Had a wonderful evening with friends last night.  The neighbors, Noel and Mike (roommates, not a couple) came with BA, Mike's aunt, and Rob, Noel's dad.  Also there was the Jakester, Angelo's 16 year old son.  Once drinks were poured, Angelo and guests noshed on fried artichokes and aioli as well as a wide variety of olives.  BA, who was once a caterer, helped me prepare the serving dishes in the kitchen.  The menu consisted of roasted root veggies and brussel sprouts, roasted potatoes, and a tenderloin cooked to perfection and served with horseradish and au jus sauce.  I was going to make a Bearnaise but I just couldn't be bothered, by the time the guests arrived.  Dessert was Zabaglione and fresh berries topped with homemade whipped cream.  All in all a wonderful success as there wasn't a bit of anything left, to include the ginourmous bottle of wine.

But the evening wasn't without some tension.  Halfway through the meal, New Jersey's property taxes were mentioned, which led, eventually, to government and politics....uh oh here we go!  The  conversation turned into a debate with Angelo and Rob on the far right, BA and Noel on the far left, and Mike and me floundering back and forth in the middle.  Of course, when someone made the statement of Obama being Muslim (and I will not name names) it became a free for all.  When Newt Gingrich came into the discussion I had to defend the Right as I have learned quite a bit about the man, and respect his intelligence and knowledge of the workings of politics and government.  Then there was the Middle East where some people took offense that I said they had a sheep mentality.  All in all a lively bit of discussion shared by all!

How no one got indigestion is beyond me, but the more heated the argument, the more the wine flowed (not sure if this was good or bad).  Dessert was served with coffee and loud debating with the lawyer winning most arguments because he was the the most verbose person at the table.  But the rest of us were usually able to get our points across without violence erupting, a major miracle there!  Poor Jake was caught in the middle and I'm sure he would've preferred the conversation to take a completely different turn to sports or something.  However, with the tension that ebbed and flowed throughout the political conversation, we were able to depart as friends.

At least I think we were friends....

Throw Down with Caroline!

So, it happened yet again. After a completely miserable day; physical, boob flattening and scraping of private parts scheduled but only the last two done and only the mamo done after raising holy you know what, blah blah blah, I headed to Dick's house to lay on the sofa and feel very sorry for myself. (I have a wicked cough that the doctor refused to discuss...I need another appointment for that, and my finger where that stupid little cat bit me is still not working correctly, but I need another appointment on top of the other appointment to take care of that!) Dick and I discussed dinner plans and decided that because there were only four of us scheduled to eat he would make his chicken and rice recipe using pork chops instead, so out of the freezer came exactly four chops. Then the phone rang and I was informed by my daughter that another big eater would be attending. No problem, there is left-over meatloaf in the frig, we'll have that too. BUT, I was then informed that I was to make Dick's recipe for dinner, not Dick (and it's his house and his kitchen and he wouldn't budge an inch). So miss pouty-faced Caroline when into the kitchen and threw all Dick's dinner plans out the window and began making plans of my own...but what to have?....It's time to raid the refrigerator and the pantry.

Now I'm feeling very sorry for myself and not very creative. It's 5:15 and I'm perusing cookbooks to no avail when I remember something we used to have as a child...veal Parmesan. That gives me an idea.

Bread crumbs from freezer, add some Italian seasoning, beat two eggs together, put a cup of flour on a plate...dredge pork chop through flour, in egg, in bread crumbs, set aside (repeat for last three chops). Frying pan, 2 TBS olive oil, brown chops about 5 minutes on each side on med-hi heat. Put about 2 cups of chicken stock in a pot and begin to heat.

Slice four pieces of meatloaf the same thickness as the chops. Alternate meats in a 9x13 baking dish. Open a small can of tomato sauce and pour a goodly amount on each cut of meat. Sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese, grated Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake at 375 until ready to serve (about 25 minutes).

Meanwhile, in same pan that was used to fry chops, add a TBS butter to remaining oil. Heat. Add one chopped onion and cook until translucent. Add 2 minced cloves of garlic. Cook one minute. Add 1 pkg (I had to use a can of drained mushrooms) sliced mushrooms, cook until wilted. Add one cup risotto and stir until shiny and a bit translucent. Begin adding heated chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time stirring as it becomes absorbed. Do this for about 15 minutes. Add 1/2 cup white wine and stir until absorbed. Add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with salad and meat cuts. It took about 35 minutes and tasted great. But I'm still pissed that I had to cook dinner!!!

Throw it Together Dinners are the Best!

I wish I had taken a picture of it...Paella meets, oh I don't know what. But the dinner was fabulous and everyone in the house raved. A definite "do over" by all votes so I thought I would share it with you.

I thawed 8 skinned chicken thighs and thought...what can I do? Having spent many summers in Spain and truly craving some of that atmosphere right now I went digging through the drawers of the frig. Low and behold, I found a half sleeve of Chorizo, a lovely, spicy, dried sausage that I like to nibble on when the mood calls for a little heat. So I took what was left and cut it into large slices. I roughly chopped 2 small onions and about 10 cloves of garlic. I then measured out 2 cups of chicken stock and 1 cup of short grain (risotto) rice.

Large skillet, a bit of olive oil, medium high heat. First I cooked the chorizo and chicken (4 minutes per side) then removed it to a plate. In the leftover oil (which was now a lovely red from the sausage) I cooked the onion until translucent, added the garlic and cooked another minute. I added the rice and stirred into the oil until all shiney, added the 2 cups of stock, returned meat to the pan, covered it and continued to simmer for another 20 minutes.

In the meantime, I took a red capsium (bell pepper) and roasted it over the gas flame on the stove until completely black. I put it in a paper bag and sweat the skin off, pulled the char from it, stemmed and seeded it and cut it into large pieces. About 5 minutes before the rice was finished, I added about a 1/2 cup frozen peas and the roasted red pepper.

And oh my God it was delicious. Chicken Paella without realizing I was making Paella. Makes me want to have dinner all over again.