guest list

p.s. today's birthday celebration included...kym showers, (who is darling, even after a facial and massage!) she was well rested and relaxed....lorrie brown, always a help to me and a fine educator...rhonda slegers, my dairy connection and only friend that knows how to knit... cari balfanz, a sweetheart and girl after my own heart (ready to drink wine at any given time, when appropriate!) and the birthday girl....sweet sweet debbie! ready to party at a minutes notice! thank you all for being here!

happy birthday, debbie!

i woke up this morning realizing my friend, debbie, had experienced her 40-something-th birthday yesterday! yes, i text her a birthday wish, but she needed food and festivities! i decided to throw her an impromptu and small celebration. text a few of her closest friends and was on my way. called my favorite bakery (sweet surrender) for a cake and candles....ran to t.joes to pick up a few items and arrived home at 12:30pm. i'm a very last minute person.....i had a short amount of time... this party was starting at 1:30. i'm not so sure it's fair to tell you about one of the dishes i 'made' for our small gathering....it really wasn't going to be 'lunch' but we needed something savory to go with our chocolate cake! not fair to tell you because there was some slight cooking! minimal! this is still a 'no cooking blog'!!!!!

here's what we had... and you need to make it!

burrata (it's creamy mozzarella... you could use mozzarella)

proscuitto (very thinly sliced ham....at any market)

green beans (here's where the cooking comes in....you need to cook them for 4 minutes in a small amount of salted water, then drain)

hazelnuts, chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper

wrap the burrata with one piece of proscuitto. place in the middle of a dinner plate. place the cooked green beans on top....almost like a tee-pee....or pick up sticks..nothing too 'perfect'. sprinkle the hazelnuts over the top, then drizzle with (good-quality) olive oil and garnish with salt and pepper. tasty tasty! it's a salad. a starter. an accompaniment to your meal. lunch!

simple and fresh.

eat up,

d

enjoy a fine glass of wine this evening...

In-n-Out for a Burger???

i went to a wine tasting last night with an acquaintance and her husband. she is very petite and i'm not sure she eats much. i don't know her well, at all. both...are very nice people. on the table were a few wine glasses and a small bowl of mixed nuts...in front of him. i'm thinking she wasn't interested. i made the decision not to touch the nuts...since she wasn't. it was obvious as the night went on, that we would not be participating in the 'appetizers' either...that were offered....for free! we shared time and wine and it was a nice evening. at 8:30 i left for home and found myself hungry. i live nearby an In-n-Out and contemplated stopping for a quick burger and fries. it would be cheap and fast. i made a better choice and drove home to see what i could find in the cupboard. thats where you come in! here's what i did.

let me preface this by saying i know that all of you do not live nearby a trader joes. if you don't then you'll need to check your local market for the items listed. no big deal. (nbd) this is for one person, so figure out how much more you'll need for your guests.

brown rice (i found a precooked container at t joes) about 8 oz.

feta (an ounce or so....whatever you like)

greens (of some sort...something 'small' in size..mache, micro greens, even basil, chopped) maybe a 1/2 cup. less on the basil...it's potent!

olive oil (you'll need something good. not cheap. good. check around. maybe even taste some)

salt and pepper, to taste

this truly took me less than five minutes. pop the brown rice in the microwave for one minute. then place the rice in a serving bowl and add crumbled feta, greens, olive oil (1 or 2 tbls) and salt and pepper. be careful because the feta is salty. toss it together and you're done. thats it. i loved it so much, i just had it again. last night i had micro greens (in the frig from a dinner party), but tonight i chopped some basil. it's my new favorite fast dish! i suppose you could add some chicken, as well. you can find precooked chicken at any market.

i'm telling you...it was delicious! and i'm thinking healthy too!

eat up!

d

Update

cookingnotrequired is in the process of being updated for your pleasure! there will be new and exciting pictures and videos for you to view, along with recipes that are easy to follow. stay tuned. in the meantime, its wednesday... and you need to purchase a ny times and check out the dining section. eat up! d