( freshly-squeezed whiskey sours )

Using freshly-squeezed citrus in this cocktail makes all the difference in the world. If you don't have a mini-juicer, my unsolicited tip du-jour is to invest in one. The Cuisinart Citrus Pro Juicer that I own can be purchased for about $25. I use mine as much as any other appliance in my kitchen, especially in cocktail-making. It sits right next to my blender, always plugged in and ready for use.

Now, back to whiskey sours. You know it's a classic cocktail when there's a maraschino cherry involved.

*One more quick item I want to discuss is the simple syrup. It's another ingredient I always keep on hand for cocktails -- I keep it in a mini glass pitcher in the refrigerator. The standard simple syrup ratio is 1:1 (1 cup of sugar to one cup of water; bring sugar to a boil, simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved; chill before using); however, I use a 2:1 ratio (2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water). It allows me to use less syrup in my drinks, and it's a little bit thicker, which I like. Which simple syrup you use makes a difference in the recipe, as far as how much to add.

Freshly-squeezed Whiskey Sours
(adapted from Ina Garten)

Ingredients

3/4 cup whiskey (I prefer Maker's Mark)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately 4 lemons)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (approximately 4 limes)

1/3 cup sugar syrup* (2/3 cup if using a 1:1 syrup - see note above)

Crushed ice

Maraschino cherries

Process
Combine whiskey, lemon juice, lime juice, and simple syrup. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice and pour in the drink mix 2/3 full. Shake for 15 seconds and pour into glasses over crushed ice.

Add a maraschino cherry.

{ creamy rigatoni with spicy shrimp in rosemary garlic sauce }

creamy rigatoni with spicy shrimp in rosemary garlic sauce

Ingredients

• 1 box rigatoni (16-oz box), or pasta of choice
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (frozen works well)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
• 1/4 cup light cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Process
Cook pasta according to package directions (al dente).

Meanwhile, prepare shrimp.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about one minute), being careful not to burn.

Add shrimp, rosemary and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring until shrimp is just pink, or warmed through, about three minutes. Reduce heat to low.

Add lemon juice and cream. Cook until warm. Add grated parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve shrimp sauce over warm pasta and garnish with lemon slice and Parmigiano curls.

{ shrimp & mushroom rotini in garlic lemon cream sauce}

Comfort food, lightened up. Yes, there's cream, but it's the light version. Yes, there's butter, but it splits its usual full-time duty with some olive oil. Choose a "smart" pasta like Barilla Plus or Ronzoni Smart Taste, and you'll really curb the guilt factor (just don't skip on the glass of wine).

It's delicious. Give it a shot.

Shrimp & Mushroom Rotini in Garlic Lemon Cream Sauce
(adapted from cooks.com)

Ingredients

• 1 lb pasta (I used rotini, but pick your favorite)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 pound cooked, peeled, deveined shrimp (frozen, dethawed under cold water works great)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup light cream
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp coursely ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I use Parmigiano Reggiano)
• lemon slices, fresh basil leaves, to garnish (optional)

Process

Boil water and add a generous amount of salt. Cook pasta according to directions. Set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat heat, melt butter, add olve oil and cook the garlic for about one minute; add and lemon zest until very fragrant.

Add mushrooms and shrimp to garlic and lemon; if shrimp is raw, cook until pink.

Add cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook to heat through. Reduce heat.

Add the Parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Adjust seasonings, as needed.

Spoon pasta into serving bowl and top with shrimp sauce. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese and garnish with lemon slices.

lemon shrimp capellini with cheese and pepper

If it was carb-friendly (and socially acceptable), I'd probably eat pasta every day. But my favorite pasta dishes aren't the deep-dish, cheesy, bubbly-baked varities. I most love the simple recipes with the fewest ingredients. A combination of Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh lemon is what I crave as much as anything. Add in some shrimp, and life is a walk on the divine side.

I could never get away with this if Ty were home -- he gets a little antsy if we don't have a juicy steak or some other hunk of meat at dinner time, although he'll indulge my pasta love affair once or twice a week (as long as I make Italian sausage to add to his share) -- but I've probably made some version of this pasta dish 5 or 6 times over the past two weeks. I love having it in the refrigerator to heat up whenever I want a quick, yummy meal. The leftovers are as good as the original, for sure.
I was inspired by an easy recipe (spaghetti with cheese & pepper) from one of my favorite blogs. It was especially appealing because the ingredients were something I could always find in my kitchen. I did some tweaking, and now it's become a staple for me.

Most of the ingredient amounts in this recipe are by preference, and it's tough to label exact amounts used -- you just sort of have to feel your way through it. But it's a great base from which to spring -- the potential possibilities are endless. If you prefer chicken to shrimp (or have extra rotesserie chicken meat that you need to use), make the substitution. Adding green peas would be yummy (and pretty!) too. And when I feel the need for some extra zing, I add red pepper flakes.
As I've shared before, I keep a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer and just run it under cold water in a colander to defrost.
If you find a simpler dish than this, I want to hear about it! :)

Ingredients
box of capellini
1/2 cup (or more!) grated Parmigiano Reggiano
approx. 1/2 pound shrimp
6 - 8 cloves of garlic, chopped
zest and juice of l lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
a nice amount of freshly-grated black pepper (approx. 2 tablespoons)
salt

Process
Cook pasta according to directions, generously seasoning water with salt before adding pasta.

Important! Reserve roughly 1 to 1 1/2 cups of cooking water before straining the pasta (I just scoop it out with a Pyrex measuring glass abut half-way through the cooking process). Drain the pasta into a colander and set aside.

In a medium skillet, heat olive oil and saute garlic. Cook and stir until just fragrant (approximately one minute). Add lemon zest and salt and pepper to season. Add defrosted (or fresh) peeled shrimp and cook until heated through (I usually cover for a minute or two to speed up the process).

Place the grated cheese into the bottom of the hot pasta pot and add in small amounts of the reserved cooking water, a little at a time. Mix together just until creamy.

Add the cooked pasta to the cheese and water mixture in the pot and stir. Add the shrimp and lemon mixture and a generous amount of grated pepper, continuing to stir together. If needed, add more of the reserved cooking water as you go.

Transfer to serving bowl and squeeze a little bit of lemon juice on top, to taste. Garnish with a slice of lemon and serve immediately.