Nikkilooch

This weekend we drove from Kaiserslautern to Italy.  About 8 hours.  SO long by European standards, so average by American standards.  The United States is a big country, folks.  According to the Google, 31 Italy’s could fit into 1 US.  If I’m being honest, I thought it’d be more.

Recipe for an Italian Easter:

Always, always start with wine. Always.  Add in some soppressa and pickled asparagus with a side of buttered crostini topped with salmon and a caper and you have yourself a great start to Easter dinner.

Next sautee some pumpkin and onion together in olive oil. Heat up your broth. Toast your risotto. Take turns with all your guests stirring.

Then the secret: once all the broth is incorporated in the rice, add a large pat of butter and a mountain of cheese, cover and let sit. This really makes the risotto over the top.

Finally, open another bottle of wine. Get scolded for eating too much before dinner. Spread the table cloth out and set the table. Make everyone wait while you take pictures in your slipper feet. Then eat until your buttons pop.

Easter success.

Last Sunday, my favorite girls and I met up for brunch at the DFAC (dining facility) on post. It was the first cool and sunny day we’ve had this year and I couldn’t pass it up. So I invited them over for a BBQ. We all went to the commissary after brunch and decided on our menu. I knew I was going to be trying out smitten kitchen’s hacked caprese salad because I had bought three rounds of fresh mozzerella the day before in anticipation of making it.

Cecilia bought a magazine (I forget now which one) that had pictures of 12 different ways to enjoy hotdogs this summer. One was with onion rings on top. I decided to try it. Because you know, trying one new recipe when entertaining company isn’t enough. I like to live on the edge.

Plus the commissary had something like 1/2 a pound of pre-sliced onions for 60 cents. They looked at me from the shelf and asked me to please batter and fry them. I don’t take the words of talking onions lightly, I obliged.

It was amazing. Please do this if you are going to have a hotdog again ever in your life.

To finish, Cecilia made brownie cupcakes.

With cream cheese frosting on top.

Cecilia loves brownies with cream cheese frosting.

Having the girls around makes things so much more fun and makes me feel a lot safer when my man is gone.

Bloggers, I had an amazing dinner party this weekend. I made artichokes stuffed with Italian cheeses, Nigella’s chicken something with beans and strawberry shortcakes.

Oh, bloggers. I wish you call could have been there.

But! I have good news, this dinner party had 5 people at it. 5! I thought my little round table could only hold four, but no! I think maybe it could even hold six. And once I get more chairs do you know what that means? Forreal dinner parties!!!

I know this post is full of !!! but I can’t help it. I’m overly excited at the thought of cooking for lots of people at my very own house.

Man, I wish I would have saved myself one of those artichokes.

Cecilia turns 25 tomorrow. We girls know how to throw a wild party. Will post the menu and details tomorrow.