Greetings From...

SUNNY FLORIDA  er, Wintery Weather VA is more like it! We woke up yesterday to a wet, ice covered deck, followed by morning rain.  Though today has been dry, the cool temperatures remain.  Not to worry we are looking at high's in the 60's this week, because that makes a lot of sense!  For some odd reason, I have been on a mid-winter smoothie kick. Last week it was pumpkin laced, today we have "Hi- wish I were on a warm beach, but not in a bikini yet" flavored variety.  Your standard frozen strawberries, banana, and mixed fruit that you need to either use or get rid of blended with 1 cup greek yogurt, 1/2 cup 1% milk, 1/2 cup water, and topped with unsweetened shredded coconut.

Its pretty standard, but if I lean up against the fireplace (after I fight for a spot between these two heat hogs, like hubs demonstrates above), close my eyes really tight, I am suddenly sitting on a beach- with nothing but the sand, ocean, and my strawberry smoothie. Where did your breakfast take you today?

He thinks he's funny...

...but I beg to differ! I mean who calls his very own wife out... publicly....on a blog... hehehe! I actually laughed -hard- reading Hubby's blog about tonight's dinner.  In all actuality I have missed food updates, but enjoyed the break (our painful internet service can be unbearable!). Work proved to be extra challenging February- April.... workouts slacked.... food photos ceased... It is with renewed vigor that recipe writing and me time has come back in full effect.  Before jumping into eats here's a quick recap of the past few months....

March- The windy month brought 2 family birthdays, desserts, and dinners galore!

April- hubs and I snuck away to South West Virginia to celebrate his birthday!


Birthday dinner- Crab stuffed flounder with asparagus and shrimp :)

  May- one of my oldest girlfriends celebrated her upcoming baby boy with a shower. Selecting food was so fun- having her super fabulous photographer sister take pics of them was even better! If you're in Seattle look her up-Jenny Hughes!

Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms- Photo courtesy of Jenny Hughes

 I went with Pioneer Woman's stuffed mushroom recipe- but tweaked it by substituting shrimp for the sausage, and adding red peppers to the mix! They were pretty awesome!

Grilled Veggies and Caprese Skewers- Photo courtesy of Jenny Hughes

Olive oil coated veggies  made for an easy appetizer along mozzarella, basil, and tomato bites!

I promise we've been eating, drinking wine, switching from porters to IPA's, and slowly setting up our outdoor living space- now it's back to snapping photos of it all!

Tapas Table

We share a lot of amazing times in the kitchen here. I always say it's where we fell in love!  With Steve's ankle healing, and him spending less and less time with his leg propt up  on a pillow we set out to cook dinner together twice this weekend! I sure did miss my boy making a mess in the kitchen with me.  We love doing tapas nights at home because we get to make and taste as many different things as we feel! So after a relaxing Sunday with family, we decided it was definitely a tapas night.  While we were cooking, we decided to do a duel post as well. My husband can write, and illustrate with words, in a way that I could never do. He is concise and powerful, while I have  a tendency to ramble- our 'discussions' are quite a sight to behold, as we are both very passionate, however our deliveries are extremely different.  Below is Steve's go to list for an awesome night in- or in our kitchen, a 2 person party!  Check him out at his blog!!!

There are those that would have you believe that it’s a show, that all of this glitter couldn’t possibly be gold, that ordinary people don’t create extraordinary cuisine. Those people would be wrong, as I can attest to the fact that my wife is truly gifted in the kitchen and that I am privileged to tag along.

Following my ramble she’s going to talk about our “Tapas dinner” and how it all came together.

I like to break things down into the simplest of forms, so here’s 6 things you might consider for making a memorable 2 person party.



King Family Vineyards Merlot



1. A candle
2. A small quaint table
3. 1 plate to share
4. 1 plate to serve
5. An imagination enhanced by the power of a “Google” search.
6. Death Cab for Cutie singing I’ll follow you into the dark”.

Enjoy!

Fried Goat Cheese

Cut goat cheese in to 3/4 inch think slices.

Dip in 1% milk and dredge in bread crumbs.

Dip back in milk, and return to bread crumbs.

Place in a pan with Canola oil- at Med heat.
Cook for roughly 10 seconds on each side- until golden crispy!

Garlic Shrimp on the Grill

Place shrimp in a cast iron pan with olive oil, minced garlic ( 4 cloves) and finely diced white onion (1/2 onion)  and place pan on the grill. Cook until shrip are pink! Enjoy!

 Mussels with Chickpeas

We started with roughly 10 mussels. Place 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/4 cup diced onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 diced roasted red pepper, and 7 cherry tomatoes on medium heat and saute.  Add Chickpeas (1/4 cup), seafod stock (1/2 cup) and sherry- roughly 2 tsp to the mixture.  Stir in mussels and cook until mussels are open. Serve with crusty bread!

 Fish bites with  Warmed Tortillas

Grill a mahi mahi filet (seasoned lightly with salt, pepper, and fresh lemon juice).

Cut into bite size pieces and serve with warm tortillas.

Steve garnished with balsamic glaze and hot peppers!

 Grab a seat, and dig in!

Be sure to hang out for a while- and put on a sweet soundtrack to your life!