After the Open House

We attended a very nice open house party in the neighborhood last night from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. There was lots of wine, a spinach quiche, crostini with tomatoes and cheese, and little quesadillas.

Returning home, we were in a supper quandary--we needed a little more food and drink, but we couldn't exactly start from scratch. We settled on a having a scotch and soda, followed by a light meal of brie, crackers, brussels sprouts with mustard and lemon, eggplant caponata (which I had made for food gifts earlier that day), and some blackberries. It was just right.

I like to make food gifts this time of year. For the end of 2008 I made lemon curd, caponata, chocolate chip cookies, and tomatillo salsa.

Second Annual Tapas Night and Family Gathering

We gathered in Tucson again and spent one night drinking and making tapas (here are last year's posts on Tapas Night). This time Russell and Brittany were in on it, too. I'm still in Tucson on vacation...hence the lack of posts this past week.

Dad made margaritas. He squeezes tiny Mexican limes one by one, then mixes 4 parts good tequila, 1 part lime juice, and 1 part triple sec. They are like martinis, fierce and amazing and totally unlike your average sweet frozen margarita.

For the first course, Russell made a big batch of baba ghanoush. We ate it with Ak Mak crackers. Lawson sauteed fresh coconut with salt and fresh hot chile -- a Fijian dish he learned about from a friend who once lived and worked there.

For the second round of food, Grandma made whole wheat bread with sweet butter.Mom (you? I never know how to phrase these co-posts) made a green bean and tomato salad. And I made white lima beans with garlic and fresh rosemary. Here is my recipe:

Rinse 2 cups dried white beans -- cannellini, lima, or great Northern -- and put them in a crockpot. Cover by 2 inches of water -- no more. Cook on high for 2 to 4 hours, until the beans are beginning to soften, and add several tablespoons olive oil, 3 6-inch springs of fresh rosemary, and two big smashed garlic cloves. Add water at any point to keep things slightly moist. After a few more hours, add salt to taste. During the last hour or two, add more water here and there to make a white sauce for the beans. Add black pepper before serving.


The last main course was by my mom: avocados filled with crabmeat and avocado, dressed with lime juice and maybe some other secret things.

For dessert we had date bars and fresh fruit, I think. Here is Russell finishing off the grapes.

But around that time Russell also started making bourbon sours, so I don't completely remember. Coincidentally, my pictures became quite silly around that same time. Most are too silly to post.

Here is Russell's bourbon sour recipe as written that night.

All in all, it was a successful evening.

Baked Alaska

We had a party for fourteen people on Sunday. It was for Dad’s birthday as well as a kind of yardwarming. We had margaritas, sangria, and Mexican beer; typical appetizers like guacamole and homemade salsa and lots of chips; a main course of shredded pork served with tortillas and fajita-style garnishes, Anasazi beans, and some green corn tamales which we bought in South Tucson; and two Baked Alaska Pies. Here’s how to make Baked Alaska:

1 graham cracker crust (I use a few pretzels in place of some of the graham crackers), baked until lightly browned

1 quart ice cream, softened slightly. Coconut, caramel ripple, or mocha nut are the kinds of flavors that we like best

A 3-egg-white meringue

Scoop the ice cream into the crust and smooth the top. Return to freezer until hard, at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make the meringue and spread on the ice cream, sealing to the edge of the crust. Bake until the meringue is lightly browned. You have to watch it like a hawk. If it’s not browning very fast, turn on the broiler briefly. The idea is to brown it without melting the ice cream too much.

Return to freezer until hard, about two hours.