Flexing my mussels

Tyler is out of town in Utah for the better part of this week and I decided to practice some new recipes. I recently whizzed through Julie & Julia, a book about a NY woman who decides to cook the entire Mastering the Art of French Cooking I, by Julia Childs. It essentially documents her ups & downs in her marriage and personal life and is overall really entertaining. Plus, they are making a movie which I think is going to be released early next year. So inspired by Julie Powell, the author, I decided to dip my toe into french cooking and make Moules à la Marinière, aka Steamed Mussels with White Wine, Shallots, and Parsley. I added leeks (left over my Thanksgiving CSA delivery) and Meyer lemons.

The concept was based in good intentions but failed flatly in the execution. It was my first time cooking mussels at home and I think the quality from Safeway is lacking. Some of them didn't open and the meat of the ones that did just didn't look right. The sauce had too much lemon and I overdid it with the leeks. All in all, I think I will leave mussels well enough alone and realize that its better to order them at a restaurant from here on out. When we do go out to eat, I've been trying to order things that I can't make on my own. Otherwise, why not just cook in my own kitchen?

On a positive note, I cooked my first beets. They were also included in the CSA box and were delicious. I roasted them for about an hour, peeled them after they were cooled and then let them rest in the fridge for a day. I cut them up, added some herbed goat cheese, chopped some shallots and dressed it all with a red wine vinegarette. So good. The only downside (which I realized this morning) is you end up peeing purple. I hope that's not too graphic for my many readers, but it was a little unnerving. FYI, I guess.