Sunday Soiree #2

Okeydokey. This past Sunday, A, C and S joined me for Sunday dinner.

Menu:

Leek and Parmesan Risotto

Worcestershire Meatballs

Steamed Green Beans and Radishes

Homemade (round) Bread

Concord Grape Juice

Amy brought yummy cinnamon rolls for dessert.

I'll admit, the meal didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. I'd never made risotto before and it wasn't as creamy or whatever as I thought it would/should be. This may have been because, as I realized hours later, I forgot to add the Parmesan cheese. DANGIT. But everybody had nice things to say and there were no leftovers. So I guess I can't really complain.

I'd also never cooked with radishes before. The day before, C and I went to the Farmer's Market, and she persuaded me to buy some. I originally planned on serving them with sugar snap peas, but at almost $5/lb. that wasn't happening. So there you go. I discovered that I don't really like radishes that much.

I was really pleased with the bread--it's my go-to, never fail recipe. And the meatballs turned out pretty well too.

Now for my peeps. A was going to bring her beau, but he had some family obligations instead.

Fair enough- family always trumps. But that's fine, we had some good girl talk, some good Gaga talk and I realized that certain people (A) want to live through me vicariously. Enough to get all sparkly eyed and giddy over probably non-existent possibilities. I had no idea... But we discussed some really important topics, like A doesn't really think Robert Downey, Jr. is all that attractive (shocking, I know) and how that might change our friendship. Just kidding (about the friendship part, not the Robert Downing Jr. part). As for the rest, I don't think I'm allowed to share those topics with the blogosphere. Sorry homies!

Next week: The G Family, K and maybe NT.

Here are the recipes:

The risotto recipe I got from the Better Homes and Garden Cook Book. Here it is:

1 medium onion; 1 clove garlic, minced; 2 tbl olive oil; 2 tbl butter

1 C uncooked arborio rice; 2 14-oz chicken broth

1/2 C finely shredded Parm. cheese; 1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions: In lg. suace pan cook onion and garlic on hot oil and 1tbl of butter until onion is tender (read: translucent). Note: I used about a cup of chopped leek instead of the onion and garlic. Add rice; cook and stir over med. heat until rice begins to brown.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring broth to boiling, reduce heat a simmer. Slowly add broth to the rice mix, stirring CONSTANTLY. Continue to cook and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Add another 1/2 C. Continue to cook and stir until liquid is absorbed. Add in the rest of the broth 1/2 C at a time until all the broth is absorbed. (This should take about 15 minutes). DON'T STOP STIRRING

Stir in the remaining butter, the Parmesan cheese and pepper. Serve.

The meatballs came from allrecipes.com. Except I added about 1-2 tbl Worcestershire sauce.

The green beans were steamed about 7-8 minutes, the radishes about 4. I then tossed them in butter, salt and pepper.

My go-to recipe for bread. Here is the original recipe. But because this can make a really sweet loaf, I only used about 1/4 C of sugar and I only ever use 5 1/2 C flour, kneading in the last cup or so. Using all 6 C results in a heavy, crumbly loaf.

There you go peeps!

Sunday Soirée (#1)

So, this past Sunday, I invited three people over for Sunday dinner. One was my new roommie, P/T, one was my FHE bro, J, and the third was his roommate (my FHE Dad) M. The food was vaguely French themed and I tried out 5 new recipes.

I tried taking pictures, but apparently my camera needs batteries. I promise to hit you up next time.

Menu:

Lemon Tarragon Asparagus

Classic Vichyssoise

Homemade French Bread

Pound cake with Balsamic Vinegar Strawberries and Whipped Cream

For fun, I served Raspberry White Grape Juice in wine glasses. Swanky.

Okay. I'd never cooked (or even heard of) Vichyssoise before. Basically, it's a potato and leek soup, served cold. It was super flavorful, with basil, marjoram and thyme. And although the recipe only called for 1/4 cup cream, I put it 1/2. Creamy. Just another excuse to add yummy calories.

French bread wasn't that hard- except without any fat in it, it was really difficult to knead. Maybe that's why people are intimidated by it-they're afraid it might break their wrists off.

Balsamic Vinegar Strawberries. Unsettling, I know. Especially since the recipe calls for freshly ground pepper. But it was actually really good. It complimented to flavor of the berries- mellowed out the tartness and provided an interestingly earthy background.

So that's the food- now for the people. It was nice to be able to sit down and talk to my new roommate, especially in the context of non-roommates. I had met J before and chatted with him some, so I got to know him better. I'd never met M before, and he was a nice surprise. He's from my home state and seems like a lot of fun. Gets sarcasm. We bonded.

So, new food and new people. Maybe not a rip-roaring good time, but still a good time.

Next week: A., her beau, and S.

(Note: all recipes were from allrecipes.com)

School's Out

I would like to apologize for my long, unexplained absence from the blogosphere. I'm sorry. But to make up for it- I'm starting two series for the summer! Please, contain your excitement.

The first is a summer reading series. I'll read a book, then post my thoughts for discussion. I'll also announce the next book I'll be reading. The second is more cooking themed. Every week, I'll invite some friends over for Sunday dinner. I'll try to invite different friends and try different recipes. Then I'll post pictures and links to recipes/the recipes themselves and stuff.

These two projects have lots of purposes. First, they will force me to blog more consistently. Second, they will force me to read more AND come up with something to say about what I read. Third, I'll have to be social and network. Last, I'll try new recipes and stretch as a cook. Sounds like a plan, right?

So here we go, and stay tuned.