Pasta Pesto and Grilled Shrimp

Today was one of those busy days when I really didn’t have the energy or the time to cook after work. On top of that, it’s been really, really hot here lately and I didn’t want to stand in my tiny kitchen in front of the stove. And since my grill died, the stove is really the only cooking device I have. So in an effort to avoid heating up the kitchen and wanting a really quick and tasty dinner, I made pasta pesto with grilled shrimp. Yup, the same shrimp I made for Independence Day, and I took a shortcut with the pesto – I bought it a while ago and it’s been in my pantry so I figured I should use it.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb of pasta (any pasta with ridges would work)
2-3 TB of pesto (I used store-bought)
For Shrimp:
10 pieces of shrimp
2 TB of olive oil
1 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp granulated garlic (garlic powder), a dash of salt, a dash of black pepper, a touch of spanish smoked paprika.

Steps:
1. Mix olive oil, garlic salt, granulated garlic, salt, black pepper, and paprika. Add shrimp to this mixture and let sit at room temperature for at least a half hour to marinade.
2. Boil pasta according to directions on the box.
3. Grill shrimp.
4. Drain pasta and add pesto.
5. Add shrimp to the pasta and enjoy.