Not Lying, Quick & Easy Dinner

I won't tell you that I love to cook every day, I don't. I also won't tell you I'm above stopping at McDonald's, I do. I try but sometimes I just don't want to cook or even think about being healthy. It's not right but it's honest. So when I find a recipe that's quick, easy and my kid asks for seconds, I'm more than happy to share. This recipe is Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta and it's literally a one-pan dish. Woohoo...less clean-up for me. Here we go!

Ingredients

• 8 oz linguine (you can use angel hair or whatever pasta suits your fancy, gluten free, chickpea...it'll all work)
• 2 TBS olive oil (don't need anything fancy here)
• 6 TBS butter (use real butter, not margarine, trust me)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (you can use pre-minced from the jar and if you love garlic, up the cloves, I usually double it, but no one has to deal with my breath)
• 1 TSP red pepper flakes (use more or less depending whether you like a smidge of heat or alot)
• 1 - 1.25 lbs shrimp (do yourself a favor and get fresh shrimp already peeled and deveined, this is about quick and easy)
• salt & pepper (have at it, whatever floats your boat here)
• 1 TSP Italian seasoning (you can also throw in your own mix, just don't let it overpower the other flavors)
• 4 cups baby spinach (or broccoli, peas, carrots, yellow or red bell pepper, Swiss chard...they would all work)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated, shredded, Romano, Kraft...it'll all work)
• 2 TBS parsley, chopped (I've skipped it both times, you won't miss it)
• 1 TBS lemon juice (fresh or bottled, I've used both and it tastes same)

Directions

1. In a large pot cook the pasta of your choice according to directions. Don't over cook or it'll turn into a mushy pile of gloop. Drain & set pasta aside.
2. In the same pan, heat olive oil with 2 TBS of the butter (real, skip the fake stuff), add the garlic and red pepper flakes for just a couple minutes until you can smell the garlic cooking.
3. Add the shrimp, salt & pepper to taste cook until the shrimp start to turn pink, don't cook them all the way. Add Italian seasoning and the veggie of your choice. If you chose frozen veggies, microwave them prior or you'll lengthen the cooking time. Cook until all ingredients have been heated up.
4. Add pasta back in, remaining butter (cutting up the 4 TBS makes melting easier), parsley (if you bothered with it), Parmesan cheese and stir till butter is melted.
5. Sprinkle on some lemon juice and extra cheese if you're a cheese-a-holic like me.
6. Slap it on a dish and voila, dinner is served.

Hints

• Pay attention to the shrimp and try not to overcook. Add the veggies as the shrimp are turning pink. If you wait until the shrimp are all pink, that means they're already done before you're finished cooking all the ingredients.
• Adding a sprig of parsley at the end or a lemon wedge serve as nice garnishes if you're looking to make it a bit more fancy.
• Colored veggies will help paint a pretty picture on your plate.

Bottom line, this is a quick and tasty mean in under 30 minutes. Give it a try and let me know.

Hand Gestures of the Week: Bad Behavior Fouls

Let's start with defining the word respect. Merriam-Webster defines it as, "an act of giving particular attention; high or special regard; or the quality or state of being esteemed." Why am I starting with this? Because the two fouls we'll be discussing here today stem from lack of respect for the referee, coaching staff and / or other players on the field. Simply put, they are fouls for bad behavior.

I understand that you can get riled up during a game, the adrenaline is flowing, the testosterone is raging, you get caught up in the heat of the moment. But is any of that really an excuse for treating a human being like crap? What kind of example does a coach or parent set for players when they're calling the ref names or dropping the f-bomb every other word? The players will then think they can disrespect the ref, their opponent and eventually that turns into disrespecting their coaches and parents. They think that if I can talk this way to one adult, I can talk this way to all adults. Besides, if the roles were reversed do you really want anyone up-in-your-face, spitting out words like Gary Oldman's character on friends? I wouldn't. 

So, let's get down to it shall we? First up is a personal foul, UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT. There are two categories of UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT, non-releasable & releasable. The referee will make the same hand gesture for both. Non-releasable: arguing with an official, using threatening or obscene gestures, bating or taunting, or any other act officials deem unsportsmanlike. Releasable: repeatedly committing the same technical foul, not returning to the field immediately and a substitute deliberately not complying with rules for entering a game. To the right is a quick video that shows the official motion for the foul. It's pretty simple...arms extended on the sides and raised. At the end of the video he does reference football, but the motion made is the same for lacrosse. 

The other bad behavior foul I'd like to discuss is a technical foul, called CONDUCT FOUL. This is when someone aggressively argues or makes gestures about a decision by an official or commits other acts considered misconduct by the official. To the left is a video that demonstrates the arm motion by the official to call this foul.

So, what's the difference between UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT & CONDUCT FOUL? From what I understand, it comes down to the type of foul it is (technical foul usually involves a moving or time violation. They usually result in a 30 second penalty if the fouling team doesn't have the ball at the time of the foul or personal foul involves an infraction that has malicious intent. These penalties are punished by one to three minutes in the penalty box depending on the severity.), whether there's contact or not and the official's judgement. This can be a challenging situation for an observer, coach, player or referee since there are similar types of behavior demonstrated for each type of foul. Respect the decision.

IMHO these are some of the easiest penalties to avoid. When a ref makes a call you don't agree...keep your mouth shut. If someone starts smack-talking and callin' yo' mamma' names...keep your hands to yourself and walk away. Someone flips you off, drops the f-bomb, realize they're trying to provoke you, if you let them, more than likely you're the one who will get the penalty. Walk away and get back to playing lacrosse. Most of all, respect the officials, the coaches, the players and most importantly, yourself. Set a good example and you'll never have to worry about these penalties. Yes, it's that easy.