Oh my goodness, can my mom cook! We went down to visit my folks in the country this weekend. Here’s a peek at what we ate. Give a holler if you’d like a specific recipe.

Oh, and “springtime feast” is not quite accurate. It was upwards of 90 degrees on Saturday!

Springtime Feast in the Country: Appetizers & nibbles

For starters, she put out a good bottle of wine, a bunch of cheese, and a handful of nibble-y things.

There was a bowl of good, mixed olives.

A cream cheese spread with pecans, dried cranberries, and concentrated orange juice.

I also got to taste a batch of Guinness mustard she made recently. She used a mixture of powdered mustard and mustard seeds, so it’s hot, hot, hot!

Springtime Feast in the Country: Roasted Beef Ribs

So you probably know by now that I come from a long line of carnivores. Mom made a giant batch of roasted beef back ribs, which her butcher cut just for her. They’re some of the meatiest ribs I’ve seen lately. (And that’s coming from the gal who does a semi-regular Rib of the Week.)

She drizzled them with a little olive oil:

And sprinkled them with a little homemade rub.

Then roasted them in the oven for about an hour (15 minutes at 450, then about 45 minutes at 350).

And man, they were just divine:

Springtime Feast in the Country: Garlic & herb bread

She spread a loaf of fresh ciabatta thickly with a garlic and fresh herb compound butter.

This was one of the first things I attacked when it came out of the oven.

Springtime Feast in the Country: Simple roasted shrimp with two sauces

My mom also managed to snatch up some gigantic shrimp.

She roasted them in the oven, a la the Barefoot Contessa.

This is a fabulous, no-fuss way to cook shrimp for a crowd without making a giant mess on the stove.

When they were done, she heaped them on a platter and whipped up two sauces.

One was a rouille—a sauce with roasted red peppers, olive oil, garlic, fresh bread crumbs, oregano, egg yolk, and hot pepper sauce—that’s often served with seafood or fish stew.

The other was a homemade tartare sauce.

There was also some steamed asparagus on the side, dripping with loads of butter.

Springtime Feast in the Country: Ah, dessert

And it wouldn’t be dinner at my folks’ house without a few desserts. Mom made a double ginger bundt cake (with powdered and crystallized ginger).

It made a little too much batter for her bundt cake pan, so used the extra to make two cupcakes.

Here’s the inside of the cake, dotted with chunks of crystallized ginger.

She also made a French cheesecake from an old friend’s recipe. It has a short crust instead of a graham cracker crumb crust.

It was creamy and absolutely divine. (At this point, I was so stuffed that I was getting sleepy.)

Last but not least, we sampled her homemade almond nougat candy. It was kind of more like taffy than traditional nougat, because it didn’t have honey in it. She and my dad likened it to Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy. It was really, really good.

As always, we headed back to Boston feeling just a little fatter—and very, very happy.

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It’s true. I’m always interested in seeing what other folks do in their kitchens, put on their tables, and eat when they celebrate.

So…thanks so much to everyone who sent me their Thanksgiving photos!

Here’s a peek at how some fellow bloggers and foodies celebrated last week, in case you guys are looking for some early holiday-dinner inspiration.

(If you missed our untraditional Thanksgiving feast—which was all appetizers and desserts—take a peek here.)

Thanksgiving 2008: A Photographic Feast: Let the photo feasting begin!

Rosa, from Rosa’s Yummy Yums, made a stunning Pumpkin Bread Pudding With Caramel Sauce from Bon Appetit 2000.

Rachel from Coconut & Lime sent me her Ginger Lime Spiked Cranberry Sauce, which sounds like it’s right up my alley.

Christina from Mele Cotte whipped up this gorgeous Herb & Garlic Roasted Cornish Hen with Pomegranate Pistachio Couscous.

Debbie from The Friday Friends made one of the best looking turkeys I’ve seen in quite some time.

My pal Zena made a turducken (that’s a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey). She said, “It was good, but for the price, we wouldn’t do it again.” It sounds like next year, they’ll stick with their old standby, a deep-fried turkey! (No complaints here!)

Gabi from Mamaliga (who also has a fabulous Hungarian grandmother, just like me!) made these Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Pancetta.

Mara from What’s For Dinner? sent in this yummy looking Cheddar-Corn Pudding. Thanks, Mara!

Now, Thanksgiving doesn’t always mean roasted birds (as we can attest to with our Thanksgiving dinner).

Foong from The Food Site celebrated in Penang with a Christmas-themed feast hosted by The Brasserrie at Traders Hotel. Here’s her white tuna, salmon, tuna and unagi starter:

And a super yummy-looking sushi buffet:

Her main course was Steamed Cod Fish with King Prawns, Lobster, Vegetables and Pepper Coulis:

For dessert, she had a Bomb Alaska, whipped up by the chef at the dessert station:

And last but not least, let’s not forget the leftovers!

Kevin from Practical Hacks sent in this yummy-looking panini made with Thanksgiving leftovers. Clearly, the fun is not *all* in the feasting itself.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

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Copyright 2008 The Hungry Mouse™/Jessica B. Konopa. All rights reserved.

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