"surf and turf"

Cooking with and for family and friends always brings back memories of cooking with my mother and sisters and how much fun we had in the kitchen! I love creating food memories and it doesn’t have to be a big production. The secret is to make a big splash with the table layout so when guests arrive, they’re already impressed. I learned a lot of these tricks from my mom who was absolutely brilliant entertaining at home.

friends-seafood-lamb — My Brit friend Jane and her son Ed who I’ve known since my UK days, comforting to know we can pick up our friendship no matter where! Homemade vinaigrette so guests can help themselves. Grilled leg of lamb thinly sliced and served with variety of mustards. My plate with everything!

Next trick is to prepare dishes that are colorful, has texture and has a wow factor. These are the three elements I always teach when giving my cooking class and I apply them to my everyday cooking no matter what I’m serving!
My British friends visiting were craving seafood and after scouting seafood restaurants with exorbitant prices, I decided to have a hand at preparing some surf and turf for them. My efforts came out handsomely and it was very rewarding to see my friends enjoying their dinner. The best part was getting some serious time together reminiscing about old times and having good laughs.

mango-pineapple-salsa-salad — Pineapple, Mango Salsa is a dish that goes well with most anything but especially with seafood. It’s light and refreshing and so colorful. You can make loads of variations of your own. A simple field green salad with mini sweet peppers. I like serving avocado on its own.

shrimp-stirfry-dinner — Stir fried shrimp with red onions and tomatoes was so easy to put together, I think Ed polished most of it off. Grilled salmon and lobster tails curled cause I forgot to put a skewer in, oops.

LetsLunch is a virtual lunch where food bloggers from all over the world come up with a theme and hosted by different bloggers. I’ve met the neatest food bloggers, if you want to join, post a comment below or on Twitter using #LetsLunch. Today’s post celebrates the USA release of Lisa Goldberg’s Monday Morning Cooking Club’s cookbook, congratulations! I love how a group of Jewish ladies got together to cook and shared their recipes and experiences.

Anne Marie Cruz‘ Honey Pecan Almond Cheesecake Sammy Bites at Sandwich Surprise
Eleanor Hoh’s Surf and Turf at Be a Wok Star
Grace Hwang Lynch‘s Zha Jian Mien at HapaMama.
Jill Warren Lucas‘ Pickled Corn Beef at Eating My Words.
Linda’s Vegan Pumpkin Pie at Spicebox Travels
Lisa‘s No Ordinary Meatloaf at Monday Morning Cooking Club
Lucy’s Sweet Potatoes with Cane Syrup at A Cook and Her Books
Pat‘s Thai Red Curry Noodles at The Asian Grandmother’s Cookbook

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