Recipe #1: Steamed Mussels

First post of the new year! And it's my first official cooking post! 

This past weekend, my boyfriend Ryan and I decided to make steamed mussels! There is a recipe I found about two years ago on foodnetwork.com, compliments of Tyler Florence. Here's a picture of the final product:

These are pretty easy to make! All you need is: 3 pounds of mussels, 4 garlic cloves, olive oil, butter, white wine, 2 leeks, fresh thyme, and parsley. Oh, and salt and pepper to taste. 

First you put a tablespoon each of olive oil and butter into a big pot and throw in the garlic, leeks (white parts only), and thyme (I think it said 1/4 of a bunch...I just guessed). I cooked them for about 4 or 5 minutes, and then threw in the mussels and a cup of white wine. Then you cover the mixture, and let it sit for about 10 minutes, or until all of the mussels open up. Once that's done, throw in 2 tablespoons of butter, and drizzle some olive oil....and voila!! You've got yourself some yummy steamed mussels. Of course, I put in about twice as much garlic, because I'm a garlic finatic!

Lastly, don't forget the bread for dipping and the wine for drinking! YUM! Enjoy! Hopefully there will be more recipes to come...