Rating:💋 💋 💋 😘
So, this past weekend was our last with Reilly before she went to college. Obviously, we had to go big. Most of that meant takeout from Luciano's one night, fresh spaghetti the next, you know. Reilly is the Pasta Queen. On Friday night though, my parents decided to make a favorite summer meal that we have not had all season: Tri-tip steak.
We made strawberry daiquiris in honor of Reilly and I have to say, strawberries are the cutest fruit. I mean, look how adorable, and so sweet! After that, I tried this white wine from Naked Wines, which was perfectly acceptable, but I would not re-purchase. I find it suspicious that it was merely labeled 'white wine,' with no further explanation. Is that allowed? Am I missing something? The label was very pretty at least.
The dinner was a feast! We had a fresh tomato and red onion salad, prepared with herbs picked from our garden and Roma tomatoes grown by my dad himself. We have been growing tomatoes and peppers for years, so this is not a quarantine hobby, but I do very much appreciate it. We also had new potatoes roasted with pancetta for an absolutely divine side dish. The pièce de la résistance: the famed tri-tip with a fresh herb sauce. I have so many memories of my mom calling to my sisters and me, "Girls! I need your time for the thyme! Ha ha!" She thinks she is so funny. In order to make this dish, you need to pick a mountain of thyme, so that was our contribution to this meal growing up. It tastes so incredibly worth it. I would be remiss if I forgot the all-important bread and butter. At the end of the day, there is really only one kind of butter: Kerry Gold Irish. It looks like a brick of gold and that is entirely accurate to its rich, delicious flavor. Oh my goodness. We reserve it for special occasions.
The tri-tip is grilled over soaked wood chips. Usually, my mom uses hickory, but this time she went with mesquite and it was so cool how it subtly altered the flavor. The tri-tip was well-seasoned and tender, and the herby sauce was so good. I want it on everything. I would dip my bread into it. I would use it as a spread on sandwiches. So yummy. We all agreed that the meat was cooked just a touch longer than we would have liked this time around, but it was still tasty. Also, the potatoes were a favorite on my plate. The salty pancetta and dusting of herbs made it so flavorful, and the juicy hot potato skins were incredible. I saved some to be my very last bite. Last but not least, the tomato salad was a nice refreshing side. It is really important to balance your plate so that the flavors do not overwhelm. This dinner needed a cool salad to complement the other, strongly-flavored dishes. The tomato salad could be done again with the seasoning amped up just a bit to bring it to the forefront of the plate, but that would go better surrounded by subtle dishes, not this steak and potatoes. This time around, it did a graceful job as the corps de ballet while the potatoes worked as soloists and the tri-tip stunned as the prima ballerina. Taken all together, it is a beautiful masterpiece. Also, my mom really went the extra mile, toasting the baguette directly on the oven rack so the butter melted into the spongy dough in all its golden glory. And the angels sing!
Two months into quarantine, I started a new screenplay. Perhaps it took too long, clocking three months, but finally I can say the first draft is complete…and we are still in quarantine. I am electing to focus on the finished screenplay bit and not the quarantine bit. I am excited about that victory, trying to keep my focus on the positives! It is awesome too because I have two more story ideas outlined and now I can finally focus my attention on them. We all have our ways of filling all of these empty COVID hours.
First though, I have more important matters to focus on. Namely, Reilly.
Two weeks ago, Reilly woke me up at the crack of dawn to watch the sun rise up out of the Atlantic. I have to say, it was pretty awesome. She surfed, I took photos, and we enjoyed how the orange light bled into the sky, turning the sand from violet to tan. As we speak, Reilly is moving into college! Go Reilly! I admit, when I found out I would be home this summer, I was so excited that I would be able to go with Reilly on her move-in day. Of course, with COVID restrictions being what they are, I wound up not being able to go. I respect that the less people there are on campus, the safer everyone is. I am so excited for her as she starts this new stage of life, and I wish her a fun, safe, successful semester. I will send rays of my love through this post and these photos I am sharing from a little shoot we had last week 💛
XX,
MK
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