Tuesday, June 14, 2011

52 Weeks of Happiness: Cooking With Friends.

One thing that really makes me happy is cooking with friends. I have always loved cooking with friends and family. I used to host weekly potlucks at my house... and holiday meals are often cooked at my house because I love throwing a good party. This past weekend I got a chance to break bread with friends three times.

On Friday we went to Bastrop to celebrate the first birthday of little M. We had homemade pizza, swam in their new pool, ate cupcakes, and drank root beer floats. I also learned to play the ukulele. My awesome friends Marcus and Sara lent me one to play around with at home, and let me tell you, all songs are funnier when played on the ukulele.

We left too late and my little one was so exhausted that she had a bit of a fit... but otherwise it was a fun day. I got to cook with my friend Sara and hang out with the little ones while the dads took Thing 1 and Thing 2 out for a treasure hunt. I made the cupcakes and iron chef-ed the frosting... and Sara made the pizzas.





On Saturday we had breakfast with a friend. I made breakfast tacos and we hung out all morning drinking coffee. Due to the late evening the night before the kids were pretty mellow and allowed us to hang out at the table talking. Then later that afternoon we hung out with friends in Martindale on the San Marcos River. I forgot my camera... but it was a nice afternoon hanging out in the shallows, cooking sausage on the grill, and watching the kids swim.

Finally on Sunday we had a friend over to our house for dinner. My husband really wanted to have shellfish. We had watched an episode of a cooking show the night before and they had made a lovely saffron, shellfish and pasta dish. Due to the time of year all we could find at the seafood counter was shrimp and scallops... but here is what I did.

I cooked red onion, scallions, and sun dried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil until the onions were soft.
Then I added the shrimp, scallop, artichoke hearts and some fresh herbs from the garden. I cooked it until the seafood was cooked through and then simply tossed it with the pasta. I added some fresh Parmesan cheese and there you have it.

I hope you find time this summer to cook with friends.

Cheers,
Jenn




6 comments:

  1. Those are some lucky guests you invited over!

    =)

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  2. MMmmmmm Delicious!! Looks like you all had fun!! :) Happy Tueday!

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  3. That sounds like a blast! I hope I get the chance to do something like it, even on a smaller scale, this Summer.

    And the Ukulele! I think you need to record that and vlog it. >:)

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  4. You are to goooood Jenn! I love that you are learning the ukulele... so much fun... Cups Up! xoxo

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  5. The food looks so yummy and sounds like you all had a great time together!

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