Our friends came over today for a dinner and a walk along the aqueduct. The walk was very pleasant -- or rather, it would have been, had it not been in very strong winds.Now, the winds defeated the high temperature, but I felt bad for our friends pushing a baby carriage, which blew from side to side in the wind, terrifying both us and the baby's mother. But dad didn't seem to care, so we tended to the dogs, who are currently sacked out after a nearly four-and-a-half mile walk.
We had a nice steak and Spungen brought over some really great dishes to have with it. Melon, artichoke heart, and chorizo salad was a great combination. I particularly liked the blanched green beans with roasted pinenuts. And the sweet potato salad with ricotta cheese earns huge props. Good job Spungen!
Mr. Spungen made Pimm's #1 Cups for all of us, and to my great surprise, The Wife had two of them. I'd never had a Pimm's Cup before, and I find I really liked them. The cucumber adds a nice flavor and it's not too alcoholic. You could sip these maroon cocktails all afternoon without losing your edge. Guava coladas also turn out to be the answer to the riddle of "who the hell drinks guava nectar?"
So it was a great afternoon with gourmet food, physical exercise, tired dogs, and good friends. One couldn't ask for much more than that on a holiday. In fact, one could ask for less -- less wind.
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4 comments:
I don't see why it had to be chorizo, except it was a Spanish recipe. I think I should try it with a spicy German sausage, something that's firm and already cooked.
I think the Moosewood sweet potato salad is an example of something that sounds good and looks good, and is healthy and tastes OK, but is ultimately not all that satisfying. I use it for potlucks when health and variety are priorities. But it just doesn't hit the spot the way real potato salad does. No one ever wants the recipe or craves more, including me. I think the beer potato salad would have been better. Feel free to disagree though. :)
terrifying both us and the baby's mother.
OK, dude, that unnecessarily makes me look like a panty-piddler. Although I admit I was not happy when he let it strain the leash to show how the hood could act as a sail.
Oh, and re the beans, I don't see why the heck I couldn't have just dumped them into the pan to cook with the onions and garlic instead of boiling them, then pan-frying them. Seemed like an unnecessary production, didn't it? And why couldn't I have toasted the pinenuts along with the onions and garlic, rather than separately, since they took about the same amount of time to cook?
P.S. The banana bread is great, I'm having some right now.
Actually, I think the bean dish probably does need to be made that way, so the ingredients don't blend their flavors as much and the texture of the food comes out right.
As for the wind, that really scared The Wife and me, too and I think it was eminently reasonable to be a little nervous on behalf of Baby Spungen, helpless in his stroller, in the face of those strong gusts of wind. Maybe "terrify" was too strong a word, but I think we were right to be at least nervous.
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