TheVineyardMom

  2 lbs. Of live mussels 1/2 yellow onion finely chopped 1 bay leaf 2 sprigs of thyme plus 1 tsp chopped 2 tbsp butter Zest of 1 lemon Risotto 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp butter 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup Truss Wines Chardonnay 1 1/2 cup arborio rice 5 cups chicken or veggie stock 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme leaves 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley  1/4 cup Parmesan cheese Mussels: Rinse mussels under cold water.  Discard any mussels that are opened. In a  large saucepan, heat yellow onion, bay leaf and thyme springs in the butter for 1 minute.  Add mussels and wine and cover with a lid and cook for 3 minutes.  Risotto: Heat extra virgin olive oil and butter in a large saucepan. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add rice and stir until all grains are coated and slightly translucent.  This will take 2 minutes. Add wine and stir over medium high heat until all the wine is absorbed. Add about 1 cup of the hot broth and stir constantly until the liquid is

  2 flatbreads, naan or homemade pizza dough 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 cups of mixed greens or romaine lettuce 4 tbsp of banana peppers, drained 4 tbsp salami, thinly sliced 1/2 cup mini mozzarella balls, cut in half 1/4 sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped 1/2 cup chopped black olives Dressing: 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tsp dried oregano  1/2 tsp each salt and pepper 1 garlic clove grated or finely chopped 1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped Add all the ingredients for the dressing into a mason jar with a lid and shake well to combine. If using a small mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except the extra virgin olive oil.  Whisk together to combine.  Slowly add the extra virgin olive oil while continuously whisking to emulsify.  Place dressing aside. Preheat grill to 350 degrees.     Brush both sides of the flatbread or naan with the extra virgin olive oil and grill for 2-3 minutes per side.  If making homemade dough, grill on an already hot pizza st

  Pesto, Prosciutto, Olive and Burrata Flatbread 2 flatbreads, naan or homemade pizza dough (baked) 1/2 cup pesto 2 large burrata  1/2 cup chopped Pitted Olive Medley  6 -8 slices of Prosciutto  Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Evenly divide pesto between both flatbreads. In the middle of each of the flatbreads, Open up the burrata with your hands, pulling it apart into pieces and spreading as much of it over the entire flatbread as you can. Top each flatbread with half of the chopped olives and prosciutto.   Place on the grill and cook until burrata is bubbly.  This will take about 5-7 minutes.

  Strawberry and Blueberry Wine Spritzer 1 cup simple syrup 1 bottle dry white wine.  Sparkling water or club soda 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, cut in half 1/2 cup fresh blueberries Simple Syrup recipe: 1 part sugar 1 part water Bring to a boil on the stove until all the sugar has dissolved.  Cool. Fill a large pitcher halfway with ice. Add half of the strawberries and blueberries to the pitcher.  Pour in 1 cup of the simple syrup and wine until the pitcher is 3/4 of the way full. Top off with sparkling water or club soda. Garnish each glass with additional strawberries and blueberries.

  3 lbs. Small red potatoes (or mixed variety small potatoes) 12 slices of thick cut bacon 5 green onions chopped 3/4 cup mayonnaise 3/4 cup sour cream 3 tbsp dry ranch seasoning mix Pepper to taste 2 tbsp fresh chopped chives Cut potatoes in half or quarters so they are bite size pieces depending on the size of the potato.   Boil the 3 lbs of potatoes in hot salted water until fork tender. Do not over cook! You don’t want your potato salad mushy. Drain potatoes and rinse with cold water.  Dry potatoes off and refrigerate in a mixing bowl at least 30 minutes or until cool. Cook 12 pieces of bacon until crispy.  Drain the fat from the bacon and crumble. Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, dry ranch seasoning mix and green onions.  Stir well to combine. Once potatoes are cool, add dressing and pepper to the potatoes and stir to incorporate. Top the potatoes with bacon crumbles.  Garnish with chopped chives.

  4 cups cubed watermelon 1 cup fresh blueberries 4 oz crumbled goat cheese 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves Dressing: 2 tbsp honey Juice from 1 lime In a small bowl, add honey and lime juice and whisk to combine, In a large bowl, toss watermelon and blueberries together. Add dressing and carefully mix to combine.   top with goat cheese crumbles and fresh mint leaves. Serve.  Can be made 2 hours ahead of time and refrigerated.

  1 box of orzo pasta 1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced 1 cup cherry tomatoes 1 16 ounce can of chickpeas, drained 1/2 cup red onion diced 2 cup of fresh spinach     1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped 1 cup crumbled feta cheese Dressing: 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tsp dijon mustard 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper Optional toppings: Slices of steak, cooked shrimp, sliced chicken or salmon Cook Orzo according to package directions.  Drain and rinse with a little cold water to stop the cooking process.    Add completely drained orzo to a large mixing bowl.   Add in sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, drained chickpeas, diced red onion, fresh spinach and basil. In a mason jar with a lid add the dressing ingredients and shake well. You can also put the ingredients into a small mixing bowl and whisk. Add half of the dressing to the bowl with the orzo and veggies and mix to combine.  Add more if needed.   Top with crumbled feta cheese and any additional protein toppings.

  Asparagus and Flower Tart 1 sheet of puff pastry (thawed) 1 bunch of green, cleaned with the tough ends removed  ¼ cup of heavy cream ⅔ cup whole milk ricotta cheese 2 eggs ¼ cup Parmesan cheese ¼ tsp each salt and pepper A few flowers like primroses, daffodils and roses for decoration. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Roll out the puff pastry sheet to 12x12. Measure and cut pastry to a 10 inch circle. Place on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Using your fingers, roll ½ inch border backwards onto the circle, pinching it together.  Go around the whole circle.  The border will keep the filling inside. With a fork, poke the entire base of the circle so that the center doesn’t puff up.  Mix together the heavy cream, ricotta cheese, 1 egg, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour the mixture into the center of the pastry.  Do not overfill. Arrange asparagus spears in a desired pattern on top of the filling.  The spears will look like a stock of a flower.  Take the se

  1 tbsp butter 1 cup raspberries 1 cup blueberries 1 cup quartered strawberries 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cups rolled oats 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted You will need a large, approximately 10” size, cast iron skillet or grill safe heavy duty pan.  Preheat grill to 400 degrees In a mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and oats. Pour in the melted butter and stir to combine. Grease the skillet with the tablespoon of butter. Place the raspberries, blueberries and strawberries into the skillet.  Mix to combine. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top of the berries. Place the skillet on the grill with the lid closed for 20 minutes until the berries are bubbly and the crumble is toasty and brown. Remove from the grill and allow to cool.  Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.