Spring Dinner Party

Cocktails:

• Prosecco

Appetizers:

• Cheese Plate
• Crudité with Tangy Ranch Dip from the latest issue of Rachael Ray magazine

Entrée:

• Wood Fire Roasted Pork Loin – Another winning pork from the wood-fire oven complimented beautifully with a rub shared by one of the chefs at The Legends of Brandybrook.
• Roasted Asparagus with Gremolata – Spring time = asparagus. I roast it at 450 for about 10 minutes, until it is cooked through, but still has a bite to it.
• Crash Hot Potatoes - I think these were the hit of the meal, and I was not one bit surprised. The key is the fresh rosemary. Always go for the fresh rosemary.
• Fresh Bread & Butter

Dessert:

• Kentucky Butter Cake with Strawberries and Fresh Whipped Cream – This was great, and I will definitely be making again. The not too sweet butter cake paired perfectly with strawberries that had been macerated in a bit of sugar.

Meal Plan – February 15th – Febuary 21st

• Friday: Family Dinner Out – Jake’s Burger

• Saturday: Take-out Sushi

• Sunday: Cheese Plate, Green Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette, Mushroom Bourguignon over Egg Pappardelle

• Monday: Post Grocery Shop Leftovers

• Tuesday: Williams-Sonoma’s Chicken Chili

• Wednesday: TBD

• Thursday: Mexican Take-Out from Senior Tomas

Meal Plan – February 8th – Febuary 14th

• Friday: Family Dinner Out – North Star American Bistro - This is a restaurant I actually forgot about, but we ended up at due to their not having a wait on a Friday night when we’d already stopped at 2 other restaurants with hour+ long waits. I started with the Chestnut Manhattan, which I was looking forward to having again immediately after my first sip. Not surprisingly, we ordered calamari, which was very good. I loved my entrée of short ribs, cheesy mashed potatoes, and sautéed spinach. Unfortunately, Jim did not care for his entrée of bourbon salmon. His disappointment was slightly forgotten when he dug into a slice of turtle cheesecake garnished with candied nuts. So, so good.

• Saturday: Caesar Salads, Antipasti, and Bolognese Sauce over Tagliatelle – Great recipe, didn’t change a thing. The best part is that it’s a large batch and freezes very well for a quick weeknight meal.

• Sunday: Buttermilk Roast Chicken, Green Beans, Corn, and Mashed Potatoes – I LOVE this recipe. I don’t change much, except for upping the spices, and adding a bit of tabasco to the marinade. Another step I take is to drain and dry the chicken before roasting. I just use paper towels to sop up as much of the marinade as possible. The first time I made this, I didn’t do that, and the chicken was delicious, but soggy. When you dry before drizzling with oil and roasting, it gives the skill more of an opportunity to crisp up. And really, let’s be honest, isn’t crispy skin the best part of roasted chicken???

• Monday: Errands & Dinner Out – Chili’s – For as much as I don’t care for chain restaurants, there are a few that are “worthy” of our time and money. Chili’s is one of those on our list. I used to get the chicken tacos, and I’m still a little annoyed that they took those off of the menu. Scratch that, I’m a lot annoyed. They were good. Really good. Whatever, I’ll try to move on … try. My new go-to are chicken fajitas, Cadillac style. They’re always good, and they ensure lunch is also covered for the next day or two.

• Tuesday: Pizza and Salad – We had Carter’s 4K registration and tour, and didn’t get home until almost 8:00 p.m. Thank goodness for frozen pizzas from Costco. Did you know I love Costco?

• Wednesday: Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef over Rice with Asian Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms – This was good. Like, Jim asked if it was from a bag good. I should be insulted by that, but I know him well enough to know he meant no harm. I did add some Sriracha, which I will definitely do next time as well.

• Thursday: Alfredo Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Mushrooms and Steamed Broccoli – I just wasn’t feeling like actually cooking, so Carter and I picked up some sauce from the grocery and I tossed with sausage, mushrooms, and pasta we already had on hand. It was really a Valentine’s present to myself.

Meal Plan – January 4th – January 10th

• Friday: Pan-seared Tilapia, with Green Beans, and Fresh Bread – Tilapia with a light dredge of seasoned flour, pan-fried in olive oil and butter until cooked through and slightly crisp. I added a little lemon juice and butter to the pan to create a light sauce that went really well with the fish and green beans, and begged to be sopped up with the bread. All-in-all a successful Friday night in.

• Saturday: Boys Out for Packer Game / Sushi Supper for 1 – Tossed Green Salad Carrot Ginger Dressing, Edamame

• Sunday: NY Strip Steaks, Roasted Asparagus, Crash Hot Potatoes, & Sautéed Mushrooms

• Monday: Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki and Waffle Fries – I forgot how much I absolutely adore this meal, but I do, I really, really do. It’s awesome, and just as good, if not better, are the leftovers, as they make an awesome Greek Salad. Be sure to make the sauce, at least, a day in advance so the flavors have time to do their stuff. Once made, it lasts at least a week in fridge … if you don’t devour it first!

• Tuesday: Frozen Pizza – Had a last minute change in plans that resulted in my original dinner falling through. Jim wasn’t disappointed, as he loves an excuse for frozen pizza.

• Wednesday: Chinese Take-Out from Emperor’s Kitchen - I’ve talked about this restaurant on here before, and when I had no desire to actually cook this night, this was a great fall-back for Jim to pick up on the way home.

• Thursday: Big Greek Salads with Chicken served with Pita and Tzatziki – Great use of Monday’s leftovers!

Meal Plan – December 28th – January 3rd

• Friday: Ciabatta Crust Pizza – We’ve been doing pizza Friday’s for a few weeks now, and no one sees any reason to quit now. We do mix it up with different crusts and toppings, but our favorite is sausage and mushroom. Since I had bread to use up before it goes moldy, I decided tonight’s dinner would be on ciabatta rolls purchased at my beloved Costco. With that thought in mind, I went through my Google Reader and got some guidance from “The Cozy Apron”. We absolutely loved these, and I will be making them again in the pizza night rotation.

• Saturday: Out for Steak at Palmer’s Steakhouse - This was our first time to Palmer’s, and, overall, we liked it very much. I enjoyed 2 of their house martinis before dinner that were delicious:

Palmer’s Ultimate Cosmopolitan: Grey Goose Le Citron, Triple Sec, Sweet-n-Sour, and Cranberry Juice.

Palmer’s Citrus Punchout: Absolut Mandarin and Citron Vodka, Van Gogh Pineapple Vodka, Triple Sec, Orange and Pineapple Juices finished with a sugared rim.

As far as the actual meal, we started with calamari, which was delicious, and then ordered our entrees with a side of shredded onion rings. I would definitely go back, but I didn’t find that this experience beat out Kurt’s in Delafield as my favorite, if simply for the cost to meal ratio that I mentally calculate after a meal. Don’t get me wrong, Palmer’s knows what they’re doing, and they do it very well, especially when it comes to service and overall dining experience.

• Sunday: Boys Out for Packer Game

• Monday: New Year’s Eve - A great ringing in of 2013, complete with a Dance Party and Pajama Jam.

• Tuesday: Annual Cupery Open House – Brought BBQ Chicken Rolls - I modified the linked recipe to be a little friendlier to the tastes of the group, substituting Buffalo Sauce with Saz’s Spicy BBQ, cheddar cheese for the mozzarella, and adding some corn into the mix as well. They were a hit. This is one of those recipes that opens itself up to a ton of variations depending on the type of party and time of year. Will definitely be making again.

• Wednesday: Leftover Pork Tenderloin from NYE – Just as delicious the second time around!

• Thursday: Pizza Tortellini – I was just not feeling dinner tonight, but the bag of TJ’s cheese tortellini in the pantry caught my eye and I remembered the sausage, onion, and mushrooms in the fridge from our latest pizza night. Boiled the pasta, sautéed the veggies and meat, warmed the sauce, and tossed together with some mozzarella cheese before popping into the oven to get melty and browned. For being thrown together on a whim, it was quite delicious.

New Year’s Eve 2012

Cocktails:

• Champagne
• Beer
• Sparkling Cider

Savory:

• Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin Sliders – Very easy and a total hit. I sliced the pork thinly and served with pretzel rolls.
• Cheese Plate Featuring Brie, Blue, Manchego, and a Peppadew & Jalapeño Cheddar with accompaniments of Sliced Apples, TJ’s Rosemary Almonds, Honey, Quince Paste, Fig Jam, and Cranberry Relish
• Spiced Broccoli Dip - I modified this recipe slightly by using mozzarella instead of cheddar, and omitting the onions and bell pepper. I also added crushed red pepper to the mix. It went over very well, and I could see leftovers being used as a filling for a chicken roll or something similar.
• Veggie Plate with Ranch

Sweet:

• Macaroons
• Plain & Chocolate Coated Cream Puffs

Meal Plan – October 13th – October 19th

• Saturday –Dinner: Fish Tacos, Cabbage Slaw, Mexican Sour Cream Rice, Salsa, & Margaritas – Yum! Tacos of any kind are always a win in our house, and since Carter liked the last round of tempura fish so much, I decided to try my luck with another. The Hatch chiles were on the spicy side this year, so the rice ended up with a little more kick than usual. I liked it, but Carter was not a fan. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
  

• Sunday – Breakfast: Sausage, Mushroom, & Green Chile Breakfast Casserole / Dinner: Roast Beef over Egg Noodles with Thyme Roasted Carrots and Multigrain Bread – This was a fantastic Sunday night meal. I changed the recipe just slightly and added some Minced Garlic and Toasted Minced Onion from Penzey’s for a little extra oomph. I’ll be using this meat later in the week for sandwiches, and then freezing the remainder for some other incarnation or maybe just to enjoy with gravy over mashed potatoes.
  

• Monday – Dinner: Take-Out from Emperor’s Kitchen – This is quite simply the best Chinese restaurant in the area. Now, you could argue that I live in South–Eastern Wisconsin, and there probably aren’t 100,000 options for Chinese take-out, which wouldn’t be wrong, but my family and I have been ordering from here for years and haven’t had a bad meal yet. If you’re thinking of trying their Delafield or Brookfield location, I highly recommend their Egg Foo Young, or, at the very least, a side of the gravy to enjoy with your rice. Delish!
  

   

• Tuesday – Dinner: Bacon–Wrapped Brined Shrimp with Jalapeño Lime Cabbage Slaw, and Mexican Sour Cream Rice – Totally accidental win and I’ll take it. I brined these shrimp for about an hour in Sweetwater Spice Company’s Smoked Habanero BBQ Bath Brine and then wrapped them in bacon before roasting in the oven. Need to work out the timing a bit, as I almost overcooked the shrimp trying to get the bacon crisp, but the flavor was fantastic. Even Carter gave me compliments.
  

• Wednesday – Dinner: Shredded Beef Sandwiches with Sweet Potato Fries – These were great. I warmed the beef in its juices and then served on ciabatta rolls with mayo and cheese.
  

   

• Thursday – Dinner: Maple – Dijon Chicken Thighs and Steamed Broccoli – This was good, and I’ll make it again, but do not skip the step of covering pan with foil. I’m still soaking my Pyrex to try to get the burned on mustard off of the pan. Ugh, no fun! It wasn’t the prettiest meal ever, so I’ll just show you the little man enjoying his dinner.
  

   

• Friday – Dinner: Jalapeño Artichoke Dip, Veggies, and Bread – This wasn’t planned, but our real plan fell through, Jim worked extra late, and Carter and I were extra hungry, so we snacked for dinner. I love that this kid loves veggies for dinner. Have I told you he asks for broccoli? What 3 year old asks for broccoli?!?!? The dip was from Costco and quite delicious. Put it in the oven for a bit to get bubbly.
  

   

• Other Cooking & Baking: Air-Popped Microwave Popcorn – Very cool technique. We had to nuke longer than the recipe said, but that could be for many reasons, but just kept hitting that “+30″ button, and sure enough, we eventually had popcorn. Though, Jim added a healthy dose of butter and salt.