Mixed seafood with Root Vegetables

Tonight seemed like a good night to feel the warmth and coziness of the kitchen. Rainy and damp outside--lovely aromas from inside.
I looked to the freezer for inspiration--I came up with a pound of mussels which I popped into a saute pan along with about a dozen frozen raw shrimp in shells, and 1/2 lb. of scallops. Then to the fridge for root vegetables--carrots, leeks, and turnips--roughly diced.  To this a bit of Herbes de Provence and a splash of Vermouth. Everything simmers in the pan; while the mussels and other seafoods are cooking, they are creating a lovely broth for the vegetables. Once the vegetables are slightly soft, everything is ready to enjoy!

Mussels with Guinness

Tonight's dinner was super simple and fantastic, thanks to the combination of some great mussels and Guinness. I found this recipe from a site talking about the wonderful food at The Brazen Head in Dublin. They weren't kidding on this one. And did I mention it was incredibly easy?
Heat a saute' pan on medium heat. Once it's plenty warm add a minced shallot, a couple of pounds of mussels, 1/2 c. half and half, 1/2 c. Guinness, 1/2 t. garlic powder, 1t. thyme, 1T. minced flat-leaf parsley, and 2T. Irish butter. Let this simmer for about 8 minutes, keeping an eye on the broth/sauce not allowing it to evaporate completely. When this is done, spoon the mussels and sauce out into a bowl. Serve with some warm French bread--you'll need it to sop up the great sauce. Fantastic.
* from The Irish Pub Cookbook by Margaret M. Johnson