Monday Night Dinner

I got to the week before Thanksgiving and I had menus planned for every week from then through when I leave for Christmas (12/17) and as a consequence I kept thinking it was later in the year than it actually was and panicking about the rapid passage of time.  Eventually I realized that it was still November, not the second week of December, and two things I was planning to do fell through which was on the one hand disappointing because they were brunch and a whisky tasting, and on the other hand gave me so much breathing space.

Now it actually is two weeks before I leave for Christmas – to Curacao!, I plan to return tanned and make everyone envious – and I’m not panicking because I got it all out of the way two weeks ago when I thought it was December already.

The upside to having lost track of time is that my Christmas shopping is all but done, my menus are planned through when I leave for Christmas, the annual New Year’s Invitation has been sent and my list of things to do before I leave is remarkably short.  Now I have time to relax and go see a friend perform at a Christmas concert on Friday night (and celebrate the 78th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition with cocktails afterwards), go out to see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on Saturday night, and decorate the house on Sunday evening.

One of the downsides to my frantic mental scurrying is that I never posted last week’s post-Thanksgiving recovery Dinner.  Technically last week should have been a Birthday Dinner, but I always need a week of abstemiousness to recover from the over indulgence of Thanksgiving, so I was kindly permitted to push her Birthday Dinner to this week.

Baked Chicken Nuggets w/ Cherry Chipotle Sauce
Broccoli Slaw
Warm Potato Salad
Grilled Apples
Salad

Baked Chicken Nuggets w/ Cherry Chipotle Sauce

Recipe previously given:  Oscars 2011

Broccoli Slaw

Recipe previously given:  Each Peach Pear Raspberry?

Warm Potato Salad
(serves 4-6)

2 lb baby potatoes (I used a mix of Yukon Gold and Red potatoes)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp finely minced shallots (I used red onion)
½ Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
Zest of 1 lemon

Cook the potatoes in well salted boiling water until tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Drain and cut in halves/quarters (depending on size).

While the potatoes are cooking whisk together the salt/pepper, mustards and vinegar.  Drizzle in the olive oil and whisk to emulsify.  Stir in the shallots.

Toss the dressing, parsley and lemon zest (if using) with the warm potatoes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note:  This would probably lend itself well to the addition of a couple of slices of crisply cooked & crumbled bacon, if you had such a thing lying around your kitchen.

Grilled Apples
This isn’t a recipe so much as a process.  Figure on about 1 apple/person.

Cut apples into ¼” thick slices (leave the skin on, it helps hold them together).

Brush both sides with a little melted butter.  Sprinkle with whatever takes your fancy – I used some garam masala, but I’ve also done it with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, etc.

Place on a hot grill pan and grill for about 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve.