Surf & Turf Date Night

 I am addicted to this blend of Simply Organic's Grind to a Salt. Sea salt, organic mustard, organic celery seed, organic garlic, organic onion, organic chili peppers, organic black pepper. This is tasty on rice, quinoa and popcorn. Especially popcorn!

I had picked up these two organic petite tenderloin tips and organic shrimp from Wegmans just for a night like this. An unexpected kid free evening gave me just the impetus for a surf & turf dinner.

The foil tray was seasoned with two pats of butter, a bit of olive oil, lemon juice and a bit of Grind to a Salt. A drizzle of oil and seasoning on top of the sliced tips and shrimp and then broiled until just golden.

This salad mix is scrumptious with sweet peppers, kumatos, a bit of balsamic vinaigrette and pistachios.

Asiago cheese bread from Lexington Co-op.

 Served with Rainbow Quinoa...

...and Magic Hat's Elder Betty.

New Year's Dinner

We celebrated our Yule dinner on New Year's Eve with all the family squeezed round the table. Much like Thanksgiving, the table was loaded with all kinds of deliciousness. There was a giant salad, sherry mushrooms, sweet potatoes in maple syrup and La Fiera's 2009 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.

As it was our first year as a married couple I decided to start an old tradition of "Feast of the 7 Fishes". Some families have multiple dishes with fish or shellfish being the main ingredient, coupled with vegetables and/or pasta. I made one dish with three types of seafood; Salmon, Shrimp, and Lobster. 

The fettuccine pasta was perfect for building a nest for the sauce and fish. The cream sauce was 1 1/2 cups of milk, 1 cup of water, 8 oz cream cheese, and 12 oz freshly shredded aged Italian asiago cheese. It was rich without being heavy and the flavor from the asiago was heavenly!