@Paul Bacino - LOVE Smash Burgers! I need to make them again soon.
I need to begin by saying that everything I say about food from now until I don’t know when needs to be considered suspect. My SIL (who is also my dental hygienist) suspects that I have Burning Mouth Syndrome. I need to see a doctor for an actual diagnosis, but she’s very experienced and is pretty sure of it. For me, it seems to mean that my ability to taste is very much compromised and that even slightly salty or acidic foods HURT my tongue (a LOT). I’ve never been able to tolerate spicy foods, so that won’t be a problem. And it is very frustrating because I don’t know if things really don’t have a lot of flavor or if it is just me. Hard to cook and adjust seasoning or judge something I’ve ordered in a restaurant. So, take what I say about food with a grain of salt – just don’t give me any of it. 😊
Going back a bit – for a Christmas dinner at Mr. Kim’s dad and stepmom’s, I made southern green beans (no picture) and Jessica did a corn casserole:
After:
Christmas Eve at our house. Brunswick stew:
Columbus salami:
Cheeses:
(They were on a lovely platter, I promise, I just missed taking a photo!)
Cheese/charcuterie rolls:
Purchased at Costco.
Smoked salmon and Boursin spread:
This was supposed to be rolled up, but the salmon refused to roll, so I chopped it up and mixed in the Boursin (that’ll learn it). No one ate this. It’s the second time I’ve served smoked salmon to this crowd and taken a full dish back to the kitchen. I am a slow learner, apparently🙄. I’ve commented in my Xmas Eve notes that I shouldn’t serve it again.
Ina Garten’s shrimp salad made with roasted, not boiled or steamed shrimp:
Possibly the most popular thing on the table.
Breads and crackers:
Olives:
Also on the table was a mixed greens salad with bleu cheese dressing and Daddy’s paprika dressing (not pictured) and cheese bread:
This was from Costco and everyone seemed to like it.
On the 28th we couldn’t face holiday leftovers, so it was grinders and oven fries at Bellacino’s (our favorite neighborhood pizza joint) for dinner. Mr. Kim had meatloaf (even good cold the next day) and I got them to make me a ham, steak, and cheese:
Another night we got a craving for pasta. Salad:
Salad greens with Daddy’s Paprika dressing and homemade croutons.
IP pasta with meat sauce:
Served with some of that cheese bread leftover from Christmas Eve.
New Year’s Day dinner – ham cooked by the same method that my SIL did hers for Christmas:
It was moist and very good. It was supposed to go in a slow cooker, but was too big, so I cooked it covered in the oven at 225F. The glaze ingredients are brown sugar, pineapple juice, and maple syrup. I think it was the first time in my life I’ve ever made a ham without Coca Cola! I torched it when done and it was beautiful and very tasty.
Scalloped tomatoes:
Toast points got a little dark in the CSO.
Plated:
Ham, scalloped tomatoes, collards (IP), mac n cheese, black eyed peas (IP), and cornmeal waffles.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!
I've edited twice now and can't seem to get rid of the duplicate picture of the salad below. Just pretend it isn't there.
