Tapas

Hubby and I did the tapas restaurant for our anniversary. We went to our first tapas restaurant 3 years ago in Puerto Rico. In fact, we went to 4 tapas restaurants in PR. We went to Culturas in Lancaster which has been open about 6 months. Being someone who like to order off the specials board--give me something different!--I really like the ideas of trying many different plates of food. We tried the fried avocado with balsamic reduction and wasabi cream. A much better use of avocado was as a dip for the crab and cream cheese packets. Avocado is so luscious that frying proved to be overkill. The same dish would have been delightful as a plantain under all that sauce. But the fillet Mignon kebab with Peruvian corn (bigger, starchier kernels--more like lima beans) was unique and fun. The ceviche was refreshing. Our favorite dish was probably the potatoes stuffed with ground beef, egg, black olives and raisins. We toasted with a bottle of Argentinian Malbec, and topped it all off by splitting a piece of chocolate cake. All said, the meal was reasonably priced. The atmosphere and decor were inviting. I'm not usually one to write restaurant reviews, but being the cook that I am, I don't journey to them often. We will visit Culturas again--maybe with a crowd to try even more dishes. But in the meantime I am thinking of having a killer tapas party (I like to cook!) for a small group of adult friends. We can celebrate the kids going back to school.

Dinner time

Dinner time is my favorite ritual of the day. At our house it is a big deal. We are a family who eats together. We often eat in the dining room. We do use the good dishes and table linens. (My daughter is great at making tablescapes and placecards.) We burn through candles like crazy. At least once a week, we clear the table and play games immediately after eating. It is a very rare occasion that we eat out. Why do we need to? We have different zones in our house that we have designated as different restaurants.

Depending on the mood we are trying to achieve or what's on the menu, we eat in different rooms. Often the kids get to choose. For instance--the kitchen table is pub food, comfort food. We call that The Blue Bottle. The dining room is higher end with French and Italian specialties. That's called Chez Julianne. (Julianne was my name in French class.) Downstairs around our bar is Jasmine's (named after a pug we once owned). It features dim lighting, jazz music, and great steaks, fondue, and tapas. And the outdoor arenas? We have the upper deck which is Giovedi (the Italian word for Thursday). Mark and I used to put the kids to bed early on Thursdays and have date night on our deck on balmy evenings after his golf league. This is the place for awesome grilled seafood with a glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or Pittsburgh Steak salads. (For the uninitiated--that's a salad with french fries! MMMM!) Our lower patio, comfortable seating around the chimnea, is The Whale and The Mermaid. This is named for the kids, Jonah (the whale) and Maren (the mermaid). We write the menu on our huge chalkboard. Everyone helps to set the stage.

I like to cook, and our kids are great about trying almost anything and finishing most of what's on their plates. I start the process weeks in advance; making up a menu and writing it on our wipe-off board along with appointments, doings, etc. On nights when we have things going on, I try to make a meal that can be made ahead and either reheated or served from the crock pot. I am meticulous about using what is on special or in season, varying the menus, and using leftovers creatively. I never have to think about what to serve; I can concentrate on cooking--which I love. It is probably the most zen thing that I do--even above painting and writing. Last night we had roast rosemary and garlic chicken with buttermilk mashed potatoes. The night before was lamb chops in fig compote with thyme tamales. Both were dining room dinners. But tonight will be turkey burger sliders on waffle fries, so that will be in the Blue Bottle.

Looking ahead, our spring schedule has the potential to be quite hairy. Both kids look to be starting new time-intensive activities. My husband is starting a new job that is a greater commute than his present employment. But we have great conversations around our table. Everyone is relaxed. So we will try to continue the tradition as best and as often as we can--making a big ta-do when we have our first alfresco dinner of the spring. Dinnertime with my family--it is something that feeds more than just our bodies.

Thanksgiving 2007

The day seemed to go off without a hitch. We hosted both side of our family--a total of 18 people. Only my brother Jed and his family were missing. I did not set off the smoke detector. Not sure whether it was due to my new roasting pan, the smaller size of the turkey or the fact that it was warm enough to keep window open. My two favorite recipes of the day were the following: Blobby Flay's Smoked Chile Scalloped Sweet Potatoes. Simple--only 4 ingredients. If you double this, don't double the sauce--just the potatoes. And use sweet potatoes--not yams. This was my other favorite new recipe of the day. Giada De Laurentiis's Rosemary Cheese Breadsticks. Nobody will know you cheated and used Pillsbury. Both are simple. Both go well with the classic dishes. The rest of the menu--for posterity:

Prep Party the night before: Hot spinach dip with Pumpernickel bread; beef stew; Autumn salad (lettuce, carrots, corn, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, apple chips, in a pumpkin vinaigrette); spiced wafer cookies with pumpkin dip

Appetizers: Williamsburg peanuts, Assorted Olives, Brie with Jalapeno Jelly on crackers, Cranberry cocktails

Main menu: Roast Turkey with Italian Apple stuffing and Riesling gravy; Smashed potatoes; Scalloped sweet potatoes; Creamed corn; Green bean casserole with goat cheese, red peppers and sauteed onions; breadsticks; Pedronocelli Mother Clone Zinfandel

Dessert: Pumpkin Layer cake with spiced Cream cheese icing; Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake with Hazelnut brittle garnish

I guess it is obvious that I love food. And I am thankful for this day which allows me to play chef and invent different combinations. We also had a nice looking table. it was supposed to be an all white and cream table, but I changed it last minute to be white with red accents. On Monday, it snowed at our house. It was the first time that it ever snowed while we still had red leaves on the trees. Everyone in our neighborhood has a maple tree that turns red, so the red and white together were stunning. I threw some of the red leaves across my white table runner and used red napkins against our white dishes. It is very unusual for us to have red leaves this late in the season. Very festive!