the dinner studio tours san diego

gino and i spent the weekend with my parents in san diego. and as with all visits home, we packed our necessary cooking utensils, ingredients, and ideas. naturally, my parents don't put up a fight when they know something is brewing in the kitchen. they just sit back, let us take control of the meals, and enjoy.

but this weekend was different. the four of us put our heads together and planned a meal. together. then we assigned ourselves to a task and went to it.

during the preparation, gino and i looked at each other and both agreed this was like a dinner studio day...the planning, the shopping, the cooking, and of course, the feasting. only, we had four minds instead of two, eight hands instead of four, and a much bigger space to work. dinner studio, family edition. 


pre-preparation:


normally, g and i don' drink while we prepare for our dinner studio feasts. for one, it changes the flavor profile of what you're tasting. and second, who wants to take a risk with knives while nursing a nice little buzz?

but on a warm summer day, we couldn't resist a quenching elixir. a handmade watermelon-basil elixir, to be exact.

taking mental notes

the prep:

with a refreshing cocktail under our belts, we all got to it. daddy at the grill with me, gino, and mama at our respective stations in the kitchen. 

summertime feasting:

because this was a family-inspired meal, we invited my aunt and cousin to feast with us. and of course, everything was served family-style. sweet and simple. round two of drinks were served and the feasting began.

the spread:

fresh-squeezed oro blanco grapefruit rickey's

carne asada and grilled shrimp tacos

roasted tomatillo salsa verde

yogurt-cumin cabbage slaw

grilled spring onions

roasted corn-and-red pepper salad with basil and tomato

habanero marinated radishes

dinner studio in the motherland was tender and quite epic. although we had to navigate through a different kitchen, gino and i were thankful for the extra hands. and the meal itself was more than okay. it was de-li-cious! thanks, mama and daddy! and it was a pleasure having you over, heidi and kristen! 

this whole touring other cities (and kitchens) is fun...maybe we'll be coming to a city near you!

why, hello there summer

aaaand, we're back! nearly three months without hosting a dinner at the studio could only mean one thing: gino and i were ready to bring it! in a way, i'm secretly happy we didn't have to plan anything for june...what kind of month is that anyway? is it cold, warm, spring, summer? the stone fruits are hardly making an appearance at the market, and the tomatoes are subpar. let's just say thank goodness june came and went.

hello, sweet july with all of your pickings!

gino and i don't exactly have ideal schedules for hosting dinners. we usually work during the weekends, which makes it difficult to plan these dinners with the majority of our close friends. with no fridays or saturdays in sight this month, we took a risk and planned for a monday dinner. well i guess two people must have been hungry (or had free time) because we received their RSVPs. monday dinner at the studio...on!

a summer feast in july easily equated to a tapas-inspired menu. a variety of small plates, served family style, highlighting the freshest summer fare. and of course, what would a summer evening be without white sangria and a bottle of a cabernet franc rosé (thank you, brent)!? perfect.

the prep:


as usual, gino and i hit the ground running. we grabbed our bags, fastened our appetites, and went to work. and to keep us pumped (or nostalgic), we listened to the beach boys as we prepped away the afternoon. who said monday couldn't be the new funday?

note: this is the ONLY time two-buck chuck will be featured. ever. it was used for sangria.

...see? sangria.

break:

prepping for a multi-course dinner can be exhausting. the shopping, chopping, washing, stirring. and not to mention, bending here, reaching for that, and climbing over each other as we try to cook within fine spaces. exhausting. so by mid-prep, it's only natural we take a break. even if it's only for 10 minutes, lying on the ground outside, while the eggs are baking. 

the feast:

unfortunately, one of our guests had to cancel last minute. although we were a little shocked by how much food we were going to end up with, we decided to eliminate one of the courses. save for next time. gino and i kept moving forward as we anticipated our one prized guest - dear brent. dinner for three, you betcha!

by twilight, the three of us were ready to sit down and dig in. and for the first time, candlelight was not necessary. just the afterglow of the setting sun. pure delight.

the final tapas-inspired menu included:

homemade hummus with sundried tomatoes and feta

farmer's market figs and shishito peppers

tortilla espanola with chili-marinated red onions

balsamic watermelon-and-heirloom-tomato salad

spiced lamb meatballs with yogurt dill sauce

black plum clafoutis

all washed down with:

white sangria (with every fruit we could fit in)

a cabernet franc rosé (courtesy of brent)

our july dinner minus one turned out to be a big whopping (and tasty) success. gino and i learned that you've just got to adapt when something doesn't go as expected, whether that be the guest list, weather, ingredients. needless to say, our table of three ate, drank, and laughed as if we were a table of six on a saturday night. 

see you next month!