LAST SUNDAY'S SHRIMP SPAHGETTI

Ingredients...

Shrimp
Asparagus
Oyster Mushrooms
Green Onion
Garlic
Basil
Butter
Salt

Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese

In a large bowl I threw in all of the ingredients. Shrimp, chopped asparagus and green onion.... Broke off pieces of oyster mushrooms just like you would while breaking crackers. I chopped a TON of garlic because I felt like it and melted about 1/4 cup of butter. Added a bit of salt and let it sit there to marinate for about an hour. I actually put it back in the refrigerator, normally I wouldn't because I believe the food should be at room temp but I did because of the shrimp. Maybe I didn't need too....

After about an hour I started to get the water to a boil for the spaghetti. And, at this time I have a large pan sitting on the burner at high heat. Everything in the bowl goes in. Note: No basil has been mentioned. But, at some point chop up a whole bunch and then set aside. Sauteed it all (except for the basil).... for awhile too. Like 20 minutes. It will be at the very end, 2 minutes till you are done sauteing that you will throw in the basil. THIS IS KEY WHEN COOKING WITH BASIL I HAVE LEARNED.

Spaghetti should be done at the exact time too. This time I decided to mix the pasta with with shrimp and vegetables instead of serving the pasta and then the vegetables/shrimp on top. Mix in your shredded cheese even though the Italians say absolutely no fish with cheese. Sorry Italians, it is GOOD.

And Voila!

BRADLEY CURRIED DE AMOR

Dessert included.

Ingredients...

Broccoli
Red Bell Pepper
Yellow Squash
Green Onion
Garlic

Yellow Curry
Peanut Butter
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
1/2 & 1/2

Jasmine Rice
Coconut Milk

In a glass dish, I chopped up 2 medium sized yellow squashes, a large handful of green onion, 1/2 a red bell pepper- thin little strips- and about 6 small to medium cloves of garlic. I then dumped 1 1/2 tablespoons of soy sauce and sesame oil, a dash (about 6) of salt and pepper and mixed well with a wooden spoon and let sit. No need to refrigerate.

Time for rice, which takes about 25 minutes to cook. Measure out the desired amount of rice you would like and instead of water replace with coconut milk. Jasmine is a must.

When you are ready to sauteed vegetables, go ahead and dump your vegetables in a pan on high heat. Let them cook for about ten minutes and then you can start to add some yellow curry (I used about 3 tablespoons), and about 2 heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter. Don't be afraid to put as much sesame oil as you like (my personal favorite). Last, add about 1/4 (or more!) Mix well and turn heat to low.

You can mix the rice and vegetables together and serve in one big bowl. But trust me, serving them in separate bowls looks nicer. Plus, the rice is so tasty on its own that when you are blessed with a bite that is just rice, it is heaven.

DESSERT

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Red Delicious Apples
Mint

Scoop out as much ice cream into a bowl that you will be serving for you and your guests. Then put it in the microwave for 1 minute (ouch, I know). Next, grate an apple like you normally would do to a block of cheese. Thinly cut mint as small as you can get it. Mix together and put back into the freezer. Back to being frozen by the time dinner is over and any kind of remembrance of it being in a microwave (shhh..) will soon dissipate when you take the first bite.

Serve with very strong hot coffee or for women who are with child: Mint tea.

COSMIC APRIL THERAPY

This is a very refreshing small bite.

Ingredients...

Cosmic Carrots
Cucumber
Yellow Onion
Raspberries
Avocado
Fresh Romano Cheese
Olive Oil
Reduced Balsamic Glaze

On a small plate, make a bed of thin sliced cucumber, top with shreds of carrots (I was gifted beautiful organic cosmic carrots from a local farm and are almost a burgundy color and super bright cosmic orange inside), and chopped yellow onion. Drizzle some olive oil and drop some raspberries on top. 2 slices of avocado and sprinkle fresh romano cheese. Swirl a balsamic glaze on top and you are ready for spring.

LOVER'S APPETIZERS

The easiest ever and the most tasty.

Ingredients...

White Mushrooms
Gorgonzola Cheese
Garlic

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Pull out the stems from the caps of the mushrooms. Stuff with a clove of garlic and sprinkle gorgonzola cheese on top. Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes. Delish.