB butter
2 TB olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 TB chopped fresh parsley flakes
salt, pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt it liberally, add about 1 TB olive oil and the linguine.  Meanwhile, melt 2 TB butter and 1 TB olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute over medium-low, being careful not to let it burn.  Add the shrimp.  Cook until opaque and pink.   Add the red pepper flakes and white wine.  Add the lemon juice, zest, parsley, and salt and pepper.  When the linguine is ready, add it to the skillet.  Finish off with the remaining 1 TB of butter.  Toss together.

My recipe for homemade ceasar dressing can be found in Day 5.