Brad, what a great idea. Your menu is perfect. I wouldn't change anything.

~Ann

I can just feel the tone of excitement in your post. That is awesome news! Menu looks great!

Brisket!

dcarch LOL!

This is certainly not your usual get family together. I'm sure you will impress them with your culinary skills even though the main focus will be the interaction with family members. So I think the comfort food menu is perfect.

Thank you, everyone!

Although it is not set in stone that I will be cooking for them, I am a little nervous as to what they may think about it. I thought having at least the cousins and my aunt involved with helping prepare the meal would add some sentiment and help make memories :-). We don't see each other very often, but we keep in touch. The times we've had together have been flat out awesome. It'll be at least 9 people, including myself, that I'll have to cook for. As I previously mentioned, I shall keep you all posted to see if we'll be having the dinner or not. It doesn't matter to me since whatever we do is always fun. We all have a big sense of humor, so it's never a dull moment :-). Thank you all again! I'll present the original menu to my cousin(s) when I talk to them again, to make sure if everyone agrees with the food.

Dcarch, LOL!!!!!!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Brad - I love chicken fried steak!

Did you sign up for a Penzeys catalog yet?

Teresa

Brad, I agree, the menu sounds perfect, right down to your Gram's lemonade, which I love, and I'd be all over those mashed potatoes and gravy, yum.

Most of all, though, you'll be having a wonderful time with people you love. Although the food is important, of course, it's the people who are the most important, so have a wonderful time.

Be sure to keep us updated, I'll be watching to see what's happening, it sounds like great fun.

Annie

Longtime lurker here. What a nice idea. While you are all together get some favorite family recipes from

all that is enjoying the getogether. I did a family recipe book for one of my nieces years ago. It was a big hit and everyone wanted one. Enjoy the food and family, take lots of pictures of all that is there. Mary

The menu sounds divine and I'll look forward to hearing about your gathering. (Blackberry cobbler is now calling my name.)

Eileen

Teresa, I haven't ordered the catalog yet, but I will check out the website soon.

Annie, I'll be sure to keep you all updated! Mashed potatoes and gravy is one of my favorite side dishes. The subject of whether do make both of them homemade or use instant will be discussed should they want to do the meal.
Mom and I always make instant mashed potatoes and gravy (even though she likes homemade ones better. The instant doesn't have lumps lol) when we have chicken fried steak.

Hi Mary! Welcome to the forum! I'll try and take pictures and gather recipes. I'm sure the topic will come up!

Eileen, do you need the recipe for the cobbler? You can use any kind of fruit pie filling, as the recipe suggests. I've only used blackberry pie filling so far.

As mentioned, I will keep you all posted! I don't know when the visit and meal will be taking place, but when the plans are made and set, I'll inform you all ASAP!

OT: I was raised to believe that your family is who raises you and loves you. It saddens me that adoption is something some people frown upon. Well, phooey on them as I believe I was given a second chance at life. I have many years ahead of me, and I'm going to live them as happily as I can.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Brad, you are one lucky young man having both your family and your biofamily. It sounds like you are surrounded by love and life.

And I vote for "real" mashed potatoes. And to make it easier, I also have a really good recipe for do ahead potatoes. Made a few days in advance and simply reheated. Here is a link to it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Make ahead mashed potatoes

Like Peppi, I vote for real potatoes, it's my Irish piece of genetics, I love mashed potatoes and nearly any other kind.

Brad, I have a half brother, my Dad adopted him when he was a baby. My sister has a set of twins, also adopted from a 15 year old mother. All biological family members have had some contact. Adoption is not a bad thing, and if you have your family who raised you AND your biological family, well, it's twice as good, twice as many people to care about, twice as many family recipes to try. You are actually very fortunate!

Annie

I was raised by grandparents. It's all good!

Eileen

Good to know that I am understood here :-). It truly is a blessing to have that experience and I treasure it very much. I've been different all of my life, and yes, it's a lonely path at times, but it's memories and experiences like that make everything worthwhile :-).

Okay! Real mashed potatoes it is! Annie, I have Irish blood in me too :-). My brother on this side of biological relatives (I don't see my biological father or his relatives, that's how I know I have Irish blood in me, but I have met them) is my half-brother, but he and I always say brother when introducing ourselves to someone else. LOL He has an appetite and loves cooking as well.

Does this mean the vote goes for homemade gravy as well? lol

Brad AKA Moonwolf

I've never had chicken-fried steak, but I think your menu sounds delicious - pure comfort food. I love cobblers, but all the other desserts are great too.

And now I'm hungry!

Sue

Brad, you know me by now. Of COURSE I vote for homemade gravy!

And my whole life I've referred to my "brother", I've never called him my half brother. We got into trouble together, covered for each other and he taught me to ride a bike (by pushing my bike down a big hill) and how to swim (by pushing me off the dock). We were inseparable and I've got the scars to prove it, following my big brother into whatever trouble we could find. (grin)

Annie

Annie

Sue, chicken fried steak is total comfort food! I guess comfort foods have become my specialty lol.

Annie, lol I knew you definitely would vote for it. I'll have to check out Peppi's mashed potato recipe. I did find a brown gravy recipe over on Cooks.com a while ago. I also have an older sister (non-biological), so either way, I'm the youngest! What older brother or sister wouldn't get his or her siblings into trouble? :-)

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Comfort foods are my favorite so accordingly that's what have become my "specialty" too, if I have such a thing as a specialty!

The menu sounds great. I'd go with adding the Broccoli Salad too (I happen to like it!) and I'd go with the cobbler were it up to me. But all your options are fine.

For some reason it took me a long time to master the simple task of cooking potatoes for mashing. The problem was inconsistent sized chunks of potato so they wouldn't cook evenly. There's how you get a lot of the lumps! And I'd rather just have the boiled potatoes than lumpy mashed. Mashing potatoes isn't difficult, you just need to do it right and have a good masher. Don't use a mixer. I like the metal zig-zag type of masher and mash them up until there's no lumps. I don't like "smashed" potatoes, especially when they dump in too much butter and milk. I like mashed POTATO. I don't need cheese and all the other stuff in there, but that's me and surely someone will be offended... so be it! :) I'm fussy on my mashed taters. No lumps. And if they're drippy or soupy, forget it. You have to be able to make a well to fill with gravy! OK, back to the point.

Go ahead and have some canned, jarred or packet gravy as a backup if you like but I'd suggest homemade gravy too. (Here too I cheated for a long time. Trouble making good gravy too. Was either to pasty or it was too greasy.) Chicken fried steak with bacon gravy is wonderful stuff. (Bacon Gravy 1. Bacon Gravy 2.) Otherwise if you like a simple brown gravy (and when given a choice I do often choose brown over white gravy for CFS.), Rachael Ray has a very simple 3-condiment gravy that is pretty foolproof and quite tasty. It's basic ingredients so you can try it out a couple times ahead of time if you want to see what you think, and look more like a pro when you do it! :) I just noticed she has an apple cider gravy that sounds interesting too.

I know what you mean about adoptees being made to feel inferior at times. They shouldn't. You have the right attitude on it and it reminds me of what an adopted friend's grandmother told her. "You should feel special because your adopted parents CHOSE you! Other people have to take what they get!" :)

A special guy making a special meal for special people. It don't get no better'n that!

Brad, I found a really good recipe for green beans that would be much easier then the beans/bacon (I've always made them, too). Anyway, thought you might like the recipe. Easy, peasy and very, very good! Served these to dinner guests, and they loved them.

SAUTEED GARLIC GREEN BEANS

1 pound fresh or frozen haricot vert (French green beans), trimmed
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt to taste
Freshly ground white pepper to taste
Instructions:
If you are using fresh green beans, cook in a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes; shock in ice-cold water, drain and set aside. (At this point, hold the green beans and finish later or continue with recipe.) If using frozen, thaw and drain.
In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter until bubbling but not browned. Add the shallot and garlic, and saute until softened, about 30 seconds. Add the beans and toss a couple of times. Add the salt and pepper and continue to saute until all is hot throughout, approximately 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Cynic, I'll be sure and check out those links you posted. I just so happen to have that type of potato masher you are talking about. I use it to mash the lemons for my lemonade :-).

Beachlily, thank you for the recipe! Actually, the recipe I found for Green Beans And Bacon is really easy as well, but yours sounds delicious as well! Here's the recipe I found for Green Beans And Bacon I found online.

2 cans green beans, undrained
1 med. onion, chopped
4-6 slices bacon, chopped
Lots of black pepper

In large pan, mix all ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer 1 hour, covered. Stir occasionally.

I am going to have to make quite a bit of food. If everyone I think that'll be there shows up, it'll be at least 9 people (5-7 at the least), including myself. No matter, since if we do go through with making the meal, it'll be fun :-).

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Brad - It certainly sounds like a special occassion, can't wait to hear more about it! Your menu sounds great, but if I'm being honest your green bean recipe does not. Canned beans are cooked before you open the can and do not need a further hour of simmering. Frozen beans are much better IMO and the cooking time of Beachlily's recipe sounds a lot more reasonable. Sounds like you've got time to experiment - good luck and please keep us posted!

This post was edited by foodonastump on Tue, Jan 29, 13 at 18:59

Here's another variation of the 3 Condiment gravy with some seasoning suggestions. As I recall when I made it I used some lemon pepper and poultry seasoning to give it a bit more seasoning.

I was also going to say don't necessarily leave the menfolk out of the kitchen. Lots of good conversation goes on in kitchens. A friend has a sign in her kitchen "Sit long. Talk much". Kind of says it all.

Brad--NO CANNED GREEN BEANS! Frozen are better than those mushy things and don't take any more time! Unfortunately, I live in FL where green beans are in season--long, slender, crispy. You understand. Anyway, upgrade to frozen green beans even if you do the bacon ones. You are a dear guy who really understands what it means to cook for people. Good!

Brad I also think that canned beans are already cooked and don't need another hour of cooking, and I like beans cooked VERY ell done. Elery says one thing he'll never hear me say is "I think you cooked those beans too long", LOL.

That said, I just chop up a few slices of bacon, I shoot for 6 or 8 but use what I have on hand. Dice them up, toss them in a pan, cook until crisp. Open a couple of quarts of home canned beans, you could use maybe 4 regular cans of store-bought instead. Drain off the liquid, dump into the hot bacon grease/bacon, stir. Just cook until the beans are hot all the way through. If you want to get really fancy, sprinkle some chopped or slivered almonds over top.

The grandkids love green beans this way. So do most of the adults, green vegetables are always better with bacon.

I agree with cynic, don't leave the guys out, some of them might really like to cook. Unless, of course, you want all the girls to yourself. (grin)

Annie

May be Brad meant Green pigeon peas.

dcarch

All righty, then, frozen green beans it is and let some of the male relatives in the kitchen. My brother loves to cook, too, so I guess he can lend a hand :). Our one uncle (the dad of two of the aforementioned cousins) also likes to cook, so he may join in the fun as well lol. That is completely up to the guys and if they want to help :-).

Cynic, my brown gravy is very similar to the one you just shared the link for, but uses beef bouuillon instead of chicken/turkey stock. I think I'll have to write that recipe down. From the comments posted below the recipe, beef broth works just as well :-).

I'll keep you all posted! I'm writing down the recipes for the mashed potatoes and Rachel's gravy.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Cynic, the page for your mashed potato recipe isn't working. Could you post the recipe here or e-mail it to me? Thank you!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Okay, mashed potato and gravy recipes written down :-). Annie, I have to ask you, could I add some onions to your green beans and bacon recipe?

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Yes, Brad, I think onions would be a very good addition. I toss in a handful of chopped tomatoes in the summer time too, whatever suits me at the minute, but it's mostly a recipe designed to use up my home canned green beans as I don't have freezer room to freeze vegetables, I need the room for beef, pork and chicken!

Annie

Thank you, Annie! I have seen recipes for Green Beans and Bacon with tomatoes (and also mushrooms-yum!) in it. The recipes I have seen that include onions call for either 1/2 cup or 1 medium onion, chopped. I wonder how well red/purple onions would work in it? I love eating them on burgers and in salads.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Brad, you are so lucky to have such a fun family. It sounds like a wonderful get together and I know you'll have a lot of laughs/fun!

I've never had chicken-fried steak with anything but white (milk) gravy, so the brown gravy sounds foreign to me. I also like canned green beans which, like home canned, are canned ripe right off the vine. I like the way Annie cooks hers. I'm in FL, too, so our green beans are in season right now. Fresh are really good, but you don't really know how "fresh" they really are. It takes time to get them from the vine to the grocer's and then, who knows how long they're on the shelf. I'm a big fan of frozen or canned veggies.

I'd just love to be in that kitchen with y'all!

Cynic, I have that same sign in my kitchen--"Sit Long, Talk Much". Not that I ever have a problem with that ;-)

Patti, I've never had the chicken fried steak with milk/country gravy, but I can tell you, the brown gravy is delicious with it :-). I'm thinking about going with the frozen green beans. I wish I had some in the garden right now, but the winters of PA don't allow for that unless one has a heated greenhouse lol.

No official plans or menu, yet, folks, but when everything is set, I'll let you all know!

Brad AKA Moonwolf