Welcome home, Luckygardner, hope you enjoyed yourself! This isn't tried and true, but it sounds good. TARRAGON SEAFOOD SALAD Water 2 tablespoons curry powder 8 ounces uncooked penne (tubular pasta) 3/4 pound medium shrimp, cooked and peeled (fully-cooked thawed frozen shrimp work well) 4 ounces smoked salmon, diced 1 1/2 cups lightly steamed, coarsely chopped asparagus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 teaspoon dry) 1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper 3 tablespoons olive oil Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full of water and stir in curry powder until dispersed. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, omitting any salt. Drain well, cool with cold running water, and drain again; place in a large serving bowl. Add shrimp, salmon, and asparagus. In a small bowl, stir together the tarragon, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Using a whisk, briskly whisk in the oil while pouring it in a steady stream. Pour dressing over pasta and toss gently to coat well. Serve right away. Slightly warm leftovers in the microwave before serving. Yield: 8 cups Serving size: 1 cup Per Serving: Calories: 219 Carbohydrate: 23 g Protein: 16 g Fat: 7 g Saturated fat: 1 g Sodium: 450 mg Fiber: 2 g

This is dinner tonight. SALMON WELLINGTON 1 17.3 oz. package pepperidge farm puff pastry (both sheets-thawed) 4 3/4 inch thick salmon fillet 4 Tbsp. minced shallots 4 Tbsp plus 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon 1 md egg, beaten (for the glaze) FOR THE SAUCE 1/2 c dry white wine 1/2 c white wine vinegar 1/2 c chilled butter, diced (1 stick) 2 Tbsp. minced shallots Preheat your oven to 425'F. Roll out each pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface to a 12 inch square. Thaw the puff pastry for about 36 minutes. Cut each in half, forming four 12x6 inch rectangles. Place one salmon fillet in the center of each of the rectangles, about 3 inches in from and parallel to one short edge. Sprinkle each fillet with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper and 1 tablespoon of shallots and 1 tablespoon of tarragon. Brush edges of each rectangle with the egg glaze. Fold the long sides of pastry, enclosing the fillets. Seal the edges of the pastry. Place them seam side down on baking sheet. Brush with glaze. Do not use tin foil, it will stick. Bake the Wellingtons until the dough is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 more minutes. Meanwhile make the sauce. Boil the wine, vinegar and 2 tbsp. of shallots in a heavy saucepan until the liquid is reduced to 6 tablespoons, about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, one piece at a time, whisking until each piece melts before adding the next. Whisk in 2 teaspoons of fresh chopped tarragon. Season with salt and pepper. Cut into 3rds. Place sauce over pastry and serve hot.

Red Velvet Cake (Fine cooking) Makes one 9-inch cake. Red velvet cake is a dessert that everyone oohs and aahs over�it�s tall, dark, and handsome, with deep crimson cake layers and a thick coating of cream cheese frosting above, around, and between. This red velvet cake recipe excerpted from David Guas and Raquel Pelzel's DamGoodSweet, is about as southern as a cake can be, but their version veers a bit from tradition. For the cake: 2 sticks (1 cup) plus 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 (1-lb.) box light brown sugar (about 2-1/4 cups) 3 Tbs. red food coloring 2-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 3 large eggs 1-3/4 cups buttermilk For the frosting 1-1/4 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature 2-1/2 sticks (1-1/4 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 (2-lb.) bag confectioners� sugar (about 7-1/4 cups) To make the cake Heat the oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with 1 Tbs. of butter each. Add 2 Tbs. of the flour to each pan and shake the pans to coat the bottom and sides. Tap out the excess flour and set the pans aside. Sift the remaining 3 cups of flour with the cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer) cream the remaining butter with the brown sugar, food coloring, and vanilla on low to combine. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until aerated and pale, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition, scraping the bowl as necessary. Reduce the speed to low and add one-third of the dry ingredients followed by half of the buttermilk. Repeat, finishing with the final third of the dry mix. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans, spreading it out as evenly as possible. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean and the center of the cake resists slight pressure, about 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then run a paring knife around the edges of each pan to release the cake from the sides; invert the cakes onto the cooling rack. Cool for 1 hour, and then wrap each cake in plastic wrap for at least a few hours. To make the frosting Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer) on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until aerated and light, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add a few cups of the confectioners� sugar, incorporating it into the cream cheese mixture on low speed until combined. Repeat with the remaining sugar, adding it to the mixer in two additions. Once all of the sugar is added, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. To assemble the cake Unwrap the cake layers. Slice off the rounded top 1/8 inch of each cake and place the trimmed-away portion in the bowl of a food processor. Slice each cake in half horizontally (you�ll end up with 4 layers), working over a baking sheet to catch any crumb. Add the crumbs to the food processor and pulse until fine. Place one cake layer on a cake round or large plate (make sure that the diameter of the plate is at least 1 inch larger than the cake). Use an offset spatula to evenly spread a heaping 3/4 cup of frosting on the first cake layer. Repeat with the remaining three cake layers, ending with a bottom half of a cake on top, browned-side up (so you don�t get cake crumbs in the frosting). Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake (the sides don�t have to look perfect�you�re going to cover them with cake crumbs anyway). Gently press a handful of the reserved crumbs into the side of the cake until all of the sides are evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. make ahead tips You can make the cake layers up to 3 days in advance. The filled and frosted cake keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Let it stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

This looks good, as were the reviews. This is good served over rice or pasta, and in that case, you'd want to double the sauce. Chicken with Marsala, Mushrooms and Gorgonzola (Fine cooking) 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 3) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 6 oz. cremini or white mushrooms, sliced 1/8 inch thick (about 2-1/4 cups) 2 large cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup dry Marsala 1/3 cup heavy cream 1-1/2 oz. crumbled Gorgonzola (1/3 cup) 1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Trim the chicken, removing the tenders, and slice on an angle into 3/4-inch-thick pieces; season generously with salt and pepper. In a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan, heat 2 Tbs. of the oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add half of the chicken and cook, flipping once, until lightly browned and just barely cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate; repeat with the remaining chicken. Cover with foil to keep warm. Return the pan to medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Add the mushrooms, season lightly with salt, and saut�, stirring with a wooden spoon, until softened and well browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 20 to 30 seconds. Pour in the Marsala and scrape the pan with the spoon to loosen any browned bits; simmer until the Marsala is reduced slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer until thickened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add two-thirds of the Gorgonzola and stir until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste the sauce; add salt and pepper as needed. Add the chicken along with any accumulated juices and turn to coat with the sauce. Serve immediatly, sprinkled with the remaining cheese and the parsley.