Yep No More Turkey Dinners!!

Marinated Grilled Rack of Lamb, Asparagus and Marry Me Mashed Potatoes.

I was so upset with my guy when he said he didn’t want to make a traditional turkey dinner this year because I LOVE mashed potatoes, especially at Thanksgiving! But he assured me I was going to love this dinner and to not worry, he would still make me my mashed potatoes just differently. "What!? Why?" He just said "Trust Me". “URGH”!

But OMG! WOW! Grilled Marinated Rack of Lamb, with Grilled Asparagus and Marry Me Mashed Potatoes! Yes, Yes, Yes!! His dinner was FABULOUS! And the Mashed Potatoes? Maybe the best ever!!

The night before Thanksgiving he started prepping the lamb. After slicing the ribs, he carefully paired the perimeter fat off the ribs and left lollipops at the ends. He said the extra fat would cause too much flare-ups on the grill and cook meat unevenly. (He knows I’d never touch one of those ribs with fat clinging to them!! ) Next, he whipped up a simple marinade with fresh rosemary, thyme and smoky paprika and dropped in the ribs to marinate overnight. Watch the video for a quick summary.

How to Prepare and Cook Rack of Lamb

This Red Blend from Spain, Rosso Quattro was an excellent pairing with the lamb. Buy it if you find it!!

Grab The Recipes! These are Keepers! I give this dinner my A+++ +

Genos Grilled Rack of Lamb.pdf

Download PDF • 339KB

Marry Me Mashed Potatoes.pdf

Download PDF • 84KB

Sautéed Pine Mushrooms & Linguini

My guy was all excited about this dish. Considered a delicacy by Korean and Japanese cultures, Pine Mushrooms are unlike most other mushrooms you may buy or harvest locally. Through a friend, he obtained about a dozen of these beautiful white, dense mushrooms which typically can be found in coniferous forests underneath the boughs of pine trees.

Some Say The Mushrooms Carry The Taste of Pine

He sliced the mushrooms thicker than normal, probably a 1/4' inch thick and sauteed them in butter and a little oil, then added about a 1/2 cup of white wine to help them sweat a little! When that cooked down he added a little more butter, garlic, minced basil and toasted pine nuts (of course!). It was smelling soooo goood! He let me taste one, it was still a little chewy but the flavor was so good, I'd say creamy, earthy, woody. But not piney.

He Kept Swatting My Hand Away!

Yep! I think I could have just ate the sautéed mushrooms straight from the pan.......Well actually that's exactly what I was doing with my fork when he wasn't looking! He can be such a killjoy!! Just before adding the linguini, he added 1/4 cup of heavy cream to make it a little more saucy to coat the linguini.

Tonight I served our "house" Sauvignon Blanc, Muirwood from Arroyo Seco. Such a good wine! Pick this up at most Total Wine stores.

I give this dinner an A+ rating

because we both went back for seconds and there were no leftovers!!

He hasn't captured this recipe yet as a downloadable PDF, so let us know if you are interested and I will send it to you!

It Started with Holiday Baked Brie Delight

With the visit last evening of a dear friend and accomplished chef, my guy wanted a full evening of food, drink, music and lots of laughs!  We started early with our house champagne, Moët & Chandon Brut served with his Holiday Baked Brie Delight and grilled baguette slices.  The brie was baked with hot honey, cranberry and almond.  OMG it was gooey delicious.  Grab the recipe below if you need guidance.   Our friend had already requested his now famous Sicilian Swordfish Steaks for the main course which again was incredible!! I served an Oomrang 2022 Muller-Thurgau wine which paired spectacularly with the swordfish.  For dessert he served slips of chocolate raspberry Bundt buttons with demi-sip glasses of tawny port.  Throughout the evening we were playing with Ai and listening to John Mayer and friends. What a delightful evening!! Ai can be fun, but scary too!!  I can’t believe it made me drink champagne from the bottle!!🤣

Holiday Baked Brie w Hot Honey, Cranberries, and Sliced Almonds

Bake at 350 for about 7 minute or until honey bubbles

Beautiful Swordfish Steaks filleted to 1/4"

Pan Seared then baked Swordfish seasoned in Citrus Panko Crust and topped with Salmoriglio Sauce. Grilled asparagus with garlic, EVOO S&P

Oomrang! Buy it if you can find it!

Crazy! Scary! Funny!

Holiday Baked Brie Delight.pdf

Download PDF • 74KB

Sicilian Swordfish New.pdf

Download PDF • 138KB