The Table

In February 2009 we hosted a dinner in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday. Our family and closest friends were there. Our table for this occasion was slightly fancier than Maggie’s table would have been, but the good food and family was the same.

Months in the planning, I served traditional food using historic recipes from chef Walter Staib’s books City Tavern Cookbook: Two Hundred Years Of Classic Recipes” and City Tavern Baking and Dessert Cookbook. These books were wonderful to find after finding a surprising lack of historic recipes online. And Walter Staib was very gracious in providing me with a wine recommendation when I couldn’t decide what would be best with the food that I had chosen. It was a wonderful evening, fun to plan and execute, and most of all time with some of the best people in our lives.

The Invitation

Peppered Smoked Salmon on Potato Pancakes

Mushroom Bisque with Herb Croutons

Spiced Pepper Slaw

Maderia Pork Roast, Sweet Potatos & Apples, Creamed Spinach

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Dessert - served of course with coffee

I need to offer special thanks to my fabulous in-laws who not only joined us for the dinner, but came up early in the week to help me prepare and care for my to babies while I spent the week cooking the gallons of vegetable broth, baking coffee cakes, and chopping lots and lots of vegetables.