The dinner

Yesterday's dinner was great. It took a few hours to prepare - but it came out really well.
And James' floral arrangements were a big hit. Not to talk about the Kir Royal - the best ever :)

Hors o'dourves
- Zacusca and prosciutto on baguette and mozzarella

Appetizer
- Shrimp quiche and Waldorf salad

Main dish
- Pasta shells staffed with crab meat then baked (doesn't really have a name - wish it had one because it tastes a lot better than the description)

- Beef roast with potatoes and carrots (of course you could tell I cooked this dish - the potatoes outnumbered the carrots by far :))

Desert:
- Strawberry and rhubarb crisp - Emeril's recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/rhubarb-strawberry-crisp-recipe/index.html

I started taking pictures earlier in the cooking process - towards the end I completely forgot about it.

Yesterday also marked the first time ever when I was ready before the guests came in. The invitation was for 6:30 - and they showed up at 6:30 on the dot. At 6:25 the hors o'dourves were on the table and all the dishes were done - except for the crisp that just went in the oven.

On the subject of being on time, it took me years to get used to the American habit of being on time. In Romania nobody would show up on time - in general we were counting on people showing at least 15 minutes late. In my family other than my grandmother's generation we all incapable to be ready on time. So for me this was a big victory yesterday - but I can't really take credit - James helped all day so I can get the cooking done in time.

Notes along the way:
- Every time I say I need to get the shopping and cleaning done before the dinner day - and that never happens - the day before is always busy - something comes up and I never make it to the store. At least this time I made the shopping list before

- Waldorf salad - love it love it love it :) Every time I make it I am saying I will not make it again it takes too long for a salad - I would say about 30 minutes in preparation time - but it is totally worth it - it looks all fresh and tastes so refreshing - I used Martha Stuart's recipe. One tip I learned from another recipe - to grate the fennel- I had the hardest time before trying to cut it thin.

- Shrimp quiche - the Julia Child recipe - this was the fastest recipe for the evening - the shrimp takes about 5 minutes to peal/devein and prepare in butter and Vermooth - the mixing the milk/cream and eggs is 2 minutes and off it goes in the oven.

- I was first going to serve the salad and quiche separately - but they actually worked very well together.

- The shell pasta - I am attaching picturea of work in progress - when it went in the oven it had breadcrumbs covering it and it comes out nice a crispy looking on the outside.
Basically - you prepare the crab mixture then stuff the boiled pasta shells with it. A few years back my mother was visiting and we were having people over for dinner - I of course was running late when we sat down to fill the pasta shells. It makes me laugh when I remember her looking at me like I was out of my mind to go through the pain of stuffing every little pasta shell :) If you have the patience - it is well worth the effort. Yesterday I timed it - 30 minutes of filling the pasta. The dish was a hit and it is every single time - which makes me have the patience to make it again.














- Onto the rhubarb crisp. This is a simple dish to make - minimal chopping involved :) There are more complicated rhubarb pie recipies but if you are in a hurry this is a a tasty substitute. Rhubarb is in season now - all through last winter I had to use the frozen one - it just doesn't come out the same way. One note on rhubarb - it should be peeled - the outer layer is a little tougher.

Around 5 I was busily peeling the potatoes and carrots and instead of throwing the peels in the trash I used the garbage disposal which turned out to be a big mistake - I am saying now as I am waiting for the plumber at 11AM on Sunday morning to unclog the pipes :)

A few years back, the first time I moved to Reston I did the same when I cooked the first meal in the new place. A few hours later the downstairs neighbor showed up and said I flooded their apartment - fortunately they are at home and caught it in time. He asked me if I used the garbage disposal - I said yes. Then he said you must have thrown a lot of stuff in it - I said no more than usual - turns out the garbage disposals and pipes in Reston are too delicate to handle potato peels.

Anyway - no damage done this time - no neighbor to flood - just waiting for the plumber to arrive ...