I threw a small dinner party this weekend for a few of my friends who visited from Long Island, the Bronx, and New Haven, CT.
Actually, the visitors from NY spent the weekend, the girls from CT came only for the dinner party. It was really wonderful - I love having visitors! I had recently rearranged furniture in my apartment and couldn't wait to show off the new look.
I used a recipe for Nigella Lawson's Vodka-marinated Steak, with which she suggests serving plain boiled potatos with a sprinkling of dill. But instead I peeled a strip from tiny red-skinned potatos, steamed them, and just melted a little butter on top. As a request I roasted some asparagus with some olive oil, sea salt, and freshly-ground black pepper. And I also made a potato and red onion salad. It was divine! (If I don't say so myself..) The steak was the absolute best part. The marinade is vodka and olive oil with fresh parsley, lots of thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic. Nigella says it's at its best when left in the marinade for two to three days; although I only had it in the mix for a few hours, it was one of the best marinades, and subsequent sauces, that I have ever had. It was a totally new flavor for me. The steak was sliced very thin, but there was nothing left at the end of the dinner.
Anyway, the recipe can be found in Feast by Nigella Lawson, and I highly, highly recommend it.
After the [fabulous] dinner, we immediately ventured out for dessert crepe's at Thayer Street's Creperie where I got the "Betty" as I always do - a boring but delicious crepe with just butter and sugar. Back at the apartment, a heated game of Apples to Apples that I lost, miserably.
Next weekend, my mom is visiting with her friend and possibly her daughter, and the following weekend I am headed to Brooklyn for a friday to sunday babysitting job looking after my 5 year-old cousin, Ryan, and her 6 month-old puppy, Molly. I have no time to sit and fiddle properly at the brand new Viking sewing machine that Santa brought for me...
