As you all know, school has started back-up for the kiddos, therefore I have started back to work; teaching in the classroom.  Work this year has caused me more anxiety than ever before, so I treasure my time at home with my hubby more than ever.

After a long, hard day he prepared a fabulous dinner for us:

Bleu Cheese and Crimini Mushroom Salad

Shrimp with Spaetzle (Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way)

The great part about dinner, besides it being delicious, was the creativity put into it as well as ‘breaking the rules.’

Step 1: Make Spaetzle Batter

A simple combination of flour, salt, and pepper combines with eggs and water to form a thick, lump-free batter.

Step 2: Form Spaetzle

This part proved to be difficult.  Not having a Spaetzle press, we improvised and used colanders.  The problem was the holes were not ideal, and the batter had a hard time sliding through. (I have to say, the pictures are GREAT).

Step 3: Boil Spaetzle

The Spaetzle dough is pushed through the colander over a pot of hot boiling water (salt added).  After mere minutes the Spaetzle rises to the surface.

We removed it from the boiling water and tossed it lightly with olive oil to prevent sticking.

Step 4: Pan-Sear Spaetzle

The Spaetzle was then added to a hot cast-iron skillet and cooked until brown.  A wonderful collection of scallion, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese are added to the pan and mixed-in.

(I know what you thinking: seafood and cheese? Yuck!)

Step 5: Shrimp

Jumbo shrimp are lightly pan-seared in a hot pan with oilve oil, salt, pepper, and red bell pepper flakes.  (The recipe did not call for the flakes, but we thought it would give it a nice touch).

Step 6: Salad

For a nice light starter we made a salad with Spinach, shaved red onion, sliced roma tomato, bleu cheese crumbles, scallions, and crimini mushrooms.  A tart dressing of balsamic, lemon, and dijon mustard completed the salad.  It was wonderfully meaty and tangy; the perfect accompaniment to Shrimp Spaetzle.

The evening with my husband was perfect!  The slight chewiness of the Spaetzle with the shrimp and lemon was divine.  It was my first time eating Spaetzle, and of course cooking it at home.

So what is the deal with Seafood and Cheese?  We broke the rule!  Apparently it is a sin to combine the two, but it goes to show you that with food, you CAN break the rules and go a little crazy.  I highly recommend Spaetzle at home; just make sure you get a good crust on the tiny pieces of pasta.

***Special thanks to our dog Roxy

for monitoring the cooking process to

ensure everything was done right.***

Happy Cooking to you All!