Cajun Seafood Pasta

     I started the week out in a really crabby mood that lasted most of the week...because I had grad school scheduled for Friday night and most of the day Saturday.  I love to learn but at the end of a week of work, I just want to relax and do my own thing.  Well, I got the best email Thursday night announcing that class was canceled on Friday night.  Unfortunately the teacher was sick but fortunately for me, I got to spend the night at home with Arnauld and the pups.  To celebrate the extra time, Arnauld sent me a recipe that I executed and had (almost) ready by the time he got home from work.

Cajun Seafood Pasta

Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup green onions
1 package sliced mushrooms
1/2 lb shrimp
1/2 lb scallops
1/4 cup Swiss cheese, grated
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 tbsp butter
1/2 lb penne pasta

Method
1. Melt the butter in a medium skillet.  Saute the green onions and mushrooms until the vegetables are tender.  Set aside.
2. Pour cream into a large skillet and cook over medium heat.  Stir continuously just until it begins to boil.  Reduce the heat and add herbs, salt, peppers, mushrooms and onions, and parsley.  Simmer 15-20 minutes or until thick. Allowing this time really helps to improve the taste of the sauce.
3. Stir in the seafood, cooking until the shrimp is no longer transparent.  Then stir in the cheeses until the mixture is well blended.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions.  I recommend doing this around the same time as you add the seafood to the cream sauce.  The sauce takes a bit of time to thicken up.
5. Serve seafood and cream sauce over the pasta.


The Taste Test
     The pictures don't do this dish justice.  First of all, long gone is the natural light I aim to use in my pictures.  Secondly, the sauce looked just kind of "eh" in the pan.  After Arnauld's first bite, he said "Mmmmm.  That's good.  That's really good," as if he was surprised.  He followed his second bite with, "this is restaurant caliber pasta."  This dish was full of flavor.  While I am not always a huge fan of creamy sauces, this one was not super thick and we both really enjoyed the meal.

Take away message: when life gives you a little extra time...spend it with the ones you love!