I think we had:
- Challah
- Baked Gefilte Fish
- Garlic Tofu Dip (it's been a while)
- Chicken Schnitzel
- Rice Pilaf
- Tomato Salad
- Green Salad (nothing fancy)
- Butternut Squash with Maple Syrup
- Broccoli Kugel
- Some kind of pastry desserty-thing.
Now, this is relatively on par with a lot of people's typical Shabbos dinners, except I didn't have a soup course. For some people, it's not shabbos unless there's: Challah, gefilte fish, chicken soup, chicken, potato kugel, dessert. That's a basic recipe for a basic Shabbos dinner.
Now, for me, I like to do different things, and I'm firmly of the belief that food can be festive even if it's seemingly mundane food. Therefore, we occasionally have Taco Night for Shabbos. I almost never make tacos any other night, and I definitely find ways to make it festive, so I think it's perfect for Shabbos, even if others turn their nose at my ideas. There are several people on my friends' list who can vouch for the festiveness of my Taco Night. Though I am very choosy about who gets invited for Taco Night, for fear of offending a traditionalist, no one has ever left my table disappointed on Taco Night.
Several weeks ago, we had Pizza and Beer night on Shabbos. Now, it's not just ANY pizza. It's my specially amazing pizza. And it's yummy. It's time consuming to make and completely worth it. And this Friday we will be having Pizza and Beer night again. I shall make:
- Challah
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Green Salad
- Pizza
- Something else (not sure what)
- Some kind of dairy dessert
It's simple. It's delicious. It's colorful. And plenty festive. So there!