Testimonial
As a disclaimer, I've been drinking wine and cooking all night and my guests just left.I'd like to say a few words on behalf of Amy Sedaris's new book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. She's a goddamn genius.
I opened the book prepared to laugh and chortle. This whole family has me completely enraptured. David had me ever since Snowflake played a dangerous game. Paul "the Rooster" had me at "motherfucker." And Amy had me with Strangers with Candy. And now she has me again with this hilarious book. I though the book was a joke. It's not! She's amazing! I MADE HER FOOD AND IT WORKED!
Why am I so giddy? Because I got a wild hare and decided--after flipping through her damn book, mind you--to have a Greek food party. I called people from the grocery store and said, "be at my house at 6:30! I'm making spanikopita!" And I DID! First time out of the gate! Amy taught me how. I even made that cucumber sauce/dip I can never spell--tzaziki sauce?? Dunno. It was all delicious. Amazingly so.
Sure, I had to brush melted butter on about 1000 layers of phyllo. Sure, I had to call a guest and demand that she not arrive unless she was carrying a package of cream cheese (yes! Amy says it belongs in spanikopita and she's right! I doubted too!!). Sure, I'm not sober now on a Tuesday night, nor were my guests as they stumbled out, because the damn phyllo brushing took well nigh on forever, but I had plenty of white wine and it was delectable. I mean, stunningly good. The spanikopita was, in the words of my dear friend S., "slap your mamma good."
Am I Greek? No. I am an Irish/English/Scottish mutt who looks like most of the women in the Netherlands. But I made some awe-inspiring Greek food. People swooned. I swooned, dammit! And I owe it all to Amy Sedaris. Under the Influence is right. God bless her. Buy this book immediately. Dear god, do it now!
posted by Megarita @ 10:29 PM
8 Comments:
Cream cheese? It is a BOLD move. I'd never do it, but I'd eat it! Excellent work, Dr. Megarita!
This post is all Greek to me. yuk yuk yuk.
I'm so glad you're giving this your seal of approval--I've been hesitating over buying it for most of the last two months. No more! Some of the Xmas money is going to a bookstore this very afternoon!
MA--Yeah, even I could see that recipe was about as "traditional" as I am greek, but it does beautiful things to the spinach.
Chimmy--Welcome home, soldier!
JB--Yeah, you almost got drunk dialed when I tasted the spanikopita--I was that excited. These are not classy or scientific recipes, mind you, but there is a shrimp dip from Stephen Colbert. :)
Yay! And I totally need to make Stephen Colbert's shrimp dip.
I read this book during December, and I thought it was clever on so many levels. She jokes...but there is wisdom in her advice. As for the food, I could tell from "reading" the recipes that they were dead on good, but I eat this spartan diet and knew I could never touch this stuff. For parties? It's the kind of food that people love to eat and isn't quirky or so "gourmet" that it's hard to create. In other words, perfect entertaining food. I love her obsessions: panty hose packaging, wigs, bad makeup, cupcake "picks." She has nailed that whole 1960-70's era and housewives with time on their hands to make pantyhose hanging plant holders or study the removal of questionable stains.
MG!--On the off chance that JB doesn't buy it today or something, I'll send you the thwimp dip, as she calls it. I think his is a shrimp paste. I dunno. I just want to eat it.
Cube--You know, I'm surprised that you eat a spartan diet. I have always pictured you as an Amy Sedaris-type figure, always teetering around in fabulous shoes carrying impressive cocktails to your adoring friends. Damn.
I do wear stilettos when I am going out, and I do carry cocktails, but in terms of food consumption on a day to day for me? VERY strict...and it's my friend Mark that gives the wild a la Breakfast at Tiffany's cocktail parties. ;)
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