Cocktail hour last night started with a Lemon Drop Martini based on this recipe, though I used Stoli Lemon and Gran Marnier. So summery. So delicious after a long morning of weeding, banana walnut waffle-making, and movie watching. The reflection of the sunflowers on the quartz countertop makes a rather painterly composition in this photo, no?
After tackling our challenging slope for two hours, digging out all manner of prickly, long-rooted weeds like smilax and wild blackberry vine, I went to see Julie & Julia, the one about food blogger Julie Powell and the dawning of Julia Child's career by Nora Ephron. I loved it, but I always enjoy Ephron's movies, and the topic is one near and dear to my heart. After cocktail hour, I found a recipe that contained ingredients we had on hand: spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, almonds, parmesan and tomatoes and basil from the garden. May I declare my love for Jamie Oliver? The Spaghetti alla Trapanese that I made last night from his Jamie's Italy cookbook was the bomdiggity. I asked Gnome if he thought that moaning after every bite would be inappropriate in the trattorias of Italy if this is what all the food is going to taste like.
This wine is fantastic:
After dinner, I watched, for the third or fourth time, Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman.
Gnome has named this squirrel "Hoppy" due to his predilection for jumping from this dogwood tree just outside our dining room window to the roof of the hot water heater house. Gnome snapped him just hanging out yesterday.
Cheers!
Angi
You might like this recipe for fruity iced tea: http://weddingcabaret.blogspot.com/2009/08/happy-hour-fruity-iced-tea-non.html
ReplyDeleteThanks, Aubrey. I'll check that out.
ReplyDeleteI need to pick up one of his cookbooks. I've certainly drooled over them enough in the bookstore, but when I compare them to the rest of my long wish list on amazon it's never quite number 1. My friend Colleen will be working as cinematographer for a new show he's doing in West Virginia (in the unhealthiest city in the U.S. :-)). That might just be motivation enough to go ahead and get one of his books, since I'll be in the neighborhood. Maybe I can go be camera assistant.
ReplyDeleteLydia: does that pasta not look delish? You could make it with risotto or brown rice, I bet. It has ground almonds in it. So how can I get in on meeting Jamie in WV?? I have script supervisor experience, you know! Maybe I could just be your assistant? When's the taping?
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