Spiced Lamb Kebabs with Cucumber Salad

Since neither B nor I are big Easter celebrators, we didn't do anything on Easter Sunday.  But we decided we couldn't be denied some of the tasty lamb that many of our friends and family would be partaking in that day.  This little recipe was a perfect solution.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound boneless leg of lamb, trimmed

Combine yogurt, cumin, paprika, and garlic in a bowl. Cut lamb into 24 (1-inch) cubes; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Combine lamb and 1/2 cup yogurt mixture in a zip-top plastic bag (refrigerate the remaining yogurt mixture); seal and marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour. Remove lamb, and discard marinade. Thread 3 lamb pieces onto each of 8 (10-inch) skewers. Heat the grill to medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Arrange 4 skewers on the grill; cook for 4 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning frequently. Remove from the pan. Repeat with remaining skewers. Serve with remaining yogurt mixture.

 Prepped lamb kebabs, awaiting the grill

Getting grilled

We served our grilled lamb kebabs with a cucumber salad, made with cucumber, scallions and feta.  The proportions are discretionary, although I suggest a ratio of two cucumbers to one scallion to one ounce of feta.

Dress the mix with this lemon vinaigrette recipe.

Ingredients

The juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Pinch of salt
Fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup Olive oil

Place first four ingredients in a bowl.  As you whisk these ingredients together, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.  Whisk until emulsified. Dress the salad.

Blog buster

You've heard the expression "Vegas or Bust!", well, Vegas posts seem to be busting my ability to blog.  I don't know what the blockage is, it was a great trip, but I can't seem to discipline myself to sit down and write both posts for Days 3 and 4.  In the interest of the 6 other recipe posts I have in the queue and a Boston/New Hampshire post that needs writing, I'm going to button up Vegas with this one final post and just hit the highlights.  And those higlights would be...food of course.  Two meals to be exact.

The first tasty delight was Todd English's Olives.  B and I had ventured here during our last trip, but arrived during the time between lunch and dinner when the Mediterranean inspired spot serves only a limited menu.  We had a great lunch on that occassion, but were eager see what the full menu had to offer.  We were not disappointed!

The four of us sat down to a lunch that began with three different types of olive tapenade, flat bread and focaccia.  Since my father is and will always be a bread man (to the point of embarrassing me as a child with his incessant requests for more and more and more bread), he was happy from the start.  B and I decided to split an appetizer and ordered the Carpaccio.  This wasn't your average plate of raw meat.  Topping the perfectly pounded beef was shaved parmesan, sweet balsamic, roasted Cipollini onions, scallion cream and arugula.  It was MASSIVE! And absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious.  The next time I go, this will be my entree, there will be no need for other food. 

But since we didn't know just how enormous and amazing the Carpaccio would be going in, we had each ordered an entree.  B chose sea scallops, seared to a perfect golden color while still moist and meaty inside.  In addition to two GIANT scallops, the plate also included whipped potatoes and a cold "slaw" made with jicama and cilantro.  Sadly, food allergies on this dish kept me at bay, but B assures me it was delicious.  My dad chose the free-range chicken, roasted in a brick oven and served with potato cake, green beans and a madiera reduction.  While he tends to stay with "safer" foods when we go out, I'll give him this, he always seems to choose well. The chicken was juicy and the reduction was boldly flavored.  My mom selected a grilled flank steak served with tempura onions rings.  Flank steak isn't my favorite, it's long fibers make it tough sometimes.  But again, we were eating in a restaurant worthy of praise.  The flank steak was tender and the onion rings were fabulous.  Light and flaky but still quite rich.  Lastly, I chose a house stand-by, the ricotta ravioli with sweet italian sausage and tomato basil sauce.  I try to stay away from the "safe" options and push myself to try new things. But I'd watched this dish go by several times and it looked too good not to try.  It was great.  In the end, I found myself wishing the sausage had a little more heat (since as a good friend of mine once said, "It's not a meal unless your nose is running when it's over!").  But to be fair to restaurant, it was always billed as sweet and not spicy sausage.  Overall, we were extremely pleased with Olive's and would go back again.

And now on to the culinary highlight of the trip, Strip Steak (which I occassionally get befuddled by and call Skirt Steak, much to the superior cut of meat's shagrin I'm sure).  We made a reservation her for our last night in town, a nice way to close out the trip and an opportunity for B and I to treat my parents to a nice meal.  Every meal at Strip Steak in the Mandalay Bay begins with a trio of thin cut fries compliments of the house, each one fried up sinfully in duck fat.  This makes them crispier and so, so tasty!  They are served with three dipping sauces, each doctored up to put a little umph in what would otherwise be traditional ketchup, mayo and mustard based sauces.  Personally, I'm partial to the Old Bay seasoned sauce.  It tastes like summer in the mid-Atlantic, where the best food to be found is Maryland blue crab, steamed and steeped in Old Bay.  Mmmm. 

While munching on our fries, we selected our meals.  B chose an American Kobe Rib-Eye while both my parents and I chose Filet Mignon.  While I know that Filet, as steak cuts go, is the most tender it's often also the least flavorful.  Unfortunately for me though, it's the only steak that comes in a size that is even reasonable for me to consider eating.  At 10 ounces, I still didn't finish it. I just can't eat that much steak. 

We also chose a few sides to share among the table.  Our sides included steamed asparagus, truffled mac and cheese and scalloped potatoes.  The first and last in that list seem like old stand bys, but SS added their own touches to even these sides that made them as memorable as the meat.  The asparagus was steamed perfectly and coated in a horseradish buerre blanc that both made the otherwise healthy side a touch more decadent as well as added a nice kick to an otherwise tame vegetable flavor.  The scallop potatoes - where to begin.  I should probably state that I have a love affair with potatoes. I am drawn to them like a moth to a flame.  Bad for my waist line but still irresistable.  I love them as a perfect food. I even like them raw (insert your gagging noises here).  My obvious subjectivity aside, this scalloped potato recipe, layered with sweet onions and queso fresco was phenomenal.  I could have forgotten my expertly prepared and wonderfully delicious steak and ran away with the potatoes.  It's Vegas, I'm sure someone would have married us if I'd asked. And how could I forget the truffled mac and cheese?  Fabulous.  But you knew it would be just from the name.  Wrap all of this up with cocktails to begin the meal (a Plymouth gin Martini for B and a glass of Champagne for me), and a bottle of Joseph Phelps 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and you have a meal to remember.

Rub and grub

We started our day with a trip to the Spa for an 80 minute deep tissue massage for me and a 50 minute deep tissue massage and gentleman's facial for B.  Hello, relaxation, nice to see you old friend.  It was bliss.  And for the fifth time in recent memory, I had a masseuse tell me that whatever my job is, she was glad she didn't have to do it.  Gotta love so much tension in your shoulders that you are pitied by the person massaging you.

By the time we finished at the Spa it was nearly lunch time. Since we had a fairly extravagant dinner planned, we decided to let my Dad pick something "light."  I'm still laughing at how this panned out. He has been RAVING for years about this "little place in the Mirage that has the BEST tiramisu."  Turns out that "little place" was...wait for it...California Pizza Kitchen.  Seriously?!? Apparently  he had no idea this was a chain (and I'd argue not a very good one!) and that he could get that "excellent tiramisu" right down the street from his own home.  At this point we were already locked and loaded for a what was a pretty C+ lunch, but my Dad was happy so we went with it. And in fairness, a Caesar salad is a Caesar salad for the most part.

After lunch we spent another good chunk of time in the Sports Book betting in the dogs and horses.  We took a short go at craps again, only to be put back in our place (and in about 10 minutes).  So finally we settled at a roulette table to play for a while before dinner.  The short version of events? We didn't win and we didn't lose.  We were able to play with just a small amount of cash for about an hour and a half.  In the end, we walked away from the table more or less even.

We headed back to the room for quick power nap in advance of our 7PM reservation at Aureole and then our 930PM show at the MGM.  Since we were still on East Coast time, we knew we'd need a little mid-day rest to make it to midnight (3AM in our bodies).

After our short naps and a few minutes getting ready we all met back in the lobby for dinner at Aureole. This was our second trip to the Charlie Palmer restaurant in the Mandalay Bay and this trip proved even better than the last. We were given a lovely table in the middle of the restaurant with a great view of the multi-story wine cellar for which the restaurant is known.  Actually, I think it's known for the method of wine retrieval, performed by staff known as "wine angels" strapped into harnesses ascending and descending the many stories of wine.  The collection is so tremendous, in fact, that they don't bother to print a wine list and instead bring you an e-tablet to make your wine selections. 

Deciding on wine meant deciding on dinner first.  For our first course, B chose an American Wagyu Beef Carpaccio served with confit tomato crostini and grilled spring onions.  I chose the Rosso Bruno Tomato and Artisanal Burrata Salad. Burrata is like a smoother, creamier version of Bufala Mozzarella and is one of my favorites.  Both my Mom and Dad passed on the first course but joined us in ordering incredible mains.  For dinner, B chose a Seared Ahi Tuna loin served with a potato gratin and a Muscat Grape Verjus (translation: tasty, tart grape explosions!).  The grapes provided the most amazing contradiction of flavor with the tuna but somehow it was perfect. I never would have put those two ingredients together on a plate, especially with all the pepper in the crust on the tuna, but wow.  B's dish stole the show. 

My mom and I had close runners up. My mom ordered a grilled NY Strip served over ratatouille with rosemary garlic pesto.  Served medium rare, it was perfectly prepared with a salty crust on the outside.  I chose pan roasted salmon served over a Dungeness crab and corn risotto.  It was awesome!!  And as much as I tease him about his chicken-consuming ways, even my dad, who ordered the lemon roasted chicken breast, had an excellent meal.  Between all of our fabulous food and a well chosen Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, we had a wonderful meal. I would happily go back to Aureole for a third or fourth or fifth time. 

After our extravagant meal we parted ways with my parents for our show at the MGM.  As a part of our Vegas.com package we had scored free tickets to KA, the primal Cirque du Soleil show.  I've seen a few Cirque shows in the past, all of which have been enjoyable.  But this show stood out even among the best Cirque shows.  It was visually stunning in a way that cannot be described adequately. You just have to see it.  I can't imagine the money that went into building the "stage" that flipped, turned and eventually became completely vertical all while the performers moved with it as part of the scenery.  What a tremendous way to cap off a great day of vacation!

Viva vacation or flying off to Vegas

Let me start by saying this - there are no pictures. While I had my camera in my bag the whole time, I never once thought to bring it out. I was too busy having fun and enjoying the sweet, stress-free vacation personalities that both Ben and I don the moment we leave the metro DC area.  That's not to say that we're not nice, fun-loving people at home. But we seem better able to shed the stress when we're out of town.  This trip was no exception.  But it always takes a few hours to kick in...

My ire was up on the plane when I realized I was seated next to a passenger that had no sense of personal space and was a charicature of a tourist, snapping shots out the window while leaning into my middle seat to get the right angle.  Alas, I made it off the plane without making him eat his camera, which, while still in DC-impatient mode was an achievement unto itself.

We made it to the hotel, this time The Mirage, just minutes behind my parents who had flown in from Detroit, checked in with out incident and found our lovely, recently renovated room.  By now it was 1130AM PST, lunch time by any standard.  But we'd been up since 530 EST and hadn't eaten anything in many, many hours.  We wasted no time meeting up with my parents and making our way over to Mesa Grill in Caesar's.  This spot has become our regular first stop in Vegas.  The food is always great and, at lunch at least, the value is good, even by Vegas standards. 

Ben had made his drink decision before we even entered Caesar's - a prickly pear margarita.  He wasn't disappointed when it was delivered.  Aside from being pink and a little frilly, the taste was just as he remembered.  Tart, yet sweet, strong but well balanced.  I was thrilled to find they had one of my favorite wines on the menu, a Sleepy Hollow Pinot Noir.  So with our drinks in hand we settled in to decide on lunch. I should probably mention here that my parents, my father in particular, are not the most adventurous eaters.  But I have to give them credit, they hung in with every restaurant choice we made and I hope genuinely enjoyed themselves (if not, they are way better actors than I realized!).

Ben and I decided to split a first course - Tiger Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Corn Tamale with Corn Cilantro sauce.  Amazing! The masa was flavorful and delicious without being dry and the sauce was the best mix of cilantro with all the sweetness of the corn.  My mom started with the Gala Apple Salad, made with baby spinach, Maytag blue cheese, toasted pecans and orange vinaigrette dressing. While it was a Ntina-free salad thanks to the pecans, Ben tasted it and they both assure me it was a delicious blend of flavors. 

After thoroughly enjoying our appetizers, our mains arrived.  Three of four of us went with a tried and tested favorite - the Mesa Burger.  A fresh beef patty, grilled to order with sweet Vidalia onions, double Cheddar and horseradish mustard.  It's nothing fancy, but somehow Bobby Flay has harnessed all the possible tastiness of a burger in this one, perfect plate of meat.  My Mom and Dad both loved theirs.  This was the second time my Dad had enjoyed this dish which he labeled, "The best burger I've ever had."  Ben and I had decided to share our meals, my burger and his Yucatan Chicken Tacos served with peanut chile smokey BBQ sauce.  Yum! But in the end, I burger-hogged because it was just so good.

After lunch we meandered around the casino deciding what to play before meeting up at the Sports Book (where my Dad can nearly always be located when in Vegas) to head back to our hotel.  We whiled away the afternoon "playing the puppies" and the "ponies" with my Dad in the Sports Book and, for a brief period, riding my Mom's beginner's luck at Craps.  Her beginner's luck, in fact, was the end of any luck we had playing Craps for the duration of the vacation, but for about an hour or so, we rode it to winning.  Add in a little roulette and a LOT of people watching and suddenly it was 8PM PST and we were trying to figure out where to head to dinner.

My Dad had been telling us that he really liked the steakhouse in the Mirage, Kokomo's.  Since chances were good that we'd be making most of the restaurant selections for the vacation, we'd opted to go with his recommendation on that first night.  The rotten part was that we were all too tired from the long day of traveling and the time change to be able to really enjoy our meal and my memory is clouded by a combo of wine and exhaustion.  I can say we enjoyed our meal and that Ben did have some fantastic crab legs (these suckers worked out before making their Deadliest Catch debut, they were seriously meaty!).  All in all, it was a great start to our vacation.  More fun to come!

Garden before and after

When it comes to indoor plants, I have a black thumb. They die. Always. Without exception.  So imagine my surprise to find out that I am MUCH better at keeping plants alive in our garden outside.

When we moved into our house last May, we inherited a mess of a garden.  Observe.

One very overgrown mess plus lots of weeds

And don't forget lots of dirt

My parents came out for Fourth of July last year and my dad and I spent the weekend digging out the mess, laying weed mat, planting and mulching.  The weed roots were so deep in some places that my dad had to employ a pick axe to get them out of the garden plot.  We worked like crazy for three straights days.  The results were worth it! We planted seven Hastas, a dozen Lilly plants, two Azalea bushes, four Hibiscus, and quite a few "Butterfly Mix" annuals.  It was lovely, but a little scant because the first years of many of those plants leave them a little small.

This year the plants are already growing in larger, but still there's a lot of space and I don't want to have to plants lots of annuals every year. My plan is each year to add a few more perennials to the plot to reduce the amount of annual planting that will need to be done in the future.  While the hibiscus we planted last year are technically perennials, I was informed by one of the plant nursery staff, only after I'd planted them, that Hibiscus often don't survive the winter this far north, it gets too cold for them.  Sadly, this turned out to be the case for ours. That meant this year I had to add some additional perennials to the planting plan.  Here are the results!

All my pretty plants under our flowering tree

The green shoots are the Hastas coming in - they're surrounded by 

pink and white Snapdragons and multicolored Impatiens.

More Snapdragons in front of my Lilies which are 

growing in twice as big as last year!

A close up of a Snapdragon

The perennial Tickseed I planted in place of the Hibiscus

 

One of the Hastas starting to bloom

One of the blooms on the Azalea bush

A trip to sunny CA or how to gain five pounds in a week

Some weeks back it was decided that my boss and me, accompanied by some of our staff would make a trip out to Orange County.  Since my boss had other commitments at the end of the week that required her in DC, we left Sunday to maximize our time together there.  After her departure, I stayed behind with my team to touch on some other items.

My flight there as well as could be expected. I left on the latest schedule possible, hoping to spend as much time with Dan and Erin as possible.  This should have had me landing at 840PM PST/1140 PM EST.  However, I was delayed in Dallas. But I'm used to this by now. For just this reason I travel fully equipped with several books and at least two movies loaded on my computer at all times.  Waiting out the delay, I found a plug and settled in to watch, "The Switch" with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman.  When I finally hit the ground (or rather bounced off it - not a great landing) in Santa Ana, I snagged my rental car and headed for the hotel. I rolled in at 1130PM PST/230AM EST.  I was tired but in good spirits since I long ago decided getting impatient with travel, something I have zero control over, will only raise my blood pressure unnecessarily.  I think it took me exactly two minutes to fall asleep when I finally hit the bed.

By 515AM PST the next morning my phone was ringing.  Why would anyone call me that early you ask? Because it's 815AM in DC and the work day has started which means so has my day, like it or not.  I just roll with it.  Three phone calls later, a trip to the gym and a shower and I was in the lobby to meet my boss and get our day started circa 7AM.  This was more or less how the whole week went, filtering in some different players as various staff members came and went from DC. It was a solid, productive week.  We accomplished what we came for on several fronts and were able to head home feeling satisfied with our progress.

But the blog-worthy highlights, of course, have nothing to do with work and everything to do with what's available after business hours in sunny CA.

On Tuesday, we were able to leave the office early enough to snag a seat at The Rooftop Lounge.  The concept is explained in the name and while the drinks are overpriced, the small plates they offer are tasty and you canNOT beat the view.  We spent about three hours here, drinking, eating, laughing and watching a glorious sunset.

The view from the entrance to the restaurant/lounge

Becca and Sara enjoying Sangria

Meatballs with Gauva BBQ

Crispy, delicious enchiladas

The glorious Laguna Beach sunset

We wrapped up our evening at Las Brisas, the Mexican-inspired restaurant that relies heavily on seafood. It has a large menu and seems a little unfocused in general.  But my halibut with tomatillo sauce was well prepared and flavorful.

On Wednesday, after a long morning spent driving to San Diego we stopped just outside the Gaslamp Quarter at Neighborhood, an upscale burger joint that I think is best described as a gastropub.  Justin and I enjoyed "The NH Burger", a juicy patty covered in caramelized onions, arugula and Gruyere both with garlic fries (and there was no skimping on the garlic).  Sara opted for the black bean burger with sweet potato fries.  Michael chose tasty shrimp tacos and Brian enjoyed impressive seared albacore tuna sandwich.  Aside from painfully full, everyone was extremely pleased with their delicious meals.  The restaurant was an incredible pick by Justin and one that I would highly recommend to anyone headed to the San Diego area.

The NH burger and garlic fries, being approved of by Sara

The black bean burger, also being complimented by Sara's thumb

We piled back into the car, headed back to Orange County, still extremely full.  And we were still full several hours later when Dawn collected us from the hotel for dinner at Dana Kai, a delicious sushi place we've been to on a previous occasion and wanted to check out again.  The main reason to go to this place, and certainly there are many from which to choose, is the Japanese burrito, a soy paper wrapped collection of tastiness.  Filled with shrimp tempura, crab and avocado, this thing is HUGE but unbelievably delicious.

Half of a Japanese burrito

In addition to the Japanese burrito, which was the best dish of the night, we also enjoyed a variety of other tasty sushi rolls of which I was even good enough to take photos.  The problem is that I can't remember what the rolls are now, so there will be no photos.  

To say the food was good is true, but the company was better.  Highlights of the night included a lurid description of squid dissection as told to me by my coworker Dawn's 12 year old son, Nick, coupled with further chat on why it is acceptable to kill grey toads as they are not indigenous to the area and a discussion on the Mormon Church and Martin Luther King, as described by Dawn's 8 year old son, Jack.  Follow all of this with being shown a recently caught rainbow trout and getting to witness Dawn's near coronary when she thought that fish had just been chillin' in her fridge unrestrained and you have a recipe for a great night. Dawn's kids are hilarious and seriously cool.  Way cooler than I was at that age.

By the time we got back to the hotel you could have rolled each of us inside - we were stuffed and lamenting our choice of two big meals in a single day.  As a result the rest of the week was filled with varying forms of "light food" in order to ensure that we each only gained five pounds during the week rather than the 10 that might have presented themselves should our delicious adventures around Orange County have continued.

Tourism take 2

We were fortunate enough to have a gorgeous day the Sunday Dan and Erin were here.  It was sunny and lovely.  Since one of the things on their to do list was to see the cherry blossoms we decided to brave the crowds and head downtown, me for my second time this season.

The car ride was longer than expected as many roads had been closed down that morning for the Cherry Blossom 10-mile race.  While the roads had reopened a few hours before, there was a still a lot of backed up traffic. Thankfully, I now drive in DC every day and have learned some short cuts to avoid the confusion and mayhem that is Constitution Ave.  45 minutes after departure (for a normally 22 minute ride) we sailed into a parking spot in my work building and were off to the tidal basin.

Just as before it was lovely, maybe a shade lovelier even since more of the blossoms were in full bloom.  But unlike the prior Monday, the area was booming with tourists.  So many that the best pace we could manage was a lazy stroll.  So we committed to it.  Lazy stroll it would be. This kept everyone (and I mostly mean Ben and me since we're the more impatient, certainly) from getting frustrated and allowed everyone to enjoy a beautiful day playing tourist again.

Some highlights from our time downtown (photo credit to Dan - I forgot my camera).

 The Jefferson Memorial from the opposite side of the tidal basin

The sun through the blossoms

Dan and Erin behind the Jefferson Memorial

We finished our touristing, walking the full scope of the tidal basin, back through the Lincoln and down Constitution toward the car.  I was sad heading home knowing that as soon as we arrived I would have to head to airport bound for Orange County, CA for a work trip.  While their are far worse destinations to be sent that sunny Southern California, I would far rather have spent the rest of the afternoon soaking in our wonderful friends.  It was wonderful having you both, come back soon!!

Are you feeling lucky?

Because I am. We are, really.  Ben and I have been gifted with some amazing friends.  We were lucky enough to spend the last weekend in March with Michelle and Gustavo during which time we found out that Dan and Erin, two more fabulous friends, would be making the long drive from Ohio to spend the first weekend in April with us.  I have to credit Nicole since we met all of the aforementioned incredible people through her. What can I say, she has good taste in friends.  But then, I already knew that since she loves me (humble, aren’t I?). 

Dan and Erin arrived mid-morning on Saturday, having departed Toledo around 7 the night before  with a night spent en route in Breezewood, Pennsylvania’s premier truck stop and motel locale. These two were also metro-DC neighbors at one time, but life took them away from here, to their little piece of Ohio real estate. We were sad to see them go, but thrilled to see them come back, even if only for a short visit.

After their arrival and a few minutes spent catching up and giving Dan the grand tour (Erin had been here once before), we wasted no time in deciding where to go for lunch. Just like our weekend with M&G we were all about exploring places they missed from their tenure with us in DC.  Dan’s first request – Moby Dick’s.  Basically, this is quick, cheap Persian. And it’s good.  And, best of all, there is one right here in McLean, just down the road from our house.  Flash forward thirty minutes and Erin and I are enjoying falafel sandwiches while Ben and Dan chose more robust meat dishes, Kabob-E Joojeh and Moby’s Combo II (Kabob-E Joojeh and Kubideh).  Both dishes contain tasty, flavorful chicken, but Dan’s also combined a delicious tasty sausage-like meat (seeing a theme in my posts?).  For about $8 per person, you can’t beat this lunch.  

A washed out picture of a delicious falafel sandwich

Ben's dish of extremely flavorful chicken, rice and roasted tomatoes

Leaving lunch we decided to check out the wine tasting options at the Vienna Vintner (I swear I’m not a shill for this place, we just love it!).  This was a great decision. Most Saturdays they taste five wines, free of charge. This Saturday they were tasting nine!  We found a couple in the tasting collection worth taking home, including a spicy rosé that I actually liked, and a Spanish grenache-syrah.  Add this to the four other bottles we decided on and in a half hour we’d procured half a case of wine.  

After wine tasting we headed back to our place to figure out our next move. Strangely reminiscent of our prior weekend, an hour after we sat down to chat both Erin and Ben decided it was time for a nap.  Dan and I took the opportunity to drive over to Whole Foods to collect our dinner needs in prep for an evening in with the four of us, Nicole and Melissa.  Good friends, good food and good wine.  How can you go wrong?

We had opted to make an easy but delicious dinner of fajitas with various fillings – super seasoned and delicious chicken,  steak and sweet roasted veggies.  Add this to some homemade gaucamole, caramelized onions and Trader Joe's homemade tortillas and you have a recipe for one incredible meal.  

Not long after Dan and I took up positions in the kitchen prepping onions and other veggies for caramelization/roasting, Erin came down from her nap.  A few minutes later Ben joined us and we decided to crack open our first bottle of wine – a white burgundy Ben and I have been holding onto since last year.  This wine, filled with refreshing citrus notes, is a great sipping wine.  

Less than an hour later we were still in the kitchen making dinner, onions snapping in the pan and the grill heating on the deck.  But we’d polished off our first bottle of wine. So we opened the next one, the spicy rosé from the wine tasting that afternoon, just in time for Nicole to join us.  Perfect timing considering her preference for rosé.  It was as good as it had been earlier, maybe a little better in its full glass form.

By the time we sat down to dinner, we were on bottle #3, this time a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir that somewhat surprisingly stood up to the spice and heat of our meal.  By the time we got up from the table, a full hour and half later, three bottles in and a colossal amount of food consumed, everyone was whining about how full they were.  It may also have something to do with the fact that Ben and Dan are more than a little funny when put together, so there was a lot of too full laughter. 

Our grand plans to play games for the evening fizzled after one round of Trivial Pursuit since everyone was so full and tired.  But we ended the night the same way we'd spent the day, laughing and grateful for the company of great friends!