Father's Day Weekend!!!!

Went back home to Bellingham to see the fam! And Dad!

As soon as my father picked me up from the train station we drove straight to Taylor Shellfish Farm!!!

 http://www.taylorshellfishfarms.com/

Oysters, mussels and clams!!! We took them home to cook up a fabulous PNW dinner!!

On the Menu:

Signature Drink: Moscow Mules!!!!!!

Oysters on the half shell with a rice wine and fish sauce mignonette .

Caprese Salad.

Mussels and clams in a fennel sherry broth with grilled bread.

BBQ Oysters.

Yeah...Happy Fathers day!!

The Moscow Mules were my lovely little sister’s idea. She had just recently had them on a trip to California and thought they were so refreshing. A perfect signature cocktail (plus they are Oprah's favorite).

Moscow Mules:

Ginger Beer

Lime Juice

Vodka

Ice

Mix a shot (or 2) of vodka with about a cup of ginger beer ( this is non-alcoholic like ginger ale but less sweet) and a squeeze about a half of lime or more to taste. Pour over ice and garnish with lime and a neon straw :)

After we made our cocktails, sipped while we chopped and prepped all of our ingredients, nibbled on some cheese and shared a few stories it was time for the main event!

This dish is one of our all-time favorite dishes, and it is so easy! This would be perfect for a large dinner party, all you need to do is prep everything before your guests arrive and just before it is time to eat, put it all in the pot and turn on the heat!

Clams and Mussels steamed in Sherry with Fennel seed

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

2 pounds fresh mussels

2 pounds fresh clams

1 cup of dry sherry

1 cup of claim juice

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Toast fennel seeds in a hot dry skillet until browned and smoking. Remove from heat. Then dump all of the rest of the ingredients in, cover and cook on high heat until the clams and mussels open. If a clam or mussel doesn’t open discard. Serve with grilled bread that has been rubbed with fresh garlic to sop up all of that amazing broth and a chilled glass of white wine!

Perfect!

Cheers to a great Daddio!