Fettuccini w/Shrimp, Tarragon & Cream (pg.173) and Quick Cheesy Breadsticks (pg.166)

I love shrimp + pasta dishes....and this one was delicious!  This is the first time I've ever cooked with (or even seen) tarragon.  I've heard of it but just never used it.  When I was mincing it, I thought it smelled a little funny....like licorice, actually.  I thought maybe my sniffer was deceiving me (b/c I'm pregnant), but have to admit I was a little worried that my pasta was going to taste like licorice (which I hate).  But, as I already said - it was delicious and did not taste like licorice at all!  (sidenote:  I looked up tarragon on Wikipedia of course, and it turns out that I am not crazy....it does have "an aromatic property reminiscent of anise" which has a licorice-like flavor.  So, I was right - it does smell like licorice!)

I used their suggested method of not cooking the shrimp all the way (initially) as it will finish cooking in a covered bowl while you finish the rest of the dish.  They were perfect!  We will definitely be making this one again.  (and it did take me a bit longer than 30 minutes but that extra time involved prepping the shrimp).

(camera flash washed this picture out - it is way more appetizing than it looks!)

I served this with the quick cheesy breadsticks on page 166.  We did like these but I need to do a few things differently next time I make them.  It calls for one pound of pizza dough, rolled out to 1/2 inch thick.  My husband (who does the grocery shopping - huge blessing!) brought home two cans/rolls of the Pillsbury pizza dough and each one was 11 ounces.  I didn't think we'd need both, so I just used one.  I was lazy and did not re-roll the dough to get the proper thickness of 1/2 inch, so my breadsticks were thin and a bit crunchy (although I cooked them for less time than it said).  Next time, I will make them the proper thickness so they should be more soft and bread-y.  I think I might alter the cheese a little too....maybe add more or a different kind (shredded instead of grated parmesan, maybe?) b/c I did not think they were cheesy enough.  I also think they could use some garlic!  I do have a question for anyone reading this.....is there another kind of pizza dough besides the kind that comes in the can/roll (the kind packaged like biscuits)??  Not sure if we used the right kind.

and the two together - it was yummy!