A crowd pleaser
A few years ago my husband told me how much he enjoys cooking. He told me it’s a great mental break and helps him switch gears from work to home life. It even relieves some stress.. This was excellent news because I don’t like cooking. For me, cooking often means a rushed, stress-inducing, last-minute effort to get a chicken from the freezer to the table in 30 minutes or less. (Spoiler: you can’t.) So, after thirteen years of me shouldering the cooking, we made the switch and haven't looked back.
I note this because I can't take credit for the recipe I'm about to share. But I’m happy to drop it in your inbox today because it’s easy to prep, especially for people like me who struggle to thaw everything more than 30 minutes before mealtime. Not only that, every member of our family (even the picky eaters) really love this dish. It's one of those no-fail recipes you need to put into your meal rotation this summer.
I hope you enjoy it as much as our family does!
Summer Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (from 4 ears)
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), plus wedges for serving (optional)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley or chives, or torn basil leaves
PREPARATION
Pat the shrimp very dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high.
Add the shrimp and cook until pink and lightly golden in spots, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to a plate.
Add the tomatoes to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring just once or twice, until they start to blister in spots, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the corn, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring just once or twice, until the tomatoes burst and the corn is golden in spots, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until you smell garlic, about 1 minute.
Reduce heat to medium, and add the wine and lemon juice, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until nearly evaporated, then add the butter and stir until melted.
Add the shrimp and its juices and stir until warmed through. (If the sauce breaks and looks greasy, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of water and stir until emulsified.
Remove from heat, add the herbs, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with extra lemon for squeezing over, if you like.
Another crowd pleaser
Every year people ask me what sunscreen I use and why. Here's my answer: My kids and I go to the beach just about every week—twice a week in the summer. We all use Young Living's Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF50. I like it because it's a mineral based sunscreen that works extremely well at protecting against UVA and UVB rays, is water resistant, reef safe, doesn't contain skin or eye irritants. And because it's mineral based it does not have questionable ingredients that stay in your bloodstream for weeks like most commercial sunscreens do.
Instead, Young Living's Mineral Sunscreen lotion contains zinc oxide (which makes it mineral based) along with other nourishing ingredients and essential oils to support skin health.
My kids like it because it doesn't smell funky (this has been a complaint in the past), and it rubs in fully without leaving their faces white (or gray as some other natural sunscreens have). They also appreciate that the application time is quite fast so that they can be off to boogie board with their friends.
The beach-going Bassetts give it five stars and highly recommend it!
Snippets of My Week
Kindergarten Graduation - bring on summer!
Our Bougainvillea is so vibrant right now. It makes me happy to see it.
A few good reads recommended by my 10 and 12 year old. What should they add to their summer reading list?
Thanks for reading! What's something that is a crowd pleaser at your home right now? I'd love to hear about it. Just hit reply if you'd like to respond. (When you hit reply, your message goes directly to my email. It’s a private conversation between just us.) I read all your messages and try to respond, but not always in a timely manner. Sorry! And if you enjoyed this email, you’d be doing me a favor by forwarding it to someone else who might like it.