Italtian 101

We had a "cooking" dinner party

One of our dear friends wanted

to practice preparing a few Italian dishes

so we all got in the kitchen,

put on some Italian music,

and cooked some delicious food

It was an all day affair but

we loved every minute of it



For starters, Janie prepared

this beautiful roasted veggie tray

it was a wonderful beginning to our Italian meal





carrots, tomatos, greenbeans, zuchinni, and cauliflower

Next we prepared our salad

Baby Spinach Salad

with Olives, red onion, shaved  Ricotta Salata,

and candied pecans

We took our time between each course
which made the meal and the entire
evening very enjoyable

Entree- Country Ragu Sauce

We seared a chicken thigh and a lamb rib

and added it to our sauce for extra flavor

We cooked this sauce earlier in the day,

It's a little labor intensive but oh so worth the time!!

Ragu served over linguine w/ crusty bread

and of course a little vino

OK, maybe lots of vino

Also earlier in the day Janie
and I had prepared our dessert

Limoncello Mousse

You sooooooo need this recipe!

4 egg yolks, plus 1 whole egg, beaten
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. Fresh Lemon Juice
pinch of salt
1/2 C. Unsalted Butter, room temp
1/4 C. Limoncello
1 C. whipping cream

In a med-sized saucepan over med heat, whisk together beaten egg yolks &
whole egg, sugar, lemon juice & salt.  Switch to a spoon & stir for 10-15 min, or till mixture thickens.  You'll know when this happens (it thickens up even more when cooled)  Remove pot from heat & stir in butter, a few pats at a time, till it's all used up.  Stir in limoncello till incorporated.  Let curd cool & thicken, stirring every so often, then cover & place in the fridge for 1 hr.  When curd is cold, whip whipping cream till stiff peaks form. In a large bowl, fold whipping cream into the lemon curd,  reserving a few dollops of plain whipped cream for garnish.  Spoon mousse into lovely dessert glasses,
top with a touch of whipped cream & serve with biscott on the side.

to finish off this great meal
we retreated to the screened porch
and enjoyed our delicious dessert and
each other's company

What a fun cooking experience
and a wonderful meal
with special friends

Every Little Birdie says-

We got up the next morning and walked off
some of those calories!!!!

....and then came home and ate
a yummy brunch......

Oh well, I'll diet tomorrow!