Whats For Dinner? Part XXXIII

[boyzoma]

Well, here we go again - over 200 so starting a new thread. What's in your pantry/freezer/cupboard? We would love to know what you are making! Join us for Dinner and share!

[appycamper]

last night was crab cakes. king legs were 12.99/ lb at sam's. roasted some long sweet peppers (unnamed variety but thin walled), scraped the char and cut into 4 pieces each. evoo on the bottom of a pyrex 8 x 8 and laid in the pieces.

lightly sauteed fine chopped celery and vidalia onion and cooled. added fresh breadcrumbs, zest of one lemon and a dollop of mayo. chunked meat from 2 king crab legs and tossed lightly. made 6 small cakes (very loose) patted in bread crumbs. sauteed in butter until golden. placed on the peppers and finished in a 350 oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

[Phurstluv]

Hey appy! We are already on WFD 34 - link is above you by boyzoma!!

Those cakes sound awesome by the way, sounds tasty and quick!

[appycamper]

ty! i already moved it to the new thread. got caught snoozing.

[boyzoma]

Since we are over the 200 mark again, here is the link to the new one.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7121...

[boyzoma]

Tonight is some salisbury steak, mac & cheese, green beans and salad. Very quick and easy.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Huge pork chops (pound a piece) on cannellini in a white wine cream sauce with a bunch of spinach wilted in it at the last minute.

[mariacarmen]

ummmm.... that instantly made my mouth water.

[jvanderh]

Pasta from the freezer-- with roasted asparagus and tomatoes, grilled chicken, and artichokes, in tomato sauce with a splash of marsala. Not as good as fresh, but better than burger king.

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

Very Excited about tonight! It's the kick off to a friends B-day weekend!

PUB GRUB NITE!
I have prepared the following for a bunch of hungry birthday party people.

Popeye” Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Stuffed “Hot Pepper” Poppers
No Joken Smoken Wings (some not hot)
Pull that Pork BBQ Sliders
Baby Got Back Stuffed Shrimp
C & C Nachos
and Sheppards Pie

Can' t Wait ...very hungry

[Phurstluv]

Sounds great, bgg! How do you do your "Baby Got Back" shrimp?

[buttertart]

Our first Mexican-ish in the new place: chicken breasts poached in chili (ancho, guajillo, and New Mexico) broth; corn tortillas (8 wrapped in a damp tea towel and into the microwave for 5 mins at half power, thank you Mr Bayless for solving the tortilla-heating dilemma); fresh pico de gallo; my guacamole (beaucoup cilantro), and fresh fried tortilla chips. Was happily thinking as I fried the last chips "gee, i got through this without the freaking hypersensitive smoke alarm going off like it did when I cooked the london broil on Monday". Then it of course did. What to do? Disable it and have potential insurance issues if something should heaven forfend happen? Not deep fry or pan grill???

[LindaWhit]

Is the smoke alarm hardwired into the place you live? Or can it be removed from the wall temporarily? That's what I do when I'm making something that can get smoky - I just move it into another room.

Another option is to cover it with a dishcloth, at least during cooking time? You just have to remember to remove the dishcloth after cooking. :-)

[buttertart]

Hardwired. That dishcloth idea is a good one. Have a kitchen window I need to remember to open too (the old place's window was just about impossible to get open, and the smoke alarm there had migrated (of its own accord of course) to the bedroom. Thanks for tips, friends!

[Phurstluv]

Or use an old showercap. Or put a portable fan under it.

[buttertart]

Other good tips! Like the shower cap idea.

[LindaWhit]

Shower cap is a great idea, or a plastic baggie with a rubber band around it (how many people actually have shower caps in their possession, whereas most of us do have ziplock baggies!)

[Phurstluv]

Hahahaha!! I know, I don't, but snag one from a hotel next time you travel!!

[LindaWhit]

Perfect. :-) My sister travels for business, and I always ask her to bring back "hotel soaps" for me. :-)

[Phurstluv]

See there ya go!! At least there's a useful purpose for them!!

[buttertart]

Thank you Phurstluv! The shower cap worked brilliantly. I also pick up bathroom whatnots when I travel - this one happened to be from the St George Lycabettus in Athens - a too-short trip for a conference at New Year's2009 (always fun memories attached to these things).

[LindaWhit]

Excellent use of a Greek shower cap. :-)

[Phurstluv]

Hahaha, glad you made good use of it!! I bet there's never enough time in Athens, though!!

[bushwickgirl]

Those pesky smoke alarms, I have one also. I just open windows (in the winter) and disable until dinner is over. The one in the hall outside my apartment door goes off also, creating havoc with the neighbors, what fun.

I've been a bit under the weather with something stomach related. It seems like quantities of somewhat flavorless mulberries from my backyard "might" be the issue, and am on a ginger ale and crackers diet. Hopefully today will include a regular dinner. Non-cooking mrbushy's been in limbo, eating sandwiches and Spanish takeout, poor child.

Have a nice, cool weekend, everyone!

[buttertart]

Those mulberries will do that to a girl. They are rather blah, aren't they? Used to get canned mulberry juice in Taipei when we lived there (and wonder why we bothered!).

[bushwickgirl]

Truely blah, but I keep eating them. I was going to create a few dessert type things with the berries but I saw birds going at them this morning, so I'll leave most all for them.

[Phurstluv]

Bummer. We have mulberries here too. I'm just glad I don't have a tree in my yard with them, they shit all over everything and then ruin the paint on your car.

Poor Senor!! What, he can't pull together some arroz con frijoles negros while you recoup? My DH is the same way, he'd rather get Taco Bell than cook for himself. Don't even get me started!!

[bushwickgirl]

"they shit all over everything "

Lol, very true and now they have been dragged into the house and are doing that on my carpeting and tiled floors.

Nah, mrbushy's like your DH, take out is as complicated as he gets.

[aventinus]

I made Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce with vegetables al crudo (carrots, celery, and onion, not sauteed), cheese, and marjoram along with spaghetti and a side of spinach sauteed with garlic. Extremely simple and very good, but dependent on the quality of the ingredients.

[Phurstluv]

Tonight was bone in, 3/4" pork chops, marinated in apple juice, crushed garlic, worcestershire, yellow mustard, and some bbq seasoning & salt. Kind of a mish mash, but they actually tasted good. Broiled those and then made some herbed couscous and steamed green beans dressed with butter and ginger-mandarin dressing - I'm addicted to that Brianna's brand I get it every time it's on sale, so good on all veggies!

[onceadaylily]

After the last few days, I have to eat a very large salad (spinach, romaine, red pepper, avocado, tomato, and boiled egg in balsamic) and call it a day. The boyfriend requires a little more, so I made the tuna pasta salad recipe from Epicurious. It's nice, for a tuna salad: pasta, tuna, a mix of mayo, balsamic, celery salt and S&P, green beans, green onions, and black olives (I subbed the tomatoes for peas, and added a few drops of soy).

I do want to say that three days ago, we made a soup mentioned by Bushwickgirl in the last thread (chorizo, white beans, and greens), and it was fantastic. I made garlic bread to go with, and it was a lovely meal. The chorizo helped offset the weakness of my last batch of stock nicely.

[Cherylptw]

Tonight was turkey mole burgers: ground turkey, mole sauce, menudo seasoning blend, cinnamon, garlic and toasted & ground flour tortillas in the mix. I made a butternut squash onion jam (so very delicious!) to top burgers along with queso fresco. Served on wwheat buns.

Last night, I made a marinated veggie salad with blanched cauliflower & broccoli, juilenne orange bell pepper, celery, green onions, grated yellow squash, marjoram and herb vinaigrette. Served with the burgers, which was very good.

[JungMann]

The mole burgers sound fantastic! Do you use mole concentrate or an actual liquid sauce in the mix? And do you pulverize the tortillas to act as binder? I'd be interested to see if it would hold without.

[boyzoma]

Tonight we are having chicken teriyaki over rice. Nice julienned carrots, green onion and red pepper, broccoli florettes, with a little chunked pineapple for sweetness. Although it is going to be hard to beat the butternut squash soup from last night. That one is still in my dreams!

[linguafood]

Fresh (but not homemade) spinach & tomato fettucine with olive oil, slivered garlic, crushed red pepper, cherry tomatoes, and scallions & basil. Some grated parm on top.

Hungover, so low-key dinner tonight.

[buttertart]

You know you're hungover when it lasts until dinner (or after). Hope it was worth it!

[linguafood]

Ha! Kinda. I was invited to a restaurant opening - free food & booze. The choice, unfortunately, was between Prosecco and red wine, so I went with the stupid choice of drinking bubbly all night, and not enough water.

Let's just say my afternoon was better than my morning, and now that dinner is done, I'm starting to feel a bit more like myself '-)

[buttertart]

You may have been better off than with the red wine. One of the worst hangovers ever.

[ChristinaMason]

Agreed. It must be the sulfites! Pain.

[mariacarmen]

or the next day AFTER THAT.

[buttertart]

It's not only me? Thank goodness. A friend's mom used to insist that if it lasted until after noon, it was the flu.

[mariacarmen]

Please. How many bouts of "the flu" can a girl have a year!

[buttertart]

A lady can have as many as she wants!

[Phurstluv]

Hey, you're allowed when you're hangin by a thread!!

[mariacarmen]

Very good friend is running for judge here in San Francisco and so we are throwing a fundraising karaoke event tonight at a local Irish bar, and I made sloppy joes in my crockpot for the party. first time i've ever made sloppy joes, and I think the sauce came out pretty tasty! basically sauteed onions, bell pepper, ground beef, added garlic powder, beer, tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, worcestshire, chili powder, cayenne and tabasco. sweet-ish, with a tiny bite at the end. Will serve with hamburger buns. Also deviled eggs with minced spring onions, celery seed, and yellow mustard kewpie mayo. i can't wait to eat those with a tanqueray and tonic!

[boyzoma]

That sounds wonderful. How long did you simmer in the crock? That would be a wonderful pot luck dish. Thanks for the idea!!

[mariacarmen]

Oh and i forgot, yellow mustard. simmered maybe three hours on high? of course it was even better by last night's event - which was a great success! the deviled eggs were TO DIE - i made another batch with Sriracha, and then found a recipe for BACON deviled eggs - fried up crispy and chopped fine, minced shallots, balsamic vinegar, golden brown sugar, mayo, pepper. OMG - a keeper! (and i karaoked to Delta Dawn and Ballroom Blitz - two wildly divergent songs! Very fun night.)

[Phurstluv]

How fun!! Sounds yummy, MC!!

[Perilagu Khan]

Mushroom and sausage soup. Romaine, carrot, celery and Red Bell salad with blue cheese vinaigrette.

[boyzoma]

What kind of sausage are you using? Would love the recipe. (I like ANYTHING that has mushrooms - it's a life staple) :-)

[onceadaylily]

And what kind of stock, PK? I think beef stock would be fantastic (I never have pork stock).

[Cynsa]

Fish Stew: saute one chopped onion and one chopped green bell pepper in one teaspoon of olive oil until softened for six minutes; add 14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes with two minced garlic cloves and 14 oz. of chicken broth or vegetable broth with 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro - simmer uncovered for 10 minutes; ladle half of this thickened mixture into blender or food processor and let cool for five minutes-then puree smooth and return to saucepan; stir in one cup of coconut milk; add 3/4 lb. tilalpia and 1/2 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp - cook until just opaque - about 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste, 1/4 tsp. salt. Serve with 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
For tonight, I had yesterday's leftovers of Hot Italian sausage with peppers and Trader Joe's mixed frozen seafood to make a modified Brazilian fish stew. Twenty minutes to the table. Strawberries and sheep's milk yogurt for dessert.

[Phurstluv]

Had to make a dinner tonight for the nuns in our school so I had to make it early enough to be ready for when I picked up the boys. So mini meatloaves, garlic mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli & carrots went into the bag for our Sisters, along with some purchased lemon-poppyseed scones and green darjeeling tea for dessert, so the boys will get the last three meatloaves, one & a half each, with some steamed green beans. I had a huge chinese chicken salad (homemade, with leftover nuggets from son # 2's dindin last night, grated carrot, sliced corn off the cob, garlic -ginger wonton strips and mandarin oranges on romaine, dressed with a ginger-mandarin dressing) for lunch, so just heating some leftover chicken & cheesy rice ( a la Stouffers) from the night we got home late from Phoenix for myself.

[appycamper]

rotisserie chicken, sauteed swiss chard with melted garlic and sauteed lion's mane and miitake mushrooms from the farmers' market. fruit salad with strawberries, apple, pineapple and orange with pomegranate greek yogurt for dessert.

[LindaWhit]

I have no idea what to call this. I pan-browned 4 chicken thighs (skin-on/bone-in) after seasoning with olive oil, salt and pepper. Put it in a baking pan and into the convection oven @ 350 degrees to continue roasting/finish cooking.

Meanwhile, I've added diced onions to the olive oil in the browning pan, about a half a small Vidalia. Added some minced garlic (2 cloves?) and some minced fresh thyme, then added 3/4 cup of chicken stock, 1/4 cup white wine, and a sploosh of freshly squoze lime juice. I reduced that to almost nothing, and mounted it with a Tbsp. of butter to finish the sauce.

The side is sauteed leeks with salt, pepper, and some Tuscan Sunset herb mix from Penzey's. I was going to have some rice pilaf alongside as well, but never got it started in time, so I figured I didn't need the starch anyway. :-)

[rabaja]

Just call it delicious! It sounds lovely, was it?

[LindaWhit]

It was actually quite nice - better than I expected it to be! Crispy, roasted skin with a slight limey-winey sauce drizzled on top. :-)

[Cherylptw]

Anything with Vidalias in it is delicious....

[rabaja]

More than likely it will be Nigella's quick ragu, but this time made with ground turkey instead of lamb. For some reason I felt compelled to purchase 2 #'s of ground turkey Monday and it must be used up.
I've been baking all day for a catering gig and I know this will come together easily once I clean up the kitchen and finish errands for the day.
Unfortunately I am out of the red wine-caramelized onion ragu this dish calls for and it's not likely I'll make it for tonight. It'll still be delicious though, and effortless which is most important today!
A salad or asparagus on the side.

[krisrishere]

I'm not feeling good today so the hubby offered to make dinner. I got excited for a second because he's a fabulous cook, but rarely ever gets the chance to get into the kitchen. Turns out, he's being lazy tonight - turkey tacos. Can you hear the excitement in my voice? ;)

[Perilagu Khan]

Los gobble, gobble, baby!

[krisrishere]

:) While I enjoy turkey tacos, I was hoping my husband would cook something a little more...."exotic".

[Cherylptw]

Stuffed mushrooms with Mexican chorizo, green onion, celery, chopped tomato & some roasted tomato sauce I made last week...I also chopped up & added the mushroom stems,oregano, onion powder & mixed in some queso fresco. I also topped the mushrooms with more queso.

Chicken & rice for the entree and arugula simmered in veg stock. I cooked a tiny bit of bacon and added that along with the fat to the greens. Tomorrow starts my three day burger experiment.

[Cherylptw]

If anyone has never tried arugula cooked, you should. I tried it for the first time tonight; to me, it takes on an almost sweeter flavor and paired with the bacon...nice! Now I regret I didn't plant more; I'll make up for it with my fall garden.

[buttertart]

A nice hot steak on a bed of arugula is very nice.

[Phurstluv]

OMG - that's one of life's guilty pleasures, in my book, SO GOOD!! Those Italians know what they are doin'!!

[JungMann]

Those stuffed mushrooms sound like they could be a meal on their own, especially with a bit of quesillo melted in. They are on my to-try list.

[Cherylptw]

As I was eating them, I was thinking the same thing; they were delicious...I should have just paired it with the arugula. I really wanted to use it as I'd picked it the day before but I needed to clean out the fridge so I added the chicken.

[Perilagu Khan]

Scandinavian pork meatballs with a dill cream sauce. Boiled Russian fingerling potatoes and fried sauer kraut on the side.

[boyzoma]

Tonight is fresh butternut squash soup, hamburger patty on the side with a tossed salad. Very simple and plain but the soup sounded good since we are having torrential downpours that are supposed to last all week. :-(

[ChristinaMason]

I'm making dinner for a friend's birthday tonight. We'll start with Nigella's halloumi bites (http://www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=163 ) with some toasted lavash, then on to Greek lentil soup (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/greek-lentil-soup-fakes/detail.aspx ) brightened up with fresh lemon juice, Greek salad with garlicky dressing (http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Kittencals-Famous-Greek-Salad-66596 ), and pastitsio for the main (http://culinspiration.wordpress.com/2... ).

Dessert? Strawberry-raspberry birthday cake with cream cheese icing (truth be told, it's kind of runny...more like a glaze).

To drink, we'll start with mojitos and rum daquiris (lime juice, simple syrup). Rioja with the main.

[bushwickgirl]

Wow, sounds like a nice birthday dinner. I love a nice Greek salad. Is your friend Greek or likes Greek food, or you're just in the mood? Have a lovely time!

[ChristinaMason]

She loves Greek food and all things lemony, so I figured it would be hard to go wrong. With the cold, misty weather we've been having lately, a nice baked pasta sounds about right, too.

The cocktails are a bit odd, given the rest of the menu, but rum is the birthday girl's fave.

Thanks!

[JungMann]

If your friend likes lemony, try doing lemon and whatever mint you have leftover from mojitos on your halloumi. That's my typical topping, though I suppose it's more Levantine than Greek.

[boyzoma]

You could always finish the evening off with some Limoncello's. Umm Umm Good. (yeah, yeah, I know its more Italian, but you gotta love the lemon)

[buttertart]

First dinner that tasted really like home in the new place: shredded roasted chicken (Marcella's) from Friday with dressing of soy sauce, sesame oil, black vinegar, a dash of white rice vinegar, a shake of sugar, tossed with slivered scallions, fresh ginger, jalapeno, served on baby arugula with small pieces of avocado and cilantro leaves on top (a far-ranging riff on Strange Taste Chicken, no Sichuan peppercorns to hand), with toasts made from the white bread from The Art and Soul of Baking (great recipe, light and airy - I let it rise in the fridge for 48 hrs total, once in the bowl and once in the pan, by accident more than design - busy - but it came out very well). Albarino to go with. Home at last.

[ChristinaMason]

welcome home :)

sometimes it takes a while to get in the groove. plus, think on the bright side: at least you didn't just shatter the ONLY glass shelf in the fridge in your newly-rented apartment, as I did. I am such a klutz (who has expensive accidents!).

[buttertart]

A friend moved into a rental in the posh Richard Meier building in Bklyn - the kitchen looks like a research lab - and the first time she tried to use the oven the black glass door broke off and shattered. Sh*t happens!

[mariacarmen]

Saturday i put salted and peppered spare ribs, then rubbed with minced garlic, rosemary and kosher salt, placed in slow cooker, added mixture of golden brown sugar, balsamic vinegar (a take on Gourmet's Balsamic Sticky Ribs - my favorite bbq ribs prep ever!) and a little chicken stock. Cooked on high for maybe 4 hours til tender. Sat in the fridge until last night. Defatted, drained liquid and added more brown sugar to it, heated unti reduced and a bit sticky, brushed ribs with same, then put them under the broiler for maybe 10 minutes. Delish. not as good as grilled but still good. Served with salad of romaine, steamed beets, gorgonzola and shallots, and potatoes steamed and then sauteed with minced garlic.

Tonight is chicken leg/thighs in white wine, chicken stock, thyme, leeks, fennel, carrots, a pat of butter, salt and pepper - all in the slow cooker for 4 hours on high. Will through in steamed favas at the end. Serve over chicken stock rice, side of steamed broccoli with a bit of EV olive oil and salt and pepper. Maybe a nice salad too.

[JerryMe]

Grilled corn on the cob. Broiled shrimp that I got on sale. Going to serve it as "throw down the newspapers and peel yourself". Along with some crusty bread and beer.

[steve h.]

Short ribs with a side of creamy polenta. I suspect a bold, red wine may be in the offing. Deb braised the ribs over the weekend. I'll start the polenta shortly.

Edited to add: the wine was a 2006 Charles Krug.

[Cherylptw]

I was out & about this morning & stopped for a tuna sub with the works of course so I'm still running off of that but later I'll probably just have a salad with roasted chicken breast & vidalia onion vinaigrette.

[boyzoma]

Roast beef tips in a burgundy glaze with baby potatoes and petite glazed carrots. Will refresh some of last nights shrimp salad on the side.

[Perilagu Khan]

Probably dawgs. Steamed Nathan's Famous topped with a mustard-based BBQ sauce and minced onion. Obligatory fast food type fried on the side. In the manner of jfood, ketchup for the fries will be my vegetable.

[mcel215]

Last night's dinner was a surprise. Stop & Shop had an indoor sale, lobsters $4.99lb.
Corn on the cob, sliced tomato and potato salad rounded out my meal.

[ChristinaMason]

yum!

[krisrishere]

I'm jealous!

[JerryMe]

Yeah, I'm jealous too - That is a steal for lobster!

[JungMann]

Lunch time was barbecue (seekh kebabs, chicken, parathas, veggies, breads and dips) so I wanted something light. I managed to pick up a bittermelon and a couple tomatoes before it started raining, so fate led me to ampalaya guisado. Bittermelon is probably one of the most under-appreciated vegetables out there due to its strong bitter flavor. When overcooked, it's mushy, bitter and frankly repulsive. Properly made, it can be delicious.

In a hot wok I sauteed sliced onions and garlic with large chunks of tomato. Typically I would seed and dice the tomato to make sofrito (or g(in)isa depending on your lingua franca), but I wanted thick, juicy pieces of tomato to contrast with the thinly sliced bittermelon which I stirfried until just crisp tender. I seasoned with fish sauce and chili garlic sauce and made the meal complete by adding fluffy scrambled eggs and shrimp to the stir fry. Light, easy and a perfect lunch for tomorrow.

[rabaja]

Turkey burger on a whole grain roll with green cabbage and cilantro slaw. Maybe some roasted sweet potato fries too.
On my way out for a nice bottle of red to go with. Just too cloudy to break out the rose today.

[rabaja]

This morphed into turkey meatloaf, which was then sliced and made into meatloaf sandwiches. I added sauteed shallot and green garlic to equal amounts of light and dark meat, a good squirt of Boccalone stone-ground mustard and I basted everything with some Green Gage jam I've been meaning to use up. So good.
Peeled and sliced a sweet potato into coins and roasted those along with the meatloaf.
No veg for me, but I figured I'd had like 4 pieces of fruit during the course of the day, so no biggie.
Oh, and I did find a nice '05 Napa Zin to toast the end of the long weekend with. Cheers!

[steve h.]

Zuni chicken. A nice pinot noir to wash the bread down.
Deb did all the work, I contributed the wine. Maybe some ancient Rolling Stones music to round out the meal.
Nothing fancy.

[boyzoma]

Well, today is supposed to be the first day of summer - and they are predicting RAIN all week. Go figure!

Tonight, Opa and I are having pan crusted scallops with a little smoked paprika and cayenne pepper, on a coulis of roasted red pepper with garlic, Jasmine rice and steamed cauliflower and broccoli florets with a shrimp salad on the side.

[bushwickgirl]

"today is supposed to be the first day of summer" I assume you mean in the Memorial Day unofficial sense?

We're having just gorgeous weather here, I wish I could send you and linguafood some of it!

Later today, a very little bbq at a friend's, just burgers and assorted toppings, potato salad, green salad and fresh coconut cake, for which my friend is justly famous. Beer and vodka tonics all around.

[boyzoma]

Yes, that is what I meant! It's usually really nice here this time of year - or at least able to be outside grilling! We originally planned to grill the scallops - but alas, plan B is in place. We did burgers yesterday and just as DH got them off the grill it started to rain again. Good timing! (and the first burgers of the year were really juicy). So enjoy your great meal - and yum - coconut cake - and if you can bottle some of your weather, I'll take it! And I'm sure linguafood would too - that weather sounds even worse than ours!

[linguafood]

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

is the potato dish - a super refreshing, springy kinda tater salad - I SHOULD feel like making, were the weather remotely acceptable ... an outdoor bbq is really hard to imagine these days.

I haven't thought about braising this much in months.

[bushwickgirl]

Yum, sort of a Moroccan style potato salad, or Tunisian. Thanks, I'll give it a go.

[linguafood]

"Spring time for lingua in Germany" -- sing it with me. It is bloody freezing here, with a nice spray of chilly drizzle to add to the pleasant evenings..... so i made a seasonally fitting thick potato & leek soup with smoked sausages. I went a little crazy with the Maggi instant veggie broth and perhaps should've read the list of ingredients first, which start off with salt, MSG, and hydrogenated oil. Ugh. So the soup was quite flavorful, in a savory, supersalty kinda way.

Thankfully, I was pretty generous with the chopped fresh parsely, and also added a bit more water to the sodium slushie.

Side was mâche in a walnut vinaigrette. Dessert will be fresh strawberries with a tiny slice of hazelnut mousse cake.

[Harters]

""Spring time for lingua in Germany" -- sing it with me. It is bloody freezing here"

One of my favourite films, lingua.

And it's bloody freezing here in north west Ingerland. Wouldnt think it was nearly June.

[Harters]

Last home cooked meal for a few days as we're off "dahn sarf" till weekend (several good restaurant meals booked).

This is a chickeny thing. Some smoked streaky bacon will get chopped and fried to crispy. Chicken thighs get browned and then some garlic and spring onions go in and some chicken stock. This simmers away till it's all but done - then some peas and shredded Little Gem lettuce. Some cream finishes it off.

The fridge is over stocked with salad and veg which won't keep. So, probably a little salad of rocket, asparagus, chard and tomato as a starter. Some courgettes and/or green beans with the chicken. Anything left goes to feed the compost bin.

[boyzoma]

Ok - between what LindaWhit had last night and what you are making tonight I am getting hungry (and it's only 9:30 a.m. here). Harters, what seasonings are you using? I may just have to give your idea a try. Yum!

[Harters]

I'm cooking it as I wrote it. Nothing additional by way of seasonings. .

[piglet86]

It's in the mid-90s here. I hate hot weather, and around now I start muttering about the morons who decided this godforsaken state was fit for habitation by humans.

Anyhow, so I'm keeping cooking to a minimum. Dinner tonight was vegan tacos, which consisted of black beans (cooked with onions, garlic, epazote, oregano, and salt at the last minute), grape tomatoes, deflamed red onions, avocado, and a spritz of lime in handmade flour tortillas. It's going to be hot all week. Good thing I made so many tortillas and such a lot of beans.

[bushwickgirl]

I used to deflame my onions all the time and just got away from doing it; thanks for reminding me. I pickle them just a bit while soaking, Mexican style.

If you're in Virginia, I happen to think it's a beautiful state, hot or not.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Friday: Sloppy Joes
Saturday: Chorizo-mushroom tacos with a simple avocado-tomatillo salsa
Tonight: First fresh Copper River sockeye of the year, in Jerry Traunfeld's Slow-Roasted Salmon in Spring Herb Sauce---a light buerre blanc type deal you finish with a whole bunch of chopped fresh herbs of choice (I chose chives and tarragon). Also, homemade vanilla ice cream.

[ChristinaMason]

fish and ice cream sound great!

[eight_inch_pestle]

Is that sarcasm?

[ChristinaMason]

LOL. No. I was serious. Not the two together, of course.

[Cherylptw]

Hot as I imagine Hades was this afternoon....another day out in the yard...dang, if my lawns didn't have to be cut twice this week! Dinner was General Tso's chicken, steamed broccoli & baby carrots. White rice.

[steve h.]

Burgers tonight. Judy Rodgers' pickles, Maytag blue cheese. We just double ground (coarse) the meat. A little garlic scratched on the Portuguese roll works for me.
Not fancy.

[Rubee]

Heading over to CH ArizonaGirl's house for a feast today that will include cocktails of Queens Park Swizzlers from this month's Bon Appetite, her husband's fantastic rosemary-smoked ribs, and tres leches cheesecake bars for dessert.

I'm bringing a couple of appetizers from COTMs: Mushroom Strudels from "Gourmet", and Caramelized Onion Tarts with Poppy Seeds, Bacon & Dates from Sortun's "Spice".

Have to work tomorrow, but plan on a nice decadent dinner for E and I. We splurged on a couple of 2-lb lobsters (they're on sale for $9.99 a pound, which is the lowest I ever see here in Arizona) so we'll be having Lobster Newburg with a bottle of white burgundy.

[steve h.]

nice.

[Rubee]

Lobster Newburg was so decadent but so good - from my favorite lobster cookbook "Lobster at Home" - with a bottle of meursault.

Recipe link:
http://books.google.com/books?id=OFwu...

[Rubee]

Pics:

[steve h.]

very cool. We make a newburg with leftovers. It's great on the weekends. Jasper White is our guiding light.

[buttertart]

Love Jasper White - remember his wonderful restaurant, Jasper's? Oysters on the half shell with a small filet of lemon replacing the muscle that holds the oyster to the shell. Perfection.

[Phurstluv]

Hey Rubee! We had a great time with our friends in Phoenix, so we didn't get to try the recs you gave me, we had such a good time just cooking together and catching up. But we did go to a place on Sat night in Scottsdale called Blancos and Tacos or was it Blancos and Tequila, anyway it was something like that, and we all had really delicious meals. Maybe you guys can try it sometime.

Will def. email again when we plan to revisit your beautiful state.

[Rubee]

Thanks for the update, glad you had a great time. Hope to see you on your next visit!

[Phurstluv]

Sounds good, and yes, we had a blast, and are eager to go back!!

[ChristinaMason]

was planning on chicken cacciatore, but after eating leftover chicken for lunch, feel like something different. tonight it's a yellow curry with tofu, eggplant, thin green beans, potato, carrot, and coconut milk.

[bushwickgirl]

Yes, me too, it's rather warm here today for chicken cacciatore. I made a very pedestrian white bean hummus yesterday, with homemade pita, and we're finishing that up, with some extras veggies and a fresh fruit for after.

[ChristinaMason]

Sounds good, the fruit especially.

[LindaWhit]

Going over to a friend's house later this afternoon for a cookout on this absolutely gorgeous Sunday of the Memorial Day Weekend! All I know is that on the grill will be steaks and salmon, lobster will be boiled (or maybe it'll be grilled too - don't know yet!), and sides are TBD by the guy doing the cooking. I usually help him do prep, but since he and his wife have family in, they're going to keep it simple...I hope corn on the cob is involved!

And to drink - I've made 2 gallons of sangria. That should start us off nicely. :-)

[bushwickgirl]

Have a great time, thankfully the weather is cooperating!

[LindaWhit]

It was a wonderful time! Lobster tails were skewered and grilled with an herb butter on top, as were the claws. Dry-aged sirloin steaks were liberally seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled to medium-rare, and then sliced after 5 minutes rest. Caramelized onions and a red wine reduction sauce for the steak slices. Salmon for the person who isn't overly fond of lobster. :-)

Corn on the cob and baby red potatoes were also grilled - herb butter on top of both as well. A salad with baby lettuces, sliced pear, dried cranberries, Gorgonzola cheese crumbles, and a splash of balsamic vinegar finished off the meal. We kept going back for "just one more slice of steak; just one more lobster claw..."

Dessert was a beautiful fruit tart made by one of the guests with ginormous blackberries and blueberries and raspberries atop the filling. Lots of sangria, wine, water, Licor 43 for after-dinner drinks, and then S'mores were made sometime after midnight in the outside fireplace that we were all gathered around.

I smell like woodsmoke this morning. But my tummy is very happy. :-)

[boyzoma]

That sounds so wonderful! I'm glad you had a great time and that menu is fantastic!

[bushwickgirl]

Wow, sounds lovely, really a nice meal, and beautiful weather to go with.

Ah, the smell of woodsmoke in the morning (apologies to Mr.Coppola.)

[LindaWhit]

Well, it turns out that woodsmoke is *not* from my clothes or hair - there are about 50 forest wildfires up in Quebec, Canada, and with the winds from the northwest, it's blown a LOT of smoke into New England. I guess the local air quality has been downgraded because of it. Very hazy out in the Boston area as well.

But it was still a great meal last night. :-) Tonight will be easy-peasy - reheated spaghetti and meat sauce and garlic bread.

[bushwickgirl]

Wow, my goodness, haven't heard anything about it on the news. NJ and LI tends to have wildfires like that, in the spring and fall. But I've never experienced the smokiness so close to home.

[Harters]

Pub lunch (not too good) so a lightish dinner

I've got some "Sicilian" sausages from the supermarket. They're going to get skinned and chopped into small chunks, which will get fried. Some chilli and chopped rocket will go in for a while, followed by a good slosh of cream and, probably, a spalsh of white wine. This'll get tossed through some pasta. Maybe some mixed leaf before, after or during. Pineapple for "afters".

[boyzoma]

Well, since today is "supposed" to be the only day without rain here, looks like we are grilling Hamburgers. With that, I will make some baked beans on the grill as well and have a little cottage cheese with pears on the side. (Of course, all this has to be prepped and cooked during commercials due to the Indy 500 and the following NASCAR race!)

Oh - and I have to mix up a double batch of Opa's favorite Tia Maria Liquor since we have to let it sit for a number of weeks (shaken daily of course).

[mariacarmen]

Tried out my new crockpot. Brisket Morroccan style - cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic powder, salt & pepper, and nutmeg rubbed all over, placed over chunks of parsnips, onion quarters and a bunch of whole garlic cloves. also snuck in some spanish chorizo i had leftover, and a teeny piece of pancetta, diced. added red wine, beef stock, and honey, whole dried apricots, a little cilantro. recipe said 3-4 hours on high, but meat didn't break down enough until 5 hours. made wheat couscous with spring onions and a bit of cilantro at the finish. the brisket and sauce were good, but a little sweet for me - kinda one note - needed more than a splash of hot sauce at the end, and a tad more salt. braised leeks in unsalted butter and chicken stock with a little lemon zest were, i think, my favorite part of the meal - melty goodness! chunks of fresh pineapple for dessert. At least now i know that my slow cooker can cook all day if i'm not home without overcooking something, even on high . . .

[Cherylptw]

I LOVE my crockpot for that reason...love to put something in it at night to wake up to dinner already done for later or set it on a busy day in the am and the food is done when I'm ready.

[mariacarmen]

yeah, i knew that was the point of the thing, but i'd read some reviews of different models (i got a cheap Faberware which had good reviews) that said people would come home to a dried up mess. so i wanted to try it out while i was home, and there was plenty of liquid left, and it could have cooked for more time even. so yeah, i think i'm going to like this! can anyone spare a spare rib recipe for crock-pot?

[boyzoma]

Well, it was a busy and stressful day. I set up a new computer for my MIL and I'm not used to someone standing over my shoulder. To boot, some of her components were so old they would not work with the new one. Too tired to really cook.

Dinner is going to be left-over chicken noodle soup I made from this last week and the other half of a subway sandwich which the MIL served for lunch. Several glasses of wine to re-calm the nerves and I should be good to go.

[Harters]

"To boot,"

LOL.

[jenscats5]

Today was "work around the house" day.....drywall & insulation, so today called for Easy!

Lunch was a grilled chicken breast sammy with BBQ/Siriracha sauce & macaroni salad.....friend came over in the evening so "dinner" was more snack-like thus: pulled-BBQ-chicken nachos with adult beverages....

[Cherylptw]

Yesterday's dinner was to be a veal blade chop I picked up from the store this week. I pan seared it & deglazed with homemade veggie stock. I have mushrooms so decided to add those to a blender with some onion, garlic, cumin, s & p and fat free half & half; pureed the mixture & added it back to the skillet with the meat which was brought to a simmer and into the oven it went.

It smelled good but after taking one bite, I couldn't eat it. Something about the flavor of the meat turned me off, it wasn't spoiled or anything but...the sauce was good. So, I made a scrambled eggs with cheddar burrito with a warm flour tortilla & some diced country ham left from a couple of days ago.

I spent a good part of the afternoon out in the garden & was not really hungry so I toasted a cinnamon raisin bagel, spread with butter & that, along with a no sugar added Klondike bar was dinner. I know..I know :-) Yoki had veal chop, no sauce.

[bushwickgirl]

"Yoki had veal chop, no sauce."

As soon as I read that you couldn't eat the chop, I thought of Yoki.

[Cherylptw]

Lol...she eats better than a lot of people...

[steve h.]

Shrimp and grits.
I like grits. I'll crib a good Charleston recipe. Deb will be the editor in charge of shrimp. This is usually a brunch/lunch thing for us but sometimes a little comfort food at supper can be a good thing.

[LindaWhit]

I picked up ground beef, sweet Italian sausage, sweet onions, red bell peppers, mushrooms and garlic to make some more meat sauce for the freezer, since I ran out, so that's WFD tonight with spaghetti. Alongside will be garlic bread sticks and an arugula salad with thinly sliced pears, goat cheese, dried cranberries and a champagne vinaigrette.

[Harters]

Love the sound of the salad, LW. Pear & arugula (rocket) are made for each other. It's only in the last couple of years or so that we've started to see dried cranberries in the UK. I like - but, of course, don't see too many mentions of them in recipes.

[LindaWhit]

I'm looking forward to the salad more than the meat sauce! And I edited the meat sauce post because I forgot I had also purchased sweet Italian sausage to be squozen out of their thin casing for the meat sauce as well.

I saw the recent arugula/rocket discussion on the thread re: US/UK food word differences and when I saw it in the market, I bought it. I forget where I saw the pear/arugula pairing, but it sounded so good, I picked up one of those as well.

As for dried cranberries, they're rather ubiquitous here in the States - both in supermarkets and in restaurant usage. Recipes abound online as well, but I mostly enjoy them in salads or in a nut/fruit/rice cracker snack mix, or in in baking, such as cookies with white chocolate and macadamia nuts. We've got a lot of cranberry bogs in Massachusetts, so no surprise we see them all the time. :-)

[Harters]

Pear/rocket/cheese makes a great light lunch - or a quite elegant starter, IMO. Drizzle of olive oil, squeeze of lemon. Done!

Cheese needs to be something salty & "punch" - feta, parmesan, a blue, for instance. I use a local Blue Cheshire that has a good texture.

[LindaWhit]

The only cheese in-house with "punch" is Parm-Reg. The goat cheese is slightly tangy, and I need to use it up, so that's just going to have to work for this time. :-)

[Harters]

Another very vernal dinner at Harters Hall this evening.

To start - pea, spring onion and mint soup - served with Parmesan tuiles (I've never made tuiles before and they look very posh)

To follow - roast shoulder of lamb, roast tatties, asparagus, purple sprouting brocolli, gravy, mint sauce.

Let the feasting commence.

[mcel215]

Dinner tonight is a summer favorite, all eaten cold.

Sliced chicken, beef steak tomatoes, potato salad and corn on the cob.

Here's a picture of my farm stand tomatoes, just after I washed them........ yum!

[ChristinaMason]

beauties!

[bushwickgirl]

A very nice summer meal. Do you eat the corn on the cob cold too? When we have leftover corn on the cob, I eat it cold, with just a sprinkle of salt and some ancho chili powder. We don't have leftover corn very often, though...

[mcel215]

I eat cold corn on the cob for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in the summertime.
We are so deprived here in the Northeast, that corn and garden tomatoes are are like a gift from the Gods. ;)
I'll have to try the ancho chili powder, thanks.

[jenscats5]

Left work early (whoo!) so went to the grocery store to pick up items to make this weekend delicious (recipes/ideas from here of course!) and wanted some leftovers of sorts to pull double duty....

So decided dinner tonite would be of sorts an antipasto plate - parmesan sliced thin, some fontina, sopresetto (sp?), salami, buttery crackers and red grapes. Oh and wine!!

[krisrishere]

A big Greek salad with lots of feta, kalamata olives, and peperoncini. Dressing was a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. It hit the spot!

[rabaja]

Braised chicken with roasted fennel, meyer lemon and olives. Sides will be fresh garbanzos with chiles and couscous.
Headed north to celebrate the long weekend in the country. Just found out cherry picking is planned for Sunday and I am very excited for that!
Happy Memorial Day weekend everybody! Be safe and enjoy yourselves!!!

[Analisas mom]

Very thin sliced lamb grilled served with tzatziki, vine ripe tomatos and grilled onions on fresh pita. Also pan frying some breaded egg plant topped with marinara.Eating dinner outside tonight by the pool.

[JungMann]

It's one of the Quattuor Tempora, so it only seems natural to try the chive blossom tempura I saw on these boards. Sadly my chives have sprouted one sole blossom so this will have to wait until I can check out the farmer's market tomorrow. Instead this evening will be gambas al ajillo with chiles arbol, pasta with basil and tomato and a romaine salad with feta.

[breadfan]

Wienerschnitzel, Spaetzel, Asparagus, Poached Egg and Hollandaise. Baby Arugula salad with Champagne/Shallot vinaigrette and a Chocolate Meringue Cake with a peanut butter mousse and milk chocolate glaze....... My lovely wife's birthday wishes

[Cherylptw]

YUM on the cake!

[bushwickgirl]

Sounds sort of like a take off on the Funny Bones you like (and me, too!)

[Cherylptw]

I was thinking the same thing..great minds think alike :-)

[Peachie]

Yum, I'm heading to your house for the schnitzel and spaetzle. I'm guessing she's german?

[ChristinaMason]

I made this chicken, mushroom, and artichoke dish: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,168,1...

It was great with a few modifications. The butter I browned the chicken (thighs and legs) in burned, so I discarded that, cleaned the pot, melted a few tablespoons more and browned button and chanterelle mushroooms. I made my own veggie broth and added a pinch of saffron and some garlic granules, since I had those on hand. When it was just about done, I re-crisped the chicken under the broiler (also reducing the sauce) and served the whole delicious mess over egg noodles. Wish I had fresh parsley, but it was still really delicious, and a great way to christen the new (waaaaaaaaay smaller) kitchen.

[chef chicklet]

I've made this before, and it was really terrific. I make it still I just don't' follow the reciper per se. I also have used brown rice, and or capellini, or angel hair. Fresh Italian parsley is wonderful for the finish as is a little lemon and capers. I used the last of my saffron and I need to find a supplier with a decent price. My family loves this dish. I think I used this exact recipe to start from too. I like your idea to recrisp the chicken, bet that was exceptional.

[bushwickgirl]

That dish sounds really good, Christina, gonna try that soon; no chanterelles though; a bit too pricy here for me.

Tonight... penne, white beans, garlic, onion, Italian sausage and spinach, dressed with olive oil and crushed red pepper, although it seems like I just made this recently. I have 6 lbs of "gifted" Great Northern beans to use up soon, woof.

Tomorrow, white bean hummus with homemade pitas and assorted veggies.

Happy holidy weekend, everyone! Eat, drink , be merry and drive safely!

[ChristinaMason]

forgot I tossed in some bay leaves, too. fortunately, this is a very adaptable recipe.

[wineos]

White chicken chili topped with corn chips, scallions and pepper Jack cheese.

[JungMann]

Guacamole tuna salad. A friend taught me to use avocados instead of mayonnaise for a healthier tuna salad. I added a little sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, minced onions, chiles arbol and diced tomatoes and served it atop mesclun with pepper jack cheese. Dessert was the last of my Christmas eggnog, now just about 6 months old and finally beginning to thicken into a creamy nog. I suppose I'll have to start the next batch now if I want it to be the same consistency by the holidays.

[bushwickgirl]

I'm quite curious about your eggnog; your description is not how I understand eggnog to behave; was it preserved in some manner? Could you please elucidate?

[JungMann]

It's a standard recipe of egg yolks, sugar and cream beaten with several liquors and then folded into egg whites. I store them in sterilized bottles in the back of the refrigerator, which I have been dipping into since January or February. The liquid is not uniform; the top is distinctly thicker, almost coagulated. I imagine had I left the bottle untouched a while longer, the same reaction might have completed itself in the mixture.
http://www.chow.com/stories/10224

[bushwickgirl]

Very interesting, thank you. I'll keep the link for future reference.

[Phurstluv]

Wow, I'm sooooo glad my DH does not read Chowhound!! He would prolly have me making up something like that, he ADORES egg nog, and even without my little dairy allergy, I wouldn't make it or drink it like he does. Thankfully the stores out here only have it out at Xmas time, or he would be having me make it once a month!!

[LindaWhit]

Talk about a change in the weather - it got downright COOL last night after two days of heat and humidity. Today (and through the Mem Day weekend) will be gorgeous.

LONG day at work today as I went into work very early in anticipation of taking tomorrow off - yup - the new dryer is being delivered "some time between 8:30am and 12:30pm) - since it's the day before a long holiday weekend, our company tends to let people out around 3pm, so I'm just taking the entire day off - YAY! :-)

Tonight's dinner is a super-easy one - Garlic & Maple-Roasted Chicken and Potatoes. Steamed green beans alongside.

[chef chicklet]

Well officially it doesn't count as dinner tonight, but I do have a lovely pork roast that is marinating in hoisin, ginger, sherry, scallions, garlic, sesame oil, sugar, dark soy sauce and red food coloring. When its good a saucey, I'll roast it in the oven and freeze some for later to make fried rice, and the rest for eating with hot mustard and sesame seeds and to make bbq pork buns (char siu.). Tomorrow is appetizer Friday, so this will help with a few of the appetizers.

I consider this is one of those foods that I consider ways to help you save money. The pork works in several dishes, the cost was a little over $6.

[rabaja]

On a lark, I picked up a veal chop yesterday (happy veal) and now I must think of what to do with it.
It is coolish and rainy today, so the oven must go on at some point.
Pan roasted with madeira and mushrooms perhaps?
I will likely go through some favorite cookbooks later this afternoon.
I am really excited about breaking out my Anson Mills artisanale cornmeal to go with. I've been soo good with bulgur, quinoa and brown rice these last couple of months. It is time!
Anyone have a favorite prep for veal chops?
...my kitten chewed off my Y key on my computer...very frustrating..._=y maybe?

[bushwickgirl]

"my kitten chewed off my Y key on my computer"

Oops, I live in fear of that happening, although my cats are mostly grown now. Alt 121 will give you y and alt 89 for the cap version. Pan roasted chop with mushrooms and madeira is a great way to do your veal. A little thyme or rosemary, a little heavy cream (or not) and you're all set. Good with bulgur.

Taking the day off from cooking; well, not totally, I cooked off some white beans for hummus and something else tomorrow, making pitas tomorrow as well. Excellent cool weather today. I really should have done some more baking.

Tonight, Spanish take out, beef stew for mrbushy and pork chops with tomato-olive sauce for me, rice, beans and tostones for all.

[Cherylptw]

I'm doing veal chops with mushrooms tomorrow; I picked up meat yesterday at the store. Thanks for the idea...and by the way, your take out makes me homesick!

[buttertart]

Last night was the first dinner (first anything, really) I cooked in the new place. We have a lot of condiments etc still at the old place, and hadn't shopped for much of anything fresh, but managed fried very good pork chops (from the local butcher, whose shop is closing this week!) with bulgur cooked with chicken broth (Maggi cube) and onion, and chickpea salad with red onion and chopped pickled jalapenos. Sliced tomatoes. Not much really but nice to be self-provisioning again.

[GTrane]

With sympathies to all those melting, caught in the rain and cool it's pork shoulder braised in red wine, tomatoes, capers, and Kalamatas. When good and hot though, it's time to sear skin side down (or B-B-Q) a few boneless chicken breasts, slice and add to a salad of arugula and watercress, a few golden beets (boiled, peeled, and allowed to cool), along with a dressing of extra virgin, lime juice (lemon will do), tarragon, pinch of salt, and Dijon. Sneak into the greens a few slices of late season orange, and open a bottle of light white (a Sancerre... maybe even a crisp rosé). When it hit's 105 degrees near Cognac, it's really helps. (chez-gautier.com)

[krisrishere]

I had a light lunch today of pesto pizza and a fresh peach. Tonight's dinner will be with my fellow Chowhounds at The Pub, no, not a pub...THE Pub. I've already set my sights on the "authentic" fish and chips, but that's TBD.

[Harters]

Now I always say to folk asking about fish & chips in the UK - never have it in a pub. Ever. It is never "right".

There's a single exeption to this universal truth. And that's if the pub is (a) within sight of the sea and (b) has a reputation for fish & chips. :-)

[krisrishere]

This "pub" has "A" going for it...not sure about "B". Would it be better to eat the Bangers and Mash or maybe the Shepherd's Pie?

[Harters]

Nah. Stick with the F & C. - here's the test - crisp batter, cod or haddock (flaking nicely, not overcooked), chips fatter than American fries, mushy peas on the side, malt vinegar to drench everything with. For perfect, you then also need cheap white sliced supermarket bread - so you can make a chip butty (sandwich). Heaven.

I hate Shepherd's & Cottage Pie ('tis just "slop on a plate" as Mrs H describes it) . And for the sausages to work, they'd have to be genuine British - foreigners can't make a decent Brit sausage - won't be "right" otherwise.

[Harters]

We need a quick and early dinner tonight - as Mrs H is going "out on the town" with ex-colleagues. Taking up Kris' lead, we're having fish & chips. Both frozen "oven cook" variety - so probably not as good as Kris had at the pub.

[krisrishere]

The fish and chips I had actually fit your bill to a "T"! It was a large piece of fresh haddock with a thin, yet crispy batter. The fish was cooked perfectly - moist and flaky. The chips were thick and were especially good dipped in their homemade tarter sauce. And yes, I was very liberal with the malt vinegar. :)

[Harters]

Excellent. In the south of England, cod is the usual fish but in most parts of the north it's haddock. I say "most parts" as in our metro area, it's cod. But I'm definitely a haddock man when I can get it.

[buttertart]

Interesting because it was haddock in the one local F&C place I grew up with, in SW Ontario. No one had cod or even thought about it until the (late and thoroughly unlamented) H. Salt chain put a store kitty corner across the street.

[Harters]

The chippy in the village is under new ownership. So I went to try it. No mention of cod or haddock just "fish". So I asked what sort. "Dunno, it's white fish", was the reply.

I tried it anyway. And, in spite of being freshly cooked, the batter was soggy with oil, the fish overcooked so it was mush and tasteless, the chips had a peculiar taste & texture, and the mushy peas were more liquid than mushy.

I havnt been back.

[buttertart]

Yuck. Not much worse than bad F&C.

[boyzoma]

I was in London a while back and was really surprised at the size of the fish they serve. Really large pieces compared to what they serve here. And if I remember, it was quite good. Kind of missing it now that I am reading these posts!

[Harters]

To keep this on the Home Cooking track........if you were to ask me if I ever cook "proper" fish & chips at home, then I'd tell you that I didnt. I'd say it's a skill to get it right - making the right batter, prepping the fish, getting the temperatures right, etc. That's why virtually all the F &C that folk eat at home will have been bought from the chip shop (chippy).

Most are not too good. Some, like the one in the village, are awful. Some are really, really good. We have one of the latter about 5 miles away - one of three regional finalists in the national chip shop of the year competition. It's fab - but just too far away for the food to stay hot getting home.

[buttertart]

We were gratified to find this weekend that the "Irish pub" in our new town has absolutely great f&c - what a thrill. Fish moist, batter crisp, chips are a bit too crisp (from frozen) but oh that fish, as good as my former boss from Bradford used to make. Or better.

[Cherylptw]

The heat is 90 degrees with humidity so not too much cooking today. I've sliced off some country ham which has been in the fridge soaking for two days. I'll fry that up later and serve with deviled egg salad in lettuce wraps. I have some asparagus that needs cooking it'll be pan sauteed simply with non stick cooking spray, s & p, and drizzle with remaining roasted onion curry sauce over the top.

I'm making iced coconut coffee to quench the thirst.

[mariacarmen]

Been busy with parent issues, and BF has been taking up the cooking slack, providing me with point-frendly (WW) yummy meals (gained a few of my hard-lost lbs back - wah!) so haven't been cooking lately. Tonight defrosting pseudo posole and adding a romaine/radish salad. (Posole - especially my version which was made with stock from boiling pork shoulder for carnitas for 6 hours - is vehemently not pt. friendly, but then it's all about portion control!)

[roxlet]

Too hot in Cairo today to light the oven, so I am making a chicken and broccoli stir fry with garlic, hot peppers and ginger. The rice you get in Egypt looks a lot like Asian rice -- it is short-grained and quite sticky.

[Harters]

Upcoming - a mega mezze.

Most of it coming straight out of the fridge - olives, hummus, torshi, Cypriot pickled peppers, some bought couscous with "stuff" in it, some bought foul medames. leaf salad.

And for something hot, I've some lamb mince (New Zealand of all places - why the **** we import lamb from halfway round the world when excellent stuff grows in the three adjacent counties....rant ends.....)

This is going to get fried with some garlic, cumin and dried coriander. Some finely chopped tomato gets added for a couple of minutes. It gets scattered across some khobez flatbread, along with a little z'atar. Goes under the grill for a couple of minutes to crisp the bread. Served with a scattering of chopped fresh coriander and parsley and a blob or two of yoghurt.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Temporarily on a liquid diet---doc's orders---so made a cream of carrot soup, served with a few cubes of fontina stirred into each bowl. Topped with some minced chives and chive blossoms, fresh from the porch. Also reheated some rosemary/white pepper pork tenderloin and put it on top of la ratte mashed potatoes so the gf could have something more substantial.

[JungMann]

A very tall glass of iced rosewater lemonade to beat this heat and humidity and to go along with my turkey torta burgers. If avocados, pickled jalapenos, pepper jack cheese and sour cream can't make a turkey burger taste good, nothing can.

[Phurstluv]

You speak the truth, J-Mann. I was planning turkey burgers for tomorrow's dinner, I like your spin.

[Cherylptw]

That lemonade sounds delicious! Do you make it or is it premade? Recipe please if you have one. Burgers sound good too; I have ground turkey in the freezer and will probably do some over the weekend.

Tonight is the remnants of the roast chicken. It was too hot & I was tired from yard work to make anything new so the chicken topped a garden salad with lettuce, tomato, scallions, cukes, avocado & feta and that was dinner. Tomorrow, something different.

[JungMann]

The lemonade is little more than half sugar-free lemonade, half soda water and rosewater to taste. I'd reckon it's about 1/2 tsp. for a highball -- just enough to follow up the leading lemon flavor with an unidentifiable something curious lingering on your tongue.

[LindaWhit]

Oh thank you! I bought a bottle of rose water awhile back and still haven't used it - this will be a great summertime drink!

[Cherylptw]

Thank you..I'll seek out the rosewater; can't wait to try it!

[JungMann]

Rosewater is the easy part. I've got to scour Manhattan to find my low carb lemonade!

[appycamper]

haven't decided yet. went to the wednesday farmers' market and came home with swiss chard, kale, breakfast radishes, small turnips, english peas, free-range eggs. and chicken leg quarters and a nice piece of sirloin from my butcher.

thinking of doing a saute of all the greens with poached eggs on top and a chunk of sourdough and butter with sliced radishes and sea salt on the side.

[Phurstluv]

That sounds good, appy!

[appycamper]

thanks, phurst! amended slightly by the time it reached the plate. added campari tomatoes and subbed sardines for eggs.

[Phurstluv]

Okay, now you lost me!! ;)) But tell me when you do the sirloin.......

[appycamper]

lol. just about lost me, too! dh wanted sardines. he'd had an egg for breakfast and didn't want a same-day repeat. i don't love sardines unless they're fresh.

[LindaWhit]

It's still a bit hot and sticky, and I don't feel much like cooking anything from scratch (plus I hadn't taken anything out to defrost). A small container of meat sauce will be defrosted on low heat on the flame tamer, spaghetti will be made, and garlic bread will be toasted, and it will be dinner. I so decree. :-)

ETA: Looks like my regal decree isn't gonna happen. What I pulled out of the freezer was pulled pork - which I'm not in the mood for.

OK, lamb-barley stew is defrosting on the flame tamer. I'll still make garlic bread. :-/ Neither of these meals were right for a hot and sticky day (even with A/C) but I just have no desire to do anything more but defrost.

[Phurstluv]

Hot in the Bay State?? I'm almost jealous, we still haven't had much heat yet, but I know it's coming soon! Keep cool friend!!

[LindaWhit]

Yup - Worcester broke temp records today - I think they got up to 96? Boston area wasn't quite that bad, but enough to need A/C! I think it's cooling down overnight and will be more seasonable throughout the Memorial Day weekend, thankfully!

[Phurstluv]

Hope so, for your sake!! My sisters & cousins in your area (CT, RI & NH) all complained of the sudden heat wave, can't say I blame you....it so much worse when you factor in the humidity. And with the brutal spring y'all had.... now you're in the middle of summer!!

[bushwickgirl]

boyzoma, you and Cheryl are always on top of this 200 post mark thing!

Tonight in the baked apple (we hit 92° today) last night's chili morphs into Cinninati three way on spaghetti, beans, onions and shredded cheddar. Heat be damned, bring it on.

[boyzoma]

Love that Cincinnati chili thing. Have not had it in years! A friend used to make it for SuperBowl Sunday! (although they have moved back to Chicago a number of years ago - He was from Cincinnati and she was from Chicago)

You and buttertart must be in the same region. All we have is rain, rain, rain! Wanna trade places?

[Phurstluv]

But that's normal for you guys, BZ!! We've been cool too, tho sunny. Can't wait for the heat of the desert this weekend!!

[Phurstluv]

Wow, keep cool amiga!! It's always so hot, when it's in the City, phew!

[bushwickgirl]

Well, it's just a one day 3H heat event; it'll cool off tomorrow and we may have some thunderstorms later in the day. It's cooling off already tonight.

I like rainy days but not on a regular basis!

I'm about to have a nice glass of lemonade, following JungMann's lead.