Tapas kind of date night

We bought dates awhile ago and needed to use them but I also got a blender/food processor (her name is Rhonda) from Joshua for Christmas that I really wanted to use so we just made it a random tapas dinner kind of night.

Although none of it really went together we still had a good time with it.

Hubs was in charge of the drinks and made cactus pear syrup gin drinks.
and I was in charge of the food

which was bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese
5 pieces of bacon; halved crosswise
10 roasted almonds
10 dates; pitted and sliced down one side
about 1/4 cup goat cheese

1     preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2     stuff each date with an almond and goat cheese, pinch closed as best you can
3     wrap each in a 1/2 strip of bacon and place each on baking sheet seam side down
4     place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until bacon is crispy
(at about 10 minutes I drained the bacon fat that had liquified off so that they weren't sitting in it)
5     let cool a little before you serve them, and stick each one with a toothpick, makes them easier to eat

and since it was date night in I made the toothpicks fancy with a little washi tape fringe and my new plates :)
them make me smile

introducing Rhonda!

also I've always wanted to make this but never could until my Christmas present-
Cauliflower soup
from here

hubs claims he doesn't like cauliflower but he has been coming around so I decided to give it a go.
Now it's not a main course just an appetizer that goes well with some good homeade bread to dip it in
which unfortunately as not done cooking until after we finished the soup :)

serves 6

3 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion; chopped
1 head of cauliflower; seperated into florets
salt to taste
5 1/2 cups water; divided

garnish with pepper
a drizzle of good oil, we used shitake mushroom oil YUM
and a few chives

1     in a pot heat the oil and add in the onion
2     heat on low for 15 minutes, don't let the onion brown
3     add in the florets, salt and 1/2 cup water and cover pot
4     turn heat up to medium and stew for 15-20 minutes
5     add 4 1/2 cups of hot water to the soup (I preheated my water in the tea kettle)
6     bring to a low simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered
7     then in 2 batches puree the soup in a blender (it is a beautifully pure white color, Love)
8     return the soup to the pot and let sit for 20 minutes to thicken
9     then stir in another 1/2 cup of water and warm the soup back up
10   serve and garnish with oil, pepper, and chives

it was quite a bit of work for such a simple looking soup but I also thought it turned out really pure and delicious, just light and smooth
and Joshua liked it, yay

Then instead of our bread for dessert friends stopped by with their bread and cheese so we all joined in the tapas dessert portion together :)
It rocked.