Saturdays & Celebrations

This fall dinner menu features a rustic yet impressive, pastry-wrapped Spinach Crostata, and for dessert, a luxurious Caramel Budino.

One of the things we enjoy most about vacation is eating out at great restaurants. When we get home, I love to recreate the special dishes we had. This summer dinner menu is a collection of some of my favorites from seaside vacations past, with sea scallops wrapped in bacon, a decadent lobster entree, and the best blueberry cheesecake for dessert.

Seasonal, native asparagus and rhubarb play starring roles in this French-inspired dinner. Asparagus takes the place of chicken in a twist on the traditional Cordon Bleu, and rhubarb shines along with raspberries in a rosy red galette for dessert.

On a still-chilly early Spring Saturday, we celebrated our first shot of the vaccine with this Tex-Mex themed feast of spicy marinated beef, restaurant-style salsa, crunchy chopped salad and a creamy cool chocolate pudding tart.

On the first night of Spring, I made a casual but special dinner of pickle-brined fried chicken with creamy mac and cheese and crisp green beans on the side, with chocolate-covered graham cracker cookies for dessert.

On Valentines’ eve I made a romantic, French-themed menu for two, featuring a small but elegant cheese board, crispy-skinned chicken with a mustardy white wine pan sauce, and mini Boston Cream Pies for dessert.

This mid-winter Italian menu features Milanese-style Veal Saltimbocca, a crunch celery salad, and creamy Mascarpone Cheesecake with raspberry sauce for dessert.

Christmas Eve isn’t on a Saturday this year, but it is a special night deserving of a special menu, including Fettuccine Alfredo and a spectacular Chocolate Hazelnut Torte.

There’s more to November than turkey dinner. On this chilly Saturday night I made a big pot of warm, saucy, wine-braised beef short ribs, cheesy little crackers to start, and simple but elegant chocolate dipped oranges for dessert.

These are quiet days at home, trying to appreciate what’s good about life right now – like a soul-warming seasonal feast of spiced pecans, prosciutto-wrapped pork loin and pumpkin-spiced icebox cake.