Healthy Shrimp Linguini

Between Thanksgiving and New Years we ate A LOT.  Turkey for Thanksgiving, fresh duck and sausage from Chris’s parents, pounds and pounds of ham and prime rib for Christmas, Mom’s sausage and peppers for New Year’s Eve, Boston Butt, collard greens and black eyed peas for New Year’s Day…. and God only knows what else in between.

Chris knocked out some spectacular meals during this holiday season and the recipes and stories should all have a home here at this blog. Unfortunately, I was too busy eating and drinking to take good notes, snap pictures and get online to tell the stories.  That is no way to run a food blog and I apologize.

In the interest of putting gluttony and laziness behind us, let us start off the New Year with something a little healthier.  Chris decided on New Year’s Day that our diet was in need of more seafood.  I do not know if this was a casual suggestion, a resolution for 2012, or the 11^th Commandment but either way, when New Year’s leftovers ran out we headed to the seafood counter at our local Publix to see what was on sale.

Fresh, inexpensive, light and easy were our goals for the trip so this is what Chris put together…

Farmer’s Market Stuffed Pepper Fun Time: Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Dibs on the red one!

The vast majority of our meals start out at the local grocery store chain with the question “what do you want to eat tonight?” We wander the aisles looking for something fresh or on sale to spark our interest. On this particular Tuesday, however, we limited our search by heading for the local farmer’s market instead of the grocery store. Fresh fruits and veggies would be the centerpiece of Chris’s creative spark this evening and all three of us were excited about it.

Actually, Ivan was more interested in the giant Halloween pumpkins but he was a big part of the adventure nonetheless. 

Hot Rod Mussels: Thursday, September 15, 2011

First of all, this is what happens when you let a six-year-old name the recipe. However, when said-six-year-old makes the transition from The World’s Pickiest Eater to Devourer of All Things Edible in a matter of two years or less, you let him call things whatever the heck he wants. 

Not one member of my family had any real idea what we wanted for dinner Thursday night but all had the same general craving… seafood. After work we made a beeline to the seafood counter to see what looked fresh (and with any luck, not terribly expensive). A quick decision was made and we walked out with two pounds of live mussels for $7.98. 

Seafood Date Night: August 26, 2011

Date nights are special to us. My six-year-old lives with us 50% of the time and we spend 99% percent of the remaining time on work, chores or something else society would deem productive. Obviously, the time my wife and I actually get to spend alone together is limited so twice a month we manage to push life aside and have date night.   Some date nights are planned together and some need a planner without someone else’s input. On this particular Friday, Christina assumed control of date night planning so I shut up and waited for my directions.