Dinners for a special someone/family

S

ScubaStevo

New member
It was my mother's birthday today and I was thinking of ordering in dinner for her. She loves sea food, so I started calling around, and the lowest price I could find for what I wanted to make her was at least 240 + tip. Well me being 16, I can't afford that, so I hoped in the car and drove down to Gimili fish. ( Very good place, I recommend it).



Anyways, I bought 2 big lobster tails for $24.00, 17 fresh monster shrimp for $20.00, and 10 steaks for $100. (The steaks were heading for 59 Wellington).



Well after I finished preparing it, I invited her into the kitchen, and she was thrilled. I had kept my cooking skills in the closet, and she was amazed that I was able to prepare it.



So my question is, what is the best meal you've ever prepared for a special someone, or family member? My dad's birthday is coming up, and I'd like to do the same for him. What would be some good dishes to prepare?



meal.jpg
 
That's a beautiful plate of food, BG.



Over the last few years I've been perfecting rib roast, AKA prime rib, for family Christmas.



This last year it all came together. I found a true PRIME cut, not a "choice". I cut the bones off, then retied them. I made asparagus w/hollandaise, twice baked potato, and baked some bread. I patted the roast with cracked black pepper, sea salt, and chopped garlic and rotisserie'd it to medium on the outside, medium rare in the middle. I made some portobello mushroom gravy.



It kicked.



Cooking has been a hobby for me for about 30 years, but I usually do "hearty" cooking, comfort food, not fancy expensive stuff. I do a really mean chili, and decent bbqs, including chicken, ribs, and brisket, both KC and NC styles.





Tom
 
I regularly cook dinner because my parents are so busy and frankly, I'm tired of the restaurants here. Pork chops, chicken, steak, various veggies, and mushrooms. I'm slowly working toward fancier foods but since I do not like seafood, I only cook "land meat."



If your dad likes pork chops, a mesquite with lime, Caribbian Jerk, or a citrus/tropical marinade is pretty good. I like to stab holes into the meat with a fork and marinate it for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. Then I cook it in a bit of olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat, allowing whatever marinade that made it into the pan caramelize onto the meat.



Your food looks great, BTW.
 
That is a very good idea... and all that food looks great. My moms birthday is on the 31st and I never know what to buy her. She likes candles, but that's all I can ever come up with... so I'm going to cook a big meal for her and my brother. Probably a steak dinner. (She loved lobster and shrimp, but found out a year ago that she somehow grew alergic to seafood.)
 
My birthday is in a few months, what time should I expect you to be over to make me dinner? ;)



My kids regularly beg me to make them chicken curry. Now that I've taught them how to make it, I can kick back while they cook...and their reward will be grateful girlfriends. :)
 
I have two items which seem to get a lot of requests.



Stuffed Side of Salmon:



Get a side of fresh salmon (Costco seems to have a constant supply of farmed Atlantic salmon), skinned and boneless, and using a very sharp knife, CAREFULLY cut a deep pocket all the way into the fillet (I usually cut from the dorsal side, but be careful as the flesh gets thinner at the belly). Season the pocket with whatever you like, then rub the outside with olive oil and season the outside (I prefer Emeril's Essence). Stuff it with a mixture of: 2 cans of crabmeat, 1 cup of fine breadcrumbs, 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons of capers, 1 finely chopped clove of garlic, 2 finely chopped shallots, 1 tablespoon of Essence (or your favorite seasoning), 1 cup of mayonnaise, and 1/2 cup of fresh parsley. Place the fish in a greased baking pan and garnish with vegetables such as sliced yellow squash, zucchini, small red potatoes, baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. If you want to be a little artsy, instead of the vegetables, get a couple of red pears and slice them into really thin wedges, then arrange them in overlapping rows on both sides of the fillet, then sprinkle the pear slices with nutmeg, cinnamon, or allspice. Finish with a thinly sliced lemon laid on top of the fish and bake in the middle rack of the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done. Then go knock the socks off your dinner guests... especially the girls! ;)





Baked Potato Salad:



Mix:

2 cups mayonnaise

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper



Add & mix:

1 cup celery(chopped or sliced)

2 flat cans of crabmeat

1 flat can of bay shrimp



Add & mix:

2 pounds of red potatoes (boiled & cut into bite size pieces)



(Optional) mix in:

2 tablespoons capers

1 can olives (whole pitted)

1 carrot(shredded)

½ cup of Maui onion (or other sweet onion)

2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese



Mix into mixture:

1 raw egg(scrambled)



Place in casserole dish



Sprinkle with 1 tbsp Essence (Emerilâ€â„¢s Cajun spice â€â€œ you can get this at Costco)



Mix by hand (yes, YOUR hand, remember to wash first!)



Sprinkle on top:

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed



Bake: 350 degrees

30 minutes, or until Ritz crust is nice and brown



If you make this for your friends, they will not forget you in their will.:xyxthumbs



Enjoy!:wavey
 
92MX83 said:
] Then go knock the socks off your dinner guests... especially the girls! ;)



Enjoy!:wavey
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I have no problem as it is. ;)



But I appreciate everyone complements.



Anyone have anymore idea's as to what I could make my dad? He loves ribs, as well as my mother, so I'm leaning towards that.



What are some good recipies for different styles of ribs. I can get what ever type of meat, price is not a issue.
 
LOL - Mom looks happy ! Nice job.



My wife and i both have busy jobs where we don't get a lot of together time during the week. I look up recipes on the net on Saturday's and my wife and i spend the evening in the kitchen drinking wine, cooking and eating....or spend "most" of the evening in the kitchen ! ;) :o



Bob
 
92MX83 - The baked potato salad sounds very good.. I think I'm going to try that this week.



I can't decide if I should make my mom a regular steak dinner, or make the Olive Garden receipe fetuccini alfredo.



edit: Mom just said we were going out to dinner for her birthday, and it kind of slipped that I planned to cook dinner... she said she'd rather have her car detailed LOL
 
Mom just said we were going out to dinner for her birthday, and it kind of slipped that I planned to cook dinner... she said she'd rather have her car detailed LOL
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Oh well........ Moms know best and she's obviously sampled some of your cooking..... :eek: LOL
 
SilverBelle04 said:
Oh well........ Moms know best and she's obviously sampled some of your cooking..... :eek: LOL
Click to expand...



:lol



Maybe she just wants to go out for dinner. I know when it is my birthday or the birthday of any other family member, we all want to go out.



Buick_guy,



That is a lot of food on her plate. Did she eat it all?
 
damn that looks good! so is your mom going to expect you to cook now? ;)



if your dad likes ribs, maybe the food network tv website might have some good rib receipes?
 
TW85 HHI said:
:lol



Maybe she just wants to go out for dinner. I know when it is my birthday or the birthday of any other family member, we all want to go out.



Buick_guy,



That is a lot of food on her plate. Did she eat it all?
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No, half the steak and half the potato was left.
 
Haha she said she wants me to cook either on her birthday or around it now... and go out to eat another day. She just wants to make sure I detail her car lol... she's been asking since she got it, but the weather has been horrible
 
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