summer picnic

I still have a "Blogging for a Budget" post in mind, but I have had so much going on that (wisely) the food blog has been put on the back burner (!). Yesterday my friends and I celebrated the 4th by relaxing and floating down the river in rafts - it took us 6 1/2 hours to go a distance that usually takes 4 hours, but linking up to each others' rafts and carrying a raft full of ice and beer was well worth the longer trip. We all got light tans and had an incredible time, followed by a cook out where the boys showed off their grilling skills. Thank you to the men for relieving the ladies of cooking meals and paddling rafts.

Tomorrow Andrew and I resume our weekly date nights/days! He just started a new job as Director of Theatre Operations at the Nickelodeon Theatre, a local arthouse cinema here in Columbia, and the transition into long hours (for both of us) has been hectic. So tomorrow we are getting back on the right foot and heading to Riverbanks Zoo for the morning and a picnic by the river at lunch. This afternoon I made a trip to the grocery and stocked up on some good breakfast foods and a few things for tomorrow's picnic. Some tastes buzzing around in my head as I shopped: fresh, Italian, summery, sweet, salty, PICNIC!

The menu: French bread, course ground mustard, muenster and gouda cheeses, cold cuts (Pancetta, Prosciutto, Lebanon Bologna, Genoa Salami), strawberries, Black Mission figs, petite dill pickles, Nutella (!!!!), and a little something I ordered from Green's last week - Sofia Mini Blancs, which are miniature cans of sparkling white wine (with straws! Think Capri Suns for Adults).

Mmmm...I can't wait.

Minty Orange Granita

Mmm...Summer. It's the time for cold treats, grilled meats and veggies, hanging out late and windows down. And also, granitas. Like Italian ice, the granita is a flavored, icy dessert that melts in your mouth and refreshes. It originated in Sicily, though you may also hear/see the French name, granite. The basic process is to create the liquid mixture with which you wish to flavor - usually starting with a simple syrup (sugar dissolved in water, equal parts), a juice, a liqueur, or an infusion - and then gradually freeze it in a shallow dish.

Sunday night a couple invited Andrew and me over for dinner and they served us the most amazing meal - grilled chicken and fresh veggie kebabs, (squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini) homemade bread and baked (on the GRILL!) potatoes and a yummy salad. They covered the entire meal, so what else could we offer? Wine and beer and cider, and a granita, of course (a few days after this Villa Tronco served a watermelon granita - so sweet, so good. I may try that next).

Minty Orange Granita

1 c. sugar
1 c. water
2/3 c. orange liqueur (I used Patron Citronge)
2 c. orange juice
fresh mint leaves

Make your simple syrup - heat sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. Let cool for awhile and then add in the orange liqueur, orange juice and mint leaves (or you can add in the mint leaves to the simple syrup for a stronger taste). Pour into a shallow dish (I use a 13x9 pyrex dish) and leave in freezer for a couple of hours. Check on it - when it is basically frozen solid use a fork to scrape into ice crystals. Keep frozen for as long as you need to obtain the right crystalline consistency or until you are ready to serve, just make sure the ice is shaven into light, fluffy little crystals. Serve with a sprig of mint (and in a pretty glass)!

hi there

my, time flies by. my time flies by. it has been nearly 2 weeks since posting and i am sorry to be a sluggish writer. I have worked about 60-65 hours at my internship in the last 2 weeks and it has been absolutely great! I have fewer epic stories (you can only have a first time for making ravioli once) but I can say that I have been enjoying the more mundane, repetitious parts of the job as much as the new intriguing stuff. my feet hurt (a lot, but not quite as much as at the Masters. no tears. yet) and I am trying to sort out how to use my time wisely when I have a few short hours of my own day to play with when working 35 hours a week. but i am getting so much better at speaking Spanish!

our lunch shift is 9-3 which is a nice - going in in the mornings affords more energy to spend on work and you get to skip the obnoxious mopping and sweeping of closing. our dinner shifts are from 3-close which are more tiresome but so much fun when the nights are busy.

some good specials and flavor combinations i have seen this week - salmon in an orange and basil sauce, pan seared flounder in a rosemary and pineapple sauce, filet mignon with spinach and artichoke cream sauce, seafood risotto, salad with fresh strawberries, toasted almonds, cheddar cheese and strawberry dressing.

Andrew and Amanda graduated (!), the summer is here and we have been celebrating by lots of get togethers, beer, dinners at Hunter Gatherer, and I have been getting my hands dirty fixing up my old bike. I still can't decide if it is worth the time and money - I guess it is worth it until it's not. I'll keep you posted.