Category Archives: Do-Ahead

2012 Smorgasbord Menu — Assembled by Friends of A Global Garnish

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Pickled Herring, Eggs, Cucumbers and Beet Salad

Pickled Herring (Inlagd Sill), Eggs, Cucumbers and Beet Salad (Rodbetesalad)

Every year for the past 17 years, my good-hearted friends have allowed me to plan our menu for our year-end progressive dinner. They really are silly about the whole process — each year thanking me profusely for planning the menu and giving out assignments. Don’t they know that this is an ideal situation for me??  Have fun planning a lengthy menu and then give out assignments for everyone else to prepare??  It is second best only to having a commercial kitchen and staff at your beck and call. Continue reading →

Do-Ahead Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 2 of 3) – Sausage, Sage and Apple Stuffing

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Stuffing, Stuffing and More Stuffing

Since I’m cooking two Thanksgiving dinners in two U.S. states this year, I am fully immersed in “do-ahead” mode.   How else could I possibly manage??

Working through my list in Do-Ahead Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 1), I have made my turkey stock and gravy, asked friends to bring pies and ordered my turkey.   Now is the time to make my favorite part:  stuffing Continue reading →

Do-Ahead Thanksgiving Dinner (Part 1 of 3) — Turkey Brown Stock

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Chicago’s Magnificent Mile – Perfect for Early Christmas Shopping

It is almost Thanksgiving and the start of holiday season here in the U.S.  This is when I wish the moratorium on human cloning had expired, and I could be in multiple places at once. Continue reading →

Do-Ahead Party for a Crowd – Easy Appetizer Menu (Part 1 of 3)

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“Cabbage Bowl” and Vegetables Ready for Dressing and Service

When our son Alex, who lives in New York City, asked for help with his upcoming “house-warming” party, I was delighted.

ME:  Would you like me to fly out and help?  The party sounds like fun!

ALEX:  Well, I hate to trouble you.  If you could just send me some ideas, that would be nice.  I was especially interested in the recipe for those Asian rolls.  

ME:  Oh, I’m shocked.  You don’t want your parents to attend your first big party?? 🙂

Needless to say, the end result was not a trip to New York – Continue reading →

Do-Ahead Dinner for Eight — and a Tart Celebrating the Glorious Parsnip

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Dinner for Eight

When I host a sit-down dinner, most of my friends expect:  1) to be recruited to the kitchen to help with last-minute preparations or 2) to watch me tossing things to and fro in the kitchen while they eat and drink.  I think it is part of the joy of cooking — to make it a relaxing group experience. Continue reading →