January gives us an opportunity to get excited about life. With winter’s dim light, the mid-January season creates a need for the artistic spectrum of bright colors to showcase the table. Let your home entertaining glow with stimulating colors by setting out bowls of fresh lemons, limes and oranges. Bowls of yellow squash, eggplant and pomegranates add more to the table canvas. For an artist’s worthy menu, slice red, yellow and green bell peppers length-wise and fill each with your favorite lasagna recipe. (I only use the frilled edges of the lasagna pasta since the hollow space in the pepper is small.) Top each pepper with fresh Parmesan cheese for a vibrant delight.
Another multihued dish that I love to make is:
Shrimp and Mango Etouffee
In a pot on the stove sauté:
1/4 stick of butter
half of an onion, finely chopped
half of a green pepper, finely chopped
3 teaspoons of chopped parsley
Cook until tender – about 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of red pepper and a pinch of salt.
Add 1/2 lb. of peeled shrimp. Sauté just until lightly pink. Add 1 – 12 oz. can of tomato sauce, 3/4 can of dice Rotel® diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup of boiling water. Add a pinch of sugar. Simmer for about 40 minutes. Just before serving add diced mango. Serve with rice.

For lively winter dessert serve Cinnamon “Red Hot” Baked Apples. Remove the apple cores. Fill the core areas with “Red Hot” candies and a little water. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Paint your table with colorful food to feed your soul and inspire your guests for the New Year!
* Our applause goes the Picasso restaurant in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. The cuisine and service this weekend were stellar and we can highly recommend this restaurant for a divine dining experience.