Family Dinner Party

My cousin Lisa was in town, so we had a fun little gathering at my Grandpa's house so that we could all catch a glimpse of her. She and her husband live in Talahassee - so far away!

I made a gigantic salad - the Mexicali Chop from the "Real Food Daily Cookbook." It's really easy and really great - it's got celery, tomatoes, avocado, red pepper, pinto beans, corn, cucumbers, lettuce... and then a great "Lime Cumin Vinaigrette." I really recommend that cookbook. Almost everything I've made has been a great success. The salad bowl that I brought along from home was too small... so we used this big AMAZING Chinese bowl that my grandparents inherited. You should click on the picture and look at all the neat painting on it. I might be a dork, but I felt very excited about serving up food in such a stunning dish.

I also made a GIANT pot of RFD's Black Bean Soup with Jalepeno Cream and Crispy Tortilla Strips. Wowee kazowee! This was a bit hit. It was a pretty hot day, so I was worried that this was really the wrong menu choice, but it worked great. It's got some strong spicy flavoring, but overall it's pretty light. You only puree about half of it, and then add it back in to the main pot. Also that Jalepeno Cream is fantastic - it's got roasted jalepenos and cashews and lime zest... whoa! I think it would be fun to experiment with this recipe and make some variations on it for other applications... it's SO quick and easy. The Crispy Tortilla strips only take about 15 minutes and they're really a nice addition. It's fun to have a little *crunch* in your soup!

I also made this silly video. Since I am always talking about my family, and especially my grandpa, I thought I'd show you the scene of the crime! Everyone was busy with different things... somehow people kept jumping up and coming and going... so the video is a little chaotic. Also, please don't think we made my sweet Grandpa eat all by himself on the sofa... we were sitting with him - just up for a moment! :)