By Teri Cayton The Parsons Advocate
I am so sorry that I have gone off on my rants about all this child abuse occurring but it just makes me so mad that I can’t see straight. I do not understand how people can do all these horrible things to innocent children. All this would have made Mom and Gran just as mad as I am. Momma Said, “The injustice in the world is so unjust.” That made sense in my head when I thought of it, I hope it does to you as well.
I see everyone plowing up gardens and getting ready for planting season and I really miss that. I did buy myself a little greenhouse and I hope I can get something going in it. I will have to build some raised beds and then the fun part, finding some really good dirt. I love to play in dirt and I hope I will be able to reap the seeds I sow.
Mom and Gran always put out big gardens and we all helped them in it. Hoeing and weeding was our jobs and they ran the tiller through the rows. When harvest times rolled around it was all-hands on deck so to speak. We picked, cleaned, filled the canning jars and Mom and Gran would do all the pressure canning. Momma Said, “Ah, for the good ole days.”
I did try one of my recipes call Cowboy Candy with the jalapeno peppers and it made five pints. I passed them out to family and friends and they all loved it. I would really like to put up some food this year so we will keep our fingers, toes and eyes crossed that the little greenhouse produces a bumper crop. Wish me luck.
Pesto Shrimp Pasta
INGREDIENTS
- 12 ounces dry spaghetti or linguine
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3⁄4-1 cup basil pesto
- 1⁄4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- fresh basil leaves, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente per the package directions. Drain the pasta but reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water.
- While the pasta cooks, pat the shrimp dry and season on both sides with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook undisturbed for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until slightly softened. Then, add 3/4 cup pesto, Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and mix well. If needed, add more pesto or pasta water to adjust the consistency.
- Toss the cooked pasta and shrimp in the sauce until evenly coated.
- Serve hot with extra Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
