Where have you been Carrie?!?

Here. I've been here. Not cooking, but here.
Typically, I cook and post on Sundays. However, the last few Sundays have been a little crazy! Painting (a little something I do for fun), travelling (girls weekend away) and things of the such.
So, I apologize for slacking in the cooking department.
But, going forward I decided I will post what I did Instead of cooking.
So, here are my last two Sundays for your viewing Pleasure. Painting, and my weekend away at Meredith Bay, NH

Painting.

Ugly. Brown. Panelling.

lots and lots of primer.

 getting there...

Girls weekend away

oooh... and lets not forget the hot tub!

on the mountain. overlooking the lake.

and it lit up. in lots of different colors. it was pretty spectacular!

Thanksgiving!!!

This year, as always, my family gathered around my Aunt Kathy's table for turkey day. And, as always, the feast was spectacular! Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, oven onions, turnip, butternut squash, corn, green beans, cranberry, and rolls. Then, for dessert: pumpkin trifle, apple pie, and lemon crumb tart.
I tried to snap as many photos as I could, but apparently that was getting annoying, and I was in everyone's way (as usual), so this is all I got.
What was my contribution to the day you ask? A cheese and cracker platter (not photographed). LOL
Hope all of you had as wonderful of a day as I did!
Love, Me

My dad. Turkey carver extraordinaire! <3

Where are you Carrie?!?

Fear not. I'm here.
I haven't posted anything in a while, I know. But I will be soon, I promise! So please stay tuned.
Thanks.

my little improptu dinner party

All I wanted to do tonight was go out for a drink after work. But, since no one was around I then decided that all I wanted to do was go home, relax and have a glass of wine.
That was, until, my great friend Giovanna invited herself over for dinner. Which I was totally excited about! She was going to be in my area, so I told her I would whip something up for her. And boy did I!!!
Lemon shrimp with spinach and shallots over angel hair, and a(nother) fig and pear tart (with the leftovers from Sunday).
little did I know both shrimp and figs were two of her favorite things. Nice.

Here goes....
I'll skip the tart since it's in my last post. Only difference today: more mascarpone cheese and more figs.
So, on to the shrimp!
Steam- one large bag of fresh spinach. This only takes a few minutes, and you should stir/toss it frequently.

then, chop a couple shallots (warning: these Will make you cry), then sautee them with a smidge of olive oil

Now, while all that is cooking, clean and prep the shrimp. I like to buy fresh shrimp that are already deveined, so I just have to peel them and rinse them. After doing that, I tossed them with the zest of one lemon.

OK, so... when the shallots are done, remove them from the pan (so they don't keep cooking), then throw the shrimp in. Cook them until they are all light pink, then add the spinach, shallots, and one can of chicken broth (I prefer the low sodium stuff).

When it was all done, I tossed it with some angel hair pasta (which I boiled while this was all cooking), and some grated Parmesan cheese.

Yummmyyyyyyy!!!!!