Yummy in my tummy

Oh how it feels good to be back in the kitchen! Where a woman belongs. Just kidding. Seriously though, the kitchen at my last place was so tiny it was heartbreaking. I'm not exaggerating! Ok I am, but it did really make me sad you guys. I somehow managed to do Thanksgiving at my old place twice, but day to day it was just discouraging. My new kitchen isn't exactly huge, but I have workspace and a nice stove. It feels downright luxurious in comparison.

This may sound cheesy to you (mmm...cheese...what was I saying? Oh yeah) but cooking is very important to me. It's more than a hobby, it's an outlet for my creativity and something that increases my happiness and improves the quality of my life and those around me. That said, my first dish at the new place wasn't the best example of this - I totally ripped off a recipe I found on Pinterest and modified it, but I wanted something simple since I'm a little rusty. You will notice that some of the measurements and stuff are kind of vague. I like to wing it in the kitchen which means I have to reverse engineer it in order to write down the recipe, so play around with it!

Without further adieu I bring you:

 Lemony Goat Cheese Pasta with Asparagus and Shrimp

Please bear with me on the photo. My digital camera is still packed so it was taken hastily with my Iphone. 

Ingredients:

1 pack of spiral pasta
1 dozen small/medium shrimp
1 pound of asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
Olive oil
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 1/2 tbsp herbs of your choice (Original recipe called for tarragon. I substituted herbs de provence and a pinch of dill)
4 oz goat cheese (I used peppercorn. You can use plain, garlic & herb, whatever)
1 clove garlic
Butter (optional)
White wine (optional)
To taste: lemon juice, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese

Instructions:

-Get your water boiling with a little salt and olive oil.
-While it's getting there, do your prep. This means cut your asparagus, grate your lemon peel, mince your garlic and prepare your shrimp (I used frozen ones, so I just had to thaw them in cold water for 5 min.)
-When your prep is done, get a large saute pan going with a little olive oil or butter (I use a 50/50 mix of both) and garlic.
-Add your pasta to the boiling water and set timer for 5 minutes
-While the pasta is cooking, add shrimp and a splash of white wine to saute pan and cook until they are no longer translucent, flipping once in the middle. I used tongs to make it easy, and took into account that a little residual heat would cook them up.
-By now your 5 minutes is up on the pasta. Don't drain it yet - add the asparagus and cook for another 3 minutes.
-Drain pasta, but not too thoroughly. A little water in the pan is good.
-Add spices, lemon zest and drizzle some olive oil in the pasta
-Add goat cheese, breaking it up with your fingers as you drop it in
-Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste, then mix it all up real good
-Mix in shrimp, making sure to get some of the sauteed garlic in with it
-Serve and garnish with freshly grated parm! Use the stuff in a can and I will disown you.

 And there you have it! A tasty versatile dish without a lot of effort or time. The goat cheese is an automatic creamy sauce, and the lemon zest really makes it taste fresh and bright. You can throw in whatever you want too. Use chicken instead of shrimp, swap out another veggie for the asparagus, whatever you want! Leave out the protein and have it be a side! If you don't like goat cheese 1: You are crazy and 2: It's ok! Don't panic. Use cream cheese or mascarpone. I haven't tried this cold yet but I bet that'd be good too. As long as it ends up in your mouth, you're doing it right.