What's for Dinner #64 - This Year's Almost Over, Thank Goodness! Edition - December 2020

Mrs. P went all out for the last dinner of 2020. She made coffee rubbed Heritage double cut pork chops from D’Artagnan, with sides of roasted delicata squash and roasted Brussels sprouts with butternut squash, crispy bacon, pearl onions, fried sage, and maple syrup. For dessert she made pineapple rum ice cream with caramel sauce and fresh fruit. It all went great with Molly Dooker The Boxer Shiraz and 20 year old Taylor Fladgate port. Good riddance to 2020. I wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year!











20 Likes

So well said Linda. Bring 2021 on . We’ll survive
I’ll be looking forward to your beautiful food pics as always . Cheers :clinking_glasses::wine_glass:Chin up .

3 Likes

Add me to the duck brigade! (Also d’artagnan.)

Mine was marinated chinese-style last night.

I puttered over the fixings earlier - doctored hoisin sauce, scallion-ginger sauce, julienned scallions, and a simple quick-pickled broccoli slaw for crunch (instead of cucumber).


.
Garlicky broccoli for veg.


.
Two kinds of pancakes - the “painted” ones from last night, and the double style (mandarin?) that are virtually identical to an indian flatbread, made today. I have to admit I preferred the painted ones - bigger and thinner. I steamed them later to soften and refresh.



.
Then I went out for a sunset walk to watch the colors over the ocean - lots of people had the same idea, and it was lovely to be among people enjoying the same splendor, while still enjoying the solitude.


.
When I got home, I started the duck and then decided to go all out and make a cocktail too, inspired by a friend’s pic - bourbon, fresh orange juice, bitters, simple syrup, and a bit of water. So delicious!


.
I anticipated a quiet evening, but was pleasantly proved wrong - a series of video calls, as the new year rolls in around the world. Still a while to midnight.

Happy new year, HO friends! Here’s to a healthier, happier 2021 when we can hopefully return to a better “normal.” Be well and stay safe until then.

21 Likes

A bit of caviar with vodka to start, and then half of a ribeye, potatoes romanoff, broccolini, and tomatoes. Happy New Year :clinking_glasses:

18 Likes

31st LIGHT DINNER …

11 Likes

A New Year’s thread has been created here:

4 Likes

The Sprout got to pick our New Year’s Eve dinner as it is her birthday and given the kind of year it’s been it was the least I could do for her. She went with Gambas al Ajillo/Garlic Shrimp and Acorda de Mariscos/Portuguese Dry Soup withe Seafood. In better times we may have driven to the Ironbound section of Newark , NJ for this but this year it was more than OK for us to cook and eat in our house together.

Happy New Year Everyone!

15 Likes

For our last meal of 2020:

My friend had me, my BF, my mom, and another of our good friends over last night. Two of the very few people we have hung out with indoors since all this started. There was an extensive array of smoked meats, cheeses, and a charcuterie board that included boar salami among more normal items. He then rolled out a different appetizer every half hour or so. We began the evening with Dry Sack sherry with a twist before moving on to various other drinks. The man is an entertaining legend (the guy with the beautiful screenhouse) his experience in the restaurant industry shows itself time and time again. It was a great way to end an awful year.

21 Likes

No real NYE plans for obvious reasons so we had a quieter NYE. I decided to do a few small-ish plates during the night with an entree later. (I didn’t get pics of everything)

Charcuterie board with stuffed pepper-dews for all night picking

We started with a seared ahi tuna sliced with a mango pineapple salsa. (No pic)

Next was prosciutto wrapped asparagus grilled and topped with lemon pepper toasted bread crumbs

An old favorite came next: shaved filet Mignon, lump crab meat, crumbled blue cheese with drizzled bernaise pizza.

Home made sorbet made with the excess pineapple and mango from my salsa (with hot honey mixed in for a little “heat”)

Finally the entree(s) of the night were king crab and filet Mignon au’ poivre. (Not pictured)

Hell of a good way to conclude what was certainly a challenging year!

(about half the crab legs are left over I’m thinking king crab fra’diablo tonight)

To all your health and happiness for the new year!! Cheers!!

25 Likes

We skipped dinner and refreshed the bar. Clean slate.

7 Likes

Happy New Year! What a beautiful burst of fabulous end of year dinners. Wishing all a better year in 2021, and continued good health!

A rough year in so many ways - thanks for bearing with me. Looking forward to culinary endeavors and explorations in the coming year!

A couple of dinners: gyroish stuff - ground lamb patties wrapped in flour tortillas, with stuff.

NYE house made pizzas, as per family tradition. H’s family made pizza every New Year’s Eve, so borrowed from them.

15 Likes

Treating yourself right, @Saregama!

Jumbo lump and King crab fra’diablo. Excellent reuse of leftovers without feeling like you’re eating left overs. Used a lil sriracha with the hot pepper seeds to give a little extra kick. I’m full and will be in bed by 8pm tonight. Lol

17 Likes

Wow! :partying_face:

1 Like

Lovely report @Saregama!

1 Like

Cousin Lori’s Potato Salad

It’s very simple with not a lot of ingredients, just savory, potatoey, eggy, goodness. I’ve been making it so long and haven’t had to think about measurements for a while, but I think it is pretty accurate. :grimacing:

I usually do 1-2 potatoes per person (figure on 2nds). Here’s my recipe for 5 potatoes. Please note the Egg, Onion & Celery preparations below.

  • 5 Idaho Potatoes. Boil whole w/skin on. Drain.

  • 10 Eggs. Boil.

  • 1 Med. Brown Onion

  • 1-2 Celery Stalks (depending on size & preference)

  • 2+ Cups Best Foods (Hellman’s) Mayo (I like Mayo)

  • About 3/4 Cup Yellow Mustard (more if you like)

  • About 1 heaping tsp Sugar

  • Can add Relish (I prefer to have it as a condiment on the side, because it makes the salad watery, imo)

  • Peel cooked potatoes & cut in 3/4” squares (approx)

  • Use a box grater (big hole side) to grate Eggs & Onions or chop very fine.

  • Chop Celery very fine.

  • Combine Mayo, Mustard, Pepper & lots of Salt (potatoes like salt). Then fold in Potatoes, Onions & Celery.

Found some more photos for reference.

13 Likes

Amazing !

1 Like

No Fuss New Years Eve at Home :clinking_glasses:

Our original plan was to get a couple of live lobsters to cook at home, but when I called our two spots they were busy with long lines… that was a hard pass. I pulled out a big filet of Steelhead Trout from the freezer and pan-fried it. We’ll do the lobsters this weekend when the NYE rush is over. :sunglasses:

My cousin dropped off this gift of cheer earlier in the day… that’s my kinda’ curbside delivery.

Steelhead Trout, Near East Rice Pilaf w/Lemon-Garlic Ghee, Charred Corn & Bell Peppers w/Miso-Butter

Even frozen this trout from a local fishmonger was fresher, juicier and more flavorful than from any grocery store including Whole Foods. The corn was the last of the summer corn I had frozen. :slightly_frowning_face: Lemon juice & lemon-garlic ghee dolled up the boxed rice.

Man this piece of fish was buttery & juicy

I wish I had taken a photo of the pretty rainbow skin before frying but here it is in all its crispy goodness.

I was going to make baked apples w/cream for dessert, but hubs conked-out early, so I ate See’s Peanut Brittle, drank champagne and watched the Twilight Zone Marathon instead. But we had a really nice NYE and you can’t ask for more than that from the end of year 2020.

Stay safe, stay healthy and as @LindaWhit says continue to support one another & give thanks for those that support you.

Happy New Year! :heart:

17 Likes

I bet it would also work diced in a soup, and reduce the salt you would add.

That’s not a pork chop, that’s a smallish roast! :slight_smile:

Beautifully done.

1 Like