I used 2 heads of garlic at dinner!

We had mom and dad over for dinner today. I love feeding my dad. No offense to Joey but the guy loves everything I make. Of course my goal is to always please him with a dish or new recipe but he's so in love with my love of cooking he only ever has good things to say. It's hard to judge my realistic cooking prowess when he's the only other one eating it. My dad, however, gives me the feedback I'm looking for without even meaning to. When he sits down at my dining room table he acts like he's never eaten anything so tasty. The man had 4 helpings at dinner! Without even verbalizing his feelings of my food, my dad tells me exactly what I need to know.

Tonight's cuisine was Italian. Shrimp Scampi Linguine and Bruschetta. I have never liked bruschetta. I had it at Olive Garden some time back and it was so bland and lifeless. Never counted myself as a fan. Joey has wanted to try it out for a while so we ordered some at Macaroni Grill last weekend. OMG, it was perfect. The tomatoes were bright and fresh, the basil and garlic complimenting each other and the seasonings were just right. I know it couldn't be harder than tying a shoe so I called my parents, the guinea pigs and asked them to dinner. Anyway, not to brag, but my bruschetta was even better. I used roma tomatoes and a 25 year old barrel aged balsamic vinegar that just put it over the top.  Shaved parmesan and grilled rustic Italian bread (brushed with a garlic olive oil) just made it all that much better. It was so good that when we ran out of bread, we were throwing it on the linguine just so we could continue slurping it's juicy goodness.

The Shrimp Scampi Linguine was very surprising as well. The last time I made something like that was way back when Rachel Ray first came out and I knew nothing about cooking. Her recipe called for chicken broth in the sauce. The shrimp tasted like they had just finished eating chicken ramen and it was terrible. This scampi was exactly how it should be. Butter, oil, garlic, lemon. So fresh. Toss with linguine, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes, good to go! Tomorrow forecast calls for balsamic filet of beef...it's our present to us before we go back to work.

Speaking of work, tomorrow is our last day off. I've honestly never had such a relaxing, yet multi-faceted vacation in my life. I am in no way, shape, or form looking forward to going back to work, but I can say that this vacation was good and long. Tomorrow is going to be 100% vegging. I probably won't get out of my pajamas. We have a stack of movies ready for viewing and a clean house to demand we sit down and enjoy it...in fact, I think I'll start right now.