Bacon & Shrimp Pasta Toss ♥ Comfort food when comfort is what you need

I will use any excuse to fire up the grill.
This recipe calls for all cooked in a skillet and I chose to grill my shrimp and then add them to the pasta and bacon. I sprinkled them liberally with a Cajun spice blend.

Yes, it's extra work but it gets me out of the house on a beautiful day which I spent sitting in a car dealership getting all four rotors and pads replaced. Oh, yeah. Heads will roll on this one. I should have be told, "ma'am, you need new brake pads" and I would have been OK with that. Instead I was informed that I was driving on metal and no pads where even  in existence. How does that happen when you get regular scheduled maintenance every 3K miles?

And this day started out with what I thought would be a simple battery purchase and a call to AAA.
OMG, $600 later and I still had to repair a rip in my exhaust pipe because with all the snow it destroyed the old one and oh, forget about the dead battery, it was fine. WHAT!?!?
Not only did I NOT need a new battery or starter (which I think secretly they wished it was one of them, at least to justify my being there), I now sound like the teenagers car up the street.

I need to smell the fresh air and I was going to pour a glass of wine and stand by that grill if The Nudge knew what was good for him (it was his car!!!).

I had all intentions of buying my flats of vegetables and planting my garden. Tomorrow they predict rain and  the next day and oh poo, this was the best day of the week. Do you hate your life sometimes?

The thought of pasta always makes me feel good and this needed to be a pasta night!
Bonus.....it was so nice out we ate al fresco.

Bacon and Shrimp Pasta Toss
Makes: 4 servings, about 1 3/4 cups

* 8 ounces uncooked orecchiette or other small pasta
* 2 applewood-smoked bacon slices
* 5 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 5 cups baby spinach leaves
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + more for the pasta water

1. Cook pasta according to package directions until almost al dente, omitting salt and fat; drain, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid.
2. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until crisp, turning once. Remove from pan; reserve drippings. Crumble bacon. Add garlic to drippings in pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add shrimp; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove shrimp from pan; set aside.
3. Add reserved 3/4 cup cooking liquid and oil to pan; bring to a boil. Boil 30 seconds, stirring with a whisk. Add pasta to pan; cook 1 minute, tossing to combine. Stir in spinach, shrimp, and salt. Top with bacon. Serve immediately.

 Nutritional Information

• Calories: 396
• Fat: 11g
• Saturated fat: 2.1g
• Monounsaturated fat: 5.1g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.2g
• Protein: 26g
• Carbohydrate: 48g
• Fiber: 3g
• Cholesterol: 148mg
• Iron: 3mg
• Sodium: 570mg
• Calcium: 101mg