dinner at the Mint Green House

I had my sister, brother-in-law and niece over for dinner Saturday night.  I was at the Co-Op on Friday and saw bags of clams for $6.99.  Cooking shows always scare me away from clams and mussels with suggestions to talk to your fishmonger or some other scary thought.  I like my grocery experience to be a bit impersonal - get in, get out, smile at familiar faces and say please and thank you to the cashier, but that's it.  I'm getting better at this, mostly due to the farmer's market and this fabulously talkative farmer, but it's a slow process.  So I'm always excited to find new food items just sitting out there waiting for me!

And clams are SO FREAKING EASY!  I may even talk to someone just to get them again.  Boil up some water & wine, toss the clams in and 5 minutes later?  Dinner.  Sure, I had to soak them for an hour, but I can do that and then go back to wasting time somewhere else.  I remembered too late hearing that one should toss some cornmeal in with the soaking clams so they'll spit out even more dirt, but they weren't too bad.  And I loved the freaky gurgles and bubbles they made.

Sides were leftover macaroni & cheese cupcakes, a loaf of sourdough bread and some green leafy bok choy-ish greens from the farmer's market.  I bought them two weeks ago, but they were still bright and crisp - probably because they were still covered in dirt.  Love getting food straight from the source.

I really like entertaining now that I have a good collection of dinnerware and serveware.  I set my table in less than 5 minutes.  Glasses were clean and in the cabinet, as were the platters and bowls, and the tablecloth was folded up in the dresser.  Reminds me how nice it is to be organized!

I pulled the orange chair up to the table for my niece because she likes to sit in big chairs (and I don't have a high chair for her).  I thought she'd be more likely to stay in her seat if it was one she liked.  Yeah, not so much.  But that's the good thing about having such a small house - she could run around while we ate.  She did sit there for a few moments at a time!

pictures by Alison Gary