The Pioneer Woman Cooks (62 page)

12. Pour in the cream. Mmmm. It doesn’t get any better than this.

13. Stir well to combine; reduce the heat to simmer.

14. And now for the fun part: remove the tails from the shrimp, chop the shrimp into medium-size pieces, and add them to the sauce. Stir gently to combine.

15. Next, dump in the herbs and stir.

16. Add the cooked, drained pasta.

17. Stir gently to coat. If the sauce is too thick, splash in a little milk to get it to the right consistency. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be sure to taste the seasonings at the end, adjusting if necessary.

18. Serve directly out of the skillet, or pour the contents of the skillet into a pretty serving bowl.

Serve with crusty French bread…and more wine.

This is a cowgirl’s paradise.

MAMAS AND BABIES

While we work calves, the mama cows stand on the other side of the fence and wait.

Sometimes it’s a little tough for me to take, as I’ve felt that uncomfortable tug of being away from your nursing infant.

(Just one of hundreds of scenarios in which I feel at one with cows.)

COWGIRL DINNER PARTY

It’s important for country women to get together from time to time and remind one another that agriculture isn’t just a man’s world. I love having cowgirl dinner parties at my house. We girls spend the evening drinking sangría, laughing, letting loose…and cooking all the food we love.

And gravy is never, ever on the menu.

SANGRÍA

Makes about 3 liters

Mmmm. Sangría. What could be better than the sight of a beautiful vat of colorful wine-soaked fruit? Well, how ’bout sipping on a beautiful vat of colorful wine-soaked fruit? I love making sangría for any get-together involving females, but only if designated drivers are on the scene. The delicious fruit can really mask the “flammability” of this drink!

Feel free to make your sangría all your own: use all white wine, half white, half blush, or all red. Add in flavored liquor, too. There are no rules! Just maintain some combination of wine and fruit and you’re good to go.

(Just don’t drive when you go.)

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into cubes1 cup green seedless grapes1 cup red seedless grapes2 cups pineapple chunks1 small unpeeled orange, thinly sliced2 unpeeled lemons, thinly sliced2 unpeeled limes, thinly sliced1.5 liter red wine (such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Pinot Noir), chilled1.5 liter dry white wine (such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio), chilled1 cup orange-flavored rum1 cup orange-flavored vodka1 cup sugar

1. Chop up all the fruit you’d like: apples, grapes, pineapple, orange, lemons, limes. Any fruit is permissible, except maybe tomatoes.

Tricked you, didn’t I?

2. Place the fruit in a large container.