Well, here we go. This is my first time blogging.
The name of my blog is "Fourth Sunday Dinner". Why, you ask?
As my children have gotten older, gone on to their careers and started having their own outside interests, it seems like we are spending less and less time together. So, I decided that on the Fourth Sunday of every month, we would get together for dinner. My husband usually has off of work on the fourth Sunday of every month to participate in his men's group's (Knights of Columbus) monthly fundraising breakfast at our church. So ... this seemed like the perfect Sunday to make plans to have some family time.
To make the Fourth Sunday Dinners more interesting, I decided that each month would have a theme and each participant would be responsible for a certain part of the meal. Invitations would be sent (by me) for each dinner announcing the theme and the assignments.
The theme for January is: New - celebrating the new year. This theme asks each person to prepare something they have not made before. The assignments are:
Mom and Dad - Main dish
Ben and Nicole - Hot side dish
Josh and Katie - Cold side dish
Jacob and Vivi - Dessert
The dinner will be held at Mom and Dad's home this month. Next month, the theme will be to make something Red, Pink or Sweet. With the assignments moved up one; i.e. Ben and Nicole will be making the Main dish and the dinner will be held at their home.
There is also an added element. Each person has to add to this blog something new that happened to them in the past year. Other blog additions will be decided on each month.
I am really looking forward to starting this new family tradition and getting together with my family on a monthly basis.
I thank God every day for the wonderful husband and children He has allowed me to have. I see so many families torn apart by divorce and problems with their children and, as I pray for their reconciliation and rekindling of the love they lost, I also look at my life and know how blessed I am. Especially since my husband and I are about to celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary.
Oh, yeah, stay tuned. I will add a synopsis of our first dinner at the end of this month!
Some of the new things that have happened to me in 2013...
ReplyDelete* I found out that I am going to be a grandfather, me…an abuelo!!! Hard to believe, but I guess it's part of life’s many journeys.
* We looked forward to welcoming Joshua and Katie back to Orlando, so happy to have them back.
*Celebrated 28 years of matrimony to my wife Kim. Those years have just flown by.
* I was appointed a position in the Florida State Council of the Knights of Columbus; I am now District Warden #25 in the Orlando Area.
*I returned to work in the Altamonte Springs, Jared the Galleria of Jewelry. Thank you Charla for making this happen.
Let's see what 2014 will bring.
Well, I guess it's my turn now..... Here are a few new things that happened to me in 2013......
ReplyDelete• I got my A.A. Degree (finally! haha).
• Because of that, I was also accepted into UCF!
• I was informed that I was going to be an uncle!
• I became a Cicerone Certified Beer Server and took on a lot more responsibilities at work and got more involved in telling everyone I saw about how much I love beer!
And, as requested, here is my recipe for what Katie and I made for the inaugural fourth Sunday dinner:
Mixed Green Salad with Poached Pear
1 bag Mixed greens
Chopped walnuts
Crumbled bleu cheese
Raspberry vinaigrette
4 ripe pears
1 cup of orange juice
1/4 cup of apple juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Whisk together the last 4 ingredients until well combined. Peel pears, slice in half from top to bottom and use a melon baller to remove the core. Simmer on medium heat until cooked through (about 30 minutes) turning frequently. Remove from heat and refrigerate until well chilled. Prepare mixed greens in a bowl with chopped walnuts and bleu cheese crumbles. Slice prepared pears thin and place on top of salad, topping with raspberry vinaigrette.
Makes 8 servings
Well, our first Fourth Sunday Dinner was wonderful. It was such a lovely evening. Everyone arrived and the kitchen became a flurry of activity. Ben proceeded to make everyone a Mimosa cocktail. Josh started helping Jacob to prepare his dessert – Crème Brulee. It needed to be made first so it could be refrigerated. Then after that George came home from work and the dinner party started to take off!! Joshua and Katie made their Peach Walnut Field Green Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing. They even poached the pears for the salad. Ben and Nicole brought Boom Boom Shrimp for an appetizer. They made it from scratch – peeled, battered and fried the shrimp and prepared the sauce - and it was delicious. Next, on to the main dish – Tandoori Salmon – made from a recipe on a TV show that I just happened upon. Lesson: Never think that it’s as easy as it looks on TV!
ReplyDeleteWell, the salmon did finally get cooked and we added some broccoli for a side dish. We sat around the table enjoying the evening and laughing, telling jokes and just being a family. Poor Viviana – she almost fell off the chair laughing. I hope the evening wasn’t too much for her. She’s not used to being overwhelmed with brothers! They can be exhausting!
Well, finally, it was time for dessert and coffee (of course, coffee – del Campos thrive on the stuff!). Jacob sprinkled the sugar on top of the Crème Brulee pudding and Ben got the blow torch from the shed. Jacob melted the sugar into a nice crust and then we sat down to feast on this high class dessert. After dinner George, Ben and Josh went out on the back porch for an after dinner whiskey and a cigar (Yuck!).
All in all, it was a wonderful night. This was one of the best ideas I ever had; just us enjoying an evening together.
Oh, yeah. I am supposed to add a paragraph about something new that happened to me in 2013.
Well, of course, the most important thing that happened is the announcement of a new member of our family – my first grandchild. Who we are told is a boy – Liam Arthur del Campo. I cannot wait to hold him in my arms and I know that Ben and Nicole will be wonderful parents. They are just goofy enough to show their child how to have a wonderful life. (They learned it from me and George – we always had fun together as a young family).
In closing, I just want to add that I am so very blessed to have a wonderful husband who helped me raise wonderful sons. Thank you Jesus!!!
Oh, yeah – here’s the recipe:
ReplyDeleteTANDOORI GRILLED SALMON STEAKS
Method: Tandoor grilling or grateless grilling
Advance Preparation: 3 to 4 hours for marinating the fish.
Category: Seafood
Ingredients: 1-1/2 pounds salmon steaks
For the garlic water:
4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
A 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and rough chopped
2 cups water
To finish the marinade:
4 cloves garlic, peeled and rough chopped
A 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and rough chopped
1 small onion, rough chopped
2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
2 teaspoons black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons ajwain (carom seeds) or caraway seeds
2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup thick (strained) plain yogurt (2 cups yogurt if omitting the egg and chickpea flour)
1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork (optional)
1 cup chickpea flour (optional)
3 tablespoons oil or unsalted butter, melted for basting
Directions:
Place the salmon steaks in a large bowl or nonreactive baking dish.
Make the garlic water. Place the garlic, ginger, and water in a blender and blend just to mix. Strain the garlic water over the fish. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Drain the fish, discarding the liquid.
Make the marinade. Place the garlic, ginger, onion, salt, pepper, ajwain (or caraway seed), turmeric, and cumin in food processor and grind to a smooth paste. Add the 1 cup yogurt and egg and chickpea flour, if using, and process to a smooth paste, running the machine in short bursts. If omitting the egg and chickpea flour, add the additional 1 cup yogurt and run the processor just to mix. The mixture should be thick but pourable: you may need to add a couple tablespoons of water. Pour the marinade over the fish steaks, turning them to coat evenly. Use a spatula to coat the steaks thoroughly on both sides. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours.
Remove the steaks from the marinade. If you own a tandoor, thread the steaks on a tandoor skewer (they have hooks on the end for hanging cooked food on a rack to cool); impale a whole onion on the end to keep the steaks from slipping off the end into the embers. Plunge the skewer into the tandoor, resting the skewer end on the bottom of the tandoor. The cooking time will be short, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn once as needed.
Alternatively, set up your grill for grateless grilling by arranging bricks or other fireproof supports opposite each other on the grill grate; the idea is to suspend skewers between them. Preheat the grill to high. Thread the fish steaks onto flat metal skewers, two to a skewer, and suspend between the two supports. Grill for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through and golden brown. Let rest for a couple of minutes before carefully removing from the skewers. Serve immediately.
You didn't have to add the recipe. None of us will make this ever again. Hahaha love you, mom ;P
ReplyDelete"JOSHUA!!!!"
DeleteHa ha ha
DeleteThe Fourth Sunday dinner was marrrrrvelous!!! I am totally looking forward to the next one already! Here are a few things that happened to me during 2013….
ReplyDelete* I graduated with my Masters in Special Education in December.
* I was appointed Co-President of the ASL club at UNF.
* Passed all my certified exams so that I could teach in my specialized field.
As you can see, school was my life, and I am very happy that I can finally do something that I have worked so hard for. I could not have done it without everyone's support! Thank you for believing in me! :) I am looking forward to what 2014 will bring.
~Katie
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ReplyDeleteHello Family and anyone who stumbles across this blog! First, I will talk about my creme brûlée, then I will go over what happened with me in 2013!
ReplyDeleteSo, for my dish, Josh gave me the idea to make creme brûlée. It sounds complicated but it was actually really easy to make. The hardest part was that it requires your 100% undivided attention during the entire process.
Ingredients
Heavy Cream
Eggs yolks
Vanilla Extract
Sugar
Water (for the double boiler)
Pretty much, I took all of the ingredients (minus the water) and combined it all in a bowl. I then took the bowl and placed it over a boiling pot of water, thus creating a double boiler. Once the creme brûlée mixture in the bowl was a very warm/hot temperature (don't let it boil), I transferred the mixture into a large crock and then put it in the oven for 50 mins. After the 50 mins, I immediately put the crock in the freezer to chill the creme brûlée. After the creme brûlée was in the freezer for about 1 hour, I covered the top with sugar. Then I got the blow torch from the shed and caramelized the sugar until it looked like creme brûlée should look. And that's it!!!
As for 2013, I finally finished school in December. Graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. I took me 5 years to accomplish this but I'm so glad to be DONE!!!!
I also found out that I'm going be an Uncle! Can't wait to meet Liam and welcome him to the family!
Great idea mom to do these 4th sunday dinners! I had such a great time and can't wait for many more to come! Hope everyone is ready for February 23rd!!!
Hello Everyone!!
ReplyDeleteI know I am a little late but better late than never! First Sunday Dinner was AMAZING. Everything was delicious and my favorite part of it is how much love is always shared around the table. I am very honored to be apart of the del Campo family! Ben and I made the BOOM BOOM SHRIMP, which we were very proud of. From the salad, to the salmon, and even down to the fire event (Creme Brulee) I would like to give everyone 5 Stars!! Success!
The year 2013 for me was all about growing up. I left a job I never thought I would to better my career, I moved out of a house I never had the courage to move away from, and I found out I was expecting a beautiful baby boy with a beautiful man.
I am looking forward to 2014 with very positive vibes! I can't wait for Liam to bring more light and memories into our family dinners.
See You All Sunday!
Awww! Nicole, Your comments brought happy tears to my eyes. We are very blessed to have you in our family! XOXO
ReplyDeleteOk. I'm finally here.
ReplyDeleteThe first Sunday dinner was a complete success. It was a little hectic but with us figuring out cooking schedules and the wine flowing it settled out into a well oiled machine.
2013 has been hectic, busy, and full of huge steps in my life. I made a career change leaving a job that I loved but was kind of dead end to move to a job that has odd hours, tons of responsibility, and requires me to change proverbial hats multiple times a day and at the drop of a hat (pun fully intended), Nicole and I made the step to move in together, and I found out I'm going to be a father. I nearly lost myself this past year and it took a strong woman to talk some sense into me and set me straight about what I was doing to myself and my family. I'm super thankful for that. I know I wouldn't be where I am today, career, family, financially, if it wasn't for her guidance.
Enough with the feelings, on to the food.
Boom Boom Shrimp:
1lb of peeled, deveined, shrimp tails removed
1/2 cup of flour
1/4 cup of corn meal
2 eggs
some milk
1/2 cup of mayo
1/4 cup of sweet chili sauce
10 drops of sriracha
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
olive oil
Rinse shrimp
Combine garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss shrimp in spice combination.
Combine corn meal and flour.
Beat eggs and add milk to make an egg wash.
Bread shrimp in flour/corn meal mixture.
Put shrimp through egg wash.
Put a little olive oil in a pan. Enough to cover about 1/4 of the shrimp.
Pan fry breaded shrimp until bronze color. Remove and place on a paper towel lined
plate.
Combine sriracha, mayo, and sweet chili sauce in a bowl. Whisk together till smooth.
Dip fried shrimp in sauce.
Use leftover sauce as side to add more as needed.
Enjoy!!
Oh yeah. Serve it on a bed of shredded lettuce and garnish with fine sliced green onions and a side of your dipping sauce.
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