There is often a certain stigma associated with being a foodie; why I have not figured out yet.  I mean really, is liking good food a crime, absolutely not! Wearing at outfit straight out of the 80’s, you might as well be wearing an orange jump suit; but having a refined palate is nothing to shake your fist at. Being a foodie doesn’t mean that you have to eat at the Taj Majal.  In fact, the word “foodie” does not mean you like to eat at “hoi faloy” restaurants at all; it just means you like good food.   Contrary to popular opinion, you can make a lot of foodie meals right home.

 One of my family’s favorite things to do is to go home and re-create the recipe after a good meal.  Not only is it cheaper to make it yourself (shocking I know), but you can put your own spin on it. There are many times I’ve made recipes at home that were better than I had out.  However, there are also those illustrious recipes that you just can’t figure out; the holy grail of do it yourself gourmet cooking. (Que mood lighting and sappy music…) For me that was the Bonefish Grill mussels.  While I absolutely adore them, spending nine bucks every time I needed my fix was starting to wear down my wallet.  So I set out on the journey of re-creating them.  Let me tell you it was no easy task.  I think I would have had an easier time pushing an elephant up a tree.  Every time I made them something wasn’t right. It was like that itch that you get that you can’t exactly figure out where it is… it drives you nuts!!! However, like Wiley Coyote, I refused to give up. Fortunately, my attempts didn’t end in pianos being dropped on my head. Eventually, after several failed attempts I finally nailed it down.  Anyway the point of my long and drawn out rant/monologue is that with a little (or a lot) of perseverance ANY recipe can be made at home.  Ok, so you can’t make little molecules unless you have a side hobby of molecular gastronomy, but you would be surprised at the culinary masterpieces you can produce in your own kitchen.  Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get it on the first try.  As my mother said, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”  In retrospect, I always found it irritating, but the message is true. Just keep changing things and you’ll be on your way to being a galloping gourmet!

Here is the final recipe I came up with to save you the backbreaking task of trying to figure out the mussels.
 3 dozen fresh Prince Edward Island mussels (about 2 pounds)
4 ounces chopped red onions
2 ounces chopped garlic
14 ounces chopped tomatoes, juice and all
Fresh basil
2 ounces anisette
1/2 lemon, juice of parsley, garnish

Sauce (use 3/4 cup)

1/4 cup real butter
2 tablespoons minced yellow onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Kosher salt or sea salt
White pepper, to taste

Keep you wallets full and your mouths happy!