Curds, Cocktail and Cookie c/o Lemon Hill

At some point in the month of February LW and I met up at Lemon Hill after work. I arrived a bit before her and ordered the discounted happy hour cocktail, which was the dacquiri. I think I may have also not waited for LW to appear to put in my order for cheese curds, as they arrived roughly about the same time that she grabbed a seat next to me at the bar. Let me tell you a few things about these fried cheese curds:

1. They were fresh and hot.
2. They were so delicately crisp and fried on the outside, but molten liquid-y wonderful on the inside. You know how sometimes you'll order a more standard mozzarella stick appetizer and they're a bit too breaded and already solidifying by the time they come to your table? Neither was the case in the instance of Lemon Hill's snack.
3. The long hot dipping sauce/vinaigrette that accompanied them was equally interesting and above average.

In addition to LW's arrival coinciding with the curds, it also coincided with my need for a second cocktail. So here you'll see the curds fresh-on-delivery and the equally freshly prepared cocktail being poured with gusto into my new and waiting glass.

I also had a third beverage, this time a stout of some kind. I can't recall which because this was about two or three weeks ago and their taps change. We were also gifted a fairly delightful maple pot de creme and chocolate hazelnut cookie. This was an absolutely pleasant and welcome surprise. I dug the creme a bit more than the cookie, but combining the two was also a smart move.

Christmas Day and Dinner

On Christmas Day Dad came over and we toasted to Christmas and opened presents, most of which were supplied by NC Catherine and were greatly appreciated. After that we sat and played a game of Scrabble and then I began to prepare our Christmas dinner. Here is a photograph of our Scrabble board, and one of the chicken salt/pepper shakers that L. gave me.
While I might not otherwise have bothered, I ended up getting a tree so that our little people guests could enjoy the fun of decorating it.
Here is an ornament that J. gave me. I may fast become that woman with all the chicken paraphernalia.
When Dad and I went to Sansom Street Oyster House, we ended our Center City time at DiBruno Brothers, where I went a little cheese crazy. Let's see if I can tell you what all is what. Cabra La Mancha was a semi-soft goat's cheese that I liked very much. A little Delice Bourgogne is never a bad way to go when considering creamy, brie-like cheeses with a little bit more going on in the taste profile. We went with the creamier of Roqueforts something that started with 'Carles.' I'm reading off the receipt, which cuts off some details. Dad also thought that a little Livarot would be a nice addition; I agreed. And then a big hunk of Cotswold. I also put a little citrus/ginger salami out as well as chorizo, also purchased at DiBruno Bros.
I also took out the wooden cheese instruments Dad gave me at some other holiday in the past two years. The tablecloth was one Mom gave me months back after declaring my roommate's dining room table especially ugly.
So he- and she-J. and N. and S. came for Christmas dinner, which was a lot of fun. I worried that the apartment wouldn't be big enough to contain the kids, and I haven't actually been a sit-down dinner hostess type in over three years, so I forgot how much I like feeding people, even if I manage to make every smoke alarm go off and spill wine all over the oven. S. tried a bit of the cheese while working out.
For dinner I made a mushroom lasagna. I read a number of different recipes before kind of creating my own. But I did, for the first time ever, try making a Bechamel sauce, and I was quite pleased with the results.
I also poached a salmon in white wine on a bed of mint with shallots on top. I definitely didn't overcook it, which was my primary fear, but I think maybe I could have given it another five minutes under direct heat before letting it rest. He-J. made a great green bean casserole type dish too. Not really a casserole?

The kids went with apples and peanutbutter. She-J managed to skin an entire apple in one piece; I was very impressed.
Throughout the cheese and dinner courses we went through a bottle of champagne and one or two bottles of white. Maybe Dad will figure out how to leave a comment and let us know what those wines were. Perhaps one was a white Bordeaux and the other a Sancerre? Maybe not. I could be making that up.
S. and Dad had some sort of conversation.

I plugged my television and DVD player in (I watch just as much television as the next person, just on-line) and set the kids up to watch Dumbo. Turned out the lights and gave them a lantern too.

But the movie didn't hold their interest as much as the grown ups did. And I didn't help it by being more than willing to make them quite a bit taller than usual.

This looks like it ended poorly/like I have no defined face...but you would be wrong, S. did not wallop his head two seconds after this photograph. And I do, in fact, have a face with defined end points on the whole. I'm just in mid-no N. you cannot climb on my shoulders while I am still making sure your brother doesn't fall over speaking mode.
The boys also had a puzzle, which both she- and he-J. worked on a bit while N. climbed on and around them.

In this photograph I like how it looks like N. is talking to the tree. Also: note that there are many decorations on the tree, most of which were homemade by she-J. and S. It was the most well decorated per square inch tree in all the land.
For dessert She-J. made cookies. A lot of cookies.


Only one of which was shaped like a chicken. I ate it. Even after someone put their grubby little fingers all over it;)

I forget exactly what was going on here, or why. But it seems that instead of telling N. to get his brother's filthy sock out of his mouth, I chose to take photographs.
For both socks.
Hopefully N. hasn't gotten hoof and mouth disease.
S. was strangely pleased with activity it seems. It was a festive evening and I enjoyed it. It reminded me that I am capable of cooking a proper dinner for other people, and that my house can be cleaned up and made fit for such things (well, this was made easier because I just threw all my roommate's stuff into the hallway). Maybe I'll turn a corner and encourage people to eat with me more often. I'll definitely invite the J. and J. crew back, if they'll come, which I think they would because she-J. told me as much. Woot. Thanks to Dad for underwriting the cost of the meal and driving up to be a part of the holiday.

Lake Arrival Salad

So A.S. came over to my house a while back and we drank some brew and shot the shit. At some point she asked me if I had 4th of July plans, and I said not really. She then suggested that I might like to join her at her family's awesome stupendous amazing lake house for that specific weekend (except she simply said something more like 'the house at the lake'). Her suggestion was taken well, as I really did want to join her and her family; it's a ridiculously beautiful place and they are ridiculously good people. So, A.S. and I took half-days to beat the traffic and set off for Cayuga Lake around 2. This earlier arrival led to a much easier drive up than my one previous trip. We arrived by 7:30. And there dinner was, in effect, waiting for us. A salad.
A salad with a mix of greens, tomatoes and avocadoes, not to mention freshly sauteed corn and chicken.
And! And A.'s mother baked cookies, most of which were to be saved for a later point in time...but the one I tasted while straight hot out fresh from the oven was so lovely in its warmth and chocolate to cookie ratio.
A wonderful welcome after a rather lovely drive.

Cheese, Paella, Costumes and Cookies

Last Sunday I went over to J. and J.'s for dinner and hanging out. He-J put together quite the satisfying cheese plate, though I think we all gravitated especially to the Humboldt Fog Truffle Tremor cheese. I didn't know it existed, but now that I do, I may want to eat it all the time. The blue and the goat gouda cheeses were also quite tasty, but man, oh man, a ooey gooey creamy goat cheese with truffley goodness? Um. Well. Come on. Let's get real. What more could you possibly want. I have been saying it for a while, but the fact is I really would marry cheese and have its cheese babies. Especially this cheese.
Spot the kid.
S. and N. were in fine spirits. N. put on his dad's nightcap at one point and referred to himself as "Mr. Crazy."
He-J. made a tasty seafood paella with salmon and langoustines and bacon and red peppers and, I'm sure, a few other ingredients I am forgetting.
It was quite to my liking.
S., as he often does when I'm around, and probably when I'm not, had a mid-evening costume change.
He-J also recently made a fresh batch of limoncello and oh it was lovely. A little more fresh lemony. Refreshing and giggle inducing.
See. There are the giggles.

I then took a picture of the feet that sprouted from my belly all of a sudden.
I brought some of the cookies I had made earlier that day. This is proof of two things: that cookies were eaten and that my head is huge and I have no discernible chin. It's fine. I don't even care.
She-J tried on the costume but ran into a problem with head size.
He-J tried out the stroller-on-head look.
More shenanigans were had.
I asked He-J to take a photograph of She-J and the kids and me on the sofa, but we couldn't get our act together to all look at the camera/good at the same time.
Here, She-J and I are making eye contact while the kids watch Spirited Away.


I always enjoy hanging out with these folks, and this visit was particularly spirited and entertaining. Thanks to the whole clan!