tapas and sangria

I love tapas. It's a marvelous concept, small plates shared with the table. Dining with friends and getting to choose many dishes off the menu to try instead of only 1, LOVE IT! My favorite Spanish restaurant is Casa Mono in New York. It's not traditional tapas like you see at many of the typical tapas-style restaurants, but it is just what I imagine a small plates restaurant to be in Spain. It's small - the restaurant is small, the tables are small, the space between tables is small, you can see the kitchen and conversation rises all around you. Yes, it's small, but the ambience and the food are amazing. I would argue that they can take you from NY to Spain in an instant. I was fortunate enough to share each of my meals there with people who are very special to my life. There are times when good company can make the meal, and other times they simply add to the already delectable experience and make it even more memorable. It makes me sigh thinking about it.

The tapas style Sunday Supper in my home last night probably didn't transport anyone to a different country, but there were certainly plenty of tapas-style foods on hand to sample. I was a bit lazy this month on cooking and only made baked goat cheese with marinara. Not exactly difficult or requiring any culinary skill. We also had olives, spanish cheese, smoked trout spread, gazpacho, fried plantains, and cucumber-peach salsa. Can't forget the yummy kiwi sangria and cava sangria I whipped up at the last minute!

Thanks to all of my friends who stopped by to enjoy another Sunday Supper and brought so many yummy dishes to share!