dinner for January 28th, 2006?

[Jenny]

OMGosh Jenny, that recipes sounds awesome, just printed it and will pick up a pork roast this week - I love crock recipes and that one sounds great!

Dinner tonight - out with four other couples (my cousins and their spouses) to a restaurant called Bucca di Beppo - very good italian food - ginourmous portions - looking forward to eating like a queen tonight - and enjoying some good vino too - and lets not forget dessert! We don't dine out often anymore because my son is "that age" - the "do not attempt eating in a restaurant unless it is mcdonalds" age - which i should be over in six months - so i am really looking forward to this feast tonight - i may even nap to make sure i am ready!

LUCKY GIRL! I love good Italian food. We have so few choices here in Athens. I mean, we have the typical Olive Garden and Carraba's, but what I really like is a real Italian meal from an Italian family...know what I mean? I have to say my fave part of eating Italian is the Tiramisu at the end! I love having it w/some Frangelico! The two go so well together! I need to have ole Daveyboy take me into Atlanta on a date night soon !!! Enjoy!

 

[Michelemarie]

Mudbug -what a small world. Bucca di Beppo is in Lombard - which is about 30 minutes from Oswego and Naperville. Has your sister been to Rosebud in downtown Naperville? Also good italian food. I will let you know how dinner our dinner is - I think you should plan on making a trip there when you come this way!

 

[mudbug]

I know Lombard. I will ask Beppo about Rosebud. She's a major foodie and better cook than me.

Also thought of trying to meet up w/fellow DC-ers while I'm there, but I don't think I'll have time this trip. Would love to meet Deadly Sushi, Yakuta, and now Michelemarie

 

[Michelemarie]

Would love to meet you mudbug - if time permits, let me know - if not, then the next time!

 

[mudbug]

MM, most of my family lives in your western-burbs neck of the woods. I will let you know next time I'm gonna have an extended stay.

 

[Michelemarie]

Looking forward to it mudbug!

 

[buckytom]

having not been invited to mudbug's family jamboree, i was forced to make dinner at home.
i made baked, skinless, bbq sauced chicken legs, and nuked spuds.
i also made some really good low fat brownies, from here: www.nopudge.com

i used low fat vanilla yoghurt instead of fat free, and i added some walnuts, so they were only low fat brownies, but still really good, moist, and fudgy.

 

[Michelemarie]

Mudbug - My review of Bucca di Beppo as promised (I feel so official!) - It is a great restaurant - so much atmosphere and good food! Very very crowded so make reservations.

Everything is family style so it is large and very large portions - we started with breaded fresh mozzarella, shrimp and calamari - we had a ceasar salad and an "1893" salad which is basically an antipasto - we then ordered a pizza to try - I can't remember the name but it was spicy with sausage and pepperoni on it - not one i would have ordered (i would have preffered spinach with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella and basil), but the waiter reccommended this one and told us we wouldn't be sorry, and none of us were. We then had chicken saltimbucca - very tender chicken with capers, lemon, butter, wine, and artichokes. We also ordered the stuffed sampler - shells, manicotti, ravioli and something else that was gone by the time the platter got to me. We then had a seafood linguine with a light red sauce with clams, fresh calamari and shrimp. For dessert we had cannoli (of course) although it said chocolate cannoli but all that meant is that is was served on chocolate sauce. We also had a triple layer fudge cake and another dessert that was like two little dense chocolate cakes with spumoni on one and vanilla ice cream on another. These were okay. I heard they are famous for tiramisu and cheesecake, unfortunately my party did not order those. We all had different drinks, a couple of us - merlot - a couple of us italian beer, and a couple of us the hard stuff - the martinis looked nice though, saw some after I ordered wine and by the end of the glass (VERY LARGE glass), I thought I better stick with that. I wish we would have gotten the fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and roast peppers, that looked good on someone elses table. The atmosphere is very gawdy and fun - lots of italian pictures, memorabilia, and just junk around. Alot of different rooms to eat in, the most famous, the "pope" room. You can go anywhere in the restaurant, they even have a special table in the kitchen, very cool. A fun place to go with a group of people. I hope you and your family can make it there, I can't wait to here your comments.

 

[luvs]

i was at my city's buca di beppo last night, for a minute. didn't have dinner at the restaurant, though i would have loved to.... thier food sounds delicious. i had to pick something up at the front desk.

 

[mudbug]

thanks so much, MM. A place I could get in trouble in! Sounds like your crowd had a good time!