Did a bunch of cooking yesterday for a party for my mother-in-law's birthday/Mother's Day for my mom, mother-in-law, and wife; my brother-in-law smoked brisket and pork shoulder, while I made:
Roasted beet salad: Was a hit, again. Homemade creme fraiche is a winner, and I made a bunch and mixed half with horseradish so people could have either zippy or mild as they preferred.
Buttermilk Coleslaw: Went really well with the smoked meat; as I typically do with these sorts of things, I prepped about 1.5x the veggies that this called for and kept the dressing the same so it wasn't quite as heavy. The buttermilk adds a nice flavor that I think I prefer over a level 0 coleslaw recipe.
Frijoles Charros: Doubled the recipe, because why wouldn't you. Everyone loves these; just the right hint of heat at the finish due to the peppers (assuming you add the seeds, which you should). Typically I completely drain the fat from the pan after browning the bacon, since the rendered fat from 2 lbs of bacon might end up being a bit much (I think I returned about 3-4 T to brown the veggies, ended up being perfect).
Panzanella: First time I'd made this specific recipe, and it was fantastic. Used 6 T of olive oil (total) instead of the 10 indicated, so you can modulate as per your preference.
Watermelon, Mint, and Feta Salad: One of my favorites, and super easy to do, too. Very crisp and clean.
My folks are coming over this morning, so I'll be doing
my standard frittata (the Lyon), along with some fresh berries and
these chocolate scones I just pulled from the oven.
Thinking of grilling shrimp this afternoon and then cannibalizing the leftover sides for Mother's Day dinner. Hope you guys are doing something nice for your mothers!