Happy Mothers Day! My husband worked so my sisrer wife (in law) came over (hers worked too). We had such a nice day. The kids had sparkling pink lemonade and SIL and I had Rubinos. I saw Rachel Rays husband John make them. It is Prosecco, Lillet, and raspberry purée. The Lillet is very interesting. I made a flatbread appetizer using Naan bread and it was awesome. SIL brought Lobster Bake in a bucket which had 2 lobsters 1 1/4, mussels, clams, potatoes, and corn. You just add water and steam and you keep the bucket. It was $20 pp which I think is very good and worth it! We let them play first with our friend Shirley first... SIL and DN made cupcakes. My daughter had a secret...this ice cream cake in the freezer from Carvel. I also made a tray of baked ziti for the kids. It was a great day!

A lot more came home than just the Brunello! there's half the apple fritter, half the duck, and half the salmon in our fridge! Next time, I'm having one and a half courses. The food was SO rich. (wonderful, but almost too wonderful iykwim). Cathy, I did have trouble deciding. It's a short menu and I wanted everything!! Fortunately the recommendation of the duck from a complete stranger in the lounge before diner made up my mind for me on the entree! Tricia, I think you and DH would love the place! It is just off Exit 70 next door to the Florence Griswold Museum. I think it's my new favorite local restaurant (those honors used to belong to The Up River in Westerly before the floods and they closed it). Unfortunately Bee and Thistle doesn't suit my budget for a regular hang-out, but wow! saving my pennies to go back. The menu changes regularly but the chef is awesome. They do have a chef's selection on Wednesdays- three courses for $28 - that would be easier on the pocketbook - but we definitely splurged for my birthday.

Here are a couple that I like: Crab Gyoza Dumplings: 1/3 cup finely chopped shiitake mushroom caps 1/3 cup minced celery 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 12 ounces lump crabmeat* 1 large egg, lightly beaten 18 gyoza skins 1 teaspoon cornstarch Grape seed oil, for sauteing Dipping sauce: 1 tsp sugar 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon water 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chili paste) or Thai chili paste To prepare dumplings, combine the first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, or process in a small food processor on pulse. Add crabmeat and egg, tossing to combine. Working with 1 gyoza skin at a time (cover remaining skins to prevent drying), spoon about 1 tablespoon filling into center of each skin. Rub the inside edge of the skin and fold in half, being careful to squeeze out air. Place dumplings on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch; cover loosely with a damp towel to prevent drying. Heat a small amount of oil in a large, deep skillet, and saute the gyoza for about three minutes. Then add about 1 tablespoon of water and cover with a domed lid and cook using low heat for about 8 minutes more. To prepare sauce, combine sugar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves. Serve sauce with dumplings. Yield: 9 servings (serving size: 2 dumplings and about 1 teaspoon sauce) *Can substitute 5 oz. chopped scallops for part of the crab meat. --------------------------- Deviled Crab Ingredients: 16 oz. Crabmeat (Snow crab is fine) 1 tsp Lobster or Crab soup base 3 tbsp butter 2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 large onion, finely diced (approx. 1/4 cup) 3-4 stalks of celery (including leaves) diced 8-10 fresh Serrano peppers, all seeds removed, and minced 1/3 -1/2 cup flour 1 tbsp minced fresh lemon thyme (or regular thyme) 1 tsp minced fresh Thai basil (optional) 1 tsp fish soup base--crab or lobster preferred--dissolved in 1/2 cup water or clam juice 2 tbsp Dijon mustard (or spicy brown mustard) juice of two lemons, about 1/4 - 1/3 cup 2 dashes of cayenne 1/8 tsp black or white pepper 1 egg, slightly beaten 2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs, the size of small peas 1-2 tbsp butter, for the crumbs Directions: Have all the ingredients ready-mince the onion and celery and set aside together; mince the herbs and peppers separately and set aside. If you are using crab in its shell, remove all the meat first and then put it in a small bowl. Add the optional crab or lobster soup base, if desired. If you can get lobster base, this will improve the flavor the most, but crab or clam base is fine. Adjust the quantity depending on the saltiness of the base. In a medium or large saucepan, melt 3 tbsp butter and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onion and celery and saute for about 3 minutes, or until the onion is all broken up and separated. Add the Serrano peppers and cook another 2-3 minutes. Then add the flour and continue to cook to make a light roux, stirring constantly. Add the herbs and stir to combine. Add the water with soup base (or clam juice), and stir to make a paste and remove from heat. Add the mustard, lemon juice, cayenne, and pepper, and allow to cool slightly. Pour a small amount of the paste into the beaten egg and combine before adding the egg to the paste. Add the crabmeat and stir to combine. Lightly grease a 9"x6"x2" baking dish (or individual ramekins) with olive oil, and add the mixture, leaving about 1/2" space from the top of the pan. Press the breadcrumbs into the top and dot with butter (or drizzle the butter melted) evenly over the top. Broil for 5-7 minutes not too close to the heat or bake at 425� for 6-8 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are crispy. Serves four as a main course or six as an appetizer. ----------- Both of these I make mainly as appetizers, but they can also be a main dish. I like crab stuffed sole, but I also make a crab sauce that I serve over fish: Crab Sauce for Fish Ingredients: 2-1/2 tbsp Butter 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1/4 cup minced Onion 1/4 cup minced Red Bell Pepper 1 Jalapeno, minced 1/4 tsp Thyme 1/4 tsp Dried Basil 1/4 tsp White Pepper 1/4 pound Crab Meat 1 tbsp Lobster (or Crab) soup base 3/4 cup Potato Water 3 tbsp Potato Starch 1/4 cup Lemon Juice (or white wine) Instructions: Melt the butter in a saucepan with the olive oil. Add the onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeno and saute until the onion is translucent. Add the thyme, basil, and white pepper, and saute a two minutes more. Add the crab meat and cook for another minute or so, to heat the crab. Combine the soup base with the potato water (or plain hot water) and add to the saucepan. Heat just to simmer. Mix the potato starch with the lemon juice (or wine) and add to sauce pan. Heat just until mixture has thickened. Serve over grilled fish, such as Opah, Swordfish, Marlin, or other mild flavored fish. Can also be used with Sole or Flounder. Note: if you do not have seafood soup base, you can add the appropriate amount of salt - generally about 1/3 as much salt as soup base. Lars

Happy Birthday Sue! Yum! Those cream puffs sure do remind me of my Grandma. Whenever she would take the bus to our house from downtown she would walk down our street carrying a bakery box tied with string full of cream puffs from Kresgie's. I couldn't eat the cream but I always ate the puff. Cupcakes look divine too. Anne