New Years' Eve Menu

MTH and I are thinking of making our own fancy dinner.  I cheated and looked at epicurious menus instead of trying to figure out a menu on my own.  I want to make items like we would order at a nice restaurant.

Proposed Menu:
Salmon Rilletes on Toast
Three French Cheeses with Apple, Fennel and Walnut Salad (will substitute pecans for the walnuts)
Main Meat Dish - here's where you come in - please give ideas!!  MTH vetoed the veal rib chops with caramelized fennel and figs
Potatoes Simmered in Saffron
Veggie Side Dish - if you have any ideas for a tasty veggie side dish, I would love to hear them!

Drinks:
Sparkling Wine
Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc (present from a dear friend!)
Other wines I find at the store

We'll let you know how the meal goes!

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are a great cookie to make with a 2 year old. Logan "helped"measure the ingredients as well as mix them in the mixer. I did have to teach him that no hands could go past the bowl when the mixer is on. But the part he enjoyed most (besides sampling them) was rolling them in the cinnamon sugar. Next stop with all of these cookies: the firehouse!!

Recipe from the 2005 Martha Stewart Holiday Cookie magazine (printed version)

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine.
In a small bowl, combine remaining sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small (1 1/4-ounce) ice-cream scoop to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 12-15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 5 minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Easy Green Beans (Faux Loubieh Bi Zeit)

I previously posted that my son likes the Lebanese green beans loubieh bi zeit. Well, I figured out a quick shortcut to making them. Just mix the canned green beans with bottled spaghetti sauce. Although I try to make everything homemade for him, it's impossible to do so.

How to Cook Everything

I used this cookbook to make 4 different things last weekend!

1. Beef stroganoff - a very easy recipe that took less than 30 minutes. LTH (my son) loved the noodles. He doesn't seem to like the texture of beef yet but he must like the flavor.
2. Olive oil salt bread - a simple quick bread that I think will become a go to recipe. The basic recipe does not have much flavor. But, you just add spices or other mix ins that will match the rest of the meal and voila, you have a great side dish.
3. Cinnamon rolls - this recipe is a yeast bread. They turned out ok. I was not crazy about the glaze he recommended. Next time, I'll use my Mom's.
4. Chicken pot pie - I started with a whole chicken and made my own broth. There was so much chicken that I made chicken stir fry later in the week and there's still enough chicken and broth in the freezer to make 2 more pies!

What Else Does My Son Eat?

I thought I'd add to the list of foods. As an update on Peanut, he'll be 16 months on 1/7. He had his 15 month well baby visit last Tuesday. He weighed in at almost 22 pounds and is almost 31 inches long. He's a long skinny boy!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes (sweet potato fries was on the last list but I've decided that just roasting the sweet potatoes is almost as easy if I plan and are definitely better for him)
Stuffing (I may just break down and buy Stove Top to make for him :)
Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew (previous post) (he actually just liked the hominy stew part and not the pork. I'll post a modified recipe soon)
French fries (we've found that he actually likes these now. I'm not going to make them at home since they'll be a nice treat when we're eating out)
Broccoli sauteed in garlic
Benedictine spread (cream cheese and cucumbers) from Garnett's Cafe

And we've found a cheese that he does NOT like





Stilton Cheese