Because they’re still delicious, even if they did take out my MacBook. Here’s the thing: Adam travels a few days a month for work now, and he hates shellfish and seafood. So, when he leaves town I take advantage and cook myself shrimp, scallops, mussels. Especially mussels, this recipe has become my go-to dinner (because a bag of mussels is like $7).

It had been a hectic day. Our dog turned 1, so we had to celebrate. Then I ran to a school meeting. Then I came home, paid the babysitter, got H in bed, and threw together this mussels dish in about 30 minutes so I could log into a Google hangout with 5 of my nearest and dearest friends. I was all set, I had the wine, I had my dinner, I was ready to talk about the website we’re working on together, commiserate about the state of the world, talk about our kids, and slurp up some mussels as quietly as humanly possible.

Then I picked up the bowl of mussels to move it to the other side of my laptop, paused for a “look at the size of this bowl of mussels” moment–as you do–and proceeded to pour most of the broth all over my 2013 MacBook Air. Which was crushing for so many reasons. I was mid conversation, and the horrified look of my friend Andrea was frozen on the screen as my computer died one of those movie computer deaths, where it flickers and things seem to go in slow motion, and strips of pixels appear on the screen until…death. Also, that broth was amazingly good. I was going to eat that.

I mean, look how delicious!

By the time I unplugged and sopped up what I could off my laptop, and logged back in with my phone so my friends knew I was alive, the mussels were cold. Literally and figuratively, it was like all of the joy had been poured out of the bowl. Adam got home the next night, and he took apart my laptop but eventually declared a time of death.

We researched new ones, made two trips to Best Buy to test drive some options, and I decided that the HP Spectre 2-in-1 13.3″ was the laptop of my (new) dreams. I couldn’t justify getting a MacBook Pro for twice the price, and the other Apple laptop options weren’t as appealing right now. But, I am so, so in love with this Spectre. It is a gorgeous little machine, and I can’t get enough of it.

So, my tech life is back to normal (except for the iPhone I need to replace because the screen is a maze of cracks). And, I still love these mussels. So, here’s the recipe. There are a bazillion and two versions of mussels with chorizo out there, but I like this one because it’s one of the most straightforward. Melissa D’Arabian is trusty like that. I don’t even have to open a can of tomatoes. Sometimes I use harissa, sometimes I don’t. Get out your tweezers to rip the beards out of your mussels (the seaweedy bits that sometimes stick out), give them a scrub, and throw them in. Man, I really want some of these right now.

Spicy Mussels with Chorizo and White Wine (from Food Network)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces fresh chorizo, removed from casing
1 tablespoon harissa
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 to 3 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1/2 cup heavy cream
French bread, for dipping

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook the onions in the butter over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and chorizo to the onions and cook until the sausage loses its raw color, about 5 minutes.

Add the harissa and red pepper flakes, and then turn up the heat to high. Once fragrant, deglaze the pan with the wine, allowing to bubble for a minute. Lower the heat to medium, add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

Add the prepped mussels and cover to steam until the mussels open, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the cream and stir. Serve immediately with plenty of sliced French bread for dipping.