The Dish: Thai Red Curry Mussels

I know I took a little hiatus from blogging, but there have been other priorities lately...family and myself. This time of year, I always find to be a good time to recharge my batteries. So, that's just what I've been doing with a little retail and cooking therapy.

And, if you're looking for something to spice up your everyday go-to-meals, then check out this recipe for Thai Red Curry Mussels on the Food Network.

My only deviations from the recipe were the following:

• Crushing a lemongrass stalk seemed a little agressive (maybe if you've had a bad day, this would be an option). Instead, I sliced the stalk lengthwise into 4 strips and then chopped the stalk. I placed the chopped lemongrass in cheesecloth, tied it up and threw it in with the liquid. (See the big white looking ball in the photo below.)
• I added about 2 garlic cloves crushed (literaly smashed with the back of a sturdy knife, and skins removed) to the liquid.
• I actually mixed and whisked all the liquid in a separate bowl before placing in the pot to heat. The coconut milk is really thick, so I recommend this part, especially if using an enameled pot to cook your mussels.

Ingredients prepped.

Mussels, debearded and washed.

I purchased from Whole Foods, and for the most part, they were ready to go, but a few still needed debearding, which is literally tearing out this fiberous little tuft from the side of the mussel. After this, I let the little guys sit in cold water for about 30 minutes to flush out any remaining sand. After 30 minutes, lift the mussels out of the water. Don't poor into a strainer, because all the sand will just end up back on the mussels. Also, be sure to ditch any mussels that are cracked or wide open, or don't close when tapping/pushing on them. And if they don't smell like the beach, the word is they're not fresh.

Check out Allrecipes.com for a step-by-step "how to" on cleaning and prepping mussels.

For a short demo on debearding, check out this video:

And the best part....enjoy. Oh, one more thing, I highly recommend eating this with a baguette to soak up the yummy juices!

Happy cooking and yummy eating.

The Dish: Scallops Provencal

So, tonight's dish was so good that we forgot to take a photo before we scarfed it all up.

So what could have been so finger lickin' good? Scallops Provencal, by none other than one of my favorites...Barefoot Contessa. And yes, this recipe has butter, so be prepared, or go for a run. Because you just can't make this right without butter.

Click below for the full recipe...get a nice baguette to soak up all the yummy goodness!

Scallops Provencal on the Food Network

Even Juno loves scallops ;-)

I might be in love...

I have just experienced Modcloth.com, and I might be in love.

If not for this t-shirt alone. Excited to read the blog too.

History of the Cupcake

Today, while celebrating a colleagues birthday, with cupcakes of course, they asked, "where do cupcakes originate, they are definitely American." Let me note, the individual lives in France and it's possible the cupcake craze might be a little more evident here in the US. Anyway, this really got me thinking...(as I pretty much think about cupcakes everyday...by the fact that last night, I started researching what it was going to take to make the ultimate vanilla cupcake per cupcakeproject.com's recipe)...i digress as usual....anyway, it got me thinking, where do these personal, pint-sized joy's come from. Who invented them???

With a little internet research, information can be found.

There actually seems to be two theories of the origination of the name cupcake:

1. by the measurement of ingredients in the cake...cup of flour, cup of sugar, etc.

2. by the fact that they were originally baked in cups.

The first reference can be traced back to 1796 in a recipe written by Amelia Simms, the American Cookery, with a notation about a cake to be baked in small cups.

So was it America or somewhere else?

Well there are other references to Queen Cake that was apparently a lighter version of fruitcake that was popular in the 18th century in England.

It's possible we may never know, but America has a close tie and history with Great Britain, so...

it's food for thought.

24 Days of Thanks in Review

During the month of November, I set out on a mission to capture 24 things I'm thankful for leading up to Thanksgiving. The assignment was very thought provoking and made me realize that I have so much to be truly thankful for...and there are way more than 24 things, people, places, etc. that I'm thankful for. And I should remember to be thankful everyday, not just the 24 days I have been concentrating on doing so.

And with that in mind, I have one more thank you to write for the moment...a thank you to all of you, who have been reading my blog for the last 11 months, and for those who have continued to encourage me. Thank you for stopping by The June bug Theory blog and letting me share just a few of my thoughts.

And in case you missed the list, here it is in it's entirety...24 Days of Thanks:

24. My birthday
23. My house
22. Good luck charms
21. Built-in Dishwashers
20. The ability to travel
19. Caffeine
18. Laughter
17. Music
16. Health
15. Wine
14. The Internet & Wikipedia
13. The little things in life
12. Nature & Animals
11. Friends
10. Technology
09. Freedom
08. Sweets
07. Great Neighbors
06. Grandmother
05. Mom
04. Dad
03. Juno
02. Hubby
01. Family

Be sure to check out my next assignment...the 12 days of Christmas...coming soon.

24 Days of Thanks #6-#1

So, I'm a little late in writing this, but better late than never. You see, I've actually spent the last 3 plus days with some of the individuals that are rounding out my 24 Days of Thanks. And without these top 6, I'm not sure that I would have anything else to be thankful for.

#'s 6-2: Mom, Dad, Grandmother, Husband, Juno.

#1: My family.

You might say that #'s 6-2, are the same as family. Well they are...but I'm thankful for each one of them individually in my life, and I've been blessed to spend this Thanksgiving with them. Also, my family is more than just them - it includes my mother and father in-law, my aunt, uncle and cousins, my brother in-law, and my soon-to-be sister in-law.

I love them all, and am thankful for them beyond any point of measurement.

I'm thankful that my grandmother who is 80, can travel and visit us (my mom, dad and me).

I'm thankful that my mom and dad are my parents but also my friends. I can always talk to them, laugh with them and cry with them.

I'm thankful that I decided to work at Garden Ridge one lovely summer, and met my best friend, partner and love of my life, my husband, who makes me laugh and smile everyday, and is my modern day renaissance man - I would truly be lost without him.

And of course...I'm thankful for our little juno, (a.k.a. the june bug) who brings so much life and laughter into our home. She has quite the personality and everyday is that much more interesting with her around.

I'm thankful that I have wonderful parents in-law, who have welcomed me into their family and opened my eyes to new foods, culture and customs.

I'm thankful for my brother-in-law and soon to be sister-in-law; they are the brother/sister I never had.

I'm thankful for my aunt, uncle and cousins and baby grayson, whom my aunt and uncle are amazingly devoted to raising this little gent in the making.

So...happy belated thanksgiving to you and yours, and wishing you a fun-filled, thankful holiday season that is upon us.

-Mo (a.k.a Mel)

24 Days of Thanks: #8 - #7

And the countdown continues....

#8. Sweets

Cakes, fruits, candy galore. Bless the person who transformed sugar into pure delight. I love sweets. If I was stranded on a dessert island, and I had to choose, it would probably be the sweets category. There's something very comforting about warm, homemade chocolate chip cookies, hot chocolate, cupcakes, chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream, rasberries and strawberries with whipped cream...and so on. When I have a bad day, a little something sweet, always seems to be the cure. And this is not something new in my life (you know they say your taste buds change, but some things remain consistent). When I was probably 3 or 4, I fell at my grandmothers house, knocked my head, or something like that, and my Mom asked me, as I'm whailing like an infant, "what will make it better?" My reply, "grapes." How sweet are those?! And grapes really do make everything better. Along with chocolate cake, etc.

#7. Great Neighbors

My husband and I moved into our house 5 years ago, which is hard to believe. And we've been so lucky to have great neighbors and now friends that live on our street. We actually found our house due to our now-across-the-street neighbors after talking with them at a party one night. We were actually both looking in the same area, and they tipped us off to the house across the street from one they were looking at. Then, it just seemed that our street kept popping up with young couples all in about our age group. It's been a blast, we've had block parties, cookouts, walked to our local town square for various events, and even sledded down driveways when we were barricaded from the snow storm earlier this year. It's sort of like a built-in safety net too. You know if you need help, there's always someone close by. It's really nice to have that sense of community in our fast paced lives. And I'm thankful we've made great friends too.