It’s no secret around these parts that I love Caesar salad.  I’ll never forget the time I first tried one.  My family was on vacation and we were enjoying a girls’ night out at what was surely the fanciest restaurant I’d dined at up to that point in my thirteen years of life.  I had been so excited for the meal but then was hit by a pretty severe stomachache just before we left for dinner.  I sucked it up and went anyway, hoping I would feel better along the way.  Unfortunately while we were ordering I still felt pretty bad so I just glanced over the salads and for no reason I can recall, I ordered a Caesar salad.  When it arrived I took a few bites and before I knew it, my stomachache had disappeared.  I’m sure it was coincidental timing, but it didn’t hurt that the salad happened to taste fabulous.  I’ve been hooked ever since.  Good thing no one told thirteen year old me there were anchovies in it.

I have a few variations of Caesar salads that I make depending on what ingredients we have on hand, but this is hands down my favorite.  In fact, this is pretty much the only version I make anymore with regularity (except for in the past, when I have been pregnant and raw eggs were a no-no.   Sadness.)  The dressing is rich and luxurious without feeling heavy, and it pairs so well with fresh, crisp romaine leaves and our favorite croutons.  A perfect compliment to almost any meal, at least in my mind.

As someone who thinks about food almost constantly and someone who also has a great memory (a trait Ben does not always find endearing, by the way), it is only natural that I remember most of my friends’ individual food preferences.  I seem to have a catalog in my mind with each friend and their likes, dislikes, etc.  Several months ago I was at a get together and someone brought salted brownies from Trader Joes.  My friend Andrea (who also happens to be the wonderful wife of my fab art director Ryan) was all about those brownies and asked me to recreate them.  I filed that request away in the catalog and waited for just the right brownie recipe, and then the perfect opportunity to make them.

Last weekend for the first time in what seems like forever, and in truth what has been at least three or four months, we had a weekend with zero plans and zero commitments.  I checked to see what Ryan and Andrea were up to and the next thing we knew, we were enjoying the sunny weather while the kids played in with the sprinkler, slip n’ slide, and water table.  (And these sweet peeps with this handsome little man joined us as well.  This kid is too cute for words.)  Due to the short notice, my options for contributions to the menu were limited but I was able to bring a layered mediterranean dip and these brownies for dessert.

Now as much as I love sweet and salty desserts, those Trader Joes brownies were tooo salty for me, so I was pretty nervous about these.  There is salt in the caramel, in the brownie itself, and then sprinkled on top (mixed with a bit of coarse sugar).  Thankfully I found these to have that perfect balance, and everyone else seemed to agree.  We were semi-jokingly fighting for leftovers.  The caramel sauce is layered with the brownie batter but rather than form a distinct layer, it seeps into the batter to produce a super fudgy brownie infused with caramel undertones.  These are a great choice to bring to a casual get together – a universally loved treat with a touch of sophistication to set them apart from the boxed variety.

[To read part 1 of my Charleston adventures, click here.]

On the second to last night of our workshop, Helene arranged a very special treat for us.  We were to have dinner at a fantastic Charleston restaurant, Lana, courtesy of chef and owner John Ondo.  Lana is well known and respected for their reputation of serving excellent seasonally inspired Mediterranean cuisine made with local ingredients in a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere.  I was really looking forward to experiencing Lana’s offerings so you can imagine my surprise when we arrived and I realized I had dined there before!  I had interviewed in Charleston a few years back and my hosts took me to Lana for lunch.  I recognized it immediately, and was even more excited because that lunch has always stood out to me as a memorable meal.

As if dinner at Lana wasn’t good enough, we also had permission to photograph our meal and some of the restaurant happenings as well.  Though I love dining out, I tend to agree with the general consensus that it isn’t really the most polite thing to whip out a big dSLR camera and start clicking away (or worse, restyling the chef’s hard work) so I refrain.  It was definitely a unique and rare experience to have the opportunity to photograph to our hearts’ content with the chef’s blessing.  (I must admit however, that even with permission, I was quite uncomfortable shooting in this setting and worked very hard to be unobtrusive.)

Though I was uncomfortable shooting in this setting, I was also glad to have the opportunity because it was very challenging to try to get decent shots while staying out of the way of diners, staff, etc. and also to take photos as the light was fading fast.  I tend to enjoy a challenge so though a bit stressful, it was a gratifying experience.  Working to tell a story through photos was an emphasis of this session, and I loved seeing the story told through all our different viewpoints.

But enough about that – let’s talk about the rest of the meal!  Most good meals start with bread, right?  Right.

This lovely lady is Pam from Portland, OR.  She is just delightful and I loved getting to know her over the course of the weekend.

Our group was offered a slightly abbreviated menu but even so, it was very difficult to decide what to order because everything sounded amazing.  Thankfully having dinner with a group of foodies means lots of sharing and tasting of everything, so we were still able to sample the items we didn’t order.  I started with this shrimp over eggplant caponata with basil pesto.  It was stellar.  (I might be drooling a little just thinking about it again.  Maybe.)

I also sat next to Helene who ordered the pear gorgonzola salad.  While this didn’t grab my attention initially, I was definitely a little envious when I saw it arrive.

While we enjoyed the first course, the chefs back in the kitchen were working hard to get the entrees out.

Soon our entrees arrived and we got down to the business of eating some truly fabulous food.  Though I generally make it a rule not to order chicken in a restaurant because I make it all the time at home, I changed my mind when I heard this pan-roasted chicken was their specialty.  I don’t regret my choice one bit.  Plus it came with a fanci-fied version of hush puppies.  Get out!  (The mushroom gnocchi that Josie ordered was also really amazing.  Oh, so good!)

Even when a meal is stellar, the thing that makes it truly great is the company you enjoy it with.  Our gaggle of women (plus Joe, Clare’s husband – such a good sport) was a fun group to dine with.  The conversation never stopped!   We chatted about all kinds of things, both serious and light-hearted.  It seemed to go on and on, just a comfortable dinner with friends.  The best kind.

Yep, it was pretty much a perfect evening for me.

To end the evening on a high note, we all enjoyed this gorgeous tiramisu.  Beautiful presentation!

Chef John came out to check on our group after the meal.  We quite embarrassed him with a round of applause, but he was a good sport.  He is one very humble, extremely talented dude.

Clare and Joe are truly genuine, down-to-earth, all around awesome people.  I am so glad to have met them.

Stay tuned next week for the final installment in my Charleston adventures!

Do you make your own croutons?  If you don’t, you should try it.  In the past, I figured it wasn’t worth the effort since the store-bought kind taste pretty good.  Over time, I’ve slowly transitioned to DIY-ing anything and everything that I can.  It tastes better, I know exactly what we’re eating, and it’s much more eco-friendly.  Croutons are just another of the many items I used to buy regularly and now only make from scratch.  Despite my initial misgivings, croutons take about 10 minutes of actual work.  I confess that I never really use a recipe or measure anything because I make them so often, it’s just something I do by feel.

The basic idea is to mix cubes of bread with a bit of fat, seasonings, and then dry them out in the oven until crisp.  There are tons of variations you could make to suit your tastes – use different types of breads, use more olive oil than butter, play around with the seasonings.  As long as the bread has been fully dried out and there is no chewiness to the croutons, they will keep in an airtight container for a pretty long time – at least a couple of weeks.  Simple accoutrements such as these can make even the most boring salad a bit more appealing.  In fact, Andrew loves these croutons so much that he requests salad almost every night with dinner, and has been known to run laps around the house shouting, “I love croutons!”  True story.

So here’s the deal with these mac and cheese bites.  When I first made them, I did not have very high hopes.  Though a cute idea in theory, I imagined they weren’t much more than that, and thought they might leave something to be desired as far as taste goes.  I made them for Caroline’s birthday party because mac and cheese was an ideal dish for rounding out the menu, and the individual servings are perfect for a party spread.  You know exactly where this is going – these were the hit of the party.  They disappeared in no time and guests raved about them.  They were gone so quickly that I couldn’t even take a picture.  So, I made them again just for you guys.  That’s how much I like you….and maybe we just wanted to have them again.  The cracker crumb crust helps keep them intact, and the mac and cheese itself is great – rich, cheesy, creamy.  These would fit right in at just about any event or get-together.  I foresee them being repeated numerous times throughout the summer for parties, get-togethers, Tuesdays, and the like.