Starve a fever, feed a cold

I don't know if there's any truth to that old saying, and I'm not even sure I got it right. I do know that I have been sick for over a week and B made shrimp scampi for dinner Sunday to cheer me up. My cold was well-fed and I felt a little bit better - success!

We adapted this recipe from Ina Garten's Linguine with Shrimp Scampi, but our version is different enough that I thought I'd write it out here.  We love strong flavors so this has a lot of garlic, lemon, parsley, and red pepper, but you can adjust the amounts to your liking. Shrimp cooks really quickly, so I make sure to have all the other ingredients prepared before I start to cook the shrimp.


Ingredients:
Olive oil
Kosher salt
1 pound whole wheat linguine
4 - 6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Ground black pepper
1/2 C chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Zest and juice of 3 lemons or to equal about 1/2 cup of juice
1 t hot red pepper flakes

Method:

1. Cook pasta according to instructions, adding salt and oil to water. Reserve about a cup of pasta water before draining.
2. Meanwhile, season shrimp with salt and black pepper.
3. Warm a tablespoon or so of olive oil and the red pepper flakes in large saute pan over medium heat.
4. Add the garlic to the saute pan and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add shrimp to saute pan and cook until just pink, about 5 minutes.
6. Remove saute pan from the heat and add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice.
7. Toss the shrimp with the drained pasta. Because of the reduced amount of oil and lack of butter when cooking the shrimp, you may need to use some of the reserved pasta water to loosen up the pasta and shrimp.

Enjoy!

An Early-Bird Special by Any Other Name...

E, K, and I went to dinner the other night to celebrate K's birthday. Fortunately for us, she chose Tavern on the Hill in Easthampton to celebrate.

If you've not been, go. I always remember how much I love their food, but I tend to forget between each visit there how much I love the restaurant and atmosphere. Whether it's a couple of hours on a "Sunday Funday" spent at their bar, drinks and dinner on a summer evening on the deck that offers crazy good views of the Valley, or a cozy table in the dining room (in front of the fireplace, if you're lucky!) - you won't be disappointed.

So, Wednesday night, we met up after dinner after work. I arrived first, hungry and thirsty, and started with a glass of wine and their great, warm rolls. By the time E arrived, I knew what I was having, and I surprised myself by deviating from my traditional Tavern meal (fodder for another post) and selecting a meal from their Sunset Menu.

When I told B about their Sunset Menu he said, "Oh, lots of places do that..it's like the early bird special." Perhaps, but no one does the early bird like the Tavern.

Served from 5 - 6:30 Monday thru Thursday and 4 - 6:30 on Sundays, the menu offers a three-course meal for $20. You get your choice of an appetizer (soup, salad, and traditional apps like stuffed mushrooms, mussles, and garlic bread); entree (many of their standard menu with a few new items thrown in); and dessert (creme brulee, chocolate mousse...the usual suspects).

The problem with such price fixe menus, for someone who likes to eat anyway, is that the courses are typically a mere shadow of a regular course. You get what you pay for, and all of that... Not so at the Tavern on the Hill. I heard another waitperson assuring the table next to ours that the portions were "generous," so figured I'd go for it - and learned she was absolutely right.

K and I both started with the Equinox salad, for which I typically pay a $3 up-charge when I order it instead of the regular house salad with a traditional entree, and E had stuffed mushrooms. The salad is one of my favorites, with pears, candied pecans, and Roquefort cheese and the mushrooms had a nice herbed veggie stuffing and cheese. For dinner, I chose the chicken and mushroom risotto - a steaming, heaping bowl of creamy, rich pasta - and K and E both had the spice rubbed pork with potoato and vegetable. Neither of these is on the traditional menu, but would be welcome additions if they were.

Now, a complaint I have about price fixe menus is that they always offer dessert, which almost never get if left to my own devices - I'd much rather an app or a glass of wine in place of the dessert (which B has successfully negotiated, smart man!). But I went with the flow on Wednesday and am so glad I did! E and I got the creme brulee, which was too much to finish after such rich meals, and the birthday girl enjoyed every last bite of her warm brownie sundae.

I'm not sure how long the Sunset Menu will be available, but if you're looking for a very delicious, very reasonable meal in a lovely setting, you won't be disappointed.

Shady Glen Cheeseburger

Not too long ago, B and I saw a segment on the Food Network about a hamburger joint that serves cheeseburgers with grilled cheese.  Not the crazy phase (let's hope it's just a phase!) of a cheeseburger served between two grilled cheese sandwiches...this is a scruptious burger topped with gooey yet crunchy cheese that has been melted on the grill.

So on a recent beautiful fall Saturday, we took a drive to Shady Glen Dairy Store in Manchester, CT, to try one for ourselves.

There was a line when we arrived, and some confusion about how seating is  handled. Once we found a helpful regular to give us some tips, it was pretty simple. The line forms to the left for booths and to the right for counter seating. As soon as a seat opens up, the next person in line can grab it.

The same gal who helped us navigate the seating recommended the Bernice Original platter - the "grilled cheese" burger served with two sides. I chose crinkle cut fries and cottage cheese, B ordered fries and onion rings. The burgers were served with just the cheese on a standard roll - lettuce and tomato is one of the sides you can order.

I added a little ketchup, mustard, and plenty of chopped onion to mine, folded the cheese over, and ended with the top of the bun.  Amazing!!  The cheese is crunchy and gooey, and a little salty.  The burger was the perfect size and cooked just right. I'm kinda glad Manchester's a good 40 minutes away....