Happy New Year 2015

Big Brother planned out our New Year's dinner menu with me yesterday: short ribs (he likes braised meat dishes for festive meals), broccoli and brown rice.  Grapes would be for dessert like we have every year in line with the Spanish tradition of las doce uvas de la suerte. While playing this afternoon he reminded me that he was going to help me cook and that we were going to need appetizers to help us along. Before starting the short ribs, we put out dates, raisins, roasted chickpeas, green olives and some jamón serrano. 

The first step in preparing dinner tonight was getting Baby Brother's seperate pot of short ribs on the stove.  His were made with homemade turkey stock, rosemary, carrots, celery and kale.  We haven't introduced red wine, tomatoes or bay leaves yet.  Oh, nor onion.  We will be doing a skin test to onion at our next allergist visit. Onion is on the top of my scary list. No garlic was used this time, as we no longer keep it in the house or cook with it.  

While we didn't make it to midnight to eat our grapes, Big Brother insisted that he'd be old enough next year.  I loved that he helped me with each step of the short ribs as well as stringing the grapes on the popsicle sticks.  

Tomorrow we will have leftovers for lunch with sweet potatoes and sautéed spinach. Whatever sauce is leftover will be combined with some crimini mushrooms and sautéed kale to be thrown on top of a bowl of polenta.  Are we ready to introduce corn to Baby Brother?