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The BEST meal I ever cooked!

The BEST meal I ever cooked!

I'm not saying it was the best looking plate OR the best table I ever set OR the best single dish I ever made . . but IT WAS - HANDS DOWN - THE BEST MEAL I EVER COOKED!

So, this was the menu:

  • Appetizers that blew everyone's socks off.  However, menopause has zapped the details of what they were from me - so you'll just have to trust me - or if you don't, I'll give you a few contact numbers for the guests that were in attendance that night!
  • Lamb shanks braised for 3+ hours in syrah wine with prunes & Moroccan spices.  They were so tender & truly the meat just fell off the bones.  When everyone finished, the bones looked like something from the Flintstones - they were BARE and I mean BARE - what you call "cleared to the bone"!

  • An aromatic & sinfully delicious rice ring cooked with cardamon pods, saffron & a rich assortment of nuts (again, I can't tell you how good this stuff was - though I felt like I was channeling a Moroccan grandma speaking to me from her kitchen).
  • Tunisian spiced carrots with caraway & cumin seeds; spiked with harissa paste - yummy!
  • Grilled eggplant lemon, parsley & TONS of garlic!
  • A Greek salad inspired by the daily offering of fresh ingredients we were served each & every day of our honeymoon on the islands of both Santorini & Crete.  Large slabs of my favorite Israeli made "sheep's milk feta cheese" that you can only get at Trader Joe's.  (**If I haven't turned you on to this yet - go get a slab of Pastures of Eden feta cheese at TJs today - look for the green & yellow packaging.)
  • And for dessert . . these baked apples that I can only describe as sinful!  Stuffed with brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon & cardamom and drowned in this ogeat (almond) syrup, the were baked to velvety perfection and were completely out of this world.  I topped them with honey-sweetened, thick Greek yogurt and we all licked our plates (I mean literally, we picked up our plates & licked them)!!!

Now, of course, I haven't mentioned one of the best parts - which is our good friend, Bob Delf & his wife (now, ex) were in attendance.  Bob just happens to own a pretty successful winery up here in Washington and of course brought a LOT of wine.  I won't say that's what got us in the mood to lick our plates - but I wouldn't rule it out either!

Truly . . the BEST meal I ever cooked!

 

 

So . . Who are these Graffeo's Anyway?

So . . Who are these Graffeo's Anyway?

Blast from the Past . . . . . . . . It's all about the FOOD (and the party)!

Blast from the Past . . . . . . . . It's all about the FOOD (and the party)!