Inspiration Ignites Creativity! 8/12/2015 Friday my husband George and I went to this fabulous restaurant in DC called Komi. We went with the Chef's menu and wine pairing. It was refreshing having no choices and just enjoying each dish as it came out. We even had a sommelier not only pour our wines, he also educated us on the wines we were not familiar with. The meal lasted 3 hours and we were comfortably full. That meal was memorable not only for the food, but for the rock star Staff! Everyone made us feel welcomed That amazing led to a weekend of cooking and entertaining. Saturday we hosted a dinner party on our deck. It was the first time in weeks we were able to enjoy the space without excessive heat. We decided to do courses centered around Lemons and the bounty of our garden. George made his famous ham croquettes and I paired it with a preserved lemon Aioli. We paired the starter with George's Rosé Sangria and it was a huge hit! The next course was George's chilled Cucumber Soup and, followed by sliced tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil. Garden to table continued with the main course, my Mediterranean Chicken served over Israeli Cous Cous paired with a Spanish Rosé. I found a basic Chicken with Lemon and Olives... then I added wine, preserved lemon, lemon thyme, Russian Kale and I pan seared the Lemon to deepen the flavor to take it over the top! This is a great and easy one pot dish made with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, pan seared Lemon, Preserved Lemon, Green Olives, Onion, Garlic, Russian Kale, Lemon Thyme, white wine and chicken stock. It was a huge hit! Our guests hung out past 11:30 and did not want to leave. The table was set simply with candles and cloth napkins. String lights added a soft glow creating an intimate setting. By the way the cloth napkins were simple tea towels from Ikea. You don't have to spend a lot to entertain well. Sunday, I used a container of my homegrown, homemade tomato sauce and created a yummy meat sauce topped with Basil from our garden. George paired it with is garlic bread and we paired it with a rustic Vino Tinto. We are so grateful to have the perfect kitchen to create wonderful meals together. Going out to dinner is really fun, but at the end of the day... there is no place like home!