Weekly Menu: December 2-8, 2012

During the holiday season we try to keep it pretty simple with our dinner menus, relying heavily on old favorites that we can practically make on auto-pilot. So that’s exactly what we’re doing this week. Sunday Christian will be making a Thai Chicken Peanut Noodle Soup that we’ve been making for years to welcome me home from Austin. There’s nothing more comforting after a plane ride than a steaming bowl of homemade soup! Tuesday we’ll make our Orecchiette with Braised Broccoli Rabe (and probably sausage)…if you only try one recipe on my entire site this is the one to try. Particularly during the colder winter months.  It is so satisfying and comforting and super easy to make, absolutely one of our all-time favorites.

The rest of the week we’re relying on leftovers (one from the depths of our freezer – Emeril’s 5 Bean Chili) and a night out before we get to our annual holiday Cookie Party. We’ve been throwing an annual holiday cookie party for a little over 7 years now…but we can’t take all the credit. This is actually a tradition that Christian’s mother started when they first moved to Massachusetts, when Christian was about 16. When I became a part of the family a few years later and went to my first one I immediately fell in love with the idea of it. Bringing friends, neighbors and family together to share their favorite home-baked cookies, enjoy holiday beverages (like our Glögg – warm mulled spiced red wine), cheesy Christmas music and a good time. What’s not to love? So while technically we don’t serve any dinner at this party the extensive cheese & charcuterie plate and other nibbles beyond the cookies will be enough to hold us over for the night without formal dinner plans.