Connecting Through Food

I love food. I love the process of cooking. It's so relaxing to me. And since I never pursued any art forms, it gives me a chance to be creative. But even more than that, I enjoy sitting down with people I care about to enjoy a homemade meal. I give my mom credit for often cooking and getting the family to actually sit down together for a meal. She wouldn't allow TV or other distractions. I have come to think of these nightly rituals as a really significant and positive influence on my life and I try to continue them. Even when Troy is exceedingly busy (always) I try to get us to sit down together to eat. Often it's the only time we see each other during the week.

Eating together is a great opportunity to connect, which is why I love dinner parties with friends. This week, our friend Dave asked us to come and make pasta with him and his girlfriend Emily using his grandmother's old pasta maker. We couldn't pass this opportunity up!
Troy made some mojitos and mint juleps with fresh mint from the garden to make this laborious process a bit easier. Here's Dave with a mint julep and the beginnings of the spinach fettuccine.

And here are some photos of the process:











Believe it or not, Dave's grandma did what we found to be a 3-person job by herself! He says often she'd often be cranking out pasta for 20 people!

The pasta was so very good! Dave also made chicken rolatini that were stuffed with portabellos, mozzarella, and prosciutto. Yum! I made this chocolate mousse dessert, topped with fresh raspberries. It turned out really well too. You would never in a million years guess that there was tofu in it!

Here are some pics of the final product and happy eaters.