I've been cooking regularly for over a week now and it's the most amazing feeling to be in control of something you're creating. I grew up with the the exotic smells of ethnic spices, the aroma of fresh garlic toasted to a golden brown in sesame oil...the crackle and sizzle of the cast iron skillet roaring to life right before mom tossed in the meats and vegetables. Every mouth watering bite was pure heaven. My tastes buds always exploded at the intensity of the flavors within the delicious Vietnamese cuisine. Mom always made enough to feed an army and I was never one to complain. Her natural ability to measure spices without using any measuring tools was a skill she adapted over time. I've been lucky, I must have inherited her methods, including the ability to experiment with different techniques and still manage to cook up something tasty. Thanks mom!This brings me to my weekend house guest. Mr. Right was shoo-ed off so I could invite my writing pal for a writing weekend. I tried my best to keep her entertained with my culinary skills and bartending abilities. We even managed to squeeze in a local chapter meeting and a bit of gossip. It's nice to have a friend in a new town and equally fun that there's little effort in just hanging out. It was definitely a food fest. I wined and dined her...even made a few pitchers of pina colada! Friday was steak, mashed potato, rice, and a crip green salad. Saturday I attempted to re-create my mom's Vietnamese Spring Roll recipe and also made baked chicken in Kalbi sauce. Of course, I'm a bit rusty at the stove but everything turned out pretty decent. I'm sure that once I spend more time in the kitchen, those rusty cooking skills will be revitalized. The place seems quiet now that NaughtyChick is gone and today I'm spending it being lazy. Mr. Right and I are going to have another date night. We picked up Flash Gordon not long ago..before you groan at the thought of the campy movie, it is fun and brainless and has eye-candy. It's a win-win for both of us...and with plenty of wine flowing, I'm sure it's going to be a great date!
Hope you're spending this Sunday with a bit of R&R...until Monday...I'm officially giving you all a break!
I love brainless movies - they're so fun! lol The food sounds awesome.
Sounds like you had a great time this weekend. I'm glad you had fun!
The food sounds great. I had a nice, relaxing weekend. Didn't do much.
It was a nice time and I enjoyed the company. I'm budgeting for conferences and events so it was good brainstorming for me. :)
You're such a gracious hostess. I've never been so fantastically whined and dined. The food was amazing and the company, well priceless.