GUEST POST: The Side Dish: Issue 1, Volume 1

Where to begin? Maybe it would be best to work backwards. I’m pretty sure I had a sex dream about Dana’s enchiladas last night. Muy caliente! They were phenomenal and what I loved most about them was that she took a family recipe and shared it with me. And played mariachi music. What Dana doesn’t tell you guys is that she really sets the mood for these dinners. As an etiquette buff, not only do I appreciate the extra effort, but I feel it is as important as the food itself. Last week’s raviolis were no exception. We may as well have been floating down the Tiber in a gondola, feeding them to each other. It was magical.
Slowly, I’ve become Dana’s sous-chef and now I’m learning about cooking, too! Meatloaf week was delicious, and I think it will be a dish that she will continue to vary up over the years, especially as she expands her spice collection. (p.s. “catsup”??? Are you too cool for ketchup Dana???) It seems that there is always a side recipe made from the remnants of the night’s meals and whatever else might be laying around the apartment. I’m sadly not around for these Frankenstein dishes but I think they deserve mentioning. This week was chicken nuggets and I’m curious where that ricotta ended up.
What would dinner be without interesting conversation, and we definitely had that on quiche night! Dinner with friends is something we all fall back on when making plans, but why go out to a restaurant all the time where you expect your surroundings to entertain you? Actually taking the time to sit down for a meal that you’ve made the effort to prepare for each other, with conversation uninterrupted by a waiter and in the privacy of your cozy apartment makes for much more meaningful – and entertaining – talks. 
The earlier weeks, the theme for me was foods I didn’t know I liked so much. I feel like there is a whole genre of foods I am out of the loop on and despite how many times I swear I’m going to try something new, I end up ordering the same thing. Same goes for groceries and that’s part of the reason I love going to Dana’s!
Little did I know that first night over a tasty tilapia (my favorite fish…how did she know???) that I’d get to share so closely in Dana’s cooking adventures! I’m excited for many more dishes, and maybe one of these days she’ll actually let me wash one 

Stay tasty,

Eleni

Eleni and I on my 19th Birthday!!