Dinner With Friends



Every New Year's Eve for the past 10 or so years we have had friends over for dinner. I cook, what I like to think, is a fanciful meal full of dishes that enhance the celebratory mood. Sometimes I will have a theme. One year it was all dishes from Nigella Lawson, one of my favorites. And because she is British, her cookbooks are full of that wonderful British wit. A few years ago the theme was Mad Men and everyone dressed the part. The menu came from my go-to Joy of Cooking from 1962. It took forever to find recipes that did not have about 20 steps, and I could not for the life of me figure out why. Until I came across a certain green bean recipe with the subtitle, "for the hostess who cooks her own dinner". Oh, the help was always in the kitchen.

The invitation list changes from year to year, so don't be hurt if you haven't received yours, and most years it changes after the first round of invites go out. In fact, one year, nobody in our first draft was able to come, so we went to our second round choices; I can't remember what year that was. The only thing that really restricts the list is table space. I want everyone to be able to dine at the table, not on their lap. Last year only two couples were able to make it. But I think that is what one couple needed, their princess was so sick. God has a way of putting people in the right place, around the right people when they need it. The gift of hospitality is, I believe, not what you have but what you give to others.

Five years ago, we did not host a dinner on New Year's Eve. I was nine months pregnant with Mae and so not in the mood to do anything! She made her entrance on January 2nd. And that has added another element to our party; a quick turn of the house to get ready to celebrate Mae's birthday. It took me three years to realize that I need to buy her birthday presents before Christmas - there are no toys left on Earth after.  I leave the house decked out with holly for our New Year's Eve party and take everything down before her birthday, but sometimes the decorations get incorporated into the birthday scheme.

Yes, those are birthday hats on the reindeer.

Back to the subject at hand. The menu on New Year's Eve is intended to be a little fancy schmancy, to give everyone a treat. Here are a few of my stand-bys:

Seafood Belmont, from the Blue Moon Cookbook
2 lbs large raw shrimp
1 lb fresh lump crab meat
6 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup dry sherry
10 artichoke hearts, sliced
1 cup grated, sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup buttered bread crumbs

Cook, peel and de-vein shrimp. Make a cream sauce of butter, flour, milk and cream. When thickened remove from heat and add seasonings, ketchup, Worcestershire, lemon juice, sherry and cheese. In greased casseroles, or a 9 x 13, place alternating layers of sauce, artichokes, crab and shrimp. Have sauce as first and last layer. Cover with crumbs and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
I like to serve with rice. I buy all my fresh seafood from Destin Connection, on Norman Bridge Road in Montgomery.

Standing Rib Roast, Paula Deen
1 5 or 6 lb standing beef rib roast
1 tbsp House Seasoning, see below

Preheat oven to 375. Allow roast to stand for 1 hour, then rub with House Seasoning. Place roast on a rack in a pan with the rib side down and the fatty side up. Roast for 1 hour; turn off oven, leave roast in the oven for another 3 hours. Do not open the door!! About an hour before serving, turn on oven to 375 to reheat the roast. This recipe never fails to produce perfect rib roast!

House Seasoning
1 cup salt
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/3 cup ground pepper
Mix all ingredients together and store in airtight container. I use this on all types of meat. Beware, a little goes a long way!

Oysters Johnny Reb, The Church of the Ascension Cookbook
2 quarts oysters, drained
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
Salt and Pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
1 tbsp Worcestershire
2 tbsp lemon juice
Paprika to taste
2 cups crumbled Ritz crackers
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup half and half

Place layer of oysters in shallow, greased 2 qt baking dish. Combine next six ingredients and layer half the mixture of on oysters. Repeat layers. Sprinkle final layer with paprika. Mix cracker crumbs with melted butter and spread evenly on top of last layer. Pour cream into evenly spaced holes, being careful not to moisten the crumb topping. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, mixture should be firm to the touch.
This dish can be enlarged easily as the measurements don't have to be exact. It is great paired with the rib roast, and allows for you to buy a smaller roast.

Casserole Green Beans, Joy of Cooking
Preheat oven to 350.
Trim 1 lb green beans
Skin and chop 4 medium white onions
Remove the seeds and membrane of 2 medium-size green peppers
Chop the peppers. Butter a baking dish. Place in it alternate layers of the vegetables beginning and ending with a layer of green beans. Sprinkle each layer with salt and paprika. Dot each layer with butter. Bake covered for about 1 1/4 hours or until the beans are tender.