Luck of The Irish Cupcakes

It's been a very emotional week for me.  We had to wish my mom and niece a farewell and say good-bye to them so they could go back home.  A couple days later, my friend Toni from ( A Taste of Alaska Blog ) came through town and had dinner with us.  Unfortunately it was very bittersweet as we only got to see her for a couple hours and she had to get back on the road.  I was so sad to see her leave since we live so far from each other (I powered down some chocolate cake when she left..I told you it was a rough week,).  It was also the anniversary of my sister-in-law Jodi's passing, which is always very sad for me this time of year.

On a brighter note though, my grandmother (a.k.a. GGMa) celebrated her 88th birthday!!  She is such an amazing lady and quite honestly is doing better than all of us. So, to help cheer me up, my husband and I took our labradors for a very long walk this morning.  It was a glorious, sunny start to our day and I needed fresh air.  We ended up taking the dogs and walking to our new favorite breakfast spot, Mac's Place.

We found a perfect table out on their patio, tied up the dogs to the bike rack, I ordered up my 2 eggs scrambled, bacon, hash browns and sourdough toast with strawberry jam...just what the doctor ordered.

Earlier in the week I also picked up my niece's rainbow clover that she painted at Crackpots.  It was fired, glossy and so very cute.  Her artpiece inspired me to make "Luck of the Irish Cupcakes".  I saw them on Pinterest a few weeks ago and thought they were just adorable.  My friend Toni who is so incredibly creative when it comes to bakery confections, I know she would be proud of me to take these on.

I wish my niece could have been here to help me make these, she would have loved it.  

I am bringing a tray of them to my girls' tournament tomorrow. 

 Hopefully, it will bring them a little luck.

One Year Ago:  Simply Salmon and Shrimp Tortellini

Lemon Spaghetti with Jumbo Shrimp

We had a very special treat this week, in the midst of all our late summer/early fall rain and thunder.  We walked out of the girls' school and were greeted with a double rainbow...but the best part was you could actually see the ends of both rainbows! (...and no, I didn't find my pot of gold at either end, unfortunately).   I typically only see one end of a rainbow and the other is off to infinity somewhere.  The photos don't do it justice, since I was trying to save my camera in the torrential downpour, but the sight was absolutely breathtaking.

This is the perfect, quick, go to weeknight dish to warm you up from a rain storm.  Of course, anything I can put shrimp in, I love and anything that I put capers in, my husband is all over and any pasta for my kids just goes without saying, so it was a win-win for family night.

Lemon Spaghetti with Jumbo Shrimp
Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound spaghetti
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons capers, fried briefly in a little olive oil

For the shrimp: In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the shrimp with the salt and pepper, then add to the pan in a single layer and cook until pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Set aside.

For the pasta: Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving the pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, whisk together the olive oil, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice in a large bowl. Toss the drained pasta with the lemon sauce, the shrimp and some of the reserved pasta water; add 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Add the salt, pepper and basil and toss. Garnish with the fried capers.