Taramosalata

The other day my husband, Charles, came home with two large bags of groceries.  Usually I do all of the grocery shopping and cooking so this was a surprise.  Charles and I had already discussed hosting an Olympic themed Sunday Night Dinner where all of our friends would bring food from different countries.  Charles said that he wanted to make Taramosalata and Tzatziki, which are both Greek dips.  He had purchased all of the ingredients to make these dishes twice, because he wanted to do a practice run before Sunday.

Charles doesn't have much experience in the kitchen, but he has lots of enthusiasm to make up for it.  So I gave Charles a cooking lesson.  He learned about the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon, and in the end, the Taramosalata turned out great.  This is a pretty simple recipe that can be made in the blender.  We served it with Pita Bread that we brushed with Olive Oil, toasted in the oven, and cut into bit sized triangles.

You will need:
8 slices of day old bread
4 tablespoons Carp Roe Caviar
2 tablespoons White Onion
3/4 cup Olive Oil
5 tablespoons Lemon Juice

Step 1:
Cut the crusts off the bread.  Then soak it in water.  Squeeze out the bread and then let it sit in a colander while you prepare the other ingredients.

Step 2:
Add the caviar and 0nion to a food processor and blender.  Then slowly add the bread.

Step 3:
With the food processor or blender on a low setting, slowly add the 0live 0il.

Step 4:
Add the lemon juice and mix until combined, and the taramosalata is smooth and creamy.

Source: http://greekfood.about.com/od/dipsspreadspures1/r/taramosalata.htm

Wedding Advice

I am a newlywed, and I am relieved that the wedding planning is over and that I get to spend the rest of the summer relaxing with my new husband!  For anyone who is planning a wedding, here are some words of wisdom.

Everyone has an opinion, but you don't have to listen to anyone.  Lots of people told us not to go to Greece for our honeymoon because they thought it would be dangerous.  It was totally safe, and some things were less expensive because fewer people are traveling there.  We also felt like we got excellent service at every hotel and restaurant because Greek tourism as declined.

Having a photographer that you like as a person makes everything so much more fun!  Your wedding photographer will be by your side most of your wedding day, so make sure you like them!  I totally lucked out with the lovely Meredith Perdue!

Be smart about tanning leading up to your wedding.  You don't want tan lines!  I wore strapless dresses leading up to the wedding date to avoid any tan line issues.  Also, don't be that bride that gets a spray tan and is 10 shades darker than anyone else at the wedding.  A former co-worker of time got spray tanned before her September wedding in Chicago and it looked ridiculous since she was the only one with a tan.

Bring appropriate footwear on your honeymoon.  I brought heels but not sneakers.  The roads in Greece are not high heel friendly, and there were lots of hiking opportunities so I ended up buying sneakers in Greece.

Have a pair of flats at your wedding.  I was very glad that I did this!

If you are planning a summer wedding, or a wedding somewhere warm, consider a second dress for dancing.  What people do not realize is that there is a lot of fabric in a wedding dress and you get really hot wearing one!  I was so glad that I had a short dress to change into! 

Some people are difficult.  Before you bend over backwards to accommodate the most difficult guests - think twice.  In my case, my most difficult guests said they were coming - but were no shows.  Some people are just going to be difficult, my advice would be to stand your ground whatever their issue is, and don't waste your time trying to accommodate them, instead weed them out, if they are difficult from the get go - they will be difficult until the end.

If you aren't doing photos until after the ceremony, have a cocktail hour and a half instead of a cocktail hour.  Our photos took about 45 minutes or so.  When we got to the cocktail hour and a half we were able to say hi to almost every guest.  It was a huge relief to have 90% of the hellos out of the way before dinner.  After dinner we said hi to the few people we had missed and then we just got to have fun!

Have someone with experience help to bustle your dress.  Five of my girl friends were involved in trying to bustle my dress - I can't wait to see photos of this because I am sure they are hilarious.  My girl friends said that dress bustling should be a Girl Scout Badge - they are absolutely right.  Also - before you put your dress on, explain how your dress bustles to your bridesmaids.  It is easier to show them when you aren't wearing the dress.

Get a joint bank account before the wedding.  Cashing checks written to Mr. and Mrs. can be a huge hassle.  It is easier if you have a joint bank account because they aren't as strict about your last name on the check matching the last name on the account.  Changing your name takes a little while - and you are probably going to want to cash checks right away.  Fortunately my bank let me deposit the checks to Mr. and Mrs. - but it did require bringing my husband and our marriage certificate with me to the bank.  Note to wedding guests: always write the check to the groom - the couple will have no problems cashing the check if you do this!

Gather the documents you will need to change your name before the wedding.  Make sure you have your birth certificate, driver's license, passport, and social security card!

Make sure your birth certificate is accurate.  It sounds silly, but my mother's maiden name was spelled wrong.  Make sure your marriage license is correct as soon as you receive it, filling out the form correctly does not necessarily translate to a marriage license with accurate information.  They also spelled my mother's maiden name wrong.  It is super annoying requested corrected vital records, but probably best that we found the mistakes and can correct them before we file the immigration paperwork for my husband.

Some people have asked me if I would do anything differently.  The one thing I would do differently is that I would have given myself another hour to get ready.  By the time I was ready, it was time to walk out the door for the ceremony.  I wish I had a little more time to let everything sink in before I walked down the aisle.

Olympic Themed Sunday Night Dinner

My friends gather every Sunday for dinner.  It is a tradition that began before I moved to Chicago, and has continued for 5+ years.  Sunday Night Dinner is one of the highlights of my week.  It is quality time set aside with some of my closest friends.  We always enjoy recapping the events of the weekend, making plans for the week to come, and sharing food.  Dinner hosts rotate casually, there is no list or assigned dates, you host when you can, but things work out so we have dinner almost every Sunday.  The host makes the main dish, and everyone else brings appetizers, side dishes, and desserts.  Usually about 8 people attend dinner so there are many dishes to try.  Sometimes Sunday Night Dinner is assigned a theme.  Pasts themes have included: Childhood Foods, Minnie's (all the food was mini, in honor of a Chicago restaurant that had just closed), the color Blue, the Oscars, Christmas in July, Asia, Halloween, and Mad Men.

Charles and I jumped at the chance to host an Olympics themed SND since he is British and the Olympics are in London.  We instructed our friends to choose a country to represent and make a dish from that country.  For those who wanted to go the extra mile the could also wear an outfit to represent their country.  Charles finally got to wear the Union Jack bow tie I bought him for his birthday, even though he made Greek food.  Our Australian friend, Adrian, wore a jersey and brought Fosters beer.  Dre and Dimo represented Germany by wearing the colors of the German flag and bringing beer, brats, and sauerkraut.  John represented Italian sausage, Dana represented Thailand with Spring Rolls, Woody and Mary represented Sweden with Swedish Meatball cupcakes (Swedish Meatballs topped with Mashed Potato and Cranberry Sauce), Caroline represented Spain with Potatas Bravas, and I also represented Greece and made Moussaka.  I finally followed through with taking photos to document all the delicious foods my friends prepared.  My friends are a creative bunch, and they all did a great job tackling the theme.  We decided that people take the themed dinner more seriously and we always end up with more food then we normally do.

Thank you to everyone who came to dinner!  Later this week I will be posting the recipes for the Greek dishes that Charles and I made.  Here are photos of the delicious dishes my friends made:

Charles's Taramosalata

Charles's Tzatziki with Pita

Caroline's Potatas Bravas

Woody and Mary's Swedish Meatball Cupcakes

Dre and Dimo's Brats, Beer, and Sauerkraut

John's Italian Sausage and Peppers

Dana's Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Chicken and Pesto Pasta

This is one of the quickest meals that I have made.  All in all it took only about 20 minutes to make.  I made this on a busy Thursday night when we wanted to have a quick meal before heading to the driving range for a couple hours.

Feel free to add more ingredients to this dish. Mushrooms, pine nuts, or garlic would be great additions.

Serves 2
You will need:
2 Chicken Breasts
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Pasta
1/3 cup Pesto
1 Tomato, diced
3 tablespoons Parmesan
Salt and Pepper

Step 1:
Put water on the stove under high heat to boil for the pasta.  Then dice the chicken breasts.  Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Generously salt and pepper the chicken.  Then add the chicken to the skillet.

Step 2:
Add 1/3 of the box of pasta to the water once it boils. As the pasta boils, keep an eye on the chicken. It will take about 4-5 minutes per side to cook, just make sure there is no pink in the middle.

Step 3:
The pasta and the chicken should be ready at about the same time. Drain the pasta and return it to the same pot. Pour the chicken over the pasta.

Step 4:
Using the same skillet you used for the chicken, heat up the pesto and tomatoes for 2-3 minutes, until hot. Then pour over the pasta. Add the Parmesan, stir, and serve.

Steak with Woody's Marinade

Our first meal at home as husband and wife!

Charles and I returned home late last Thursday and were so excited to spend Friday together.  I think that spending a weekday off in your home city can be the best because you can go to places that are normally packed on weekend and get in much more easily!  We spent the morning unpacking gifts and then spent the afternoon at our favorite taco place Big Star.

Saturday we decided to have a low key night at home.  Peapod delivered groceries on Saturday morning - so I was able to cook again!  I must admit that I did miss cooking a little.  I can't remember the last time I went 2 weeks+ without cooking anything.

I decided to cook a meal based on Charles's favorite foods, it was the least I could do after he planned such an incredible honeymoon.  Although this meal looks like it may have taken a while, I made it in under an hour (minus the time the steak marinated).

I am pleased to tell everyone that many wedding gifts contributed to making and serving this meal.  Thank you to: The Corgans/Pelleritos for the grill pan, Hanley for the steak knives, the Olcotts for the wine glasses, Helen and Dom for the bakeware, and the Blairs for the meat tenderizer!

Credit goes out to Woody whose marinade recipe I used!

For the Steak You Will Need:
Steak
Red Wine
Worcestershire Sauce
Soy Sauce
Olive Oil

Step 1:
Combine equal parts wine, worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce in a glass pan and let marinate for at least 3 hours.

Step 2:
Drizzle a little olive oil onto a grill pan (or any pan).  Heat the pan over high heat.  Then remove the steak from the marinade and generously coat with salt and pepper.

Step 3:
Add the steak to the pan and cook for about 4 minutes a side, until the steak had browned and there are strong grill marks.

Step 4:
At this point the steak will be rare.  To cook the steak more, put under the broiler in the oven, and cook for about 10-15 minutes more for medium temperature steak.

Greek Food

"You no eat meat? It's ok, I make lamb." That is one of our favorite quotes from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and something Charles kept saying on our trip. As I have previously mentioned, we loved all the food in Greece- the only problem was that we were eating too much of it! Greek portions are much larger than portions in other countries, they are actually on par with American portion sizes. When you are traveling and eating breakfast, lunch and dinner in restaurants its easy to over eat. After 2 days we replaced lunch with an afternoon snack.

I took a few of photos of the delicious meals we tried to share with you. I will definitely be making some of these dishes in the near future!

A platter of Greek appetizers.  The tomato fritters in the center were my favorite.  Also included: fava bean puree, tzatziki, grape leaves, eggplant puree, and fried feta cheese.

Moussaka - Santorini's famous dish, made with ground beef, potatoes and cheese.

Gyro platter.

Tuesday Tip: How to Make Powdered Sugar

What do you do when you have 5 pounds of granulated sugar, but the recipe calls for Powdered Sugar?  Pour the granulated sugar into the blender and make powdered sugar.  I recently tried this and it worked pretty well, the consistency was similar, I probably could have blended it longer.  It is definitely a great trick to know!  I read that it works best when you blend only a cup or two at a time.