Dinner for mom

It's my mom's birthday Wednesday so Rory and I are having the family over for dinner next Saturday. I've been swamped at work because of my deadline and hadn't had much time to think of a menu. While I was initially considering a porchetta, it's off for now. We need to look at a house before dinner and I won't have time to roast the beast so I'm holding off for now.

But I'm still going with an Italian theme, relying heavily on the Marcella Hazan cookbook my sister got me for my birthday. I'll also be doing my first fresh ravioli, which should be fun.

I didn't necessarily mean for this to become an Italian feast but it is appropriate. My mom cooked Italian food the entire time I was growing up because that's what her mom cooked. The Bologense I cook is based on my great grandmother's recipe.

The other thing I'm excited about it the focaccia, or more specifically the crecentina, I'm going to serve with the meal. It's basically a bread with bacon.

I am once again making a pork themed meal and when I was looking for stuff to make that recipe popped out at me.

On tap is the crecentina, ravioli, drunken pork roast, brocoli and parmesan, potatoes with mushrooms. My sister is making a chocolate cake and I'm making tiramisu ice cream.

On tap

Neither of these recipes are strictly South Beach but they are healthier than the alternative, except for maybe the bechamel.

The Super Bowl calls for chicken wings and when Bittman posted these recipes I felt like it was a no brainer. The flavors intrigue me and should really pop. Plus they are baked and not deep fried so that should be something.

This vegetable lasagne from Savuer is the other I'm going to make, but this is dependent on me finding some whole wheat lasagna noodles. I am a little skeptical about not cooking the noodles first, it's a fairly complex recipe and I would hate for it to not turn out for that reason alone. Not sure when I'm going to make this one, since it is involved, and we have a busy weekend ahead of us.

The week ahead

So I have a plan for what's to come this next week. I didn't make the soup on Friday but that's on tap for this evening. I also saw a duck recipe that I think I'm going to do on Wednesday.

I also owe a post on the cupcakes I made. I'm cooking dinner for my folks on Sunday, short ribs, but I'm going to experiment with the dessert, maybe my first pie.

Deadline ...

This is it for me this week, unless something miraculous happens and the deadline fairy magically finishes all my stories.

But here's a taste of what's to come:

• Cast iron
• Breakfast
• Zack recommends ...
• Zack reviews
• The first dinner party of the fall (What should I make, leave your suggestions)
• The Turducken Chronicles: The Bird Returns

Deadline looms ...

I'm in crunch mode with the job so I apologize for so few posts this week. The good thing is I have plans to do some cooking today and tomorrow that is blog-worthy. I'm doing a roast chicken with sage tonight with a side dish from Top Chef. Tomorrow I'm going to make this pound cake reciep from Savuer that I've been dieing to make. I'll let you know how it turns out.

What to cook?

I'm feeling a little indifferent on what to cook this week. On Friday I'm going to do some baked ziti, my own recipe, but am trying to figure pout what else I want to make this week.

It might be time to try some short ribs again. I also haven't done risotto in awhile. And then there's this interesting chicken and saffron recipe. Anybody have some suggestions?

Also, on a personal note, Rory and I got engaged over the weekend. We're both very excited. I figure it's only family and friends that read this, but figure it was worth noting in case there's anyone else.

On the menu this weekend

After being in Florida for the past couple of days and not cooking for what feels like a long time I can't wait to get to the stove tonight. The trip was good and busy, and I'm looking forward to cooking and unwinding

I went to the store with the intention of cooking duck this evening but forgot that the bird was going to be frozen. After standing in the meat case for an inordinate amount of time - something I've been doing a lot of recently - trying to figure out what to make I decided on meatballs this evening. I also bought some provolone and nice fresh bread to make sandwiches.,

Tomorrow will be the duck. I'm a little concerned and excited all at once.

I'm making bolognese

And the apartment smells fantastic. I put it on during my lunch break and will let it cook for a few hours. I departed a bit from the traditional family recipe but will have a full post tomorrow about it.

On the menu this weekend

It's kind of a busy weekend, but I am looking forward to doing a little bit of cooking. Tonight I'm going to attempt this Lamb and Stout Casserole (Woo Hoo I get to use the new dutch oven).

On Sunday I'm going to do a pork shoulder. I'm not sure what exactly I will do to it (other than cooking the shit out of it at a low temperature for a very long time), but this is a possibility.

Santas was good to me

I got just about all the cooking stuff I wanted for Christmas. As I took everything out and put it in the kitchen Rory commented that it looked like QVC threw up in the kitchen. The big thing was the immersion blender. Just for fun I used it to scramble some eggs. I'm going to do a soup soon so I can use it again. I also got two cookbooks, Bittman's NY Times recipe and Seduced by Bacon. Rory also got me a nice big strainer, which was desperately needed, and the folks got me some ramekins.
I also got a couple of nice Le Creuset casserole pans, a new pasta pot with built in strainer and steamer, a small digital scale, and a nice cast iron enamel dutch oven along with a zester and some nice tongs. I have had some Borders and Barnes and Noble gift cards sitting around so I'll probably use those to buy the couple of cookbooks I've been wanting.

Tomorrow I'm making tacos for Rory and her brothers. I'm also going to do something with the turkey carcass sitting in the freezer. I want to make stock but I might make soup.

Up next

Some of Rory's high school friends are having a revolving monthly dinner party. This Sunday it's our turn. We've been to two so far and both have been excellent, but situations like this is when my competitive juices start to flow so I really want to impress.

I've know this has been coming for about a month, and while my focus has been on turducken this has been in the back of my mind. I want to do something that impresses, but also something that's not too much effort. I considered short ribs, the chicken, sausage and sage dish and a pork roast but wasn't sure. I found out one of the guests is not a big pork fan so that was ruled out, the chicken dish seems just too easy, so I was leaning toward short ribs.

I figured I would have all day for them to braise, but then we were invited to a holiday tree trimming party Sunday afternoon. It's being hosted by some friends of mine that Rory hasn't met and people I haven't seen in entirely too long. I can still pull off a dinner, but braising the short ribs wasn't an option.

So I'm doing a turkey breast. I'm going to brine it and roast it. I have wanted to do another one since Thanksgiving and it seems like the best option. When I brined one a couple of months ago it was the best turkey I ever had and I should be able to replicate it.

As for sides I will do the perfunctory mashed potatoes, but I'm not sure what else. The corn casserole that Ed and Karen brought to turducken was great, but I'm also considering an asparagus or something else. I was also thinking about doing a soup instead of salad, but I need to check some of my recipes and make sure I'll have time.

As for desserts, it might just be cookies unless I feel like doing something else. Though the apple caramel cheesecake may be beckoning again.

On the menu this week

With the holiday I don't have much planned this week. Tonight we're going to some friends for dinner and tomorrow I'll probably have leftovers. Wednesday I may be cooking for Rory and a friend of hers, but I won't know for sure until later. Thursday is of course Thanksgiving and I'm making a cauliflower gratin for Rory's parents meal. I will also be assisting Rory with the cake she's making.

Friday I'll make chili for the annual day-after-Thanksgiving poker game. It's my own recipe which I'll try to document here. I basically buy a bunch of different meat and peppers and throw it together. No beans though, I'm not a fan because of the texture, and who wants to be sitting around with seven guys after they've been eating chili?

Saturday we'll be having turkey again as we head to my parents house to celebrate the holiday with them. As of now I'm not making anything for my folks because they told me not to bother. I also know we'll have plenty of food.

But Rory and I will probably be baking this weekend. I think we're going to make at least four or five different types of cookies. We're heading to Michigan a week from Saturday for a family outing and want to bring some and also want to have some on hand for Turducken fun. We'll probably do some massive baking a couple of times before Christmas as we plan to give out cookies to some coworkers for the holidays. If we do that I'll spread out the recipes over a few days.

At some point later today, maybe not until the evening though, I'll post about the meal I made last night. Three words: bacon-wrapped pork loin.

Cookers block?

I don't know what to cook this weekend. It should be a quiet couple of days, which will be a nice break from the past few weekends that have been incredibly busy, so I have time to cook some different and potentially time-consuming recipes.

But nothing is really speaking to me. I was excited about the short ribs, risotto and pizza last weekend but am kind of "Meh" about any recipes I've read the past couple of days.

Right now it's between chicken and dumplings and pot roast. I'm not sure what recipe I'll use for the chicken and dumplings but I plan on using whole wheat flour for the dumplings in an attempt to be a little healthy. At some point I'll make that pot roast recipe, it sounds fantastic, but I just did the short ribs last weekend and want to do something else. I have a pork tenderloin in the freezer, maybe I should do something with that. Anybody have any suggestions?

On the menu

Mac and cheese (not sure which recipe I'm making)
One-Pan Sage-and-Onion Chicken and Sausage

Otherwise, I'm not really sure. The mac and cheese will be Tuesday and I'll prep the chicken tomorrow for Wednesday night. I typically cook an involved meal Sunday but haven't decided what it will be yet.