Leeky Linguini and Amanda's Pie

Wow I don't know what we are celebrating today, but we sure did have a yummy feast for dinner. Over the weekend, I found this recipe on Rachel Ray's website for Leeky Linguine with Shrimp and immediately saved it. This was my first time cooking with leeks and it was actually pretty easy. I think that I was just worried about cleaning them and removing all of the dirt, but it wasn't as tough as I thought it would be. The aroma the leeks give off is wonderful too! I used whole wheat linguine. Take note that the recipe calls for 1/2 tsp. of crushed red pepper. That does give it a good kick, but it's not too spicy. The overall seasoning on the shrimp was fantastic. This really was a great and easy dish to make. Ross said he would not complain if we had this often :)

For dessert, we tried this pie recipe from my good friend Bill (aka Amanda). I actually made it last night and had to let it cool overnight. It has taunted us each and every time we have opened the fridge, but it worked out perfectly because each layer was good and set by the time we cut into it tonight. Holy cow I don't even know where to start to describe this one. First off, I have to mention the toasted coconut and pecan layer. HELLO! I knew it was going to be good the moment I saw that. Notice I made way too much for 1 pie. Darn the luck, LOL. It taste so good with the caramel topping giving it a pecan pie flavor. I was a little nervous about the chocolate layer because I'm not a huge fan of pudding, but once the other ingredients were mixed in it tasted just like a light chocolate mousse. That was Ross' favorite layer by the way. He was less than 2 feet away from me the entire time I made each layer and once I was done putting the "mousse" layer on, he grabbed the bowl and licked it clean with a crazed gleam in his eye. See the melting Cool Whip. It looked pretty at first, but by the time I sliced the pie it was melting like an ice cube. I live in Texas folks, everything melts here, especially in August. I sprinkled the top with some left over toasted coconut and pecans. Once you take a bite with all of the layers included it is pure decadence. All of the flavors blend so well together. The pie guru definitely has a hit with this one. I already have it saved and printed out for future reference!