Tzatziki Creamy Garlic Cucumber Dip - Trade Joe's Style

OMG!!! I just had some Trader Joe's Tzatziki at their food sampling bar which we all know and love. We brought some home, and it didn't last very long.
I searched the Internet for a similar recipe as the ingredients on the tub and this is as close as I could find.
I used the Trader Joes ingredients, and just the measurements from the other recipe.

1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup TJ's Lite Sour Cream
Zest of 1 TJ lemon
Juice from 1 lemon (about 3 Tbs)
1 Cucumber thinly sliced with a veggie-matic type veggie slicer set to very thin.
1 Tsp TJ's garlic (comes in a jar all pureed. A must in my kitchen)
3 Tbs fresh dill
1 tsp dried mint

salt and white pepper to taste.

Mix it all together and serve with Trader Joes's Sesame Seed Pita bread.

Yum ; )

Okay, okay, it's almost as good as Trader Joes, but not quite. Please comment on any additions to make it better.

Okay, so I got a taste test yesterday, and the taster says it tastes better than TJ's.

But how can that be?
It's because I used this Mountain High Original Vanilla Yoghurt.

TJ's Creamy Garlic Cucumber Dip with Mountain High Yoghurt

The vanilla adds a sweetness to it that melts in your mouth.

If you can't get Mountain High Original Style Yoghurt where you live, try a full bodied natural yoghurt and add a touch of honey, and a drop of vanilla.

See what you think.

Shrimp Portofino - Macaroni Grill on Mother's Day

It' s Mother's Day and I was cleaning off our kitchen billboard and found this photo of Shrimp Portofino at Romano's Macaroni Grill
It's simple to make and delightfully complex and nurturing.
Since I am an unemployed single Lake Oswego Mom, I want this Mother's Day dinner but to be where my son Aidan and I make this wonderful dish from scratch at home.

We have these wonderfully huge Prawns from Uwajimaya's, our favorite Asian market. New Season's Market has Organic cream on special this week for $2.50/pint. If you don't live near a Uwajimaya's or New Season's Market, Trader Joes has good frugally prices on all these ingredients:
1 - 1/2 lb of Prawns
1/2 cup of cream
1/4 cup of roasted pine nuts
1 bunch of fresh spinach (or 1 small bag of salad spinach)
1 lb of Angel Hair pasta
1/2 cup mushrooms - sliced
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Kalamata Olive Oil - or butter
1/2 tsp of dried basil
1/4 cup of white wine
1 tsp garlic paste
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
1 Tbs capers

1) Saute Prawns in garlic and butter until the slightly pink.
2) Brown sliced mushrooms in butter.
3) Start a large pasta pot of water boiling on high heat.
4) In a small saucepan, combine the wine and cream. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn down the heat to medium low. Add the Parmesan cheese. Stir occasionally. Add the capers.
5) When the water in the pasta pot comes to a boil, add Angel Hair pasta, stir until the pasta is completely submerged under the boiling water. Turn the heat down to medium. Cook only for 3 minutes.
6) Wash and drain the spinach.
7) Test one strand of Angel Hair pasta to taste for doneness. Strain pasta when done.
8) In the saute pan, add pine nuts and toast until slightly brown, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.
9) Add the spinach, cream and wine mixture to the pine nuts. Cook on a medium heat for 2 minutes, until spinach is slightly wilted.
10) Add the Prawns and stir until coated with the sauce. Turn off the heat, and remove from stove.
10) Pour the pasta into a big pasta bowl. Sprinkle the basil on the Angel Hair and toss lightly.
11) Place the pasta into individual pasta bowls.
12) Spoon the Prawns and cream sauce over the pasta and serve.

Serves 4