I found some pepperoni slices at the Dollar Tree – so I made a pizza. Considering the pepperoni was only $1.25, they weren’t half bad.
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We enjoyed another excellent dinner at The Farmer’s Daughter in Newton, NJ, including lamb chops with honey garlic drizzle and mustard seed caviar; surf n turf burger with butter poached lobster and wagyu beef; creamy pesto garganelli with stracciatella cheese; chips and caviar; excellent fried oysters with citrus aioli. It all went great with an excellent cabernet and red blend.
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I don’t, unfortunately.
I don’t have Polpo either, but found the duck ragu recipe here:
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Dayum!!
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That looks perfect 
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We went to a friend’s casual birthday dinner party last night. We brought crudite with homemade dips of yogurt Parmesan-peppercorn ranch and hummus, and TJ’s yogurt spinach-kale dip. Another friend brought smoked trout dip she makes with TJ’s smoked trout, plus Triscuits. Our hosts laid out a cheese plate and TJ’s corn salsa with their big corn dippers. The main was grilled Santa Fe chicken thighs, a Southwest quinoa salad with black beans and peppers, mac and cheese, and roasted butternut squash. I provided the birthday cake (his pick) - @LulusMom1’s chocolate whiskey cake covered in ganache, with some ice cream on the side.
Didn’t manage any other food pics, so you’ll have to take my word that it was a delicious and fun time. 
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Perfect cook on that steak 
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We braved inclement weather (freezing rain, snow, sleet) to attend a wonderful dinner party at our friends’ house, where it was nice to catch up with lots of friends, and meet some new peeps as well. Our hostess of the mostest had prepared a Moroccan feast this time: bulgur, a chickpea dish I didn’t try (natch! ),
roasted vegetables,
a fantastic chicken stew with (homemade) preserved lemon & olives
(probably my favorite dish last night),
a wonderful beets salad with cilantro,
a delicious spinach salad with almonds, artichokes, and apples that didn’t just work bc of its alliterative ingredients ;-),
an arugula salad with roasted carrots,
and lovely sheesh kebab with lavash, harissa, and yogurt sauce.
Everything was so good I went for seconds.
Too busy blabbing with folks and forgot to take pics of the dessert table that was buckling beneath all the goodies: a Basque cheesecake, another more classic NY-style cheesecake, and some Indian sweets our host had brought back from Bangalore that nobody particularly cared about.
I guess the majority of it was milk-based, and it was all rather sweet — although not sweet enough for our host’s grad school buddy, who would’ve preferred gulab jamun. Can’t please them all! 
We were some of the last folks to leave, so we helped clear the tables, etc.
So nice to see everyone, and we already made plans with the hosts to meet up in Italy again this summer, exact locash TBD 
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Some of them look like kaju katli which are real great if you can get them fresh (we always ask for a “direct” delivery from India by friends/relatives)
I have no frame of reference for them, and I think it’s been at least a few weeks since our hosts returned from their travels, but foods being fresh generally is a good thing.
Interesting beets and cilantro…anything else with that combo? I’m curious.
A proper roast chicken Sunday dinner with mashed sour cream potatoes, and peas, carrots, and corn with some s/p and dried marjoram.
There was wine.
And I get to sleep in tomorrow morning. 
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Kaju katli tend to taste stale quite fast (2-3 weeks after purchase) but one of our favorite Indian sweets when fresh
First visit to Parkside in Los Gatos https://www.losgatosparkside.com - typical New American restaurants which covers influences from everywhere. The dishes and cocktails were very well done, really nice, relaxed service and simply a good restaurant to put on our regular list.
Dino kala salad - lacinato kale, beets, bacon, parmesan, pomegranate seeds, polenta croutons, lime vinaigrette
Short rib bites - honey glaze, crispy shallots, sesame seeds, spicy aioli
Brussels sprouts - apple, bacon, chipotle aioli, parmesan
Deviled eggs - bacon, parsley
Horseradish crusted salmon - basil infused potato puree, broccolini, red wine butter sauce
Wild mushroom ravioli - butternut squash, sage, manchego, sherry cream sauce
Steak frites - flank steak, chimichurri, green beans, cherry tomatoes, sliced almonds, fries
Grandma’s bread pudding - pecan praline, caramel gelato
Beignets - filled with chocolate & hazelnut, dulce de leche
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I made Milk Street’s Turkish red lentil soup (adding chickpeas) and serving it up with the recommended fresh mint, chili oil, sumac, lemon juice, and a dab of yogurt. Side of sauteed zucchini ribbons with fresh dill, toasted almonds, and Balsamic reduction. Some TJ’s pumpkin samosas as well.
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Whelp, it’s been a week. Came down with horrid cold (not the flu) last Sat. and basically spent the week in bed. Meals were small - eggs/toast/noodz/soups, etc. My sister had it first, then me, then the BF. We’re all in lingering recovery mode now and eating normal again.
Last night at my sister’s I made Just One Cookbook’s Miso Salmon but with ocean trout instead - a gorgeous, super fatty and delicious piece of fish. Trout marinated in red miso, soy, mirin, sugar, and sake, then then went under the broiler. Also made the suggested ginger rice (rice marinates in water, soy, mirin, and sake for about 20 minutes, then cooks with slivered ginger, and scallions and sesame seeds get sprinkled over after). Trader Joe’s cabbage and carrot slaw on the side, with my favorite sesame dressing. All very tasty but the fish stole the show.
And today i made my first Kkakdugi - all daikon kimchi (a little carrot and scallion, but basically, all radish.) I’d only ever made baechu (cabbage) kimchi before. Used Maangchi’s recipe - super easy. And I realized after i exploded the giant pickle jar with the last batch of baechu that i actually HAD purchased an e-jen - fermenting kimchi container with the little inner vacuum lid - and forgotten about it. No more kimchi bombs!
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oh yum. that’s a beautiful egg.
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