What's for Dinner XXIX [old]

[bushwickgirl]

Well, we've again reached 200 posts; let's continue the virtual dinner, everyone's invited!
So what's cookin'?

[iL Divo]

taken out to brunch so dinner I'll cook.
galette of potatoes/Canadian bacon/steamed green beans/walnut blueberry bread and butter, maybe a salad we'll see

happy mommy's day to all the moms out there

[Beckyleach]

We were outside gardening (planting lots of my vegetables I started from seed) after a long, cold, windy spell...so didn't come inside till 8:45.

I had made a nice loaf of sourdough bread (no knead style, in my smaller cast iron dutch oven) earlier in the day, and scrounged around in the fridge for leftovers. Made a fritatta with Nueske's pepper bacon, a red bell pepper, on zucchini, scallions, Parmesan cheese and farm eggs....served with a dribble of really good balsamic vinegar (10 years old) and a nice platter of steamed asparagus with butter and lemon. A left-over partial bottle of Malbec rounded out a pretty darned good quick meai--even if we did sit down to dinner at nearly 10pm!

[chef chicklet]

Still on my tuna fish binge and with lots left over, I decided to make tuna melts last night.
A nice smooth buttermilk bread was the perfect canvas. One side layered with slices of fontina cheese (the best melting cheese ever) and the other side a nice thick layer of tuna fish salad. I buttered both out sides of the bread, and onto the hot, lightly greased cast iron grill pan. Toasted nicely so both sides are beautifully golden brown, the tuna heated just enough, and the cheese gooey. EXCELLENT!!!!

Earliar this morning, I finally pulled out the cute popsicle forms I just had to have that I'd purchased from Target last summer. I filled them with the left-over smoothie from breakfast. I found out that raspberry orange mango and yogurt makes great pops. After biying them I do admit I was scared to use these things, envisioning stuck slushy messy pops. No need to worry though, they were gorgeous and delicious!

[LindaWhit]

Chef chicklet, you might want to copy/paste onto the new thread that boyzoma started...

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7065...

[chef chicklet]

I think I must be loising my mind, because I could swear I posted there earlier this a.m., ?????
Thanks LW!

[appycamper]

last night was linguine with white clam sauce. melted garlic in olive oil added and reduced white wine, chicken broth and liquid from canned clams. added saffron, splash of cream, pernod and red pepper flake. steamed open 2 dozen little neck clams and removed. added reserved canned clams and 3 diced artichoke hearts. tossed with the linguine. dressed with the little necks.

[chef chicklet]

Nice touch adding the Pernod, my goodness that just boosted the dish another 10 points. I love Pernod in a white sauce with clams, or any seafood for that matter!

[appycamper]

thank you! i love it too. especially with clams and mussels. that slightly anise flavor in the sauce is a great finish.

[boyzoma]

Now that we have reached over 200 posts, here is a link to the next chapter in our dinner delights.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7065...

[nomadchowwoman]

Tonight, out-of-town sister visiting, so we'll have a crew around the table. Putting out some runny cheese and crackers and a bowl of nuts to have w/vodka-tonics. Dinner will be shrimp and oysters Mosca (baked w/a crust of highly seasoned breadcrumbs), w/side of linguini in a very light garlic cream sauce, grilled asparagus drizzled w/lemon, and a simple lettuce and tomato salad. Cookies for dessert for those who have room.

[BubblyOne]

Macaroni and cheese...I've been craving it all week. And a salad with lots of veggies.

[nofunlatte]

Spätzle with stewed tomatoes (from a can), a pancake w/maple syrup and a sleeve of marshmallow Peeps (the chicks). Carbo-loading, as I'm running a half-marathon tomorrow morning (the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon). Gawd, you 'hounds have no idea how much I'd like some fat and protein right now!

[jenscats5]

Good luck!

[Caroline1]

Carbo loading with Peeps!? LOL! That's not carbo loading, that's rationalizing! '-)

Hope you cream 'em at the mini-marathon!

[nofunlatte]

I'd been eyeing those babies for weeks and carbo-loading really was the perfect excuse. Yes, Caroline, you nailed it--I DID rationalize! I also bettered last year's time by over 11 minutes! BTW, I'm a slow runner, so glaciers still passed me. I'm grilling tonight!

[Caroline1]

Hey, slow runner, fast runner, you get a gazillion points in my book for just doing it! And congratulations on the new personal best!

[jenscats5]

Last night's dinner was pretty plain as I wanted something light....so it was salmon & seaweed salad.

Tonight (being a nice cool evening) was chicken, pasta, red sauce & spicy sauteed broccoli. And being Friday liberal amounts of red wine. I deserve it!

[steve h.]

Homemade sausage and pepper pizza. Beer for me, red wine for Deb.
Getting ready for the Yankee/Red Sox game.

[Phurstluv]

Game's on? They already playing?? I'll have to channel surf to find it and then watch with my feet up.

Back's gone out again, so DH is going to have to deal with the kiddies. Maybe takeout pizza or Dodger dogs for the kids. I had the leftover capellini alla checca that I made last night for lunch, so I'm good for tonight. Maybe when the pain's dulled a bit, I'll make some nachos as a snack.

[steve h.]

Phil Hughes pitching tonight. Game starts in a few minutes. A few beers will loosen that back in no time.

[Phurstluv]

Already on my second glass of wine, and can't wait to watch, they at Fenway?

[steve h.]

yup.
Yanks up 3-1.
It's a good game.
Pizza was outstanding.

[steve h.]

good day at the office: pizza, beer, wine and baseball.
seems like cano, jeter, others have a few pains, too. hughes is one tough son-of-a-gun.
get well soon.

[Phurstluv]

Thanks, but I couldn't watch anymore after the yanks pulled it out 10-3 at one point. Cursed by being a red sox fan!!

[boyzoma]

So sorry to hear about your back.. Just take it easy tonight. Good thing you have DH to help out. Make sure he take as good of care of you as he does the kids as well.

[chef chicklet]

Ah. So we share back woes as well as the love for cooking. Impossible to stand long without aching, I know how you feel. The best thing you can do is take it easy. Get well soon, and I hope its nothing permanent.

[Phurstluv]

Thank you all. Yes, chef, it's goes with the territory of loving to cook, I'm afraid!!

[Cherylptw]

Pigs feet are happily simmering on the stove now; right before they finish cooking, I'll add a splash of cider vinegar and some crushed red pepper flakes.

I have some steamed cauliflower left from earlier in the week and I'm making a marinated cauliflower salad to which I'll add some green bell pepper, a little red onion, and a marinade of olive oil, white wine vinegar, fresh marjoram, garlic, thyme, cumin and s&p. Also serving a mixed green salad (no romaine) with shredded smoked gouda.

[eight_inch_pestle]

"Simmering in what?" he asked, ears perked.

[Cherylptw]

Combo of ham broth (saved from last month's Easter ham) and water

[roxlet]

I am following Weight Watchers, and I am determined to find ways to make delicious meals. This one was really good:

Chop three cloves of garlic, saute in in a fry pan with as little olive oil as possible, add a can of Italian peeled tomatoes and crush the tomatoes in the pan. Salt to taste and as much red pepper flakes as you would like. Take boneless chicken breasts and cut open like a book. Put them in the sauce, and cook until done. Meanwhile, boil some water and throw in some whole wheat pasta. When the pasta is nearly done, put a very thin slice of mozzarella cheese on each chicken breast and remove to a plate. Put the nearly-cooked pasta in the sauce and finish cooking. Serve with Pecorino Romano. My 14 year-old son loved it, so it is not just diet food!

[ChristinaMason]

I'd eat it :)

[rabaja]

Sounds like good healthy everyday food!
but...where's your vegies? ;)

[roxlet]

On the side -- asparagus!

[linguafood]

I'm making my first pork roast ever tonight, however, the prep is still up in the air, as I am waiting for some helpful pointers from other hounds.

Side will be taters, _maybe_ some cabbage, but most likely something less... intense. I have a gig later tonight, so no interest in any digestive, um, issues.

[mariacarmen]

is it a shoulder, or a butt? if so: first, make a lot of slits in the roast. then mash together (i use mortar/pestle) 10 garlic cloves, kosher salt, and dried oregano - add white vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, to total about 1/2 a cup. you should have a soupy paste. stuff the mixture into the slits in the pork, smear the rest all over. you're supposed to let this sit for 24 hours, but i've let it sit for as little as half an hour and it's still fantastic. Then put in baking dish or roaster, into the oven at maybe 325 degrees for about 6 hours, or until it's falling apart. It's a Puerto Rican preparation i found online - there are other variations but this one is my favorite. the cooking time wouldn't work with a tenderloin, obviously, but if you have a nice big fatty roast ..... soooo good! and then you can used the leftovers for cubano sandwiches!!

[linguafood]

It's a loin, actually, so rather on the lean side. My inclination is that it will be a much shorter roasting time (and 6 hours wouldn't work anyway given my engagement later tonight). But I like the paste you mention. Should work just fine with the loin...

[bushwickgirl]

Not sure if you have time for this but pork loins, due to their lean nature, benefit greatly from brining, then a good seasoning such as the abodo mariacarmen suggested.

They don't take too long to roast either, I roast at 325* and pull mine out at 145* internal.

[linguafood]

I do have some time, if not overnight. In fact, the always helpful mr. alanbarnes has suggested I start brining pronto, which would leave a good 4.5 hours before the roast needs to go into the oven.

I have the same info for the internal temp, but read in the Joy of Cooking to best start the roast off at 450˚ for 10 minutes, then turning it down to 250˚ ....

[bushwickgirl]

Yes, that sounds good, you'll get a nice crust, which I just read you will be sad about if you don't. The hot blast, lower roast temp finish is very popular for roasting meats here on chow; it's sound advice and I don't deny that you'll get excellent results. I do it with beef roasts, but for some reason always forget about using the method for pork. Silly me.

So, brine with fat cap intact, pat dry, season, let come to room temp, crank the oven and carry on. Remember to "rest the roast" after removing from the oven.

[buttertart]

These next few weeks will be hectic because we're moving - so will be alternating a nice meal or two (venison cutlets tonight) with several goes of Harters's beloved brown gloop from the freezer, one of which we put paid to last night - "fauxjoada", grilled doggybag meats from Via Brasil cooked with black beans I cooked from scratch, thyme, garlic, chili, onion etc - made a big pot and froze some. Went nicely with a romaine salad, leftover guacamole, and white rice frozen from takeout. Rather dreading the rest of the freezerload: there are several packages of CI's recipe for cassoulet which I liked OK in Feb but don't look forward to in May. M is a cassoulet lover who can and does order it in summertime from the right places. Oh well. Once settled in the new place we will get back on track.

[ChristinaMason]

I feel your pain. We are going through the same fridge-emptying routine pre-move. The coq au vin was less appetizing in May versus March or whenever it was I made it.

I also defrosted an entire container of black bean soup, thinking it was coq au vin, before realizing my mistake. Good thing that went into the pot before the other container, or I would have been pissed!

[buttertart]

It's especially bad (for me) because I tend to freeze things that my husband likes better than I do (so he can have them for the occasional solitary dinner). This time frozen stuff outlasted the occasions for him to eat it. Sigh.

[Harters]

Sausage and red wine risotto.

We use any decent sausages for this (what we have tonight are "Sicilian" ones from the aupermarket - nicely flavoured with fennel and hint of chilli), from which the casings are removed.

It's pretty much a standard process for making the risotto. Onion gets sweated; sausage gets added and is broken up into small bits; rice gets added and coated in the oil. Then a wineglass of red wine goes in; then its the usual thing of adding stock a ladle at a time till its done. A final addition of butter, herbs and parmesan and dinner is served.

A nice comforting dinner after the political excitement of the last 24 hours.

[krisrishere]

Went out to dinner last night and had a fabulous jambalaya with shrimp, crawfish and andouille. There was so much of it that I'm having it for dinner tonight. For dessert, I'm having Tiramisu Cheesecake that I winged yesterday. It's my favorite cheesecake creation I've made ever. Thank goodness I've learned (over the years) to write down my "winged" recipes.

[ChristinaMason]

Please share the cheesecake!

[krisrishere]

Wow, ok only a week late. Sorry, it's been a helluva week.

Here's my Tiramisu Cheesecake recipe. My husband declared it, "the best cheesecake you've ever made" :)

http://www.examiner.com/x-4180-Norfol...

[chef chicklet]

Just too much going on for a full blown meal yesterday. I absolutely couldn't wrap my head around anything to make for dinner. After seeing a thead requesting a recipe for linquine and clams using canned clams, I darn near made linquine and clams, or my version using capellini. Instead I settled on tuna salad on toast. Best decision ever, the tuna salad was one of my finest. Used celery, red onion, sweet pickle with mayo and lots of black pepper. Toasted the bread, fresh crispy romaine, and thick slice of hot house tomato made this sandwich perfect.

[bushwickgirl]

Mm-m, gives me a good idea for the my new cold food program, haven't had a good tuna salad sandwich in awhile.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Man, sometimes there is nothing better than a sandwich for dinner. I forget how great that can be. Plus, no mess in the kitchen for a change! Hope you had some chips and a pickle, too.

[ChristinaMason]

Every time I eat potato chips, I ask myself, "These are so delicous---why don't I eat them more often?"

And they are a must with sandwiches.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Because if you did you would sport a little belly like I do.

[ChristinaMason]

LOL. I just wear flowy shirts. Small sacrifices for good food.

[nomadchowwoman]

Tonight we started with a little baba ganoush (from Farmers Market) w/pita crisps. Main was drum w/meuniere sauce; sides were favas sauteed w/garlic and parsley and a salad of roasted yellow beets, red onion, vinaigrette, toasted pistachios.
Just finished cleaning up after managing to dirty half the pots and pans in my kitchen!

[eight_inch_pestle]

Last night was a broccoli, ham, Jarlsburg, and caramelized onion quiche, with the crust and cream/egg proportions from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I like how she does the smaller, deeper quiche---I've always gone for the wide shallow ones in the past. A little mizuna salad with nothing but a very punchy apple cider and dijon vinaigrette. A cheap but highly drinkable sauvignon blanc made for a pretty perfect meal.

[LindaWhit]

Oh. My. That sounds heavenly, eip! Can you give ingredients and paraphase the instructions for us here? I like the idea of smaller, deeper quiches.

I've been eating leftovers all week; tonight is really no different - spaghetti and meat sauce from the freezer. So it was "made before" but not in the last few days. :-)

[eight_inch_pestle]

Absolutely. However...we were relaxed and chatting in the kitchen with a round of cocktails while we made this (I did the filling, gf covered crust duties) and realized as we were eating that we (read:I) measured nothing for the filling. We're going to make another one soon, and I promise to measure, take some notes, and report. Cool?

[LindaWhit]

VERY cool. Thanks! And I know exactly whereof you speak re: relaxed, chatting, enjoying the cocktails and prepping dinner when you're just putting something together. It just "happens" without any idea of what the combination of ingredients were. :-)

[Phurstluv]

Nice, that sounds lovely, 8".

Tonight, I'm looking at leftovers again, trying to make something out of them. Guess I'll throw some spaghetti in the pot, chop up some garlic, tomatoes and basil, and reheat the greek chicken cutlets to serve over the spaghetti alla checca. Simple yet satisfying. ASome roasted creminis to go with, since my 8 yo loves them, and I just bought more.

[bushwickgirl]

Well, I'm glad I have some leftovers from last night as my gas is now shut off. Grrrh.

So, it's sliced, grilled chicken breast from Cinco on greens with some sort of guacamole dressing, chips and salsa borracha and probably ice cream.

[ChristinaMason]

Oh, no! So sorry. Darned landlord! Maybe time to start withholding the rent. Otherwise, how will you cook?

[bushwickgirl]

Well, I don't get to cook, but I did have a plan in place, with stuff in the freezer for the MW and possibly borrowing a slow cooker if this situation goes into overtime. I'm just disgusted wtih this guy.

Thanks for asking, I'll manage, as least we're past the heating season. No hot water. though. Paper plates!!!

[Perilagu Khan]

Good Lord, that's intolerable! Surely you can find a situation that is better than this.

If you're interested in moving to Texas, just let me know. No foolin', either.

[nomadchowwoman]

Wow, this is unacceptable. Have you considered siccing a bunch of Hounds on him? We could do some serious virtual snarling and growling on your behalf.

After all, a (bushwick)girl's gotta eat!

[Phurstluv]

No kidding, I really do know a dear friend in the City who is an attorney, if you need one, please email me offline. In the least, you can write a letter to the NYC Housing Authority to put the landlord on notice, and you could cc him (my lawyer friend) at the bottom of the letter. You'd be surprised how well that actually works.

[LindaWhit]

Oh man - I do hope there's some authority you can report him to! No hot water = no showers....that is just NOT fair, especially when it's included in the rent!

And maybe check freecycle.com in your area for a slow cooker? You never know what someone is looking to get rid of!

[Cherylptw]

Dang it! I'd thought you'd gone over that hurdle and am sorry to hear that bit of news. Not sure if one is better than the other, but am glad it's not your electricity especially since it's hot outside (at least here, anyway).

I'm soaking some country ham to pan fry later; it'll go top of a large salad of greens, roasted tomatoes from last night, cukes, avocado, hard boiled egg and shredded extra sharp cheddar.
I have some roasted poblano & tomatillo sauce left from a couple days ago that I'll mix in a little ranch for the dressing. That sauce is good on a flip flop (as Guy Fieri says)

[boyzoma]

I'm so sorry to hear that. I know all the CH's would help if we could. Please keep us posted and if there is anything we can do, let us know!!!

[bushwickgirl]

Wow, thanks everyone for the support! All this makes this trying time much easier. The big issue is how long will this go on, and I just don't know. The landlord is not returning calls...and as nomadchowwoman said, the (bushwick) girl's gotta eat...
Thanks again, everyone, for your suggestions, kind words and support.

Now, on to what's for dinner at my house tonight (Friday:) assorted cold cuts, potato salad, potatoes to be cooked in the MW, yes, it's doable; mixed greens with Christina Mason's great goat cheese vinaigrette, fruit plate with bananas, mango, pineapple. Not too bad...sorta like a picnic.

[Perilagu Khan]

Chicken methi tonight, with the obligatory basmati.

[ChristinaMason]

We're having coq au vin (from the freezer) on elbow macaroni, and probably some roasted brussel sprouts, also from the freezer. Maybe some red or rose wine to go with.

[boyzoma]

We're having Cherylptw's Grand Prize Winning Sweet Potato Hash, Chicken Apple Sausage Links, Scrambled Eggs and Whole Wheat Toast. I can't wait!

[Cherylptw]

Please report back so I know how you liked it; I always like to get feedback on my recipes & food

[boyzoma]

Oh WOW - I will definitely make this AGAIN, and AGAIN, and AGAIN! It has that bite of the jalapeno, but with the sweet and savory with the apple, brown sugar, fresh ginger and cilantro, and of course red bell pepper, celery and onion is a go with anything in my book. I would give you a medal for this as well !!!! Thank you so much for the recipe. It is now on my favorite list!!!

By the way - it is the perfect accompaniment with the chicken/apple sausage links as you suggested.

[Cherylptw]

I knew it would pair well with the sausage; I love the sweet/savory/spicy combination in a dish and this one is a keeper. Try it with a poached or fried egg for breakfast, maybe with a bit of hollandaise or other sauce and it goes well with grilled meats instead of potato salad or some such. Glad you liked it :)

[boyzoma]

Actually, we did have fried eggs instead of scrambled. Opa thought this was an ultimate keeper. His words were "a nice balance of flavors and a surprise of the burst in the back of the palate". Of course, never thought of the hollandaise either! But, I have to say, there was absolutely nothing left. Put the rest of the sausage in the freezer, so will definitely make this soon.

[Phurstluv]

Good to know. I will have to copy that one down, since I just bought some chicken apple sausages this week.

May try it one night for my parents while they are here next week, since they both love sweet potatoes.

Cheryl, I don't want to make you go through the trouble of posting it again, but where is it, on this thread or the previous?? I can't seem to find it!

[Cherylptw]

Last thread, April 26 post...

[goodhealthgourmet]

i wanted to see it too, so i found it ;)
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7035...

[Phurstluv]

Thanks to both of you :))

[Harters]

Beef stew & dumplings.

Before that, I'm going to raid the fridge and cupboards to create a small hors d'oeuvre. And then, later, it's settling down in front of the TV for a long night of election reporting. Supplies have been laid in to support the expected need for snacking in the early hours. Most results should be in by around 3am and we need to keep our strength up till then. Phew, it's going to be an exciting few hours.

[jenscats5]

Ended up making (Cinceo de Mayo after all):

Classic margaritas
Chips with guac & salsa
"Spanish" rice (meh - didn't turn out all that well
Tinga de Pollo soft tacos

[sunflwrsdh]

I could have done Mexican tonite, but conflicting family plans for another Mexican nite this week, when everyone can make it, led to...French Dip sandwiches with melted velveeta ala Philly Chesesteaks. They were good, and used up some of the shredded beef I had makde in anticipation of a larger gathering. Also....the shredded beef was a crock pot recipe, really simple and very good, as well as versatile. Leftover Texas sheet cake for dessert.

[bushwickgirl]

What's a Texas Sheet Cake, she asks cautiously. A really big cake, or something more specific?

EDIT: I saw your post on the baking thread, it's a chocolate cake baked in a jelly roll pan with a chocolate icing poured over the hot cake, yes it's big...

[JungMann]

Also known as a "sheath cake," a regional pronunciation I've heard explained as a hypercorrection of the local pronunciation of the word "sheet," which sounds like a vulgarity.

[nomadchowwoman]

Grew up eating sheet cakes--had no idea everyone else everywhere wasn't (lol)--but I always assumed (and it was definitely an assumption) that it referred to the shape--large, thin, rectangle. I never heard "sheath"; that would really have thrown me!

[Perilagu Khan]

If you don't like sheet cake, you ain't sheet.

[bushwickgirl]

Ha, ha good one. The sheath thing threw me, too, but I like sheet cake...
I've certainly had sheet cakes, just not with the Texas designation.

[kattyeyes]

I finished my Mexican snickerdoodles this afternoon, leaving me with a very unMexican meal:
- leftover "cheater" vodka sauce I made with some chicken sausage, fresh garlic, vodka, half-&-half and a can of diced tomatoes with penne. It was just fine but I much prefer my real vodka sauce.
- broccoli slaw over spring mix with that modified coleslaw dressing Nanny used to make...with golden raisins thrown in just for fun
- a hefeweizen with a slice of lemon (I know just how wrong this is for Cinco de Mayo)
Unremarkable, but healthy and easy to throw together.

[Phurstluv]

Oh well, at least you had some cookies left until this afternoon!!! LOL!

I haven't made them yet, I realized I had no ground ancho chile powder, (does it have to be so difficult?!) and had no time at the store to peruse, as I was late to pick up the kids anyway , and I get the feeling (!) the kids will detect the chile powder, so I think I'm going to make them this weekend, sans the offending ingredient (or perhaps, just a lesser degree) and see what they think!!

And a hefeweizen?? That's all you could come up with?? Oh, I know, if you were here in the Socal sunshine, you would've come up with lame margaritas, at least!!

[kattyeyes]

The chili powder is pretty subtle, but does provide a little bite. I'm not sure how your kids are with different tastes. Maybe just make it the chocolate way and skip the chili for them altogether...what is not to love about chocolate and cinnamon? :)

It was a hefeweizen or a mojito--a gong for me either way, I know, I know! Maybe later I will make a proper Cinco drinko.

[Phurstluv]

Hey, no excuses needed here, amiga!! Just wish we could celebrate together, either here or there!!

Yes, I think that's what I will do, get them to fall in love with the cookie before adding the chile, then a switcheroo!! They "claim" to like hot sauce, but then cringe when I put it in beans or something!!! Typical Kids!!

[nomadchowwoman]

Hold your head up high, KE. We had take-out Chinese.
Drinking margaritas while waiting for a table for over an hour at one of the precious few Mexican rests. in this city w/ a 5 yr old in tow didn't seem like a good idea (at least not to the 5YO, who, faced w/the prospect of said wait, got the lightbulb look, flashed her most winning smile, said "Hey, I have an idea--fried rice!")
So what was for dinner was FR and twice-cooked pork, supplemented by home-steamed edamame, a home-shaken martini for me, and home-baked cookies for dessert (the last three passing the thread relevance test, I think).

[linguafood]

As we were treated to massive strip steaks, fantastic potato salad, and grilled asparagus at a buddy's place last night, tonight had to be less ridiculous: baby romaine with cherry tomatoes, red onion, and radishes tossed with an almond oil & red wine vinegar vinaigrette, and topped with crispy diced pancetta and oyster mushrooms sautéed in the rendered pancetta fat. Heaven.

[ChristinaMason]

Can you get that potato salad recipe? :)

[linguafood]

Yes, I have to ask the dude again. He's sent it to me before, but for some reason, I chucked it. It's got green pepper, lots of scallion, and some hotness to it. Dressing is, I think, olive oil and lemon. It is strangely addictive, because it tastes so much fresher and springy than most tater salads.....

[ChristinaMason]

Sounds good, please post when/if you get it!

[linguafood]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/art...

[Phurstluv]

Cleaning out the fridge and freezer AND celebrating Cinco de Mayo....doesn't get better than that!! You gotta love those made up holidays that encourage copious amounts of beer & tequila.....;))

Juicing the rest of my 5 lb bag of limes for margaritas later. Found some leftover cuban roast pork in the freezer, so will be making carnitas with those, Yea! And started roasting two beefsteaks, two jalapenos and an onion for homemade roasted tomato salsa. Just need to run to the store to get cilantro, handmade corn tortillas and a ripe avocado, my bag form Costco is still unripe.

So dinner will be carnitas tacos, refried black beans, and a corn, avocado and tomato salad dressed with lime juice. Making kattyeyes Mexican hot chocolate snickerdoodles for dessert!! Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

[bushwickgirl]

Sounds very good, ¡feliz cinco de mayo tambien!
Limes must be inexpensive out where you are. Not the case here.

[buttertart]

Limes - and half the time dry as bones lately. Yuck.

[Phurstluv]

Muchas gracias mi amiga!

Yes Costco sells them for about $4-5 for a 5 lb. bag. All grown in Mexico. I keep them in my colder fridge in a produce drawer otherwise they do dry out in about a week. They keep much longer when you refrigerate them. Wish I could send you a bag, I know las comidas cubanas y puerto riquenas rely on limes a lot!! You may have to leave the city to find them at a more reasonable price!!

[bushwickgirl]

Tonight, for the Cinco de Mayo, I'm making corn tortillas for tacos with marinated grilled chicken breast, jack cheese, roasted tomatillo salsa and crema. I made a salsa borracha with anchos, orange juice and tequila (I bought a nip) for chips and I don't think mrbushy will eat it; that's ok, more for me. Made a little guac, too.

Tecate to go with.

[rabaja]

Last night I had salmon. It's been a while since I've been able to enjoy this fish and it was delicious.
I roasted it on a bed of tomatoes with green garlic, marjoram and espelette, at 450 for maybe 20 min or so. Next time I will watch it more closely, as it was a minute or two over but still nice and moist.
I cook everything this way these days. I love that it is largely unattended, a one dish meal (mostly) and no mess or residual cooking smells like I'd get from sauteeing.
I had bulgur with chopped green onion to soak up the juices. A veggie would have been nice, but I was too tired to face the baby artichokes I'd planned on using up.
Tonight, it's a work night for me, but I've been promised a Mexican staff meal which I am seriously looking forward to. The girls I work with know what they are doing!

[boyzoma]

Well, DH will be on a plane so I guess I am just going to have left-overs. There is still some really great spaghetti sauce in the fridge so it looks like I am going there. Cook up a little fresh pasta, heat some sauce and a slice of garlic toast, glass of vino and I will be good to go!

[Perilagu Khan]

Fish tacos with corn on the cob drizzled in lime and sprinkled with cayenne and salt.

[rabaja]

Perfect food for Cinco de Mayo! I am off to make a Tres Leches cake!

[Perilagu Khan]

Quite the coincidence. Didn't plan it that way.

[JungMann]

Mashing up Mexican and Southern food yet again, tonight will be buttermilk fried chicken tacos. Smothered in salsa verde, topped with melted monterey jack and a tasty watermelon and cotija cheese salad on the side.

[Cherylptw]

Now that meal sounds devine....

I'm making chicken mole tonight with crispy breaded cauliflower (using spicy crushed pork skins for the breading). I made a roasted poblano & tomatillo sauce last night to serve with the cauliflower and I'm making a roasted tomato & cucumber salad to go with

[krisrishere]

I'm coming to dinner just for the cauliflower. Is 6 ok? :)

[Cherylptw]

I'd have loved to have you for dinner...the cauliflower was so good...I blanched extra for a salad I'm doing tomorrow.

[JungMann]

I remember the days when I used to use pork rinds for breading. The dark days of Induction. You can also use grated parmesan, which might actually do well with your salsa.

[starshinesMonet]

Oh that sounds heavenly! PLEASE tell me you posted the recipe for this somewhere! If not, will you please???

[ChristinaMason]

Hells yes, sign me up. Sounds great!

[JungMann]

I am actually in pain from eating so many fried chicken tacos (and the copious low-carb pina coladas I made to compensate for the blue corn tortillas aren't helping matters). These are definitely the best original creation to come out of my kitchen.

[Cherylptw]

Uh huh..I knew it sounded good but now I can see how good it looks! I'm going to have to make these sans tortillas (maybe lettuce wraps)

[Phurstluv]

Awesome, Mann!! You're in pain from what, the sugar free pinas or that huge stripe of hot sauce I see on the plate!!

I love a crispy chicken piece in my taco, will have to remember this combo!!

[JungMann]

Pina coladas are my weakness. I made a pitcher and have nearly finished the lot. This on top of the 3 tacos is almost more than one Mann can take. As for the hot sauce... I made a "banh mi salad" for lunch of jalapenos and spicy sausage with Sriracha salad cream for extra heat. I can take my capsaicin!

[kattyeyes]

I'd like to share your pain...that looks fantastic, Mann!

[sunflwrsdh]

Sounds excellent!

[iL Divo]

tonight the son and husband are on their own for dinner.
I'll take leftovers to work

[ChristinaMason]

I'm brining bone-in pork chops. We'll probably have those pan-grilled with some white asparagus (soup? roasted? steamed and topped with a poached egg?). Not sure about a starch yet; everything is pretty beige/white already.

[ChristinaMason]

I made settled on this asparagus recipe, based on a recommendation in the "14 days of asparagus thread": http://www.chow.com/recipes/10847-roa...

It was very good, though my asparagus could have been more tender and fresher. Definitely going to try it again.

Instead of starch, we had an arugula salad with lemon-dijon vinaigrette, toasted pine nuts, and craisins. That left room for a slice of chocolate cake later.

[appycamper]

tonight was take out: mongolian beef ribs, vietnamese roast duck, steamed water spinach with garlic and steamed rice.

[lexpatti]

knowing I wasn't going to be home til 7ish, earlier today I did some salmon minis (in those mini cupcake tins). I've done them with crab but I just love the salmon. It's just like my mom's salmon loaf but lil minis and I made a lemon, dill, horseradish aoili - cheesy grits on the side with steamed cauliflower.

froze the rest to pop in our lunch bag on another day.

[Cherylptw]

Smoked egg salad & crispy bacon lettuce wraps...I smoked the eggs on Sunday after reading about them on another thread...so good that I'll have to make that one of my regular things to do when I've got the grill lit. Marinated cucumber & feta salad to go with.

[lexpatti]

mmm, love your tom stacks - but I've never heard of smoked egg. Please do tell and thank you for the tom stack.

[Cherylptw]

I actually got the idea of the smoked egg from this thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7045....

Essentially, you hard boil eggs, peel and chill them first then smoke them in a grill over ashed over coals and/or wood chips just before the fire goes out. I left mine in the grill for about an hour with the lid closed but next time I'll leave them a bit longer. This would work also in a smoker. It was the best egg salad I ever made and I'll try deviled eggs the next time I smoke some.

[bushwickgirl]

Yes, I remember that thread, I was intrigued by the thought of a smoked egg. I'm glad you got to try them, and liked them. I liked the smoked salt idea, too. Very nice tomato stack photo, btw, Cheryl. If I was still chefing, that's the kind of dish I would serve.

Tuesday night, grilled pork chops with a maple-orange reduction (maple syrup, orange juice, shallots, a bit of Dijon mustard, thyme and a little butter swirled in) mashed sweet potatoes, sautéed Swiss Chard with a splash of red wine vinegar and butter.

Apple crisp with whipped cream for dessert. I got a big bag of wintered Empires on Sunday and it's the only idea I could come up with that I had all the ingredients for. Time to go stock up the pantry.

[kattyeyes]

A lamburger, tzatziki, leftover mashed badadas and peas...and willpower, please, to save me from hoovering more of the Mexican hot chocolate snickerdoodles I made yesterday. They are hard to resist and go down so easy!

[Phurstluv]

Resist, katty, knowing that tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo and you must save them for one more day!! They sound so good, I may have to go on your blog and make a batch for the boys!

Tonight is leftovers reincarnated. I have greek chicken cutlets and carne asada leftover, so heating up with mexican rice and fresh green beans. But since I've already made the carne asada, I'm torn as to what to make for Cinco de Mayo. I should have bought a shoulder roast on sale last week, and marinated & slow roasted for carnitas tomorrow, but alas, now its too late!

I also have a flat of 10 beefsteak tomatoes, that looked and smelled really good at Costco, so I need ways to use them up. Obviously, I'm making some marinara next week, but before that, does anyone have any ideas??

[Cherylptw]

I created a really good recipe for Cornmeal Crusted Tomato Stacks with Oven Crisp Proscuitto & Herb Vinaigrette. I made it from ripe tomatoes and used it as a salad course but can be a main. If interested, I'd be happy to post the recipe. I attached a pic of the dish, although not really good visually but will give you an idea of how the dish is supposed to look.

[Phurstluv]

That looks really good, Cheryl, I just wish I was feeding a crowd with those!!

I really like fried tomatoes, and planned on doing some. I use red ones, and spread themn with Boursin before frying in an egg batter, then crumbs. How do you do the cornmeal crusted version? Thanks!

[Cherylptw]

I like to slice them on the thick side so they don't fall apart when cooking. Making an assembly line, dust them first in seasoned flour then into a well beaten egg/water mix and into seasoned yellow cornmeal. Fry in a skillet with a little veg or canola oil until golden(IMO olive oil makes these heavy). Drain & sprinkle with salt.

I dry some proscuitto in the oven until it becomes crisp like a chip, about 15 minutes or so. To assemble, I stack them with a tomato slice topped with a teaspoon of mascarpone mixed with a little lemon zest (you could use boursin) and a piece of crisp proscuitto. Continue to stack as you want. I used a whole tomato per serving (cooking for clients) then drizzled with homemade herb vinaigrette. Everytime I serve this dish, people just love it. I think it's the crunchy warm tomato, creamy cheese & crispy salty ham combo that just works.

[Phurstluv]

Yes, it does work, yum I will try that, thanks!

[iL Divo]

cheryl, do you work at pratt whitney?
your screen name indicates maybe, just curious.................but bet not.
I can't believe my dinner invite got lost.
that looks like it's something right up my alley.
wonderful display, yes post, if you already didn't.........please, thanks.

[Cherylptw]

No, I don't work there but I'd like to (lol)...here's the recipe

Cornmeal Crusted Tomato Stacks with Mascarpone, Crispy Prosciutto, and Herb Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette:
¼ cup fresh lemon basil leaves (or other basil)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
8 slices proscuitto ham, thinly sliced

Tomatoes:
1 ½ cups canola or vegetable oil (don’t use olive oil for frying)
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 ½ 2 teaspoons vegetable sea salt (can use regular kosher salt)
15 slices fresh tomato, cut at least 1/2 inch thick & uniform in size

2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon vegetable sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ to 2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
Garnish:
¼ cup chives, chopped

Make the vinaigrette by adding the basil, thyme, parsley, vinegar, salt and pepper to a blender and with it running, drizzle in the olive oil & puree for 30 seconds; set aside at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350F. Degrees; line a baking sheet with parchment or baking paper. Lay the ham slices flat on baking sheet; place in oven and cook for 15 minutes or until proscuitto has dried & is crisp like a chip. Remove from oven and set aside to cool then break each to fit between tomato slices.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and water until well blended. Mix together the pepper, garlic and vegetable sea salt; sprinkle on both sides of tomatoes. In a shallow dish, mix together the cornmeal, parsley, vegetable sea salt and pepper. Add the flour to a second dish. Making an assembly line, lightly dredge the tomato slices first into the flour, then into the egg mixture and, finally coat the slices well with the cornmeal blend. Cook the tomatoes on each side until lightly golden; drain on paper towels.

To assemble the stacks, place one tomato on each of six individual plates. Top with a teaspoon of mascarpone cheese mixed with the lemon zest and a piece of ham. Repeat twice more for a total of three tomatoes per serving. Drizzle with vinaigrette and garnish with chives. Makes 6 servings.

[bushwickgirl]

i have bookmarked the recipe, thanks Cheryl.

When you click on the photo, you get the full sized version, and you'll see how nice the photo is.

[nomadchowwoman]

Not visually appealing?? Are you kidding? Unless my eyes deceive me, those are gorgeous.

[kattyeyes]

I agree and my only other comment was when I saw the photo, I was convinced it must be lexpatti's post as she is queen of stacks...I was so surprised to see it was Cheryl's recipe...then not surprised to see lexpatti was very interested in it. :) Lovely, lovely job, Cheryl!

[Cherylptw]

The pic just didn't do justice to the dish; it was a dark shot but thanks to all for the kind words...:)

[lexpatti]

LOL Kattyeyes, you know me well - I did comment below about her wonderful stack but was also very curious about those smoked eggs. The stack obsession must run in my family, I'm waiting for my sister's version of shephards pie in a pepper!! :-)

[kattyeyes]

I have one more of these little lambies to go while I still have tzatziki. I may celebrate Seis de Mayo with a little guac on the side, made with an ugly tomato (love these) and some diced Vidalia.

[BubblyOne]

I'm making Barefoot Contessa Chive Risotto cakes, one of my favorites. I finally saw decent tomatoes, so an heirloom salsa is going on them.

[relizabeth]

I had just come back from the gym and was very hungry. Composed salad of steamed diced potatoes, chickpeas, chaat spice mix, steamed green beans, radishes, tomatoes, cilantro, lime, lettuce, oil, and bombay mix and yogurt. Feel full and virtuous.

[ChristinaMason]

Converted some leftover Indonesian veggie curry into a stew with rice vermicelli. Also threw some leftover Tom Yum soup in for good measure. Don't tell my cooking teacher; I'm sure she'd be offended!

Also, leftover mini chicken sausages and some butter cookies. We're taking it easy after hosting friends all weekend.

[JungMann]

Double Downs a la Jungmann I was to serve these buttermilk fried chicken tenders on Derby Day, but never got around to cooking them because of the weather. Hopefully a 1-day brine followed by a 3-day marinade won't have ruined them. The cheese will be monterey jack and the sauce a chipotle aioli. No bacon in this iteration.

[onceadaylily]

I have a craving for beef stew, even though the weather here is gorgeous. I'm procrastinating right now, because I'm irritated with myself for forgetting the red wine and new potatoes. I'm going to deglaze the pan with beer instead (which I've never done with beef stew), and add some crushed tomatoes with the beef stock. I'm tripling the onions, and adding minced carrot to the base, and will cook those to near carmelization. I hope that bumps up the richness. I might wind up with a decent stew . . . but I might find myself facing a pot of chunky bolognese sans peppers.

I am trying not to go into this all cranky. The beef and I may have to agree to split that beer.

[LindaWhit]

onceadaylily, depending on the beer you're using, you'll be essentially making a Guinness Beef Stew...and THAT'S a good thing!

Here's a recipe I posted for Phurstluv a month ago:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6931...

[onceadaylily]

Thanks for the recipe. I was worried about the effect the crushed tomatoes would have in the stew without the wine, and paste is deeper in flavor. I'm using a dark lager, so that should hold up (and the boyfriend isn't here to again give the lecture on the important differences between lager and stout, which is nice).

Thank you!

[LindaWhit]

You are quite welcome - hope it comes out well - even without the potatoes! (Just doesn't seem Irish without potatoes tho! LOL)

[nstoddar]

The wife's making some lentil-surprise tonight. Either a lentil-loaf or lentil-burgers. I think it will be the lentil-loaf. Not bad actually, but last time it had some issues falling apart too easily.

[mariacarmen]

Had a large chicken breast i had to cook, so sliced it up, sauteed it in butter and olive oil, til just pink, took out of the pan, poured in this incredible artichoke tapenade i found at Lucca's, squoze fresh lemon and lime juice into the pan, let that and the chicken juices thicken up, added the chicken back in, heated it, tasted and OHMYGOD, i almost gulped it all down, leaving nary a trace for tonight's dinner! but i constrained myself. there's leftover rice to sop up the juices, will make a simple radicchio & shallot salad. can't wait for tonight - will be thinking about that artichoke chicken all day!

[Harters]

At Casa Harters, we call this one "Spanish Chicken".

Breasts get marinaded for a couple of hours in garlic, dried oregano, pepper, red wine vinegar, oilve oil, prunes, black olives and capers. Bay would also normally go in (but last winter killed the bush). A little white wine gets added and it gets baked at 180 till cooked (about 45 minutes). To accompany - Jersey Royal spuds, plain boiled and some courgette ribbons "stewed" in butter, olive oil & garlic for a while. Chopped chives over pretty much everything; maybe a shred or two of basil.

Cheese & celery for "afters".

[buttertart]

I'll try that recipe, sounds very good. Nothing much beats a plain boiled good spud - my mother cooked them perfectly and loved them - believe it or not I got in trouble with her ladyfriends at her funeral for mentioning her appreciation of them (among many other things) when I spoke about her. Small town, my remarks were not "dignified" enough.

[Harters]

Sad story - your mother obviously had respect for the spud.

The Jersey Royal is, I think, the only potato with PDO status (Protected Designation of Origin) - just like Champagne. It has a truly wonderful taste (although most folk of my generation will say that it doesnt taste as good as it used to). She'd have loved them.

We're lucky that its short season coincides with the asparagus season. Folk say that the absolute best tasting ones (grown traditionally, using seaweed as fertiliser) never get off the island. Might go and see if that's true - Mrs H turned up a cheap flight - just £5 each way.
http://www.jerseyroyals.co.uk/

[iL Divo]

Made a roasted a chicken the other day and gave husband a slice or two.
But I have the whole thing left. Since it's getting warmer here, not wanting anything too heavy.

Chicken salad w/dried tart cherries/onion/celery/mayo/Dijon mustard/macadamia nuts/cinnamon/S&P. Wanna make a Pampered Chef molded [from scratch meaning no recipe] type of bread with whole wheat flour [a small batch of 4 rice medley rice that I'll cook till al dente and add to the bread mixture] sesame seeds/flax seeds/sunflower seeds/poppy seeds [in honor of the poppy festival here and the gorgeous poppy's all over the mountains] and olive oil. It'll get sliced & topped with the chicken salad that'll be topped with romaine lettuce/pickles/grape tomatoes. A big raised salad [just cause I'm in the mood and have all the ingredients] with Atomic horseradish dressing containing honey and champagne vinegar.
Since I have 3 packages of tortillas that need to get used, I'll make tortilla chips and a batch of salsa. Bought a box of vine tomatoes from the WalMarchay and will pick some onions and garlic from the garden to make the salsa.
The rest of the cherry cheesecake for desert.

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

Did a Killer Crawfish Pasta - Kept it very simple, I wish however I was fortuante enough to have fresh Crawfish, we had to use frozen...Made a white wine sauce and placed the thawed out crawfish in the pot just to heat through and tossed with the pasta...yummy!

Tonight is a cookout to see a friend off, BBQ Turkey Burgers along with some fresh bermuda fish, potato salad and whatever else anyone brings to the table!

[boyzoma]

We are having taco salad tonight. Lots of fresh veggies at the market, and have not had it for a while.

[jenscats5]

Had some of the Cajun Mustard Shrimp over white rice and some lightly stir-fried broccoli with garlic & Sriracha sauce.

[Cherylptw]

Caribbean jerk chicken grilled yesterday, shredded on top of a salad of greens, cucumber, grape tomatoes, avocado & smoked gouda cheese; ranch dressing

[appycamper]

i'm not usually big on smoked cheese, but in combination with the jerk and avocado it sounds luscious!

[mariacarmen]

Spinach fettucine with pesto, small chunks of melty fresh mozz and cherry tomatoes. salad.

[krisrishere]

I've been sick with strep throat since Saturday night. I'm feeling better, but not 100% yet..that includes eating. For my husband I'm going to make lazy lasagna using ravioli and maybe some ground turkey. Maybe I'll feel like taking a bite after I make it.

[nstoddar]

On the menu tonight .... swiss chard gratin (from one of Jacques Pepin's books). It should be nice. We got some killer swiss chard at the market yesterday. The greens we had last night; now it's just the stems waiting. Oh, I assume we'll also have some sort of entree. :)

[Harters]

Starting with an asparagus tart (a Lucas Hollweg recipe from yesterday's Sunday Times): The asparagus gets boiled to soften a bit and is then quickly cooled. A thinly sliced leek gets softened in butter with some garlic. Some ready rolled puff pastry gets five minutes in the oven. Leeks go on the base, a cream/egg/Parmesan mix goes on and the asparagus is artfully arranged. Gets baked for 20 minutes and cools to "warm".

Next up - freezer brown gloop. Pork & bean casserole that, for the life of me, I don't recall making. With some courgette ribbons again softened in a garlic butter - then heavy sprinkle of chopped chives from the garden.

A few grapes to finish.

[Harters]

Oh, and a few slices of Palma ham (or whatever) are draped across the top of the tart before baking.

[nomadchowwoman]

That sounds wonderful.

[melpy]

Tonight it's going to be HOT out, so we're doing the Thai Chicken Slaw from Wives with Knives blog. All I have to do is cook the chicken breast.

[MandalayVA]

Diligence and grain avoidance be damned--dinner tonight will be reheated leftover enchiladas and the last slice of pizza from Friday night. The husband's out and about tonight, regular cooking will resume on the morrow ...

[Perilagu Khan]

Tonight is pasta with vodka sauce and a spinach salad.

[Phurstluv]

Last night was some spaghetti with thawed out homemade marinara and meatballs for the boys, and chicken parmesan pannini with greek marinated cutlets that were broiled, then on roasted garlic bread with olive oil and pec romano, some marinara a slice of bacon and smoked mozzarella, Yum they were good. We lucked out and ended up with a openfaced meatball pannini each as a bonus.

Tonight was homemade carne asada with a marinated piece of skirt steak I had frozen and we grilled with handmade tortillas, black beans with chipotle salsa and cheese, avocados, cheese and limes, and some mexican rice.

[Cherylptw]

It was 93 degrees here today, but felt hotter to me; I've been turning my a/c on & off the last couple of weeks (I dread summer as I can't stand the heat) ..I lit the grill and cooked off some sirloin steak and a whole jerked chicken. Made a large salad to which I added sliced steak for dinner tonight. Started a low carb diet today so no starches or dessert. It's going to be a very tough next couple of weeks...

[jenscats5]

Hi Cheryl! I do low carb off & on during the year & I've found the toughest part is always the first week......and if I liven up my veggies I don't miss the starches...good luck!

[bushwickgirl]

You go, Cheryl; I've found that I can lose quite a bit of weight quite easily on a low carb diet, although it's tough initially as I am the pasta and beer queen. And dessert. So hang in...it gets easier after a week or so; your body adjusts.

Sunday night, due to rather warm and humid weather here, no appetite and mrbushy being out and about with friends, I had two apple's worth of slices with peanut butter, a MV "baked" sweet potato and called it a night. Talk about low carbs...

[Cherylptw]

It's only been one night and I'm already missing my bread & dessert, especially chocolate. I kept walking the floor last night; when I can't sleep I munch on carbs so I hope I can make it through the first two weeks. Thank goodness for pork rinds (skins as we call them) and diet Dr. Pepper, which took the edge off. I feel like an alcoholic or crack head going into withdrawal...pray for me (lol)..

[nomadchowwoman]

Oh, Sister, I'm in mourning with you for those carbs. May those prok skins be the your balm of Gilead!

[Caroline1]

Cheryl, for you and others mourning their loss of carbs, check into a book called "The T-Factor Diet." It's the original lifstyle program for weight loss through unlimited carbs but regulated fat intake. It really does work, is easy to follow, no deprivation and it's simply amazing. Check it out. It's very healthy. Just never go below 20 grams of fat per day for women, or 30 for men. You need that much fat for your body to utilize fat soluble vitamins.

[MandalayVA]

Cutting fat isn't healthy. Your body doesn't need carbs but it does need fat, which is why the vast majority of low fat diets fail because people are literally starving themselves and their bodies are screaming "feed me!" Low carb diets work because fat and protein are satiating. If I eat anything grain-based (like I stupidly did the other night) I can guarantee nothing edible in the house is safe from me within a couple of hours. If I stick to meats, fats and veggies I eat once a day and I'm not hungry until the next meal time.

But this is "what's for dinner" so I'll stop the digression. Tonight will be lamb steak--basically a slice hacked off a boneless leg--seasoned with garlic and shallot salt with a spring mix/tomato salad topped with French viniagrette. The lamb has a nice edge of fat on it and I will eat it all. :D

[Caroline1]

Different strokes for different folks. As I said above, women should not drop below a minimum of 20 grams of fat per day or more than thirty to drop pounds. Men get 10 grams more. It is a very healthy diet. Well, it's very healthy assuming one uses common sense and doesn't go off the deep end with sugars and starches!. A high fat low carb diet is not particularly good for anyone with a history of liver problems. But it does work for some. Different strokes.

[Perilagu Khan]

Enchiladas Suizas and some sort of green salad.

The recipe is from a cookbook that was given to my mom as a wedding present in 1965. I have therefore eaten this dish literally my entire life.

[appycamper]

tonight is potstickers in broth with young chard and radish greens.

[LindaWhit]

Just got finished getting together all of the salad makings for my work salads the next few days (iceberg and romaine lettuces, sauteed chicken, shredded carrots, cuke slices, kidney beans, thawed corn kernels, strips of red bell pepper, grape tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, chopped cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, and croutons).

And while it's a bit warm for using the oven (I was expecting the rains to have started already), I went searching for an easy pork tenderloin recipe - found this Rosemary Apricot Pork Tenderloin recipe: http://www.relishmag.com/recipes/view... I'll use tangerine marmalade in place of the apricot preserves and will pan brown the tenderloin before finishing it in the oven (no grill). Sides will be mashed sweet potatoes and braised leeks with crispy bacon.

ETA: I realized when I started prepping that the quantities are for 2 whole pork tenderloins - I'm only making a half tenderloin, so everything's cut WAY back on quantities (and even if I was making 2 tenderloins, I'm not sure I'd use 6 Tbsp. of fresh rosemary - that seems like an awful lot!) I'm using slightly less than a 1/2 Tbsp...maybe. :-)

[kattyeyes]

Sounds great--I haven't had pork tenderloin in a long time and I like that flavor combo. Thank you for not making me be the only fool in New England to turn on the oven on such a hot day! :) Both our meals will be well worth it.

[LindaWhit]

Hey - us fools gotta stick together, ya know. ;-) And yes, I'm very much looking forward to dinner!

[kattyeyes]

My mom picked up a spoon roast on sale. I've never made one, but found this thread discussing the CI technique here:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/608907?tag=main_body;topic-608907

My salt-rubbed, plastic-wrapped, raw roast is in the fridge right now...with plans for salad, maybe some oven roasted potatoes with rosemary...and with any luck, ChristinaMason's rhubarb custard cake...as soon as my mom delivers fresh rhubarb from her friends' garden.
http://culinspiration.wordpress.com/2...

If only it weren't above 80 degrees and humid outside, this meal would make a whole lot more sense, but am sure it will be tasty just the same...and am beyond grateful for AC!

P.S. JungMann, mmmmmm, kani salad with mango? NICE idea! Now I have to look up "kilawin"...

[LindaWhit]

LOL!! Looks like we're doing the same thing, katty - despite it being warm and a bit humid, we're both using the oven today. :::vbg::: So far, however, I've not needed to turn the A/C on - in fact, I still have the plastic covering both of the units. I suppose now that it's May, I *could* remove it. After all, it's not going to snow again until next winter. Right? RIGHT???? ;-)

Enjoy your dinner tonight - it sounds wonderful! (And I had to look up both kani and kilawin as well from JungMann's post as I hadn't heard of either of them).

[JungMann]

Kilawin (also known as kinilaw) is the Filipino method of quickly "cooking" seafood, meat or vegetables in a souring agent, typically vinegar, just to the point of tender doneness. Last night's kilawin used a combination of white vinegar, lime juice and orange juice (not enough calamansi in the freezer) to which I added ginger, Thai chilies, red onions, cilantro and sea salt.

It seems to be getting hotter and more humid by the minute today, so a bracing and fresh kilawin is the kind of light but flavorful bite to get thru the afternoon, although in my mid-Spring heart, I still would rather eat your dinner.

[kattyeyes]

Thanks for explaining. That sounds great--let's trade! :)

[linguafood]

So it's like a Filipino ceviche, basically? Sounds awesome!!

[JungMann]

I had guests over last night, but the weather had gotten so muggy by nightfall that none of us could bear to eat much of anything. So tonight we will have to finish off the leftovers:
* Kani and mango salad on cucumber rounds
* Scallop kilawin with salsa verde and avocado
* harryharry's ingenious roasted beet with herbed goat cheese stacks (I used chives and thyme for one type and dill and crushed pistachios for another)
* Chorizo quesadillas with ancho salsa and salsa macha (peanut and chiles arbol)

For dessert we will have to try to put a dent in the lemon and cardamom chiffon with rose frosting that didn't even make it to the table last night.

[jenscats5]

Hot here today (seems hotter than yesterday to me).....stocked up on fresh veggies today, so I may just have a pasta salad with chicken, capers, olives & veggies.

[nomadchowwoman]

Blustery, overcast day, so I've decided against this last day of Jazz Fest; feel like staying in and cooking anyway. I'm making granola (not for dinner!) and am going to try out the recipe for oatmeal-apricot-pistachio cookies from the Orangette blog.
Stocked up on fresh seafood in anticipation of the fishing ban, so tonight we're having New Orleans BBQ Shrimp w/some ciabatta I'll pull out of the freezer and seafood gumbo w/brown rice. I have beets I must cook so for salad, I'll harvest some of the last of my arugula and mix it with bibb lettuce and some diced roasted beets, drizzle on some vinaigrette, and top w/toasted pistachios.

[Harters]

To start - potted shrimps*

To continue - braised steak, mushrooms, "bubble & squeak"

To conclude - cheese, celery, apple

* That's British "shrimp", not American "shrimp" - it's the small brown shrimp of the north western coast of England (and the Dutch grey shrimp). http://www.baxterspottedshrimps.co.uk...

[boyzoma]

We are having Spaghetti tonight. DH makes the best sauce - using lean sirloin burger, italian sausage, red, green, yellow peppers, mushrooms, olives, onions, garlic, all sorts of spices in a great tomato base of pureed tomato, diced tomato chunks and a few other things he still to this day keeps secret. Some garlic bread and small side salad and we are good! The nice and easy thing about this is that he makes the sauce in large batches and we break it down in meal-sized portions and vacuum seal it. So tonight, it really is heating the sauce, making the pasta and we are good to go!

[ChristinaMason]

We have friends staying with us and had a big blowout welcome brunch. I think tonight we might make a simple veggie curry, using an Indonesian curry paste. I'm thawing some pork chops in case anyone is really hungry. If I had peanut butter, I'd attempt some sort of satay.

[bushwickgirl]

I still haven't recuperated from our Thursday night steak blowout, so again it's a big mixed salad with tuna and a lemon vinaigrette, but I made burnt orange pannacotta this morning for dessert tonight, with fresh strawberries instead of orange supremes.

[wineos]

We grilled burgers (topped with a frico instead of melted cheese) and corn on the cob. Washed it down with a Pilsner Urkel.

[mariacarmen]

i can't help but be a bore and repeat things we love. Pounded, breaded, fried carne asada (ala Milanese, or very thin chicken fried steak), rice (Bolivian style-fried then boiled), fried egg on top, cucumber/shallot/tomato salad. Really a perfect combo of flavors and textures.

[ChristinaMason]

Yum! That sounds FANTASTIC. Do you ever put chimichurri on your milanese?

[mariacarmen]

no, i'll need to try that! i usually make a bolivian hot sauce with that dish, called Llajwa (yah-hwa) but i got lazy - in fact, it's so easy that it makes my laziness seem monumental: a sprig of cilantro, a sprig of italian parsely, a small onion, a medium tomato, a yellow pepper, salt - all goes into the blender until pureed. should be saucier than chunky, add more or less of anything to taste.

[The Chowhound Team]

Hi folks, Since this is the Home Cooking board, please share your home cooked meals. Eating out, doesn't count! Thanks!

[steve h.]

Porterhouse from Whole Foods (this is a test of their Greenwich butcher counter). Baby bok choy in garlic sauce. Creamy polenta. Charles Krug Cabernet ('06). Nothing fancy.

[YAYME]

Scallop saffron chowder with bacon... YUM!

[Cherylptw]

BLT's on whole grain toast; instead of plain tomatoes, I'm making a roasted cherry tomato salsa to slather on. The last bit of ham & veggie chowder to go with.

[jenscats5]

The cherry tomato salsa sounds awesome.....do you have a recipe for it?

[Cherylptw]

Roasted Cherry Tomato Salsa

½ small red onion or sweet onion such as Vidalia or Walla Walla
1 medium poblano chile, halved & seeded
1 pint cherry tomatoes
¼ cup olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher sat, divided
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 large cloves garlic
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (can omit if desired)
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F. Degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or baking paper and place the chile, cut side down. Cut the onion thinly and add to a medium bowl along with the cherry tomatoes; drizzle with two tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Pour onto the baking sheet, separate from the chile and put into the oven for 10 minutes.

After ten minutes, add the garlic to the tomatoes; remove the chile when the skins blister and return tomatoes to oven for ten minutes. Remove sheet pan from oven and set aside. Peel the chile halves; roughly chop along with the onions & garlic and add to a bowl. Stir in the roasted tomatoes, cumin, oregano, cilantro and the remaining olive oil, a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Check for salt and sprinkle in remaining salt if needed. Stir in the lime juice. Can serve chilled or room temp. (sometimes, when using the salsa for a savory sandwich spread, I won’t add in the lime juice but if used for fish, chicken, chips, etc.. I’ll add it)

[jenscats5]

Thank you!

[jenscats5]

Cajun mustard shrimp I found on here somewhere
Salad
White wine

YUM!!

[chef chicklet]

After my usual 3 hour weekend conversation with my sister, I think I got my mom's recipe for spaghetti sauce. She written out a 3x5 card and thinks it's my mother's recipe, it sure sounds as though it could be. I ran quickly downstairs (okay I didn't run) abd I got it together .My mom would cook it the sauce all day, and so I put it all into the crockpot to simmer. I can't wait, and in a another couple of hours I'll make the french bread, a salad, and a dip for the artichokes. Yipee!!!

[LindaWhit]

Three hours? I've done 1-1/2 with my sister, but we're relatively local to each other so we also see each other as well - I'm assuming you and your sister live pretty far apart?

And I *love* that you've got (you hope!) a family recipe of your Mom's - hope it's the right one and it's every bit as good as you remembered it being!

[ChristinaMason]

Let us know how it goes! And if you feel inclined to share secret family recipes, please do!

[chef chicklet]

yes, we talk three - 4 hours, all the time. My sister lives in AL, and i miss her so much...My sister is not a cook mind you so this is so funny to me that she still has this. It's pretty old school not a lot of fresh ingredients, but it was good.
So to first answer your question, yes it was confirmed its mom's recipe. It is made with 2 cans or 2 jars of canned tomatoes/stewed tomatoes, 1 can tomato paste, 1 can (the tomato paste can) of water or wine, 1 T dried basil, 1 T dried Italian seaoning and 1T garlic powder, 1-2 T pepper ( my sister said 1 was better) 1 t salt. 1 mediium yellow onion, and sugar. My mom would taste the sauce and add the sugar until she got the right taste, my sister said it looks like 1t of sugar. The other thing is that she cooked it for hours like all day. She wrote "simmer the sauce until the sauce cooks down and gets to a darkish red." My mom made small meatballs and used vermicelli. My sister said what she does is just sautes hamburger and then puts that into the pot. I used ground turkey, barely browned it, and dropped that in. I love meatballs, but didn't feel like making them, so meat sauce it was.

My mom would use her big sauce pot, my sister put it in her crockpot, so that's what I did. I started the French bread a little later planning for it to come out with dinner.
The sauce was soooooo gooood, and it would of been better had I used beef and made meatballs. I used capellini, it was nice I didn't have vermecelli for some reason and it would of been better too.

This is rare, we don't have many recipes of my mother's and this was one of my favorite dinners. She was a real New Yorker, and she insisted her spaghetti be made her way, and her pepperoni pizza! Oh my goodness!
Now if only we can find her French Apple Pie recipe...

[sunflwrsdh]

Chef chicklet.
I'm so glad you got your mom's sauce recipe. It sounds very much like the way i make sauce! Even down to using the tomato paste can, which is I think, something I may have picked up from my mom! I haven't done it tin the crock pot, but I could. Thanks for sharing this:)

[chef chicklet]

You know when you're kid and you spend the night with your friends and their mom cooks differently than your mom? I was so used to vermecelli that when I saw regular spaghetti, I just couldn't eat it. So the for us the noodles were and are still very important.

Although they are all French, the name Bertolini was quite familiar, my mom's brother married a Bertolini and I'm sure this sauce somehow made it's way to his sister's recipe boxes! Stories of this restaurant was told over and over. Not sure if it was in Peekskill but that's where they're from.

[KailuaGirl]

chef chicklit, and sunflwrsdh - we were the same with always using vermicelli and also using the tomato paste can as a measuring device. To this day I don't like to eat regular spaghetti pasta - too fat and not enough sauce can stick to them. It's got to be vermicelli or cappelini. My Mom never used sugar, although she did sometimes put in a whole, small, peeled carrot to sweeten the sauce and absorb/negate the acidity of the tomatoes. The carrot would be thrown out after an hour or so, leaving the pot of meat sauce simmering on the stove for the rest of the day.

I now brown very lean hamburger, sweet Italian sausage, and hot Italian sausage before I start in on the onion and garlic, sautéed in the grease rendered from the meat. If I want meatballs but feel lazy I'll just squeeze out small "meatballs" from the sausage casings when browning the meat. That seems to work for most folks. Then I degrease by draining the meat in a colander, return it to the pot, then throw in everything else. I have used the crock pot to do an all day simmer and it works wonderfully. I've even done it overnight so that the next day I have sauce ready in the morning to make lasagna that night

My brother called the other day to ask for my recipe for lasagna (modified from our Mom's) because that's all his oldest son will eat anymore. I talked him through it for a couple of days and he had apparent success. The oldest son burnt his tongue repeatedly because he was so enjoying the flavor that he didn't mind a few burnt taste buds.

I think I need to make some sauce today. :-)

[junescook]

Just made tacos al pastor for lunch.

Tonight I'm making a spinach, mushroom and onion apizza with a wheat crust. Not sure what kind of cheese to top it with. Besides mozz I've got some brie, some smoked yogurt cheese and some sainte-nectaire.

[bushwickgirl]

What's the smoked yogurt cheese like? Sounds intriguing.

[junescook]

Our local health food store, New Morning in Woodbury, CT, carries a line of "Heini's all natural yogurt cultured semisoft part-skim cheese" It says that they contain live active yogurt cultures. They come plain, smoked, and I think garlic and herb, an something like jaepeno. I buy them a) because I love smoked cheese, b) I'm lactose intolerant and this way I can get some dairy, c) they all have lots of flavor, and d) most importantly, of the cheeses in that store, it is by far, the most affordable, at $7.29/lb. It says it's made by the Bunker Hill cheese co. in Millenburg, OH.

http://www.heinis.com/cultured.html

[junescook]

Now that I just looked at their web site I'm truly impressed. I think I'll be inclined to buy more of their products that are available here. It's like getting a better made artisan product for less than the price of the stuff at the supermarket deli counter.

[Harters]

Sunday roast lunch on Saturday night:

Starter - asparagus (we're not bored with it yet - so just with melted butter)

Main - belly pork, baked sliced potatoes (thinly sliced spud, onion, apple, chopped sage, layered up), steamed cabbage, roast beetroot, gravy

Cheese - the fag ends* of the local cheese we bought from the farm shop last weekend (plus a bit of mousetrap Cheddar), bread, celery.

Dessert - tiramisu (supermarket)

(* note - British fag, not American fag)

[Caroline1]

Oh-kaaaaaayyyy.... Tonight I made myself a salmon steak on faux risotto made with orzo instead of rice, some herbs, white vermouth and toasted pine nuts. It was one of those "wing it" recipes I made up as I went along. It also turned out to be one of those, "Wish I hadn't eaten this because now I'm too full to eat it again and it's soooooooo good!" dishes.

[Sharuf]

Great minds and all that -- I think orzo is the perfect starch to accompany salmon. Add creamed spinach or an asparagus salad on butter lettuce and you're all set.

[Caroline1]

My fave -- when I can get it (coming soon?) -- is the kind of summer squash we called "doorknob squash" when I was a kid. I tried several search engines and there is no record of anyone outside my family calling patty pan squash "doorknob squash." Ever...! But then, how many people today grew up in houses with glass doorknobs that looked like crystal squashes? <sigh> Anyway, it's my favorite squash. Wash it, quarter it, steam it, butter it, flake-salt it and .... FEAST...!!!

[LindaWhit]

My Grandma had those doorknobs in dark brown glass and white porcelain. :-) I knew EXACTLY what you were talking about, Caroline, when you said "doorknob squash" (although I've never heard them called that!)

Your preparation looks uber-simple - I'll have to try it some time!

[goodhealthgourmet]

Caroline, you should be able to get pattypan now - i've seen it at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods here in San Diego the past couple of weeks. and your preparation method is the same as mine - the flavor is so perfectly sweet and delicate it doesn't need anything else!