using up stuff in the cabinets

I wanted to have Stephanie and Laura over for dinner, but my funds were low. So I looked though my cabinets and realized that there sure was a lot of random food in there and all I needed was a few ingredients and I got myself a nice ol' casserole that is sure to feed 4. I had some whole wheat veggie Armoniche ( crinkly cylindrical spiral pasta) that I never used because Demetrius is not a fan of whole wheat pasta, some cream of celery soup that Jill got for me to eat after I had my wisdom teeth out ( but cream soups on there own i find kind of gross), frozen peas, and a lot of leftover swiss cheese from a weight calculation snafu at the grocery store (the true catalyst for the dinner), a pretty solid base for an awesome casserole. We just went down the street to the local grocery store to grab a few supplemental ingredients. I got some chicken breast and some prosciutto for protein, and some fresh leaks for flavor. Putting everything together proved to be pretty quick and easy. I sliced then marinated the chicken in some garlic, white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, herbs de Provence, and a few other spices for a couple of hours just to keep the dish flavorful, I then sauteed the chicken in olive oil adding the sliced leeks. Once the chicken was browned I added the pasta, about two and half cups of swiss cheese, one can of cream of celery, cooked peas, and the prosciutto. Stirred it until the soup was warm and threw it in an oven safe dish covered it with layer of shredded swiss on top and baked it at 350 for about 30 minutes. The casserole came out lighter than I expected which was nice. The peas played off the proscuitto perfectly and the leek complimented the flavor nicely without overpowering. The only thing I would change is the pasta. I just found the whole wheat too mealy after baked. Maybe even a risotto would work. There is always next time.

did you know that gluttony is the gateway sin?

I learned this and many other fun facts at Ina and Jacob's Easter potluck brunch. I never realized my friends were all so creative in the kitchen. Every type of baked egg dish from strada's to quiches were well represented along with delicious pasteries and desserts. Ina was also stationed at the blender for a good part of the afternoon whipping up batches of her mother's peach mimosa's which were sweet and bubbly. I made an onion casserole, which is my grandmothers recipe. It is made from butter, onion, swiss cheese, cream, egg and ritz crackers, a yummy heart attack in a pan. I am going to ask for the rights (from my dad) to the recipe before I post it, it might be a secret Bono family thing. One thing that I am definitely stealing from this brunch is the amaretto strawberry shots. A really fun way to "do shots" without the unfortunate falling off the barstool, waking up with a headache, getting into fights with strangers type side effects. They only require light preparation and three ingredients: strawberries, amaretto and whipped cream. Just cut the top off of the strawberry and hollow out a small hole for the amaretto, top with whipped cream and enjoy.

i will never stop being a groupie

I have realized this now because this week has been filled with chances for my inner groupie to shine. Most times it was related to dance because Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has been in town and one of my best friends from high school has been dancing with them for the past 5 years, but...
My inner foodie came out on Friday night when I took my sister to Graham Elliot for her birthday dinner. It was only slightly selfish seeing as I have been dying to try GE since I read about Cheez-it Risotto. There is no way that is not delicious. We had a fantastic meal with great service all around. Our waitress was knowledgeable and not overbearing in anyway. We started with some cocktails while we decided on our dinner. Morgan started with the split pea bisque with a lavender marshmallow and I decided to try the crab risotto with spring onion, mascarpone cheese and fried basil. Morgan's bisque was great, the marshmallow gave it a great texture and the subtle lavender was refreshing. My risotto was really nice, I always love basil and mascarpone together, and the risotto was much lighter than I was expecting. We moved on to a bottle of Raptor Ridge Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley Oregon to go with our main courses. Morgan had the Colorado lamb, and I had the crispy sea bass. The pinot was fantastic, bright fruits and just enough acid to cut through Morgan's lamb. The lamb was served grilled on a bed of refried chickpeas with fava beans, dandelion greens and a pomegranate yogurt. My bass had fried pancetta, fidelhead ferns, braised artichoke and and orange puree. Super fresh and light and I always love fidelhead ferns. For desert we went with the deconstructed strawberry shortcake and the floral sorbet quartet (chamomile, jasmine, rose and hibiscus). The sorbet was AMAZING. I am still dreaming about the rose and Morg loved the chamomile.
The best part about the whole night was when my camera batteries died, for real. Our lovely waitress (whose name I either never got or the wine buzz erased ) sent someone over who offered to take our picture and give us a tour of the kitchen! It was crazy to have something like that happen completely unsolicited. It was exciting for me to see the inside of his kitchen, having worked in so many different styles of restaurant I like to compare and contrast. This kitchen reminded me of a combination of Barcelona restaurant in Columbus and L20. It was meticulous like Laurent Gras' kitchen, but there seemed to be more of a laid back kind of vibe. It was also cool that Graham Elliot introduced himself to us and asked how everything was and joked around for a bit. It is refreshing to see such a talented chef not taking himself too seriously. I wish I could afford to eat there more often, but it will be my go to special occasion spot from now on, I am definitely a Graham Elliot groupie.