Refreshing...Like Lemonade Award

Erica over at Erica's Kitchen recently gave me the Lemonade Award. Thank you so much, Erica!


I've seen this award on quite a few of my favorite blogs lately, and I always hate picking just a few people for these awards because I love ALL my blogging buddies. Can I cop out again and just tell you to look at my blogroll on the righthand side of the page for some fantastic recipes? Well, even if I can't, I'm doing it anyway. So there! :P

Pepperoni and Cheese-Stuffed Chicken

We had some pepperoni and cheddar cheese leftover from last weekend so I decided to make Pepperoni and Cheese-Stuffed Chicken for dinner on Friday.


Instead of pounding the chicken and rolling it around the pepperoni and cheese I made a slit in the meat and stuffed it in. This worked out better, especially since I ran out of toothpicks. I made the dish with roasted asparagus again and it was delicious, although we both felt it could have used more pepperoni and cheese.

Takeout...Yes, Again

On Thursday I had every intention of making dinner, but when I got home I realized the chicken I'd taken out to defrost was still partially frozen. I also realized I wasn't really in the mood to cook. When SP called to say he'd had a rough day that was all the reason I needed to suggest takeout for dinner. We tossed around a few ideas before deciding on our favorite place, M's. We got the usual suspects, a cheesesteak hoagie for me:


... crispy pizza fries (french fries topped with sauce and mozzarella cheese):


... and a pizza with The Works:


It really hit the spot, as always.

Spaghetti Carbonara

I know this rendition of spaghetti carbonara was the best I'd ever made when SP said it was good. That's usually not his highest compliment but in this case it meant a lot. See, SP really isn't a fan of the dish. It's a shame because carbonara is one of my all-time favorites, but despite the bacon factor he just isn't that enamored of the dish.


My friend Melissa recently wrote an excellent post about spaghetti carbonara which gave me a craving for it. I almost always have the necessary ingredients on hand so I decided to make it for dinner on Wednesday. I didn't do anything different this time since I can make this recipe in my sleep, but something about it really hit the spot for SP, which made me happy since I feel guilty making something I know he has mixed feelings about.

Spaghetti Carbonara
Modified from Nigella Lawson

1 pound spaghetti
1lb bacon (or as much as you like), chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly ground nutmeg

Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta.

In another large pan that will fit the pasta later, cook the bacon until crispy but not crunchy. Add the onions and cook until softened and starting to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Pour over the white wine or vermouth and let it bubble away so that, after a few minutes, you have a small amount of salty winey syrup left. Take the pan off the heat.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, Parmesan, cream, and pepper. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, but since you want it kept al dente start checking it 2 minutes before end of the recommended cooking time.

When the pasta is done, remove approximately 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining. Put the pan with the bacon back on the heat and add the drained pasta, tossing well to coat with the syrupy sauce. Take the pan off the heat again and add the eggs and cheese mixture, swiftly tossing everything to mix. Thin with pasta water, if needed. Grind over some more pepper and grate over the nutmeg to serve.

Chicken with Chile Cheese Rice

It's been awhile since I made one of our favorite meals, Chicken with Chile Cheese Rice, so I put it on the menu for this week. It was, hands down, the best version of this meal I've ever made. And it photogaphed beautifully:


But this meal comes with a funny story. After cooking the chicken I put the chopped onion, garlic and jalapenos into the pan and almost immediately I couldn't stop sneezing and coughing. When SP got home he started coughing, too. I don't know exactly what happened, but all I can think is the fumes/steam from the cooking jalapenos was irritating our noses/throats. It was like a cloud of spice was hovering in the air. I know some of the hotter peppers can cause reactions like this but jalapenos? I used four of them since we want some spice and I removed most of the ribs and seeds, but usually they're barely spicy so I must have gotten some real doozies. I was worried it would be inedible but it turned out perfect...spicy, but perfect. Be careful...even the milder hot peppers can pack a whallop!

Chicken with Chile Cheese Rice
Modified slightly from Cook.Craft.Enjoy

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes
salt and pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced or grated
4 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (leave some seeds and ribs if you like spice)
1 cup long grain white rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 cans (4.5oz) chopped green chiles, drained
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (sometimes I use pepper Jack)
1 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan (with sides at least 2 inches high) over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned but not cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add onion, garlic, and jalapenos to pan, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 minute more, then pour in broth and bring to a boil. Boil rice 5 minutes, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover pan, and cook 20 minutes.

Return chicken to the pan and cook until rice is tender, liquid is absorbed, and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in chiles, cheese, and cilantro until cheese is melted.

Broccoli Soup

It's been bitterly cold here lately so I thought soup seemed like the perfect dinner. I had a few leftover broccoli crowns and remembered that my buddy Melissa had posted a recipe for broccoli soup recently. I picked up the few ingredients I needed at the store and got to work.


Here's the broccoli, celery and leek cooking away in the pot:


And here's what that lovely mixture became with the addition of stock, salt, pepper, lemon juice, a splash of cream and a few whirrs of my immersion blender.


This was delicious. Absolutely delicious. A real winner. I love broccoli so I wasn't worried about that, but it's actually pretty healthy since it's all vegetables. I added a splash of cream per the recipe but it was completely unnecessary. After the immersion blender pureed most of the vegetables (I didn't bother keeping a cup of florets separate and blanching them for a garnish - too fussy) it was the perfect consistency. The lemon juice brightened everything up. Next time I'll definitely leave out the cream. I also garnished the bowl with a little grated cheddar cheese which was also unnecessary. Next time I won't bother; the soup is good enough on its own.

I rarely make soup since I'm not a fan of hot liquids, but recently I found myself thinking "I should do this more often." Turns out I love a good, hearty bowl of soup, especially with slices of buttered, crusty ciabatta to dip into the bowl. I used three slices as spoons and enjoyed every mouthful. Thanks for another winner, hon!

Broccoli Soup
Modified from Alosha's Kitchen

2 pounds broccoli, separated into florets, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 leek, white and green parts only, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, leek and broccoli with a pinch of salt and pepper, and saute until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir to combine, then cook for 4 minutes. Add broth to the pot gradually, whisking to work out any lumps of flour. Bring soup to a summer and cook 45 minutes, stirring frequently.

Purée the soup using a stick or regular blender, or let it cool somewhat and pass it through a food mill.

Stir in the lemon juice and cheese then season to taste, and serve.

Making Meals for Another Day

Since I was home on Monday I decided to make a double batch of mac & cheese to freeze for another time. I separated it into two casserole dishes and topped both with fresh bread crumbs:


I wanted to show you guys how creamy this is before the topping goes on. Just look at all that gooey, cheesy goodness:


These are going to make fantastic meals sometime in the future.

Chicken Salad

I had Monday off for Martin Luther King Day, so after running some errands I came home and made myself some lunch. We had some leftover roast chicken and I bought mixed salad greens at the store, so I decided to make chicken salad.


I diced some chicken and mixed it with mayo, salt and pepper. I wanted something else in there so I looked through the fridge and found some mini mozzarella balls and mixed olives. I diced up the cheese and a few olives and added a little lemon juice to both the chicken salad and the salad greens. It seems like a weird combination, but it actually worked.

**This was my first photo using my new camera.**

I Have a New Camera!

Thank you to everyone who answered my camera post awhile back. I finally got my new camera, a Canon PowerShot SD1100IS 8MP over the weekend (thanks, Mom!):


So far I'm totally flummoxed by it. Don't get me wrong, I like it and I know once I get used to it I'll be thrilled but right now it's about half the size of my old camera (a 2004 Sony Cybershot) and is so lightweight I'm afraid I'm going to drop it. I'm not used to setting up shots, the macro setting keeps turning off, and the memory card it came with only holds about 10 photos (I've ordered a 16GB card that should be here by the end of the week).

Now that I have a new camera I really, really need to either invest in or build myself a lightbox. I'm so tired of washed out, yellowish photos. Stupid winter and the sun setting at 5pm. Bring back natural light!

Sunday Breakfast

On Sunday morning I thought I'd use the leftover mashed potatoes to make potato pancakes to have with our eggs and sausage:


Unfortunately the pancakes didn't come out the way I'd hoped. They tasted oddly of flour and not much else. At least the eggs and sausage (and some leftover crusty bread, not pictured) were tasty.

Roast Chicken Dinner

On Saturday our friends C & D came over for dinner. With all the cold weather and snow we've been having we thought a nice roast chicken dinner would be the perfect meal.


I coated the chicken in a mix of butter, oil, rosemary and thyme and stuffed the cavity with smashed garlic cloves, pieces of lemon and sprigs of rosemary and thyme. The smell coming from the oven as it was roasting was intoxicatingly delicious.

To round out the meal I made mashed potatoes, finally breaking out the potato ricer I bought ages ago. It takes a little elbow grease, but the potatoes come out super creamy. I also steamed some green beans and we had two kinds of crusty bread and butter.

C & D brought a variety of pastries for dessert:


I'm not sure what each one is, but we cut these into four pieces and all were great.

Cold Sesame Noodles

I've been searching for a good version of cold sesame noodles for ages. Growing up we would get take-out sushi/Chinese every Friday night from the same restaurant. They made the absolute best cold sesame noodles I've ever tasted and my quest was to find a recipe that best matched my memory of those days. Someone on my cooking board pointed me to Tyler Florence's recipe, which I decided to make as a snack on Saturday.


My main criteria for good cold sesame noodles includes a very pronounced peanut flavor with undertones of sesame, plenty of creamy sauce and a slightly spicy kick. Until Tyler's recipe nothing had ever come close. I knew I'd found a winner when the reviews mentioned there being too much peanut butter. I love, love, love peanut butter and can't imagine there being too much, especially in cold sesame noodles.


I only made a half order of the noodles since I didn't know if we'd like them. It actually ended up being barely 6 ounces of noodles, which is why there ended up being a little too much sauce. Stupid pasta...has anyone else noticed that a pound of pasta isn't actually a full pound? It's approximately 14 ounces, not 16. I measure out 8 ounces and then weigh the other half and it's always about 6 ounces. Cheats!

Anyway, SP loved these. I made a few modifications (see below), but we both felt it had just the right amount of spice, great peanut butter flavor and an excellent creamy texture. I happen to think the recipe calls for way too much sesame oil, but maybe that's just me. Sesame oil is a finishing oil and a little goes a long, long way. One tablespoon seems like a lot and even cutting the recipe in half I still used way less oil then recommended. Next time I'll cook the pasta a bit longer so it has less of a bite to it, but overall this was definitely a winner in our book.

Cold Sesame Noodles
Recipe slighty modified from Tyler Florence

1 pound Chinese egg noodles or spaghetti (I used spaghetti)
Kosher salt
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon red chili sauce (I used chili oil)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (I used way less, 1/2 teaspoon for a half recipe)
6 tablespoons water
2 scallions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish (left out because I didn't have any)

Cook the noodles in large pot of boiling salted water over medium heat until barely tender and still firm. (I would cook them until they are soft since shocking in cold water stops the cooking and you don't want hard noodles). Drain immediately and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain the noodles well and transfer to a wide bowl.

In a blender, add the ginger, garlic, sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, and water. Process until the mixture is smooth. Put the blender jar into the refrigerator and let it chill for about 1/2 hour. Pour the peanut sauce over the noodles and toss until well coated. Serve garnished with the scallions, sesame seeds, and cilantro.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I saw this recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken on my friend Colleen's blog a few months ago. Sweet and sour chicken or pork is one of SP's favorite dishes at Chinese restaurants so I was hoping this would be a good make-at-home version.


I have to admit, I kept putting off making this recipe because of the instruction to first fry the chicken and then cook it for an hour in the sauce. That seemed like an awful lot of cook time for a little ol' chicken breast. One of my pet peeves about white meat chicken is that it overcooks so easily and I can't stand dry, tough chicken. Plus SP likes keeping the sauce and chicken separate so the coating on the chicken stays crispy. What to do?

After rereading the recipe a dozen times, it finally dawned on me that I could make the sauce and thicken it on the stovetop, then serve it alongside the chicken for dipping. I doubled the sauce recipe and set it on low on the back burner while I made the rice and prepped the chicken and broccoli. Looking back, I should have known this was going to be a disaster when I had a pot or pan on every burner. That's just too much for me to juggle at once. Between frying the chicken and stir-frying the broccoli with garlic, ginger and soy sauce (absolutely delicious and simple, by the way), I wasn't paying enough attention to the sauce. Somehow it went from thin and glossy to the thickness and consistency of wallpaper paste in a matter of seconds. There was no way for me to salvage it either; it stuck like superglue to absolutely everything it touched. The pot, the spoon, the bowl I put it in to try and save it...cleanup was big fun that night, let me tell you!

The only saving grace was that it tasted great. It was impossible to dip the chicken in the sauce so I kinda smeared it on the chicken pieces as best I could. Regardless, SP absolutely loved this meal. As he was eating he told me I needed to make it again ASAP. The cornstarch coating on the chicken was fantastically crispy and the flavors of the sauce were great. I can only imagine how much better it would be if the sauce was able to coat the chicken.

Mac & Cheese with Creamed Spinach

One day last week (again, I'm sorry I can't remember which day), I wanted a simple yet comforting dinner. What's more comforting then mac & cheese and creamy, luscious spinach? Not much, in my opinion.


I took the other half of the mac & cheese I made a few weeks ago out of the freezer to defrost. When I got home from work the next evening all I had to do was pop it in the oven and let it cook for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees.


The color in this photo is awful, but the buttery bread crumb topping was nicely golden brown and crispy. While it was cooking I decided to make creamed spinach using a recipe my friend Melissa over at Alosha's Kitchen recently raved about.


Just look at that creamy goodness. Again, I apologize for the horrible lighting but I couldn't resist taking a photo of the luscious spinach while it was cooking. I cheated and used frozen spinach because I couldn't be bothered trimming and blanching fresh, not to mention the whole reason I made the recipe was because I had two bags of frozen spinach taking up valuable real estate in my freezer. The frozen mac & cheese somehow fared better then the other half I'd put in the fridge. It was creamy and delicious:


And the spinach. Oh the spinach. There really are no words. I've loved creamed spinach since I was a kid (what kid likes spinach? What can I say, I was a weird child), but my mom always served Seabrook frozen spinach for the convenience factor. Only recently have I started making my own and this is, by far, my favorite recipe. The shallots and garlic add just the right hint of flavor and the nutmeg accentuates the flavor of the spinach. Utterly delicious.

Pan Pizza

The days are blurring together lately so in the interest of full disclosure I have no idea when I made these pepperoni and black olive pan pizzas:




They were quite delicious, as always. I love the crispy crust and how easy they are. I can prep the whole thing before SP even leaves work and then just pop them in the oven when he's about 20 minutes from home.

Pernil and Arroz con Gandules

My stepsister-in-law is Puerto Rican so she decided to make one of her favorite meals, Pernil and Arroz con Gandules.


The pork was delicious with the flavors of the herb marinade and was fork-tender:


I love rice and this was a gorgeous yellow color, with excellent flavors from the Sazon and sofrito (the recipe linked above is a good version, but V used her rice cooker and a few shortcuts to make it easier):


Here's the rice in the cooker:


... and the pork as my stepbrother K was cutting it into chunks for serving:


It was a delicious meal and it was great to see K & V after all this time. I can't wait to cook in their kitchen...it's truly, breathtakingly gorgeous. Can you say double oven and huge island?

Roasted Pork Shoulder (Pernil Al Horno)
Recipe from Bobby Flay

1 boneless pork shoulder (about 4 pounds), skin on
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 handful fresh oregano
4 tablespoons Kosher salt (1 tablespoon for every pound of meat)
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Place the pork, fat-side up, in a roasting pan fitted with a rack insert, and using a sharp knife, score the surface of the meat with small slits. Mash the garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper into a paste on a cutting board with the flat side of a knife; place the adobo in a bowl and stir in the oil and vinegar. Rub the garlic paste all over the pork, being sure to get into the incisions so the salt can penetrate the meat and pull out the moisture - this will help form a crust on the outside when cooked. Cover the pork with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

Allow the meat to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Roast the pork for 3 hours, uncovered, until the skin is crispy-brown. Let the meat rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing.

Profiteroles

Look at these beauties:


On Saturday we went to my stepbrother's house for dinner. Since this was our first time seeing him and his wife in quite awhile we wanted to make something special for dessert. SP thought profiteroles would be nice and it just so happened that Everyday Baking showed an episode where they made profiteroles the week before. Everything can be made in advance, so it was perfect for traveling. SP was in charge of making the dough, which I then carefully measured out on the greased baking sheets:


The dough puffed nicely and was beatiful and airy:


We packed them up, along with the chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream, and assembled them once we got to K & V's house. I cut each puff in half, scooped some ice cream, topped with the other half of the puff and then drizzled on the sauce. I loved how they looked plated:


And the best part was they were delicious. A perfect end to a tasty meal.

Cream Puffs with Ice Cream and Hot Fudge Sauce
As seen on Everyday Baking

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for baking sheets
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
2 to 3 pints vanilla ice cream, for serving

Hot Fudge Sauce
1/4 cup light corn syrup
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken or cut into small pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. with racks in upper and lower thirds. Butter two large rimmed baking sheets.

Combine butter, 1 cup water, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until butter melts. Reduce heat to medium. Add flour; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from heat; cool 1 minute.

With an electric handheld mixer, beat in eggs, a little bit at a time, until completely incorporated (dough should look shiny and be soft enough to slowly fall off a spoon).

Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto baking sheets (you should have 24 to 28), about 2 inches apart. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush puffs with egg wash (do not let it drip on sheets).

Bake, rotating sheets between racks halfway through, until puffed and brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; turn oven off. With a toothpick, poke a hole in each puff. Return to oven (still off) for 10 minutes (this helps puffs dry out).

When cool, halve each puff horizontally with a serrated knife. Working in batches (to prevent ice cream from melting), place a small scoop of ice cream (2 to 3 tablespoons) in each bottom half. Replace tops; press gently. Arrange on one rimmed baking sheet; freeze until firm. Cover with plastic wrap; freeze up to 2 days.

Arrange 3 filled puffs in each of eight shallow bowls; drizzle with warm Fudge Sauce. Serve immediately.

Hot Fudge Sauce

In a small saucepan, combine corn syrup and chocolate. Stir over medium-low heat until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in heavy cream until smooth. Serve right away, or let cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. To serve, warm over low heat or in microwave.)

More Take Out

On Wednesday we experimented with a new hoagie shop but on Friday we went back to our first love, M's. Yes, we got similar take out meals twice in the same week. Sue us, it was a rough week. The first time we went to M's SP noticed they had a pizza called The Works and he waxed rhapsodic about how when he was a kid pizza places used to have this pizza topped with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions and green peppers and explained how it was called The Works because that was all the toppings available. Apparently this was in the days before pineapple, anchovies, and the like were standard issue. It was his favorite and he's been dying to order it from M's, so we got a large:


It was delicious! I have to admit, I was shocked. I thought all those toppings would be too much but everything worked well together. And since this was our first foray into pizza at M's I'm happy to report it's just as good as their hoagies.


Speaking of which, I got my cheesesteak hoagie:


... and was pleased to see a return to the fresh toppings piled high on top of the meat.


This is one delicious cheesesteak hoagie, hands-down the best I've ever had. I doubt we'll be straying again.

Skillet Beef Stroganoff

Another quick weeknight meal and a family favorite, Skillet Beef Stroganoff:


While the egg noodles were simmering away in the skillet I thought I'd snap a quick picture:


I do love one-pot meals.

Take Out

We recently found a fantastic pizza/hoagie shop near our house, which I will refer to as M's. Despite loving everything we've ever gotten from M's, SP decided he wanted to try another hoagie shop, just so he knew for certain that M's was really the best around. He picked up dinner for us on Wednesday at a new place, S's. We started with an order of fried mushrooms:



... served with a horseradish-based dipping sauce. SP is a huge fan of mushrooms so these were mostly for him. He liked them, but he prefers the batter-dipped variety. I've been loving fries lately so I got an order of cheese fries:


They were good, but there was way too much cheese sauce. I liked that the fries were skin-on and had survived the trip fairly well, but I couldn't eat the ones soaked in cheese sauce. My staple at any new hoagie place is the cheesesteak hoagie. I love the contrast of the hot, cheesey beef mixed with the cool, crisp lettuce, tomato and onion. When I unwrapped my hoagie I was dismayed to see this:


I was worried they'd given me a regular cheesesteak by mistake but no, this was a cheesesteak hoagie - the lettuce, tomato and onion were buried under the meat. While I can appreciate the fact that the toppings didn't fall out with every bite, being buried under the hot meat meant they weren't cool or crispy. Wilted lettuce is very unappetizing. This was a decent cheesesteak hoagie, but it just solidified my love for M's. SP got a roast beef hoagie:


... and admittedly went a litle overboard on the toppings. He told me he said yes to just about everything they offered to put on it, which made for too many contrasting flavors.

All the food was OK, but my ultimate test is in the leftovers. Obviously we didn't eat all that food in one sitting. I like to reheat the other half of my cheesesteak hoagie the next day for lunch and I pay special attention to the bread. I've never met a roll that can remain sturdy overnight (until we went to M's) and S's fell prey to the soggy factor. It was a decent version but when M's is right across the street I see no reason to stray.

Meatloaf, Potato Gratin, Broccoli

We love a nice, hearty meal on Sundays. I was in the mood for my favorite potato gratin and we had some broccoli crowns that needed to be used. SP suggested meatloaf to round out the meal.


I'm not sure what happened with the potato gratin but for some reason my mandoline cut the potatoes much thicker then usual. It still tasted fantastic, but the large chunks of potatoes were different texturally:


I used Ina's recipe for turkey meatloaf, substituting meatloaf mix for the turkey.


It was a delicious meal all around. While we were eating SP and I decided to reinstitute the Sunday dinners we used to have before we started saving for, and eventually buying, our house. Hopefully we can start inviting family over soon, although I don't think we're going to do it every week.