Black Pearl-Jalapeno-infused tequila as inspired by Dave Arnold.

Margarita made with Black Pearl and Jalapeno-Infused Tequila Blanco

I may have sung the praises of Dave Arnold’s technique of using the iSi whip to infuse alcohol previously, but I really mean it now because I will say it this way: You absolutely need to have hot pepper-infused tequila blanco in your life and in your drinks. Those of you who follow me on Instagram may remember when I posted a photo of the black pearl hot pepper plant I’m growing, and how excited I was to finally try one of these puppies out for myself:

Heirloom tomato pizza with mozzarella di bufala and basil, and dipping a toe into kitchen renovations.

Heirloom Tomato Pizza with Mozzarella di Bufala and Basil

It’s been over five months now since we moved into our place, and once we were able to organize the space the way we wanted to we haven’t done much in the realm of home renovations save for adding potted herbs to the window sills and finally installing some curtains in the living room that weren’t hideous. Naturally we have a little wishlist of things we’d like to do, but we’ve been trying to show some patience on that front because these things cost money and we want to be sensible about this. (Plus we have to replace our hot water heater soon because it’s at the age when it can go and two others have already gone within the past year in our building.)

Now, one of the great things about our place is that it didn’t need a ton of work to make it look good since we had things like the original hardwood floors and the gorgeous anaglypta wallpaper, but that doesn’t mean improvements don’t abound. The biggest project will be redoing both bathrooms, as I loathe the tiny tile lining the floor and the wall tile is just bland as hell, but that’s going to be down the road a bit still because it’s going to be a really big project. Besides–unless you really have any interest in me babbling about bathroom design inspiration, I’m going to keep the house talk to at least be tangential to food. That, of course, means some sprucing up of the kitchen.

Gambas al ajillo con chorizo, or a fresh take on mar i muntanya.

Shrimp and Spicy Chorizo with Garlic

When I was planning the menu for our big party a few weeks ago, I had it in my head that I would save a few of the dishes to make while people were there, if only to provide a bit of spectacle and give me a chance to retreat from everyone so I could focus on cooking. The problem with this idea is that inevitably everyone likes to gather in and around the kitchen, whether it’s open or not, and so that doesn’t leave for a ton of space in which you can maneuver. Fortunately it turned out that we had way more food than we bargained for and didn’t need either of these dishes, which worked out well for yours truly because I could never decide on a good time to prep them and as a result, I didn’t waste any food from either dish. Score!

Spaghetti all’amatriciana and a #virtualsagra for Amatrice and Central Italy.

Spaghetti all’amatriciana

This past weekend was lovely, if it also went by too quickly, because we were able to cook at our own speed and please only ourselves. While I’m grateful for everything we’ve been able to do and thankful for everyone who came ’round last weekend to celebrate Michael, I was sorely in need of a return to a more normal weekend schedule. The kind where we wake up, I read for a bit, and then Michael eventually gets up and makes us bacon and eggs and we figure out what we’re going to do for the rest of the day. If there’s a plan to head around the harbor to Fells Point or Harbor East I’ll get my workout in before we go, and then we while away the rest of the afternoon over long walks, a couple of beers, and either some bar food or barbecue (and occasionally an oyster or six). We’ll grab provisions for dinner at the Whole Foods nearby before making the walk back over to Fed Hill, and then we’ll shower and make dinner and chill out for the rest of the day.

Sabor de soledad, Michael in Florida in August edition: tomato salad with burrata, basil, prosciutto, and garlic-sherry vinaigrette

Tomato, Burrata, Prosciutto, and Basil Salad with Sherry-Garlic Vinaigrette

I don’t know what’s worse: having to go on a work trip immediately before or immediately after a vacation. Michael had to fly down to Jacksonville, FL the day after we got back from our little sojurn in Rehoboth, and so I was looking at a few days of making food just for myself. On the drive home from Delaware I devised a little menu for the two nights he’d be gone, deciding on ricotta dumplings (because it’s been too long since I’ve made them) and initially, the arugula-prosciutto-orange salad I made a few times back in Stamford. The ricotta dumplings were as delicious as ever, and made better from using some of the herbs growing on our window sills, but to be truthful I wasn’t really feeling the arugula salad the next day. I mostly blame this on the fact that the package of arugula I got was really disappointing, but let’s just say there were other factors involved as well.

Chicken thighs with a lemon-basil sauce, and thoughts on entertaining.

Chicken Thighs with Lemon-Basil Sauce

It’s hard to believe that July is winding down already, but then again so much of it passed by in a blur. I’m grateful that we’re still slightly less scheduled for August (just one weekend trip planned) but instead I’m taking on the rather enormous task of pulling together a 35th birthday party for Michael just under a month from now. We’re not new to hosting larger affairs–back in New Haven we hosted an annual Hall Benedict Food and Wine Classic every fall–but it’s frankly been a long time since we’ve been host to more than four or five people at a time and frankly, I’m a little scared. The only way to handle this (at least for me) is to make a ton of lists, so I now have a Google Sheet spreadsheet populated with everything from menu ideas to guest lists and timelines so I can figure out what I’m going to do on the days leading up to the big day.

La cuina de Catalunya: snails in a spicy tomato sauce/Cargols amb salsa de tomàquet picant.

Snails in salsa arribata

Back when spring was easing into summer, I really didn’t fully appreciate just how much we had planned in the first few weeks of the season, and here we are in the middle of July. One thing I resolved on doing this summer was to spend some time revisiting my favorite Catalunyan dishes since we wouldn’t be making our biennial trip over to Europe this year, what with us buying a house and me buying a new car, but with everything we’ve been up to it’s been awhile since we could devote a couple of days to anything more fun than a typical weeknight meal.

With a weekend looming on the horizon with no plans but our own, I decided to give us a chance to relax and give ourselves a mini Caldes d’Estrac vacation, at least with food if not in beach time. Rosado would be poured, caftans donned, and my hope was each dish would bring us back to those warm days we would spend along the Mediterranean coast.