What's for Dinner? Part XX

[Harters]

Welcome to the latest thread in our long-running epic series. We start a new one about every 200 posts so that there's ease of loading for everyone

Over the months, folk have left the thread and folk have joined the thread. And we're now on our way to sharing our meals with each other over 4000 posts. Everyone's welcome.

So, what's on your plate tonight?

John

[Harters]

Well, that seems to be it for Part XX. We've reached our usual closing-off number of posts which for ease of loading we've put at around 200.

See you soon on Part XXI.

[LindaWhit]

To help those who have posted in the past on this thread to find the new thread:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/687704

[Cherylptw]

Friday night fried trout, scalloped potatoes, french green beans with pork (of course!).
An apple shared with my pooch (we've taken to having some type of fruit after dinner) and later I'll be digging into the strawberry cake. Supposed to snow here tomorrow again, so I'll spend part of the day baking...

[Harters]

One of my local Chinese restaurants does a main of green beans and minced pork - and lots of chilli and garlic. Love it.

[Cherylptw]

Now that sounds good...love chilli & garlic..tomorrow I'm making pig tails so will add those things to my slow cooker with the tails.....

[Phurstluv]

Oh yea, that's classic and delish!!

Tonight's leftovers from the chicken fajitas I made last night. Made some cheesy risotto since my boys love that, but don't touch the peppers & onions in the fajita mix. I make them a little salad plate with carrots, grape tomatoes, black olives, avocado and grated cheddar cheese - they really enjoy it! Me, I can eat fajitas for b, l & d!!!

[oakjoan]

Harters: This is truly global because our favorite local place, Shan Dong in Oakland, also makes that wonderful combo of green beans, garlic and pork. They add a bit of chili though and some fermented black beans chopped finely.

We happily devour it!

[LindaWhit]

I've not been in "cooking mode" all week. But a mention of spaghetti with meatballs on an AOL food board I post on (which I didn't read until last night) got me hankering for spaghetti wtih my homemade meat sauce. Comprised of ground beef, hot Italian sausage broken up, chopped onions, red peppers, mushrooms, some various herbies and a bay leaf, and some REALLY good canned tomato sauce - 6-in-1 by Escalon. http://www.escalon.net/6in1.aspx

Some garlic sourdough bread and a small salad, and freshly grated Parm-Reg over the spaghetti and sauce, and I'll be good. OH! Almost forgot - some nice Shiraz - an absolute must after a long week.

A good start to the long weekend.

[ChristinaMason]

Your red sauce sounds delish. Here's hoping you get the cooking bug again soon.

[oakjoan]

I'm actually embarrassed to post this recipe, but I'm lazing about tonight. Although I got the CSA box today, I didn't feel like REALLY cooking. So it's Primavera Green Chili and Jack Cheese Tamales covered with a can of Dennison's chili sans beans, a package of Hebrew Nat'l reduced fat franks sliced into 1/2 pieces (yeah, that'll really cut down on the fat content of this gross dish) a bit of sharp cheddar sprinkled over the top. Into the oven for about a half hour. Chopped green onions on top. Easy and quite tasty even though a bit gross. Big green salad. No dessert except maybe a couple of cava cava navel oranges cut into easily chomped pieces.

Tomorrow I'm going to try the Cajun Meatloaf from the COTM.

[Harters]

Another "couldnt be bothered" poster signing in.

So we heated up an Aberdeen Angus minced beef pie from the supermarket; boiled some organic carrots, steamed some leeks over them. And that was it.

Some West Country Farmhouse Cheddar to nibble on, together with a Cox's apple.

It was dinner, Jim, but not as we know it.

[LindaWhit]

LOL! Love the Star Trek reference, Harters. And *sometimes*, the store-bought pre-made deal is the way to go. You're fed; you do little. Is it gourmet? Almost always not. But it'll get you through to the next day - when hopefully, you *are* in the mood to kick it in the kitchen.

[Phurstluv]

Right on, LindaWhit, we ALL have those days. And it makes me feel a bit guilty, since I have boys to feed, but sometimes, you have to cut yourself some slack!! Luckily, the boys eat most frozen stuff and actually like the Kraft mac & cheese stuff. Oh well, they're still little, they have time!!

[LindaWhit]

Eventually, they'll like Mom's homemade mac & cheese better. :-)

[Phurstluv]

Thanks, I can only hope!!!!

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

Tonight a great Southern classic my Grans taught me and use to make all the time...

Fried Gizzards with mashed potatoes and gravy with some killer corn bread! Made just the way she made it...she always put a can of creamed corn in the mix!

Then we will taste test some Red Velvet Cupcake I an making for a raffle tomorrow night!

[LaLa]

This sounds fantastic! I love gizzards.

[ChristinaMason]

I have two thin, boneless pork chops that need using up. They're marinating in some leftover dumpling sauce from lunch: soy sauce, fresh garlic, ginger, sweet soy, sriracha, sesame oil and seeds. I think I'll cut them into thin strips and stir fry with some fresh green beans and maybe some orange bell peppers.

DH broke his ankle, so I'm debating making some roasted Brussel sprouts for extra calcium. Damn this snow and ice!

[linguafood]

Oh my! I heard the sidewalks in Berlin were covered in a 3" ice crust. Can he sue the city?

Oh wait, you're not in the US hahaha. Sorry to hear tho, here's wishing a speedy recovery!

[buttertart]

Poor DH. That's a rotten injury. Hope all better soon!

[ChristinaMason]

Erm, more like 5-6", depending. It's a mess here. Can't wait for spring and all the lovely fresh produce it will bring to the markets!

[LindaWhit]

Ouch on your DH's ankle, Christina! Hopefully he isn't in too much pain!

[ChristinaMason]

Thanks everyone. I'm plying him with food and drink in the hopes of taking his mind off of it :)

Tonight's stir fry turned out really well. I velveted the pork and used a variation on this sauce-- http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gu... --- with green beans, bok choy, and orange peppers, plus lots of toasted sesame seeds, served over brown rice. Hearty and good, if I do say so myself.

We had peeled, salted jicama to start. And gin and sodas.

[LindaWhit]

Well, THANK YOU, Christina! I never knew that method was called velveting! I use it all the time for a basic Moo Goo Gai Pan recipe (that, believe it or not, comes from a 6th grade Home Ec class!), but didn't realize what it was called.

Hopefully the food and drink will help DH sleep tonight as well.

[nomadchowwoman]

Sounds like he's getting lots of (very delicious) TLC. Hope the ankle mends quickly.

[linguafood]

Stir-fry with shrimp, bok choy, king oyster mushrooms, and some leftover shredded carrots, served over steamed rice.

Trying out a new chili condiment I found in the local Asian store: basically, fresh sliced chiles in oil. Yowzah!

[nomadchowwoman]

Tonight we're starting w/a cup of asparagus soup and then having wild mushroom tortellini (store-bought) w/sage butter and parmesan, roasted brussels sprouts, and a small green salad. (DH is whining a bit about the meatless dinner, but I'm ignoring him.)

[Cherylptw]

I had to chuckle when I read that last line...

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

What??? Sounds yummy, I was vegan for 3 years, picture that a girl who was raised on a pig farm, then mother became a commerical fisherman!! And I was a vegan.

Tonight for me was truffled rice!! Oh and a vodka martini, had a crap day at work!!

[nomadchowwoman]

Sounds like an excellent combination!--not to mention an excellent antidote to bad day at work.

I have always said I probably could be a vegetarian although there would be things (like aforementioned pig) that I would miss a lot. But I could never be a vegan--I know I couldn't forego dairy--so I'm in awe of those who can.

[Phurstluv]

Get OUT!!! A Vegan?? With all that wonderful food you make now, good thing you SAW THE LIGHT!!

Too funny that you grew up on a pig farm & had a commercial fisherman in the family!! Must've been heresy for a while there!!

PS - you never have to make an excuse to enjoy a vodka martini....just sayin'!!!

[buttertart]

I have one of those too. Used to meat at every meal, "has" to have it at least once a day. You can take the boy out of the Midwest but you cant take the Midwest out of the boy.

[nomadchowwoman]

You probably won't be surprised that my guy also hails from the Midwest!

(He lived through the experience, btw, even enjoyed his meal as much as he possibly could, sans meat.)

[buttertart]

It sounded great. I can get away with tofu as a main course once in a while (anything Chinese has a special exemption).

[Harters]

From time to time, us guys allow our feminine side to come to the fore for a flesh-free dinner. But it's usually in the form of veggie curry (actually I generally prefer veggie curries to fleshy ones). I do also cook a mean root vegetable casserole - but that's pretty spicy with chilli, though. And a brocolli & walnut lasagne (which doesnt have chilli)

[ChristinaMason]

care to share that lasagna recipe? it sounds like it might even work with zucchini strips in place of the noodles.

[buttertart]

It does sound good. Walnuts are M's favorite nut!

[Harters]

Pretty much as you'd make a standard meat one. Get your choice of tomato sauce cooking for a while. Chop the broc. and walnuts into quite tiny pieces (less than a finger nail size for the broc. - the walnuts can be roughly crushed) and then soften them in the sauce - you want these still to retain some bite. Finish off by layering up with the pasta sheets, bechamel, etc and finish in the oven.

Basically, you're just substituting the broc & nuts for the meat element. It's fine as it as - but it's not the real thing :-)

[junescook]

Slow roasted lamb shanks with garlic and rosemary. BJ's here have these beautiful big lamb shanks that I either braise lately have been doing this way:

http://www.bigoven.com/170752-Lamb---...

I'll serve with salad, mashed potatoes and I think just steamed broccoli.

[Harters]

I had a several hours drive home today, catching a crappy burger on the motorway for lunch (and missing out on the "full English" fried breakfast, as I'd planned to stop for a restaurant lunch). I didnt really fancy much when I got in. So, hot chicken sandwiches, then.

An idea from one of the Nigel Slater books. Chicken breasts got sliced into finger sized bits and fried in olive oil & butter. They come out of the pan. In goes some roughly chopped garlic for a few seconds, followed by some dollops of mayo and, finally, a handful of bagged spinach, watercress and rocket salad. As this wilts the chicken goes back in and everything gets tossed around before being piled into submarine rolls.

[Cherylptw]

That sandwich sounds delish! I'm going to have to try that...tonight, the last of yesterday's soup was the starter (the soup came out really nice; I added powdered sweet potato and some ginger to the list of ingredients) Sesame chicken with brown rice & multicolored peppers for the main...fresh pears for dessert but I made a strawberry cake last night can see myself having a piece before bed.

[Harters]

It is delish - and superfast. Worthwhile variations on the basic include thinly sliced and fried mushrooms. Or chucking in a spoonful of Dijon mustard into the mayo (or "buttering" the bread with the mustard".

J

[SparkleKristy]

Still have cabin fever for the worst blizzard in Washington DC history! Last night it was pure comfort food. Fried Chicken in the cast iron, mashed potatoes and peas.

Tonight Meatloaf. I just can;t seem to get over the old fashioned standards this week!

[rabaja]

Avocado toasts on levain to start, very satisfying and I love that I can keep levain in the fridge for several months to eat off of. -Did not realize that until last year, I'd always just let them go stale on the counter. Now I always have levain on hand, so nice.
Warming up some minestrone I made yesterday with the last of the chicken stock in my freezer. Nice and hearty and a good way to happily eat tons of veggies.
Found a beautiful Becker Lane pork chop last weekend, I "brined" it in apple cider vinegar, olive oil, arbol chile and thyme. Looking forward to seeing how this cooks up, I really don't want to mess up such a nice piece of meat. -It is well-marbled and bone-in.

[JungMann]

Chicken tikka was just a bit smaller than I wanted for dinner so I boiled up some penne on the side and dressed it with a sauce made of Patak's tikka paste fried in a bit of butter with cumin, coriander, ginger, sliced chilies and evaporated milk for body. I had no lemons so I used rice vinegar for acid. A much better use of penne than vodka sauce, if I don't say so myself.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Got late and we had a bunch of veggies to use up, so just made a very simple stir-fry with well-browned ratte potatoes and broccoli, a bit of thinly sliced and deeply browned pork shoulder, one bunch of minced scallions, a small head of garlic minced and sauteed until golden and crunchy, and five dried thai chiles. Served on top of some stir-fried Chinese egg noodles tossed with wilted spinach, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Turned out to be quite delicious---clean, hearty flavors, kind of like something from Yunnan.

[Cherylptw]

Tonight started with a roasted vegetable soup; entree was potato & english pea "cakes" which included my favorite smoked gouda. They were patted in bread crumbs and lightly browned in a skillet then finished in the oven and served with bacon sour cream. Leftover salad from last night completed the meal...oh, and caramel ice cream for dessert.

[ChristinaMason]

Your cakes and sauce sound deee-licious.

[Cherylptw]

Thanks, they did come out quite tasty...

Working on tonight's meal now; we had snow flakes this morning (gone now) and really cold wind all afternoon. Craving something warming so another soup is in order. I had leftover won ton skins from the weekend so I made some pork wontons with a Jamaican inspired theme. I mixed the pork with some jerk seasoning. The broth is going to be a combination of roasted carrots, onion & celery puree, chicken stock, coconut milk, scallions, thyme and crushed red pepper. Not sure what else I'm serving with it but I do have fresh peach dumplings in the oven now. I'm making a sauce to drizzle over the top with some passionfruit juice ...the house smells so good...

[Phurstluv]

Well, more rain for So Cal today, so it looks like I'll use up the braised short ribs and make the grilled cheese sammies on Bon App's Feb cover. Prefer to use a cheddar over Monterey Jack, just seems to give it more flavor. Don't need to caramelize my onions, have plenty in the leftover gravy from the ribs. Definitely top with the arugula, b/c like bacon, it makes everything taste better to me!

Kids will probably get the leftover baby backs with more sauce. They ate them up last night with some sweet potato fries.

[ChristinaMason]

We had turkey roulade stuffed with rice, shallots, dried cranberries and sour cherries, toasted walnuts, fresh sage, and wild garlic pesto. A broccoli salad with lemon vinaigrette and feta, and mixed sweet/plain potato mash with sour cream, rosemary, and sage as sides.

Slightly overcooked the turkey, so my favorite ended up being the mash.

[Cherylptw]

This evening's meal consisted of leftover pork BBQ (from a few days ago) sandwiches with slaw, thick cut oven fries, a salad with lettuce, tomato, canadian bacon & shredded 4 cheese blend...fresh peaches for dessert.

[niquejim]

I was going to do regular pulled pork BBQ today but changed my mind at the last minute. Instead I'm braising a pork butt in some homemade veal stock with roasted tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, red onion, poblano peppers, dried chipotles, dried guajillo peppers, cumin and dried New Mexico peppers. Once I remove the meat I'll strain the drippings and will reduce it by half to use as a sauce over some pulled pork burritos. Some refried black beans, rice and guacamole will complete the meal.

[aggiecat]

On the Monday night menu will be:
Red Beans and rice with pickled prok
Baby Greens salad with granny smith apple and pecans and a vinagrette yet to be determined, probably lemon
and I have no idea for dessert. I think there are oreo's leftover from the superbowl junk food orgy and my boys like their "O's" and I will have some fruit. Or if I get really ambitious perhaps a couple of baked apples with a little caramel sauce I've got in the fridge. Then again, I've got no sugar added Klondike bars and it's Monday so the apples are looking like they are off the roster.

[ChristinaMason]

Tonight we're having leftover Moroccan chicken stew on soft polenta, with cucumber-yogurt-dill salad on the side. Maybe a bottle of red to counteract the spicyness. I dunno, it's a Monday.

[Pata_Negra]

going to braise wild hare [hind legs only] in dark smokey beer. i normally use any nice dark Belgian beer but thought this time i'd try my favourite smokey beer. [the beer: http://bonvivantnl.fotopic.net/p62294259.html , http://bonvivantnl.fotopic.net/p63072... ]

[buttertart]

Last night, heated up a rack of ribs I'd been sent as part of a present from Corky's in Memphis, made some biscuits (still not happy with my biscuits, damnit), and had some red cabbage and apple slaw we'd had in the fridge for a while. Tonight, Lidia's beef rolls with mustard and pickles (posted the recipe on the recent Lidia thread), mashed, and some of the Danish-style cooked red cabbage that's also lurking in the fridge. Since the beef rolls are from the north of Italy and are really quite Teutonic in flavoring, maybe a cucumber in sour cream salad too. Interested to see how the beef rolls turn out - first go, quite a bit of work to make.

[buttertart]

Beef rolls a bit of a disappointment. OK, no hell.

[buttertart]

Do not make this recipe thinking it will warm up well - it doesn't. It comes out reminiscent of college residence food circa 1972. Grey and unappetizing. I followed the recipe, don't think it's me, but who knows...

[JungMann]

I know that I should be baking one of those Lou Malnati's pizzas I keep in the freezer or munching on nachos and buffalo wings, but I am in serious need of something good and healthy to keep me going through the cold week ahead. I picked up beef tallow from the market and set to making sukiyaki with a frozen chuck roast that I thinly sliced and poached with napa cabbage, enoki mushrooms, onions, scallions, tofu and shirataki noodles. Next time I will need to either use a better junmai sake in the broth or just give up on controlling the sugar and use a good mirin.

Still, dipped in quail egg, every bite has been just as satisfying as football food while I watch The Who on half-time. If I do need dessert, there is a bag of Combos waiting for me as we get thru the second half.

[Cherylptw]

Roasted pork (loin) & queso fresco quesadillas using corn tortillas & served with roasted tomato & bell pepper sour cream, roasted mixed (baby reds, blues & yukons) fingerling potatoes tossed with a drizzle of olive oil, s & p then finished with a dab of butter over the top at the end, crispy pan fried tostones and a simple salad of lettuce & tomato

[ChristinaMason]

I'm drooling. The quesadillas sound esp. great.

[LindaWhit]

Definitely not SuperBowl food (although I'm watching it - GO SAINTS!!!)

Tonight is a roasting chicken, rubbed with a mix of olive oil, minced garlic and rosemary, Meyer lemon zest and juice (from one lemon), and some salt, and a healthy dose of Aleppo pepper. It's on high heat right now, will turn it down to about 350 to finish roasting. Hoping for a nice crispy and brown skin.

Sides will be rice pilaf and a combination of peas and corn.

[SparkleKristy]

Filet mignon, red, parsley potatoes and spinach salad with hot bacon dressing. Not exactly Superbowl food, but tasty and it beat making the grocery run in the PANIC of the DC area grocery stores last week.

[Harters]

Coming up ......"easy" game pie.

I had a pack of mixed game from the farmers market - mainly bunny, but also some pheasant and Bambi. Yesterday, this got cooked in a pan, long and slow, with sliced onion and large field mushrooms and some dried thyme. It'll get warmed up later today. While that's on, some ready rolled all-butter puff pastry from the supermarket will get cut into nice rectangles and then baked. They'll top the meat. Easy peasy. There'll be some veg - we've carrots in - everything else is tinned or frozen. Fruit for "afters".

And with that, I'm hanging up my frying pan and going "down south" for a few days. A couple of restaurant meals already reserved - I don't gonna starve.

[buttertart]

Hibiscus perhaps?

[jlunar]

Hainanese Chicken! With plain rice - so far, my attempts to make the proper accompanying rice have only yielded mushy grains. So uh... I avoid making it. Though I do love the chicken and make it often. (recipe below)

http://www.foodpr0n.com/2010/02/05/ha...

[buttertart]

Do you use medium-grain rice? I like it better that way.

[jlunar]

I actually like the short-grained Korean rice, so have tried using that with better (but not great) results... I'm going to try again today and see if i can get the rice down.

[buttertart]

I use the Kokuho Rose Japanese-style California grown brand usually,

[jlunar]

Made the rice again last night! Best result so far. Higher heat on the fry and longer too. Then longer on the stove. Overall good results, but still not guest-worthy.

so... close...

[SparkleKristy]

SInce we were crushed by Snowzilla here in Washington DC, we had to make due. I made shell pasta tossed with green & black tapenade, fresh tomatoes, fresh spinach, sundried tomatoes, scallions parsley and feta cheese.

And though it didn't match, we couldn't resist snowgarita's for desert. (Margarita's made from the CRAZY amount of snow in my yard!) Just the right consistencey and YUMMY!

[MandalayVA]

In another thread someone opined that a pickle juice marinade was the secret to the fast food crack that is Chik-Fil-A so I decided to try it out. I saved Claussen's kosher dill juice until I had a full jar of it, then placed a four-pound pastured whole chicken in a plastic bag, doused it with the pickle juice, then sealed it up and let it marinate for about thirteen hours. I dried it off and popped it on my tower to roast--15 minutes at 450 degrees, then 45 minutes at 375 with the convection on. It browned a lot faster than my normal roast chicken; I had to cover the top with foil so it wouldn't burn. I served it with a buttered carrot/turnip mix ... and it tasted like Chik-Fil-A! Beautifully moist and flavorful meat. I know that essentially I just brined it but the flavors of the pickle juice came through fantastically. A great dinner for a snowy evening!

[Phurstluv]

That's what a good brine will do for you! Bravo to you!

[SparkleKristy]

I'm going to try that myself. Great post!

[ChristinaMason]

Crazy! I wonder how this would work on boneless, skinless breasts for breaded cutlets/nuggets? Did you hear anything about what's in the breading?

[MandalayVA]

I think the breading is a pretty basic flour/salt/pepper mix. The flavor is always that of the marinated chicken rather than the crust to me. Since Chik-Fil-A is BSB anyway it would be perfect--just make sure that you use dill pickle juice, preferably one with no added sugar.

[Cherylptw]

It was cold with rain/non sticking snow today so I decided to hunker in with quick & easy breakfast for dinner...scrambled eggs with crispy bacon, smoked gouda cheese grits, mini bagels with home made lime curd & cantaloupe for dessert.

[waitress]

Split pea & tomato soup with devilish grill cheese sandwiches (on white bread, gasp!!) I made sloppy joes with ground chicken a few days ago, so I posted a photo of that too.

[Phurstluv]

Hello again, my old friends. Its been since before the marathon of holidays since I've posted. Still glad to read about some old friends and now, new. This is still one of my favorite spots on Chowhound.

Tonight, due to the stormy weather here in So Cal, I'm making braised beef short ribs with dark beer, red onions and bacon. Will serve with mashed potatoes and some steamed broccoli. Probably skip dessert due to the upcoming pig out tomorrow for the Super Bowl.

And, just in case I'm too busy to post tomorrow, I plan to serve bbq baby back ribs, which have been dry brining for two days now, beef and bean chili, pulled pork nachos, and some bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers. With copious amounts of beer & wine. GO SAINTS!!

[nomadchowwoman]

Your braised short ribs sound like the same recipe I used (for the first time) last week. How were they? We loved ours.

[Phurstluv]

I adore this recipe from Gordon Hammersley's Bistro Cooking. He has a place in downtown Boston that I haven't been to in 20+ years, but the cookbook never fails to please everyone I make it for. So simple too, no marinating overnight, no real chopping except slicing the bacon & red onions.

[nomadchowwoman]

Yep, that's the book. I originallly bought it hoping that it would have a recipe for an incredible white bean and cod gratin that I ate there several years ago (it doesn't), but it's got plenty of great recipes. I tried this short rib recipe for the first time weekend before last (usually use a much more complicated recipe)--and, yes, I couldn't believe how easy it was. My husband absolutely adored it. I made sandwiches for lunch one day w/the last of the leftovers, w/horseradish-spiked mayo and some pickled red onions. They were incredible too.

[Phurstluv]

I KNEW IT!!! Thanks for the validation, ncw!! Everyone raves about these short rib recipes that take 3 days to make. I have little kids, and don't have that kind of time!!! And I agree, it is excellent, and simple, my kind of recipe!!

So glad you enjoyed it!!! And we had the leftovers in grilled cheese sammies, so good!!

[vafarmwife]

Spaghetti with meat sauce and Mrs. Schubert's Rolls.

[nomadchowwoman]

Last night, we celebrated w/friends, one of whom has spent the better part of the last year recuperating from illness and several surgeries. She is a paella lover, so . . . we startred with chicken liver pate w/toasts and champagne, then moved on to the seafood and meat paella w/a side of roasted asparagus w/orange butter and a glass or two of wine. For dessert, we had baked, caramelized pears w/some ice cream.

Tonight, I'll be cooking a pan of Paul Prudhomme's BBQ Shrimp (as I scored some beautiful jumbo shrimp at the Farmer's Market this morning), and we'll sop up the juices w/bread; that will be have to be dinner as I am in a cooking marathon, prepping for a Super Bowl party tomorrow.

[chefathome]

Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Horseradish Beet Coulis
Grilled Scamorza with Roasted Lemon
Arugula Salad with Roasted Pears and Blue Cheese and Candied Walnuts with Port Vinaigrette
Cardamom Dusted Rack of Lamb with Pear Mint Chutney and Crispy Shallots
Red Wine Braised Lentils

We are not having dessert.

[nomadchowwoman]

With that feast, who needs it?

[Harters]

Sunday roast lunch for Saturday night dinner. Mrs H in command.

We're starting with potted shrimps.

A big wodge of belly pork is going to be roasted fairly slowish (banging the heat up at the end to get good crackling). Spuds and carrots will also be roasted. There's some red cabbage and cranberry that got squirraled away in the freezer before Christmas that just needs nuking. And there'll be gravy - but no dessert.

[JungMann]

I had quite a bit of mushroom stuffing that didn't make it into my overstuffed pork chops so a savory bread pudding seemed the right idea for Friday supper. It was only a quarter cup at most, so I added a bit of heft with dandelion greens and scallions. I seasoned the lot with nutmeg, salt and pepper and covered it in cream and eggs. I had no oven-safe bowls small enough for so little pudding, so I tried nuking it at 50% power for 10 minutes. Surprisingly it worked very well!

[Cherylptw]

For dinner tonight I experimented with a Asian inspired soup dish for a recipe contest I'm working on..I oven roasted Vidalia onion & garlic until caramelized (removing the garlic before it became bitter), tossed it into the blender with some pork stock and a little hot chile until pureed, added to a saucepan and simmered for awhile over really low heat. Meanwhile, I chopped some assorted veggies, sauteed those and made won tons. I blanched some snow peas in the stock and set aside; thinly sliced some pork loin I'd roasted a couple of days ago as well as shaved some carrot and cucumber with a peeler. After quickly simmering the won tons in the stock, I assembled the dish in a bowl like you get in a dumpling house. It was simple but delicious for a cold rainy evening..I included a picture of the dish; I'd say two thumbs up for the contest :)

[Cherylptw]

Pic

[mcf]

That is just beautifully composed, congrats! We do eat with our eyes first.

[nomadchowwoman]

Wow. What a vision of loveliness. And deliciousness.

[Cherylptw]

Thanks for your kind comments

[mcf]

Tonight I'll be making bison ribeyes I just had delivered by D'Artagnan. I'm assuming that they're lean enough that I have to be very careful to keep them medium rare (husband is squeamish rarer than medium, though at least he's given up well done). Will probably marinate in some sort of homemade red wine vinegar marinade. Cauliflower gratin and salad of mixed baby greens.

[Phurstluv]

How did they come out? I've always wanted to order from them, but it's usually the uber-rich foie gras that I desire.....someday.....

[ChristinaMason]

My husband mentioned over lunch that he hasn't had a real American-style burger since we arrived in Germany. I went to Ikea for a grill pan, and for dinner we made cheddar cheeseburgers with bacon, grilled onions and mushrooms, pickles, and lettuce, plus copious amounts of ketchup. Baked sweet potato fries on the side. Brandy sours and Spanish rosé to wash it all down.

[Harters]

How do you find the beef there for burgers, Christina?

Reason for asking is that American posters on the UK board say that, whilst British beef is good, it just isnt "the same" for burgers as US. It's a non-specific "not the same" so I was wondering if it's a European thing about how our butchers prepare the mince (fat content or something?) or if it's a UK thing.

[ChristinaMason]

The ground beef in Germany is comparable to American. The only difference I've really noticed is that it tends to be fresher (as the grocery stores are smaller and they sell out more quickly). There are also not various fat-content options that we've become accustomed to in the U.S. The ground beef I got was pretty fatty and perfect for burgers. I've never seen 90/10 beef in Berlin, but maybe it exists.

I don't remember ever having burgers when I was in Britain, but I think I read somewhere that mince is coarser than American ground beef?

[ChristinaMason]

For dessert, we had sliced banana topped with toasted, salted walnuts and homemade caramel sauce. Mmm.

[linguafood]

Boy, does that sound yumboski...

[Phurstluv]

Good word... permission to use it??

[oakjoan]

I already used it without even asking! Where are my manners? If it's extra good is it a Big Yumboski?

[Phurstluv]

Hahahaha!! Good one, oakjoan!

[linguafood]

Permission granted. Way after the fact, it would appear '-)

[buttertart]

Tonight some (farmed) venison cutlets, spuds either cubed and fried or mashed, and a big green salad. A nice red and a G&T or two before. New music: Martha Wainwright's Piaf album, how can you go wrong? Typical Friday night chez nous.

[Harters]

Lamb chops - enormous things from the farmers market - seven inches from top to bottom (so lots of bone to chew on).

Broad beans (the last of the summer visit to the PYO)

Spuds - probably fondant.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Hunk of good bread. Hunk or two of cheese, maybe something cheddary and something stinky. Sliced pears and apples. Toasted almonds. Honey for drizzling as desired. Everything on a big cutting board with a couple of knives. Lots of wine and a good movie. Our favorite lazy dinner/evening.

[nomadchowwoman]

Tonight it will be tagliatelle w/ prosciutto sauce , roasted brussels sprouts, and a salad of arugula and golden beets sprinkled w/chopped pistachios. Dessert, which I'll have to boycott, will be chocolate chip-coconut layer bars.

[Rubee]

Lunch today was ma po tofu, Chinese chives with garlic, and steamed jasmine rice.
http://twitpic.com/11ecos

Dinner is a simple salad with Prudhomme's Shrimp Diane and a loaf of crusty bread. I'm also going to make his Creole Filling tonight for Cajun Meat Pies in prep for Superbowl Sunday.

[Cherylptw]

Chopped pork BBQ with slaw, french green beans cooked with smoked pork neck bones and the rest of the mixed veggies from a couple of nights ago. Not sure about dessert yet but it may be a toss up between last night's sweet potato tart or ???? (whatever else I shouldn't be eating..lol)

[Phurstluv]

What's a sweet potato tart, like a sweet potato pie??

[Cherylptw]

Very similar; much thinner also

[Phurstluv]

Ah, okay, what do you put in with it?

[Cherylptw]

Well, I make mine by blanching whole peeled sweet potatoes for a few minutes, then shocking them and once they cool, I drain them and cut them on a mandolin. I melt a little flour and cook a couple tablespoons of butter (like a roux) for a few minutes over low heat, add some sweetened condensed milk, a little oj, cinnamon, fresh grated ginger, fresh grated orange peel. Temper an egg with some of the mix then whisk back into the pan for two minutes over low heat.

Ladle over the sweet potatoes which has been placed in a pastry lined tart dish. I make a crumb topping by mixing together some flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon & cold butter until crumbly. Sprinkle on the tart, bake for 35-40 minutes until potatoes are cooked, custard is set & crumb topping is golden.

[jeniyo]

quick dinner:

Lamb curry
black, brown and red rice (we're doing whole grains)
Yogurt with sesame
wilted beet greens
mango chutney
garlic naan (from TJ's)
piece of dark chocolate

very proud of my curry.

[Harters]

"very proud of my curry"

And me, mine. I go through phases of how I do it, depending on something new I've eaten in a restaurant or wahtever. My current fave recipe is Paalag Gosht from Madhur Jaffrey's "Ultimate Curry Bible". Although I do like the roganjosh in Anjum Anand's "Anjum's New Indian".

[jeniyo]

mine is very similar to this yours

http://www.bbc.co.uk/indianfoodmadeea...

except i grind up my spices and has some currants added.

i've heard high praises for the "ultimate curry bible". i should check it out!

[Harters]

It's not just similar - it's the same. I have Anjum's book from the TV series - she did two series. First I hated as it seemed very dumbed down. Second was much better as it focussed on regional dishes. Can't bloody stand the woman though - just damed irritating!

[jeniyo]

ha! never watched her show before, and now i know what you mean =)

[Harters]

She also has, IMO, a very clever way in which she describes her past culinary experiences - suggesting that she's worked as a chef but not actually saying it. If you get my drift.........

[Phurstluv]

I know some people like that.....

[Uncle Bob]

Bourbon.......
Soup and Cornbread...
Pecan Pie.....
Coffee......

[Harters]

I've spent the day in the city and took the opportunity to have lunch in Chinatown. So, of course, I've over-indulged in braised belly pork and preserved cabbage - and some choy sum briefly cooked.

So, a simple supper tonight. Sweet potatoes are being roasted as we speak. They'll be mashed. Some "Old English" recipe sausages (from a butchers that normally has about 30 different ones on sale) will also go in the oven. A splodge of grain mustard on the side of the plate - and dinner is served, m'lady.

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

Tonight is Red Bean, Kale and Chorizo Soup, I actually started it this morning!
Served with garlic toasted crusty portuguese bread (that I will pick up from the portugese bakery, no time to make today)

Think this soup might call for some nice red wine!

[Phurstluv]

WHAT?! You didn't make the Portuguese bread from scratch??! Oh dear..... LOL! Your food always sounds awesome, BGG, enough to make me want to go back to your dear island again, so nice..........

[JungMann]

Last night was another cooking lesson and the roommate wanted to make stuffed pork tenderloins. So I walked him through our pantry, took care of chopping and dicing to save on time and 2 hours later he had two juicy spinach-stuffed tenderloins with blistered green beans and pine nuts.

Currently I am brining pork chops, which will likely be stuffed with mushrooms, gorgonzola and rosemary for this evening's meal.

[Phurstluv]

You are so patient, and a good teacher, my friend!! Now you just need to teach him about all of that fancy schmancy stuff you make, that I can usually not pronounce!!! (LOL)! And I call myself a hound, disgrace! {hanging head in shame...}

[Paula76]

Last night I made a chicken tagine with grilled aubergine and peas and I served it with bulgur wheat instead of couscous. It was good and the best part is that I have some leftovers for lunch!

Busy day today so a simple dinner beckons: barley risotto with butternut squash, mushrooms and grilled asparagus topped with a poached egg and roasted butternut seeds.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Omelets with heavy cream, stuffed with roasted delicata squash, crispy chopped bacon, minced rosemary from the porch, and freshly grated Parmesan. Toast and pinot grigio.

[nomadchowwoman]

Tonight it was leftover slow-roasted pork, repurposed into pulled pork sandwiches, w/cabbage slaw and pickled red onions, on onion rolls; sweet potato fries as a side.

[Cherylptw]

Leftover roast turkey wings, potato gratin and haricot verts and sweet potato tart for dessert

[linguafood]

BLTAs with kumatoes, sriracha-mayo, and uncured bacon. Romaine & cucumber salad with yogurt dill dressing. Low-key fare tonight.

[Phurstluv]

YUM! But, what's a kumato????????

[JenJeninCT]

pistachio/panko crusted tilapia, sauteed spinach with garlic and nutmeg, rice pilaf with the last of the criminis

dessert, if I have it, will probably be ice cream in one of the many incarnations inhabiting my freezer

[nomadchowwoman]

Last night's dinner was pan-roasted steelhead (I've just discovered how much I love this fish!) w/chanterelles, roasted red pepper risotto, steamed brussels sprouts barely touched w/cream, some grape tomatoes tossed w/olive oil and balsamic. The colors on the plate were beautiful, if I do say so myself.

One of my resolutions was to learn how to download (or upload, whatever it is!) photos, and I swear I will; that, and real canning. And to make a mole.

Yesterday's failure: I tried making buttermilk pralines--I don't like them, but I had some buttermilk and pecans to use up, and we have a big weekend of partying coming up--from a recipe I got out of the paper. It looked super easy and used the microwave. Now I never cook w/my microwave and my instincts told me "NO, all microwaves are not alike. No way this recipe can work for everyone's." I should have followed my instincts. Ended up w/a rock hard mess, and my glass bowl practically fused to the mw turntable.

[Phurstluv]

Aren't you inspiring, with those resolutions! Let me know when you know how to download, upload, whatever load, can, (which I never, ever got) and made your mole. I have faith in you, friend!!

PS - I still can't up[load - apparently you need to make the photos smaller in size, yada yada, as my IT DH says.....

[bushwickgirl]

Made a chocolate cake at 3 am this morning so that part of dinner is resolved, if the cake lasts the day. I'm home alone with the cake...no one around to judge.

I'm thinking spaghetti with olive-oil packed tuna, roasted grape tomatoes, feta, kalamatas and parsley, as suggested by Christina Mason in another recent thread, sounds very tasty.

[ChristinaMason]

Hope it works out! Don't forget the "lots of black pepper" ;)

[Paula76]

Last night, I had some buttermilk and beetroots that needed using. I also some leftover phyllo pastry and some eggs so I decided to experiment with a quiche. It was delicious, beyond my best expectations. I boiled the beetroots and grated them adding them to sautéed onions, leek, garlic, chilli and basil. I caramelised the mix with some balsamic and honey, then spreaded it into some phyllo sheets pouring the buttermilk mixed with eggs and nutmeg on top. I sprinkled some parmesan and baked until crispy. Another good recipe to repeat in the near future.

[Berheenia]

Last night broke out the new wok and used it to make a quick ratoutoille and added some cooked little red potatoes. It was great with a pork chop and now I have leftovers!

[JungMann]

Tried Chef Joey Campanaro's recipe for grilled pork chops on fennel and dandelion salad. I added a bit of smoked paprika to the marinade and pan fried the pork chop it with a tiny bit of bacon grease to make up for the lack of a grill. On the side I had roasted cauliflower with sage and for dessert a small serving of vanilla panna cotta.

[Cherylptw]

Roasted turkey wings (they were huge), a saute of mixed cauliflower, broccoli & sliced carrots and a baker...I'm not sure about dessert; I ate too much now I need a nap :)

[dingey]

It's actually what was for lunch, but still. It was one of those stare-into-the-fridge-and- wonder-what-th-H-E- hockey sticks-we're-gonna-eat kind of days. I wound up sauteeing a panful of halved brussels sprouts to get 'em a little carmelized and crusty, added some slivered almonds and toasted them, tossed in a bit of broth and covered it to tenderize the sprouts the rest of the way. Then, I prepped two pieces of parchment paper, divided up the brussels sprouts mixture with a well in the middle of each, cracked an egg into each well, sprinkled the whole mess with parsley and parmesan, then sealed up the paper and baked the packets for about 7 minutes at 400. Turned out pretty tasty for a random fridge-cleaning experiment!

[Phurstluv]

I HATE those days...... But what you came out with is truly inspiring!!

[LaLa]

Soup beans that have been simmering on the stove all day with onions and chow chow as garnish. Two pan of cornbread of course.

[Uncle Bob]

Bourbon, Neat......
Stir-Fry, Chicken.......
Rice, White....
Peach Cobbler, Warm With "Nilla" Ice Cream
Coffee, Hot...........

[linguafood]

Not entirely sure yet, actually.... we had lamb shanks braised with orzo for the last two nights, so I'm a bit tired out on (red) meat.

So my inclination is to either make a veggie stir-fry -- I have this jar of chopped up chiles in oil that are beckoning me to use them finally, or making a simple pasta with shrimp, asparagus or peppers, and a white wine/butter sauce.... decisions, decisions.

Whatever the main will be, salad is set: Belgian endive with tangerines and a dill sour cream dressing.

[LindaWhit]

Mmm, the lamb shanks sound wonderful, linguafood! I haven't been cooking much; was using up what was made over the weekend. Last night I made Spinach Cabrini (without the mushrooms called for and using up some leftover roasted turkey I had frozen from Christmas and using a combination of Monterey Jack and Pepper Jack cheeses). It was only fair this time; not sure why. But...it'll give me a few work lunches for the rest of this week.

[Harters]

Pork meatballs - flavoured with garlic, parsley, chilli, dried thyme & oregano. With rice. And a sauce that's probably going to be a little stock, mustard, pimenton and the remainder of that tub of creme fraiche that's lurked in the fridge and is now just about on its "use by". And some unknown veg - tinned or frozen as there's nothing fresh in the house.

[gourmet wife]

Hubs has a business dinner tonight so I'm making myself some laksa.

[sasha1]

I've been sick, so instead of spreading my cooties by cooking for the fam, I've left that to my husband and have entertained myself with a beautiful coffee table book called Culinaria. Having just finished the New England section, I'm inspired to tackle New England Clam Chowder and Popovers tomorrow or the day after.

[bushwickgirl]

You may already have a favorite popover recipe, but here's one from another thread that seems to wow posters. It's from the pastry chef at BLT Steak in LA, about one third the way down the thread.
There's lots of popover tips and hints on that thread as well.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/643501

[sasha1]

That's great - thanks. I don't have a favorite recipe - in fact have never made them before! Winter weather always puts me in the mood for soup and warm bread...

[sasha1]

So I made the popover recipe from the other thread. They were easy and delicious. Thanks again. The only minor glitch was that the recipe which was supposed to make 12-15 made much more. I filled up 18 muffin tins - all I had, and I still have leftover batter. So storage would be my next question. I wonder if they freeze?

[bushwickgirl]

It's bread, I would think you could freeze them successfully, just defrost, heat briefly to crisp and eat.
I just sent that recipe to my sister who has gotten into eating popovers; I'll let her know about the yield. Did you fill the tins up to the top?
Possibly the popover pans (muffin tins) used in the BLT restaurant might have been a bit bigger than ones available for home use. I can't remember from my chef days, but it seems they were, or maybe I'm just nuts. Oh well.
Glad you liked them.

[sasha1]

To the very top. But they aren't the jumbo muffin tins - just regular size.

[ChristinaMason]

Last fall I made popovers and had extra batter as well. I baked the leftovers in custard cups (the rest were in regular muffin tins), and the ones in the larger baking dishes came out better. I wonder why? They were all baked at the same time.

[Cherylptw]

I had some leftover chick pea puree from my falafel incident so I stuffed that & some swiss cheese into the pocket of chicken breasts; breaded those and seared in oil then finished off in the oven. Served with leftover spanish rice from last night and some mixed greens braised with bacon. No, the menu didn't go together but it was good

[bushwickgirl]

"Falafel incident?" Mm, that's intriguing.

[ttoommyy]

Monday, 2/01...
Escarole and beans, stuffed mushrooms and a salad. My partner won't be home until around 9:30 tonight because of a late meeting, so I'm making something that reheats well (the escarole and beans actually gets better as it is reheated). As for the stuffed mushrooms, they are good hot, but they are even better at room temperature.

[bushwickgirl]

Yes, stuffed mushrooms are good almost every way, except ice cold.

Sloppy Joes on homemade bread, no rolls, succotash, a simple salad, and
peanut butter-cocoa cookies for dessert.

[Harters]

Easy stuff tonight. We baked some ready-breaded cod (bargain supermarket offer), boiled some new potatoes and peas. Tartare sauce on the side. Done!

Nibbled while cooking (if you can call this cooking ) - a few homemade anchovy and olive biscuits. I made a loads for Christmas that I froze in batches. Loads still left.

[Phurstluv]

I definitely call it cooking, my friend. You don't worry.

[JenJeninCT]

Going out for SO's birthday dinner to his fave barbecue place- cake and ice cream for dessert :)

working til 9:30 tomorrow night, so won't cook again til Wed.

Glad the weather has "warmed" to the low 30's...

[jeniyo]

i got a lambs leg from good o'l costco. I am going to clean up the leg to several 2-people pieces, freeze, and ground up the trimmings for a lambs burger over olive bread, tapenade and roasted beets.

tentative tomorrow, i plan to braise some of this meat in milk and cream. bulgur/whole grains and wilted kale with some lemon zest.

they we'll detox with some tempeh and yogurt on wed. =)

[nomadchowwoman]

Ok, BGG, great minds . . .
I'm slow cooking pork as I type. But I'm making a Mexican style dinner b/c my sister 's coming over and often requests this meal by flattering me shamelessly. So I'm giving in to the flattery and we'll be eating pulled pork tacos w/pickled red onion as well as tacos w/a creamy filling of poblanos, chard, and potato, black beans, and avocado/onion/cherry tomato salad.

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

Oh wow that sounds awesome!

Planning my 40th b-day Mexican Style so I might have to borrow the Mexican Style Pulled Pork!

So far the menu is Margarita's (of course), Chips and fresh salsa, Chili Rellenos, Fish Taco's and now Mexican Style Pulled pork (Thanks No Mad!) Have some killer hot sauce I just brought back from Cozumel so looking forward to using them

[nomadchowwoman]

Sounds wonderful--and Happy Birthday!

May I ask how you do your chili rellenos? We love them, but the few times I've made them haven't been fabulous. Do you use a batter and deep fry them?

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

Thank you!

This time around stuffing with chorizo, cheese and rice, skewer closed then dip in four, egg wash and panko bread crumbs, but make sure to get a good coat and then I pan fry with only an inch to an inch and half of oil. It is one of the only "mexican' dishes I can get my husband to eat!

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

Did some pulled pork last night (long and slow!)
With some tangy crunchy cole slaw and topped with a mustard carolina sauce...
washed it down with a super cold beer!
hello yummy ...

Tonight...left over pulled pork!!!!!

[Paula76]

Had my first driving practice session (outside driving lessons) with my step-father-in-law yesterday and as a 'thank you' I acted as rent-a-chef bringing ingredients to their place to cook them lunch (my MIL can't cook to save her life and her fridge contains margarine, milk, eggs, hard cheese and little else...). The driving was rubbish but hopefully the meal made up for it. I chose something simple as I know they're not keen on anything 'exotic' (ie. too different from 'meat and two veg').

So, I coated some fillets of fresh haddock from the market with a mix of breadcrumbs, toasted almonds, oats, black pepper and smoked paprika. I baked them, roasted some sweet potatoes, parsnips, onions and garlic with olive oil, rosemary and honey and served with grilled asparagus and a Honey, dill and Dijon sauce.

[Pata_Negra]

your preferred version of milanesa de pescado?

i'm going to make pasta with dried morels from Bariloche. [by Dulcería Suiza. i snatched a couple of bags in Villa Gesell. cost me a pretty penny... eur.7.50 each! :D scandalous, i know. here it costs me eur.15 for 10 little morels.]

[Paula76]

You could say it was a sort of milanesa de pescado although we usually wouldn't call them that back home...the usual is 'filet de merluza rebozado' which, in my view, is rather dull. As you must have realised if you shopped for ingredients over there, fish and seafood are ridiculously expensive. As fot those morels, are they gold-encrusted? Oh, well...hope the indulgence paid off and the meal was one to remember...

[Pata_Negra]

in AR in like merluza negra very much but it was never a la milanesa. sorry i meant eur.7.50 for each bag of morels. here i would have to fork over 3 times as much for the same weight. dinner was very nice!

[MAH]

Guajillo marinated Berkshire pork chops, roasted butternut squash and broccoli. Pretty uninspired, but quick and saved us from boring takeout. Menu planning for the upcoming week/weekend now. Love these threads for inspiration.

[nomadchowwoman]

I don't know; that sounds pretty tasty. I love Berkshire pork. What a difference!

[Phurstluv]

Sounds pretty inspired to me. Yum.

[JenJeninCT]

Started tonight's chili last night by roasting the tomatoes, chilies and peppers on the burner of my gas stove. Finished the assembly this morning with coarse ground 80/20 chuck, sweet onions, garlic, tom sauce, the "usual suspect" spices(plus a little cinnamon) and a bottle of Sam Adams Okoberfest (in the pot, not the cook!). We like beans, and in this pot, used dark kidneys(canned- one of 2 veg I'll buy in a can- tomatoes are the other).Topped with good sharp cheddar and served with jalapeno cheddar cornbread. Promised to make milkshakes for dessert.

[Cherylptw]

Shrimp Chile Rellanos with roasted garlic sauce, spanish rice and fresh flour tortilla chips along with a simple salad of lettuce, tomato & cukes...I had a fresh pear for dessert but I have a feeling that I'll be getting into the butter pecan ice cream later.

[Phurstluv]

Wow. I love rellenos. How do you do them with shrimp?? And the sauce?? Pretty please?

[Cherylptw]

For the shrimp stuffing, I use both large shrimp & (baby) salad shrimp...I add half of the large shrimp to the food processor & grind it up to a paste with some onion, garlic, chiles, etc. I chop up the remaining large shrimp, add to the paste & baby shrimp in a skillet for about two minutes. Cool, stuff the roasted chiles along with some queso fresco or this time, since I had it, I used smoked gouda. Dredge in flour, then dip in an egg batter made by whipping the whites separately then fold into the beaten yolks with a touch of flour. Brown until golden in a skillet. (Once cooked the shrimp becomes dense, like a meatloaf almost)

For the sauce, I roasted poblanos, tomatillos, vidalia onion and garlic; added to a blender with an ancho which I soaked in shrimp stock, also added the soaking stock, a little cornstarch, cumin, oregano, s & p..gave it a buzz then simmered it on the stove for five minutes. This is my favorite tomatillo sauce, sometimes I use veggie stock instead so I could use it on everything and sometimes I leave out the ancho. Spoon over the chiles rellanos...so good.

[Phurstluv]

Sounds delicious, thanks so much, Cherylptw.

[Cherylptw]

Very much welcome

[eight_inch_pestle]

A Marcella pork chop recipe with mushrooms and cream and tomatoes. Decent, but I slightly overcooked the meat and the sauce was pretty one-dimensional. Served with brown rice and some wonderful beet-rosemary rosti from How to Cook Everything.

[Phurstluv]

Doncha hate that, when you find a recipe that sounds great but turns out flat! Surprising, from Hazan, who usually has such great recipes.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Yeah, but it coulda been my fault, too. Been mysteriously hit-or-miss in the kitchen lately. Nothing inedible or anything, just some dishes I thought would really shine coming out rather pedestrian.

[buttertart]

That happens to us all, I think - I had high hopes for the Lidia beef roll recipe I made this weekend and pedestrian is about the best way to describe the result. A bit dispiriting. (I can't think of very many Marcella recipes that have ever let me down - the one that comes to mind was a red cabbage and beef thing from "Italian Kitchen" that was a bit on the blah side.)

[nomadchowwoman]

Tonight we'll have the beef short ribs with onions and Guinness that I braised yesterday. Sides will be garlic mashed potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts w/balsamic glaze, and a salad of lettuce, beets, feta, and walnuts. For starters, we'll have one of several ramekins of chicken liver pate w/bourbon that I made yesterday, spread on ciabatta toasts. Looking forward to it.

[HillJ]

That sounds delicious. You had me at ramekins of chicken liver pate w/bourbon! Yum!

[Phurstluv]

Boy are YOU glad I don't live next door, sounds phenomenal, ncw!!!

[Rubee]

Lunch is leftover spaghetti with sugo di carne (meat sauce) - pic below.

Sunday afternoon I always prep for the upcoming week's lunches, so later I'm making a few Sichuan dishes - ma po tofu, stir-fried Chinese chives, Sichuan eggplant, and topping for dan dan noodles - and roasting a chicken for stock and noodle soups.

Dinner will be something simple - probably burgers on the grill.

Some lunches from this past week:
Pasta with meat sauce, Farro salad with tomatoes, basil, parsley and goat feta, and pasta al la bottarga:

[Rubee]

Also leftover larb gai (chicken larb) from a local Thai restaurant and I added some more cilantro, mint, red chili, with sliced cucumber and cabbage, and a Cornish pasty from local spot "The Codfather" which I had with red leaf lettuce salad tossed with a roasted tomato/sherry vinegar/shallot vinaigrette:

[Phurstluv]

Rubee - you seem like such an awesome cook, and your food always looks so enticing!! One of these days, we MUST get together! I will be in your neck of the woods come Memorial Day - maybe we can get together for a slice @ Bianco's place!

Or, I'm sure you could steer us to some awesome Mexican there.... will let you know ahead of time!!

[Rubee]

Oh please do! I would love to meet up. I'm going to email you.

[Gio]

Poulet au Vinaigre Bistro d’a Cote: this month's COTM, Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells

Cabbage Braised with Smoky Ham and Riesling: COTM Feb 2009, A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider

Eggplant and Zucchini Gratin: Jacques and Julia Cooking at Home

[lominator]

Fennel pollen encrusted rack of pork, roasted potatoes, brocollini, etc.

[huckfinn]

pomodoro salad
sarsuela de peix (pretty much a cioppino with saffron) with shrimp, clams, mussels, and scallops in wine & fish broth, over whole grain linguini, with plenty of sauteed cebolla and ajo and colorful sweet peppers.
key lime pie

[linguafood]

My man mentioned this morning that he'd like something delicious tonight, so I suggested he cook '-P

He's making youvetsi -- braised lamb shanks with orzo, kefalothiri, and tomatoes. Hearty, lamb-y goodness, perfect for the icy temps outside! Maybe I'll be nice and make some yaourti me meli -- Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts.

[HillJ]

Sunday dinner and movie night for the family will be mushroom, onion and potato pizzas,
tossed green salad with lemon and pear-apple cider with vanilla bean ice cream.

[Harters]

I'm braising some pheasant legs for myself (with thanks for the idea to Ernie Diamond on a thread last month). Mrs H isnt keen on pheasant so is braising a lamb shank. Braising liquid is the same - nothing more than onion, garlic, thyme, red wine and a little stock. We're having it with some fondant potatoes, celeriac and maybe some frozen peas.

Still got cheesecake from last night for a sweet.

[Uncle Bob]

Sunday dinner will be:

Red Beans and Rice with Andouille & Tasso.....
A Side Salad.......
French bread......
Warm Peach Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream....
Coffee.....

[nomadchowwoman]

All this time I thought you were a traditionalist.

[Uncle Bob]

Normally....but you see I have this beautiful red-headed daughter that comes for Sunday dinner (noon) sometimes...Daddy tends to cater to her wishes....:)

Fun!

[Phurstluv]

That sounds like a wonderful traditional deep southern feast! And how sweet of you, big Daddy!! My Daddy would always do the same....

[vafarmwife]

I'm going old school- oven baked salisbury steak with onions and gravy, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots. Hubby is on 12 hour snow removal duty today and he will need something hearty when he comes home tonight.

[Foodie in Friedberg]

I wish I was eating at your house tonight! I am recovering from pneumonia, so my husband is picking up pizza on the way home from work.

[Phurstluv]

Feel better soon!!

[Foodie in Friedberg]

I'm healing much better now that I am home. Nothing like a little hospital food to make you appreciate even the most basic home cooking (or pizza!).