The Four P's

This past weekend was spent quietly and quaintly in the GA mountains, just the boy and I. I won't give you a play by play as we were pretty laid back on food prep...but a few highlights from the weekend include:

Green Herb Risotto
This was pretty good, though kinda long in prep...I was more interested in drinking wine and watching ultimate fighting from the hot tub. But it was pretty decadent (though not high in fat) for a veggie dish. (Yes we even have veggie night on vacations...of course they are often followed by what comes next...)

Hot Dog Steamed in Beer
Care of Frank's Place, Ducktown, TN, a little bar on the edge of GA/SC/TN. Drank PBRS, ate hot dogs steamed in beer and really good chili cheese fries. The chili was spicy and flavorful, the cheese deliciously processed and melty. I am of the opinion that "real" cheese does not belong on cheese or chili cheese fries as it quickly becomes plastic like in texture as it cools, and frequently is NOT creamy or melty...These were good.

Agnello con Salsa di Uovo
No matter how you say it...lamb is good. I have had this recipe on file for a while, but it too was a little lengthy in preparation. Though this time I didn't mind as we were playing scrabble with a game that was missing about 16 letters, so our turns took a little longer than normal. So while one of us tried to come up with a word, the other would take the next step of the lamb. It was rich, and lemony...the perfect light tasting, yet deeply flavored, hearty braised meat to segue into fall and winter with. Went well with smashed potatoes, no need for butter or milk, the rich egg sauce was all you needed. If you want this recipe email me and I will send it to you, but it's too long to type!

The coup de grace was The four p's: Pancetta, Parmigian, Pepper and Popcorn. Our first football snack of the year. (Okay, I admit we ate a bag of cheetos first! - our first homemade snack of the season.) Yes, I made popcorn in pancetta renderings. When I brought the snack down to the boy he looked at the popcorn and said "Oh my god did you just make popcorn with bacon fat?" I smiled sweetly at him and nodded. "God I love you," he replied.

We were grateful for: a quiet weekend, the boy's straight A's, our happy little pups, the sweet and friendly Blue ridge folk.