Shrimp Pasta

Alex and I ran the Peachtree Road Race for the second time this year, along with the Johnson's.  We are always motivated at the beginning of spring to run.  The temperature is great and we are looking to get in shape for the summer.  As you know, living in Georgia, spring does not last long.  Before you know it the humidity and high temperatures have set in.  Last year, this caused us to slack on our training.  I didn't have any lofty goals, just to finish!  

Lauren and I, almost at the finish line!

Jon, Lauren, Me, and Alex 2010

The Peachtree is a sentimental race for our family.  Alex's father passed away from a heart attack while running it in 1993.  He collapsed in front of Shepherd Spinal Center from sudden cardiac arrest.  Alex wears a bandanna each year that he leaves as a memorial to his dad in front of Shepherd.  

We were so proud of finishing our first 10K.

This year, I wanted to beat last years time.  If you knew my time you would realize that should not be too hard.   In an attempt to train better I had to turn to the dreaded treadmill.  It was just too hot to train outside.  

As much as I dreaded the treadmill initially, I became quite fond of it by the end.  I found that I could change up my pace which made the time fly by.  I also had plenty of other gym attendees to keep me distracted.  Plus, there is nothing like my amazing husband on the treadmill beside me to keep me going.  (I am just a "little" bit competitive.)

It definitely helped me improve my time by 9 minutes.

The crew again in 2011

Luckily, we were able to start in an earlier wave this year.  I hope as our times get better each year so will our  waves.  It made a huge difference to start earlier.  The sun was out of control by the end of the race.

All by myself this year

Sadly, Alex and I never get a picture together.  That should be our goal next year.

Our pre-race dinner was delicious!  It was super easy to make.  I found this one on Betsy's blog.  Enjoy!

Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients:

·                     1 pound shrimp, peeled & deveined

·                     2 teaspoons Emeril's essence seasoning

·                     1/2 box linguine (I think I used a whole box because I used regular spaghetti noodles, it is hard to find gluten free linguine noodles)

·                     2 tablespoons olive oil

·                     2 tablespoons butter

·                     3 cloves minced garlic

·                     1/2 cup dry white wine

·                     Juice of 1 lemon

·                     salt & pepper to taste

·                     1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

·                     2 tablespoons chopped parsley

·                     shredded parmesan for topping

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, toss shrimp with Emeril's essence seasoning & set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil & cook pasta per instructions.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet on medium heat add 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter.  Melt butter. Add shrimp and cook for approx. 5 minutes, or until pink throughout.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add wine and lemon juice.  Cook for 2 minutes. Season shrimp with salt and pepper per taste.

When pasta is cooked to al dente, drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water.  Add pasta, cooking water, and crushed red pepper to shrimp.  Toss and cook for 2 minutes on low heat.

Toss with chopped parsley, top with shredded Parmesan.