I’ve been busy since I got back, so haven’t had time to review my vacation for y’all. I’m sure you are on tenterhooks, so here goes.
I started in Sacramento at my sister’s. Laura and her friends have a rotating dinner club where each couple makes dinner for the others on the first Saturday of each month. It’s a great idea, and Laura apparently makes the most of the opportunity everytime her turn comes round. Her past themes have been classic French feast and Greek home cooking, while her friends have gone with Make-Your-own Pizza night and Classic American BBQ (for July 4th, natch). Chuck’s garden and the bountiful Sacramento farmers markets are in almost-full glory, so she chose a “home farm” theme.
The menu:
Cheese plate w figs and black olive tapenade
Chuck’s stuffed zucchini blossoms (from his garden!)
Rachel’s fried green tomatoes
Grilled Flank Steak w Watermelon-chili relish
Zucchini fettucine
Israeli couscous and quinoa “risotto” w roasted vegetables
Peach blueberry & amaretti crisp.
The zucchini blossoms were, of course, a massive hit, as was the flank steak. We probably made way too much of the watermelon relish, but it was great w the steak anyway. A friend of Laura’s brought some really delicious French wines that were a great complement to the spicy steak and the full-flavored accompaniments. I had a ball sous chef-ing for Laura and even if the food had been wack, it was still worth the effort. A very pleasant evening.
Next: Our intrepid heroine heads north to the wilds of Southern Oregon…and finds roasted quail bliss!
I started in Sacramento at my sister’s. Laura and her friends have a rotating dinner club where each couple makes dinner for the others on the first Saturday of each month. It’s a great idea, and Laura apparently makes the most of the opportunity everytime her turn comes round. Her past themes have been classic French feast and Greek home cooking, while her friends have gone with Make-Your-own Pizza night and Classic American BBQ (for July 4th, natch). Chuck’s garden and the bountiful Sacramento farmers markets are in almost-full glory, so she chose a “home farm” theme.
The menu:
Cheese plate w figs and black olive tapenade
Chuck’s stuffed zucchini blossoms (from his garden!)
Rachel’s fried green tomatoes
Grilled Flank Steak w Watermelon-chili relish
Zucchini fettucine
Israeli couscous and quinoa “risotto” w roasted vegetables
Peach blueberry & amaretti crisp.
The zucchini blossoms were, of course, a massive hit, as was the flank steak. We probably made way too much of the watermelon relish, but it was great w the steak anyway. A friend of Laura’s brought some really delicious French wines that were a great complement to the spicy steak and the full-flavored accompaniments. I had a ball sous chef-ing for Laura and even if the food had been wack, it was still worth the effort. A very pleasant evening.
Next: Our intrepid heroine heads north to the wilds of Southern Oregon…and finds roasted quail bliss!
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