Another feast prepared by the Mother

To celebrate our appearance on Indy Style (http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/indy_style/kitchen/making-marshmallows-at-home-tips-from-240-sweet), Chris served us a wonderful feast. While sitting on the deck, we leisurely enjoyed the meal pictured above. I've noticed that I don't often take pictures of dessert--even though I love it.

We started the meal with delicious steamed mussels and tuna sashimi. Chris accompanied the sashimi with a ponzu sauce. I enjoyed the contrast of the caper's bite with sweetness of the fish. Alexa says that tuna is always her favorite item at a meal.

For our salad course, Chris created a yogurt sauce to dress the pear and kumquat salad. The walnuts and romaine added crunch and crispiness. Usually, she serves the salad as the last course. This time, she chose to include it between the appetizer and main entree.

On a spring evening that is turning a little chilly, nothing is more warming than beef stroganoff. Chris grilled the beef instead of braising it. This gave it a different dimension of flavor. Egg noodles and sour cream sauce completed the yummy dish.

For dessert, we ate a cherry pie. It was tasty.

After this delicious meal, we were ready for the next morning's show. I think we did well--thanks to the lovingly prepared fortification.

Sam

The Mother Prepared a Feast

To celebrate Alexa's birthday, Chris, her mother, prepared a wonderful feast. From top to bottom, here's what we enjoyed this evening. The pictures are in reverse order of enjoyment.

1. For this birthday celebration, even Marley enjoyed a special treat. Chris, Alexa and Marley inspect the giant bone. Even though Alexa thought we should prepare it for marrow, Marley was allowed to enjoy it all.

2. Chris created a beautiful Beef Wellington. In this picture, you can't see the flavorful duxelle or red wine sauce that we enjoyed.

3. Here's Chris with the grilled haloumi. Made with a mixture of goat's and sheep milk, this hearty cheese tastes like no other.

4. We started our meal with some light appetizers. Red grapefruit, kiwi and nectarines added a lighter note to compliment the Pico and other cheeses. The cippolini onions and blue cheese stuffed olives made delcious additions. Of course, there's guacamole (Yes, most of our meals include avocado).

A 1981 Antinori by Tiganello accompanied the meal. It was heaven.

And we finished the feast with a decadent chocolate cake topped with curls and candles. Chris made some whipped cream that I am having to resist right now.

In fact, I can hear the leftovers calling from the fridge. I don't know that anything else will fit in my stomach, though.

Are you familiar with Christine's latest project? She is producing a series for PBS called Dreamtime. Here's a link to the website: www.dreamtimetv.org.

Happy Birthday Alexa!

Sam