out-of-town prep cooking for the next few days

I’m out of town for a few days and am notoriously finicky about my food (wow, what a surprise), so went shopping late this evening and have been cooking up what I (and the folks I’m staying with) will be noshing on the next few days. at some point tonight (when the chicken’s done roasting), I’ll take a break and go to sleep so I can finish up tomorrow. so far I’ve made:

homemade ranch-style beans (SO good)
roasted chicken, pretty simply done with olive oil, salt and pepper
crème fraîche (may use part of it to make a simple ice cream/sorbetto with puréed strawberries)

still need to make:

potato salad
chicken-noodle soup out of the chicken remainders

what else should I be making? I’m only here for a few days, but it’s always nice to leave one’s hosts with food.

wait, have I already forgotten what I've cooked today?

my early evening Manhattan is already taking effect and the day is a bit of a blur. what did I cook today; what did I cook?

today's standout: lemon-cardamom-infused rice pudding, made w/arborio rice, golden raisins (a.k.a. "sultanas"), whipped creme fraiche and enough fresh lemon zest to choke a goat. NO complaints about this one at all, not even from the goat (p.s. to the person who was unable to accept delivery of rice pudding tonight -- I don't offer twice, but sometimes begging works).

also good: strawberries in candied ginger syrup (so ginger-y it almost burns yr throat; yummy); those same strawberries in slices w/some lemon added atop little lemon-y cheesecakes (it was a lemon-y day).

oh! roasted salmon with sweet & spicy pecan crust, atop bowtie pasta w/beurre noisette (one of my absolute favorite things) & chives; delish if I do say so myself.

other things seem less important in comparison.

today's Manhattan: a Perfect Manhattan made with 2 measures Sazerac Rye (thank you to both Kyle and Wiggy's), 1/2 measure ea. Cinzano and white vermouth, a few dashes Agnostura bitters, a dash of bitter lemon bitters (sounds redundant, doesn't it?), and an all-important maraschino cherry. very, very good Manhattan.

slow-posting

yeah, I’ve been cooking, but I’ve also been slow to post about it, for some silly reason. I’ve honed roasted chicken to near perfection (roast at 375 F for 30-40 minutes, then at 225 F for an hour, then at 400 F until done, about 20-30 minutes). mmmmmmmmmm. my asopao de pollo was not so great, so the recipe needs work before posting about it.

more to come when I have time. tonight, I'm taking leftover perfectly slow-roasted chicken (with sides of roasted veggies and rice) and making wild rice soup. yum!