Though Valentine’s Day was last week, there are romantic memories associated with the recipe being shared
today by Evelyn Mueller of Bowling Green
The romantic tale dates back to when she was just dating her now husband, Eric.
The couple shared a love of food and cooking. They also tended to stay at home more than going out during
their courtship.
For Valentine’s Day that year, she came up with an interesting gift for her man.
“I told him the gift is going to require some commitment,” Mueller said.
His interest was piqued, and when he opened the present he found measuring cups, spoons and a recipe
book.
After all, as everyone has heard, “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
Only in this case, he was going to be part and parcel of preparing the food.
The first recipe they made together was Cajun Shrimp Linguine. The original recipe was from A Taste of
Home, with the couple adding Cajun sausage among other tweaks over the years.
The meal preparation often became their dates.
“We would have a little wine, some music, cook and eat,” Mueller said.
Adding to the romance, Mueller took a picture of the two of them together with the prepared dish and
started her own private cookbook that featured the recipes along with the picture.
Each recipe included a rating from 1 to 5 on the quality of the dish. All the best dishes were saved,
along with some other lower-rated foods to be sure she had a diversity in her cookbook.
Mueller said she developed her love of cooking from growing up at the hip of her mother, Judy Porter.
“My mom loves to cook, primarily baking. I helped her out, but she would often stop me to do it her way,”
Mueller said. “Of course, I did the same thing with my kids.”
As for the linguine recipe, she said her tweaks — including the addition of the sausage — are made by
her sophisticated method: “I eyeball it.”
Sometimes, if she doesn’t have any shrimp, she will omit the seafood and have just the sausage.
“It still tastes good,” Mueller said.
When she occasionally uses cooked shrimp, she said it is important to not add the shrimp until late.
“You just want to warm it over. Shrimp gets tough if it is cooked too much,” she said.
When serving this recipe she said it is often accompanied by a salad.
Beyond preparing it for her home, she has taken the dish to work, where it has earned top-notch reviews.
The Weston native was an Otsego High School graduate. She is employed with Bowling Green State University
as a senior zone building supervisor. Mueller said that is just a long title for her role in management
of maintenance and custodial matters.
Mueller is the mother of three adult children and two stepchildren. She also has two grandchildren. She,
like her mother, enjoys cooking for her family and friends.
