One of my goals for the New Year is to establish traditions with my nuclear family. As families spread further and further apart, I feel like the huge family and long standing traditions are less accessible. Even though they aren’t as accessible, I feel that family traditions are still relevant and important. So, I want to try to implement them on a more regular basis than just for major holidays.
Sunday Dinners ~ Tradition
I love cooking, meal preparation, setting a beautiful table and thinking about all the little details. Also, trying new recipes is a long time passion! I tend to save my best china and linens for the holidays, but this year I am going to try to put on a “fancier or more elegant” meal on Sunday nights. Actually, we just finished the third week and the family is starting to look forward to these nice sit-down dinners.
This weeks menu:
Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons
There are a million dressing recipes online. I throw mine together with garlic, dijon mustard, lemon, olive oil, a dab of mayonnaise instead of an egg yoke because I am serving children, anchovies and sometimes Worcestershire Sauce. Find the recipe that your family loves.
The croutons are KEY! Slice a baguette into as many pieces as you like. I cut mine crosswise again. Melt butter with some olive oil. Add the bread and brown like you would for grilled cheese sandwiches. Turn them over, sprinkle with a lot of chopped garlic and salt & pepper. Shred parmesan over the hot croutons. Add to the salad! These are the best!
Chicken Parmesan
I don’t have a recipe for Chicken Parm. Just remember to season every step. Season the chicken, the dredging in the flour, and I like to use Panko bread crumbs because they are so light.
Zinfandel Spaghetti with Spicy Rapini
This link is the recipe I used.
