use real butter

deadly mashers - add cream

I forgot to photograph the end result of the deadly mashers. But they were a huge hit. Take the ingredients of my potatoes au gratin (use gruyère) and make mashers with it… cream, butter, shredded gruyere, grated parmesan, yukons, nutmeg, pepper, salt. Bake with goodies on top and serve hot. I think it’s a million calories per serving.

We had our good neighbors over for dinner tonight - finally! These two are great fun. They ate a lot of the food and wine, which makes me happy. I told Jeremy the worst feeling for a hostess is when her guests don’t eat because she miscalculated the menu. I really plan a menu according to who is coming and how all of the dishes, the wine, and the dessert combine to make a complete fête. Which is why if you are picky, a vegetarian, are a complete food unsophisticate, or have various food restrictions - I have to like you an awful lot to invite you to dinner at my house. Forget about vegans, they will be really unhappy in my kitchen.

ceviche salad ingredients (yes, those are heirloom tomatoe$)

adding the dressing

Because Jeremy and I aren’t neat freaks (believe it or not), I have a fear of inviting people over who keep a really clean house. Our neighbors’ house is Spotless. Their kitchen looks like it is brand new. I guess my fear is like that of a non-cook who invites us over for dinner. Well… that doesn’t happen very often. But I’m willing to get over my fears - why can’t others?

i ditched the artichoke phyllo appetizer for this

I found a nice soft asiago to pair with the prosciutto. Big hit. Despite not being a real cheese lover, I definitely have my preferences. I should probably learn to serve some good blues though. I can’t eat that stuff, but some people love the stuff.

this is a fabulous chardonnay - love french chards

the main course: wild salmon before marinating in wine and lemon

Ugh, I have to make a presentation to the Board of Directors tomorrow. I was invited to their dinner afterwards (at L’audisio - a really great restaurant!). I can’t eat out so much. I’m going to hold off until The Kitchen with Sam!

the lovely bouquet they brought

Ooh! Kell turned the artichoke dip recipe (hello everyone, I have to tell you that it isn’t MY recipe… I got it from the Etiquette Grrls web site a long time back) into PASTA. What a brilliant girl! She has inspired me to consider making something akin to a savory baklava, but more like spanikopita… I figure we’ll layer the phyllo dough the way you do in baklava (lots of layers) rather than the way you do in spanikopita (one giant filling in the middle). The filling will be coarsely ground artichokes, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic paste and…??? It may very well suck, but I doubt it.

This evening we reviewed Japango, a sushi bar in Boulder. Sushi is great in summer (it’s great anytime, really). I’ve always gone to Sushi Zanmai which I thought was okay on my sushi scale. I think Japango is much better.

the washington dc roll: soft shell crab

I selected it based on the Boulder Weekly Best of Boulder 2006 staff pick for sushi bars. I’m too tired to write it up just yet, but their cut rolls are definitely a bargain - at least during happy hour. The portions are far better than Zanmai and I find the food to be more creative. Freshness is about the same. Now I should state that I am not a traditionalist when it comes to sushi. I *love* California style sushi and it would seem that Boulder takes it to a new level of sweet/sour/salty.

las vegas roll: with grapes, apple, salmon, etc. and tempura fried

The only thing I need to get my head around is white dude sushi chef. First time I had a white dude make sushi for me was in Santa Cruz, where everything is just a tad strange. Most of the places I had been to in So Cal had Japanese chefs trained in Japan, Fumito being the absolute best and most entertaining. WDSC seems to be a common occurance in Boulder.

sashimi utopia plate - chef’s choice (excellent choice!)