Mussels, Shrimp, and Sausage Steamed in Beer

Yesterday was a scary day in the Casselbury household as David, my husband, was side-swiped by an 18-wheel truck. Thankfully, the truck hit the passenger side of his car, and he walked away completely unscathed. But that is one phone call that no one wants to get, even if David did start it with, “First, I’m OK.”

So what’s a girl to do when she’s freaked out other than cook a big, delicious meal for her lucky husband? It didn’t hurt that I had been researching recipes cooked with beer for an upcoming newsletter at work, and this particular steamed seafood recipe had jumped out at me. I didn’t make it in time to put it in the newsletter, but it will likely earn that spot sometime in the next few months. This was our appetizer — even though it made a TON, and we probably could have stopped eating after this — but I also grilled up a couple a steaks and some bok choy as an entree.

Thai Barbecued Oysters

This month, I had an exciting “first” in my career — a photo I took graced the cover of a magazine.

It was a photo I took for the spread inside about ways to cook oysters. I don’t consider myself a pro photographer, and I didn’t take the picture with the idea that it might be on the cover. The managing editor saw it and decided to try it — and everyone liked it! So it’s really cool to occasionally see it on the stands and know that it’s MY photo!

Smokey Corn and Sweet Crab Soup

For as long as I can remember, pasta has always been my favorite food. Spaghetti with tomato sauce, pasta salad, macaroni and cheese — if there’s pasta in it, I love it.

But what does that have to do with this soup? Well, after I noticed snow crab was on sale, I brought home a pound intended for the soup. But while standing at my kitchen counter, shelling the crab, sneaking bites here and there, I had to admit that crab legs are actually the best thing in the entire world. Sorry, noodles, you’ve been knocked down a peg.

 

 

Shrimp and Mango Pasta Salad

When I first came up with this recipe a year ago for a friend’s bridal shower, I called it “Caribbean Shrimp Pasta Salad.” After actually traveling to the Caribbean and realizing that these flavors aren’t really Caribbean-influenced, I decided to go ahead and give it a new moniker that’s a much more apt-description. If you’re looking for a pasta salad recipe sans mayonnaise for a barbecue this summer, try this one out.

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp, Courtesy of Lauren

A few weeks ago, one of my best friends came to visit. While I tend to take over the kitchen at all times (Because I’m selfish like that), Lauren made an appetizer for us that was so easy and so delicious that I definitely wanted to share it.

Blackberry and Ginger-Glazed Salmon

We’re finally past the disaster that was last week, and this weekend definitely made up for it. One of my very best friends from college recently moved back to the East Coast after a year-long stint in Chicago. I did manage to make it out there over Labor Day weekend last year to visit here, but New Jersey is definitely easier to handle than Chicago is! She came down to visit on Saturday, just for the night, and we had a relaxing and fun evening cooking dinner together.

 

 

Continuing My Oyster Education

In my last post, I shared a recipe for spicy oyster pasta. That was, in fact, the first time I had ever cooked with oysters. As I believe I explained, the magazine is running a spread on oyster recipes in our August foodie issue, so it was up to me to create, make, and photograph these bivalves in a number of ways.

 

Spicy Oyster Fettuccine // The one where Crouton gets a bag stuck on her head

Whenever I come home from the grocery store, you can bet Crouton is waiting for me in the kitchen, ready to “help” unload the bags. From what I’ve seen, there are two reasons for this. One, she knows that I’ll probably be leaving the refrigerator door open, so she can go foraging for food. Like this:

Sauteed Cod and Mushrooms in Spicy Tomato Sauce

The layers of components in this seafood dish — first, the homemade sauce, then mushrooms, and then the fish — make it a complex and interesting dinner.

Tuna Avocado Tacos // The One Where Crouton Throw a Fit About Her Food

A couple days ago, Crouton threw a fit about her food (isn’t that all she throws fits about?) While her bowl was in the dishwasher, I put her dry food in one of the regular (read: pretty) bowls that us humans use. Well, I guess she doesn’t handle change well because I come home from walking the dog and the bowl is in pieces on the floor with kitty kibble scattered everywhere. And my husband is on the couch, just hanging out, not much to say other than “Now that we’re putting tile down in the kitchen, things will break a lot more easily.”

Well, it’s his cat. So it’s his mess to clean up. But then I get home from work the next day, and there’s still kitty kibble all over the floor. And beyond that, Crouton  is weaving in and out of my legs, begging for more food. So, once again, I question David, who then explains that he’s punishing her for pushing her food bowl off her perch and wasting good food. That she needs to clean up her kitty kibble mess before she gets any more food.

And then he asks me to fill up her (now-clean) bowl with food while he goes to buy me a bottle of wine.

Anyway, tuna-avocado tacos, anyone? I served these bad boys with a side of zucchini sauteed in a random green sauce made from cilantro I picked out from the Mexican aisle (is that the right term? I can’t even remember what they call it there).  When my husband finished his allotted two tacos and zucchini, he returned to the kitchen with a question that makes me want to die: “That was a great appetizer. What’s for dinner?”

This, my friends, is what happens when you marry someone who is 6’6″.