Sunday, September 23, 2007

Last Hurrah

Last weekend, when a jacket was a necessary accessory in the mornings and evenings, when we slept with the windows open and it so cold we shivered, we decided we'd go apple picking with friends this weekend. I had a whole fall menu planned. We were excited. Then the temperature rose steadily all week and by Saturday it was humid and approaching 90. Not exactly apple picking weather. Instead Saturday found us eating hot dogs, hamburgers and potato salad in a last hurrah send-off to summer.

Our friends C & D came over and we embarked on a long afternoon and evening of food and fun. While the chicken wings baked in the oven:


... we scarfed down some chips and salsa. We cooked the wings for only 45 minutes this time and they were perfect - juicy and moist with enough crackle in the skin to make them extra tasty. I made up a plate of iceburg lettuce, thick slices of ripe tomato and thinly sliced onion for the burgers:


... and finished up my All-American potato salad:


My plate with some potato salad and my perfectly dressed burger:




... with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, ketchup and melted cheddar cheese. I knew when I was forming the patties that these burgers were going to be sensational. The meat felt buttery in my hands. I seasoned it with Worcestershire sauce, grated onion, salt and pepper. D wolfed down his burger before I'd even finished taking my photos and proclaimed it the best burger he'd ever had. After stuffing ourselves silly with food we took a long walk around the neighborhood and then settled in to watch a movie. Halfway through the movie started skipping, which provided the perfect opportunity for cake:


... a decadent triple chocolate lover's dream that C & D brought for dessert. It was rich but not overwhelmingly so and a perfect end to a great dinner.
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9 comments:

  1. OH MY GOD that all looks delicious!! Hope tonight's dinner lives up to what has gone before!!

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  2. Alrighty home cook ... fork over that potato salad recipe. :) The chocolate dessert looks so perfectly delicious too.

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  3. JoJo - Here ya go!

    All- American Potato Salad

    2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
    1½ tsp salt, divided
    3 Tbs dill pickle juice, plus ¼ cup finely chopped dill pickles, divided
    1 Tbs yellow mustard
    ¼ tsp pepper
    ½ tsp celery seed
    ½ cup mayonnaise
    ¼ cup sour cream
    ½ small red onion, chopped finely
    1 rib celery, chopped finely
    2 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice (optional)

    Place potatoes in large saucepan with cold water to cover by 1-inch. Bring to boil over high heat, add 1 tsp. salt, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10- to 15 minutes.

    Drain potatoes thoroughly, then spread out on rimmed baking sheet. Mix 2 Tbs. pickle juice and mustard together in small bowl, drizzle pickle juice mixture over potatoes, and toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate until cooled, about 30 minutes.

    Mix remaining tablespoon pickle juice, chopped pickles, remaining ½ tsp. salt, pepper, celery seed, mayo, sour cream, red onion and celery in a large bowl. Toss in cooled potatoes, cover, and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes. Gently stir in eggs, if using, just before serving.

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  4. Oh. My. Goodness.

    Death. By. Chocolate.

    Excuse me while I drool silently.

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  5. You are the best! Thanks for the recipe!!!

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  6. Katie - Drool away. It was good cake. I love chocolate!

    JoJo - No problem! Enjoy. And please let me know if you make it and how you liked it. :)

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  7. thank you for the potato salad recipe! I've never made my own and now I can use yours instead of hunting down my own. :) I just added it to my list that I keep of new stuff I want to make.

    the burgers. *drool*

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  8. alosha - Like I told JoJo, the secret and most important step to the potato salad is to mix the hot potatoes with the pickle juice and mustard so they absorb all that good flavor.

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