Barefoot Contessa: Make it Ahead

I am spoiled.  Two Jean George restaurants in a week!  First ABC Kitchen for lunch with my team.  The ambiance was gorgeous and food was great.  Friday night we went to the Inn at Pound Ridge.  Again, beautiful ambiance - farmhouse, high vaulted ceilings, candlelight. It was gorgeous.  Food was good too.

Saturday we had friends over and we decided to make everything from apps to dessert using Barefoot Contessa's new cookbook Make it Ahead.

I gotta tell you it was slim pickings.  I made for an app roasted kale parmesean chips. They were good, but not exciting.  Neither were the other apps that I could have selected.

For dinner I made the strip steak recipe -- dry rub, charcoal grilled.  They were good.

Kept two plain for the kids -- although all 5 of them devoured those plus more.

 

I also made her baked potatoes topped with whipped feta and the Spanish tapas red peppers -- the adults loved both of these.

My friend made the banana chocolate chip crumb cake and the chocolate cluster cookies - both were delish.

Our friends came/left early so the boys had time for a movie before bed. When I brought in the popcorn I found them having a tea party and saying "let's have a toast to the team".  They crack me up!

Sunday was insane.  We had baseball parade through town for my two big boys so I knew I wouldn't have time to go food shopping so had fresh direct deliver.

They love to play food delivery....too cute. :)


The parade/barbecue/bounce castles were super fun, but impossible to tear the kids away from everything

 

I got home with the little two around 2:30 to clean and start a ton of cooking including a recipe for these Sesame Snaps which were a pain in the a## to make, but good.  I also made for dinner Pioneer Woman's Apple Pork Roast which was AWESOME.

Hope everyone has a great week!