Whoops! A milestone came and went this week and I didn’t stop to notice. Wednesday’s panzanella was my 200th post! I’m the sentimental type who likes to use opportunities like this for a little reflection. Indulge me? It is a holiday (Happy 4th!), after all. First, some photos of the recipes I’m proudest to have conquered during the last 100 posts: whole wheat pita (sooo cool; you must try it); jam (so easy; who knew?); profiteroles (to finish off a dinner party for 15; yes, you read right: 15); and bagels (again: sooo cool; you must try it):

Okay, enough about me. On to you and this three-day weekend we’ve all just embarked on. I’m sure many of you already have menus planned for the holiday, but for those of you who don’t, let’s play a little choose your own adventure. It works like this: choose one option from each of the next three sets of photos (mains; sides; sweets), all pulled from the archives of the last 100 posts, and you’ve got yourself a BBQ. BYO fireworks.

First, the main dishes, all carnivorous (for the vegetarians, skip down a category!)—sandwiches (steak & blue cheese; brisket & cheddar; turkey meatball; grilled chicken); fun with beer (beer can chicken; beer boiled chicken brats); and grill love (grilled pizza; bourbon-glazed ribs):

(Click “more” for the rest of the categories.)

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The quiche. Oh, the quiche. It’s not a coincidence that I’ve pushed the quiche post to the very last of the brunch posts that have occupied The Kitchen Sink this week. In a way, it’s saving the best for last, because this is probably one of the most decadently delicious things I’ve ever made. But it was also one disaster after another and I guess I haven’t exactly been impatient to revisit them. But, lest you think the brunch was all sweets (see Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s posts), I wanted to give you a glimpse into the savory. And, of course, the debacles along the way.

It all started with a very, very bad decision. The original choice to make a quiche was innocent enough. But as the brunch’s numbers swelled to 12, I realized one regulation sized quiche wouldn’t do. Instead of making two quiches, I thought it would be easier (ha! ha! ha!) to make one super-sized quiche. I would make a deep-dish shell and would fill it to the brim with custard. Considering several of the brunch guests were only in Chicago for a short visit, I thought it was very Chicago-style of me.

(Click “more” for the rest of the story, more photos and the recipe.)

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The first of this weekend’s two parties was a great success: I got through two whole Guitar Hero songs without the computer-generated fans booing me of the stage! Oh, and the food was good too.

This post will be more of a round-up than anything, because I’ve already told you about most of the food for last night. And the parts of the menu that I haven’t mentioned are things that I’ve already blogged about. Even so, I think there’s value in sharing the full menu, because it would be fantastic as a Super Bowl Party menu (or any other sports or game night type party). Without further ado, the menu was:

Blue Tortilla Chips, Salsa & Guacamole
Crudités & (Store Bought) Hummus
Mini Burgers on Parker House Rolls, with White Cheddar & Caramelized Onions
Garlic Fries
Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts

Now it’s on to the final stages of preparation for tonight’s engagement party for our friends. Stay tuned!