lucky long noodles with jalapeño

I faced my usual challenge while trying to balance having fun with my guests and taking photos to use for this site during my Friday the 13th Dinner Party.

So in place of the usual photos of the cooking process, how about photos of the guests?

Above you see everyone hanging out in-between dinner and dessert, enjoying each other and the beautiful evening in Linda Land, as Tram and Steve so sweetly have dubbed my backyard.

Here are The Blondes, Amy and Anne vs. The Brunettes, Peggy and Tram, posing in front of the red wine selections.

Eventually, they were able to pull me out of the kitchen for a quick snapshot.

Adorable Scott and Amy. Scott with his lucky grapes and Amy holding the fun Texas Boot Scraper they brought me as a hostess gift. They found it at Sweet Salvage and thought I’d love it because of my Texas connection. They were right, of course! OK, on today’s recipe.

This dish was chosen because of the superstition that it is unlucky to cut a noodle before eating and the unlucky connection between hot peppers and friendship.

Cutting Noodles: While noodles are thought to bring good fortune and long life in Chinese culture, cutting those same noodles brings about a different fortune. Cutting noodles (especially those served on the New Year and at parties) causes bad luck and a shortened lifespan.

Hot Peppers and Friendship: Many people believe that hot peppers can bring discontent among friends. One version of the superstition says that spilling pepper can cause disagreements between friends. And when working in the kitchen, handing a hot chili pepper directly to a friend will cause disagreements in your relationship. However, bad luck can be avoided by putting the hot pepper down on a surface and allowing a said friend to pick it up as a separate action.

Long Noodles with Buttery Garlic Shrimp

• 1 pound long flat noodles or fettuccine
• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
• 4 cups or one bag arugula
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Use a paring knife to cut each shrimp in half horizontally, thru the back where the vein was removed from. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and set aside.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, oregano, and jalapeño, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in the skillet.

Stir in the drained pasta, arugula, and shrimp and cook until the arugula begins to wilt about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and if needed, add some of the pasta cooking water to thin out.

Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with the parsley and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Serves 8 to 10