A thing of beauty

I may be nuts but I just find this image beautiful. There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of a totally delicious meal after an exhausting day. We are going on day 3 in a row of nap strikes which leaves me 38 weeks pregnant and absolutely tired to the core. I suppose the 10 miles I walked yesterday could also have a wee bit to do with it but I'm just plain beat!

I couldn't have picked a better day to serve this cold dinner. All the prep work was completed in the early hours, leaving my oven off during the heat of the day. The Pasta Salad with Green Beans and Pistachios in the Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette was mentioned in a previous post and I must say I agree that it was 5 star. The lemon zest was so refreshing mixed in with the crisp-tender green beans and the crunchy pistachios. I will definitely be making this vegetarian entree again. Oh and can I just say that my Sour Cherry and Rosemary Focaccia was also well worth the effort. I've never been a huge fan of Ms Stewart but I have to give it to her on this recipe. Isla helped me make it and loved watching the mixer "jump" as it kneaded (yes, the mixer does all the kneading which I just plain adore on a week like this week). The salad is a super simple crowd pleaser that has been a frequent flyer in our house ever since Graham and I travel to Italy. Arugula and sliced pear combine with shaved parmesan and freshly ground pepper. Add a little splash of balsamic and olive oil and voila, it's done!

Oh and just as a little sidenote if you read my earlier "What's for dinner?" post, the quiche was awesome, and so was the Seared Asian Steak salad (it whipped up in a flash). The slow-simmered meat sauce was also quite tasty and nice to come home to after a long day at work and I haven't yet made the Udon Noodle dish. The garlic ribs were awful but I didn't give you the recipe for that anyhow now did I? I must have had a hunch.

Happy eating to all!