Osso bucco over creamy Parmesan mixed grits

You know, in the time B.G.B. (that’s Before Gravy Baby), the hubby and I vowed to keep some things about our lives from changing.  We made all sorts of promises to each other —  to take time out and check in with each other, to still enjoy a good glass of wine every now and again, to entertain and keep up with our friends like we always have.

Fast forward thirteen months later.  I chuckle a little bit now at the clueless naivete of those heady pre-baby days.  Now we squeeze in whatever time we have for each other at the end of a long day just before we collapse into a delirious sleep — at around 9:30 pm every night.  And it’s taken us this many months to finally, finally figure out a way to host a dinner party again, which is exactly what we did two weekends ago.

Top, left: rosemary-infused Marcona almonds, cubed canteloupe to accompany prosciutto, our favorite Parrano cheese and a wheel of ash-crusted brie; top, right: the happy place setting; and bottom, right: our cocktail napkins for our Firefly cocktails

We kept things pretty simple for our first time back in the dinner party saddle.  I made one of the hubby’s favorites, an osso bucco I’ve featured on this blog before, adding creamy Parmesan mixed yellow and white grits from the farmer’s market as an accompaniment.  We started our meal with an arugula and fennel salad topped with fresh ricotta and just a little squeeze and zest from a lemon.  And, because no meal is complete with dessert, I made a variation of this delicious ganache-glazed buttermilk chocolate bundt cake that the hubby and I absolutely love.

I kept things so simple, in fact, that I completely neglected to take a full set of photos from our dinner, instead choosing to relish in our delightful company.  The Gravy Baby slumbered peacefully upstairs, even staying asleep until a gloriously late 7:30 am the next day so we could have ample time to recover.

These days, I’d count that as a resounding success.

For more information on osso bucco, check my recipe roundup here.

Looking to make a great bundt cake?  A great cake starts with a great pan; I love this one from the Goldtouch line by Williams-Sonoma

Instead of ricotta salata, which is a harder, saltier cheese, try tossing fresh ricotta with a really good olive oil and some lemon zest, then following the rest of this recipe and top the arugula with dollops of your ricotta blend

Looking to dress your table with sophistication?  My new favorite is One Kings Lane; join here