They say you should never introduce new recipes to company. But what if you don’t cook? Then everything is a new recipe. I have no doubt I would be good at cooking because it is in my genes. My mom is an EXCELLENT cook because she has spent years and years perfecting recipes and she is not afraid to take risks. She is so good, in fact, that my dad will ONLY eat her food. If we have potluck, he will gorge himself on her entrée…forget my sister’s yummy potatoes or my fantastic devilled eggs. If my mom didn’t make it, he won’t eat it. He will starve with a table full of food in front of him if it doesn’t have my mom’s signature touches.
So I decided (along with a few helpful hints from my boyfriend and sister) to host a Sunday Dinner. To spare you the suspense, it went well- but MAN was it a lot of work! I ended up making stuffed mushrooms (my mom’s recipe) with cream cheese, mushroom stems, onion, garlic and bacon and Bruchetta on rings of French baguette, with chopped garlic, onion, tomatoes and oil, topped with shredded parmesan cheese and broiled in the oven, to start. For the main course, I made cabbage rolls (courtesy of the internet) and I added a few of my own touches to these. The meat mix of beef AND pork had garlic, fresh parsley, rice, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and my secret ingredient SHAKE AND BAKE!!! They actually turned out pretty good. I soaked them for two hours in chicken broth, stewed tomatoes and 4 cheese pasta sauce (another secret ingredient). Prepping the cabbage is the hardest part and trimming the hard veins in the leaves. I had a Lebanese rice dish to accompany and it was basmati rice with 1 pound of ground beef and a soirée of spices including nutmeg, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Lastly, I made a simple Greek salad to clean the pallet. (Whoa, I sound like a chef).
For dessert I made an easy….cake thing. It is made with homemade vanilla pudding and whipped cream (together) and layered between a pastry-like salt-less crackers and topped with raspberry pie filling and fresh berries. It was delicious. All of my recipes were good, and will be perfected with time. I could get into this cooking thing. HOWEVER, I was cooking from 12:00 in the afternoon until 5:30 at night. Gah, and it this one dinner racked up a $109.00 grocery bill. And I had to buy a new roasting dish to accommodate the cabbage rolls and THAT was $40.00 buckeroos.
Speaking of delicious foods- Yay for Thanksgiving! Last year I missed my Thanksgiving, which has always been a source of tradition in my family, to go to Stuart’s family dinner. That’s what happens when you are in a serious relationship, sometimes you have to sacrifice time with your own family to have face time with the family of your significant other. This year, I get to commandeer him and bring him to MY Thanksgiving. However, as I have gotten older and our family has expanded, our traditions are changing to accommodate that. This year we will be having Thanksgiving at my family cottage in our little one room cabin with our new stove and new cabinets! Last year, I think they had Thanksgiving at my Parent’s house, while I spent it at Stuarts family home with lots of his relatives. Going from a big family-packed thanksgiving to a small intimate and nature-filled Thanksgiving. It is nice to have both alternatives.
The weather sounds like it will be nice up north and hopefully we will see my aunt and uncle and cousin (yes, only one of each) as well. It’s always nice to curl up with a book by the fireplace at a cottage. I hope you all have a peaceful and safe Thanksgiving and enjoy as much rich food as we will. ~Cheers~
