Recipe testing fun

We are busy trying to secure the food cart. Jay has been hard at work calling various vendors. It's an exciting time for us. Tonight we tested some recipes, but mostly we had fun. That's what this is all about--having fun and making some great food.
Jay made scallops with a Spanish tomato jam and garlic cream. The blend of savory and sweet made a tasty start to the little Spanish meal we shared tonight. Reading all of the books and coming up with ideas for Debajo del Sol inspired us to create a meal together tonight. And, it makes us eager to have the cart in our hands.
The scallops were followed by a Catalan cannelloni filled with spinach, pine nuts and raisins and topped with a white sauce.
Cannelloni sounds Italian rather than Spanish, but this is indeed a Spanish dish with an Italian flair. The rich sauce, coupled with bit of sweet from the raisins made for a delicious paring. Could this be a possibility Debajo del Sol special? We'll see.
For now, we are having a great time. We enjoy our research. We enjoy our time together in the kitchen. I'm learning new things. I've spent the last many years writing news and I have a lot to learn, but Jay is a great teacher. In fact, he'll be teaching a class at Jackson Community College. He will be busy, busy, busy, but food is what he loves, food is what we love.
Now, we wait for the snow to melt. We hope that happens soon. As we wait, we are gearing up for working hard at building Debajo del Sol and enjoying our time together.

photos by Cristina Trapani-Scott