Looked like it was a beautiful day for the day trip to Sonoma County! I am envious, but it brought back some fond memories. The building pictured is the old Hop Kiln winery? If I’m remembering correctly? Your adventure sounds delicious as always, @mariacarmen.
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I went to an Indian potluck dinner party last night that was a veritable feast!
Exhausting - but so much fun! Everyone had fun cooking and sharing, though in retrospect we should have been slightly more organized - I didn’t need to make dessert because someone else made two (but had not committed to that in advance), and we were probably had one or two extra mains and were short one or two appetizers. Lesson for next time - we all agreed there should be a next time!
Menu:
Apps:
- (ME) Mini potato-ground turkey kababs / “chops”
Mains:
- (ME) Dad’s Chicken with Potatoes
- Banana Leaf-Wrapped Mustard Sea Bass
- Bengali Dal
- Shrimp Malai (coconut) Curry
- Dum Aloo / Potatoes coated in fenugreek and spice paste
- Bengali mixed vegetables
- Tomato chutney
- Rice
Dessert:
- (ME) Rasmalai “Tres Leches” Cake - ricotta cake soaked in saffron & cardamom flavored milk
- Bhapa Doi / Baked Caramelized Yogurt (like a rich crustless cheesecake)
- Sweet Boondi / Chickpea flour pearls fried in ghee and soaked in cardamom syrup
.
.
Day before I ordered takeout in solidarity with a far-away birthday non-celebration (thanks again, pandemic) - birthday girl was having sushi for dinner, so I ordered sushi for lunch and we ate "together over the phone.
I also baked a birthday cake as part of the long-distance “celebration” - Indian-ish mawa (ricotta) cake flavored with cardamom and saffron. One egg yielded two baby bundts. Birthday girl had chocolate ganache cake at her end (which is what I baked for every single family birthday all through the pandemic).
.
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Saturday: Contemporary. 1) Stuffed Focaccia. (2) Anchovies with Italian Made Goat Cheese. (3) a lovely dessert to share.
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Throw me the recipe for that chickpea soup, why don’t you.
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For store-bought fresh (but cooked from frozen), Trader Joe’s does a good job.
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I love that you had a remote birthday lunch and dessert with your friend. 
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A coworker gifted me with 2 small jars of Tracklements mustard (British made) earlier this week because she knows I love different mustards. And I had shallots on the brain today. So they were combined for dinner tonight.
A handful of shallots were pre-roasted in the convection oven after being tossed with olive oil and s/p.
Meanwhile, a fat b/s chickie boobie was cut in half lengthwise, seasoned with s/p and seared for several minutes in a combination of hot olive oil and butter and removed. About 1/2 cup of white wine was added to the skillet and reduced a bit, after which I added 1 Tbsp of a spicy Tracklements honey-mustard, and a Tbsp of locally made honey. Whisked it all together to emulsify, and let it go to a soft boil and reduce, then put the chicken and shallots into the skillet, spooned the sauce over, and out the whole shebang into the oven at 350° to finish cooking.
Orzo was cooked with half chicken stock and water, with s/p, dried parsley and savory added at the end after draining the excess liquid.
Green beans were steamed.
Wine was poured. A couple of times.
It was 75°F. in the middle of October in New England. It was a good start to what will be a long weekend for me.
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Whoops - looks like there was a problem with the pics - they showed as not uploaded, so I did it again, and now a few of them are there multiple times. Sorry folks!
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My sister 
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Even better that you did this celebration with your sister. I have disagreements with my sister on occasion, but I’m ever so glad she’s in my life, as we’re all that’s left of our immediate family.
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We made CI’s crêpes tonight. Creamed spinach with sauteed mushroom and broccoli cheese. Ricotta-berry and chocolate custard for dessert. A champers with fresh-pressed cider and orange and red wines as libations.
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@ChristinaM You make everything I’m craving right after I start thinking about it - wish you were my neighbor so I could just drop by! (First - Turkish pasta, now - crepes… let’s see what’s next!)
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What a great description, yes! We are very different, and we disagree on lots of things, but I absolutely adore her and am so grateful to have her in my life.
And we tease my mom all the time, especially when she’s commenting on our arguments - Mom! you don’t have a sister, so you can’t understand 
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Planning this tomorrow: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016808-sweet-and-spicy-roast-chicken?smid=ck-recipe-android-share
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We enjoyed another outstanding dinner at Cafe Panache in Ramsey, NJ. We enjoyed crispy duck leg confit and duck breast, as well as grilled octopus; lobster bisque with mussels; and crispy panko crusted mahi mahi with forbidden rice and wasabi sake sauce. It all went great with an excellent 2009 cabernet sauvignon.
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L’m kind of ducked out but will fight you to the death for the octopus and mussels. A lovely meal!
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Not sure what this is called, but I know it’s been done. Maybe it’s called “greasy”.
Burger grilled in a flour “street taco” tortilla, a little bit of cheese inside and out.
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I remember this soup from a previous post and have not only bookmarked it but left the photo on my desktop as a reminder. Totally elegant and suave. Thanks for reminding me to DO IT!
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Thanks! No need to fight me to the death. I will gladly share 
The grilled octopus with chipotle aioli and the lobster bisque with mussels were both outstanding.
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Literally the only decent fried rice I’ve ever made (thanks, website), and squid salad, which I can make a good version of no problem.
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