A Honeymoon Dinner on V-Day!!

PENNE WITH SHRIMP, GARLIC, LEMON, AND BASIL (or THYME)

Instead of going out to eat for Valentine's Day, my husband and I decided we are going to stay in and cook dinner together. I was having a hard time thinking of something special for us to have then I ran across a cookbook that my sweet mother-in-law gave us for Christmas from one of the restaurants we went to on our honeymoon in Anguilla, it is called Blanchard's and it was amazing! We went a little early and walked out on the beautiful beach in front of the restaurant to watch the sunset then sat down for an incredible meal. Blanchard's was opened by a couple that were actually from Norwich, Vermont (oddly enough that's where my older brother went to college for a couple of years) and came to the beautiful Caribbean island of Anguilla to open this restaurant. They wrote the cookbook where this recipe came from, A Trip to the Beach-At Blanchard's Table, to extend the "celebrated warmth and hospitality of their acclaimed restaurant, and its delicious menu, to our homes." And now that it's actually getting cold here in Nashville, I thought this meal might make us feel like we're at the beach again (probably not but it was worth a try)!

PENNE WITH SHRIMP, GARLIC, LEMON, AND BASIL (OR THYME in my case)
*Serves 2*

Dried herbs can often be substituted in recipes, but fresh herbs is important here. Add more pepper flakes if you want a little more heat.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups      penne (use whole wheat to make it even healthier!)
1.5 tbsp    olive oil
2              garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp     dried red pepper flakes
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half lengthwise
2 Tbsp      freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup    fresh basil leaves, julienned (I used thyme because basil is out of season
                and couldn't find any good looking basil in the stores)
1/2 tsp     salt

Table at Blanchard's

1/4 tsp     freshly ground black pepper
                freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the penne and cook until tender. Drain well and return to the pot.
2. While the penne is cooking, heat the oil in a large saute pain over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, pepper flakes, and shrimp, and cook, stirring, just until the shrimp turns pink, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Once the penne is back in the pasta pot, add the shrimp, lemon juice, and basil or thyme, and toss well. Add the salt and pepper, adjusting to taste, and add more lemon juice, if desired. Serve immediately with plenty of Parmesan cheese.

Watching the sunset in front of Blanchard's 

About to sit at our table after walking on the beach

The leftovers from our desert :)