My sister was supposed to join us for Shabbat dinner this week, along with a fellow baker and tweeter, the (original) Jewish American Princess. But sadly, my sister has a commitment at college at the last minute and I had to reschedule until my sister is around to dine with the lovely tweeting princess!

So instead, my former roommate, a hysterical, opera-singing Aussie, and my favorite Persian pal will be joining us for dinner and I wanted to make a super fun menu for them! What says fun more than build your own brisket sandwiches!? Almost nothing I think. Except perhaps for some build your own ice cream sundaes, but I think that will have to wait until Shavuot.

To start, I am serving a simple and refreshing Marinated Cucumber and Dill Salad, one of my family’s favorites, including my 10 month old daughter!

For the main attraction I am serving my Pulled Brisket Sliders served on fresh onion challah rolls. And how can you serve pulled brisket without some classic coleslaw!? Well I will be serving that too.

We need to balance out the the meat and carb factor with some more vegetables, so I will be serving a super easy and delicious side dish, Flash Roasted Broccoli Spears with Spicy Bread Crumbs.

And the sweet finish? I am going to make my classic, go-to chocolate cake from Hersheys. I make this pareve my substituting the milk for almond milk or coconut milk.

Earlier this week I wrote about those Shabbat dinners when you throw together whatever you have lying around in your pantry. And then there are other weeks when you have the time, or occasion, to plan each dish carefully a week or even two weeks in advance – and this week is one of those for me which I actually love.

We are hosting my husband’s parents and siblings this week for dinner, so this called for some advanced planning. Especially with a full week of work for my day job! On Wednesday evening I made the chocolate cake and a marinated cucumber salad like this one from The Food Yenta (I make mine without sour cream).

Thursday night – my husband made his grandmother’s famous salt and pepper noodle kugel while I made my Apple Cider Beef Stew and set the table.

And what’s on tap for Friday’s to-dos? Stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer and two large heads of cauliflower to roast with whole garlic cloves.

For my super simple garlicky cauliflower, I cut up two heads of cauliflower into small florets. In two pyrex pans, spread florets out and drizzle with 2 Tbsp of olive oil in each pan. Sprinkle 1 tsp kosher salt and ½ tsp pepper in each pan. Place 5-6 cloves of whole garlic in each pan. Roast at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until caramelized. The cauliflower becomes so sweet and delicious its almost addictive.

Happy planning, cooking and Shabbat Shalom!