Family Dinner with JP

Mussels. Let me tell you a little bit about mussels. See, when you grow up in Maryland, and spend your summers down Ocean City, mussels are inevitable. Of course, we're talking rough and tumble, steamed in water, served with a wedge of lemon and a ramekin of melted butter, no frills mussels. And they are delicious! For the uninitiated, I think of mussels as the textural middle ground between clams (more chewy) and oysters (more viscous). Mussels are perfect: cheap, easy to make, poppable, fun to share, and can look absolutely beautiful! What follows is a bit of a primer on making mussels. This is clearly a food that should be demystified, so that everyone can eat mussels all of the time. Once you know a few things, like how to sort out the bad from the good, and how to ensure the mussels are clean and without grit, this becomes a fast meal that you can adapt to any flavor profile you want. So of course, following the Tao of Julia, I made mussels in the French fashion - steam...

See ... if I call it that, it sounds so simple, right? Real Recipe Name (or; How to Use Words to Impress Your Friends): Oven Roasted Chicken with a White Wine Dijon Mushroom Sauce, served with Pan-Seared Pancetta Brussels Sprouts and Crispy Potato Gratin. You can totally cook this. Est. Cook Time: 2 hours Serves 4 Just a few tricks to keep in mind when you're cooking this meal: Do not overcook your chicken! There is nothing more heinous than that overcooked, dry chicken where you need a glass of water to get down every bite. Its like the Saltine Challenge, only less fun because someone was trying to make something delicious. Crispy skin on the outside, juices running clear. The timing on this recipe worked perfectly, so just relax. Unless you are making a risotto, STIRRING IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. You don't win friends with salad, and you don't brown surfaces with stirring. Keep this in mind with the mushrooms and the sprouts. In a similar vein (and my fa...