Friendly Dinner

Tonight was another night with beloved friends... Old friends came over for a lovely dinner! 

Even Vela had a friend over!

meet OBI!

What's on our menu: 

Wine (of course) 

Main course: Pasta with asparagus and balsamic sauce 

Dessert: Strawberries dipped in dark chocolate  

Unfortunately we were enjoying ourselves too much, catching up and chatting in the kitchen for me to take photos... :( However, I did get some shots of the final "dishes." 

INGREDIENTS

1 bushel of asparagus spears

2 tomatoes 

1 tablespoon olive oil

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon light or dark brown sugar

1 package penne pasta

4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

DIRECTIONS

First heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut tough ends off the asparagus. Cut the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on baking sheet and cover with the oil and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ of the pepper. 

Roast until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.While the asparagus roasts, put the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the vinegar is reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper.

 Remove from the heat.Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just done, 11-13 minutes. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Stir in the butter and vinegar mixture. 

Toss to combine well. Add in the asparagus, tomatoes, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. 

Serve immediately and enjoy!

**feel free to add parmesan cheese for additional topping**

& for dessert... 

break up some of your favorite chocolate and melt it!

Dip strawberries and set on plate

Leave in the fridge for later...

Tacos & Homemade Guacamole

The photo says it all! Last night was a night for tacos! I love entertaining and cooking up a nice meal for friends! After setting the table, cutting up some veggies and toppings, cooking our meat...we were able to sit down and enjoy a delicious meal! 

What you need:

- friends/family..anyone, but know you are cooking a lot more than for one...

- Flour tortillas or hard shells for the tacos (I prefer to use whole grain tortillas)

- 1 pkg. McCormick Seasoning mix (or make your own! see recipe below)

- 400g of ground beef OR turkey

-3/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Brown the meat in a large skillet on medium-high heat

2. Stir in seasoning mix and water

3. Bring to boil. reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes

Serve directly onto tortillas or into a bowl for everyone to make their own!

When the meat looks like this...its ready! You will smell it too! 

Homemade Seasoning Mix:

- 1 tbs chili powder

- 1/4 tsp garlic powder

- 1/4 tsp onion powder

- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

- 1/4 tsp dried oregano 

- 1/2 tsp paprika

- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

- 1 tsp sea salt

- 1 tsp black pepper 

Directions:

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together. 

Store in a container for later use. 

Chop up some lettuce for toppings!

Other good toppings:

- Corn

- Tomatos

- Avocado

- Cheese 

Nachos are always good to have for a mexican themed meal! 

Especially when you have some fresh salsa or guacamole for dipping!

Homemade Guacamole

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 avocado

- freshly squeezed lime juice

- 1 clove of garlic

- 1/4 cup of water

Directions:

- Dice up avocado and garlic (makes it easier to blend)

- combine all ingredients into blender or food processor for about 3-5 minutes

done! 

Enjoy!