sausage and shrimp stew

This seems like a paella to me so I served it over rice. I love to go get head-on shrimp from a local market, they are super fresh and have a great depth of flavor. I used andouille sausage here but kielbasa would also work.

chicken torta with 2 cheeses

A torta is a Mexican sandwich. This one was piled with roasted chicken, jalapeno, 2 cheeses and salsa. I chose to just do an open face version and paired it with some cooling avocado slices.

german chocolate cake sundae

One our most favorite desserts this year. We got the coconut ice cream (or gelato) from Whole Foods. We also had a fresh coconut and made our own toasted fresh coconut so that was also fun. Recipe from Food and Wine: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/german-chocolate-cake-sundae

an elegant shrimp dinner

We updated a classic cocktail, Clove-Scented Citrus Sidecar, to have with our Spanish-style toasted pasta with shrimp (and aioli served as an accompaniment), and a chocolate torte with whipped cream and fresh raspberries for dessert.

pasta and salad

What could be finer? A bowl of penne in vodka sauce, accompanied by a caprese salad. Cheers!

parchment baked fish

I just put some herbs, wine, butter, lemon juice and a fish fillet in a foil packet and baked until done. Juicy and tasty (and easy clean up).

chicken and vegetables for a fall dinner

Here is a pan-seared chicken thigh (I find them more flavorful than chicken breasts) with winter squash, served over mashed potatoes. I got some fresh green beans from the Farmer's Market so I steamed them and then sauteed with some bacon.