Garden, Interrupted

My sister-in-law arrived this morning, prepared for a working day in the garden. Nothing like inviting a guest for the weekend and telling them to be ready to work. We know each other so well; I would happily do the same for her.

She grabbed hold of our Makita Reciprocating Saw, a small wonder in the sawing world, and swiftly cut down a few old ailing crabapple trees. I planted zucchini, lettuce, winter squash, flat parsley, fennel, and marigolds in the vegetable garden and added statice, bee balm, and Benary’s Giant zinnias in the cutting garden.

Tani watched us diligently from the shade of the lawn, marveling at our efforts.

My SIL and I ended the day by deciding to cook dinner from what we had in the pantry. We highly recommend Melissa Clark’s recipe for Classic Shrimp Scampi. It was delicious!

Melissa Clark’s Classic Shrimp Scampi (Serves 4)

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine or broth

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

1 3/4 pounds large or extra-large shrimp, shelled

1/3 cup chopped parsley

Freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon

Cooked pasta or crusty bread

STEP 1

In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine or broth, salt, red pepper flakes, and plenty of black pepper, and bring to a simmer. Let the wine reduce by half for about 2 minutes.

STEP 2

Add shrimp and saute until they just turn pink, 2 to 4 minutes, depending upon their size. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and serve over pasta or accompanied by crusty bread.

We debated if we preferred a Californian or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. We both agreed the California wine (SIMI) was the better of the two for this dish.

I will sleep well tonight, dreaming of the garden, a delicious meal, good conversation, and laughter…always laughter.

Jeanne :))

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