Butter.Lemon.Shrimp.

So it's official. After months of encouragement from my family and coworkers, I am finally starting a blog!  If you asked me a year ago if I ever thought about starting one, or even if I read food blogs, I would have looked at you like this

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 Well, not quite--but you get the picture ;) 

My boyfriend's sister, Liz, created a blog last year, and that got me hooked. After looking at her amazing recipes, I began expanding my horizon, to this and this! 

I will refer to Liz as "seestor" throughout this blog, and I want to clarify that I don't call her that because I am the psychocrazygirlfriendwhoneedstogetmarried….

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This is the real story…

What really happened was when I met Liz for the first time at one of her friend's cookouts. I was really nervous to meet the bf's older sister, and to calm my nerves, began to drink a few beers to take the edge off. Before I knew it, I got roped into playing flip cup (now how could that have happened : ) ..... ). She was on my team, and in the heat of the moment, I shouted out 'SEESTORR"--and it stuck ever since! I just knew that we would develop a friendship that was just like that of a sister. You believe that was the realll reason, right…RIGHT?! 

Anyways, back to the food…

After a 3.5 mile run after work, the last thing I wanted to do was slave in the kitchen for some dinner. I craved something simple, delicious, and quick.  First, I made a simple tomato salad with some vine ripe tomatoes and some basil.  This simple combination, along with a drizzle of balsamic and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, creates a fresh simple starter for a summer meal.  It took literally 5 minutes to make and it really made me feel good after the run...but I still wanted more. 

The recipe I am showing you today is from the wonderful, beautiful, amAZing Pioneer Woman! In case you lived under a rock, this woman has swept the blog nation and the country with her no-fail recipes and wit.  She encompasses everything I love in a cook--the use of high quality and flavorful ingredients while having fun.  This simple recipe takes minutes to make but is.absolutely.amazing. I adapted it for two people (it's only my roomie and I!) and used what I had on hand.  That is what great about cooking--you are often free to branch out and use the ingredients that you have in your kitchen!

Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp 

adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 pound deveined, unpeeled shrimp

2-4 tablespoons of butter, divided

2 cloves of garlic

Red Pepper Flakes

Juice of half of a lemon

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rinse frozen shrimp and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet covered in foil.

Chop garlic and sprinkle it over the shrimp.  Place sliced butter pads on shrimp. Add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and the juice of half a lemon.

Bake until shrimp is opaque and butter is hot and bubbly, about 8-10 minutes.

How beautiful is this?! Rich, buttery, and a little sweet from the lemon, this is a delicious, yet messy dinner! And don't forget to use some toasty bread to dip in the pockets of butter, garlic, and lemon. OMG this is so good! And it took 10 minutes to make!

Go make this immediately!!