A Wonderful Birthday!

May 19th, today is my birthday! I have been so pampered! The cake above is a picture from GracesCakes on Flickr. My friend, Laura, Lallee's Cottage posted the gorgeous cake by email for me today! Let's all have some of it, but it's almost too pretty to cut, isn't it?

Sorry, I've been MIA all day/week!! We returned from vacation (Marco Island, FL) last Friday night at 11 p.m. and hit the ground running, we have been super busy every day since. Sat and Sun were special days at church and we were there a lot. Monday was the women's club tea party, and today Joe and I spent the day at Daytona Beach (in the pouring rain!) We ate at Olive Garden (I had their grilled shrimp caprese, it's wonderful check out the recipe below, I just found it on their site!) then he let me go shopping and I chose two of my favorite stores - TJ Maxx, and Marshall's. Tonight I had two friends come over for Creative Memories workshop, they just left. They are taking me to eat tomorrow at our favorite place on the beach (it's supposed to rain again.) I also went to Faith Sharing Group this morning before we left! (Whew!) After tomorrow things may slow down a little, but we are leaving again on Friday for a long weekend at my daughter's in Tallahassee (FL) to celebrate my grandson's college graduation! (This will give you an idea how old I am, if you don't already know my age, I'll tell you, if you really want to know!

Look at these pretty yellow roses and flowers from LaDonna, Gracious Hospitality.


Please have a piece of cake before you go (I borrowed this one from the net, (sorry I forgot who made it!)


God Bless.

Katherine

My birthday lunch today!

Shrimp Caprese

1 1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces*
20 medium fresh basil leaves, stems removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt to taste
1 pound (26/30 or 21/25) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound capellini (angel hair) pasta
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

* To preserve juices and seeds, use a pairing knife to remove just the top of the core on each tomato.

Combine tomatoes, basil, olive oil, garlic, Italian Seasoning, and salt in a large bowl; blend thoroughly. Cover, set aside, and marinate for at least 1 hour.

Either saute or grill the shrimp; cook approximately 2 minutes on one side; turn and cook another 1 minute or until shrimp are opaque in center (cut to test). Remove from grill and set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pan to keep warm. Learn How To Cook Pasta Properly.

Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add butter and let melt. Stir in white wine and bring just to a boil. Add heavy cream and Parmesan cheese; bring to a simmer; let sauce continue to simmer and reduce to desired consistency. Remove from heat.

Add cooked pasta and marinated tomatoes to the skillet. Stir to thoroughly coat pasta with sauce. Transfer pasta and sauce to a large oven-proof serving platter; top with mozzarella cheese. Place serving platter under broiler to 2 to 3 minutes or until mozzarella cheese has melted. Remove from oven and top pasta with the cooked shrimp. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 4 servings.