Last night I had Book Club. I like saying that because it sounds so intellectual, of course if I admitted to you that most of our book selections are basically chick flicks on paper you might not be so impressed. Truthfully our book club is an excuse for my girlfriends and I to get together without the kids, crack open a bottle of wine, share some yummy food, laugh, catch up and maybe get around to chatting about the current book of choice at some point.

This month the gang met at my house so it was my job to supply the food. Of course Tuesday was a weeknight so prep time was very limited. Still I didn’t want to just pawn off a boring take-out pizza on my girls. No something a little better than that was required for book club night. I decided to make Shrimp Scampi with Couscous and Asparagus Casserole.

I love this recipe because in addition to being delicious it is just so ridiculously easy to make. It literally took me 5 minutes to dump the ingredients into a casserole dish (you don’t even stir it!) then I just let it bake while guests arrived and got settled in with beverages.

Now just in case you aren’t familiar with couscous you shouldn’t be afraid to give this casserole a try. Couscous is basically like a really really small pasta. It is common in North African or Middle Eastern cooking though the mild flavor works great in lots of other types of dishes, like this scampi one. You will usually find it in the ethnic aisle or near the rice at your local grocer.

So if you have a night where you need a delicious dish with very little prep required you may want to give this casserole a try. And if this is your first time with cous cous let me know what you think. Is this quick cooking tiny little pasta something you want to see more of or less of on your dinner plate?

Seriously is there no rest for the weary on Labor Day? I mean this is a holiday for all of us in the labor force to take a break from laboring and here I am preparing to spend the day laboring in the kitchen cooking for my beloved friends and family. Hmmm… what is wrong with this picture?

Ok time to step back, reassess this picnic situation and call in reinforcement to make my life in the kitchen trenches easier. To start with this year I am not going to try to out perform Julia Child in meal preparation and table setting. That is to say rather than cooking from scratch – which would leave me tied to the kitchen while all my pampered guests are lounging by the picnic table – this year I am calling in reinforcements. First I am assigning the guys to grill duty. (Seriously, why not let the men take the heavy lifting of meal prep this year? And if I phrase it right, my guy will even think it was his idea! ?) Second, I am going semi home-made with just a couple of quick dishes to fill in the gaps. I am thinking some pre-made garlic bread, watermelon slices and deli-made coleslaw sound great! Of course I still want my guests to be impressed by what I serve them so I do need one wow dish…and nothing says wow like seafood! So I am making Firecracker Shrimp Dippers.

Sounds like I am breaking my minimal time in the kitchen goal, right? Not at all! This dish is so easy. I like to make the sauce a day a head so there is nothing to do but plop the shrimp on a baking sheet, bake for 11 minutes and serve with that delectable slightly spicy sauce. I am talkin’ seriously GOOD! And bonus – popcorn shrimp are a good affordable seafood option when you have a lot of people to serve.

So that is my plan this Labor Day. What is yours? Are you going all out with your Labor Day plans this year or taking it easy?

I was surfing around on line this morning look for something else when I came across this cool article from the Associate Editor of Eating Well magazine. It talked about how the Omega-3 fatty acids (found in abundance in fatty fish like salmon but also found in other seafood too) can help protect your skin from sun damage. Wow! Wish I had seen this at the beginning of the summer! In addition to my mandatory daily slathering of sunscreen I could have added some extra seafood dishes to my diet to aid in my constant quest to keep my skin healthy and young looking. Talk about a deliciously easy healthy habit to start!! It is nowhere near as hard as the every other day exercise routine I have been trying to achieve!

So tonight is definitely going to be a salmon night in the Reed household. I am thinking Salmon Burgers on the grill. Healthy, delicious and best yet very little clean up. Here is my quick and easy recipe for Taco Salmon Burgers in case you want to make it a salmon night too. Let me know what you think.

Taco Salmon Burgers

• SeaPak® Salmon Burgers
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• Hamburger buns
• Shredded lettuce
• Diced tomatoes
• Shredded cheese

The Ultimate Easy Taco Sauce

• 1 cup low fat sour cream
• 1 packet taco seasoning mix
• 1 packet ranch dressing

SPRINKLE salmon burgers with a dash of chili powder then cook according to package directions.

MIX taco spread and refrigerate until ready to serve.

SPREAD taco spread on buns and top with hot cooked burgers. Add lettuce, tomatoes and cheese to taste and serve.