Mary Had a Little Lamb (and Cheese Fondue, and Beef Empenadas...)

(i've beem mad busy kids, so please bear with me on the fact that this post is 2 days late)

Valentine's weekend was spent doing that which the huz and i do with great passion: eating. Saturday night found us at the Marina Cafe on Staten Island where we enjoyed an absolutely wonderful dinner...with my parents.

Stephen's dinner: crispy shrimp dumplings, veal spedini with fresh papardelle & a chocolate pot (it was an egg cup filled chocolate ganache, with fresh fruit and biscotti for dipping; kind alike cold fondue) with with a double espresso.

CawfeeGuy's dinner: surf & turf sushi (rare filet mignon and shrimp tempura), chicken breast stuffed with broccoli rabe and fresh mozzarella over gnocchi with pancetta, & chocolate cheesecake with a double espresso.

after dinner we picked up the puppy and drove to the best kept secret in all of Connecticut, Magenta Sequins' B & B. we got there a little after midnight and proceeded to have one of the best weekends imaginable. we talked and hung out, drinking homemade mulled cider and began a marathon of Rock Band on Wii*, the 1st round of which lasted till a little after 2:30.

Sunday morning, the house awoke to Stephen's Granny Smith muffins (always a crowd pleaser and, and the most fantastic amaretto coffee. later on, MS unveiled the most splendid homemade beef empenadas and proposed an intriguing taste test: baked vs fried. i don't quite remember, but i'm pretty sure it was 3:1 in favor of the fried pockets of love (crunchy vs flaky). she also "threw together" the most amazing salad with baby greens, raspberries, pears and GOAT CHEESE (i need a t-shirt that says, I love Goat Cheese) and a salad dressing that could only be described as delicious. a little later on she whipped up an exquisite Gruyere fondue with bread and apples; totally hit the spot on a lazy sunday!

the (culinary) highlight of the weekend, though, was the leg of lamb she made for sunday dinner. words cannot describe how much i enjoyed this meat. lamb is, by far, my favorite of all "red meats" (veal runs a close second; yeah i'm an ogre, what of it?) and Leg O' Lamb is my favorite way of eating it (as opposed to chops, shank or stew). whereas, i'd only had it one way (mom's recipe with rosemary and a bottle of red wine), MS took the backroad approach and seasoned the high-holy fuck outta it with garlic cloves and thyme and some other stuff that, honestly, made it the best piece of lamb i'd ever had...bar none. it was so good i almost forgot about the herbed couscous and roasted brussel sprouts she served with it. almost. the evening was capped off by Aztec Chocolate Souffles made by yours truly (chocolate + cinnamon + cayenne pepper).

we really had a fantastic time with MS, Dug & Chewfus. i firmly believe that food only serves to make a good time better. some of my most fun times and favorite experiences with my friends involve food, which is why it got its own post. aside from the fantastic food and drink, though, MS and Dug are just fun people to be around. dug is such a sweetheart and MS is not just a pretty face and a hot body (she's also a phenomenal cook and a kick ass inn keeper)!

*that's a whole other post, folks.