Soup-er Sunday

Cheesy, I know.  But it's fitting!!  After a very long absence, both figuratively and literally, I'm back to the blog and Sunday Supper.  It's time.  Sunday, Nov 14.  Only this month, it's going to be a little different than in the past.  Since I have been sick, and am still recovering from this dreadfully exhausting thing called mono, I don't know that I can handle the full day in the kitchen that Sunday Supper usually requires just quite yet.  (Hopefully by December I will be 100%!!)  November Sunday Supper is going to be a soup extravaganza ... Soup-er Sunday!  And all of you will be bringing the soup!  Please bring your favorite soup to share.  Since there will be several to sample, no need for a large pot, enough to serve 4-6 will be more than enough!  I'll provide cheese and crackers, veggies and dip, cornbread, anything else I think of that goes with soup, and dessert.

If you will be attending, please let me know what soup you're bringing so I can do a bit of planning.  Thanks!

July Sunday Supper - July 25

I am struggling with accepting that July 4th has passed, so I'm not going to dwell on it.  Instead, I'm choosing to focus on fun things coming up this month.  July Sunday Supper!  The BBQ feast that was June Sunday Supper will be difficult to follow, but I'll give it my best shot.  Since it's my birthday month, July will feature one of my personal favorites - Cuban food and mojitos!  Ideally, hot summer day goes something like this in my mind:  poolside lounge chair, umbrella, mojito.  I don't have a pool, a lounge chair, or an umbrella to sit under, but I can make a pretty amazing mojito.  We'll have to imagine the rest ... feel free to wear your bathing suit if it will help!  :)

BBQ Tasting

Summer isn't really summer without a good BBQ.  And when you're from Kansas, good BBQ is not something to be taken lightly.  Good BBQ is serious business.  I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say that there was serious business going on last weekend for Sunday Supper.  After choosing recipes for the 3 types/styles of BBQ that I was going to serve and making arrangements to have Reid and Aly smoke two of the hunks of meat on their grill, I made my list and hit the grocery store.  I returned home with about 13 pounds of meat - more pounds of meat than people expected to attend! - and ingredients for the different rubs and sauces to match.  The menu:  Kansas City style beef brisket, Texas style beef brisket, and North Carolina style pulled pork.

The fun in the kitchen began on Saturday night.  Whipped up 2 different dry rubs (one for KC, one for Carolina) and a mustard-based rub for the KC style brisket, and then coated the pork in dry rub to refrigerate overnight.  Morning came early on Sunday.  5 am wake-up call.  Yikes!  I did mention that this was serious business!  Started making the BBQ sauce for the KC brisket, put both the dry rub and mustard rub on the KC brisket and returned it to the refrigerator to marinade, and then made the sauce for the Carolina pulled pork.  Since the Texas style beef brisket was going in the dutch oven instead of being smoked on the grill, it was definitely the easiest prep.  Coat meat in dry rub, place in dutch oven, whisk liquid ingredients together, pour over meat, place lid on pot & put into oven.  Easy as pie.  Next, bagged up all of the "supplies" for the KC brisket and Carolina pork and headed over to Reid and Aly's to give them instructions for the approx 6 hours of smoking which they had so kindly agreed to do for me.

I must say, the super long "serious" business day was worth it.  The BBQ was AMAZING!!  It's definitely going to be an annual event.  In fact, there has already been talk of renting a smoker next year!!  Maybe we'll go big and get a whole pig!  Nothing says BBQ better than a good old fashioned pig roast!  Until then .....

June Sunday Supper - June 20

Yes, June 20th is Father's Day, but it got the most votes.  If you're not spending it with your Father, I'm sure he'd be glad to know you were enjoying great food with friends!

I have a feeling that June's Sunday Supper could become an annual event, so I'm going ahead and putting it out there -- 1st Annual BBQ Wars.  This year will feature BBQ brisket 3 ways - KC style, Carolina style and Texas style.  Bring your appetite and your favorite BBQ side.  Please let me know if you're attending so I will have enough BBQ.

what do fish, pork and fire in the hole have in common?

Sunday Supper!  Since I just got back from visiting friends (and making new friends!) in Texas, I figured I might as well bring a little of the cuisine and that cowgirl spirit to Chicago.

On the cuisine side, we had two types of tacos - fish and carnitas (pulled pork) - guacamole, and a black bean salad.  I am a big fan of fish tacos, but I must say, the pork was out of this world!  And, really, who doesn't love pork?!

Of course, no Tex Mex meal would be complete without homemade margaritas, a Corona or two, and a fire in the hole shot!  (see previous blog post for fire in the hole)  Look how excited these guests are to tip back their jalapeno!  Word to the wise - don't touch your lips to the jalapeno if you don't want that tingling sensation!

My "cowgirl spirit" shone through in my big, fancy belt buckle and cowboy boots!  Megan wore her new boots (thank you Texas!) too.  We might have discovered a few more proud owners of cowboy boots in the crowd.  Sneak peak into the future -- night out to involve line dancing and bull riding!  Yee-haw!

Thanks, friends, for another great Sunday Supper!

tapas and sangria

I love tapas. It's a marvelous concept, small plates shared with the table. Dining with friends and getting to choose many dishes off the menu to try instead of only 1, LOVE IT! My favorite Spanish restaurant is Casa Mono in New York. It's not traditional tapas like you see at many of the typical tapas-style restaurants, but it is just what I imagine a small plates restaurant to be in Spain. It's small - the restaurant is small, the tables are small, the space between tables is small, you can see the kitchen and conversation rises all around you. Yes, it's small, but the ambience and the food are amazing. I would argue that they can take you from NY to Spain in an instant. I was fortunate enough to share each of my meals there with people who are very special to my life. There are times when good company can make the meal, and other times they simply add to the already delectable experience and make it even more memorable. It makes me sigh thinking about it.

The tapas style Sunday Supper in my home last night probably didn't transport anyone to a different country, but there were certainly plenty of tapas-style foods on hand to sample. I was a bit lazy this month on cooking and only made baked goat cheese with marinara. Not exactly difficult or requiring any culinary skill. We also had olives, spanish cheese, smoked trout spread, gazpacho, fried plantains, and cucumber-peach salsa. Can't forget the yummy kiwi sangria and cava sangria I whipped up at the last minute!

Thanks to all of my friends who stopped by to enjoy another Sunday Supper and brought so many yummy dishes to share!

brush up on your flamenco ...

April Sunday Supper will feature Spanish Tapas. And a night of tapas would certainly not be complete without a pitcher or two of sangria! Sunday, April 18. Patio will be open for business, weather permitting. Stop by and help me celebrate my return to work-free weekends!

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

Maybe only a little bit Irish, but I'm pretty sure that's enough! In honor of St Patrick's Day, March Sunday Supper was all about the Irish. Corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread, Irish cheese, Black and Tans, and shamrock cookies with, what else, GREEN icing!

And me in my green flashing lights Shamrock necklace. Christy wins top prize for best-dressed. She took the theme seriously. I LOVE a good sport!

Neither corned beef and cabbage, nor Irish soda bread have been a product of my kitchen in the past, so I was going to need some help. Thankfully, my dear friend Beth and her husband, Tom, have hosted a St Patrick's Day party at their house for years, and were once featured in Bon Appetit magazine! Beth kindly let me borrow the magazine and their recipes. I was in good hands!

After running the St Paddy's Day 5K (in a shocking 25 mins, 40 seconds!) on Sunday morning, I came home and got started on the bread. And I've gotta say, as much hype as I have heard about Irish soda bread, I thought it would be more difficult. Not too bad. I turned out 2 loaves in my purchased-for-the-event cast iron skillet (really I just needed an excuse to finally add it to my collection!) in just under 2 hours, including baking time. Beautiful. (I even received many compliments on the bread, including "you make the best bread!")

Next up, corned beef. My biggest "obstacle" of the day came when I realized that the nearly 5 lb corned beef wasn't going to fit neatly into any of the pots I had in my cabinet. Hmmmm. Seems when the recipe called for a "very large pot", that is exactly what they meant. Alrighty then, what's a girl with only a "kind of large pot" supposed to do?! I could pretend I came up with some really ingenious solution. But I'll be honest, I just crammed that corned beef in, covered with water and put the lid on! Based on the testimonials, it worked out just fine.

Cabbage, potatoes, carrots ... again, not a big enough pot to put them all into one, so I had to split into 2 separate pots. I swear, I am NOT one of those people who takes great pride in using EVERY pot/pan in the house, but this was starting to go down that path!

With food well under way, it was time to test out the drink situation. Megan arrived with a 6-pack of Harp and a 6-pack of Guinness for the black and tans. I was prepared with a very special, just for the occasion, purchase of Mr Turtle. The little guy who rests on the top of the pint glass and allows you to pour a perfect Guinness in the comfort of your own home. Maybe. First pour was no good. Second pour, still no good. I began to get a smidge upset. Mr Turtle was defective! He would have to be returned. Or ... could it possibly be our Guinness was "defective". Only one way to find out. Reid and Aly showed up with cans of Guinness. Test pour #27 (okay, maybe only 5) ... pour in Harp to approximately 2/5 full. Let sit to settle. Slowly pour Guinness FROM CAN over top of Mr Turtle to fill. BINGO. A perfect pour. Harp on the bottom, Guinness on top. Woo hoo!!! Definite cause for celebration!

Another wonderful Sunday in a home filled with love and laughter. I am so blessed! Tip your glass and dig in!

ps - In case you're wondering, no kiss. Luck o' the Irish wasn't with me that day! ;)


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royalties

Imagine my surprise when I got the new bon appetit magazine in my mailbox a few days ago and see the words 'Sunday Supper' splashed across the cover. WHAT IS THIS?! Not in reference to my blog, but in reference to their new monthly column. I feel a little bit robbed. Sure, their column provides recipe(s), but the theme is the same. Sunday Supper. Home, family, friends, comfort. I should be paid royalties. Or maybe they should have hired me to write freelance. Instead I'm sitting here at 1:13 a.m. in the office at my desk. Living the tax accounting dream. All glitz and glamour. I think I'll write a letter to the editor.

you heard it here

I'm beginning to think I should install a hidden camera. The hours spent in the kitchen before, during and after Sunday Supper, are filled with conversation. Occasionally serious, but most often funny, and a lot of "girl talk" since the before and after is almost always (at least so far) just girls. Not that men are banned from my kitchen, but so far they have only shown up for the part of the evening that involves eating. Hmm ... not surprising. Anyway, I am beginning to think it might be wise to capture all of these snippets of conversation that fill my kitchen with fits of laughter and sometimes reduce us to tears. Maybe I could compile those moments and find a way to turn them into $$!

A few of the more recent: (the "author" shall remain anonymous unless i have permission to use their name)

"I don't mind being my own man, but I don't want to be the man in the relationship" - yours truly, said in reference to doing home improvement projects herself that she would normally place in the "man's job" category during a conversation about the apparent demise of dating convention whereby guy plans date and then calls girl to ask her out. And for those who are interested, I am standing my ground and refuse to settle for less. If that means I end up single for the rest of my life, so be it!

"I'm a fat man's dream" - anonymous, in reference to being completely stuffed from dinner, a bit tipsy from the wine, and in desperate need of a couch to lie down on

"He's like a piece of shit car ... locks are broken, windshield wipers don't work, the transmission is about to go, radio is busted ..." - anonymous, pep talk after being let down by a guy she had been dating.

Sometimes Sunday Supper makes my stomach hurt in the best possible way. :)

Sunday Gravy

I woke up this morning, less than 12 hours after the second Sunday Supper of 2010, with two very distinct thoughts. 1) Sunday gravy should really be made on Saturday so you can sleep extra late. Believe me, you'll need it after the food coma this will set you into ... or maybe I should eat less?? 2) My friends must actually hate me, the jerks left 3 whole cannoli in my refrigerator! I go back and forth between delighted and disgusted. Delighted as I bite into that creamy delicious goodness; disgusted 5 minutes later when the richness has started to get to me & I think about the number of calories I have just consumed. Ugh. Oh well, tomorrow I will get whipped into shape by Coach Mike at 6 am Core Running class. Might as well enjoy that cannoli tonight!

Back to Sunday Supper. Last night featured Sunday Gravy. I'm not Italian, but I have a great love for most things Italian. It's quite possible that it was in Italy that I made my first conscious connection between food, emotion and environment. Some of the most amazing and memorable meals of my life were experienced in Italy. I was 3 months shy of 25, traveling with cousin Kim and her husband Mike, and on my way to falling head over heels in love (with a boy I had left back in the US). It was my first trip to Europe and my first extended vacation. Three weeks away from work - BEST decision of my life. And one I have made several times since. I digress, Italy. Pesto. Pasta. Pizza. Gelato. Wine. I could go on. The words themselves take me back. Maybe it was the food, but I'm convinced it was the combination of many factors. Food, wine, company, emotion, surroundings. Everyone says there is something about Paris, and they are right. (I'll share those stories another time.) But, you know, there is something about Italy too. Tradition, comfort, homemade with love. Italian grandmothers spending hours in the kitchen with recipes passed down through generations. Everything about it made me feel at home. It was exactly what Sunday Supper is to me, so it was with great respect, admiration and appreciation that I set out to try my hand at Sunday Gravy. One of the finest and most traditional of the "Italian grandmother" dishes. An entire day in the kitchen, 6 cuts of meat, and a healthy dose of TLC.

For my Sunday Gravy, I went with a recipe that cut it to a 1/2 day affair and 3 meats. 2 lbs baby back ribs, 1 lb hot Italian sausage links, and 1 lb homemade meatballs from a blend of ground beef, pork and veal. I picked Megan up at noon, we picked up the meat & came back to my place to get started. Megan mixed up the bloody marys and I made brunch. First things first, this was going to get serious. Once we had a little nourishment, it was time to uncover that inner Italian spirit. I browned the ribs and Italian sausage in my coveted Le Creuset dutch oven, and then set them aside while I prepared the rest of the sauce. As soon as the sauce was ready, the ribs and sausages were added back in & the pot went into the oven. Tip #1: If you don't have any arm muscles to speak of, do not attempt to lift this pot full of goodness on your own. Thank goodness I have been working out! Tip #2: Not advisable to place heavy pot on a weak oven rack. I could have sworn my oven rack was bowing with the weight. While the sauce (aka gravy) simmered in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, I made the meatballs. And I have to say, they were out of this world. The whole meal was really quite simply amazing. Delicious and impressive if I do say so myself. Ask my friends, I'm betting they agree since it only took 4 of us girls and 1 guy to nearly polish off a meal that was supposed to feed 8-10. Hmmmm ...

I may not be Italian, but with enough practice, I just might be able to give one of those grandmothers a run for her money!


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Why Sunday Supper?

Sunday Supper just kind of happened. Naturally. When I moved back to Chicago from NYC in September 2007, one of the things I enjoyed and appreciated most was the kitchen in the 1-bedroom apartment I was renting at the time. Compared to my NYC apartments, this kitchen was HUGE. Cabinets galore, plenty of counter space, more than 1 butt could fit in the kitchen at a time, it had an island, and it was completely open to the rest of the living room. Heaven! I could cook a respectable meal again, and I could even invite guests to dine with me. Unheard of in NYC! (Okay, so more often than not, it was girls night with wine and cheese, but that's beside the point.) Suddenly, I remembered how much I enjoyed cooking, trying new recipes and experimenting with my own ideas on occasions when I was feeling particularly courageous. Even more so, I loved having friends and family gathered around the kitchen. The sound of conversation and laughter, and the smell of a home-cooked meal. That is what I came from, it was home to me.

When I decided it was time to buy my first condo, my real estate agent asked for my "MUST HAVE" list. #1 - open kitchen with plenty of room to entertain. And she found me the perfect place. Once I had finished all of the unpacking, painting, furniture assembly and at least a little of the decorating, it was time. The first Sunday Supper actually took place in December 2009. At the time, it was really only intended as one event & the name was something catchy to serve as a memory aid for my friends in case they had a little too much fun on Saturday night. As it turned out, there was simply something about Sunday evening that fit. To me, there is nothing better on Sunday evening than a home-cooked meal shared amongst friends and family. Sunday Supper was exactly what I was looking for to make my house a home. Laughter, friendship, tradition. Good friends, good food, good wine. Memories to last a lifetime.

And so, Sunday Supper became one of my 2010 "resolutions". A monthly dinner party in my home. The food I put in front of my friends isn't half bad for a girl from Kansas who has been picking up culinary inspiration along the way ... from my roots (thanks to Mom and Grandma's who taught me that homemade with love is always best!) to two years living in NYC that turned me into a bit of a foodie to all of the amazing local cuisine I've experienced in my travels abroad ... but when they ask me when the next Sunday Supper will be, I'm pretty sure they're looking forward to something other than the food. To friendship, love, and the journey!