We had just the best weather today!  Still, no wind, although the sweat bees were trying their hardest to get into our gazebo!  I am pretty sure we killed at least three!  I don’t like bees, never have.  And I am pretty sure I’ve only been stung once, as a child, running barefoot in my grandparents backyard, so I am not sure where I obtained my aversion!

Breakfast, unlike yesterdays, was so flavorful and good!  It helps if my homemade bread was the basis of my egg sammie! 

  • 2 ounces of bread
  • 1 egg
  • 2 slices pan fried bacon
  • 1 ounce fresh mozzarella
  • 3 ounces raspberries on the side

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My Mom came over for dinner – and like most Mom’s, she brought me tomatoes from her garden, but also the best smelling basil!  Thanks Mom!

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I decided to make two appetizers, although they were eaten in the kitchen while I was making other things – no big!

Edamame Ginger Dip

  • 16 ounce bag of frozen edamame, cooked according to package directions
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • a big shake of Frank’s hot sauce

Once the edamame are cooked, throw everything into the food processor and blend.

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Here’s how it looks after its chilled for 1/2 hour.

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Had I just been making this for me, I definitely would have spiced it up a bit more, but I thought it was good!  We used sesame Wasa crisps for this dip. 

Then I grilled asparagus and after it was grilled, wrapped prosciutto and glazed with a balsamic reduction – I took 2 cups of balsamic vinegar, heated it on high to a boil, then reduced to low temp for 30 minutes – the result is a perfect balsamic glaze.

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This glaze reduced to about 1/2 a cup from 2 cups – its so rich!  It will keep in the fridge for two weeks.

We ended up getting steaks from Sam’s Club – they were really good!  And a bit big!  Each one weighed in at 1.25 pounds!  I cooked all three, knowing I would send my Mom with leftovers and Tony and I can have steak fajitas later this week.   Always let your steak come to room temperature before grilling – don’t go from fridge to grill – for some reason the steak is more tender that way.

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I cooked shrimp on the grill while the steaks were resting.

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My plate:  I probably had about 5 ounces of steak and four pieces of shrimp with about 1 tablespoon of the scampi butter:

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My Mom loves this wine, so we enjoyed:

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Our dog just loves being outside with us, although he is pretty much spent by the time he comes in – must be all the fresh air!

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And it was a gorgeous sunset.  I love how the sun reflects on our backyard trees!

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I have no idea how many calories our “linner” (lunch+dinner) was, but I am pretty sure calories don’t count on holidays.  Especially when scampi butter is involved!

So thanks to Tony, Hannah, Joe and my Momma for a great four day weekend.  I could get use to this! 

Hope everyone had a great long weekend.  See you tomorrow night! 😀