How funny you should mention this....my mom did this for my birthday party when I was about 10 years old (I'm now 31) and I completely forgot about it until my mom reminded me last week. I now remember it and it was so fun. In my case, what she did was gave all the foods a name of an animal. She had stuff like spaghetti, garlic bread, apple sauce, ice cream, etc. Even the utensils got names. She then had the kids pick out 2 animals for their first course, and whatever food was the animal they picked is what they got. Then they picked 2 more, and so on..... Some people ended up having applesauce and a straw, funny stuff like that. It is fun....

I love, love, love short ribs. This is a rich dish, so a little goes a long way. I serve them in a bowl-y plate on top of mashed potatoes to which I've also mashed celery root It's a fatty cut and can be prepared the day before so the fat can harden and be easily removed. Great, easy dish. Braised Short Ribs of Beef 3 T. Flour 2 t. Salt Pepper, to taste 2 t. Rosemary 4 lbs. Beef short ribs, rinsed and dried Vegetable oil 1 C. Chopped onions 3/4 Cup Chopped celery 2 C. Chicken stock - boiling (can substitute chicken broth) Preheat oven to 300°. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Dredge ribs in seasoned flour. In skillet, heat 2 T. oil and add onions and celery, sauté for 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables to heavy Dutch oven with lid. Add 2 T. oil to skillet and brown ribs on all sides. Add extra oil as needed. Transfer ribs to Dutch oven. Add boiling chicken stock to ribs and cover tightly. *Bake 3 hours. Skim off excess fat and reduce gravy until thickened. *Alternatively: Simmer ribs slowly on stove top. Notes: Can cook one day ahead, chill, and remove fat layer from gravy. Heat slowly for 45 minutes before serving. Serving Ideas: Wonderful served over mashed celery root, mashed potatoes, or wild mushroom risotto. ====================================== Red Wine Braised Ox Tails 2 750 ml Bottles Dry red wine 12 large oxtail pieces (about 6 pounds total) 1/2 stick unsalted butter (1/4 cup) 5 shallots 5 garlic cloves 2 medium carrots 2 medium leeks (white parts only) 1 medium onion 2 celery ribs 3 fresh thyme sprigs 3 bay leaves 1 bunch parsley stems 4 Cups Chicken broth Preheat oven to 325°F. In a 4- to 6-quart heavy saucepan boil wine until reduced by about half (about 3 1/4 cups). Trim oxtails and pat dry. Season oxtails with salt and pepper. In a deep heavy ovenproof kettle just large enough to hold oxtails in one layer heat 1 tablespoon butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and brown half of oxtails on all sides, transferring to a bowl. Brown remaining oxtails in 1 tablespoon butter in same manner and transfer to bowl. Coarsely chop shallots, garlic, carrots, leeks, onion, and celery. Add vegetables to kettle and cook in 1 tablespoon butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Arrange oxtails over vegetables and add reduced wine, herbs, and enough broth to just cover oxtails. Bring liquid to a boil and braise oxtails, covered, in middle of oven 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until meat is very tender but not falling off the bone. Transfer oxtails with a slotted spoon to a bowl and keep warm. Pour braising liquid through a fine sieve into a large saucepan and discard solids. Boil liquid until thick, shiny, and reduced to about 1 3/4 cups and whisk in remaining tablespoon butter. ============================================= Chicken Sorrentino 6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded very thin 2 T. Butter 1 Eggplant, peeled and sliced into ½-inch diagonal slices 1 Egg, beaten 2/3 C. Flour 1 C. Seasoned breadcrumbs Cooking spray 1 C. Sherry 1 C. Chicken stock (or canned broth) 6 Slices prosciutto 6 Slices mozzarella Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly coat a jelly roll pan (cookie sheet) with oil. Coat eggplant slices with flour, then dip into egg, then breadcrumbs. Place eggplant slices on cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes While eggplant is cooking: Heat large skillet and melt butter. Brown the chicken cutlets for a few minutes until golden brown. Remove from skillet, set aside and keep warm. When eggplant slices are tender, remove from oven and set aside. Over medium-high heat, add sherry and chicken broth to skillet, scraping up all brown bits (deglazing the pan) Cook for about 2 minutes, reducing sauce somewhat. Add chicken cutlets back to pan and top with a piece of prosciutto and a piece of eggplant. Spoon some sauce over the top and cover for 2 minutes, over medium-high heat. Remove cover and top with mozzarella slices. Cover and heat over medium heat for 1 minute or until mozzarella melts. ====================================== i like to serve this with Spaghetti. Chicken Saltimbocca Lidia Bastianich Ingredients Four 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, butterflied and lightly pounded Salt and freshly ground pepper 8 large sage leaves 4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma All-purpose flour, for dusting 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry white wine 1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium brot Directions Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place 2 sage leaves on each breast. Top with a slice of prosciutto, trimming it to fit. Press the prosciutto to help it adhere to the chicken. Dust the chicken with flour, shaking off the excess. Heat a large skillet. Add the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add 2 of the breasts, prosciutto side up, and cook over high heat until nearly cooked through, about 3 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook just until the prosciutto begins to shrink, about 1 minute. Transfer the chicken to a plate; repeat with the remaining chicken. Pour off any fat and wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining butter to the skillet. Add the wine and cook over high heat until reduced by half, 2 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half, 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet, prosciutto side up, and simmer over moderate heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken to plates, pour the sauce on top and serve. =================================== For guests who like salmon... Pecan-Crusted Salmon with Mango Salsa 8 Salmon filets 2 C. pecans 1 T. Garlic 1/2 t. Salt 1/4 t. cayenne pepper 1/2 C. Mayonnaise Mango Salsa Preheat oven to 400°. Grind pecans into a course meal. Mix together garlic, salt, and cayenne. Coat filets with mayo, then dip into pecans, coating thoroughly. Place filets on cooking rack set in a baking pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until fish is cooked through. Serve with mango salsa. Mango Salsa 2 Mangos, skinned and cubed 1/2 Red onion, diced small 1 teaspoon Orange zest 1 ounce Orange juice 1 ounce red wine vinegar 1 bunch cilantro, chopped 1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced Mix all ingredients and let sit for 2 hours. ================================================ Pork Medallions in Mustard-Caper Sauce 1 Pork tenderloin 2 Cups Bread crumbs, seasoned, Fresh or packaged 1 Egg, beat it up 3/4 Cup Flour 4 Tablespoons Butter 4 Tablespoons Cooking oil Mustard-Caper Sauce Slice tenderloin into 1/2-inch medallions Pound medalions into 1/4-inch rounds Dredge each medallion in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs Lay on wax paper until ready for frying Melt 1/2 the butter in heavy, large skillet over medium-high heat Add 1/2 the oil when foaming subsides Add pork to skillet in one layer, being careful not to crowd. Cook for 2 minutes per side. Remove and keep warm in a 250° oven Cook remaining medallions and keep warm. Prepare Mustard Caper Sauce Arrange medallions slightly overlapping on plate and drizzle with sauce. Mustard-Caper Sauce Notes: This sauce is usually prepared in a skillet that was used to saute pork tenderloin medallions. The pan drippings from the pork provide added flavor to the sauce. 1 Tablespoon Butter 1/4 cup Sliced shallots 1 Cup Chicken broth or stock 2 Tablespoons Heavy cream 1 1/2 Tablespoons Drained capers 1 Tablespoon course-grain Dijon mustard Melt butter over medium-high flame. Add shallots and stir 1 minute. Add chicken broth and cream. Mix in capers and mustard and stir for 1 minute. Simmer until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Serve sauce over pork tenderloin medallions. ====================================== Chicken Breasts with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce Bon Appetite 1999 Serves 4 Notes: Make extras sauce and toss with cooked pasta; then plate. Add sliced, pan-cooked chicken breasts if desired. To make just the sauce saute the shallots, garlic and sundried tomatoes, then add wine and reduced to almost nothing. Add the chicken stock or broth and reduce by half. Add the cream and reduce until desired consistency. 4 tablespoons olive oil 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed, coarsly chopped,drained 2 large shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup) 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup dry white wine 3/4 cup Chicken stock , or broth 1 cup whipping cream Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate; tent with foil to keep warm. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to drippings in skillet. Add sun-dried tomatoes, shallots and garlic. Reduce heat to medium and sauté until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add cream and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Mix any accumulated juices from chicken into sauce. ========================================

I have used it as a directory to find a recipe when I wasn't sure which dinner I was looking for. I save the recipes I am likely to make right away, but lately I have been trying some that I wouldn't normally. I also used it this week before submitting my appetizer recipe to see if there were any "trends". I didn't want to submit ANOTHER stuffed mushroom, for example.

time to move on down.