Dinner Party

So I hosted a dinner party to thank my two good friends down here for all their help and support in helping me get set up down here in DC. Daphne lent me her awesome apt for a few weeks, where as Mollie has consistently lent me her husband, and I even managed to put his '94 Corsica in a coma for a bit. I'd been planning this dinner party in my head since the second I got the job (and even more so since I knew I would be living in a one bedroom apt!).

For starters we had 3 of the previous mentioned cheeses-- gouda (shout out to our times in Amsterdam), brie and bleu cheese. I also put out a mix of delicious olives I'd gotten at the market, some carrots and celery w/ homemade hummus.

For din, I made a pesto pea salad from Barefoot Contessa, altho I didn't really follow her pesto recipe and I did a mix of basil and mint, as well as a mix of baby spinach and mixed greens. I also made a summer squash dish that to me screams summer. As usual, I start by sauteeing garlic and onion, but then you add yellow squash and slow cook it over low heat for 20-30 minutes. The squash really cooks down and you can start to mash it. I then throw in some diced tomato because I think tomato (especially fresh) makes everything better. Plus summer squash for me can be a tough thing all on its own. I'm kinda weird w/ texture and I don't like things that make my teeth squeak. The primary example of this is mushrooms, but yellow squash have been known to do so as well. Somehow w/ yellow squash, I'm more willing to overlook it and this recipe is nice cuz the squash cooks down so much it doesn't seem to be "squeaky." Then you toss the squash w/ goat cheese and fresh basil. The end result is this amazingly creamy, but summery dish. Delish!

For dessert, I did another Food Network recipe from Semi-Homemade w/ Sandra Lee, Sangria Granita. I think we all know she is a lush, and to be honest my friends and I can be a bit of winos, so I decided to give it a whirl. You take a bottle of white, pour it into a pan, add 3 tbsp orange juice concentrate (I used orange mango), 1 tbsp limeade concentrate, 1 cup nectar (I used a Mango Naked Juice), 3 tbsp honey (I used wayyy less) and 1 tsp vanilla. Then you whisk it all together, throw it in the freezer and mix it every hour or so while it sets. It took abt 6-8 hours for mine to set. I served it with fresh peach on top. Sandra Lee says this makes 4 servings. There were 5 of us, and I still have half a pan of this in my freezer. She is a lush! Mollie brought over some chocolate dipped strawberries, which I thought went very nicely w/ my dessert because both were pretty light and fruity.

We ended the night by playing a riveting round of Apples to Apples. Mollie won, an attestment to her sense of humor. Tom was a close second meaning they truly are a good match! All in all, a great night-- good food, good friends, good times. Andddd, 5 bottles of the wine split between the 3 ladies. Oh yeah...

MJ

I wasn't a huge Michael Jackson fan, but I respect what he did for music and entertainment... and anyone who knows me can attest to my commitment to pop culture, so I DVR'd the MJ Memorial/Tribute and watched it after shopping for my upcoming dinner party. This meant I had numerous kinds of cheese, was hungry, and couldn't resist. Sometimes it is great to be a single 26-yr old living alone. Behold my dinner-- baby carrots, olives (some garlic stuffed), 2 kinds of crackers, bleu cheese, brie cheese, goat cheese, gouda and some red wine!

Independence!

I pretty much laid low on the Fourth of July, enjoying the long weekend and slowly putting together the apt. My two main friends in DC were out of town, so I just kept to myself and enjoyed three days off. Rarely do I crave all-American fare, but the Fourth is always one of those days. I marinated portabella mushrooms in balsamic vinegar and garlic then "grilled" it w/ some onions, topped it with some cheese and sliced tomatoes and served it up on a toasted bun. I also baked up some fries and made corn on the cob. I also enjoyed more than one yuenglings. The fact that I can now go to the store and buy yuengling has not yet gotten old! The portabella was great and I really need to prepare it more often. So easy, so satisfying!

Around dusk, I ventured out onto Penn where I had a straight shot to the Capitol and was able to see a good portion of the fireworks over the Monument. All in all, a relaxing, all-American day!

Ch-ch-changes

So I live in DC now. So far I'm loving every second of it. Sure I miss Boston, I miss my friends, I even miss my job, but DC is doing me right so far. I live in a great neighborhood, in a decent apt (I've had some interesting interactions w/ my landlord, but its a ton more space, not a ton more $$, and the neighbors are friendly), and the new job is good thus far. Its great to be near old friends, and rebuilding those relationships, while also making new friends. I feel pretty lucky.

I do want to get back into this blogging thing as I explore my new city and enjoy my new kitchen... I've made some decent meals in it, and have really been enjoying the extra space, the huge oven and readjusting to a gas stove.

Went to the market today and stocked up on veggies. Even got some yummy olives too. I love being so close to the market...

Yesterday I picked out a sofa that will be arriving later this week. Other than that, I'm in need of a coffee table and then my apt will FINALLY be complete. Hoping to get a bit more settled this weekend, to make room for the new sofa and chair and to be semi-organized in time for my first dinner party next weekend.

Now back to celebrating the nation's birthday in the nation's capital. And back to enjoying my Yuengling :)

Lions and lambs

Well, here we are on 3/31 and lo and behold it IS sunny and around 50. Not quite what I asked for, but close enough. And it's even supposed to stay nice tomorrow. Thursday is when the April showers start. Now I'm just waiting on those May flowers...

But seriously, tomorrow is April. 2009 is already flying by.

Calzones

This week, I got the craving for calzones. I've been enjoying ricotta as of late, and thought this might be a nice way to enjoy it. I picked up some wheat pizza dough and broke it into 4 pieces. I scooped abt a cup of ricotta into a bowl and added some seasoning (oregano, parsley, chili flakes, basil, s&p), a little of my flavored olive oil and some fresh garlic. For filing, I had green pepper, tomatoes and some frozen spinach.

I smoothed the ricotta mixture on the dough, then added the filing and then topped it w/ some fresh mozzerella. I folded the dough over and pressed the edges. I baked the calzones at 400 for about 20 minutes. My dough was a bit thin in the middle, so I def had some leakage. Not sure if I should have put in some breathing holes or if actually using a roller to roll out the dough would have helped. I just pulled and pushed the dough. I have very limited counter space, and no roller, so this combination forces me to generally try and toss dough. Poorly, but toss I try...
Overall, the calzones were good, altho I probably would use less ricotta next time. Also, my filing worked fine, but if you want to do something like broccoli, you'd want to pre-cook it a bit. My pepper def kept its crunch, which is what I'd expected.

Steamed Artichokes

So this is super easy, but delicious and satisfying. You just cut off the top 1/4 of the artichoke and steam for about 20 minutes. I put bay leaf and dried garlic and a squirt of lemon juice into the water, to add a bit of flavor to the artichoke. The artichoke is done when you can easily pull away a leaf. For a dipping sauce I add some vinegar to mayo. This time I used some yummy red wine vinegar my parents brought back from France. Mmmm.
The first couple of leaves, may be a little tough w/ little meat, but as you go, the more tender and meaty.