A Prime Rib Thanksgiving

We had my parents over for an early Thanksgiving dinner.  We wanted to cook the 8 lb prime rib that was hogging valuable freezer space before we stocked up on a new one (or two, although it really does take up so much space!) next month (PR goes on sale twice a year- xmas and easter- from $7/lb down to $3.50/lb!).

I usually defer any cooking that involves beef to Jerry.  He's really, really great at it, so why try to reinvent the wheel?

3/4 inch thick slices.  My mom killed an entire slice- I was impressed!  Although there was not much to dislike about this- absolutely tender and tasty.

As much as the PR was so delicious that it would have been to hard eat something else, I knew that I wanted a well rounded meal, so I made green bean almondine.  It's so ridiculously easy that I can't believe I used to only cook green beans with oyster sauce.  Now that I'm discovering new ways to cook my favorite veggies, I rarely reach for the aforementioned flavors-for-dummies stir fry sauce.

So I really wanted to show my parents what fresh pasta tasted like.  Our pasta attachment is absolutely wonderful and I bust it out any chance that I get to!  This was a simple egg pasta (eggs, flour, salt, water!!) that I dressed with basil/pine nut/evoo pesto and I added some baked tofu that I had marinated overnight in a mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.

Not pictured:  I made a roasted cauliflower and potato soup that included bacon, onion, curry, stock, and milk.  It was probably the least popular "dish."  But since I made such a large batch we had it for lunch and I just served a small portion at dinner for my parents to try. 

These awesome cranberry chocolate toffee oatmeal cookies were for my parents to take home.  My friend C had come over earlier today and we made a few batches of cookie dough for some Thanksgiving baking.  I like recipes that allow you to prep days beforehand.  That way I can just bake when I need to and not worry about waking up early or staying up late in the name of freshly baked goods! 

It was nice hanging out with my folks and introducing them to food that isn't...white rice and stir fry/claypot.