orzo

We were out of pasta (crazy right?) so I had to make orzo for a first course. I think it's supposed to be a "soup pasta." Then we had meatballs and spinach.

Balanced meal

Mmmmm rice, zucchini and grilled meat. After grilling the meat, I always let it soak up some olive oil and salt which keeps it tender.

Running low on pasta!

After caprese salad we had pasta. If you look closely, you'll see that it's a mish mash of different kinds: the bottoms of all the boxes so to say.

The Best Lunch Ever!

This Sunday lunch was so fantastic mainly because I didn't have to make it. My husband said he'd make the lunch and he actually did (with the help of an artist friend.) We started with mushroom risotto. Then we had grilled mushrooms, hard boiled eggs, mozzarella, and salad. The combination of flavors was scrumptious!!!

Saturday's Dinner

Pasta with the best parmegan cheese and homemade tomato sauce and zucchini made a lovely Saturday dinner.

Arthur Avenue

This is mushroom risotto as a first course and grilled meat and lettuce as a second.

I sent my husband to the shops on Arthur Avenue today. It's an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx. The food there is authentic and out of this world! Last time I sent him there I said, "I need eggplant." I meant one but he bought a whole big bag. What am I going to do with a whole big bag of eggplants? That's why I give him visual lists now.

Thanksgiving Dinner!

Here is my plate. As I said before, this year's meal was on paper plates but the food was spectacular. Then we topped off the dinner with apple pie and tea!

There is always a great variety of vegetables on Thanksgiving. Of course the Mozzarella and tomato dish was for my husband who cares nothing for turkey and stuffing. My sister in law brought lamb because she's allergic to turkey. Who knew so many people would be opposed to our friend, the turkey. Ben Franklin wanted to make the turkey our national bird instead of the eagle.

I love Thanksgiving. My Mom works so hard every year putting the whole thing together. Unfortunately, this year she put all the good china in storage because she thought she and my father were moving. So the presentation isn't quite as fantastic as usual. Her gravy is the best! My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the mashed potatoes and gravy. It's just soooo good.

Thanksgiving Day Lunch

I made stuffed mushrooms for the Thanksgiving party at my Mom's. On the morning of Thanksgiving, my Italian husband asked me if I would make bruschetta and bring it to the Thanksgiving party. I said, "No way, man! Bruschetta doesn't go with turkey! But I'll tell you what, I'll make you bruschetta for lunch and we'll eat it here before we go." So at 12 noon, we sat down to eat. I ate two small ones and he proceeded to eat the rest. I couldn't believe it. He must really love bruschetta. Oh and by the way, this is how the Northern Italians like them: tomato sauce, mozzarella, olives and artichoke hearts all baked togetrher like a pizza.

Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner

On the night before Thanksgiving, we had yummy chicken soup, stuffed mushrooms and green lettuce. I made a whole bunch of stuffed mushrooms as my contribution for Thanksgiving so we ate some for dinner the night before.

Dinosaur Soup

"Is this dinosaur soup?" My husband asked as he sat down to eat. "No my dear, it is lamb soup again." He was referring to the large bone sticking out of his bowl.

There was a delicious second course of chicken and spinach but the photos came out dark because I thought I might stop using the flash. Silly of me wasn't it? Anyway, I can't say enough good things about the wonders of soup.

I Made Dinner !

Each dinner is a solid achievement! It's a grand performance including timing, showmanship, and skill. I see dinner as a grand finale of each day. It's hard work! Notice the squirrel gathering acorns. It's a full time job! So much goes into a dinner: food shopping, organizing the food in the refrigerator, planning the actual meal, making the meal, preheating the oven, cutting the vegetables, cleaning and spicing the meat, timing the rice or pasta, finding ways to make full use out of the food available.

What you see here is lamb soup. You may have noticed that we had lamb the night before. Well, the left overs made a healthy and delicious soup. For the second course, I was at a loss until I realized that hard boiled eggs in a salad could be the perfect solution to my quandry. You see, I had no meat for a second course and I couldn't really serve just soup for dinner. I try to always have eggs in the refrigerator. So when I'm at a loss, I make eggs. They are rich in protein and have a lot to offer in many ways. I make them no more than once a week because of the cholesterol hazard. I particularly like the way they look in a salad. They are like eyes staring at you.

For dessert, we had oatmeal cookies. They make a great snack during the day too.