Cooking for the soul

        I would like to start this post by saying I love my Mom and I am so glad she encouraged us (my sisters and I) to cook. I can't tell you how many times I sat in the kitchen and watched her cook. When I cook I get such a rush! And I feel like it makes the food I cook taste that much better! The past two days I haven't been in bad moods but I haven't been in good moods either... until I cooked! I made two new recipes in two days. Granted now I have enough leftovers to last me the rest of the week haha but thats ok :) For both of these dishes the thing that took the longest was waiting for the water to boil! Two very easy quick fixes!

        Last night I made Shrimp, Asparagus and pasta with Pesto Sauce. It was flipping amazing!!! I called my sister Erin to tell her right away because I had told her earlier what I was making. I had to share how freaking yummy and easy this was! Of course I found the recipe on Pinterest but you can also find it on Cinnamon Girl Recipes . Her recipe called for spring beans but she suggested asparagus so I tried that instead. She also gave you a recipe to make your own pesto sauce... I didn't feel like doing that so I cheated and bought the kind in a jar already made :) Oh and the small jars is enough pesto for two of these recipes so that was exciting!

Shrimp, Asparagus and Pasta with Pesto Sauce
- 8 oz rotini or penne pasta
- 1 lb medium or large raw shrimp, cleaned,
 deveined and tails off
- 2 cups asparagus cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 1/2-3/4 cups pesto sauce

- Cook the pasta and asparagus together in plenty of salted water to al dente, being sure to reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water before draining.
- Meanwhile in a large skillet heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, add shrimp, season well with salt and pepper and cook until they begin to curl.
- Mix pasta, beans, shrimp, 1/2 cup pesto and pasta water together. Add more pesto if needed. Serve immediately with parmesan cheese.

        Before I go into my next recipe can I just say this weather is freaking crazy!!! On Saturday it is 60 degrees and I'm sitting at a baseball game enjoying the sun. Then on Sunday it is in the 20s and snowing!! I know I was on two different sides of the state but still... The temperature changed that much!!! If I don't get sick it will be amazing! Below is what my car looked like when I had to leave for work this morning... at least the roads were clear so I didn't have to worry about slick roads.

        Tonight I busted out my 5 Ingredient Cookbook that my mom gave me years ago for Christmas. This is only the second time I have made something out of this cookbook. I really need to use it more often.

Crabby Alfredo
- 4 cups cooked egg noodles
- 1 package (16 oz) imitation crabmeat, chopped (I think if you got the real deal it would be even better!
- 1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo Sauce
- Seafood seasoning or minced chives

In a large saucepan, combine the noodles, crab and Alfredo sauce. Cook and stir until heated through. Sprinkle with seafood seasoning or chives.

* I added broccoli and topped with a little parmesan cheese and it was freaking amazing!