Waw do all Dutch men cook??

We went to dinner at Vito's brothers house. Hmm, lets see, his Italian name will be Mariano!

It was total deliciousness...

For starter a lovely salad topped with toasted black bread with warm goat cheese and the whole ensemble came together with a home made honey mustard vinaigrette! Yum-O! (In the words of my girl Rachel.)

Then there were these aromatic stakes that were later dressed with (home made again) blue cheese sauce.... goooooood!

And for desert, some lemon sorbet with fresh strawberries!

Hmmm... well when he comes over for dinner I'll just have to make my big specialty... fried bananas! Hahaa... yeah, I have some books to look at...

PS: and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dad!!! He is 28 today!!! Wheeeeee!!!!! ...wait... that makes him younger then me... Dad, are you lying to me!????

My dad is seriously the coolest ever, an athlete - back in Ukraine he used to roll in the snow and go for a nice FREEZING dip in the river, in the WINTER!!! (We got photographic proof!) He was in weight lifting competitions. And apparently his biseps were so huge he could not reach over to brush his own hair... so my mom had to do it for him! (Or did he just say it as a pick-up line?...)

He is also a super dad- and I don't mean that he always has the best advice, which he does, but that he has fathered children on TWO CONTINENTS! (Yes, sure my mom did help in both cases, but she'll get her very own paragraph next month, because it'll be her birthday... she'll be turning 19.)

Yeah, that's my dad I have to thank for being so incredibly picky and taking my time in finding a great guy. All the romantic stories about my parents dating have completely spoiled me... and I had some pretty high parameters. He has to be smart, a sportsman, and be willing to get on a plane to come see me! Then out of nowhere came Vito (on a plane) and miraculously filled all these categories!! There is just one thing, he doesn't roll around in the snow or go for swims in the winter, but I had to overlook that. After all, no one can be perfect... like papochka!! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

(sorry Vito, you are perfect too, in fact, please NEVER go for swims in the winter!)