Put a Candle in that Shrimp!

For Andy's birthday this year he requested corned beef and cabbage - which is not only a sometimes food - but a weekend food. Takes too long to prep all the parts and pieces and for the crockpot to do its work. So for his actual birthday I made this Garlic Butter Shrimp dish. No lemon - so that was a win for me. I ended up doubling the recipe - mostly because I had all the ingredients to do it and two guys who eat a lot! This was a very easy recipe and with some prep ahead went very fast. Everyone loved it and we even put a candle in a shrimp to wish Happy Birthday to the birthday boy. Into my O shrimps because I overcooked them... if you have C shrimp they are cooked... O's are over cooked... they are always overcooked... oh well... good thing my family will eat O's.

Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
8 ounces fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups baby arugula or spinach
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
Season shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Stir in pasta, arugula and Parmesan until arugula begins to wilt, about 2 minutes. Stir in shrimp.
Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.