What to Cook?

My wife Kathleen, children Alexis and Zachary and I are moving into a new house. And my biggest decision: What should our first meal be? Let’s start by saying it will definitely be on the grill. Messing up the new kitchen and finding all the cooking utensils on Day 1 might be a challenge, so I am going with the grill.

But from there, I am stuck. Burgers and hot dogs are an old stand-by, but they’re a little heavy, and might not give us the energy boost we need for all that moving and unpacking. Steak seems logical to me: Celebrate the new house with a nice manly porterhouse steak. But that may be more appropriate for a bigger event. Everyone loves grilled shrimp, and adding cool sauces makes it pretty easy. I also am thinking about grilled flatbreads. Prepping some grilled chicken, shrimp, and vegetables and letting everyone customize their own flatbread might be the ticket. Let me know what you think. What would you cook for your first housewarming meal?

All I know for sure is we are all very excited to get into the new house, and the kids can’t wait to jump in the new pool. I am excited about being able to host my first dinner party and watching my first Giants game in the family room! I’ll let you know how that first dinner turns out. And thanks for helping me plan the menu. Michael LaDuke