Menu Lapse

I'm sorry to report that I made a bland and uninspired company lunch today.

We had:

Chardonnay
Chicken Tettrazini
Carrot/Raisin/Pineapple Salad
Eggplant Salad (Grandma made this, and it saved the day, flavor-wise)
Apple Crisp and Ice Cream

Julia Child would have been appalled. She wrote so persuasively about striking just the perfect balance between menu elements, and I could have done much better.

Also, it's hard to gear up for company lunch. I somehow didn't get the menu planned in advance, so at 9:00 a.m. I was heading for the produce market, and guests were due at 11:30. I had roasted a chicken and made broth the day before, but that's all I had.

I'm trying to think back to better lunches I've made--and they're usually salads.

To redeem myself, I'm posting pictures of two good things I made this week: buffalo meatballs--just like regular Swedish meatballs, bound with bread crumbs and egg; and roasted peppers and a cucumber salad.