A Visit from the Bets

My girlfriend, Betsy from college came this weekend for a visit and as always we had a wonderful weekend. Friday night we celebrated a friends birthday and then spent the day at the beach on Saturday...oh so lovely. Bets had suggested we cook one of her favorites meals on Saturday night that I use to make when we were together, Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Stacked with Spinach and Shaved Parmsan. This delicious recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks my mom gave me called, At Blanchard's Table: A Trip to the Beach Cookbook. The Blanchard's are friends of my Aunt and Uncle, so this cookbook has more meaning and EVERYTHING in the cookbook is AMAZING!!!!! Another one of their outstanding cookbooks to check out is, Cook What You Love: Simple, Flavorful Recipes to Make Again and Again . We also enjoyed ceviche and vino and ended the night with a movie and dessert. Thanks for visiting Bets:)

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Stacked with Spinach and Shaved Parmesan

8 Portobello mushroom caps

Oil oil for grilling

2 handfuls spinach, trimmed, rinsed, and dried

Lemon-Pepper Vinaigrette*

2 oz Parmesan cheese, shaved with vegetable peeler

12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Preheat broiler. brush mushrooms with oil and grill 3-4 minutes. toss spinach with just enough vinaigrette to coat leaves

stack the ingredients on salad plates staring with a small pile of spinach, then a layer of shaved Parmesan, then mushroom. Repeat the layers in the same order, pressing down gently to keep the stack from falling. Drizzle a little extra vinaigrette over the salads, garnish with cherry tomato halves, and serve while the mushrooms are still warm.

*Lemon-Pepper Vinaigrette

1/2 c freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tbl red wine vinegar

1 c oil oil

1tsp minced fresh garlic

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients together.

See the beautiful layers

Ceviche

Good Ole Southern Firefly (Sweet Tea Vodka) and Lemonade. So refreshing.