Orzo its snowing

Once again, we had a wonderful weekend! Yesterday we worked all day blowing out sprinkler systems. I like to say we but I guess this is all Dave. His business is really taking off. We got a glimpse into the second homeowners of Summit. The houses were pretty amazing. Then we came home just in time for the rain to start. Go figure. As soon as work is done and its play time the weather turns. It didn't stop us, we got on our bikes for a quick ride across the street came home showered and headed to the the Guinles for some amazing barbecued pulled pork. It was so darn good! We got to catch up with some friends and had a very nice night. Woke up this morning to snow on the peaks and headed down to Golden to better weather for some more biking. It was the perfect temperature down there and we had a great ride. I've got a nice purple bruise to show for it on my rear end. The drive home really sucked. We knew it would be snowing at the tunnel. As soon as we hit the west side of the tunnel we started sliding down the highway for about 100 yards. I was screaming and holding on to the "oh shit handle". Dave did a very good job of keeping us on the road just in time to see a huge pile up and a mangled SUV on the side of the road. Great. Winter is slowing tightening its grip on the Rocky Mountains. Anyway, we are all fine and made it home safe and sound. After a little recuperating we started our fabulous dinner. I was a nice way to end the weekend and snuggle in for a cold night.

This week I made our entire menu out of the Gourmet Cookbook. It never fails and is always tasty. As you can see by the picture, Dave really enjoyed the Orzo!

Baked Orzo with Shrimp, Tomato Sauce, and Feta
2 T evoo
1 medium onion finely chopped (I used the mini prep)
3 minced garlic gloves
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 red pepper flakes
1/2 c dry white wine (used chicken stock)
1 28oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 t salt
1.5 large shrimp peeled and deveined
1 pound orzo
1/2 chopped Kalamata olives
1 C give or take of feta

Heat oven to 425. Lightly oil a 13/9 baking dish.
Heat 1 T oil in heavy skillet and add onion, garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes. Cook until onions are translucent. Add wine/broth boil and reduce by 1/2 about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and salt, reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened- 8 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cook until just cooked through.
Meanwhile cook orzo in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 C cooking water and then drain. Return orzo to pot and toss with 1 T evoo.
Stir sauce and reserved cooking water into orzo, then add olives. Spoon half of pasta into oiled baking dish and sprinkle with half of feta. top with remaining pasta and feta. Bake, uncovered for 15 minutes or until it bubbles. (Page 224)