January 20
Donna
What's For Lunch
I’m home today taking care of some very stressful business and needed something comforting and really delicious for lunch. I had some veal cutlet in the fridge, for me it gets no more delicious than that.
I seasoned some plain bread crumbs with salt, pepper, garlic powder and parm cheese, then dipped the cutlets in eggs and coated them with the bread crumb mixture. I shouldn’t have... but I did... I sauteed them in a skillet with olive oil some butter. Julia Child would have been proud.
After lightly browning the cutlets, I savored them with a glass of rose’….a couple of glasses. Back to work I go feeling less stressed and content.
Never underestimate the power of food.
January 17
Impromptu
Last night I had an impromptu dinner with Donna, Tinamarie and Nereda. We had tried to get together earlier in the week but life happened and we rescheduled. Then Donna told me not to bring anything - they had a small army's worth of food - that I should just relax and enjoy. Don't ask me twice.
I barely had my coat off when a glass of wine was poured and offered. We sat around the kitchen island catching up on the latest, dishing on the juicy tidbits and laughing up a storm. The kids were amusing themselves in the livingroom, and the menfolk were watching football. We had time and space to ourselves to talk about food and foodie ideas.
Our feast for the night included such highlights as a succulent roast chicken, crispy fried chicken, and the famous Russell Family Macarorni and Cheese. Our plates were a warm and golden... Tina did not want me to take a picture because she didn't think the plate looked balanced (after all, no greens) but sometimes what you really want is the warmth of comfort food. And there is nothing more comforting than a warm plate and good friends.
Surviving the Holidays
Donna
I had a great idea for this Christmas season. I was going to keep a calendar, just like at the beginning of each Martha Stewart magazine. It would be called "24 Days Before Christmas." Some things on the calendar would be daily “to dos” and I would follow up and post what I had accomplished daily. If Martha can do it, I can do it.
What I didn’t think about was that Martha’s got staff – with a capital “S.”
Let me just mention that in the midst of this great idea my house was torn apart. There had been a roof leak and everything (it seemed) was under construction” I had no living room, the bathroom was a disaster and the kitchen needed a paint job.
Let me go further back and give a little history of what Christmas means to me, a direct consequence of my childhood. I come from a large family. As a child, if our house needed to be painted and my parents could not fit that in, they would paint the woodwork. Something was always done to make the house feel fresh, clean and special. “Holiday Different.”
Christmas was not like any other holiday. With a large family there was not always a lot to go around. But every Christmas we got new sheets, new slippers, new pajamas, a bowl of fresh fruits and nuts to munch on all day and a Thanksgiving-like feast. Something to make us feel “holiday different.” I’m still that little girl, trying to make Christmas special, but with a full time job and a business. I still have to get things done in accordance with my childhood traditions, but with a twist. Advanced, strategic planning (so I like to think).
Okay - back to the calendar. I worked backwards from key events. I decided when the construction workers need to be finished by (luckily, the boss is my brother Joe so I have some control) and when I needed to have the menu planned, gifts decided upon and shopping done. Great - I was on a roll!
I wasn’t able to post daily, life was too busy, but I was able to write things up a few times a week… for about 2 weeks. Sad but true. Real life intruded upon my time. End result: We had a wonderful Christmas despite the calendar. Dinner went as planned, gifts were made, rooms got put back together and all the important stuff got done. All was well.
With extended family and friends, getting a family together can be a logistical challenge at the holidays. This year, my family decided to have three smaller Christmas gatherings rather than one large gathering. That can pose different challenges but, with planning, it can be relatively painless. I planned a “Make-in-Advance” Supper Menu so I could cook once for two dinner gatherings! Here are my menus:
Christmas Day Brunch & Jim’s Birthday Celebration
7 Guests
Rib Eye Steaks
Pancakes with Warm Syrup
Scrambled Cheesy Eggs
Turkey Canadian Bacon
Roasted Potato Wedges
Strawberry Shortcake from DiBruno’s
Bloody Marys
Champagne
Saturday Supper
12 Guests
A p p e t i z e r
Roasted Tomato Soup with Mini Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
(Soup made in advance and frozen)
D i n n e r
Chicken Pot Pie served in Puff Pastry Cups
(made in advance and frozen)
BBQ Turkey Wings
String Beans
Asparagus,
Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Shallots and Garlic
Sweet Potatoes (made by Tinamarie)
D e s s e r t
Chocolate Pieces with Rice Krispies (made day before)
Lemon Cookies with dried cranberries (made day before)
Pound Cake with Lemon Curd (made ahead and frozen)
Mini Chocolate-coated Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches
(waffles made in advance and frozen,
dipped in chocolate and assembled that morning)
Wine
Champagne
Vodka Gimlets
Sunday Dinner
13 Guests
The menu was the same as Saturday, except for a change in appetizer.
Short Ribs with Garlic Toast Strips
(short ribs made the day before)
A couple of years ago, my family decided not to the major gift exchange. How much stuff does one person need? So my little gift to everyone is a take home bag of homemade goodies.
This year the take home gift bags were full of:
- Apple Butter (Made 2 weeks ahead)
- Potato Soup (Made in advance and frozen)
- Mini Pound Cake (Already in the freezer from another event)
- Roasted Garlic in Olive Oil (Made day before)
- And an assortment of whatever chocolate and cookies are left over
With a little planning and by working ahead whenever possible, so daily calendar or not, I survived without being exhausted.
Dear Martha,
How great life must be with staff?
Happy New Year,
Donna
