The Treehouse of the Cove

[Veroe]

I arrive with an arm ful of groceries and walk over to our kitchen and began preparing to cook our food.

 

[Asa]

Walk over to see what all you brought with a soft kiss to your cheek.

It's so good to be back "home" here isn't it?

 

[Veroe]

Oh yes beautiful. This is my first Saturday off that is not a holiday weekend since April.

I gesture to the food I have on spread.

I wanted to keep it fairly simple. So I'm attempting a pair of fillet mignons with garlic and herb compound butter and a hot pasta salad as a sidedish.

 

[Asa]

I am very glad to have you back here free from work Saturday since my weekday nights are now owned by my job.

Sounds wonderful and how about some fresh fruit to go with it?

 

[Veroe]

This dish takes a bit of time, so hold off on the fruit until just before we eat ok?

I take the fillets and butter out of the bag and hand you the parsley and rosemary and taragon.

Would you mind chopping these up while I mince the garlic?

 

[Asa]

Not a problem...

Taking the herbs and carefully chopping them.

So what should we do today after we eat love? A walk on the beach... Wandering around through the jungle forest or see what mischief our treehouse holds today?

 

[Veroe]

I begin mincing the garlic and nod.

Let's figure out what to do after our meal after we eat it, ok?

 

[Asa]

Fair enough love.

Leaning a little closer to you with a kiss to your shoulder.

 

[Veroe]

I smile at the kiss as I finish the garlic. Next I smoosh and spread out the room temperature butter between two sheets of plastic. I peel it off.

Now's the time to get our fingers dirty and spread the garlic and herbs throughout the butter. Want to help me in that?

 

[Asa]

Okay.

Sliding the chopped herbs over.

 

[Veroe]

First I take the minced garlic and begin sprinkling it over the spread butter. That way only my hands will have that garlicky smell.

Now for the herbs.

 

[Asa]

Sprinkling the herbs over the butter and garlic in a nice thinblayer

 

[Veroe]

That done I gently press the herbs and garlic into the butter and then begin the process of rolling the butter into a single whole tube with the herbs and garlic mixed throughout. I tie the plastic off and place the tube of compound butter in the freezer. That will help firm it up faster.

Next we tackle the pasta and grill the veggies for the salad. Mind getting them out of the bag, love?

 

[Asa]

Reaching to get the veggies and cleaning the cutting board up some prepping to begin cutting up the veggies.

 

[Veroe]

While you get the veggies I pull out the grill pan from the cupboard. Then turn on the burners on the stove to get the grillpan nice and hot.

Then I turn to see you already chopping the zucchini, bell peppers, onions, carrots, and asparagus and last one fresno chili.

We work well together, don't we?

 

[Asa]

Oh yeah we do. Always have.

Looking to you with a smile.

 

[Veroe]

First I wash my hands to get the garlicky smell off and then I turn to the fresno chili and began slicing it open and scraping out the seeds inside.

This is the secret weapon to the salad, but we have we to be careful or it will overpower the whole thing with its heat. I know Fresno's are only a medium-level chili when it comes to heat, but the goal is to add just a kick to the salad not an out and out blowtorch to the tongue.

 

[Asa]

Veggies prepared and moving to wash my hands and looked around to see what's next.

 

[Veroe]

Could you see if the grillpan is hot enough for us to start, love? If it is start using the olive oil from the bag to grease the pan and we'll start with the zucchini-those will take the longest to grill up.

 

[Asa]

Getting everything ready and placing the zucchini on the grillpan

 

[Veroe]

Good work, darling.

I place a wide bowl on the counter within easy reach of the grill pan so we can grill up all the veggies. Next up is the dressing for the salad. It's super simple so won't take too long at all to get it ready. Do you want to handle that while I finish the grilling or you cool with me doing it?

 

[Asa]

Go for it work on that.

Smiling grilling each of the veggies carefully.

 

[Veroe]

Great love. Remember to keep an eye on the veggies. We want them softened but still with some crunch to them and be careful a few of them take less time than the others.

Over on the kitchen island I pour some of the olive oil a little bit of balsamic and then a bottle of Italian dressing into a bowl. Then a pinch of salt and pepper and giving it a good stirring until its well incorporated.

 

[Asa]

Yep have to have the crunch to veggies.

A wink and focusing on the veggies

 

[Veroe]

Alright. It looks like you're about done with the veggies, and next we need to boil the rotini.

I put the bowl of dressing next to the bowl of veggies. Then we combine and let it all chill out and get really really good in the fridge until lunch.