Zabby, I could have used your help on that dinner! Our waitress/friend guessed the crab sauce had no cream, but when I made it just with chicken stock, wine, butter, and flour, it tasted like gravy! I'm sure an expert sauce-maker could have done better but I would have preferred a cream sauce to what I made. Maybe next time I eat there I'll talk to the guy who made up the recipe. It was a special, it's not always on there. Anyway, ok dinner, but I should stick to cooking vegetables since they're always my favorite part of the dinner anyway...I finished the broccoli and potato cakes but not the halibut. Thanks to all the feedback, I decided to use up the crab by making crab cakes tonight. I looked at Tyler Florence's recipe (which my friend made once) and kind of estimated for the amount of crab I had. They were good, not very stuck together, but great taste and hardly any filler. I fried some leftover mashed potatoes into potato cakes, sauteed some mushrooms that didn't fit in my shepherd's pie, and spread leftover roasted garlic on bread my friend made & brought. Voila! A delicious dinner for two created entirely from leftover ingredients. The best part was the drinks, which I made with both the halibut and the crab cakes. Also inspired by my favorite restaurant. Lavender citrus martini: Mix vanilla vodka with a bit of Cointreau, enough lemon juice to give it a little tartness, and lavender simple syrup (I like it kind of sweet). Delicious! Lavender simple syrup: Mix equal parts (by volume) sugar and water in saucepan. Add a few sprigs of lavender and boil till sugar dissolves. Cool in a jar in the fridge, leaving in the lavender. Use up within a day or two. Good in the martini, delicious over grapefruit, spectacular in lemonade. Dancinglemons, glad to see someone else in central VA. I wonder how many of us there are. I was thinking of organizing a berry-picking trip to Westmoreland Berry Farm on the Northern Neck. My kitchen isn't big enough to host a jam-making afterward, but we could have a canned goods pot luck picnic at the berry farm. Maybe I'll make a post in May when it's almost berry season. Melissa

cseim - oh my gosh - this one is so good and so fresh tasting...from AnnT Tomato, garlic and basil sauce  AnnT I par boil a couple of Italian sausage, just long enough to firm up so I can removed the skin. Then slice the sausage and brown in some olive oil. Add some minced garlic and season with crushed fennel seed and some hot red pepper (if you use hot sausage you probably don't need to add more hot pepper), dried basil, salt and pepper. Add one 28 oz can of quality Italian tomatoes, breaking them up with a fork or wooden spoon. Simmer the sauce while the water is boiling and then cook your favourite pasta shape. Add a handful of fresh chopped basil and serve. I vary this from time to time. Adding fresh rosemary or adding a little white wine before adding the tomatoes. Ann Another great one from Lorijean: Bowties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream - Lorijean 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound sweet Italian sausage 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 cup diced onion 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 28-ounce can Italian diced tomatoes 1-1/2 cups whipping cream 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 pound bowtie pasta 3 tablespoons fresh minced basil Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage, crumble and cook in oil with crushed pepper until sausage is no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook another 5-7 minutes until tender. Drain tomatoes, chop coarsely and stir into sausage along with cream, salt and basil. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. In a separate pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta al dente. Drain pasta and add to simmering sauce. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley. Serves 4. Source: An Appetite for Art, copyright 2001 Lori These are my "go-to's" when I want a wonderful fresh tasting pasta sauce FAST! And, I love Ragu - so maybe this is right up your hubby's alley! I hope Ann chimes in and posts one of her pics - you will be sold. Stacy

Agreed. So, little did I know, Annie posted Elery's recipe a few days ago on another thread and I am pasting it here, in the hopes she doesn't mind: Elery's Hot Dog Sauce 1 lb. ground beef or venison 2 tbls oil 1 large yellow onion, diced 3/4 cup flat beer (open and let it sit if necessary) 1/4 cup water 2 Tablespoons chili powder 2 Teaspoons oregano 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes (or less, if you're a wuss like me) 1/4 teaspoon cumin Salt & Pepper To Taste Saute onion in oil in a 2-quart pot until soft, about five minutes. Keep stirring to make sure they donâÂÂt burn. Add meat and cook until completely brown, then break it up by mashing with a potato masher. This breaks the pieces into small chunks which won't fall off the bun. Add chili powder, oregano, chili flakes, cumin (if using), salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Add beer and water. Simmer on low heat for approximately one hour, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot dogs or just put it on a bun like sloppy joes. OK, now the changes. We use the oil because our grass fed beef is so lean it sticks to the pan, as does venison if not mixed with pork or other fat. If your meat is fattier, you might not need the oil at all. Elery likes to add more dried chili flakes, his preference is a big heaping spoonful but if he does that the kids in the family can't eat it. I can't either, LOL. ed note: I may be more of a wuss than Annie, but I will try this one next. This post was edited by kitchendetective on Sun, Nov 24, 13 at 11:41

All of these ideas sound FAB. I just wasn't thinking clearly yesterday with being sick. I have a low grade infection but it's not catching. The antibiotics just wipe me out and make me feel a little bit queasy. I'm definately going to save this thread because this type of menu is my standard party menu. I have one other little issue and that is if I want to go into the kitchen to prepare any type of food, (including making coffee) I have to pass thru a narrow hallway into my tiny kitchen, thus leaving my guests alone to hang in the open dining room/living room. I just hate to be gone for long. It's OK to pull something out of the oven, but that's about it. I also like to have all the food done way before the party, since I get stressed if I have to be fussing with something in the kitchen as guests arrive. It's just me, so I want to be ready and welcoming right away, not "Excuse me I'll be right back I just have to go turn the burgers" or something like that. That's why I love the crockpot, I can put the dish together well beforehand. So I'm thinking of altering the menu slightly: Hot tea/cranberry punch Wine brought by friends Tuna and white bean salad - I make the day before Spinach dip, stuffed grape leaves and baba ganoush from Med. deli Pita from bakery Greek potato stew - I make the day before in crockpot Greek spaghetti - I make day of party Mixed greens from the store, I'll splurge on some frisee which I love Boneless chicken thighs done in crockpot with my home canned fruit chutney, which is not very spicy, more sweet and sour Pumpkin cheesecake brought by BF (I forgot he had made one earlier) Baklava from bakery and whatever other cookies look good Coffee and tea Question: Do you think the fruit chutney will go with the other stuff?? Here's one other recipe that intrigues me, because I could make it in the crockpot AND it has dates, the cookalong ingredient! Ingredients Chicken: 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 8 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skinned 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 1/4 cups shallots, peeled and quartered 2/3 cups vegetable broth 12 whole pitted dates, chopped Top with slivered almonds and chopped cilantro Here is a link that might be useful: Moroccan Chicken with Almonds