Giouvesti with Keftedes (from Kalofagas)

While going through my Google Reader entries recently, I was stopped in my tracks by this recipe by Peter Minakis on his blog Kalofagas. The most appealing part of this recipe is that we only had to buy 3 ingredients (orzo, tomato sauce, and chicken stock) in order to make it - we had the rest!!

I followed the recipe almost to a T, but I couldn't help myself - I added some feta to the meatball mixture before frying them up. The recipe was really easy to follow (and easy for someone like me to stick to) - you cook the meatballs, then saute the veggies and the paprika for the pasta in the leftover oil and meaty bits in the pan. Then you add the orzo and toss it with the oil and veggies. When everything's coated, add the tomato sauce and the stock, then pour it into a casserole dish (or two, if you're me), add the meatballs, and let the oven do the rest.

Here's what it looks like when it comes out of the oven...
The result? The pasta is incredibly creamy and flavorful. The meatballs are savory and are delicious with that little bit of feta added in. The dish is like a big hug in a bowl - comfort food at its best.

my love's birthday dinner

First, we made a culinary stop-off in India for some chicken tikka masala, spiced pulao (rice), potato and pea vadi (vegetable patties), cucumber raita, and naan bread.
My love does not enjoy Indian desserts as I do, so we made a quick detour to France for a crepe cake - 20 crepes layered with vanilla pastry cream and fresh raspberry sauce.