saturday night's meal

Roasted peppers=delicious!
I used red and green peppers. In the future, I think I would use an array of colors--orange and yellows, too. And, possibly, allow them to marinate overnight. The hour was lovely, but an entire day would be delightful. I can imagine how tasty they would be if able to marinate an entire 24 hours.
I roasted the peppers for an hour. Afterwards, they chilled with garlic, salt and red wine vinegar. While they were marinating, I made a salad and toasted bread. We were going to enjoy a simple summer meal without much effort on my part. I called it my idea of antipasta. We had fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers with capers, crostini and salad. Lovely.
Successful, too. I always have some anxiety when preparing food for these friends. They enjoy what they like and what they know. Some of my ideas--adding blueberries to salads--seem foreign to them and unlikely. Thankfully, they do try my creations even if there is a degree of hesitation.
Last night, they were, both, pleasantly surprised at how wonderful the roasted peppers were. I believe this will be a keeper. Perhaps even trying again next month. They were that good.
Although instead of drinking pinot noir, I will find a suitable sauvignon blanc or pinot gris. I was trying to avoid partaking in wine last night but opted to celebrate Shari's birthday in spirit. Wine became part of the meal. I used what was available. We seem to have ample pinot noir in stock. I am a fan of some but prefer bolder reds. I need to stock up so that I am happy with the selection.
Tonight, I think we are grilling. Sundays seem to inspire this activity. There is something about enjoying the outdoor patio and enjoying a few beverages while grilling. Well, I am out for that activity since my cold seems to linger. I am having difficulty kicking it. I inhaled olive of oregano, garlic cloves and tablets and orange juice. During the day I feel better. I had some idea that drinking wine would not be helpful to ridding myself of the cold. But, it was celebration. Wine seemed appropriate.
This morning illustrated my lack of judgment. Crusted eyes, itchy throat and phlegm. Yuck! Today I am going to hold firm with my desire to kick the cold and not enjoy a glass of wine with the meal.
I am thinking eggplant. I saw some yesterday while shopping for peppers. They were beautiful and I should have purchased them yesterday. Stunning color and healthy looking. Yes, eggplant is in the future.
I do enjoy incorporating more items into my cooking repetoire. Thankful for today and grateful for friends.