My friend Tanya

Sometimes in life you come across a friend that understands you in a way that no one else does. The type of person you can spend time with and never ask each other “well…what should we do now that we’re together.” For me that person is my friend Tanya. I love to spend time with Tanya. We always find ourselves cooking together.

Everytime I go to Tanya’s house, we end up cooking something. She always has such fun and interesting foods to work with: fresh organic soft butter kept on the counter, all different types of cool and rustic breads in her bread box, and her refrigerator is always packed with fresh fruits, vegetables and assorted cheeses. Simple is the best ingredient for meals with friends.

I love how spontaneous Tanya is. She likes to hosts unexpected BBQ dinners or fun filled nights with good food, wine, champagne and lots of dancing. Tanya is an amazing dancer and I love to dance, so every dinner party turns into a dance party by the end of the evening. Whether its salsa dancing, belly dancing, or hip hop make sure to bring comfortable dancing shoes when she invites you to her house for dinner. Tanya and my cooking adventures don’t stop with dinner though. Sometimes we make breakfast. She makes this simple and delicious frittata with random vegetables and herbs.We would roast fingerling potatoes with Dijon mustard, butter, white wine and sea salt until they are super crispy and finish them before we even sit around the table. Tanya brews fresh mint or Jasmine tea, and serve it with agave syrup to go with our breakfast. Sometimes meals as simple as that can be made all the better with the care being put into the process of making the meal.

Tanya’s house is practically a must see for all of my friends and family members that comes to town. She has a way of making every visit a unique experience for the people that stop by her place. When my friend from Austria and I stopped by her house after spending the day at the beach, there was a wooden platter with different cheeses, sliced apples, crackers and fresh raspberries waiting for us. In another evening, I brought another friend along and she made us these simple, yet oh so delicious, sandwiches using one of the many types of bread she keeps in her bread box.

Tanya has a large garden with a big BBQ pit surrounded my chairs, so everyone can be part of the cooking. This is where she hosts her events (birthday parties, goodbye parties, weddings and more). I even dressed up as a belly dancer for one of her parties. Whenever there is a BBQ or a party going on in her backyard we grill, homemade sausages, fresh vegetables (like peppers, eggplants, asparagus, zucchini and yellow squash) on her grill and enjoy the open space. Our friend Stu usually takes care of the food, because he is a master when it comes to grilling (and many other things). She also serve steamed broccoli with an amazing dip to munch on while the food cooks and as always wine and lots of it.

I think one of my favorite things about Tanya is that she is not afraid to make food for me. Many people I know are afraid to invite me over for dinner because I am a chef, but the truth is that I really enjoy home cooked meals made with love and prepared with care. Simple is not the same as cheap or bad or lazy. I love when a few good things come together to make something great. Simplicity is beautiful.

Peace and love and roasted pineapple.

Dadi