Grilled Garlic Shrimp and Mushrooms 
with Angel Hair Pasta

"The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; 

He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be 

afraid and do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8

For the Palate

Ingredients: Serves 2-3

8 oz. angel hair pasta

1/2 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves of minced garlic (more for us garlic lovers)

6 large cremini mushrooms

1/2 cup chicken stock 

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes-cut into halves

1 tbsp dried Italian herbs

A pinch of red pepper flakes (more if you like it hot)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese (or parmesan)

2 tbsp fresh chopped basil

                                                        

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to directions on the package. While pasta is cooking you can prepare other ingredients.

In a medium sauté pan melt olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and mushrooms and cook until caramelized.  You want to make sure that all of the moisture is gone so that the mushrooms caramelize and don't stay mushy. Once done, set aside in a small bowl. Save your sauté pan....do not clean.

Time to prep your shrimp. Once they are cleaned put them into a bowl and add minced garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Squeeze fresh lemon juice of a small lemon over your shrimp and toss. Grill your shrimp until pink and you have visible grill lines on both sides. This usually only takes about 3-4 minutes per side. It won't take long because the lemon juice has already started breaking down your shrimp, so keep a close eye on it. Once the shrimp are grilled set aside in a small bowl.

Put your sauté pan back on the burner on medium heat. Add chicken stock, cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes and your herbs. Bring to a simmer and reduce broth by half. Add the mushrooms and onions to the pan. Add your pasta to the pan and use tongs to fold everything together. Remove your sauté pan from heat and toss in your grilled shrimp. 

Add your cheese and your dish is ready to plate. Drizzle with a little olive oil and top with fresh basil. 

Tasty to your Palate!

For the Soul

 I recently came across a quote by Orson Welles that has to be one of the saddest philosophies of life ever quoted.  He said, "We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only thru our love and friendship can we create the illusion for a moment, that we are not alone." 

How sad to think that someone lives their whole life on this earth with the illusion of not being alone. If Mr. Welles died alone, as harsh as it may sound, that was his own doing. The Bible clearly teaches us a completely different Truth. Deuteronomy 31:8 says; "The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leaven you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid and do not be discouraged."

All we need to do is open our Bibles to the very beginning in Genesis 2:18a to find that being alone in this world has never been and will never be God's plan for us. Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone."  From the beginning of Creation, God was making sure that we would not have to endure the heartaches, burdens, disappointments, and everything else that comes with a broken world alone. This was one of the most loving acts that our Heavenly Father put into motion from the beginning of time. I can only surmise that Mr. Welles did not know God. I don't know this for sure, but I do know that with God's love, mercy and grace in our lives, we are never alone!

I much prefer the quote of Martin Luther that says; "The sin underneath all of our sin, is to trust the lies of the serpent that we cannot trust the love and grace of Christ....." Look, I know that life can be very lonely. I know that we can isolate ourselves from the fear of being hurt (I have done that). And I know that there are people that live and die every day on this big sphere that are alone. But to say that we are all alone and it is an illusion to think otherwise, is just not true. God wants nothing more than to have us embrace His presence in our life and walk with us to the very end.  No one ever has to be completely alone. God's just waiting for His children to invite Him into their lives. And once that happens, we have the assurance that we will never be alone again.

Satisfying to the Soul.