The Mother's Day Feast, 2009

Last year, starting in about January, I started to get this wild notion that I could really cook up something fancy. I wanted to make a full, elaborate meal, completely in my dutch ovens, and serve it up to a group of friends. I decided to do it in conjunction with Mother's Day, as something special for Jodi.

I know, it's also about me trying to show off...

But I do appreciate everything that Jodi does, and I do enjoy cooking up this special meal for her and for our friends.

Here are the links to the pages in the blog that describe last year's feast.

So, I've been thinking a lot about it this year as well. It's coming up this Saturday! I've been contemplating the recipes I could cook, and the things I could do. In some ways, I've gotten a lot better at this stuff, and in some ways, I still feel like a novice. This year, however, I'm going to try some new things.

This year, unless the stress simply kills me off, I'm going to make it a full seven-course meal. My friend, Steve, who came with me to Taste of Dutch a month or so ago, has said that he might come over and help, if he gets his homework done in time. I hope so. I'm thinkin' I'm going to need some help!

Here's the menu for Mother's Day 2009

• Appetizer - Cheese, crackers, and veggies with dip. Simple stuff. Simple is good, because fancy is comin' up...
  
• Soup - Steve's Chicken Soup. I'm going to do it basically as he did, but I had this idea to dress it up with Chicken and Shrimp grilled on skewers and set across the bowl! It's hard to describe, but I can see it in my head.
  
• Salad - Spinach, Mozarella, and Tomato Salad. Another one that if I can pull it off, will look really cool!
  
• Bread - Braided Bread w/orange glaze. The same as what I tried last year, but fumbled.
  
• Main Dish - Crown Roast. I swear, in all the world of meats, there isn't anything that can compare with a crown roast for sheer "Wow" factor. I don't know if I'll do a stuffing or not.
  
• Vegetable - potatoes and asparagus. I did this one a while back. Remember, when I found I had grown up enough to actually like asparagus?
  
• Drink - sprite with orange foam. I hope I can pull this one off. My friend over at Mormon Foodieintroduced me to this one. You blend orange juice with soy lecithin, and that makes it foam up. Then you spoon it over Sprite.
  
• Dessert - Banana Bread w/chocolate and cinnamon butter sauces. And whipped cream, as if that weren't enough.

So, there you have it. I've worked out an hour-by-hour plan, just like I did last year, breaking each dish down into steps. I'll be taking lots of pictures, and if I remember, I'll be twittering all along the way, too!

Follow along and watch me triumph or crash and burn! Care to take any bets?