This weekend the readers were at it again in their kitchens... bring on the photos, people!
Syd:
I just pulled the last of my pre-Katrina shrimp from the freezer. Not sure what I'll do with them. Leaning toward pasta, little olive oil & lemon...
Babs:
Hachis parmentier, salad, bread (of course) and a bottle of Bordeaux.
Ann:
last night i roasted chicken legs with cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, lemon, capers and some rosemary from my christmas "tree" (a rosemary bush cut into the shape of a tree) served it with parsley orzo (parsley also courtesy of the windowsill!!) and, like babs, a sick bottle of bordeaux.
Didn't think I'd have enough time to make dinner last night, but ended up having the BF over last-minute. And he asked if we could eat light. So, I stove-top grilled some salmon and served it with (store-bought) mango sauce and a dollop of mango chutney; couscous with toasted pinenuts, currants, golden raisins (and a couple grinds of lemon-pepper spice mix); and seared green beans with almond slivers. Served it up with an inexpensive California Chardonnay. And ended with a fruit salad (which he brought) and topped it with vanilla yogurt and vanilla-almond granola; served with a small glass of Moscato. Total prep time: 20 minutes. (Dinner Music: "Paris Lounge" 2-disc import compilation on Wargram Music.)
Enrique, you must take photos next time!
My boyfriend and I cook most of the time, though it's usually simple and not too fancy. We like to make thin-crust goat cheese pizza with olives, basil and mushrooms from scratch (we make the dough in the breadmaker so it's ready to use when we come home from work, then we simmer fresh tomato sauce for at least an hour). Somewhat quicker are spicy turkey tacos and bean tacos in soft tortillas with homemade mango salsa and homemade guacamole. Scallops with sage and bacon over cous cous is nice, too. When we're more ambitious we make jambalaya and collard greens or Indian curry dishes.
...oh, and homemmade pasta (i.e. with an old-style pasta machine) is always fun, especially for small dinner parties, everyone can join in. Since you asked for pictures (that's me on the far right in my the homemade apron that keeps my party dresses clean):
http://www.mikhaela.net/pastaparty/pastaparty-Images/5.jpg
I threw a bachelorette party for my sister and prepared a TON of food. Check out the whole set in Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambernussbaum/sets/1564846/
We had a friend in town this weekend and were out and about most of the time, but on Sunday night, I made a Berkshire pork roast, rubbed with marjoram, brown mustard seeds and country-style dijon. I also made a gratin of potatoes and granny smith apples to go with it, and sugar snap peas just cooked until crisp-tender. Photo here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenblossom/73188992/
My roommate and I had a small holiday party this weekend, and I went nuts thinking, shopping, planning, and cooking. I tried to avoid anything that would involve tending or heating during the party. The highlights: muhamarra (roasted red pepper-pomegranate molasses-walnut dip), a Patricia Wells-inspired tuna/olive/caper dip, cranberry cake served with whipped cream, sliced kielbasa from my favorite Ukrainian store in the East Village with their awesome spicy-sweet mustard, and the surprise hit, prunes stuffed with almond and pecorino, wrapped with prosciutto. I knew it tasted good, but I was surprised how many people were willing to try it, and then how quickly they went. I thought the word prune would be a turn-off, but apparently, as one guest put it, prune-love is everyone's dirty little secret.