“Citrus & Sun” Summer Dinner Party + Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta Recipe

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SUMMER IS HERE! The sun is shining and I’m getting excited for all the summer entertaining I’ll be doing this summer. Does the thought of entertaining in your home make you anxious? Well, you’re not alone. As a pro party planner I love sharing my tips and tricks to pulling off an amazing summertime dinner party with less stress so you can actually enjoy your party! To kick things off, I’d love to share with you today ideas for a Summer Dinner Party + Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta Recipe that is quick, easy and YUMMY featuring two of my favorite things—Barilla Pasta and Gold Peak Iced Tea!

STEP 1: SET THE SCENE!

The first thing to do when hosting a dinner party in your home is look around your home for tables and areas that you can use to set up instead of having to bring in temporary tables and chairs. Use your existing dining table and chairs to set up your tablescape. To bringing the colors of summer (gold and bright yellow) decorate your table with gold chargers, gold napkin rings and add pops of lemons like I did here with these gorgeous lemon topiary trees! AND…I borrowed this gold paper flower by Tania Fischer Designs from my studio and used it as a centerpiece. No money spent there! Gotta love that!

GIRLFRIEND TIP: When deciding on my guest list for a seated dinner party, I always only invite 6-8 guests since my dining table only seats 6-8 people. That way, I can seat everyone without having to bring in extra tables and chairs.

STEP 2: SERVE AN EASY LEMON GARLIC SHRIMP PASTA!

I’m all about making an easy dish when hosting a dinner party. One of my go-to recipes is this Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta which works great with the bright lemon themed decorations. My favorite pasta to work with is Barilla pasta. I keep it in my pantry to whip up quick and easy pasta dishes all summer long. Want to know how to make this? Let’s get cooking!

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED:
– 1 box Barilla Linguini Pasta
– 1 lb. medium fresh shrimp (peeled & deveined)
– dry white wine
– cilantro
– minced garlic
– butter
– olive oil
– salt, pepper, Old Bay seasoning, garlic powder

HERE’S HOW TO MAKE THEM:
STEP 1: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil then add salt to the water. Put in your pasta and stir. Cook according to the package instructions until done (9-10 minutes). Drain when done.

STEP 2: While the pasta is cooking, melt 4 tbsp of butter into 4 tbsp of olive oil in a large, deep, non-stick skillet over medium heat. When melted, add 3 tsp of minced garlic and stir constantly until the garlic is slightly toasted.

STEP 3: Season the fresh shrimp with salt, pepper and garlic powder and add to the pan until the shrimp are pink and cooked. (3 minutes). Toss the shrimp with Old Bay Seasoning as the shrimp are cooking.

STEP 4: Once the shrimp is cooked, remove the shrimp only from pan and set to the side. Add 3/4 cup of white wine, juice from one large lemon and 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp back to the pan and turn down the heat to medium/low.

STEP 5: Add a handful of finely chopped cilantro the pan, stir, then add the cooked linguini pasta and toss together to coat the pasta with the lemon butter sauce.

STEP 6: Serve the pasta straight from the pan with Gold Peak Lemon Iced Tea to drink! OMG, have you guys tried Gold Peak Iced Tea? It is so refreshing served in a tall glass filled with ice and tastes amazing! I was introduced to it by my sister last summer and have been a fan every since. It comes in a variety of flavors. My favorite is the Sweet Tea as it tastes just like my mom’s homemade sweet tea she used to make when I was a kid. The Lemon flavor was the perfect compliment to my Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta so I served it with the meal and it was delish! Want to try them? Here’s a coupon for $1 off!

STEP 3: SET UP A BARILLA ICED TEA BAR!

Setting up this drink bar was easy. I used a table I already had in my house and placed two display shelves (from another room) on top of the table which provided the perfect display for the Gold Peak Iced Tea and glasses.

While shopping in Walmart for my recipe ingredients I noticed that my favorite Gold Peak Iced Tea is now available in a 6-pack! Oh yeah! I can now enjoy it on-the-go! AND…it makes the perfect party favor for the dinner party! Everyone loved it.

WANT MORE SUMMER ENTERTAINING RECIPE IDEAS? PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER!

Check out more delicious summer recipes HERE. AND…to get you going, here’s an Ibotta offer for Barilla — Buy 3 products and earn $1!

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