Monday, August 2, 2010

Savoring the Weekend


Happy Monday, lovelies! And Happy August! Hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I can't believe it's August already. The summer seems to be flying by. Guess that's what happens when you're having fun.

And having fun is exactly what I did this weekend. We had a great time Saturday in the Hamptons at my friends birthday party. We ended up coming back to the city Saturday night because the forecast for Sunday called for clouds and rain. It didn't turn out to be a beach day after all. I have to say I wasn't sorry to change plans and come home. We have spent so many weekends away this summer that a day in the city with nothing to do sounded like paradise to me.

We ended up having the perfect Sunday. Slept in late, hit the farmer's market, went to brunch and then I decided to tackle cooking mussels for the first time ever. I saw some delicious looking tomatoes, mussels and parsley at the farmers market and decided why not give it a shot? It was a little intimidating at first...it takes a lot of effort to clean those babies!...but it was well worth it in the end. The meal was absolutely delicious! Definitely dinner party worthy. Can't wait to invite some friends over to try it out on them.

Here's the recipe if you're interested:

Spaghetti with Mussels and Tomatoes
  • 2 lbs mussels
  • 2fl oz dry white wine
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, very finely sliced
  • generous pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1lb cherry tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1lb spaghetti
  • 2 tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • extra-virgin olive oil

Clean and debeard the mussels. Put them into a large saucepan with the wine. Cover and cook over a medium heat for about four minutes or until the mussels have opened, shaking the pan a couple of times. Remove any mussels that haven’t opened.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook until soft but not colored. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and turn the heat up. Sauté until the onions and garlic are pale gold. Now add the tomatoes and cook on a low heat for about five minutes, until the tomatoes are soft. While this is happening cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water in a very large pan (one that will contain the mussels).

Now strain the mussel cooking liquor into the tomato pan. Simmer all this together until the mixture takes on a sauce-like consistency (it should be able to coat the spaghetti) then stir in the parsley. Drain the pasta, put it back in its pan and quickly add the tomatoes and mussels. Toss everything together gently with a slug of olive oil and some salt and pepper (you might not need much – the mussel liquor is quite salty). Serve immediately.

So now here we are at the start of another week. I decided on Monday mornings I'm going to start thinking of what I have to look forward to during the week to help motivate me to get out of bed. This week I have dinner with my cousins on Wednesday and vacation on Friday! Can't wait! A whole week at the beach! That thought alone should be enough to get me out of the house today :)

So what did you all do this weekend? And what are you looking forward to this week?

Images: 1 - Petra Van Raaij, 2 - via Pretty Stuff, 3 - via Black Eiffel, 4 - via here, 5 - via From Me To You

54 comments:

Diana Mieczan said...

Balazs will love that recipe..I am so going to show it to him!!! Thanks,darling:)
Glad you had a great time...I love sleeping in too:)

We had fun in the countryside and last night we went for a sushi.....to finish off that wonderful weekend:)

Happy MOnday and I am so ready for what it will bring:)

Kisses and hugs:)

Barbara von Enger said...

Such an attractive looking recipe. The pasta dish looks positively delicious. Savouring the weekend indeed.

said...

I love that bow in the top picture, and that recipe looks to die for, I'll definitely try it!

Emma
TheSidewalkIsMyRunway

jules @ The Diversion Project said...

yummy recipe darl, and that third image is just divine!! jxx

little luxury list said...

Ooh I would love to have some of this!

I'm totally looking forward to Bali next week!

J. said...

I loooove the pics!

Rachel {little bits of lovely} said...

Your weekend sounds like absolute bliss and those mussels - yum! I'm with Emma about the bow in the top picture, it looks so chic x

STYLE'N said...

the recipe looks so great! glad you had a good weekend despite the overcast weather sunday. but sometimes isn't it nice to just be back home?

Anonymous said...

Dawn, I love these photos! Glad you had such a lovely time, the recipe looks delicious! xo

Anonymous said...

You certainly know how to make the most of your weekends!!! I love mussels in white wine, delicious.... And I'm always amazed at how a simple spaghetti can taste so good!

Stacey said...

I heart that recipe and those pictures are divine! Happy Monday.

Miles Of Style said...

lovely pics and the reicpe sounds delish and quite easy... happy august sweetie!

Persis.

Andrea said...

Oh, this looks delish!!

Copious Couture said...

That recipe sounds amazing... I wanna try it! Hope you had a great weekend!



Carissa

Taylor said...

Perfect weekend, and that meal looks DIVINE!!!! :)

very married said...

the photo w/ the bike is like a modern roman holiday!

Lynzy said...

That recipe looks delightful! Happy Monday and August to you as well <3

xo Lynzy
http://fromskirtstoskillets.blogspot.com
Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Nikki said...

This recipe sounds great. Seafood is summer is the best.

Have a great day!

xx
Nikki

Tanvi said...

Glad you had a nice time in the city! Saw the pictures you posted. I would try it if I weren't a vegetarian! :) Happy Monday/August!

_ffyona said...

Mussels and white wine, my kind of food for weekend. ;)

Inspired Shares said...

Fun weekend...and the weather wasn't nice there. We were on the boat, not exactly The Hamptons but from Connecticut to Long Island and it was cloudy. The food looks so great...I'm ready for lunch!

Julie xo

Audrey Allure said...

I can't believe it's August already either! And mm the food looks scrumptious :)

Jaime @ laviejaime said...

Glad you had a nice weekend- I did too! It was jam-packed with activities. The weather was just gorg too. Pasta here looks delish! :)

Happy August!

Meghan said...

YUM! What a fabulous recipe - thanks for sharing! So glad you had a wonderful weekend!

Jessie said...

work BBQ for my husband (he is a cop) and then a baby shower in Boston... so also very fun weekend for me!

You meal looks great!

xx
Jessie
http://87life.blogspot.com

Oh, My Darling said...

What a great weekend, and a delicious-sounding recipe.

k said...

I'm envious of your fun weekend! I'm definitely going to try that recipe, I was almost drooling just seeing the pics :)

Tamanna A. Shaikh said...

Wow Ummm I'd love to spend the next weekend at home. I have been moving into a new place...so stressful! Anyhow, the mussels sound great...haven't ever eaten mussels..about time to try some! :) Much love Dawn!! have a great week!:)

Joyti said...

The photos are gorgeous, as always.
Your recipe sounds great. I actually looked for mussels at the farmer's market this weekend and couldn't find any :( (they only had oysters)...so your food pic is making me jealous.

The Simply Luxurious Life said...

Thanks for the recipe - congrats on the success. I've never tried cooked mussels, but I'm always up for something new. So glad you had such a great weekend. Your responses were wonderful for the newsletter. I've been getting wonderful feedback and it is in no small part due to your contribution. Thanks so much again.

Welcome said...

This recipe looks amazing!! and I am a lover of all things pasta and all things mussels! Congrats on all those great things, and have a great Monday!!

XOXO
Kiki

Tayebug said...

I love all the pictures and although the mussels look good in that picture, I don't think I could eat them. Don't know why, but I'm a bit seafood shy.

LindsB said...

Oh I wish it was still the weekend!

Anna @ IHOD said...

These photos are everything you would want on a weekend excursion! Thank you for sharing this recipe! Sounds divine!
Happy monday dear!
Anna

Heather Feemster said...

Love these photos, wow girl, you sound like you have a fabulous life, congrats to that!

BigAppleNosh said...

Sounds like a fun and delicious weekend! :)

and flowers pick themselves said...

your sunday does sound perfect. hope that loveliness lasts the whole week :)

xo Alison

shopgirl said...

Great recipe Sweetie! I tried making mussels last week with homemade french fries and I surprised myself. They were delicious!

Sounds like a perfect weekend!

xo

Valerie said...

Sounds like a fabulous weekend! And that spaghetti with mussels looks amazing! I've never cooked with mussels and they imtimidate me a bit (although I love eating them). Maybe this will give me the inspiration to try them out on my own.

xo
Valerie

J. said...

Mmmm I think I'm going to be making some pasta tomorrow! :)

http://jammer10am.blogspot.com/

lu said...

everything about post looks and sounds so dreamy! i miss the weekend already ;/

CLOTHESURE

Unknown said...

Wowza I love your blog! The pictures, the post, everything! (everything is fabulous!)

Hélène Heath said...

Your choice of photos make up the perfect palette for an intro into fall and for the beginning of august! And kudos for the mussels, they look amazing!! :)

xxx

Chicago Chic said...

It sounds like you had a wonderful weekend and I understand why you like having a lazy Sunday once in a while...it's refreshing! Italy gave me a love for fresh markets and I bet the Farmer's market in New York is amazing! I love mussels, and this recipe sounds delicious!! I love these photos too, so inspiring.

Happy Monday Love!

Rachel

Gorgeous Glam said...

I love the girl in the first pic she reminds me of Bardot! This recipe sounds so good right now I'm starving! You always have the best recipes! xoxo

stylenuggets said...

Too true. A lazy day at home is the way sometimes!

Draffin Bears said...

Glad that you had a fabulous weekend and going to the farmers market would have been fun.
Your mussels recipe sounds yummy and similar to one that I make.

Have a happy week
Hugs
Carolyn

Anonymous said...

i'm going to try ur recipe :)

Pratishtha Durga said...

Thanks for the recipe, darling. Good to hear that you had a lovely weekend. My own weekend was spent with friends... Much fun and laughter, and great food!

chantelle said...

oh, wow! this post is all sorts of lovely :) so fun, fresh & gorgeous ♥ i hope you're enjoying the week!

Vær våken said...

The pasta sure looks good!! Looks like one of my favourites!! Hope you're enjoying your day! xo Kristin

honey my heart said...

i had a bit of a long weekend, and am now dreaming of the upcoming one. hope your week is going well so far :)

Kristen said...

Mmm, the mussels look and sound amazing!

Sarah M said...

Sounds like a fab weekend -- much more exciting than mine, chock full of studies. Lovely pictures too!