Mussels with A White Wine Sauce

On Saturday it was my son's birthday. We had my bestest friend in the whole world over with her bestest family, including her dog. It was a great day. A slow, lazy, hazy,summer day that went by way too quickly. Kids in and out of the pool. Adults sitting around a table, laughing and talking. Beer bottles cluttering the table. Four dogs crashing around us from too much excitement.

She made her awesome Salsa. There is no Salsa like hers in the world and has made me despise the jarred stuff. She also made her yummy Asian Salad that includes almonds and sunflower seeds and just tastes so....natural but ethnic. LOVE IT!!

I decided it would be a perfect day to slow smoke a brisket. That's another post for another day. But while I slowly smoked that brisket for about 10 hours, I made some mussels for everyone to snack on.

I think mussels scare people and most people don't cook them. They love to eat them, but won't trust themselves to purchase and cook them. But I like to be daring in what I cook and found that mussels have become my staple finger food to make with company or on vacation. It really is so simple. I make them two different ways and always get compliments. They are demolished. No left-overs ever.

Here is one way....the way I decided to make them on Saturday. I made a whole serving pan loaded with them. There was not one left.

The first thing you need to do with mussels is make sure they are not dead. If they are dead, they are no good. So, you must go through each and every mussel carefully. This is probably the most time consuming. You look for cracks. You look for broken shells. If they are opened, you give them a couple of squeezes to see if they will shut. A mussel will "clam up", so to speak if they are still alive. If not, toss it along with the broken/cracked ones. When in doubt, throw it out. You want your guests to be wowed...not sick.

My mussels come pretty clean, but occasionally you have to give them a little scrub and even remove beard. Once they are cleaned, de-bearded, and picked through...you are ready to go.

In a shallow pan, I melted butter with some Olive Oil.


About a little more than half a stick. I diced some onions and tossed them in.


Some garlic. Lots of garlic. Some fresh Italian Parsley which I chopped up. Then....white wine. A few turns of the pan with the white wine.

I turned up the heat and let the wine boil a bit and reduce down. Next came the juice of one lemon. Let it bubble for another few seconds or so, to get all the flavors to come together.

Then, gently slide those mussels in. Spread them out, then put a lid on it. Turn down the heat and let them cook for maybe....two minutes? They cook very fast. Take a peek and see how many are opened. If there is still more to be opened, return the lid and give the pot a little shimmy shake.

Don't let it cook too long. Not all the mussels will open. If you let it cook too long, the mussels will not have the right texture. They'll be over cooked. You want them just right.

So, after a couple of minutes, when most of them have opened, remove them from the pan into a serving bowl or tray. Something with sides, because you are then going to take that wonderful white wine and butter broth and pour it all over the top of the mussels.



Any mussels that did not open, send to the garbage can. The rest of them can be eaten. And devoured. Demolished. Enjoyed.


And you will look like the most amazing host ever.

On a side note, you can also boil up some spaghetti and serve this over it. This will make a wonderful dinner as opposed to finger foods.

Just a quick apology for the bad photos and lack of photos. This slow, lazy, hazy day of summer also involved Coronas. And a bottle of wine. Maybe some vodka with lime. Maybe.

The Flavors of Summer

So, the fourth has come and went. Hope everyone had a fun and safe time. I know I did. It was a small celebration. Just us, my Dad, my brother and his girlfriend whom I had never met before. She came with a wonderful cake with the strawberries and blueberries made out to be the American Flag. I thought that was great. Either she's really sweet and thoughtful or she is one of the very few that reads my blog and knew that I would be impressed by food. Homemade food and the effort that goes into it. Doesn't matter. I'm impressed either way.

I made my kabobs. Two different kinds. A beef one and a chicken one. I started out by making the marinades. Took two bowls and went to work.

In the first bowl, it was very simple. So simple, it's ridiculous. Are you ready for this? A bottle of Teriyaki. A small can of pineapple juice. Lots of garlic.
That's it. That's the marinade for the beef.


I whisked it up, cubed up some thin beef steaks, and let it all meld together. The smell of that pineapple juice is just so...summery. But not as summery as the marinade for the chicken.

In the second bowl, I started off with sweet, golden honey.


And then the juice of two limes. Limes. Mmmmm...the scent of limes scream summer to me.

It's so sweet and citrusy.


So green and fresh.

But it doesn't say summer as much as this wonderful herb:

Cilantro.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my cilantro in marinades, salsas, and guacamole.

I love that fresh, almost peppery scent. It has a small bite to the scent, enticing your nose. Teasing you. It's awesome.

Chop some cilantro up and throw it in the marinade. And some garlic. Some ginger. Then whisk it while drizzling in some Olive Oil to make everything come together. Then mix it with the chicken pieces (I bought chicken tenders and cut them into thirds). Let it sit along with the beef bowl. Let them sit. And sit. And mingle with their own flavors.

After awhile, it's time to skewer them. If you are using wood skewers, don't forget to soak them first.


With the beef, I used Pineapple chunks. That's it. Beef. Pineapple. Beef Pineapple.




With the chicken, I used Green Bell Peppers and Onions. Onion. Chicken. Pepper. Onion. Chicken. Pepper.

Then on the grill they went. Awesome!!

Now...I know I said pineapple was a fantastic summer scent. And lime. And cilantro. Love that cilantro. But the number one summer scent has to be this:

Do you know what that is? It's coconut milk. I absolutely love the flavor of coconut and the smell of it.

The kabobs are already on the grill, you say? Where can I be going with coconut milk? Perhaps a tropical drink? No...my drink of this summer is something called Memphis Tea.

The coconut milk gets whisked with this:


A couple of heaping tablespoons of Peanut Butter. Then I drizzle some of that gorgeous golden honey.

A pinch of kosher salt. (It's ALWAYS kosher salt!!) Whisk it all together and ta-da!! I have a wonderful dipping sauce to serve on the side of the chicken kabobs. Just put in a spoon and let people drizzle that sauce over the chicken. The coconut, peanut, lime, ginger, cilantro all together with the peppers and onions nestled around each bite of chicken. It's a summertime heaven.

I'm sorry to say that at some point of all the cooking, I let the Memphis Tea get the better of me and picture taking was forgotten. Oops. Hey, it was Independence Day!! So, I don't have a final picture of the finished product. And I don't have a picture of the coconut/peanut/honey all mixed together and drizzled on the chicken.

And no, I don't have a picture of my Memphis Tea either. But I will tell you what's in it:
Ice
Jack Daniels
just a splash of Coke
Fill the rest with Ice Tea
A twist of Lime

Thanks to an episode of Down Home with the Neelys, that's my drink for this summer. It's so refreshing and goes down way to easily.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as I am.

What's for lunch? Dumplings!

A few months ago, I had it in my head to make my own steamed dumplings. Or dim sum. Or Pot Stickers. Won Tons...whatever you choose to call them. So, I went online and ordered a bamboo steamer. It came and I unpacked it, marveled at it, then put it in my kitchen cabinet where it sat, waiting to be used and loved. For months.
I finally got around to remembering to buy the won ton wrappers on Friday. And since I already had ginger and scallions in my house from last weeks Short Ribs (see back about a week), I decided the time has come to try my bamboo steamer.

I picked Ground Turkey for my filling. But, you can use pork, chicken, even tofu of some sort for the vegetarians. I threw in a diced pepper, the scallions, some ginger, and garlic and mixed it all together as if it was a meatloaf. I added a few splashes of pineapple juice to wet it a little.

I haven't even begun to cook them and yet already my kitchen smelled amazing. Like walking into a Chinese Restaurant. You just gotta love the smell of Ginger.

In a small bowl, I beat an egg.

Then, I took the Won Ton Wrapper: And I placed a small spoonful of the turkey mixture in the middle. Then, with my fingertips, I dipped into the egg mixture. I traced the Won Ton Wrapper, wetting the edges. Then tucked the turkey mix all nice and neat inside the wrapper.

You can do this different ways, really. My first one, I folded corner to corner, making a triangle. Then folded the end points in. With my second one, I kind of just gathered the ends up, making a little pouch. I like those the best. Don't forget to gentle pinch the ends together.

My Bamboo Steamer has two tiers. I lined both of them with this special parchment paper made just for Bamboo Steamers. They are round and have holes and fit quite well in the steamer.I filled the tiers with the little, bite sized dumplings. They looked so pretty. Almost professional. I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with how I was progressing along. I just prayed that they tasted as good as they looked.

I filled the bottom of my Wok with some water, then placed the steamer in the Wok. This is where the magic happens. This is where the water boils and steams those little pillows of flavor.

I took one out, to check to see if it was done. It was. And they looked amazing. It was time to taste.
I made a little dipping sauce with the leftover pineapple juice and teriyaki sauce. I dipped in, then popped it in my mouth.

It was really, really good. The only thing missing was chopsticks. But I don't know how to use those. I've tried. I just can't get the hang of it.

So, I ate another one. And another one. And another one. Then I called the kids and my husband in to eat some.

My daughter ate like 10 of them. Which is pretty amazing for a skinny bellini. My son really liked them too, but suggested putting them in chicken broth next time, like a Won Ton soup. For a seven year old, he comes up with some great ideas.

These are great and filling. Made a good late lunch for the four of us. They are time consuming. It took me about an hour to make four tiers worth. It makes a ton with just one pound of meat. Would make a great appetizer or finger food for your next get together and would definitely impress your guests, friends, host/hostess, and everyone else.

As I leave this blog for today, July 4th, I want to wish everyone a very safe and happy holiday!! Don't drink and drive. Don't let kids swim unattended. Eat well. Take time to enjoy the flavors and have a great day!!

Be sure to check back tomorrow. I'll be posting my recipes for a beef kabob and a chicken kabob. It's going to involve wonderful summer flavors!!

Chicken Enchiladas???

Ok, so I'm not really sure how a true Chicken Enchilada is made. I suppose I could go and google and try different recipes, but I really like the way I make them. So, if it ain't broke, why fix it.

After moving out and getting married, I started experimenting with different flavors and foods. I came from an Irish/Italian/German house. This meant really good Italian food. Lots of meat and potato dishes. The occasional Chinese Take Out. And that was it.

Mexican Food was unheard of in our house. So was peanut butter until I was about 12.
It's all about Nutella in an Italian house, no?

Anyways, Taco Bell finally moved into our neighborhood when I was in my late teens and I discovered that I really like the spiciness...the cheeses....the tortillas...
Okay, calling Taco Bell Mexican Food is probably like calling Papa John's Italian Food. But, you get what I'm saying. Taco Bell was the stepping stone for me to venture out and discover flavor profiles I never knew existed.

So, while I was a young wife browsing the aisles of the supermarket, I came across a can of enchilada sauce. I looked at the picture on the can and thought "I can do this."

And this Italian/Irish/German mutt took it upon herself to make Chicken Enchiladas. And I love them this way. Something very comforting about them. Reminds me a bit of Lasagna. Cheesy...saucy...just good and warming to the tummy.

I start off with a big, huge can of Chicken Broth in a pot. I throw in boneless, skinless chicken breast and let them simmer and cook through.

Then, I take the breasts out one by one and with two forks, I pull them apart. Completely shred them.

I throw all the shredded chicken back into the pot along with a diced green bell pepper and a diced onion. I do love my green bell peppers, don't I?



I let it simmer some more. Let the broth cook down a bit.

With a slotted spoon, I begin to assemble my "burritos" with the chicken. Roll them and place them in a baking pan, seam side down.
Pack them in with as many as you can.




I open that wonderful can of Enchilada sauce and pour it all over the chicken stuffed burritos. Then spread lots and lots of shredded cheese on top. I've used cheddar. This time I used some sort of 4 cheese taco blend.




Pop it in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. While it's baking, I do this:



Gooey, runny cheese.



Lots of sauce to mop up.

Simple. Delicious. Comforting.

Just heavenly to my taste buds.