Mmmmmm......MUSSELS!

Bruschetta Style Mussels with Shrimp & Scallops

I love mussels...especially in the Spring and Summer when I am sitting on a patio and having a glass of wine. There are so many great recipes...but I truly love them best when there is butter and garlic in the recipe! If you think you don't like mussels....please try out this recipe...the flavors are bold and before you know it.....you will be picking up your bowl of broth and slurping it up! :) So if you don't want to slurp out of your bowl....make sure you have plenty of crusty bread to serve with this dish so you can soak up the broth with the bread. You can use any type of mussels that you like and if you cannot find fresh mussels....it's ok....just use good quality frozen ones.

Bruschetta Style Mussels
1 lb Mussels (washed and cleaned, discard any that are open)

1 lb Raw Shrimp

1 lb Scallops

2 tomatoes (diced)

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

2-3 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 stick butter
1-2 jalapenos (seeded and chopped) or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups fish stock (you can also use clam juice or vegetable stock)

1 lime

Saute garlic and jalapenos or pepper with butter until the butter melts. Add tomatoes and saute for 1-2 minutes, then add the basil and stock. Bring to a slight boil and add the mussels. Cover pan and steam the mussels for 3 minutes, until mussels are almost done. Add shrimp and scallops and cover again and steam for another 3-4 minutes or until most of the mussels are open and the shrimp and scallops are done. Go through and throw away any mussels that have not opened. Squeeze the lime juice all over the pan then use a slotted spoon to put the mussels, shrimp and scallops in either one large bowl or individual bowls then ladle the sauce over the seafood and serve with crusty bread.

I know a whole stick of butter seems like a lot but this is a big recipe which I served to 12 people as an appetizer. (so see splitting the stick of butter by 12 people is really not that bad!) You can modify the recipe to make a smaller batch.
I call this bruschetta mussels bc I use basically the same ingredients (basil, tomato, garlic) as I do to make my bruschetta.
The aroma of the tomatoes, garlic and basil cooking in the butter is amazing!
Once you add the mussels to the sauce, make sure to stir it up so that the mussels get some of the sauce inside the shells.

Adding the shrimp and scallops after the mussels have steamed for a few minutes ensures that the shrimp and scallops don't overcook.
I buy a loaf of French or Italian bread and brush each piece with a garlic butter that I make that also has crushed red pepper in it. I add shredded mozzarella or fresh mozzarella to some of the pieces.
Broil the pieces of bread in the oven until golden brown and the cheese has melted.

I love serving all the seafood in one big bowl and then giving my guests their own bowl to grab what they want.

Make sure to spoon a little of the sauce on the bread then top with a couple mussels and take one big bite.........then tell me you don't like mussels! :)

Brie with Caramel-Pecan & Pear Sauce

Brie with Caramel-Pecan & Pear Sauce

I love brie and when I saw this new brie log at the grocery store I was so excited. I always use brie to make appetizers for parties but now I have a log of brie to make perfect round slices that will beautifully fit on crackers or baguette rounds. Here's a simple version of a brie appetizer that I served at my restaurant. It can be made quickly and can be served at room temperature so it's perfect for a buffet table at your next party.

Brie with Caramel-Pecan & Pear Sauce:
1 log brie cheese (if you cannot find the log of brie, you can just use the brie round and make slices that will fit on a cracker, they don't have to be round slices)

15-20 crackers or french baguette slices
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1/4-1/2 cup pecan halves or pieces
2 tablespoons half n half
2 small pears or 1 large pear, peeled and cut into small chunks

These pears are from our own pear tree!
In a small pan, start heating up the butter and sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Add the pecans and continue to mix and coat the pecans in the sugar mixture. Once the mixture starts to turn a golden brown turn the heat down to low, add the half and half and mix well. Add the chopped pears and continue to mix until the pears soften and are coated in the caramel mixture.
To assemble the appetizers, place a piece of the brie on top of the cracker or baguette and top with the caramel pecan & pear sauce.



This is definitely a winner!

Mini Quesadillas

Mini Quesadillas

Here's a great recipe for any party or get together you're having. They definitely go over well at game day parties and they look so cute!

Mini Cilantro-Lime Chicken Quesadillas:
2 whole chicken breasts, prefer bone-in

I prefer bone in because then you make a really good chicken stock at the same time!

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 lime
2 teaspoons jalapeno sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Gouda (or any cheese that you like)

I used Gouda because it melts nicely but doesn't melt too much so that it gushes out of the mini quesadillas. I also like the mix of gouda and cilantro.

4 large tortillas (I like using different flavors for the mix of colors, but just plain flour tortillas work, too)

Start by boiling your chicken breasts. Make sure to add salt to the water so the chicken gets some flavor in it. I boil the chicken breasts for about 1 hour that way I also get a good chicken stock out of the deal. And don't throw away this stock. I used it later to make rice (by substituting the water with the stock and believe me...this makes the best rice you'll ever have!) You can also freeze the stock and make soup with it later.

See the nice stock that's forming? Also, my prep cook Maribel says they use boiled chicken a lot for Mexican dishes because the meat stays moist and you can add any flavor to the meat with different sauces and spices and make several different dishes with one big batch of boiled chicken.


While your chicken is cooking, make your cilantro-lime sauce by mixing the olive oil, garlic, cilantro, salt and jalapeno sauce in a bowl. Top it off by squeezing the lime juice into the sauce.

I like using jalapeno hot sauce because it adds a unique flavor to my cilantro-lime sauce. If you can't find this sauce, you can add any of your own favorite hot sauce instead.


To make the mini quesadilla tortillas, take your large tortillas and either use a cookie cutter or any small round bowl and cut out your quesadilla circles.
You'll have some extra pieces of tortilla left from cutting out circles, you can cut these pieces to make fresh tortilla chips later either by frying them or baking them so you don't have to waste any of the tortilla.

Once the chicken breasts have boiled and are cooked, remove them from the water and using two forks, take off the skin from the breasts and start shredding off the chicken meat with the two forks. While the chicken is still hot, toss the meat in your cilantro-lime sauce. You can now begin to assemble your mini quesadillas. To assemble the quesadillas, begin with a little cheese then add your chicken and then more cheese and top with another tortilla circle.
When you place the top tortilla on, make sure to flatten it just a bit to help "glue" the quesadilla together.
Fry the mini quesadillas in a non-stick pan that's been sprayed with oil.
Flip them when they are golden brown. These don't take long to cook and can be kept warm by placing them on a pan or plate and covering them with foil. Just make sure to poke a few holes in the foil so the quesidillas don't get soggy and stay crisp.

I also made some beef and cheese quesadillas for my party. I had some leftover ground beef that was seasoned with just salt, pepper and garlic. I used a shredded mexican blend cheese for the beef quesadillas.
I made the beef and cheese quesadillas a little smaller for variation.
It's ok if some of the cheese falls out when you are frying up your quesadillas.

Some of the cheese that has fallen out will get golden and crispy and stick to your quesadilla which will just give it more flavor.


I cut up some Roma tomatoes and avocado and placed them on the tops of the quesadillas with a skewer for added flavor and color.
Serve your quesadillas with some shredded lettuce, salsa and sour cream. I promise these will be a hit at your next get together!


Doesn't this look so good?!?

And when you take a bite.....it looks and tastes even better!!!

Mmmmm Prosciutto!

I must say...I do love salty, fatty meats...especially prosciutto! I use prosciutto a lot (kinda how I like throwing bacon into everything too). I especially love the flavor of prosciutto with seafood, like shrimp and scallops. I make these prosciutto-wrapped shrimp and scallops that always are a hit when I throw a party. They're really not hard to make, and a step above bacon-wrapped. I like to serve them with a pesto aioli (recipe follows).

Pesto Aioli:

10-12 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup virgin olive oil

In a blender, pulse basil leaves, garlic, lemon juice and egg yolks (careful not to blend too much).
Then on low speed, slowly add the olive oil, until mixture emulsifies or thickens.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.

If you do not want to make aioli, you can just make a pesto mayo that works just as well. Instead, mix 1 cup of mayo with basil leaves, lemon juice and garlic and pulse in a food processor until blended. For this recipe I do not add salt or Parmesan cheese because the prosciutto is salty, but if you want to make this for a non-salty item or for a sandwich spread, adding salt & about 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese is needed for flavor.

Prosciutto-wrapped shrimp:

20 Large Uncooked Shrimp (13-15/lb or 16-20/lb) peeled & deveined

10 thin slices of prosciutto

2 tablespoons chopped fresh or dry basil

2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic or granulated garlic

1/4 cup melted sweet, unsalted butter

Lemon wedges for garnish

Coat the shrimp with the basil and garlic in a bowl (do not add any salt as the prosciutto is salty). Slice each piece of prosciutto in half lengthwise and wrap each shrimp with the prosciutto and lay them on a baking sheet (I lightly spray my baking sheet with cooking spray). I don't always use skewers, but if you have them on hand, you can use wooden toothpicks or skewers to keep the prosciutto in place (just make sure you soak the toothpicks or skewers in water for about 30 minutes before so they don't burn in the oven or on the grill). Once all your shrimp are wrapped, brush the tops with the melted butter. Broil the shrimp for about 2 mintues then flip over and broil another 2 minutes or until the shrimp are opaque and bright pink. These can be served warm or cold. They are yummy both ways.