The Twenty-One Dinners
Twenty-one dinner recipes, served in the order the family actually eats them — each with the sauce or side it arrives with. Compiled by Allison Michelle Loomis.
Sunday Pot Roast
Chuck roast braised until it falls apart, onions and carrots around it.
Served with: pan gravy and buttered noodles.
Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs
Crisp-skinned thighs basted in garlic butter — the entry the kids request.
Served with: lemon Wedges and parsley rice.
Sheet-Pan Sausage & Vegetables
Everything on one tray, olive oil and smoked paprika doing the rest.
Served with: whole grain mustard on the side.
Creamy Tuscan Pasta
Sun-dried tomatoes and spinach folded into a parmesan cream.
Served with: garlic bread and grated parmesan.
Beef Stew
Chuck, potatoes and carrots in a gravy that thickens as it waits.
Served with: crusty bread for the bowl.
Lemon Herb Salmon
Salmon filets under lemon and herbs — the fastest dinner on the menu.
Served with: asparagus and dill sauce.
Chicken Parmesan
Breaded cutlets under sauce and mozzarella — the Italian-American ambassador.
Served with: spaghetti and extra sauce.
Stuffed Peppers
Peppers filled with rice, beef and herbs, baked until tender.
Served with: tomato sauce and sour cream.
Pork Chops & Apples
Thick chops seared and finished with apples and cider.
Served with: mashed potatoes for the pan sauce.
Shrimp Scampi
Shrimp in garlic, butter and white wine — dinner in fifteen minutes.
Served with: linguine and lemon wedges.
Lasagna Night
The standing element: ragù, béchamel, mozzarella — baked until it holds its shape.
Served with: garlic bread and salad.
Shepherd's Pie
Lamb under mashed potatoes, peas in the middle — the stew with a lid.
Served with: brown gravy and pickled beets.
Baked Ziti
Ziti, marinara and mozzarella — the casserole that starts arguments over seconds.
Served with: garlic bread.
Honey Garlic Meatballs
Meatballs glazed in honey garlic — the entry without an age limit.
Served with: rice and steamed broccoli.
Roast Chicken & Roots
Whole chicken over root vegetables — the tray dinner of October.
Served with: pan juices and crusty bread.
Beef Bourguignon
Bourguignon — beef, wine, pearl onions — the slowest course on the list.
Served with: mashed potatoes.
Jambalaya
Rice, sausage, shrimp and the trinity — every spoon is different.
Served with: hot sauce on the side.
Chili con Carne
Chili with beans, cheddar, sour cream — assembled at the table.
Served with: cornbread and jalapeños.
Gnocchi Night
Potato gnocchi in brown butter and sage — the entry with the shortest list.
Served with: parmesan and walnut crumble.
Stir-Fry Friday
Whatever the fridge holds, ginger and soy — the entry that never repeats.
Served with: rice and chili oil.
Thanksgiving Turkey
The whole bird, brined and roasted — the table around which the rest of the menu gathers.
Served with: gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce and every side above.
Printable menu — free PDF
All twenty-one dinners with their sauces and sides print as a three-page menu on US Letter paper. Click to download; no e-mail requested, nothing collected.
Download the menu (PDF)Recipe Loomis Club is an independent, informational menu — it sells nothing and is not affiliated with any restaurant, chain or brand. For personal, non-commercial use.