MOM Dish Potluck

It was Mother's Day and we decided to celebrate / honor our mothers with the potluck theme. We cooked one of two dishes: (1) your favorite dish that your mom cooks or (2) a favorite dish that your mom enjoys. These dishes were a lot of fun and a great way to feel connected to your mom even if she was far away on the day! For some reason I forgot to take a picture of the buffet line. :-( My potluck photo capturing is waning.


Watercress Salad by Richard
The beef was marinated for a couple of hours in a mixture of fish sauce, lime zest, lime juice, and sugar. The marinated beef was then cooked in a pan with sliced onions and garlic. Then, the cooked beef was placed over a bed of watercress (trimmed of stems), sliced tomatoes, and boiled eggs. The remainder of the cooking liquid was poured over the dish to finish.



White Wine Shrimp Alfredo by Ryan
A "best guess" of this recipe:
2 T Mrs Dash (or your favorite assortment of seasonings)
2 T minced garlic
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup white cooking wine
1 cup heavy cream
2 cup half n half
5 cups milk
1 pkg spaghetti noodles
1 lb of shrimp
1/2 cup flour
Boil water for spaghetti. Salt the water and add some evoo if desired.
In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the butter and garlic together stirring frequently. When the butter is completely melted, add the cream, milk, and 1 cup of half n half. Add your seasonings. When the sauce starts to bubble add the cooking wine. When the sauce bubbles again, reduce the heat to low. In a separate bowl combine the flour and 2nd cup of half n half. Stir until well blended (this is the thickening agent).
Slowly add the thickening agent to the sauce, stirring constantly. You may not need all of the thickening mix to reach your desired thickness. Once you are satisfied, increase the heat to medium. As the sauce begins to bubble, add your shrimp. When the shrimp turns a good pink (2-3 minutes), reduce to low.
Combine your sauce and noodles in a serving dish.



Spaghetti Sauce by Patrick
AKA Mary Beth’s Sweet Red Wine Spaghetti Sauce (from Mom's college roommate’s grandmother)
1 Large Can Crushed Tomatoes
12 Oz. Can Tomato Paste
Juice of ½ Lemon (or 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice)
1 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
½ Cup Sugar
½ Cup Red Wine (Port or Burgundy Recommended)
1/3 Cup Oil (EVOO)
Garlic Pods, Peeled and Sliced Thin
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Optional: Add 1 pound fried and crumbled ground beef or sausage
Add all ingredients to a Dutch oven or large pot. Then Simmer on low heat for 1½ hours. Flavors are even better the second day!


Zucchini and Almond Pasta by Natalie
1 1/2 pounds zucchini (2 to 3, depending on size), halved lenthwise and very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 ounces parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, thinly sliced on a mandoline or with a peeler
1/2 cup slivered almonds, well-toasted and cooled (300F oven for 7 to 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, usually works)
1/2 pound pasta of your choice (I like the extra bite of whole wheat pasta in pasta salads), cooked, drained and cooled
5 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
Bechamel Sauce Ingredients
5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.
  Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside until ready to use.
  Toss zucchini slices with one teaspoon salt in a large colander set over a bowl or in sink. Let drain 20 minutes. If they taste too salty to you, rinse and drain them again. Stir bechamel, zucchini, almonds and pasta together.


Hungry Jack Casserole by me (thanks to Patrick for cooking while I was at work)
I forgot to take a picture of my dish. But here's a complete blog entry on the casserole.
Also I loved it when my mom would buy watermelon!


Tequila Flank Steak by Tim
Secret recipe!


Momma's Strawberry Shortcake by Holly
For the Strawberries:
Slice strawberries and mix with sugar (to taste). Keep in fridge until ready to eat.
For the Whip Cream:
Mix 1 pint of whipping cream with 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla whip with electric mixer until peaks form
For the Shortcake:
Heat oven to 425. Stir 2 1/3 cups of original bisquick mix with 3 tlsp of sugar and 3 tablespoons of melted butter until soft dough forms. Drop dough by spoonfulls onto ungreased cookie sheet to make small cakes OR use a muffin pan to make shortcake in muffin shapes OR bake in a baking dish to make a whole shortcake. Bake 10-12 mins until golden.

1 comment:

  1. So much fun to read what were favorites with Moms and families. I read Holly's and remembered that Granny used to do that. I bought Bisquick this morning, came home, made the shortcakes, served to Jimmy at lunch. Just as good as I remembered!!! And so easy!!!

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