I heart Food

I made a ton of dinners in the last 10 days and have really decided that I do well cooking for a large group - it's more fun... for me.  I made Thai, Italian(ish), Gumbo, British... all kinds of stuff.  Everything seemed to go over pretty well.  I think the winner may have been Christmas Dinner... Winner, winner, Christmas Dinner.  So here's the re-cap and the recipes.  I know some of you want them!

Jenny went back for seconds for the Gnocchi Gorganzola Gratin.  I got that recipe from Bon Appetit.  It was delicious, and if you want to be really lazy about it - buy prepared Italian Gnocchi from the store.  I got mine from Trader Joe's. 

The prime rib was delicious and the left overs made a really tasty Shepards Pie.  I got the recipe from the December issue of Cooking Light, Rosemary-Dijon Crusted Standing Rib Roast.  A couple of days later, I chopped up the remaining prime rib into small pieces and sauted it quickly with diced carrots and the remaining Au Jus.  I put the rib and carrot saute in a 9x13 glass baking casserole and covered it with mashed potatoes.  I planned to use the left over mash potatoes, but could not locate them, so I whipped up new mashed potatoes.  I then covered the potatoes with shredded cheddar and baked in the oven for 30 minutes and Voila! Shepards pie!

I think the Gnocchi and Prime Rib recipes can be made anytime, especially the Gnocchi.  I recommend both recipes!