Homemade Fra Diavolo, Anniversary Cake, and the Winner!

This past week has been quite crazy! Moving, unpacking, adjusting to a longer commute, finally getting cable and Internet, and adjusting to a newer, bigger and better kitchen! Normally, it would not be such a hard adjustment, but I really don't know what to do with the extra space, anddd the extra sensitive fire alarm, which went off twice last night in two separate locations within the house.



Anyway, I digress. Last night I decided to try to use up some of our last tomatoes from the garden, before using our million other vegetables in the refrigerator. I wanted to make one of Jack's favorite Italian dishes, Shrimp Fra Diavolo. I tweaked with the recipe a little bit based on my ingredients on hand, my desire to economize my frozen shrimp stock, and, as usual, time. Last night I also wanted to finally make an anniversary cake for Jack and I, so I needed to make sure that I had the time to make both dinner and dessert



So the shrimp fra diavolo was really tasty, but I was little surprised by the way it looked. It did not turn out like a typical restaurant style pasta dish, rather, because I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned, it had a more homemade look to it. Regardless, it tasted very good, and will definitely be made again.



But here's the real reason for the post. I need to announce the winner of the $35 gift card from CSN. While I would love to put a picture of the Random.org number generator result, I am not totally sure as to how to do a print screen on my mac. Therefore, you'll have to trust me in saying that comment number 2 has won! I will send along contact information for the gift card. Congratulations!



Here is the recipe for the fra diavolo, enjoy with summer's last tomatoes!

Shrimp Fra Diavolo
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined- I used 1/2lb
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes- I used a little more as Jack likes his fra diavolo spicy
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
1 medium onion, sliced
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes- I used about 2lbs of fresh heirloom tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions
Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside. Add the onion to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with more salt, to taste, and serve.