today was a great day. i'm just going to lead with that. nothing crazy got accomplished. i didn't earn a bunch of money. no jobs were secured. but, it was a great day. 

after teaching my usual tuesday morning class, i headed to a swim lesson with two of my favorite little boys. we just started back up now that it is warming up and they pretty much have me in stitches for a solid hour. i followed that up with a few hours at the beach with wesley (who has a rare day off now that nobu is open) which lead into a really solid beach nap. there aren't too many things better in life than a beach nap. my nap was followed up with some really great news about a job we have coming up and finished off with one of my all time favorite dishes in the garden. with rose. mic drop. 

if you are like me, and don't give a shit about garlic breath, this is a great meal to serve for date night. it is light, zesty and delicious. not to mention, it cooks up quickly so you have plenty of time to actually enjoy yourself. 

shrimp scampi
serves: 2
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: .5lb peeled and deveined shrimp (i found and argentinian red shrimp at my local fish guy that was delicious). .5lb spaghetti pasta (fresh if you can get your hands on some). 4 garlic cloves, minced. .25 cup grated parmesan cheese. zest of 1 lemon. 4 lemon slices. 2 tbs lemon juice. 2 tbs butter. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tbs parsley, chopped. 1 tsp oregano, finely chopped. 1 tsp red pepper flakes. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper. 

start by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil. cook your pasta to the package instructions. try to time the completion of the pasta around the time you complete your shrimp (pay attention to the cook time on your pasta) while your water is boiling and you are cooking your pasta, work on the rest of your dish. pat your shrimp dry and season it well with half the salt and pepper. 

in a large pan, heat you butter and oil with the garlic and red pepper flakes over medium high heat. you want the butter to start to sizzle, but not burn. be careful as garlic can burn quickly. 

once the garlic is fragrant and the butter is bubbling, about 2 minutes, add in the shrimp. cook until the shrimp is cooked through (slightly firm to the touch) about 5 minutes. 

add in your lemon wedges, juice, lemon zest, oregano and the rest of the salt and pepper. stir well to combine. cook until the liquid starts to bubble. 

toss in half the parsley and the cheese. stir well to combine. 

toss in the cooked pasta and toss everything together. 

serve on a platter or plated topped with the rest of the parsley and cheese. 

xo, a

shrimp scampi
serves: 2
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: .5lb peeled and deveined shrimp (i found and argentinian red shrimp at my local fish guy that was delicious). .5lb spaghetti pasta (fresh if you can get your hands on some). 4 garlic cloves, minced. .25 cup grated parmesan cheese. zest of 1 lemon. 4 lemon slices. 2 tbs lemon juice. 2 tbs butter. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tbs parsley, chopped. 1 tsp oregano, finely chopped. 1 tsp red pepper flakes. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper.
start by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil. cook your pasta to the package instructions. try to time the completion of the pasta around the time you complete your shrimp (pay attention to the cook time on your pasta) while your water is boiling and you are cooking your pasta, work on the rest of your dish. pat your shrimp dry and season it well with half the salt and pepper. in a large pan, heat you butter and oil with the garlic and red pepper flakes over medium high heat. you want the butter to start to sizzle, but not burn. be careful as garlic can burn quickly. once the garlic is fragrant and the butter is bubbling, about 2 minutes, add in the shrimp. cook until the shrimp is cooked through (slightly firm to the touch) about 5 minutes. add in your lemon wedges, juice, lemon zest, oregano and the rest of the salt and pepper. stir well to combine. cook until the liquid starts to bubble. toss in half the parsley and the cheese. stir well to combine. toss in the cooked pasta and toss everything together. serve on a platter or plated topped with the rest of the parsley and cheese. 

it seems to me, that life is a series of stages. you have your childhood, your high school years, some people have college. then general young adulthood. then suddenly, everyone you know is getting married. one year i was in four weddings. i think i hit ten weddings in eighteen months at one point. my guess is some of you are nodding along by now. 

but i am in a new phase now. baby phase. all around me, friends, coworkers and clients seem to be popping up pregnant. in honor of all the lovely ladies who are walking around cooking up a little life, here is a drink that you too can enjoy. and don't worry, it is the perfect base for some vodka, or even a little gin for those of us just cooking up friday night dinner. 

basil lemonade
serves: 5 cups
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
total time: 10 minutes
ingredients: 4 cups water. 1.5 cups fresh lemon juice. .75 cups simple syrup. .25 cup fresh basil leaves. 1 cups crushed ice. ice for serving. basil sprig for garnish. strainer. muddler.

in a medium bowl, combine the ice and simple syrup. 

rip up the basil leaves and add it to the ice and syrup. 

use your muddler to smash the basil, ice and syrup mixture together. 

you are trying to bruise the basil to release it's oils into the syrup. 

after your leaves are good and bruised, pour in your lemon juice. 

mix well till everything is combined. 

strain the lemon juice mixture over a large pitcher. 

stir in your water to taste. 

serve over ice with sprig of basil. 

xo, a

basil lemonade 
serves: 5 cups 
prep time: 5 minutes 
active time: 5 minutes 
total time: 10 minutes 
ingredients: 4 cups water. 1.5 cups fresh lemon juice. .75 cups simple syrup. .25 cup fresh basil leaves. 1 cups crushed ice. ice for serving. basil sprig for garnish. strainer. muddler. 
in a medium bowl, combine the ice and simple syrup. rip up the basil leaves and add it to the ice and syrup. use your muddler to smash the basil, ice and syrup mixture together. you are trying to bruise the basil to release it's oils into the syrup. after your leaves are good and bruised, pour in your lemon juice. mix well till everything is combined. strain the lemon juice mixture over a large pitcher. stir in your water to taste. serve over ice with sprig of basil.