This year, my birthday looked a little different than usual. Instead of my usual dinner outing or gathering with friends. Instead, Talal and I spent the day together as we have quite a bit recently, but he still made it a very special day.
The night before, I decided that I wanted to kick off my 27th birthday with breakfast tacos from Laredo Taqueria. We had only been once a few years ago, as newlyweds. We both enjoyed the tacos and remembered the experience fondly. We woke up and eagerly and hungrily made our way there on foot. Luckily for them and not-so-lucky for us, there was a long line around the building. Since the pangs in our stomachs couldn't wait, we walked back home to make tacos of our own - frozen tortillas, hot Italian sausage, leftover steak, eggs, red onion, avocado, and the chili oil that mommy brought me from Mexico. Despite my mini-Laredo-heartbreak, Talal and I enjoyed our countertop tacos that, according to him, were "better than any tacos we could have gotten anywhere else."
Once done with breakfast and to avoid a 4-hour post-breakfast nap, we decided to run a few errands - returning items to UPS ad dropping by Home Depot. The drive in the sunshine was perfect. We finished up our garden, planting the mint and thyme seed.
After a little tv time(watching Amanda Freitag sear scallops), I took a nap and woke up to Talal inviting me to one fo the best places on earth... Central Market. With nothing on our list (except for scallops, inspired by Amanda), we strolled the aisles, masks on, looking for the best ingredients to make a birthday dinner.
We made it home with peonies and gladiolus, an heirloom tomato, 6 scallops, two tiger prawns, bite-sized potatoes and fiddlehead ferns for tonight and.. a few other goodies. I just couldn't help myself!
When we made it home, I sliced the tomato and generously drizzled olive oil and a sprinkling of salt on top. WE nibbled on it as I prepared my ingredients. I boiled the potatoes and seasoned the tiger shrimp and scallops and let them hang out for a little while Talal and I enjoyed the beginning of a great meal.
In a pan, I put olive oil, garlic, and hot chilies from a jar over the heat. I placed the prawns not he fire and let them cook for about 7 or 8 minutes, flipping half way. We ate them as our appetizer along with a glass of bubbly - Travela from Quinto do Bucheiro - that we bought from Portugal almost exactly a year ago. When we finished our first glass, it was time to assemble the rest of the meal.
I sautéed the fiddleheads in butter, oil, salt and red pepper flakes. Once the potatoes were done, I sliced them in half and added them to the fiddleheads. In a separate pan, I seared the scallops and while they were hot, Talal and I enjoyed dinner on our dining table, sipping bubbly, and enjoying a meal as though we were back in Portugal.
Thank you boos for making my birthday very special!
At Home
With Talal