Good Dinner Mrs. Mellen

Sometimes you just want to shake things up. So tonight instead of a big Sunday dinner I opted for a casual, easy Bistro dinner.  It was so delicious and simple to make I have to add to my list of favorite quick meals. Mussels, cheese plate, steamed artichokes and french bread. Oh I almost forgot Stonewall Kitchen Fig and Ginger Jam. Mussels Two pounds mussels scrubbed and de-bearded,  I love P.E.I mussels, so sweet! 2 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 shallot, chopped 12 rainbow heirloom cherry tomatoes 1tablespoon chopped fresh thyme. 1tabelspoon chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano 1/4 cup dry white wine Saute olive oil, garlic and shallot for 5 minutes, don't brown. Add tomatoes and fresh herbs continuing to saute for another five minutes. Add wine,  cook on low for another five minutes.  Add mussels, stir, cover, continue cooking on low for ten minutes until until mussels open. Artichokes 4 sprigs parsley 4 garlic cl

How do I start to write about my daughter Mandi's wedding.  One year and a half in the planing plus putting all my heart and soul into creating just the right wedding to fit the couples personality and the venue. The wedding had to be dramatic, classy, fun, young, traditional with a modern flair.  Wow!  A gigantic task but I was more than happy to tackle the project.   First, a little background: Mandi and Dan are two young actors living in LA pursuing their dreams of making it in the entertainment industry. Mandi is beautiful, bright, fun loving, wacky at times, with an iron will that can overcome all obstacles. Dan is handsome, smart, caring, the straight man to Mandi, so focused and supportive of their goals. Their love beautifully glows radiating out into the universe. Mandi and Dan met while attending Boston University with one of their special memories of their early romance attending the BU Ball at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. Having their wedding in the Grand Ballroom

I love to add fall fruits to my holiday stuffing to capture the smells and flavor of the season. My Savory Fruit and Nut stuffing combines apples, pears, and cranberries with toasty pecans.  A wonderful addition to my stuffing favorites. You can either stuff the turkey or bake to serve.  Savory Fruit and Nut  Stuffing 1/4 cup butter 2 cups chopped onions 1/4 cup celery 2 apples 2 pears 1cup fresh cranberries 12 cups dried bread cubes 4 eggs 2/3 cup chicken broth 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh snipped thyme 2 teaspoon dried sage or 2 teaspoons fresh snipped sage 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2/3 cup pecans, chopped and toasted In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and celery; cook about 5 minutes until tender but not browned. Add apples, pears and cranberries; cook for 5 minutes more until apples are tender. Remove from heat. In an extra large bowl toss together onion mixture and bread cubes. Let stand 10 minutes. In

A sneak peek at my blog about planning my daughter's wedding, a year and the half in the making.  So worth all the time, effort, and care to make Mandi and Dan's wedding just perfect. The Bride: The Groom: The Ceremony: The Bride and Groom: The Wedding Party: The Reception: Happily Ever After: More details to follow!