December 29, 2018

Weekly Menu 12.30.18

Weekly Menu 12.30.18 helps you start 2019 with a plan!

Years ago, I asked for (and received) a deep fryer for Christmas. I was inspired watching Paula Deen use her in-counter, permanent mounted fryer. The possibilities!! We naturally had a FRY OUT for our first New Year’s Eve out of the gate. All fried food, served up over the course of the evening. We’ve kept the FRY OUT theme, but not the fryer. It turns out that as often as I deep fry (twice a year, including New Year’ Eve) it wasn’t practical. And the cleaning was a pain. Maybe Paula has someone clean up after her, but that doesn’t work around here.

Originally we fried, and fried, and fried some more.

But now our menu is pretty simple: Mozzarella Sticks, French Fries &/or Tater Tots, Philly Cheese-steak Egg Rolls, and Chef’s Style Boneless Chicken Wings. And I use a dutch oven, which is bigger than our original fryer so it’s faster. Everyone eats as we go along: a basic kitchen counter extravaganza. As a plus, we are SO READY to eat healthy on January 1st.

Here’s the Mini-Menu:

Every year I agonize over the year to put in. Is it New Year’s Eve 2019? Or is it New Year’s Eve 2018? The “EVE” itself is in 2018. See my concern?

Growing up, we always had Pork & Sauerkraut on New Year’s Day itself. Turns out no one in our family (besides me) likes either that much. A good friend of mine told me that chicken was out, as chickens scratch backwards (thanks for saving us from a bad year, Karen!), so beef it is. And this is the best brisket ever. It cooks and cooks, letting you spend New Year’s Day working on your resolutions.

Our New Year’s Dinner is rife with superstitions: we eat braised greens (representing abundance in the new year), black eyed peas (symbol of prosperity for the new year) and some corn bread (representing gold). Pork was eaten because pigs forage forward. Hopefully cows do too.

The White Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake represents a new start and a sweeter year.

Just kidding. It’s because it’s my favorite.

We’re eating pretty healthy for the rest of the week – baking chimichangas instead of frying them, and a juicy pork tenderloin. I make a mean Pasta e fagioli with homemade noodles for a meatless Friday that’s fun and tasty.