Penne with Shrimp & Salmon in Garlic Parmesan Creme

It's been over a year since I contributed a recipe to this section of the blog.  Frankly, lots of things changed in my life since the birth of this site.  Somehow I managed to become a baby public figure - go figure - and have been traveling ridiculously for the months.  I went through loss, pain, highs and holy shit moments.  When I have the opportunity to cook in my safe space, it's an absolute treasure that I don't take lightly.  My video blurbs are typically lodged in a collection of 24 hour Instagram stories; my viewers have asked for typed out recipes.  Realistically, I am a one woman team with my blog and because I'm sorta-kinda a control freak, I haven't recruited help as of yet.  Nevertheless, between Facebook and Instagram, I guess I need to give y'all what you want.  I'll do my best to post some of my favorites twice a month; I make no promises since I'm training for a 100K, 3 marathons and the Ironman 70.3 at the moment -- Enjoy!

---

What You Need

Penne

• 1/2 Pound Penne (Full Pound if you're a pasta lover)
• Salt (I prefer Kosher or Sea Salt but I'm not Jesus Christ -- do your thing)
• Water (Enough water to bring to a rapid boil and your pasta will not be screaming for help -- 4 quart pot/2 quarts of water
• Decent brand of olive oil or olive oil blend
• Garlic Powder
• Italian Seasonings (Dried or fresh; parsley, basil and oregano combined is great)
• Black (or White) Pepper
• Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
• Minced and Lightly Sauteed Garlic (4 - 5 Cloves in Olive Oil is just enough) (Optional)

Salmon & Shrimp

• 1 pound salmon, sliced into 4 -8 servings, depending on your preference for portion sizes
• 1/2 pound shrimp, cleaned and deveined (Personal preference: Large to Extra Large)
• 1 1/2 - 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (One of your choice with a high smoking point which means please don't use extra virgin olive oil unless you want to choke for dear life when it hits the hot pan
• Salt (I prefer Kosher or Sea Salt because it breaks down over the course of cooking time and don't go crazy with it)
• Black Pepper
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Garlic Powder

Garlic Parmesan Creme Sauce

• 2 cups 2% milk (Traditionally it's heavy cream for a richer flavor but I'm lactose intolerant as hell and I'm on a budget)
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1/2 medium onion, medium chop
• 5 - 6 garlic cloves, rough chop
• 1/2 c. white wine (It can be a white cooking wine from Goya to a bottle of white that's not too sweet - not dessert wine - that's sitting around waiting for company)
• 1/3 c. parmesan cheese (I prefer rough slithers/chop but you can substitute for some halfway decent grated parmesan cheese from the supermarket.  It depends on if your budget and culinary palate -- I'm damn sure not judging because I'm broke)
• 2 cups of fresh spinach (if frozen, defrost in advance because extra liquid with change time on thickening of sauce
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

---

Read More