Am I going to have to make my own ravioli, or what?
Since we're staying home for New Year's Eve, we're planning our traditional Plan B. That's where we go to the lake house, eat a staggered meal with Champagne and watch movies. It's what we do when we don't take a winter trip.
In previous years, I have made stuffed lobster tail, but we're tired of that, so this year, we've got a new menu that goes like this:
• Goat cheese crostini with orange marmalade
• Dried cranberry salad on endive leaves
• Individual brie en croute
• Roasted duck with butternut squash ravioli and broccoli rabe
• Espresso-chocolate cheesecake
I made a grocery list from the recipes and hit the local stores yesterday, and would you know it, I came up empty on three key ingredients. Not one store in this town has endive, the squash or the broccoli rabe. Not one! Well, actually, I didn't check Wal-Mart, but that's because I have an issue with the place. It's a complicated one, so I won't go into that here.
I can find a substitute for the vegetables, but plain old ravioli just won't do. And now I'm thinking I'll have to make my own, not a task I had budgeted for when sorting through the timing of everything. At least No. 1 has agreed to make the cheesecake.
What do you usually do on New Year's Eve? And do you hate it when your grocery stores don't anticipate your every food need?
These don't seem like unusual vegetables, so why are they so hard to find?
Since we're staying home for New Year's Eve, we're planning our traditional Plan B. That's where we go to the lake house, eat a staggered meal with Champagne and watch movies. It's what we do when we don't take a winter trip.
In previous years, I have made stuffed lobster tail, but we're tired of that, so this year, we've got a new menu that goes like this:
• Goat cheese crostini with orange marmalade
• Dried cranberry salad on endive leaves
• Individual brie en croute
• Roasted duck with butternut squash ravioli and broccoli rabe
• Espresso-chocolate cheesecake
I made a grocery list from the recipes and hit the local stores yesterday, and would you know it, I came up empty on three key ingredients. Not one store in this town has endive, the squash or the broccoli rabe. Not one! Well, actually, I didn't check Wal-Mart, but that's because I have an issue with the place. It's a complicated one, so I won't go into that here.
I can find a substitute for the vegetables, but plain old ravioli just won't do. And now I'm thinking I'll have to make my own, not a task I had budgeted for when sorting through the timing of everything. At least No. 1 has agreed to make the cheesecake.
What do you usually do on New Year's Eve? And do you hate it when your grocery stores don't anticipate your every food need?
These don't seem like unusual vegetables, so why are they so hard to find?
Comments
A quick and easy way to make homemade ravioli is to use won ton wrappers.
I have a lot of difficulty finding key ingredients in our local grocery stores. I usually head North to The Mustard Seed, Raisin Rack or West Side Market. Better products, better selection than what we can find around here.
Supply and demand, Robyn. I bet our local grocers never run out of soup in a can, frozen pizza or Bud Light.
The meal sounds delicious.
Sounds great Robyn. Can we have a pic of the lake house? I wonder what it's like.
New Year's Eve; well, last year I went to a formal dinner, black tie (tux to you) and evening dress, umpteen courses, fireworks at midnight, the lot.
This year will be at home, watching a film with family, talking, Champagne at midnight, crackers & secret snowballs. Which I like just as much as the night out. It's a tradition to open the front door to 'let the New Year in' at midnight. Phone lines are jammed to wish Happy New Year to those absent and visitors the next day are supposed to bring a piece of coal with them, I know not why.
New Year's Day I shall cook a special meal, cured pork cooked in Guinness and bathed in honey with all the trimmings. Again, just family. :)
I've shown the lake house before, I think. Or at least its surrounding. Do a search on "lake house."
Oh, and we've got crackers, too, if you mean the wrapped things you open and find little treasures in.
Have a happy time and hope the New Year brings health and happiness to you and your lovely family. xx
That's a scrummy menu, though. Yum!