Happily Ever After

I love asking couples the question, "How did you meet?" The answers are always different and wonderful. Whether it was a blind date, dropped sunglasses, eyes locking across a crowded room, or a silly college stunt, it's so charming to hear the story and see the happy look as they remember that first meeting.

Of course, the question is always fun to ask your parents. What chance encounter is responsible for you being here? I've been told several different versions of how my parents met, but recently my mother told me the definitive vesion. She had read a magazine article that said the best husband to have was a nerd. One who worked in a technical area was much better than someone like a doctor who saw women all day long and was likely to fall in love with a patient or nurse. A nerd, however, wouldn't see a woman until he came home at night, thus ensuring marital stability.

My mother's sister went away to college, met her own dream man, called my mother and said, ""I've found your nerd! He's my boyfriend's best friend and next door neighbor." But he was too shy to call her. For three years the sister and boyfriend begged, pleaded, prodded, and cajoled the young man to call. At last he sent a birthday card to this young woman. And 7 months later they were married; in a double wedding - the two sisters and the two best friends.



So, I owe my existence to an unkown magazine author and my aunt. Oh, that sounds wrong. I meant, because they got my parents together.

Last year we celebrated my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. It was a lovely time for the family to get together, talk, look over old photos, remember trips, special occasions, and funny jokes. Naturally, there was food. What's a family gathering without food? My sister and I wanted to make food that would be easy to fix, easy to eat, and delicious. Seafood is a treat for my parents, so one of the recipes that we decided on was this beautiful grilled shrimp. Simple ingredients, short marinating time, and so easy to barbecue. When we circulated a tray of these through the clusters of people chatting they would stop, pop a shrimp in their mouth, and then groan while rolling their eyes heavenward. Yes, it's that good.

For my birthday this year I chose the anniversary shrimp for my dinner. It's a winning dish with a proven track record. And not a little romance tied to it, too.

If you'd like to briefly share your "how you met" story in comments, I'd love to hear it!

(Note: the most time-consuming aspect of this recipe is the shrimp preparation. You can do that earlier in the day and just keep the shrimp in a bag in the refrigerator. And if you choose to marinate it longer than 30 minutes, well, is more flavor a bad thing?)

Happily Ever After Shrimp
adapted from The Best of Cooking Light

2 lbs large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied
1/2 cup thawed orange juice concentrate, undiluted
1 tsp grated lime rind
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

1- Combine first 9 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

2- Prepare grill while shrimp is marinating. Soak a grilling plank in water.

3- Remove shrimp from bag, reserving marinade. Place shrimp on grilling plank in a single layer; they can be close together.

4- Place plank on the grill over medium-high heat. Cook about 4 minutes, till they start to pink up then turn the shrimp, and cook till just thoroughly pinked. Don't overcook or you have rubber shrimp! You can use the marinade to baste when you turn them, but they cook quickly, so you might not have time for that.

This is my submission for the Heart of the Matter roundup of heart-healthy recipes hosted by Joanna of Joanna's Food.