lentil cakes

There's not much to say about this one. Not a bad idea, some issues with the execution, a recipe I would want to tinker with a bunch. Next time I might leave the lentils as a very tasty puree rather than turn that into cakes. Ah well. We didn't go hungry tonight.



Red lentil cakes on a sauce flavoured with chorizo, salad on the side. Plus a cheesy photo of me.

lamb jello

Ever given much thought to gelatin desserts? What animal part was boiled down to get that jiggly goodness?

Last night it was lamb. Tasty tasty lamb.




That's stock. I roasted two shanks in foil, picked the meat off the bones, then tossed the bones and scraps into a small saucepan of water. Let it simmer away. A chilling period in the fridge later (and the removal of the fat) and we've got stock. Delicious, gelatinized stock. Mmm-mmm.

Of course, I didn't serve it that way. Instead I cooked it down more with red wine and some pomegranate balsamic vinegar, tossed the lamb meat in that glaze, and served it atop lentils and alongside salad and asparagus.

I think Conrad enjoyed it.

As a postscript to a grey, dreary, wet day, fog rolled in. This was last night just before bed, though it could have been last November, perhaps. In fact, it was this morning as well. The fog has rolled back in this evening - I cannot see the lake at this time. Is this really spring?

getting our gay on

Maybe a few months' break is a very good thing.

I'm tired. It's gone 11, and I've been up since not long after 6 this morning. Yes, yes, I had a nap this afternoon, but I blame Conrad for his devastatingly effective tactic of spooning around me. Puts me to sleep every single time.

Anyway, a few months' break is what we've had since our last real dinner party. I think. I can't recall anything bigger then three or four of us sitting in the kitchen. Tonight we had six of us, so we were forced to use the dining room and clean the house accordingly.

You know what, though? Sometimes I rock. Oh, I'll give credit to Conrad - he's support and encouragement and he cleans the place well. But seriously folks (all three of you who read this): tonight I did well in the kitchen. Nice to know that I still can. Mayve the break helped.

We got our gay on tonight, setting a table in a rainbow of colours. In the kitchen I had more plates and the like lined up for dishing up the various courses. We started prep last night, and consequently had a fairly easy day of it today.


In fact, with over a half hour to go until the guests were due to arrive we had sufficient time to pose for shots.

All in all, it was an easy evening, and I can brag and say that clean up got completely done a good 45 minutes ago almost.

Up first, some radishes, ricotta salata, olives, tomatoes, and walnuts to munch on out on the balcony. We enjoyed these with some Sokol Blosser Evolution.

Everyone came inside after that, and along with a bottle of a Venturi Schulze Schönburger we had a chilled green pea and mint soup with sour cream.


And then on to the main course. Conrad photographed me plating it. Red wine glazed back ribs with steamed Swiss chard and a chick pea salad. I used a whole bottle of the Payva we drank alongside it - a Spanish Tempranillo - to make the glaze. A little dry, but all in all I was pleased with the ribs, as well as with the sides.




Ah, and then the cake. Can I confess? I SUCK at cake decorating. This represents a good effort for me, and let's be objective: it's not pretty. Also, the cake was dry, but that was mitigated by the frosting and homemade ice cream. Dessert then: Yellow cake with cocoa frosting and raspberry swirl ice cream.


Six of us, as I said. Dan, Bryan, John in the one photo. Jim in the next. Conrad in the last. The temperature was quite ideal for sitting outdoors.



We must owe a lot of people dinner at our place, though next weekend will simply, happily, be CG and Martin. I hope we might sit outdoors again.

Meanwhile, a closing a shot of the tulips I picked up yesterday. So springlike, but somehow the way Conrad captured them here makes them seem so much more a sophisticated flower.

last breakfast with the NBF

Conrad is still in bed - it IS before 7:00 on a Saturday, after all. Heck, if he could, he'd be in bed EVERY morning later than this. But really, it's his own fault for taking up with an irrepressibly (and irritatingly) morning person like me.

His dozing, though, means I can't be too loud out here in the kitchen. I have butter softening to make some cake layers for tonight's dinner, but until he's up, the KitchenAid stays silenced. Time, instead, for me to read the morning news, check Facebook for messages (a new friend this morning - yay!), and continue the catching up with the blog efforts.

Let's go back to last Sunday, then, and our last breakfast with the NBF and Brett. The vote was against anything too fancy (and pricey), and happily a longtime-ago favourite came to mind.

The swim team used to go to Ann Sather all the time when I first came to Chicago (wow, waaaaaay back in 2000). Eventually it became too tough to get a big table, and we shifted to other restaurants. Also, I have to say that the food wasn't good. The point of Ann Sather was the cinnamon rolls that came as a side with every egg dish. They were good, slathered with icing and warm. The rest? Passable at best, disgusting in the case of the side potatoes.

It's the cinnamon rolls that lured us back, and since we were up reasonably early on the Sunday, we headed down there. You know what? It's still busy, but the food has improved nicely. We all enjoyed it, and we have the photos to prove it. And look, I'm all appropriately Swedished up, wearing that t-shirt!

An errant beard hair. Um, ow?


Brett deals with the indignity of being fed some cinnamon roll. No, that is not my finger. Much as I may crush on the man, I, too, have some dignity.



Breakfast. No, I'm not detailing what each item is. Eggs. Egg-related stuff.




Look, other people photograph their food, too!

The wide-eyed look - cute in a chipmunk way.

The woman behind Jeph looks a little angry, no? Also, let's pretend Conrad's eyes are open.

date night: tapas

Wait, if this is a date night, shouldn't I be getting to second base (or beyond) instead of blogging the dinner?

A point to ponder. For now, some dining out photos. I was lazy, and Conrad doesn't cook. Hence, a date night. He had suggested some sushi at Wakamono, but we tend to turn to various Asian cuisines when we want to order in or have a quick dinner all too often. Either that, or we head to Whole Foods. I wasn't in the mood for either. Middle of the afternoon today, though, and inspiration struck me: Spanish.

We. Freakin'. Loved. Spain. Alright, I'll amend that and say we just don't get why people think Seville is so terrific - we didn't care for it at all. But we loved almost everything else about the two weeks we spent in Spain in 2004. Cordoba, Granada, Ronda, Madrid. Side trips to other towns for a day. The food. The food. Ahhhhh, the food. Yep, date night would be a walk down to a restaurant, Arco de Cuchilleros, we haven't popped into in years. Shame on us. We'll be back, I hope.

So then, photos of us, happy to have a night together (and starting out with some manzanilla sherry).
I really like that shirt of mine. Why yes, I am vain, why do you ask?

And the food...

Marinated olives.

A cheese plate.

Sole on sauteed spinach.

Cod with a lot of garlic. Oh so much garlic. This was lovely, truly.


Chicken in a sauce of red pepper and wine.

Artichokes with pancetta (wait, that's Italian).

All of it was good, and to top it all (and the wine), we came home to have some white chocolate chip cookies. So much for me being in good shape for the reunion this summer!

And now, back to my date...