Saturday, November 7, 2009

dinner for a friend

yesterday, after a morning of grocery shopping and errands I returned home to prepare dinner to bring a friend,a dear man who is dealing with his typical grace with a terminal illness. He mentioned several times that his wife and he eat very small meals, so I decided on turkey meat loaves baked in small bread pans - they are moist and flavorful and I utilized some of the thyme still flourishing in my waning herb garden. Along with the meat loaves, room temperature yukon gold potatoes, dressed while still warm with chicken broth, a bit of white wine, tarragon vinegar and olive oil. A small handful of parsley, and voila. Leftovers are wonderful the next day, sauteed and served with any meal, even breakfast. I bagged some mesclun and included a jar of mustardy salad dressing.A couple of sourdough rolls, then dessert - a simple, delicious honey pound cake, and a fruit cocktail to go with it - raspberries, blackberries, red grapes and fresh pineapple. This was a meal truly prepared with love.

Monday, November 2, 2009

an autumn dinner

after several dark, rainy days I decided to make a warming goulash for a dinner for six the next night. I settled on a turkey, pumpkin and potato preparation, using both hot and sweet Hungarian paprikas and a rich turkey stock, onions, garlic.Delicious, served over egg noodles enriched with creme fraiche and green beans with the last of the savory from the herb garden. With drinks, a retro favorite I'd not make in years, Liptauer cheese. And at the table, to start, a sald of belgian endive, radicchio, pear and roasted, candied walnuts. For dessert, apple pie with the requisite vanilla ice cream. It hit the spot, perfect for a fall night.