OK, I'm going to try this. Jean if it goes awry it's your fault, but I'll still love you ;-).

Yes I am the Jill from the Collier Small Group dinner. I do bake. I have since I can remember. But I feel I'm going up against the best. As per request here is the recipe for the Petite Mocha Cakes from kraftfoods.com, a site my brother got me on to. I wanted to bake something light to finish off an Italian meal. I thought these little cakes with a touch of coffee would finish off a lovely evening. Here goes:

Petite Mocha Cakes

Prep time 15 minutes. Serves 12

Ingredients:
3/4 cups or 1 1/2 sticks of butter, cut into pieces
1 pkg. (6 squares) Baker's bittersweet chocolate (I used 1 pkg (4 oz) of Ghiradelli 60% cacao)
(only the best for my friends)
2 Tbsp Maxwell House instant coffee (I used Folger's classic roast instant coffee)
4 eggs
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Microwave butter, chocolate and coffee in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 minute or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Freeze 5 minutes or until cooled, stirring occasionally.

Beat eggs, powdered sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed 2 to 3 minutes, or until well blended. Add chocolate mixture; mix well. Combine flour and cinnamon. Add to chocolate mixture; beat just until blended. Spoon evenly into 12 paper-lined medium muffin cups.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until cakes are slightly puffed and feel firm at edges and soft in center when pressed with fingertip. Cool 5 minutes. Remove paper liners. Serve warm.

I'm not a fan of coffee in any form, but these were a bit tasty.

Happy baking and enjoy.

Quick Quesadillas

We love quesadillas. But for some reason, they're rarely on my radar. I just don't think of them when I'm trying to come up with something different for dinner. Funny, 'cause I usually always have the ingredients for them on hand. And you can do just a bazillion things with them. They're a terrific way to use up bits of leftovers and morph them into a completely new and delicious dinner.

I was recently reminded of these little culinary gems when I borrowed my sister's quesadilla maker to take to Bryce's school. I'd made mini quesadillas for his class earlier in the year, and I was asked to bring them to another celebration. Unlike the making of the mini ones which were an activity with the kids, I was bringing them premade. So after making 20 quesadillas I was quite the expert!

While I had the quesadilla maker I decided to have them for dinner a few nights later. Bob is a fool for anything Mexican so he was all over this :-) I had found some awesome tortillas that are made with corn flour (made by Chi Chi's) and used those as well as regular white flour tortillas. I filled them with a Mexican shredded cheese blend and extra sharp cheddar cheese. I had some rotisserie chicken from dinner the night before. I used that along with some chopped green chiles for half of the quesadillas.

To serve with them, I sliced a perfectly ripe avocado (oh be still my beating heart!) and set out dishes of sour cream and chunky salsa. I felt like I still needed a side to go with it. Well, I dug around in the fridge to see what else was there. Hey! I had Chinese the other night and here was a dish of steamed rice. (We eat very multi-ethnic in our house.) I threw it in a pan, warmed it up and added some chopped garlic and shallots, and then plopped in a couple of hefty spoonfuls of salsa. Did someone say "corn"? Okay! I tossed in a handful of frozen corn and stirred that baby up. Salt, pepper and we were good to go. Mexican rice!!!

Next, I opened a cold beer for Bob, poured it into a frosty mug and called it dinner! It actually was delicious!

So when you're looking for a quick, hearty and yummy meal don't forget the unassuming quesadilla. And have fun with it! We did :-)

Mimi's Cafe at Polaris

Bob and I had never been to Mimi’s Café. So when we were invited to meet Clint & Virna and the boys for brunch we were all over it! (Of course, any time we have the chance to spend time with our godsons, we’re all over it!)

We met on a Sunday morning after church. Fortunately for us, we got there just ahead of a major rush, and got a great table. While I can’t rave about the service, I have to give them the benefit of the doubt. It was after all, a Sunday morning.

The menu is huge! Oh my gosh, I didn’t know how I would narrow the choices down on what to order. Somehow I eventually managed.

I decided that I would go with the Crab & Avocado Omelet. This is a three egg omelet with jack cheese, tomatoes and scallions, topped with bacon and asiago cream sauce. This is served with red skin potatoes, a freshly baked muffin and fresh squeezed juice. Virna (who is a horrendous copycat, just for the record) got the same thing. The choice of muffin flavors was low-fat blueberry, carrot & raisin, and I third that I can’t remember now. I ordered the carrot and raisin. Once again CC-Virna ordered the same.

The omelet was absolutely delicious! Perfectly cooked, too! I simply cannot deal with runny eggs. They totally gross me out, but this omelet was right on. The crab was plentiful, as was the cheese. Both Virna and I thought it was odd that the bacon was laid across the top of the omelet in strips. It might have been a bit easier to eat if they’d chopped it up. The diced tomatoes were fresh and the asiago cream sauce was wonderful. The potatoes were so-so. I am a hash brown kind of girl, so these potatoes didn’t rock my world. (Don’t get me wrong; I ate them okay. Never met a carbohydrate I didn’t like! But I would have preferred hash browns.)

Now the muffin was something else! Aye yi-yi! We are talking muffin here, folks. As in MEGA-MUFFIN! This baby was huge! And so good. But it was served with the tiniest bit of butter. Come on! A muffin this ginormous deserved better! However our server gladly obliged, bringing us extra butter. I don’t know about the other muffin flavors, but the carrot raisin is the way to go in my book!


Bob chose the Shrimp and Feta omelet. This had sautéed shrimp with feta cheese, tomatoes and scallions, topped with bacon & asiago cream sauce. All omelets are served with the same sides. Fresh fruit can be substituted for the potatoes at an extra charge of 50 cents. Bob totally enjoyed it. Umm, yeah I tasted it. Well I had to if I was to blog about it…right?


Clint got the Mixed Berry Pain Perdu Breakfast. This is French toast stuffed with cream cheese and orange marmalade and topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries and strawberry purée. The breakfast is served with two eggs and bacon or sausage. It sounds awesome on the menu and I came this close (*holding her fingers just a smidge apart*) to ordering it. But when it came, we all kind of looked at it and then looked at Clint. Um, maybe he should have gone with his other choice? That would have been the awesome looking Ciabatta Breakfast Sandwich that walked by right before we placed our orders. (Okay, the server walked by carrying it. The sandwich didn’t walk. You are all so picky on details…jeese!) He said it tasted good. However, it looked like Bryce had more on his child’s plate. I think maybe Clint had to go through McDonald’s drive thru on the way home!

Speaking of Bryce’s breakfast, he wanted to make sure I blogged about his Mickey Mouse pancakes and bacon. Sure must have been good ‘cause he tore them up! My older godson definitely likes his pancakes :)

The coffee was hot, the orange juice was fresh squeezed, the service was a bit slow (but after all, it was Sunday morning and we all know that’s when the “blue-hairs” are out in droves) and the food was good. Overall, Mimi’s was a definite thumbs up! Would I go there again? In a heartbeat!

Dine Originals Restaurant Week!

Okay, this post might be a little late in the week but you still have a couple of days to enjoy.

Enjoy what you ask? Why Columbus's Restaurant Week from the Dine Originals Columbus group! Formed to promote local restaurants, with over 40 members this is the week to try as many out as you can.

Every restaurant is offering a set menu, some for $15, some for $30 as way to get more people exposed to the local dining scene. Tonight my hunny and I went to Katzinger's for their "Flight of Corned beef sandwiches. For $7.50 per person or $15 for two people you get a half of three different sandwiches, a small side of potato salad, a half brownie and of course PICKLES! Drinks are extra, but two people can still get it all for under $20.

Let me tell you, this was a TON of food for the money! And delicious! The flight included a half of their reuben, Gene's Free Lunch and Jeff's Super Soaring Sandwich. There is an option for three turkey sandwiches or two small veggie sandwiches for those who are so inclined. Available all day for dine in or take out, this is definitely one trip you want to make this week!

http://www.dineoriginalscolumbus.com/

Kikyo

People always ask me, "Where do you go for Korean food in Columbus?"and while there are many good places, the family favorite is Kikyo. Located in the Golden Bear plaza, right next to the Upper Arlington post office on Riverside drive.

Despite the Japanese name, Kikyo is owned by my friend DeeDee who makes everything with love and from her garden when possible. While the menu is a mix of Japanese and Korean, everything is done with a true eye for detail. Mom and I usually go for the dolstbibimbop (rice, veggies and meat in a hot stone bowl) or the kalbi (marinated beef short ribs) I will sometimes join my father in ordering from the Japanese side of the menu with such items as tempura udon, or nabiyaki udon.

The thing that sets Kikyo head and shoulders above other Korean restaurants is her banchan or as it's called on the menu "kimchee set" Traditionally an assortment of many different items ranging from small bites of marinated tofu, potato salad, seaweed salad, cabbage or daikon kimchee. DeeDee has the best in town, and some of the best I've had in the states. Everything is seasonal so you will see things like white kimchee and cucumber kimchee in the spring and summer, and more of the dried and reconstituted root/radish items in the winter. DeeDee's banchan comes with a steamed egg dish, seasoned with green onion, sesame oil it's almost the consistency of flan.. But savory and hot. :)

Mom's favorite is the dolstbibimbop, hot rice topped with various vegetables, bulgogi and a raw egg, which gets cooked from the fact that the whole thing is served in a BLAZING hot stone bowl. Add some spicy fermented bean paste sauce, mix it all up and it's a hearty meal to keep you warm inside.

On this trip I got a tempura appetizer and something I usually don't, soondobu. A spicy seafood soup served bubbling hot with gobs of soft tofu soaking up all the yummyness of the soup. We also got an order of grilled Korean mackerel, and a Kikyo roll. Raw tuna with avocado and a spicy mayo sauce.

Top everything off with a scoop of green tea ice cream with sweet adzuki beans and you've got one hearty meal!

Kikyo is open Tuesday-Sunday 4 pm to 12 am (yes, that's right!) and is located at the corner of Riverside drive (Rt 33) and Fishinger road.

3706 Riverside Drive Upper Arlington, Ohio 43221

Phone: 614-457-5277

Whit's Frozen Custard Made Fresh Daily

I have a confession to make…there is a new love in my life. I never expected it to happen this way. But sometimes fate, karma or whatever you want to call it, steps into your life and takes over. And that is precisely what happened to me Wednesday.

I met Jacob Rapp. No, Jake is not my new love. He just handed it to me. A clear plastic dish housing the most wonderful concoction of deep purple creamy frozen raspberry chocolaty goodness that I have ever tasted in my life. In that split second when the spoon passed my lips and tipped a little slice of heaven into my mouth, I said goodbye to Graeters. I’m sorry Graeters. It was fun. But now I’ve discovered that better things await ice cream lovers in Gahanna.

Welcome to Whit’s Frozen Custard Made Fresh Daily. Wow!

Whit’s is a new addition to the Gahanna area. They’ve had a store in Granville for years, and quite a few Gahanna folks already are acquainted with them. But for many, they’ve yet to have the Whit’s experience. To them I say, “GO NOW!”

So what makes frozen custard any different from ice cream, you ask? Wikipedia defines the history of frozen custard as:

Using a process called overrun, air is blended into the mixture of ingredients until its volume increases by approximately 20%. By comparison, ice cream may have an overrun as large as 100%, meaning half of the final product is composed of air. The high percentage of butterfat and egg yolk gives frozen custard a thick, creamy texture and a smoother, softer consistency than ice cream. Frozen custard is most often served at –8°C (18°F), warmer than the –12°C (10°F) at which ice cream is served.
Another difference between frozen custard and ice cream is the way the custard is frozen. The mix enters a refrigerated tube and, as it freezes, blades scrape the product cream off the barrel walls. The now frozen custard is discharged directly into containers from which it can be served. The speed with which the product leaves the barrel minimizes the amount of air in the product but more importantly ensures that the ice crystals formed are very small.

What does this mean for you? Well let me just say this…prepare to experience a “moment”. The quality of Whit’s ingredients is top notch. The process they use to make their custard is, in my humble opinion, about as close to perfection as you can get. The resulting product really is heaven.



But wait! Frozen custard isn’t all that Whit’s does. Oh no my friends. They do coneys! And they do them well. I fancy myself somewhat of a coney connoisseur. Jake tells me that they blend sauces (one of them coming from Chicago) to come up with their own. If you like your coney sauce a smidge sweet then you are in for a treat. (Ah, food poetry.) The bun is soft, the dog is a full size hot dog, and the sauce is plentiful. Add onion, mustard and cheese to that and you are good to go. Other savory food items include quesadillas, shredded chicken sandwiches and pulled pork sandwiches. They have chili “in season”, but I forgot to ask what “in season” was…my bad.



I digress. Let’s get back to the custard. Vanilla (and I’m talking this is the essence of vanilla) and chocolate are always available, and there is a third flavor that changes weekly. Lucky for me this week is black raspberry chip. However, I suspect I’d have fallen in love with whatever flavor was offered. I’m not fickle, I’m just diverse! In addition, Whit’s has come up with some of the most wonderful concoctions to make with their custard. Whitsers are vanilla custard blended with your choice of toppings. (Think kicked up milkshake.) The sundae menu boasts a list of toppings that’ll make you weak in the knees. And then there are the “Specialties” and “Favorites” lists; including signature sundaes and treats like banana splits and strawberry shortcake, floats, malts, and on and on. Some truly creative thinking from some pretty impressive minds has gone on here.





If you don’t find something you like at Whit's, then you’re just trying to be difficult! Either that or you need to check the “Grab N’ Go” cooler. Maybe you’re looking for a Whittie (ginormous chocolate chip frozen custard sandwich), or a chocolate covered banana, or maybe a jumbo freeze pop! Oh, I know! You’re searching for that perfect custard cake! Well while you’re at it, the Grab N’ Go houses a fine selection of quarts of Whit’s additional flavors. I had the pleasure of tasting chocolate covered strawberry. Oh my…a moment.

One more noteworthy comment here: The inside of the shop is darn near spotless. I was impressed. And the young ladies I met that were working the day I visited were incredibly polite and friendly. It was a pleasure meeting them. Also important to know is that Jake is a real mentor. Now I totally am impressed. And he’s pretty cool, too:-)

So if you haven’t already, take a trip to Whit’s. They are located at 121 S Stygler Road, Gahanna, OH 43230. You can check out their website http://www.whitsgahanna.com/ to see the flavor of the week. When you go, definitely tell them you read about them on “Dishing It Up!”

And by the way, make sure you wave and say hi to me…I’ll be the one in the corner by the Grab N’ Go ...with a spoon ;-)

Korean BBQ

Okay, so I'm way behind on my postings, so I'm going to try and get three up in one shot. :) The first is one on Korean BBQ, but it is not what most people are used to. On the last family trip, we ate at a restaurant called "The Beef House" owned by Kim Jong-Gyeol, a Korean drama actor who after losing everything 13 years ago, opened a restaurant.

The basic premise here is REALLY good meat, unmarinated or even seasoned, cooked at the table and served with traditional accompaniments and a simple mixture of sesame oil and a heavy tablespoon of salt. Once cooked, the meat is dipped in the sesame/salt mixture and then wrapped in lettuce or perilla leaves with shaved garlic (yes, RAW garlic), a tasty salad of shaved cabbage and green onions, Korean fermented bean paste, and garlic chives.. All at the diner's discretion to pick and choose what they want in their wrap.

Well, after having this in Korea and a great little place in LA, we at the old homestead have replaced the traditional bulgogi and kalbi with this version as it takes much less time and mess to prepare.

We use grass fed beef, usually a ribeye or new york strip, cut into thin bite sized strips and cooked quickly on medium high heat with no seasoning. Once cooked we serve it with red or green leaf lettuce, perilla leaves (available at local Korean markets), fresh rice, fermented bean paste, Mom's homemade kimchi, green onions, the salt and sesame oil and sliced garlic.

It sounds like a lot of work, but we usually get the meat started in batches and cut the onions and garlic while it is cooking. The lettuce we wash and spin dry and the perilla leaves are already clean when we buy them.

This is a great summer dish for a crowd as everyone can make it the way THEY want.

http://r.wingbus.com/seoul/yeouido/jusinjeong_yud/?menu=review

This is an online review of the restaurant in Korea. Granted the whole thing is in Korean, bu if you scroll down a bit they have a photo gallery that you can flip through to see what the real deal looks like. :)

Mushroom Tomato Bisque

These are the ingredients for a wonderful bisque! The recipe is from "Taste of Home" and was in the Columbus Dispatch food section last week. I saved it, thinking I would make this when we are able to get fresh tomatoes that are worth eating. As luck would have it, I went to Cleveland's West Side Market with Bob (I'll be posting on that outing soon!) and we brought home six pounds of gorgeous roma tomatoes. What time is it? IT'S SOUP TIME!

So here are the tomatoes (relax, I tripled the recipe) all ready to go into the oven for roasting. Aren't they lovely? They were so darn pretty that I almost didn't want to roast them...almost, I said.


Here they are after roasting. Mmmmm, can't you almost smell them? The garlic and basil just create an aroma...I think the cats were even drooling!


After putting the tomatoes and all of the pan drippings into a bowl, I used my trusty stick blender (Aunt Bea loves hers, too!) and smoothed out all of the tomatoes and seasonings. This was a bowl full of fresh tomato roasted treasure worth more than gold at this time of year!


Next it was time to saute the sliced mushrooms and onions.


After you add the tomato puree to your sauted mushrooms & onions, you bring it to a boil. Once the mixture comes to a boil, take it off of the heat and add the cream. (I used a combination of heavy cream and 2% milk.)



The bisque goes into a bowl, garnish with fresh grated parmesan and there you have a little taste of what heaven must be like! (The picture does not do this justice. Sorry, I'm still a novice at food photography.) The sliced mushrooms add a certain earthiness that is such a wonderful addition. Oh my goodness is this good! I think if you served this with a hunk of garlic bread and a glass of wine, well you'd just have one of those personal "moments". Don't ya think?



Mushroom Tomato Bisque
“Taste of Home” magazine – featured in Columbus Dispatch

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano (I used marjoram, just personal preference)
½ teaspoon ground pepper
½ pound sliced fresh mushrooms
½ cup finely chopped sweet onions
1 ¼ cups chicken broth
1/3 to ½ cup tomato paste
Pinch of sugar (optional)
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place tomatoes cut side down in a greased 15-by-10-inch baking pan. Brush with 3 tablespoons oil. Combine garlic, salt, basil, oregano and pepper. Sprinkle over tomatoes.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are well-browned. Cool slightly.

Transfer the tomatoes and pan drippings to a blender. Cover and process until well blended, about 1 minute.

In a large saucepan, sauté mushrooms and onion in remaining 2 tablespoons oi8l until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in broth, tomato paste and pureed tomato mixture. Add a pinch of sugar, if desired. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in cream.

Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Pan Seared Salmon with Avocado Remoulade

Now this is a dish that is so incredibly simple to prepare that it's almost comical. And the result is so gorgeous that I would be proud to serve it to company! We just loved it.

I had bookmarked the recipe from Elise at SimplyRecipes:
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/006235pan_seared_salmon_with_avocado_remoulade.php
I steamed jasmine rice, garnished it with chopped red peppers for Bob and chopped tomato for me, and plated a small mound of brocco sprouts for a little crunch.

I am so glad I gave this one a try. It is definitely a "keeper"...not to mention that it is worth making the dish for the avocado remoulade alone. My mind was going a mile a minute thinking of all the wonderful things you can do with it. The taste is so fresh and clean, and the texture is almost like a mousse. Cool, smooth, creamy, oh my the things I could spread that on...

I promise you will not be one bit disappointed in this dish. Give it a try!

Pan Seared Salmon with Avocado Remoulade

Ingredients
· 2 large avocados, cut and peeled
· 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (can substitute lemon)
· 3-4 Tbsp light olive oil (light refers to flavor and color, not calories)
· 1 Tbsp minced shallots or green onion
· 1 Tbsp minced parsley
· 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or to taste
· Salt and pepper to taste
· 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of salmon fillets
· Grapeseed or canola oil
Directions

1 Put avocado pieces and lime juice into a food processor or blender and pulse until blended. Slowly add olive oil, pulsing, until you reach desired consistency of sauce. Add minced shallots (or green onions) and parsley, pulse just until combined. Remove to a bowl, add mustard, salt and pepper to taste.

2 Coat the bottom of a sauté pan with oil, heat on medium high until almost smoking. Season both sides of the salmon fillets with salt and pepper, carefully lay the salmon into the pan, skin side down. Cook the salmon until about medium doneness, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Serve salmon with avocado remoulade sauce.

Serves 4.

Comfort Food

Saturday night was all about comfort food for dinner. Bob's tummy was a little upset, so I pulled out the "feel good" menu.

First off I made mashed yukon gold potatoes. With real butter and heavy cream, thank you very much! We are mashed potato snobs in this house. We go for the real thing. Heck, if you're gonna do it, do it right!

For the chicken and noodles I used both dark & white meat from a rotisserie chicken, cutting it into pretty good sized chunks (technical term). Brought chicken broth to a boil, added Reames frozen noodles (yum-I just love those things!) and simmered for 20 minutes. Salt & pepper to taste and if needed, thicken the broth with a little beurre manié (butter and flour mixed together in equal parts and used to thicken liquids). This always works better for me than doing just the flour trick to thicken something...I always end up with lumps that way!

We definitely needed something green, although a dinner of 99.9% carbohydrates suits me just fine! But since I was making this for Bob, I figured I better get my act together and balance dinner with some vegetable. So I opted for one of my favorites (hey! it can't always be about him all the time), and I opened a can of green beans. I then thinly sliced a shallot and cut a hunk off of my treasured roll of pancetta (remember the one from Restaurant Depot? Oh yeah, that one!) and chopped it into a small dice. I sautéed the shallots and pancetta in a smidge of butter and added the drained green beans. No need for salt, as the pancetta has plenty.

I plated the mashed potatoes and topped them with the chicken and noodles. Next the green beans went on and there you have a plate worthy of any "down home" appetite!

Oh, and he felt ever so much better after dinner!

Italian Night with CSG

Oh my gosh I have so much to tell you all about! Where do I even start?

Okay, let's begin with Friday. Our small group met again (from here on out I will refer to the group as CSG "Collier Small Group"...just easier).

We met at Kathy and Don's house, which by the way is looking awesomely incredible! Preparations for the big wedding in May (daughter Andrea...Kathy & Don are already married ;-)

So let's begin with the appetizers. I had ordered some "Gourmet Original Antipasto" from "Something Special Deli-Foods Ltd." http://www.somethingspecialdeli.com/ . The ingredients are: tomato, cauliflower, carrots, sweet pickled onions, green beans, dill pickles, black olives, green olives, mushrooms, green peppers, distilled vinegar, red peppers, tuna, canola oil, sugar, salt, olive oil and spices. Wow! I cut little rounds out of Chi Chi's corn flour tortillas and Bob fried them up for me.

Then with that I served veggie chips that I got from http://www.nutsonline.com/ that include sweet potato, squash, carrot, green bean, taro, canola oil & salt. These things rock! They are absolutley addiciting! (btw, can you tell Bob's been out of town?...I've been "internet" shopping). Everyone seemed to really enjoy both the antipasto and the chips. I took home empty bowls!

But then the star of the evening was born. Kathy made this incredible dish from Giada de Laurentiis' new cookbook, "Giada's Kitchen". This dish is so easy yet so elegant and the taste is absolutely out of this world! It's definitely going to become one of my go-to recipes. And it just looks gorgeous! At least it did when Kathy made it!

Giada’s Penne with Shrimp and Herbed Cream Sauce

1 pound penne pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, and deveined

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning

1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, roughly chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup white wine

1/3 cup clam juice

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp and set aside.

Add the tomatoes, 1/4 cup basil, 1/4 cup parsley, and the red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine, clam juice, and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the cooked shrimp, the cooked pasta, and the remaining herbs. Toss together until all ingredients are coated. Season to taste, with salt and pepper.

Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve immediately.

We served it with Mary's garlic bread, and a totally divine salad that Jules brought. It was so fresh! And she had bowls of kalamata olives and chopped fresh avocado to add in. Perfecto!

To bring the feast to an end, Jill who is quickly becoming our resident cake expert made delightful individual chocolate mocha cakes with fresh raspberries (maybe we can get her to share the recipe with us).We forced ourselves to eat them! What an evening.

Now after writing this post I want to do it all over again! Yes, it really was that good!!!

Rachel Ray's Chilli Cheeseburger Mac

Okay, Jean this is for you. Here is the recipe I promised. I saw Rachel do this recipe on her show. It has become one of Eric and my favorites. It is wonderful cold weather meal. It does have a cheeseburger taste! Yum O (sorry I had to do that).

RACHEL RAY CHILI CHEESEBURGER MAC

1lb and 1/2lb of ground sirloin
1 medium onion chopped
2-3 Tbls of chili powder
1 can of beef broth* see note in instructions
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mustard
1 cup cheddar cheese
1lb macaroni
Preheat oven to 350

Brown ground beef in a large skillet, while beef is cooking cook macaroni according to box instructions, when beef is no longer pink add onion, cook until onion is soft, add chili powder and mix well, add ketchup, mustard (more or less to taste), and broth, (I would add broth a little at a time because I think the whole can makes it to runny.) put macaroni, and beef mixture in a casserole and top with cheddar cheese, cook until heated through.

I hope you all enjoy this as much as we do. Jane.