Dinner with Mike & Charisse

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Dale and I had Mike and Charisse over for dinner. We all sat in the back yard and Mike and I smoked cigars. He loves these La Gloria Cubanas. As do I. So nice to catch up. Dale hasn't seen Charisse in over a year. We all mentioned how nice it is to see each other now that we're vaccinated and this Covid-19 pandemic seems to be winding down. 

We ordered Chinese from Xin Wong over on Nicollet and watched Red Garters. Mikey loved it. 

Dinner with Friends - Chicken Cacciatore

Dale and I had Mike and Charisse over last night.  It was a lovely evening.  They had been in Arizona over the holidays and brought us back a wedding vase.  It was a very thoughtful gift.  Mike is doing a month long cleanse where he is eliminating alcohol.  I was a little disappointed since it's always fun to have a drink with him but I soldiered on alone and had a Sidecar, one of my favorite non-martini cocktails.  Dale made chicken cacciatore which he thought was a little dry but I had to disagree with him.  I thought the meat was just right. I think the fact that it is cooked in liquid helps.  It was a hit with Mike and Charisse as well.  Here's the recipe Dale used which is credited to Giada De Laurentis:

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs, 4 chicken breasts with skin and backbone - halved crosswise, 2 teaspoons salt - plus more to taste, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper - plus more to taste, 1/2 cup all purpose flour for dredging, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 large red bell pepper - chopped, 1 onion - chopped, 3 garlic cloves - finely chopped, 3/4 cup dry white wine, 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice, 3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth, 3 tablespoons drained capers, 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper.  Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.

In a large heavy saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame.  Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side.  If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.  Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers and oregano.  Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce.  Bring the sauce to a simmer.  Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes for the breast pieces, and 20 minutes for the thighs.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter.  If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.  Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce.  Spoon the sauce over the chicken , then sprinkle with the basil and serve. 

Osaka Restaurant

This past Saturday our friends Mike and Charisse had us out to their boat on the St. Croix. After cocktails on the river we ate at a restaurant in Stillwater called Osaka. They served the best sushi I've ever had. Mike and Charisse were curious as to whether Stillwater can support a sushi place. Time will tell...

Mike and Charisse and Chili

We had our friends Mike and Charisse over last night and Dale did an improvised chili. Although we generally don't try out untested recipes on friends we felt pretty confident about this one. For cocktail hour Mike and I had martinis in the kitchen and reminisced about jr. high and high school. Dale and Charisse had beer and wine in the living room.

A Mini High School Reunion

The world keeps getting smaller and now because of Facebook it's smaller still. A couple of years ago I joined FB and reconnected with a number of high school friends and acquaintances just before my high school reunion. Some continue to pop up. Recently one of these people, Mike, approached Dale at the gym because he recognized him from a picture posted on my FB account. Dale told me of the meeting and, long story short, Mike and his wife Charisse came over to our place for dinner tonight. It was wonderful to reconnect. We had both forgotten in what class we met but determined that we had at least been in Spanish together in 8th grade and also a government class as seniors in high school. There was a lot to reminisce about including teachers, classmates, classes, et cetera. I observed how I find it interesting that in high school one spends so much time trying to define how one is unique and different. Yet years later you realize that you really had a lot in common with everybody, namely your age, school, neighborhood, city, era; things we never would have considered unifying at the time.

Mike and I had martinis before dinner. Mike's was vodka and mine gin. Dale and Charisse had wine. For dinner we had lasagna which I've made for years and is based on my mom's recipe. I remember Mom making it for the first time when I was about 12 years old. I absolutely loved it and now consider it one of my favorite comfort foods. Here's how I make it now:

1 - 1&1/2 pound Italian sausage (or ground beef/turkey)

1&1/2 jars a spaghetti sauce

lasagna noodles (I use about 11 or 12)

15 oz. ricotta cheese

1 egg

chives

4 cups mozzarella

Fry off meat and add spaghetti sauce to the pan. Prepare noodles but only cook them for about half the recommended time as they will bake in the oven. In medium bowl combine ricotta and cheese and set aside. Begin layering items in greased pan. Spread some of the meat mixture on the bottom of the pan and cover that with about four lasagna noodles. Spread some of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles and then cover this with some of the mozzarella. Repeat until ingredients are used up. Cover with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, oregano, and nutmeg. Oven should be heated to 350 degrees. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Cover and let cool for about 10 minutes.

[Note: for a healthier option we use ground turkey, "light" dairy products, and egg whites. For high octane we go with fattier ingredients.]

Dale made green beans and garlic bread.

I find lasagna to be great for entertaining because it can be made ahead of time and you can have cocktails with guests while it cooks.