Friday Family Dinner, 2016

Better late than never…

This year, we’re down home and simple, taking our inspiration from the flavors of Louisiana.

French 75s

Cheap Beer

Creole Crab Cheesecake

Crackers and Relishes

Hush Puppies

Cheese Biscuits

Cajun Seafood Boil with Crab, Shrimp, Smoked Sausage, Corn and Potatoes

Tabasco and Honey Glazed Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

Creole Bread Pudding with Whipped Cream

Lemon Chess Pie

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Family Dinner 2015

This year we’re doing something a little different. We won’t be doing Thanksgiving. After talking it over for a few years, we decided that the whitewashing of history and the awfulness of the Pilgrims to both Native Americans and other colonists is not worth celebrating.

We also aren’t fans of Black Friday and reckless consumerism (oh, we’re still buying presents and decorating like bananas for Christmas, but we’re drawing a line here).
Still, we want to share a good meal with the ones we love. So, we’ll be having Family Dinner Friday this year!

The Menu

Champagne Cocktail:

Autumn Bellini

Apertif Cocktails

Negroni

Americano

Starters:

Antipasto Misto

Artichoke Frittata

Crostini with Ricotta:

Butternut Squash

Roasted Grape

Sopressata

Salad:

Arugula, Pecorino, Pear and Pine Nut Salad

Main Course:

Citrus-Marinated Crown Roast of Pork

Italian Bread and Sausage Stuffing

Fig and Port Sauce

Sides:

Green Beans with Lemon and Capers

Fennel with Parmesan

Roasted Butternut Squash with Balsamic Vinegar

Pan-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Pancetta

Desserts:

Struffoli

Pizzelle with Lemon Marcapone

Marsala and Dried Fig Crostata

Thanksgiving 2014

Cheese

Martinis with Blue-Cheese Stuffed Olives

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Cheese Board with Figs, Grapes, Nuts and Honeycomb

Honey-Drizzled, Bacon-Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Blue Cheese

Pepper-Cheese Breadsticks

Crudité with Assorted Relishes

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Apple Pecan and Feta Salad

Honey-Apple Vinaigrette

Parmesan Rolls

Brazilian Cheese Balls

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Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Breast Roulade Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Pecans, Dried Cherries and Figs

Pear Glaze

Pear Cider Pan Gravy

Cranberry Sauce with Port and Dried Figs

Brie

Tuscan Bread Stuffing with Goat Cheese, Dried Cherries and Prosciutto

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Garlic, Herb and Parmesan Stuffed Brussels Sprouts

Sweet Potato and White Cheddar Gratin

Gruyére Mashed Potato Puffs

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Pumpkin Mini Cheesecakes With Whipped Cream and Salted Caramel Sauce

Salt and Straw’s Pear and Blue Cheese Ice Cream

Thanksgiving, 2013

Here it is: Pretty much the only reason I use this blog anymore:

 

Black Velvets

Sidewalkers

 

Beer-battered green beans and olives with Drop Top Aioli

Crudité and assorted relishes

Assorted Hard and Soft Cheeses

Crackers with Bacon Full Sail Amber Ale Jam

Black Pepper, Parmesan and Workhorse IPA Bread

Honey Maple Elysian Great Pumpkin Ale  Bread

Urban Farmhouse Saison, Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Cheese Dip

Ninkasi Oatis Oatmeal Stout Candied Pecans

 

Pear and Walnut Salad with Blue Cheese and Widmer Hefeweizen Vinaigrette

Widmer Hefeweizen Honey Rolls

 

Rogue Hazelnut Ale-Brined Turkey under a Bacon Blanket

Onion and Rogue Hazelnut Ale Gravy

Quick Wit Cranberry Relish

Homemade Whole-Grain Ninkasi Total Domination Ale Mustard

Red War Ale and Apple Stuffing

 

Fat Tire-braised Rosemary Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes Roasted with Bacon and Black Butte Porter

Ace of Spades IPA Brussels Sprouts Hash

 

Guinness Hot Chocolate

1554 Pecan Pie

Rogue Chocolate Stout Stout Chocolate Pudding

Thanksgiving Menu 2012

Thanksgiving 2012 Menu

Appetizers and Snacks

Shrimp Chips

Crispy Wontons

Pot Stickers

Hundred Corner Shrimp Balls

Lantern Dumpling sauce

Sri Racha and Wasabi Deviled Eggs

Drinks

Drinking Vinegars: Ginger, Cranberry, Satsuma

Champagne

Asian Beer

Salad

Green Papaya Salad

Pork Salad with Lettuce Cups

Bread

Hawaiian Bread

Turkey

Thai Roasted Turkey

Nuac Chom

Cranberry Satsuma Relish

Sticky Rice Stuffing

Peanut Gravy

Sides

Corn with Fish Sauce Butter

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Pumpkin Curry

Scalloped Potatoes with Coconut Milk and Chiles

Desserts

Coconut Tart

Green Tea Fortune Cookies

Tea-Poached Pears with Tapioca Pearls and Satsumas

Lemon Lemony Lemonlicious Lemon Curd

I like lemon curd. I use Alton Brown’s recipe.

First, juice and zest all the lemons. (Or, like 5)

This is my zester.

Then, beat the egg yolks and the lemon juice and the other stuff together.

And cook it like it’s hollandaise. Then take it off the heat and put an absurd amount of butter in it.

mmm…..butter.

And then you got yourself some sunshine in a jar!

Strawberry Jalapeño Jam

Chop 4 cups of strawberries

Mince about a cup of jalapeños.

Then have jalapeño fingers all freakin’ day because you didn’t wear gloves.

Toss in 7 cups of sugar. (Mmmmm…sugar)

(Looking at this made me want to make candied jalapeños).

Cook it until the sugar melts, then run the submersible blender through it. If you don’t have a submersible blender – or if you (unlike me) are capable of planning ahead, you can mash the strawberries before cooking them.

Once the sugar melts, add a package of pectin and do the usual jam thing – boil the hell out of it for a couple of minutes, toss into sterile jars and process for 10 minutes.

It’s freaking DELICIOUS! I don’t know that I’ll go back to straight jalapeño jelly. The kids don’t like it, but they are wusses.