Now, this particular dinner was somewhat of a palooza. Dishpalooza, is what Chris named it. That happens sometimes. I get pulled in too many different directions as I consider what to make, and I never quite reach a decision. Then, I end up making something that never really had an end goal, and the result is, in this particular case, brown rice and chopped kale with caramelized onions, sauteed pattypan squash, black beans, and toasted sesame seeds.
The sum was much less than its parts.
Do you see the sweet red chili sauce and the whole grain mustard over there on the left? That is how all-over-the-place my creations are, on occasion.
But I made up for it the following night. Oh - and I don't normally like for the stove to be that crowded. Simple is best.
Speaking of simple, last weekend we went to our friends' home for dinner. We grilled on the back patio. The dinner ended up so spontaneously wonderful, with everything working out in courses that we shared, so we got a little taste of everything. We ended it with espresso and strawberry shortcake. We left around midnight, but we could have sat there longer just chatting.
At one point, our friend Derek went inside to get the barbecue sauce. Little did I know he was whipping it up from scratch in a little pan on the stove, with ketchup, onions, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and I can't remember what else. When I went inside to grab something though, there was NO sign of it being homemade. No ingredients left out, no messes, no recipe, no stressed out look (thinking of myself here). He simply whipped it up as if it were nothing. That is the kind of cooking we should all strive for!