For dinner tonight we went to How to Cook a Wolf with some friends. It's one of those places with about 5 tables and no reservations that takes 3 hours to get a table even if you are there right when it opens. Even though I find this no reservations thing incredibly irksome I LOVED the food. We had this amazing pea soup that was served cold with some grape tomatoes. I know this will sound weird but it tasted really creamy and almost peanuty... It was amazing. I could eat a big gulp sized serving. We also had some great scallops and some delicious kind of carpaccio. Most of the entrees are pasta - all were good but not as exceptional as the appetizers, soups and salads. The atmosphere gets high marks from me as well, warm and sophisticated without being pretension and the place was bustling, but not so loud that you have to shout to be heard. Anyway, we really liked it and highly recommend it!
http://howtocookawolf.com/
Friday, May 30, 2008
First Dinner Party
Last night we had Joci, Jack and Karsin over for our first dinner party in the new house. Tragically poor Jeff had to work so we missed him, but Jack and Joci really represented the Besecker spirit so thankfully all was not lost and we ended up having a great time! We feasted on a menu courtesy of Rachel Ray (who I find annoying, but I have to admit she makes some pretty dynamite things on her show). This meal was delicious and easy, so I'm including the recipe here. The bean salad was by far my favorite and don't feel tempted to leave out the mint, it tastes fantastic in there!
Check out the dinner party photos and the recipe below:
The Grill in action!
I used my indoor grill for the first time when making this meal and I love it! It's easy to use, easy to clean and cooked everything up in a flash! Here's a link to that too:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku7749773/index.cfm?pkey=celtgrl&ckey=eltgrl
Dinner is served...
Karsin posing with my beautiful bouquet of peonies (my favorite!). Both Joci and Karsin were so thoughtful and brought me a bunch of peonies. To make it even better they brought coordinating colors so I ended up with the gorgeous, giant bouquet you see here. How lucky am I to have great friends and such a pretty bouquet?!
The recipe, as promised:
LEMON-GARLIC-HERB CHICKEN with GRILLED PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED ASPARAGUS and PESTO 3 BEAN SALAD (So GOOD!)
5 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt
1/4 to 1/3 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 lemons, zested
1 teaspoon fennel seed
5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped
3 to 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
A handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 to 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 pound asparagus spears
8 slices prosciutto
1 cup basil leaves, about 20 leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, 5 to 6 stems stripped of their leaves
A handful pine nuts, 3 to 4 tablespoons, lightly toasted and cooled
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed
Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high.
Fill a small skillet with about 1-inch water and bring to a boil.
Grate the garlic onto acutting board and add a couple teaspoons salt, mash into paste with the flat of your knife.
Add salt to boiling water and cook green beans 1 minute then drain and cool under cold running water then reserve.
Reserve 1/5 of the pasted garlic, about 1 clove and add the rest to a shallow dish. To the garlic, add the lemon zest, fennel seed, chopped thyme, rosemary, parsley and about 1/4 to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil and some black pepper. Stir with a fork to combine then add chicken pieces and coat evenly. Grill chicken 12 to 15 minutes until juices run clear.
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil.
Trim asparagus of tough ends. Add salt and the asparagus to the water and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove from the water and place into an ice water bath to cool. Once cooled, pat dry with paper towels, drizzle with a touch of extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Divide the asparagus into 4 piles and roll 2 layered slices of prosciutto around each pile to form bundles. Grill 7 to 8 minutes until prosciutto is crisp and spears are tender.
Place basil and mint leaves in a food processor with the nuts. Add some salt and pepper and turn processor on. Stream in about 1/4 to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil to form a thick pasty sauce. Transfer the sauce to a bowl. Stir in the reserved garlic paste and the grated cheese. Add the cooled green beans and the canned beans to the bowl and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning.
Remove chicken from the grill and squeeze the juice of 1 of the zested lemons down over the meat while still hot.
Serve 1 piece each chicken breast and thigh with an asparagus bundle and some bean salad alongside.
Check out the dinner party photos and the recipe below:
The Grill in action!
I used my indoor grill for the first time when making this meal and I love it! It's easy to use, easy to clean and cooked everything up in a flash! Here's a link to that too:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku7749773/index.cfm?pkey=celtgrl&ckey=eltgrl
Dinner is served...
Karsin posing with my beautiful bouquet of peonies (my favorite!). Both Joci and Karsin were so thoughtful and brought me a bunch of peonies. To make it even better they brought coordinating colors so I ended up with the gorgeous, giant bouquet you see here. How lucky am I to have great friends and such a pretty bouquet?!
The recipe, as promised:
LEMON-GARLIC-HERB CHICKEN with GRILLED PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED ASPARAGUS and PESTO 3 BEAN SALAD (So GOOD!)
5 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt
1/4 to 1/3 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 lemons, zested
1 teaspoon fennel seed
5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped
3 to 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
A handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 to 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 pound asparagus spears
8 slices prosciutto
1 cup basil leaves, about 20 leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, 5 to 6 stems stripped of their leaves
A handful pine nuts, 3 to 4 tablespoons, lightly toasted and cooled
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed
Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high.
Fill a small skillet with about 1-inch water and bring to a boil.
Grate the garlic onto acutting board and add a couple teaspoons salt, mash into paste with the flat of your knife.
Add salt to boiling water and cook green beans 1 minute then drain and cool under cold running water then reserve.
Reserve 1/5 of the pasted garlic, about 1 clove and add the rest to a shallow dish. To the garlic, add the lemon zest, fennel seed, chopped thyme, rosemary, parsley and about 1/4 to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil and some black pepper. Stir with a fork to combine then add chicken pieces and coat evenly. Grill chicken 12 to 15 minutes until juices run clear.
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil.
Trim asparagus of tough ends. Add salt and the asparagus to the water and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove from the water and place into an ice water bath to cool. Once cooled, pat dry with paper towels, drizzle with a touch of extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Divide the asparagus into 4 piles and roll 2 layered slices of prosciutto around each pile to form bundles. Grill 7 to 8 minutes until prosciutto is crisp and spears are tender.
Place basil and mint leaves in a food processor with the nuts. Add some salt and pepper and turn processor on. Stream in about 1/4 to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil to form a thick pasty sauce. Transfer the sauce to a bowl. Stir in the reserved garlic paste and the grated cheese. Add the cooled green beans and the canned beans to the bowl and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning.
Remove chicken from the grill and squeeze the juice of 1 of the zested lemons down over the meat while still hot.
Serve 1 piece each chicken breast and thigh with an asparagus bundle and some bean salad alongside.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
My Muddy Buddy
Last night Charlie went to the M's game, so after dinner Sammy and I went to the dog park. Sammy LOVES the dog park and no matter how dry it is outside she manages to get filthy dirty while we're there... so while I love that Sammy gets completely tuckered out at the park,I don't always love the aftermath and you can probably see why. This was taken after Sammy went swimming and then rolled joyfully in the dirt and then ran to the nearest hole and began madly trying to bury her tennis ball. Fortunately she had the energy to find it again and here she is with the muddy ball in her mouth and the paws to show that she worked hard for it! Once we got home she immediately ran upstairs to rest on our bed! Yikes, it's a good thing we love her so much!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
So many roses, so few vases!
One of the cool things about the new house is that we have a huge rose garden! I have been busy searching the internet for advice on how to take care of the roses (so far this has been MUCH easier than actually getting out there and mulching and pruning and watering, etc.) but I have been able to successfully put together some very pretty and very fragrant little bouquets. So, for a limited time, if you stop by to visit the Malleys you have your choice of rose bouquets, so far the orange variety is my favorite by far!
Monday, May 26, 2008
We love Sammy!
For those of you that talk to Charlie and me on even a somewhat regular basis you know that we LOVE Sammy. She is our pride and joy and not a day (hardly an hour) goes by that Charlie and I don't laugh at something that Sammy does or have to kiss her little nose because she is so cute and lovable. Here are some pics of Sammy at her best (one is her first birthday and the other is Sammy in watchdog mode).
London for Valentine's Day? Brilliant!
Actually we were in Scotland for Valentine's, but I really wanted to use brilliant in a sentence... Anyway, Charlie and I spent our first anniversary and Valentine's Day in London and Scotland. We are VERY fortunate to have two dear friends (Roberta and Matt) who graciously allowed us to stay with them while in London and then Charlie and I ventured on to Scotland for a quiet Valentine's Day in Edinburgh. We had so much fun and it was a great way to cap off a happy first year of marriage. Here's an assortment of our vacation pics!
You better Belize it!
It's been 6 long months since we left beautiful Belize, but FINALLY I am sharing pictures of our fabulous trip! We were at the Turtle Inn and Blancaneaux in Belize for 2 blissful weeks over Thanksgiving. I hope all of you get to go someday because it was fabulous!
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