Suppah Six

Last Pity Dinner of 2011... First Pity Dinner on the new range.... WHOO HOO! Flank Steak with Shallot Mustard Sauce was too simple for our dear Chef, so Tigger added Mashed Potato Casserole to the menu.  Luckily, we had both Eeyore and Piglet to take it on... thanks for letting our guy out of work early!

Final month of the year... final meal on the old stove!!!  Bruschetta 'n Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts make a delicious classic dinner.  Eeyore loves stove top stuffing and you can never have too much cheesy chicken.  The new gas range will be here soon and we will celebrate with even, reliable cooking! Buttery bow tie pasta, skillet green beans and crunchy rolls made it complete. Rabbit's inappropriately strong drinks had Piglet and I very jolly!

Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Tenderloin     - we knew lots of poultry was coming soon, so the other white meat was the perfect choice.  This lovely tenderloin was wrapped with prosciutto and accented with an herby, lemon pan sauce. The pan sauce was also delicious  over our peas and Israeli couscous... a great dinner with our wonderful guest!  Fun start to Thanksgiving weekend and the whole holiday season.  Bring on the good eats.

Cheeseburger Meatloaf   - meaty cheesy goodness and we added BACON!  It was an patriotic meal for Veteran's Day.  Supporting players included roasted potatoes and sauteed carrots with thyme - created on the spot by our talented team.

Since we are just back from Montreal, a Parisian dish was the perfect choice ...  Chicken Divan   made us feel transported abroad on a cool November evening. Served over egg noodles, Eeyore might have wanted the sauce reduced  bit more... but the flavor was lovely.  Christoper Robin carefully avoided any broccoli on his plate!

Repeat from many PD's ago ...   Garlicky Pork Cutlets with Prosciutto, Lemon, and Sage ...they came out perfectly thanks to a special early arrival of Piglet... some vacation time from work meant we got to enjoy his company all evening... sometimes Eeyore needs that support! Rounded out the meal with mashed taters and lima beans.  YUM!

Simple, yet lovely for the start to a rainy weekend... Skillet Meatballs with Creamy Herb Sauce was so straightforward that Eeyore had time to create dessert too (Peanut Butter Cup Brownies!).

September has been full of schedule conflicts and PD has been neglected...time for new nicknames! In honor of the classic lover of food (and hunny) Frizz= Rabbit Cpap= Christopher Robin Dory = Eyeore Squirt = Piglet Bubbles = Tigger Squints=  Pooh

Chiles Rellenos Casserol e  ... we had to try this restaurant favorite entree (enjoyed just the night before by dear Dory!) in a easier to prepare casserole ... It was a smashing success with black and re fried beans as accompaniment.   Caesar salad and margaritas welcomed back to the regular line up as well!

Simple and delicious... beef, potatoes and salad.  Amazing steak tips from the Meat House , a great cheesy potato casserole from Dory and yummy Caesar salad.  Some pre-dinner snacks from Trader Joe's ... pistachios, peppered salami, dill Havarti and water crackers on the back patio.  Perfect! Addendum: Failed to mention a wonderful homemade Blueberry Pie... baked by our very own pasty experts with hand harvested berries.  YUM.

It has been a great summer so far, enhanced by new arrivals to our happy state.  This week, DownLoad and Chanel (No.1, of course!) joined us and we enjoyed a classic in honor of their vegetarian-ism! Panko Crusted Haddock sandwiches were a great as usual.  Dory borrowed a handy electric skillet, so she could do a big fry batch.  The aioli had a new twist with chiplote peppers instead of the serrano.  We have also been loving this summer squash salad since a friend brought it to a summer cookout.  It was a great side for a summer night. Extra cracklins please!

Back to Basics!!  A variety of reasons lead to Dory, Bubbles and I recreating the original team and enjoying Pasta Carbonara with Corn and Chiles. A nice simple meal of pasta, salad and bread... reminiscent of the days before we used to test our beloved chef with complexity!  The corn actually seemed to lighten this normally heavy dish and the chiles added nice kick.  Chef's Note:  would reserve more than an single cup of pasta water to have available ... a bit more would have been great to lighten the sauce. We enjoyed ourselves,  and of course look forward to the return of the the full team!

Classic Americana to start our holiday weekend - Pimento  Cheeseburgers .  This lovely burger was both topped and stuffed with homemade pimento cheese!  A tribute to our southern roots for America's birthday. We also enjoyed a new drink from our Lady Mix-a-lot... a Strawberry Basil Gin creation that refreshed and revived! BONUS MEAL:   Celebrating the holidays with friends added even more food and fun to our weekend... we closed the long celebration with a great cookout and once again, Dory did not disappoint.  This patriotic dessert was a huge hit... pretzel crust, cheesecake center, native strawberries in jello and blueberries to top it.  RED WHITE AND DELICIOUS!

This was good easy fare for a rainy Summer evening.   Skillet Macaroni with Zesty Meat Sauce gave us the chance to use our basil (which recovered from some type of animal attack earlier this season) and new pan.  It was a generous portion with enough leftovers for everyone. We didn't want to be too simple for our skilled chef, so we added a bakery component.  Garlic Cheese Biscuits from Paula Deen were perfect!  These yummy little treats did NOT have any leftovers. Even our birthday boy Squirt noticed right when he walked in... "those look like the Bisquick biscuits my mom used to make", to which we responded "they are!"

ADDED photo ... which reminds me of the special edition Cream Cheese Biscuits we also enjoyed - thanks Dory! Late to post... vacation, work, excuses, excuses!  Even waiting on the photo... bad planning on me. The original recipe was French Country Chicken with Herbs and Honey . First, we knew the honey would be removed... Bubbles does not like sweet flavors with his proteins! Then, as Dory read the recipe and asked for the Herbs de Provence, I told her to improvise from the spice drawer.   Needless to say, she had to create something new, since I lacked the components.  It was like a quickfire challenge.    Her resulting combo was delicious... more like cajun country chicken. The best part was my dear friend Annu looking out for me as usual.. she mailed me an care package with my very own portion of HDP.  I will have to pick a recipe soon to put them to use.  Thank you thank you!

Overdue update again... summer weather is just so tempting.  We enjoyed Salisbury Steak  with Cheese Toast from Cuisine at Home magazine.  It was saucy and cheesy and quite yummy! Frizz brought her bartending skills to a new drink... including muddled kiwi.  It was very tasty ... and very green!

Overdue post to our last PD... lots of distractions as spring returns!  Patty Melts and JoJo Potatoes   were a great treat for us and new Main-iacs, Doc and SnackSize....  It was alot of work for our beloved chef, but once again, she exceed expectations and delighted the crowd.  C-Pap has even requested this be considered as a repeat performance. The only caveat she requested is we must have extra griddles to make it easier for large bread slices! Generous beer and wine selections enjoyed courtesy of  our newest residents.

Last year, we enjoyed a pity dinner based on a vegetarian meal from The Grit... their Pasta Fagiole.  It was so popular, it made a reappearance on this year's schedule.  Ours includes some browned sausage for the meat eaters and pinto beans for others. Pastas (spaghetti, fusilli and cheese tortellini) plus our favorite quick red sauce .  You could customize your plate with kalamata olives and cheese.  We also got to enjoy some homemade bread, as Dory had the chance to try out her sourdough starter and delivered two beautiful loaves.  The seemed pretty amazing to me, but she wants to keep working on it until perfect.  Good to have someone around with high standards!

Back by popular demand, the all time favorite ... Crunchy Fish!  The original recipe gets modified from cod to haddock and this sauce is fabulous.  Go for the regular mayo and make it the night before... YUM!  Squirts had a headache, so we missed him at the table, but saved him some dessert....

Laissez les bons temps rouler!  The last Friday before Lent seems like a good time for Deviled Chicken .  Crunchy chicken is always a winner dinner with this Vegas-bound crowd! A few recipe modifications... skipped the fresh thyme, used panko crumbs and added some dark meat. Tasty updates that all enjoyed! Green beans crisped up in the skilled and baked potatoes rounded out the meal.  Dory & I had sweet potatoes and the russets got standard W-man treatment. As he was taught by his dad, Bubbles cuts the potato in half, hollows it out... leaving some filling for structure... then the potato is mashed up with sour cream, butter and pepper.  The skins get the same treatment for a handy to eat pocket like treat.

Still comfort food time in Maine and greek lasagna, Pastitsio , was just right.  The cinnamon gave it a distinctive taste... reminded us of Skyline Chili in Cincinnati.  It was alot of work.. but Dory handled it perfectly. Mini pitas from Trader Joe's and Frizz's always perfect Caesar made a complete Greek feast.

We learned this week that Chicken Cacciatore means "in the hunter's style" and that it is delicious- thank you Dory for education and sustenance! This recipe had a few Chef modifications... cut the chicken into bite size pieces, add red pepper flakes and thicken the sauce with a bit of flour.  All came together for a flavorful, saucy chicken over egg noodles.  We even used up some of the red wine "cubes" I had hanging about in the freezer. Frizz had a tough week at work, so she treated herself to a Hendrick's Gin and tonic.  Some of us are still enjoying our Blenheim Ginger Ale's supply... a treat with Captain Morgan's and lime.

A new year underway and with all the snow and cold, warm comfort food was in order.  Chipotle Sloppy Joes was just what we needed. Dory chopped our pepper - red rather than green, easier for Frizzel to eat - and we used 80/20 ground beef... not following the cooking light instructions exactly... and all enjoyed the meal. With Trader Joe' s finally here, we can take advantage of lots of frozen goodness that would not have traveled happily from MA.  Garlic Fries and Sweet Potato Fries joined with our favorite Caesar salad for a balanced meal.  Easy to make, easy to enjoy.  Yeah for the new season of Pity Dinner!

My lovely sister in law, Giggles, made us custom photo frames!  Such a great gift from my sweetest sister.  We plan to have more good eats and good fun to report in the new year... and now, a fun frame for showcasing the smiles.