This weekend my sister texted me a picture and asked “Hey, my sister! Are these like your plates?”
Indeed it was identical to the over 100 luncheon plates that we have collected over the years, all the same pattern. We use every last one of them on the same day annually when we have our Holiday Open House in December. We do use them for other occasions, too, but in much smaller quantities. She found eight for $2 at their parish Kirchenfest sale and picked them up for me to add to the collection. I offered to swap her dinner for her family in exchange for the dishes. Tonight was a good evening for them so I fixed supper and they came over, bringing the plates along neatly wrapped and boxed. The menu included Caesar Salad (recipe previously posted), Maple and Mustard Glazed Salmon, Butter & Herbs French Beans, Roasted Potatoes and for dessert, Mini Monkey Bread Muffins, recipe courtesy of Trisha Yearwood. I did a lot of prep work last night so the dinner would be ready quicker this evening. I made the salad dressing last night, assembled the glaze ingredients, diced the potatoes and put them in a gallon-size storage bag with the olive oil and herbs.
Oven Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic
20 small Yukon Gold potatoes or 4 medium diced in about 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsps. minced garlic
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. Kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the potatoes with all of the ingredients on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour until the potatoes are golden and slightly crispy. Serve immediately.
Tonight I got the oven going and put the potatoes in as soon as I got home from work. Next I started the green beans using the recipe on the package. This recipe serves 4 people.
Butter & Herbs French Beans
1 lbs. fresh French Beans (I used Los Angeles Salad Company brand)
1/2 of a red onion, diced
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1/2 tsp. Herbes de Provence
2 tbsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Cut the corner of the bag of French beans and microwave for 2 minutes. Open the bag and plunge beans in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the water and pat the beans dry. Melt butter over medium high heat in a large skillet. Cook the onions for about 3 minutes, until they become translucent. Toss in the beans and cook for about 2 – 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Incorporate all chopped herbs, salt and pepper and stir to assure the beans are evenly coated, Cook until beans are tender and serve immediatetly.
We ate the salad while the salmon was roasting and I finished the green beans on the stovetop while it roasted. I baked the salmon filet whole in the oven, but it probably would have been better if it had been grilled, as the original recipe instructed. I forgot to take a picture and all that is left is one small portion!
Maple and Mustard Glazed Salmon
While we ate the main course, I popped the Mini Monkey bread into the oven to bake so that we could eat them hot. I used Trisha Yearwood’s original recipe, but I had a 10-count can of biscuits and must have been heavy-handed when I dredged the biscuit pieces. I ended up making another half batch of both the liquid dipping mixture and the sugar-cinnamon-pecan coating. Here’s Trisha’s recipe. I used my mini cocottes instead of muffin tins or cast-iron pans. They worked just as well, although I did spray them lightly with no-stick spray before layering the biscuit dough in the baking dishes.
I’ve made sweet and savory monkey bread recipes. This one is a little different because maple syrup is added to the butter the buscuits pieces are dipped in. They are very tasty! These would be good for brunch, too.
Thanks for the dishes Diane!
Some Enchanted Eating 