Wine, chocolate, and pasta. Admittedly, these tend to stereotypically be women’s favorite foods, but let’s be real... They’re universally loved and always a good idea! Following are baseline recipes that are great on their own while being endlessly adaptable to reflect the individual tastes, preferences, cooking flair, and lifestyles of the hands who prepare them. A full line-up is on the menu here—we’ve got you covered with drinks, dinner, and dessert this time.

Creamy Mushroom Linguine with Shrimp

Serves 4

This mushroom sauce will make your homemade dinner feel like restaurant quality. Though this recipe calls for cooking the shrimp in the sauce, you can omit it altogether or swap out the protein for pre-grilled chicken, sliced steak, pork medallions—you get the idea. Feel free to change the vegetables, too. White button en lieu of cremini mushrooms work great, as will shallots instead of onion. Try a sautéed veggie medley for a summertime primavera spin. Use butternut squash chucks with wilted spinach in the cooler months. Alternate herbs. Let the cream sauce act as an edible vehicle—simple yet highly diverse, it’s just equal parts wine and cream reduced. Also, don’t get stuck in a noodle rut because variety is the spice of pasta life!

Instructions

Begin by setting a large pot of salted water to boil. Next, set a large saucepan to medium heat. Add the butter and some oil into the pan.

Prepare the vegetables. Remove the onion skin, slice it in half, then cut into ¼ inch-wide slivers. Wash and pat dry the mushrooms, cut off the stem tips, then slice into ½ inch-wide pieces. Minch the garlic.

Once the butter has melted in the saucepan, add in the onions, sprinkle with seasoned salt, cover with the lid, and allow them to soften. Once the onions become fragrant, add in the mushrooms and minced garlic, sprinkle with a bit more seasoned salt as well as black pepper, stir the veggie mixture to incorporate, then cover it again to wilt the mushrooms. The mushrooms will sweat—release water—which will help create the sauce base, so refrain from lifting the lid often, as this act will start to evaporate the liquid prematurely.

When the mushrooms become soft and shrink, add in the white wine and deglaze the pan if there’s a need. Next, pour in the heavy whipping cream, followed by the capers. Stir until they’re fully mixed and then cover the saucepan again, allowing the mixture to simmer. Sprinkle in the nutmeg.

Toss the shrimp in seasoned salt and black pepper. Once the sauce comes to a simmer, remove the lid, arrange the seasoned shrimp on top, and cover again. Make sure the heat stays at a low simmer point. Allow the shrimp to start cooking through (about 5 minutes). Once the shrimp turns pink, remove the lid and let the sauce reduce by about one-third to a half—it’ll thicken and have a glassy finish.

While the sauce reduces, boil the linguine to an al dente state. Add the cooked linguine directly to the sauce along with the parmesan cheese and mix it together. Allow the pasta and sauce to marry (about 5 minutes). Serve the Creamy Mushroom Linguine with Shrimp with parmesan cheese on top, if desired.

20 shrimp (peeled and deveined)
8 oz. dry linguine
¼ cup parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup white wine
1 white or yellow onion
8 oz. cremini mushrooms
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbs. capers
2 tbs. salted sweet cream butter
Avocado or olive oil
½ tsp. nutmeg
Seasoned salt
Black pepper

Chocolate Mousse

Serves 8

Chocolate mousse is effortlessly decadent yet easily adjustable. Don’t be intimidated by the concept—this’ll quickly become a go-to dessert once you realize how simple it is to make. Plus, there are a ton of variations you can try with this base. Let yourself get creative! Add a tablespoon of mint extract to the chocolate mixture, garnish with crushed peppermint or a sprig of mint. Use chocolate hazelnut spread instead of chips, then sprinkle with crushed nuts. Zest an orange into the recipe and atop a dollop of whipped cream for a Danish twist. Create a chocolate fruit situation with seasonal berries. Stick a pirouette cookie off to the side. Keep it simple with coco curls, chips, or powder on top. Remember, it’s chocolate—it’s all good!

Instructions

Note: You will need 8 ramekins or parfait cups for serving. This dessert can be made up to three days ahead of time and kept covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve—just press plastic wrap against the surface to prevent a film from forming.

To begin, separate the eggs—keep only the yolks, discard the whites. In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer until they become light yellow. Next, add in the sugar and continue to beat until it becomes pale yellow and silky to create the yolk mixture.

Set a medium-size saucepan to medium heat, then warm half of the heavy whipping cream. Allow it to reach a steaming point, but don’t let it boil.

Once hot, slowly pour the heavy whipping cream into the mixing bowl containing the yolk mixture while constantly whisking. This will cook the yolks without scrabbling them, yielding a custard base. Once fully incorporated, return the custard base to the saucepan and continue cooking on medium-low heat until it begins to thicken (about 3 minutes).

At this point, reduce the heat to low and add in the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate has melted completely and the mixture is smooth. Next, turn off the heat, then stir in 1 tablespoon of the vanilla extract. Allow the chocolate mixture to cool completely (this could take approximately an hour).

While the chocolate mixture cools, make the whipped cream. In a large mixing bowl, beat the remaining heavy whipping cream with the remaining tablespoon of vanilla extract until it’s stiff. You can keep the whipped cream in the refrigerator while waiting for the chocolate mixture to reach room temperature, if needed.

Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the whipped cream in three parts to create the mousse. Do not overmix! To serve, pipe or spoon the Chocolate Mousse into the ramekins or parfait cups, then top it with your choice of garnish.

4 eggs
¼ cup sugar
2½ cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tbs. vanilla extract

Sparkling Berry Red Sangria

Serving size is dependent upon thirst!

Sangria is one of the most versatile cocktails you can prepare ahead of time. Seasonal variations can be made no matter the temp, time, or date. There are three key elements in this wine cocktail: wine (obviously), fruit, and triple sec. Both fresh and frozen fruits can be used—consider their textural properties first. For example, berries and peaches tend to break down quickly in liquid, so frozen fruit will maintain its shape better. Apples and nectarines have stiff flesh, so fresh fruit should hold up nicely. The citrus notes of triple sec bridge the fruity and alcohol flavors, allowing the wine to blend with the fruits in a more harmonious way. An easy sipper alone, you can always add a shot of your preferred poison to up the ante—just an idea!

1 bottle of red wine
1 bottle of Champagne
Triple sec
2 cups frozen mixed berries
Rosemary sprigs (for garnish)

Instructions

Note: You will need a large pitcher, drink dispenser, punch bowl, some kind of pouring/serving vessel to house the sangria base. Clear glass is preferable so you can see the beautiful contents of the drink.

To a small mixing bowl, add the frozen mixed berries. Pour in enough triple sec to cover the frozen mixed berries. This will create the macerated fruit. Do not stir the contents. Cover the mixing bowl with either a secure lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate the macerated fruit for at least two hours and preferably overnight.

Ladle the macerated fruit into the bottom of your chosen pouring/serving vessel. Pour in the triple sec that was used to macerate the fruit, followed by the red wine. Gently stir this sangria base. To assemble the Sparkling Berry Red Sangria, pour the sangria base into glasses, top it with a Champagne float, and garnish with a rosemary sprig.

Editorial Director Lauren Barisic
Photographer Don Dizon