Menu #44

Hope everyone had a great Easter Sunday!  We had a fabulous time!  We started our day with an egg hunt in the backyard with our friends, then a delicious champagne brunch, followed by a relaxed outing to Wilson Creek Winery for a petting zoo & wine sipping.  Once again, I’m sad to say I have no pics of our deliciously gluttonous brunch buffet because I was just too busy eating, drinking, and having a great time!  J 

Today I had a menu tasting for a wedding I’m catering in May and, I’m happy to say, it turned out great!  She tried the pearl couscous pilaf w/ pine nuts & dates (to be posted at a later date…it’s delish!) as well as a couple of the appetizers, including the melon gazpacho w/ shrimp salad pictured up above.  The gazpacho is a very refreshing first course that is perfect for a warm day.  I’m happy to share the recipe. . .

Melon Gazpacho w/ shrimp salad

2 C watermelon, chopped

2 C honeydew, chopped

2 T seedless cucumber, finely chopped

2 T red onion, finely chopped

1 T fresh parsley, minced

1 T fresh mint, minced

1/4 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped

1/4 orange bell pepper, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, minced

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 T red wine vinegar

1 lime, juiced

Pinch of salt

4 oz bay shrimp

Mint leaves for garnish

Puree the melon in a food processor until smooth; transfer to a medium bowl.  Mix together shrimp w/ a small teaspoonful of all the chopped vegs & minced herbs along with a splash of vinegar & a bit of lime juice; season with salt & set aside.  Add the remaining vegs, vinegar, lime juice to pureed melon and mix to incorporate.  Season with a pinch of salt, cover tightly, and allow to refrigerate for at least 1 hour & up to 1 day. 

Serve gazpacho as an appetizer in a small glass with a small spoonful of shrimp salad & mint leaves as garnish (& a nice glass of cold white wine!)  ;-) 

This week’s menu . . .

Tuesday:  Melon Gazpacho w/ shrimp salad/Crab Salad on cucumber slices/Pearl Couscous w/ pine nuts & dates

Menu tasting leftovers!  J

Wednesday:  Ham Bone Soup/Spring salad

Leftovers from Easter. . .

Thursday:  Ham & Brie Panini w/ asparagus soup

More leftovers from Easter . . .

Friday:  BBQ Turkey Burgers w/ onion, lettuce, red onion/baked onion rings/potato salad

Yay. . .no more leftovers!!!

Saturday:  Take-Out Pizza

We have a night baseball game, so we’ll just pick-up a pizza on the way home & chill out with a movie. 

Sunday:  Grilled Shrimp/polenta w/ kale/whole roasted cauliflower

I was supposed to do the cauliflower last week but wasn’t able to get around to it.  I’ll post all about it next week.

Monday:  Leftovers