With all the recent celebrations I had to suffer through, some of which entailed decidedly mediocre food I was wondering how y’all celebrate your personal milestones / bdays / anniversaries at home.
What do you make for yourself, your loved one(s), or bestie?
Is it an elaborate dinner that requires a lot of time, effort, or ingredients?
Is it a simple meal with special / fancy ingredients?
As for me, it’s probably the latter: a special cut of meat prepared simply, or a seafood splurge like Chilean sea bass, or oysters on the half shell, or seared scallops. Maybe gravlax for starters, or a shrimp cocktail? Escargot? A fancy pasta with fresh porcini?
What says “this is a special occasion” to you?
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Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot, cooking and eating in northwest England)
2
There are two sides to this celebratory coin.
One is if family are visiting for the celebration meal. In that case it will be a dismal affair of lowest common denominator food to cope with family members fads, dislikes, etc. Usually chicken prepared in some awful bland way which is about the only thing everyone will eat.
And, on the other side of the coin, if it’s just me and Jan, we eat out to celebrate.
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot, cooking and eating in northwest England)
4
Not exactly. More a meal for a celebration.
We do cook for “feast days” when it’s just the two of us. Protein is usually fixed even if preparation differs year on year. Easter (lamb), Xmas Eve (gammon), New Years Eve (venison)
I figured there’s already threads out there for holiday meals, which seem to be common for many folks (prime rib, goose, etc.), and was hoping for more personal / quirky / different ‘traditions.’
My PIC loves meatballs & a few other things I make, so in that case, it would likely be something that makes him particularly happy
Well, it’s just me, myself and I. I’m not a fois gras or overly fancy frou-frou type of cook, nor do I think I’m overly imaginative in the actual foods that I eat, whereas I see many on the WFD or eating out threads that eat much more exotically [to me] than I do. I would totally smack myself upside the head if I ever used tweezers to place microgreens just so on my plate and yell “SNAP OUT OF IT!”
So if said celebration is a weekend or a day off, I’ll go with a preparation a bit more elaborate, maybe something like a seared duck breast, seared sea scallops, a beef tenderloin, a boneless leg of lamb. Then again - all four of those are something I make for myself semi-regularly or at least once a year.
And sometimes, it’s a perfect medium-rare bacon cheeseburger and fries that takes the winning trophy.
The beef tenderloin was always something I did for Mom on Christmas, and I’ve been keeping that going for myself. I always do lamb on either St. Patrick’s Day OR Easter. Maybe I’ll choose to make myself tapas - a cheese/fruit plate, scallops in saffron cream, spinach with garlic & pine nuts, lamb meatballs in a tomato sauce.
I guess for myself, it’s the time I spend in quiet preparation, perhaps trying a new recipe. Since I’m not cooking for anyone else, I only have myself to disappoint if it doesn’t come out well.
And now I want lamb meatballs.
ETA: I usually don’t go OUT for celebratory meals. I used to, but I don’t like having a fuss made over me. And Goddess forbid, do NOT have the EFFING HB song sung to me by the waitstaff!
That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I mean, anyone can just go out for a celebratory meal — but putting your own effort into creating something special for oneself, or to show someone you care?
Of course. Everyone’s different - and that’s OK. This is about what you love to cook for your loved ones or good friends at home in celebration of (whatever you’re celebrating). Which is priceless to many of us. Do I wish I could still make a homecooked meal for my mother? Yeah, every damn freakin’ holiday. But I can’t - so I make them in honor of her and toast her and tell her how much I wish she was here to enjoy it again.
Whatever the meal my sister and wife prepare it def ends with a big mocha cake and I do no kitchen detail. Mocha cake once a year from a very specific bakery.
Ugh, I hate it when people do that. Although I suppose there’s something to be said about proprietary recipes, especially when a business is involved. I’ve asked a couple of places in Berlin — one Syrian, one Thai — for their hot sauce ingredients, i.e. not even the recipe… but they wouldn’t budge.
If a private person did that I’d laugh in their face and move on.
Hopefully, that bakery sticks around for many bdays to come!
I was wondering how y’all celebrate your personal milestones / bdays / anniversaries at home.
