spaghetti ft. mussels + lemon + garlic + white wine

 

this spaghetti & mussels pasta dish is the perfect recipe to serve at a summer dinner party. i can't wait till we get our outdoor space ready this month! i thought it would even be cute to set up a table & chairs set on our front porch for dinners too since it is such a large space.. we shall see! anyways, this dish comes together in a flash, looks gorgeous & simply just needs to be served with some toasted, buttery garlic bread & a cold glass of cambria's chardonnay. serving a recipe this simple means less time spent in the kitchen cooking & more time actually hanging out with your guests.

i love cooking with the type of wine i will be serving that night & as every chef says you should never cook with a wine you wouldn't drink! especially when the sauce to the spaghetti is simply wine, stock & olive oil. simplicity at its best. cambria's chardonnay opens with lively fruit & oak spice aromas. it is perfect to both cook & pair with fresh seafood. while i chose to add only mussels to this dish to keep it simple, you don't have to stop there! depending on the size of the crowd i am feeding, i like adding clams to the mix as well. shrimp & scallops too if you want a hearty seafood pasta dish.

have a lovely weekend & happy mother's day! we will be outfront gardening saturday & attending our towns art show sunday because my parents are on vacation in england, ireland & scottland. i am a little jealous, but mom if you are reading this please bring me be back ALL the grey & ivory wool you can find:) xo

ingredients

  • 1 box of spaghetti, cooked to al dente
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 6 shallots, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup cambria's chardonnay
  • 1 1/2 cups fish or chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 pounds fresh mussels
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsely, roughly chopped
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 1/2 cup parmesan, freshly grated
  • salt & pepper, to taste

directions

  • boil a large pot of water & cook spaghetti to al dente. strain, rinse with cold water & set aside.
  • in a large frying pan over medium low heat add the garlic, shallots & olive oil. cook until the shallots turn translucent. season with salt & pepper.
  • pour in the lemon juice & chardonnay, cook until the chardonnay reduces to half.
  • add the chicken stock & let come to a simmer.
  • add the mussels & steam with the lid on for 3-4 minutes or until the mussels have opened up.
  • tosss in the cooked pasta until coated. finish off with fresh parsely, lemon zest, parmesan, salt & pepper.
  • serve with a glass of cambria's chardonnay!

maple spinach salad ft. strawberries + avocado

 

as you can imagine, i roast a lot of veggies throughout the cold winter months. but now that the sun is shining all day, the only vegetables i have been craving are fresh veggies in salad. i love including different berries in my salad & this combination of strawberries + avocado is my go to. the avocado is so creamy! instead of using store bought dressings, i make my own four ingredient maple dijon dressing. this dressing recipe also works well with honey too instead of the maple syrup! seriously, between the strong blue cheese, fresh spinach & sweet strawberries these flavours are just so good together. a million times better then any salad i have been served at a restaurant. top in with grilled chicken breast or roasted chickpeas for a little protien.

in this recipe i used organic baby spinach as the base from taylor farms, but the organic baby spring mix works well too! they grow the highest quality of salads + vegetables around. everything is always super fresh because lets be real, there is nothing worse then soggy salad mix. this month (just in time for mother's day) they are hosting a fun little contest on instagram! to celebrate national salad moth you can enter to win a month supply of chopped salad kits. they will be drawing a winner once a week! to enter simply follow @yourtaylorfarms on instagram, create an original instagram post with a photo featuring your best salad (a.k.a this one) & tag #sweetsaladskills + #taylorfarms. good luck!!!! now is the time to get back to healthy eating with all the fresh fruits & vegetables spring has to offer.

ingredients

for the spinach strawberry + avocado salad

  • 5 oz taylor farms organic baby spinach
  • 1 avocado, sliced or diced
  • 1 cup strawberries, thinly sliced
  • 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
  • whole grain croutons (optional)
  • maple dijon dressing (see recipe below)

for the maple dijon dressing

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • salt & pepper, to taste

directions

for the spinach strawberry + avocado salad

  • in a large salad bowl add spinach, avocado, strawberries, cucumber & red onion. toss to combine.
  • sprinkle over salad pecans, blue cheese & croutons.
  • drizzle with desired amount of maple dijon dressing.

for the maple dijon dressing

  • in a mixing bowl whisk oil, vinegar, mustard, syrup, salt & pepper until thick.
  • set aside until ready to use.

mixed berry ricotta pancakes

 

i hope everyone had a lovely weekend! the rain has FINALLY stopped in our neck of the woods, or at least i hope so because our basement can't handle much more water. i feel like that was a month straight of rain, but alas the sun is shining & we were able to squeeze in some gardening yesterday afternoon! i don't actually know what i am doing when it comes to gardening (zero green thumb), but so far it is looking pretty good outside. we planted various green plants & lined the garden with a rustic grey stone out front. more importantly we planted blackberries & rhubarb out back! i am really hoping the plants take & i will have fresh fruit straight from my backyard all summer long! eventually we hope to have a full garden, but baby steps. these berry pancakes are a little way to celebrate all that hard work gardening this weekend. i mixed fresh berries both into the batter AND topped them with berries. for the flour i used a mix of bob's red mill white flour & bob's red mill stone groud whole wheat flour. the whole wheat flour gives the pancakes extra nutrients as it is made from dark northern hard red wheat with the bran and germ still intact! lastly, the ricotta cheese makes for the fluffiest pancakes. it is very mild in flavour so it more so offers a unique texture to the base. just don't skip out on whipping those egg whites! a very important step when making the perfect pancakes or waffles.

ingredients

  • 3/4 cup whole ricotta cheese
  • 1/3 cup raw sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup bob's red mill white flour, sifted
  • 1/3 cup bob's red mill whole wheat flour, sifted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1 cup fresh berries, roughly chopped
  • fresh berries, for serving
  • maple syrup, for serving

directions

  • in a large mixing bowl whisk together the ricotta, raw sugar, vanilla & egg yolks.
  • slowly whisk in the whole milk until smooth.
  • sift in the white flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder & sea salt. stir until a lumpy batter is formed.
  • in a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks until stiff peaks are formed. gently fold this into the batter.
  • fold in the berries.
  • over medium heat grease a skillet & add 1/4 cup of batter. cook until golden brown on each side. repeat this step until no batter remains.
  • top with fresh berries & maple syrup before serving!