A belated happy Thanksgiving to all the wannabe foodies!

I was blessed to have a beautiful, mellow, tasty holiday with my parents, my brother Albert and Wesley.

Mellow being my favorite part of the day.

This year my family decided that since it was a small, food loving group, instead of doing the traditional turkey feast, we would make a meal of all the things we never have time to cook. The highlights being the lobster ravioli in tomato cream sauce, duck and fig ragu and homemade pasta.

I was a little worried that since we wouldn’t be surrounded by all our friends and family this year that things wouldn’t feel very holidayish. But after six hours of fun in the kitchen with my boyfriend and my brother, I realized that I had so much to be thankful for whether I was with two or twenty of my nearest and dearest.

How lucky am I to have a job, and still have time to do what I really love. How blessed to have happy and healthy family and friends. How thankful to live in a beautiful place and have everything I need to get by.

It doesn’t matter how you celebrate your thankfulness, just that you are thankful.

This salad was like my Thanksgiving. Delicious and mellow. Nothing fancy. Just simple ingredients coming together to make something tasty. 

You will need…

6 cups baby spinach

2 green apples, chopped

¼ cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

½ cup red wine vinaigrette

In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, apples, blue cheese and nuts.

Drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette.

Toss and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Spinach and Green Apple Salad

6 cups baby spinach

2 green apples, chopped

¼ cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

½ cup red wine vinaigrette

In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, apples, blue cheese and nuts.

Drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette.

Toss and serve.

I know that it seems like I come home every night and cook for hours.

I don’t.

I come home on Tuesdayz and cook for hours.

Cooking for 2 to 3 hours doesn’t really bother me, in fact I find it relaxing, but I can understand how not everyone would want to do that.

But sometimes even I just don’t have the time or energy after work to get it done. So in a moment of need, I came up with a quickie that is delicious and pretty much a full meal in one dish.

Hehe. A quickie.

You will need…

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined and tails removed

¼ cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon

1 leek, white and light green parts chopped

10 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

¼ cup crumbled goat cheese

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 lb angel hair pasta

1/2 lemon, juiced

¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Cook the pasta per the package instructions. Make sure to reserve ½ a cup of starchy pasta water before draining.

While waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, season the shrimp well with salt and pepper and cook the shrimp until pink. About 2 minutes a side.

When the shrimp is pink, cover and set aside.

Then, add the rest of the oil to the pan and heat it over medium heat.

When the oil is warm, add in the leeks and cook them until soft but not browned. About 4 minutes.

Add in the parsley and garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant. About 1 minute.

When the garlic is fragrant, turn the heat to low and toss in goat cheese.

Stir the goat cheese into the olive oil till it begins to melt and make a sauce. Add in the reserved pasta water and stir well.

Toss the pasta into the pan and stir to coat.

Add in the shrimp and tomatoes and cook until the shrimp are warmed through.

Season well with salt and pepper, squeeze the juice of the lemon and toss.

Sprinkle with parmesan and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela   

Leek, Garlic and Shrimp Pasta

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined and tails removed

¼ cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon

1 leek, white and light green parts chopped

10 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

¼ cup crumbled goat cheese

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 lb angel hair pasta

¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Cook the pasta per the package instructions. Make sure to reserve ½ a cup of starchy pasta water before draining.

While waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, season the shrimp well with salt and pepper and cook the shrimp until pink. About 2 minutes a side.

When the shrimp is pink, cover and set aside.

Then, add the rest of the oil to the pan and heat it over medium heat.

When the oil is warm, add in the leeks and cook them until soft but not browned. About 4 minutes.

Add in the parsley and garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant.

About 1 minute.

When the garlic is fragrant, turn the heat to low and toss in goat cheese.

Stir the goat cheese into the olive oil till it begins to melt and make a sauce. Add in the reserved pasta water and stir well.

Toss the pasta into the pan and stir to coat.

Add in the shrimp and tomatoes and cook until the shrimp are warmed through.

Season well with salt and pepper, squeeze the juice of the lemon and toss.

Sprinkle with parmesan and serve hot.