Birthday Dinner For My Wife

Birthday Dinner For My Wife

Rib Steak Topped with Roasted Red and White Pearl Onions 

And a Red Wine and Apple Cider Vinegar  Reduction

Shallot and "Bacon" Risotto

Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake for Dessert

On days like this I know why I never went to work at a restaurant.  This meal was a challenge to do on my own.   To get all the elements timed correctly was nearly impossible.  At my wife's request I made her risotto.  This was the first time I had ever made risotto, and it is a bit of a pain.  I stood there stirring and stirring and adding stock and adding stock.  I would have added some other flavors or vegetables to the risotto but to say my wife is unadventurous would be an understatement.  The "bacon" I used was beef fry from Romanian Kosher Sausage Company, as were the steaks.  Of course I almost forgot the green beans, and needed to hold the steaks for a while I finished them and of course they slightly overcooked.  The cake was a bit spongy for my liking, but I never claimed to be a baker.  Even though it was not perfect, overall the dinner was tasty.  Man I wish I had full crew.  Maybe next year we'll just go out.

A quick post about a quick dinner

I had some leftover chicken and corned beef chips so I made some quick fried rice for dinner.  I seasoned it with black pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, ground ginger, szechwan peppercorns, yellow mustard seed, and green cardamon.  My wife thought the szechwan peppercorns were to spicy, and I think the cardamon was to strong of a flavor.

What do you put in your fried rice?  Put it in the comments.

Friday Night Postmortem

Friday Night Postmortem

Chicken and Dumpling (basically chicken soup with matzo balls): The soup was a little bland and the dumplings a bit mushy

Proteins:
Skillet Fried Chicken: Moist but soggy
Texas Style Dry Rubbed Brisket: Actually decent after I resurrected it by drowning it in stock after it dried out while cooking.

Vegetables:
Collard Greens: I was not a fan.  I am not sure if they came out right or if I just don't like collard greens
Green Beans: A tad under done

Starches:
Potato Salad: More than a tad under done.
Baked Beans: OK but really just doctored up out of can.
Corn Bread: Under baked

Dessert:
Fruit Cobbler: Decent

Pecan Bars: Pretty good.

There are a few morals here.  Don't try to rush your cooking and squeeze you cooking into to short of a time and not get enough sleep.

Also, don't try to many new dishes that you have never made before in the same meal

Tentative Friday Night "Southern" Menu

Tentative Friday Night "Southern" Menu
Appetizer:

Chicken and Dumpling (basically chicken soup with matzo balls)

Proteins:
Skillet Fried Chicken
Texas Style Dry Rubbed Brisket

Vegetables:
Collard Greens
Green Beans

Starches:
Potato Salad
Baked Beans
Corn Bread

Dessert:
Fruit Cobbler

Hopefully recipes and pictures to follow tonight and tomorrow.