Creamy Pesto Shrimp

I am finally back into the swing of things after taking a week off from cooking. Last weekend I was sick and only ate toast. Then it was John's birthday and we went out for dinner with family and friends almost every night of the week, it was fabulous. Last night I tried a new recipe called Creamy Pesto Shrimp. Jamie, I thought you might like this one, since you said you have never cooked with shrimp before. It is really simple and turned out really well.

The directions below serve 8.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound linguine pasta
1/2 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup pesto
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in cream, and season with pepper. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir Parmesan cheese into cream sauce, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Blend in the pesto, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until thickened.

Stir in the shrimp, and cook until they turn pink, about 5 minutes. Serve over the hot linguine.

Andrea's notes:
I made whole wheat ziti instead of linguini. Also, I was worried about burning the butter and ended up adding the rest of the ingredients all at one time instead of in the two steps that is says above. It still turned out really well, although I don't know how it would have tasted if I actually followed the directions. I got a little container of pesto sauce in the refrigerated section of Giant Eagle. Since this recipe didn't use even half of it, I am trying a chicken pesto recipe tonight to use more of it and will hopefully have good results to post tomorrow.

Shrimp notes:
You can buy a bag of pre-cooked shrimp in the freezer section (you can get them tails on or off). They can be pretty pricey, so look for them on sale. I like to have a bag in the freezer and use them for quick meals when I forget to defrost chicken for dinner. Be careful to not overcook! Once they are heated through, they are cooked. You can also go to the "fish" counter and get fresh shrimp which are not pre-cooked and then you can just get enough for your meal. If you get fresh, you should not freeze them and should use them in 2 days. These are the ones that will turn pink when you cook them and then you will know they are done.