What's For Dinner - we made it to Part 100! [Old]

[LindaWhit]

OR, as mariacarmen said in the last thread - the WTF thread! ;-)


I cannot recall when these threads started (and unfortunately, so many early ones have been removed), but we've made it to "What's on your dinner table, Part 100!" Woo hoo! ;-)

There have been lots of wonderful meals shared amongst friends and families (both real and our Chowhound families!), and I'm sure there will be lots more as these WFD threads continue.

So - what's cooking this gorgeous (at least in New England!) summertime day? (ETA: And I hope those of you in the blast furnace of the south and southwest get a break from the heat very soon!)

[onceadaylily]

Are we still here? No, we're not. New thread here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/800870

WTF 101

[inaplasticcup]

We decided to give the monsters a break from one another, so while the girlchild is hanging with her dad, the boychild is hanging with us and decided that he *MUST* have roast chicken with gravy.

So he helped me make roast chicken, gravy from the pan drippings, a spring greens and tomato salad with Balsamic vinaigrette (which he practically drinks - I shudder to think of the dental issues...), and oven roasted corn with a teeny bit of oil, salt and sugar rubbed in.

The Man's homebrewed barley wine on the side, which paired beautifully with dinner.

[ChristinaMason]

A bag of corn I picked has been staring meaningfully at me from the fridge this past week, so I decided to make good on my promise to use it.

I made a corn and shrimp soup inspired by shrimp and grits. Borrowing a technique from mamachef, I scraped and roasted the cobs before adding them to a big pot of homemade chicken stock seasoned with bay and fresh thyme. Separately, I cooked onion, shallot, and a little celery until soft, then added the kernels from 8 or so ears of corn and pureed. Meanwhile, I heated butter in a large skillet and seared some brined shrimp seasoned with a little Old Bay, garlic, hot pepper flakes, celery seed, and freshly minced shallot. I removed the shrimp and made a pan sauce by sauteeing a tsp. of tomato paste and deglazing w/ dry sherry and chicken broth. Whisked in a few pats of butter and a squeeze of lemon juice, and returned the shrimp to the pan to coat.

I served the corn soup topped with a few saucy shrimp, a scattering of homemade cornbread croutons, a few Tbsp. of raw corn kernels, and some sliced scallions.

Dessert is an Evan Williams and Carpano Antiqua manhattan on the rocks.

[Matahari22]

Oh man! That corn soup with shrimp sounds amazing. I am going to steal some corn from my friend's field tomorrow and make a spin on that, but with scallops. Mmmmmmmmmm.

[ChristinaMason]

You're lucky to have a field nearby to borrow from. I bet this soup would be very good with scallops, too. Just be careful not to overcook the delicate seafood :) (Truth be told, I'm a little worried leftovers won't reheat very well for my DH).

[Matahari22]

Well, I live in the middle of no where so, I'm surrounded by fields, most of it is field corn though. ;-)

I only sear my scallops for two minutes on each side, and never make more than my one serving. Certain things just don't work for me left over. ;-)

[linguafood]

LOVE, love, love fresh corn. I'ma try not to OD on that stuff this summer, but it's so good. And the seafood/shellfish combo sounds fantastic.

Sichuan dinnner out tonight, followed by poker. So no cooking esta noche.

[inaplasticcup]

It must be unsettling to have your produce staring at you with all those beady little kernels...

[onceadaylily]

I am stealing this. All this talk of shrimp grits has me craving it, but this soup sounds too beautiful to pass up. As is the dessert.

[Matahari22]

Tonights dinner was inspired from a dish that Breadcrumbs did a couple days ago. I cooked some bacon and onion til brown and yummy, with diced zucchini, fresh tomato, basil and cream. Tossed with DeBoles Corn Pasta.

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...

[LindaWhit]

That looks wonderful!

[Matahari22]

Thanks, it was pretty wonderful- I hadn't eaten bacon in over two years. It was everything I remembered and more. I think it still smells like bacon and onion in here. I'm not complaining. Lol

[mariacarmen]

two years??? i don't think i've gone two weeks! my god woman, make up for lost time! ( :

[steve h.]

Yucatecan black bean dinner.
We cribbed this recipe from Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill: pork shoulder bits, habenero-inspired sauce, rice, beans, much more.
Deb is doing all the heavy lifting. It's been a few days in the making.
I'll wash dishes, open wine, maybe make drinks. The second-place Yanks will be on the panel. Yeah, this is a stand-up supper.

[Rocky74]

That sounds really interesting.

I imagine the wine opening is very much appreciated!

[steve h.]

gotta go with your strengths.

[crowmuncher]

sounds awesome; i will add espazote to my black beans when i want that yucatan flavor; and if i add bay leaf it tastes Cuban to me. Back when i had my dvr, I used to record Mex One Plate at a Time and pretend I was eating my way through Mexico :)

[onceadaylily]

" . . . much more." That made me smile. ;)

I've been looking to Bayless quite a bit lately. He has a decent (though kinda scant) website with some recipes that have been helpful.

[LindaWhit]

I'm going to thin-slice the rest of the sirloin steak tip and pile it on a French baguette with some roasted red peppers and mascarpone cheese (it's the only soft cheese I have other than American cheese) with a healthy sprinkle of Aleppo pepper. Oh - and a few leaves of romaine lettuce.

Onto the grill pan to be pressed and grilled into submission. The "sides" will be blue corn tortilla chips and with some Newman's Own peach salsa. Yes, it's an odd dinner. But hey - it cleans out the fridge. :-)

[onceadaylily]

It doesn't sound odd to me at all. A sandwich of roasted red pepper and mascarpone on a chewy bread makes me regret my boring grilled muenster last night. I couldn't find aleppo at my market though. Irritating.

[LindaWhit]

I get mine from Penzeys.com.

[onceadaylily]

I had a feeling. :) We're due for a trip to Spice House soon for a few things.

[LindaWhit]

Add it to your list. :-) And I need to start a "what do I *really* need at Penzey's?" list as well - Aleppo pepper being one of them!

[onceadaylily]

I've had Sunny Paris cravings lately.

[JungMann]

You're in Evanston, are you not? You should be able to find Aleppo pepper at the grocery stores around Kedzie and Lawrence, which isn't too much of a trek. Might as well pick up some sumac as well while you're out there.

[onceadaylily]

We always say we're going to Supermercado, but then get sidetracked. The JD Mills on Chicago Ave has a small-but-decent selection of bulk spices that I wanted to visit again soon, and I'm hopeful--and I have to go there anyway for curry paste and vegetarian BTB. But I'm grateful for the reminder, JM. Rogers Park is within walking distance, I don't know why I get so myopic.

[linguafood]

Well, the farmer's market's offerings were rather boring, so dinner will be as follows:

- zucchini carpaccio with fresh mint, feta & toasted pine nuts, splooshed with a bit of olive oil & even less white wine vinegar

and

- tuna ceviche with avocado, alphonso mango, red onion, tomato, lime juice, cilantro, maybe a dash of fish sauce.

That'll be it. Our stomachs need a break.

[inaplasticcup]

I would like my stomach to take a break with some of your ceviche, please.

[linguafood]

Both came out really nice, tho I was mightily pissed off that I had to basically throw away a quarter or such of the tuna b/c that part was just silver skin.... it's not cheap, so that sucked.

I added a bit of sesame oil to the ceviche, too, which gave it a nice nutty flavor.

And the zucchini carpaccio... man, I gotta make that more often. So easy with a mandoline, and fresh & summery. Yumboski.

[inaplasticcup]

That's caca about the tuna. :(

[Chocolatechipkt]

I'm on vacation and haven't done much in the way of dinner prep lately. That does not mean, however, that we haven't been eating well (and not in restaurants.)

Friday: steamed lobsters for the crowd, with fresh corn, a big salad and blueberry pie for dessert.
Saturday: roasted salmon, sloooww cooked ribs, various salads, and a lemon cake I made for dessert.
Sunday: leftovers ... very tasty ones
Monday: huge lobster rolls, stuffed zucchini, carrots
Still not sure about tonight ...

[steve h.]

Sounds great. Some people really "get" summer.

[GretchenS]

Wow, way to eat on vacation, nice!

[LindaWhit]

Superb vacation eating, Choc!

[GretchenS]

Spent all day making dinner for a big family up the street with a newborn and no sleep: ribs, potato salad, coleslaw, sesame noodles with peapods, black bean, corn and tomato salad, biscuits, watermelon slices and (cheat) a big all-chocolate Boston Cream Pie from a good artisanal bakery in town. I think it all came out pretty good, should kep them fed a couple of days. Once I delivered it and cleaned up the mess, was not interested in eating the two ribs I saved for myself, so it was a cross-cultural tapas/mezze sort of plate: couple of stuffed grapeleaves, couple of piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese, some taramasalata on crackers, a few olives. G&T with extra lime. Red Sox on the box. Tonight will be those two ribs, some potato salad, some sauteed kale, more Red Sox. Happy Tuesday everyone!

[L.Nightshade]

Lucky neighbors to have you, sounds like you really put a lot of effort into their meal.
Your mezze dinner sounds pretty good to me!

[shecrab]

If I lived on your street I might have a baby just to get those meals.

[GretchenS]

You and LN are nice, considering we all know how splendidly everyone in your respective households eats on a daily basis! It was a pleasure to make it for them, they are good folks, 5 of their 6 -- no wait, it's now 6 out of their 7 kids are adopted, you've never seen a happier family or nicer kids, and she (Mom) hates to cook, I can't imagine the drudgery of cooking for so many when you hate it.

[ChristinaMason]

very nice!

[inaplasticcup]

You're a nice neighbor, Gretchen. Wanna move next door? :D

[Rocky74]

It's our wedding anniversary today so indulgent dinner. Saku tuna ceviche asian style that I am making. The boy is making mahi ceviche. Have a large pile of shrimp too. Having that with mango and avocado salsa with mango from the garden, and some baked tortillas - ie like melba toast. Yum! The boy always me a bottle of pink fizz of some sort!

[LindaWhit]

A very happy anniversary to you and Mr. Rocky!

[Rocky74]

Thank you so much!

[inaplasticcup]

Happy Anniversary, Rocky! What all's going in them ceviches??? :)))

[Rocky74]

'mine' is coconut milk, finely grated ginger, lime juice, chopped coriander, a tiny bit of red chili and a splash each of fish sauce and soy sauce. Sounds 'busy' but it works. By the time you put all that together there is too much so I give it a mix and just drizzle a bit in the tuna - and only shortly before we want to eat it.

The mahi mahi has diced shallot, lemon, cayenne, chopped chives and is mixed with a bit of diced avocado.

I know in theory the two don't go but we love raw fish and feel inclined to indulge ourselves when it is only us eating it

Yes - brut rose - love the stuff!

[JungMann]

I've never had a ceviche with coconut milk before. The combination of ingredients you mention sounds remarkably similar to kilawin, which is similar to ceviche, though the curing agent is more often tropical vinegar instead of citrus.

[GretchenS]

Those both sound fabulously delicious, happy anniversary, what a way to celebrate!

[inaplasticcup]

I've had something like *yours*, and it was FABYOOLUSSSSS... <drools...>

[steve h.]

Happy anniversary. The ceviche sounds great. The pink fizz (brut rose?) sounds perfect.

[shecrab]

Happy happy day to you. That's so wonderfully romantic to make dinner together instead of going out. Much more intimate and meaningful.

[steve h.]

Music! Don't forget some background sounds on the box. Who knows, there could even be a spontaneous outbreak of slow dancing.

[Rocky74]

He is always in charge of music and it is safe to say that it is extremely unlikely to be the slow dancing variety - but I might try anyway - if only for the look on his face!

[linguafood]

After murderously hot Thai food last night (dining out), we need to give our insides a break.... I think I'll throw together a few little things -- have some leftover zukes I could turn into a zucchini carpaccio with mint, feta & toasted pine nuts, maybe add a caprese and/or a ceviche (inspired by Jungmann)... farmer's market today, so we'll see what happens, Larry.

[JungMann]

Inspired by you, I think I'm going to use the last slice of bread I have to make Strammer Max for dinner. Perhaps there'll be a Turkish take on it by using brown butter with Aleppo pepper and dill along with my chives.

[linguafood]

Always taking it to the next level, JM..... juten Hunger! '-)

[JungMann]

The farmer's market is yielding my favorite vegetables finally. There were beautiful black beauty eggplants and tons of summer squash on offer, and though I wanted some kousa squash for stuffing, I opted instead to go with Sicilian squash, red peppers and the eggplants to make vegetable escabeche. Fish escabeche is arguably more famous and popular, but vegetable escabeche is just the thing for the hot tail-end of summer (not to mention cold winter nights when a taste of August is a gustatory vacation). It starts off by lightly poaching the sliced vegetables with aromatics to cook them slightly before shocking them. Next the vegetables get dredged in flour seasoned with sea salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, oregano, smoked paprika and Aleppo pepper before frying until golden in hot olive oil. Once all the sliced vegetables are cooked through, you use the remaining olive oil to lightly cook a few cloves of garlic and brown some bay leaves. Puree them with a cup of the poaching broth and a scant cup of white vine vinegar and heat until just simmering. At this point all you need to do is cover the vegetables with the brine, but I like to add a sweet element beforehand: sugar, honey, pomegranate molasses, just something to highlight the sweetness of late summer vegetables. If eating the same day, serve in brine at room temperature, otherwise jar and process, perhaps with a preserved lemon slice to add even more interest.

To round out the meal I accompanied my escabeche with a quesadilla of sorts made from roasted red peppers, melted goat cheese and boquerones. If I hadn't run out of crusty bread, I think I would much rather have prefered that.

[shecrab]

The tail ends of tropical storms and hurricanes are rousting up some big shrimp here.If you throw a net into any inlet you come home with dinner for a crowd. Shrimp scampi tonight with a caprese salad, mushroom risotto, and a blackberry-raspberry-peach cobbler. I'm up to my ears in 2 inch long blackberries and 3 of my cows were struck by lightning last night :( The only one left is my little birth defect one. He is only alive because the other ones always shunned him and wouldn't let him stand under the same tree they were all under. That's Monday for ya. Have to go call for a backhoe. Have a great Tuesday bonnes amies~

[LindaWhit]

OMGoodness! I'm *so* sorry for the loss of your cows! :-(

[TheHuntress]

Oh no! I was so excited by your shrimp and then got sad for your cows. I hope the one you have left pulls through ok.

[mariacarmen]

oh, sadness! what a monday ... i certainly hope your week only looks up from here. and thank goodness for the little bd cow!

[inaplasticcup]

Yikes, shecrab. I'm sorry about your cows. :(

Hope your Tuesdays' better.

[GretchenS]

So sorry about your cows shecrab. :(

[L.Nightshade]

So sorry about your cows, what an unfortunate occurrence.
You are certainly pulling together a lovely sounding meal after such a miserable event!

[shecrab]

Thank you all so much. No one around here thinks a sane adult woman should have cows as pets so there's not a lot of sympathy to be had. I'm not going to replace them but I will miss them. You're all so sweet.

[onceadaylily]

Oh, shecrab, how awful. I mean, your dinner sounds amazing, but . . . poor cows. "That's Monday for ya". You have fortitude aplenty, lady!

And you just reminded me that the boyfriend *just* asked me to make a blueberry peach cobbler last night.

[Klary]

I have a little dinner party planned for today.. nothing too complicated cause it's midweek - not to mention the fact I spent too much time at the pub last night and can't face a lot of kitchen time ;)
Zucchini-basil soup from Anna Thomas' Love Soup, pork patties with thyme and lemon, slow roasted cherry tomaties, cheesy cornbread with fresh corn, roasted broccoli, and Eton Mess to finish because my friend really likes meringue.

[LindaWhit]

Klary - the pork patties with thyme and lemon - are they like ground pork burgers?

[Klary]

maybe more like flat meatballs, with egg and breadcrumbs mixed in.

[TheHuntress]

Yay for number 100! Its been a few threads since I posted, but I cannot miss posting on number 100. So with today being the Chowpups 7th birthday it's party time! Aaaaannndddd, being that in my own circle of friends I am one of the only people who has a small child, it has been requested that we use it as an excuse to have kiddies party food like we used to have when we were growing up. Nostalgia is happening with chocolate crackles, those honey cornflake things, cupcakes, fairy bread, little red franfurts, party pies, sausage rolls and all that kind of good stuff. I don't know who's more excited, the Chowpup or my friends :)

[onceadaylily]

Happy birthday to chowpup! And, oh god, I love the sound of that party. What great friends you have. Enjoy. And, oh god, sausage rolls. I loved those!

[LindaWhit]

Happy birthday to the Pup, and I hope your friends all enjoy the kid food party! :-)

[TheHuntress]

Aw, thanks guys! The pup had a ball, as did all us grown-ups. Sometimes a little kiddie spirit is good for the soul :) Though admittedly fairy bread is so much better when for display purposes only.

[steve h.]

Frozen pizza from Chicago!
I'm trying a Lou Malnati's deep-dish pizza with sausage.
Should be interesting.

[onceadaylily]

No, seriously. Lou's is my favorite. We've been talking seriously about a move recently (though we lost out on the house we wanted), but we've got the bug to go. How well a long-distance Lou fares is of great interest to me. Let me know how it turns out.

[JungMann]

I moved out East about 10 years ago and discovered, at approximately the same time, that Lou's is a fine frequent flyer, so long as you pack him with some dry ice. I've only had one or two pizzas suffer on the journey (although I've had plenty more TSA agents stop me at the gate and stare at me in amazement after searching my carry on).

[steve h.]

I was pleasantly surprised how the pie turned out. I added 12 minutes to the recommended baking time to insure the cheese was properly melted and the buttery crust crispy enough. Deb added a little red pepper and evoo to her slices. I didn't think it was necessary.
This experiment was a success. I'll do it again.
For the record, I had the pies (6) shipped in dry ice from Chicago (Lou's "Taste of Chicago" website). There was a sale and I jumped all over it. Shipment, if memory serves, was next-day air.

[onceadaylily]

Thanks, Steve. This is very good to know. I'm already anticipating missing this pizza ('The Lou' is a fantastic vegetarian pie). And that's a lotta pizza you have on your hands. Enjoy!

I'm pretty sure there's a pie coming to this address in my near future. You've made me hungry.

[onceadaylily]

And I bet there was a looong moment of silence as they decided whether or not they should confiscate that dangerous item, broken only by their stomachs growling.

[BabsW]

Andouille and red beans, but without the rice, as I'm still South Beaching it.

[roxlet]

Right now, the DH is hard at work on a paella. We had some clams left over from our clams in broth from the other night, so those will go in along with chicken wings and chicken chorizos. We have Egyptians in the house, so we are eschewing pork in all things.

[L.Nightshade]

Conflicting schedules and separate out-of-town commitments has left us to our own devices the last couple of days. I've enjoyed my one-dish quickies that Mr. NS doesn't consider "real meals." Last night it was udon noodles with tofu, bok choy, chiles, garlic, and toasted sesame oil. Tonight, a Cobb-like salad.

[suburban_mom]

Grilled chicken thighs glazed with honey and cider vinegar. Quinoa salad with peaches. Wish me luck because I've never made quinoa before.

[Klary]

I love quinoa and use it a lot.. if you have left over cooked quinoa I can really recommend mixing it with some eggs and breadcrumbs and cheese, and frying up little patties.. very good!

[crowmuncher]

i'm interested. i have a bag of quinoa ,unopened. don't have much experience with it. i bought it as a new staple since i was looking for variety. it would have never occurred to me to mix it with eggs/bc/cheese and making patties. I'll definitely have to try that :)

[painperdu]

Summer simple special for Monday-back-from-the-cottage...BLTs with sourdough toast, freshest tomatoes and basil mayo. Oh, and a beer.

[onceadaylily]

We have to run to the market tonight, so I have to whip something up today that can be reheated when we get back, as we'll be meeting the after-work Monday rush head on, and likely will be a bit aged by the time we make it out of there. I stumbled on this scallion soup recipe from Saveur: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes...

I'm living with a man who has limited tolerance for smooth soups though, so I have to make it chunky. I'll make the soup as dictated, but was thinking of roasting a mixture of carrots, onions, a few extra potatoes, and grape tomatoes, then introducing them to the finished puree. I'll pick up spinach for salads (or maybe wilt the greens in the soup?), and some type of bread to go with. If I make grilled cheese, he won't complain that the soup isn't 'clear broth' (which is his favorite). Cheese is his opium.

[roxlet]

Last night was a delicious marinated leg of lamb on the grill. What made it so delicious is that my husband, who has become quite a good butcher, has given up on the usual "butterflying" of the leg, and instead, seams out the individual muscles of the leg and grills them individually. This results in perfectly done lamb without the usual dry or raw bits you get with a butterflied leg of lamb. We started with a caesar salad, and had everything-bagel potatoes as an accompaniment to the lamb.

[linguafood]

What did you use as a marinade? My chops last night were disappointing. A) they were too lean to have much flavor and B) a half hour marinade did pretty much nothing. Meh.

[roxlet]

I'm not sure what my husband used to marinate the lamb, but if you were doing pork chops, I think I'd opt for a brine over a marinade.

[rabaja]

Last night was pork sliced thin, and seared briefly with just salt and pepper. The saute of porcini, romano beans and onion livened it up a bit. Had it over rice, very comforting.

Tonight I am back from a catering gig. After a day of tasting, tasting, tasting, all I can face is some chicken broth with farro, sliced cherry tomatoes and a poached egg. I may add a teaspoon of pesto at the end.
A hot shower and some tequila are helping me forget I worked all weekend. Date night tomorrow should help too.

[MAH]

shrimp and grits with andouille, steamed green beans with curry salt on the side.

[tzurriz]

mmmm, that sounds delicious!

[twodales]

Let's see, lately I've ventured into Moroccan, Swedish and now Cuban cuisine. Cuban pork chops," Moors & Christians" and asparagus. A medley of peaches and raspberries for afters...maybe with a splash of peach schnaaps.

[noodlepoodle]

Tonight we had crispy panko oven-fried flounder, buttered orzo garnished with feta and a shaved zucchini salad with cherry tomatoes and a mustard vinegarette. I wanted to add some of my garden cilantro, but the resident woodchuck ate every last bit. Thank God he left the basil.

[inaplasticcup]

Maybe he's a Mexican woodchuck. You should call him Jose.

[noodlepoodle]

Ina, that's really funny. You've named him. Jose it is.

[inaplasticcup]

:oE <--- Jose.

I got that from petek when he was talking about gophers in his garden. :)))

[ChristinaMason]

I like the sound of that shaved zuke salad.

[tzurriz]

It really is amazing. My family was wary at first when I described it, but we've never had leftovers no matter how much I make, and it is now a regular at all BBQ's and summertime cookouts.

[ChristinaMason]

Do you use a vegetable peeler, mandoline, or just a knife?

[tzurriz]

I use a vegetable peeler. My knife skills aren't good enough to get ribbons and I don't like to bring down my mandoline for little jobs, because I hate washing the thing. :)

[tzurriz]

Tonight, at hubby's request, we had BLT's (or he had a BLT, the kids and I had BLAT's) and potato chips. I bought a nice crisp white wine to go with them, and then forgot to serve that, so I'll be having a cocktail in a few minutes after my kitchen gets cleaned up.

[janetofreno]

I live in the Southwest, and it isn't THAT bad....we had a lovely walk this am with sunny skies and a nice breeze...right now its probably about 100 out...but "its a dry heat" :-)

As for dinner, we had some guests over last night for bhajia (some people call them pakora; East Indian vegetable tempura, basically:-). I had made a lovely chutney from the herbs that are going crazy in my garden: a combination of basil, oregano, mint, and cilantro...with a little lime juice, garlic, sugar, salt and jalapeno to balance it out. Oh, and some dried coconut flakes too. Anyway, it was yummy with the bhajia, and very fragrant, but there is a lot of chutney left over and it won't keep long....And hubby found some nice wild-caught salmon for dinner. So we will spread the left-over chutney on the salmon and bake it. I plan to serve it with rice and a big green salad....and a nice chillled white wine. Perfect for summer!

[ChristinaMason]

I'm roasting a small pork loin that I brined, rubbed with sage and crushed fennel, and then doused with maple syrup and dry mustard. We'll have that with steamed broccoli with butter and lemon pepper and parmesan noodles (from the packet) with a little spinach thrown in. Too much else to worry about tonight to deal with an elaborate dinner.

[onceadaylily]

Okay, I'm doing it. Kimchi fried rice, with green onions, peppers, cilantro, and shredded carrot, fried eggs on top. The boy might not eat it. The smell of the kimchi made him back away. There's leftover pasta in the fridge, if he can't do it (he's agreed to having a small bite before he makes up his mind). I don't blame him for being leery, as this stuff is incredibly pungent. I'm kicking myself for not using it when it was on the fresher side of things.

And last night I decided to go a different way with the pasta, and it's a keeper. Roasted beets caramelized in a pan with garlic, caraway seeds, tarragon, and balsamic vinegar (I also added sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers) tossed with pasta. Next time I'll double the beets, though. Here's the recipe, if anyone's interested: http://foodandstyle.com/2010/12/19/ro...

Okay, gotta go scare the man. It's good for him to be scared of what I get up to every now and then, I think. ;)

[steve h.]

<Kimchi fried rice, with green onions, peppers, cilantro, and shredded carrot, fried eggs on top.>

Nice.

[onceadaylily]

Thanks! It started out rough, got nice, and then got rough again. But it was worth it.

[LindaWhit]

That is a stunningly gorgeous plate of pasta, oadl!

[onceadaylily]

Mine wasn't quite as vibrant as hers (which could have been the roasted red peppers diluting the works--I cooked them down with the beets on the stove top), but so delicious. The boyfriend asked me to keep this one in rotation. I'm thinking that, next time, I might add a few buttery toasted breadcrumbs to the pasta for texture . . . and maybe goat cheese.

[inaplasticcup]

Keep him on his toes, sister. Smart of you to have a backup plan, though! :)

[onceadaylily]

He tried a bite, and shook his head as he chewed, he kept opening his mouth and gasping for air, as if the kimchi were strangling him). As we ate, he kept wrinkling his nose, and I think he was tempted to ask me to eat in the other room. As for myself, the first few bites were a bit rough, but I found the more I ate, the more improved the flavor was. Acclimation. I was almost finished with my bowl when it was kindly pointed out to me that my hives had dropped in to say hey. I just started using a new bottle of fish sauce, and I never even thought to read the label (quite a few different types of fish in this). And, after I flopped back down on the couch, instead of giving me sympathy, the boy asked me to go brush my teeth.

So, that's that for this jar. But I had a lot of fun making this, Ina. I owe you one. The time you spent walking me through this is very much appreciated. I can make another batch if I find a sauce that relies on anchovies (I know of one, but it's considered to be the lowliest of the brands for fish sauce, which would be just my luck).

[inaplasticcup]

LMAO. I love your stories. I'm sorry it didn't work out better for you, but I've truly enjoyed reading about your (mis)adventures. :P

And the anchovy based sauce - do you mean Tiparos? I use that stuff all the time!!!

[onceadaylily]

Not tiparos. Go loooower. As in the only fish sauce you can find in a mostly white suburban big box supermarket. Next to the mustard and catsup. But it's good to know that there's another anchovy-based sauce that worth trying. The new one I had just gotten was Pufina Pastis, I think? The man and I have a friend who loves to cook, though, and I know he'll put the bottle to good use. I might even offer him the kimchi.

[GretchenS]

Oh oadl, you are so funny, I love your posts. The one upthread about what to tell the boy if you never return after sampling the kimchee had me roaring. So sorry about the hives and the distressing lack of sympathy from himself! And the fried rice sounds yummy, I would have loved it!

[onceadaylily]

Hah, thanks, Gretchen. The lack of sympathy on his part stems from a growing boredom with my whole fish drama--because I keep eating it. The boy and I are quite a pair. I keep trying to find out which fish I *can* eat, and he's lactose intolerant but still eats cheese several times a week. One of these days my throat is going to slam shut, and he'll be too doubled over with cramps to make it to the phone.

I just refuse to believe that anchovies and eel are the only sea creatures I can consume without incident.

[GretchenS]

The visuals are too much, chortling at my desk like a madwoman. Anyway, if I could only have two, those are two mighty fine ones.

[linguafood]

Pork chops marinating Greek-style -- oo, lemon, oregano, s&p, paprika, thyme, rosemary, and some fresh mint - will be thrown on the grill, hopefully it won't start raining AGAIN before we get this done.

Side is a classic Greek salad & local corn cobs, the latter of which will be nuked. Maybe Greek yogurt with walnuts & honey for dessert, or a lemon drop melon...

I guess I got in the mood for some Mediterranean fare when I saw pics a friend posted on FB of one of my fave Berlin falafel joints....

[inaplasticcup]

What's a lemon drop melon, lingua?

[linguafood]

Good question. It's a type of melon that's popped up at our local Wegmans - they have a huge variety of melons these days, and I just picked one up to see what they're like.

They were actually handing samples out at the store today.... it's kinda lemony (surprise, surprise!), but not all *that* special. Might have to throw a scoop of gelato in there.....

[inaplasticcup]

Thanks! I figured it was either some kind of novel produce or cocktail. ;)

[haiku.]

I also thought it was a drink... :)

[linguafood]

That would maybe be a melon lemon drop.... btw, didn't eat it yet. Maybe tonight...

[weezieduzzit]

I'm about to get the dough going for pizza crust. It'll be home made ricotta, fig, carmelized onion and prosciutto pizza tonight. (onions were cooked and cheese was made this morning while it was still cool.)

I also made doro wat and mesir wat for tomorrow night since they're even better the second day. All I'll have to do is add the hard cooked eggs to the doro wat when I heat it up and make the injera. Its been so much easier than making it all on one day!

[LindaWhit]

Oh.
My.
That.
Pizza.
Sounds.
PHENOMENAL!!!

[ChristinaMason]

Would love to have your recipes for the Ethiopian dishes, if you don't mind sharing?

[Matahari22]

Wow. A fig, ricotta and proscuitto pizza sounds amazing. I wish I would have thought of that when I was able to get my figs. I am writing that one down. Sounds amazing.

[weezieduzzit]

The pizza was OUTSTANDING! It was very pretty, too. I wish I could have taken a pic but we ate so late it didn't last long enough... If you do it, cook the pizza with the ricotta, figs and carmelized onions on it and then add the prosciutto and fresh herbs as soon as it comes out of the oven. That way the pizza is hot enough to take the chill off of them but they still look nice and taste fresh.

I'm sure it would be tasty with fig jam if you don't want to wait, Matahari22. :)

ChristinaMason,

They're both super easy! I don't know where the original recipe came from but I've modified it a little. After all, it is just a home made chicken stew so it's one of those things you can adjust to your personal taste.

First make the niter kibbeh:

Melt 1 pound of butter in a sauce pan on low heat. Once melted, bring it up to a boil and add:

4T chopped onion
2T finely chopped garlic
1T freshly chopped or grated ginger
1/2t turmeric
4 or 5 crushed green cardamom pods
1 piece of cinnamon or 1/2 t if using ground
2 or 3 cloves
just a tiny dash of nutmeg

as soon as it's all incorporated turn the heat down to the lowest heat you can and let it steep for about an hour. Strain it through cheese cloth or a super fine sieve and put it in a jar with a tight fitting lid. It keeps in the frige a long time if you can resist using it for other things. Its super yummy on bread, to cook veggies in, on rice, etc.

Doro Wat:

3 pounds of chicken
1/4c niter kibbeh
2 cups chopped onion
2T minced garlic
1T lemon juice
1t salt (original recipe calls for 2t, to me it's too salty)
1T fresh chopped or grated ginger
1T fenugreek (original recipe calls for half that much, I just like it)
4 or 5 crushed cardamom pods
tiny dash of nutmeg
1 c water
1/4 c dry white wine
2T paprika
berbere seasoning to taste (its a spice mix, I don't have the recipe handy, I made a large jar of it to keep on hand but I know you can Google it.)
One hard cooked egg for each person

Combine onion, garlic, lemon juice, salt, ginger, fenugreek, cardamom, nutmeg and niter kibbeh in a large skillet. Saute until the onions are transparent/ soft and then add water, wine, berbere and paprika. Simmer/ light boil for about 5 minutes and it will start to thicken a bit. Add the chicken pieces and cover tightly for 15-20 minutes depending on what kind of chicken pieces you've decided to use (less for breasts, longer for thighs or quarters and other large pieces.)

Fork the peeled eggs and tuck them down into the sauce to soak up the yummy goodness. Cook on a gentle simmer until you're sure your chicken is cooked through and the eggs are warm.

Serve with injera or rice.

Mesir Wat

1 pound red lentils
2 large onions, chopped
2T oil (original recipe calls for 1/2 c and I've found that to be totally unnecessary so adjust to your taste)
2 or 3T tomato paste
1/2- 1 t paprika
1 head of garlic
1t ground ginger
dash of ground black pepper
sprinkle of salt to taste
3 to 3 1/2 c of water (I start with 3 and add a little if its too thick.)

As the recipe stands it is vegetarian, I've used both veg stock and chicken stock in place of the water and really like the added flavor so use what you prefer.

Soak the lentils in cool water for a half hour. Rinse them thoroughly.

Saute the onions in the oil until golden, add garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add everything other than the lentils and bring to a boil. Add lentils and lower heat to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender (usually 20 to 25 minutes.)

[L.Nightshade]

I appreciate you writing out your recipes! I took an Ethiopian class but my notes (and the verbal instructions) are quite vague.
I love Ethiopian food, and it's hard to find where I live. I hesitate to make it very often, as making injera is such a big deal, and it's just not the same without it. Do you make your own?

[weezieduzzit]

No problem at all!

I usually make my own but I just went to get the injera started so it would have a few hours to sit and ferment and I don't have enough flour so I guess we're having it with rice tonight. DH is going to be sooooooooo disappointed! There aren't any Ethiopian restaurants anywhere near here so I can't go pick any up either... what a bummer!

*edit: he'll pick up flour on the way home and we'll just eat really late. You're right, it's not the same without it. :)

[ChristinaMason]

Awesome, thank you so much!

[Matahari22]

Fig jam! We are on the same page! No fresh figs yesterday. :( But...when I was buying my Brie and goat cheese I looked up and saw the fig preserves. Now if I would have just remembered the proscuitto..... Duh.

[steve h.]

Pulled pork.
The shoulder has been in the oven for some time now, sauce is quietly simmering on the stovetop. The two aromas are filling the house. Nice.
Cole slaw will top the pork on a Martin's hamburger roll. Corn on the cob , locally sourced, on the side.
Beer for me, an Italian red for Deb. Yanks/Sawx on the panel. We'll be standing up at the kitchen counter.

[crowmuncher]

So we just keep moving up threads huh...i see. I made some pretty good black bean burgers last night. Recipe at... http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/799083

I made a pasta salad I found on "favorite pasta salad" thread, but had to change a couple of things based on what I had at hand. We'll have that tonight with fish and a greens salad.
Recipe at... http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/798034

[LindaWhit]

About every 250-275 posts, someone creates a new thread and links it on the old thread (also asking the Mods to add "[old]" to the subject line of the older thread). It helps so people don't have to scroll too much to find unread posts when they start getting really long.

BTW, which pasta salad are you making? Any way you can permalink it? (In case you're not sure how to permalink, just click Permalink on the actual post, let the URL reset with the permalink, and copy that URL here.)

[crowmuncher]

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7980...

thanks for teaching me Linda- never done that. i see how that's so much easier than having to scroll through the entire thread

I made it yesterday at noon and had it for dinner. I did substitute elbow for rigatoni and sundried (used a little less) for fresh tomato and added artichokes. It came out really good and it's good to know I have tonight's dinner almost made since we didn't eat it all last night. I just have to cook up some salmon to go with it :)

[crowmuncher]

and these are the black bean burgers btw...
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7990...
i just learned to 'permalink' (thanks Linda!). I had one for breakfast as a sandwich with munster cheese/mayo/avocado and greens and I also threw in some crushed tortilla chips- inspired by that other Chow thread ;)

[LindaWhit]

crowmuncher's gonna be a permalink fiend from now on! LOL

[crowmuncher]

can't wait for an excuse to permalink ;)

[haiku.]

Tonight was chicken marinated in a sticky tomato sauce, served with grilled green beans, potato salad and cornbread.
Dessert was what I remember as a flan - a no-rise sponge base (had to improvise as I don't have a flan pan) filled with custard and topped with sliced peaches. It came out better than I expected.
Ate out last night and had something that was called a flan on the menu for dessert, but it was actually a molten chocolate cake. The other half didn't know what a flan was, so I decided to make some for tonight. On Googling, it turns out that this may be an English Flan (??); my searches just turned up a lot of recipes for creme caramel.

[crowmuncher]

ever try adding flan mix (like Goya brand) to your regular yellow cake mix? or even if you make it from scratch? that is awesome- i highly recommend it. Just add more milk (or liquid of choice) to adjust. It's like a flan-cake, sooo good! Then you can drizzle some butter/brown sugar glaze on top...

[haiku.]

Will have a look in the local stores and see if I can find anything like it. Different country, so we don't get a lot of the same stuff :)

[crowmuncher]

wow that's right, we're not always in the same country. i mention Goya only because it's the most recognized brand around my neck of the woods, but I'm sure there are better ones. I'm sure this one's full of nasty chemicals, but it will turn your ordinary cake into a flan-cake...

http://www.goya.com/english/product_s...

[inaplasticcup]

Last night was fried chicken coated in flour and some polenta for extra crunch, mashed taters for the boychild, Colby Jack mac n cheese for the girlchild and quick-pickled jalapenos for the grown folk.

[Matahari22]

Ina, looks great and like yummy comfort food to me. I've been on a comfort food kick lately.

[inaplasticcup]

Thanks, Mata. :)

[Matahari22]

Early Sunday meal. Savory little meat pies. A flakey pie crust stuffed with, cooked shaved rib eye, caramelized onions, ricotta, Mozzerella, provolone and Fontina cheeses. Sesame seeds on the top. Ate one now, have one for later.

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...

[linguafood]

That sounds really great, and I'm not too fond of meat pies. But man.... that filling....

[Matahari22]

I have always preferred savory to sweet pies. I've done it with the steak and Stilton cheese and mushrooms, which is good too. Used to make them by special request when I worked at the bakery. Those, and Cornish Pasties.

[LindaWhit]

THAT sounds wonderful, Mata!

[inaplasticcup]

It's like a cheesesteak empanada! YUMS. :)

[Rocky74]

Tonight is one of my favourite comfort foods - fish pie. I am making it with salmon, mahi mahi and smoked kippers because I couldn't get smoked haddock. Managed to get some nice flat leaf parsley which is going in too. I know already I am going to eat too much!

Thank you to everyone for such a warm welcome.

[GretchenS]

That sound so fantastic, I'd eat too much of it too!

[MIss G]

I have stew meat (beef) that I haven't decided on what do with yet. I picked up parsley, carrots, small eggplants (size of extra large eggs), and yellow onions at the farmer's market..

[JungMann]

Were it lamb stew, I would be happy to make a spicy braise in a rich tomato sauce with chopped carrots, eggplants and dashes of cinnamon, allspice and red wine to perk things up. It wouldn't be quite the same, but still rather tasty with beef.

[shecrab]

A foray into one of the freezers yesterday produced a nice venison loin that will go on the grill with a green peppercorn glaze. Spoonbread, broiled tomato halves, purple hull peas, dirty rice and succotash are the sides and I made a big ol 3 layer caramel cake for dessert. I hope one and all is having a great weekend

[GretchenS]

Shecrab, care to share your dirty rice recipe?

[shecrab]

Happy to! To feed about 8 normal people (5 at my table), you'll need to cook 2 cups of long grain rice and set it aside. Brown a pound of hot sausage til crumbly, drain it and set it aside. Cook 5 chicken wings,5 chicken gizzards, 5 chicken livers,& 5 chicken hearts in a quart of water about 30 minutes, drain (reserve about a cup of cooking liquid), take the meat off the wings and coarsely chop it with the hearts, gizzards & liver. Chop a large onion, a large green pepper, 3 stalks of celery and a handful of parsley and cook it ( I use a Dutch oven) in about 1/4 cup of butter or bacon grease til tender. Mix it all up and you got something GOOD!

[GretchenS]

I'm drooling on my keyboard just reading this -- thanks!

[vafarmwife]

Country style steak, gravy, rice with fresh half runners for us for lunch today. Cooking a beef roast and another pot of half runners with potatoes for one of the neighbors to take to them for their lunch as they had a death in the family yesterday and I don't want them to to have to think about what to fix to eat with their family coming in.

[sherriberry]

Homemade crabcakes w/ steamed asparagus and hollandaise sauce.

[ChristinaMason]

Yum! Sign me up! Do you have a favorite crabcake recipe?

[sherriberry]

Since I don't want to get my hand slapped by posting a recipe here, I'll direct you to Home Cooking. I posted a recipe on a recent thread about "need help with crabcakes". Unfortunately, I have limited technical knowledge and don't know how to link to another post.

[steve h.]

Crabcakes can be exceptional. There are two types I enjoy: the hamburger-sized Baltimore cakes and the silver dollar-sized southern New Jersey guys. I'm thinking I need to source some quality crabmeat here in Sou'west Connecticut. And real soon.

Thanks, sherriberry.

[JenJeninCT]

steve h.- Have you tried Stew Leonard's? The usually have lump crab in deli containers in the seafood dept, Fresh Market, Balducci's Fjord Fisheries and Westfair Fish(all in Westport) also usually have it.

[steve h.]

Thanks for the tip!

[ChristinaMason]

Gotcha. As I understand the rules, it's fine to post recipes if you paraphrase the directions, rather than copy them verbatim from the original author. Just FYI. We only slap hands when you put your elbows on the table ;)

[twodales]

My grandfatjer told us that we could put one elbow on the table if we had completed college and the other elbow on the table if we had been to Europe. Drove me crazy as a kid. I desperately wanted to be able to say I had done both...and now I can. Thanks for the motivation Grandpa!

[LindaWhit]

For sherriberry, a permalink to her recipe: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7971...

[sherriberry]

Thank you for posting the link-I fear I am a hopeless Luddite w/ technology. I hope people enjoy the recipe. This is one of the friendliest, non-judgemental posts I have ever replied to. Thanks for that.

[steve h.]

Burgers. We ground the meat. Onions were store bought but the tomato slices (Rutgers) will come from the garden, local corn on the cob. Leftover strawberries and cream over homemade biscuits for a sweet.
Beer for me, house red for Deb. NCIS marathon on the panel is usurping my baseball needs but that's the price of poker.

[LindaWhit]

THAT is a summertime meal. Brilliant.

[twodales]

Welcome to the new kids!

Well, this a.m. I went to the Green City Market in Lincoln Park in search of zucchini blossoms. The restaurateurs beat me to it I'm afraid. Darn, I am craving them to bits. So my plan for those plus some pasta went astray.

Since it's a steamy day here in Chicago, my dh requested a summery English dinner. He wants a bit of salad with new potatoes and pork pie. Needed to make some adjustments to the menu so it will be sausage rolls, tiny spuds and salady bits plus some minty peas. Fresh peaches for "pudding." Still wanting thse zucch blossoms!

[LindaWhit]

twodales, is there a favorite vendor at the Market you can ask to put some blossoms aside for you for next weekend?

[qandieladie]

Have you tried going to Pilsen or La Villita? The neighborhoods are full of zucchini blossoms this time of year usually right in the street.

I am a newbie with no idea what to cook for dinner.

[LindaWhit]

It's summertime - I should be enjoying the bounty of farmers markets. My errands ran REALLY long today, so no farmers market items for me. I definitely have to go next weekend and get lots and lots of local corn!

Anyway - driving home, I started craving spaghetti with meat sauce...so I took out a pound of ground beef and some sweet Italian sausages. That'll be browned along with chopped onions, red bell peppers, sliced cremini mushrooms, and garlic and simmered with some tomato sauce and herbs/spices, blah, blah, blah. ;-)

The "sides" will be garlic bread (the bread was *just* out of the oven at the market!), and "salad" - simply torn romaine lettuce with more of that homemade 1000 Island dressing I made last night and enjoyed so much.

Dessert will be slices of an amazingly fragrant mango given to me by a coworker (whose mother always buys cases of them at the Indian markets) drizzled with some fig balsamic vinegar.

[steve h.]

nice.
what's the house red?

[LindaWhit]

Believe it or not....it might have to be a cabernet - I can't recall what reds I have downstairs.

It was a housewarming gift from a friend - out of the blue before I closed, she asked me who my favorite Red Sox player was, and I said Jason Varitek. Well, she knows I usually prefer white, so she got me TWO bottles of charity wine: Jason Varitek's Captain Cabernet, and Josh Beckett's Chardon-K. ;-) The Chardon-K was surprisingly good - we'll see how the Captain Cabernet is (but I also think I've got an Argentinian Malbec downstairs that would work better).

[steve h.]

Now your talking. Friday's game was pretty cool.
<evil yankee laughter>

[LindaWhit]

::::Pfffffftttttt::::: Making up for it today, we are. ;-)

[steve h.]

Two best teams in baseball.

[LindaWhit]

Yup. And BTW, final score: 10-4, Boston. The teams are back in a tie for first in the AL East with the rubber match tomorrow night. ;-)

[steve h.]

Gotta love it.
I make a point of visiting stadiums throughout North America. There is no better rivalry in sports.
As an aside, some stadiums actually have good food.

[linguafood]

Sounds delicious. It's raining in PA (all day.... blurgh), which also made me crave pasta. If the weather were anything like it *should* be, I'd be grilling wild salmon instead. Stoopid rain.

[inaplasticcup]

Funny lily should mention kimchi because I made kimchi bokkeum with the last of this batch of kimchi. Lettuce wraps with seasoned dwenjahng as well as a light dwenjahng soup on the side.

That last pic is my favorite part of the meal when you sop up all the bokkeum sauce that's left with a little bit of rice. :)))

[onceadaylily]

Beautiful. That looks so good, Ina. (I'm getting excited. I've been looking through kimchi recipes for days, and now I have another one to look into.)

[linguafood]

Wild-caught shrimp with pasta (conchiglie rigate, most likely), yellow squash & zucchini, lots of basil, and perhaps a tad bit of that fabulous black pepper boursin.... side will be Greek salad.

[LindaWhit]

OK, I first read this as "wild-caught pasta" and thought to myself "she had to go CATCH her pasta?" :-)

[linguafood]

Those lil things can be quite wild and difficult to tame :-D

[steve h.]

Aggressive land shrimp frequently stalk free-range orzo/other pastas.
It happens this time of year. ;-)

[LindaWhit]

Do ya just scoop 'em up with a net? Or do they have to be caught by the fusilli tails?

[steve h.]

You pour sea salt and evoo on their tails.
Peperoncino just makes it too easy.

[chef chicklet]

Started the day out thinking of Banchero's soup. It's a brothy Italian old timey soup that is made at one of the longest standing Family Italian style restaurants in the Bay Area (think Hayward/San Leandro). I love this soup, and after eating it there as one of the first course appetizers for many years, I began making it for my sons. Much simpler than you'd expect but oh so delicious.

To begin with, I was sort of in the cleaning mood, so I used the homemade chicken broth that was about to go into the freezer, a little tomato sauce, dried basil, garlic powder, a few stray carrots, white onion, a little celery( trick is to cut everything tiny), pastina, barley, etc.. I found half a banquette of sour dough bread, and began cooking. The soup came out wonderfully homey and so I grated some lovely romano cheese to add to the soup by the spoonfuls (that's the way I roll). The bread needed some help, in other words, it was hard as heck. I ran it under the faucet popped it in some foil, and into a 350 oven for a few minutes. When I reached in, I felt the bread give - success! Buttered it nicely, sliced it about an inch and half thick, and off I go for lunch!
Another great save, life is good!

[onceadaylily]

Well, I'm putting off my plans for kimchi until I can figure out the answers to these two questions: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/800192 I think I made an error early in the process, but can't be certain. I've either managed to stump chowhound, or there are those who hope I get botulism. Let's assume it's the former. I'm all for optimism.

My basil needs trimming anyway. I think I've settled on a pesto pasta topped with roasted green and black olives, grape tomatoes, garlic, and thyme. I'm still out of walnuts, so I'll use roasted pistachios in the pesto instead. The boy can have shaved parmesan on his bowl, and there will be garlic naan for all. I have a bottle of red wine stashed away that would suit this very gray day nicely.

I'm planning on taking a bite or two of the kimchi sometime tonight, and just giving it a day to let my body tell me if I've been foolish, or paranoid. If you guys don't hear from me again, could someone let the boyfriend know that cats actually need daily meals and clean litter, that the apartment isn't self-cleaning, and that the washer and dryer are in the basement? I'm not certain he knows any of this.

[chef chicklet]

I replied, hope you see it.

[inaplasticcup]

I just responded to your question, and I think you're in the clear. Why not give it a quick taste now? (BTW, I wouldn't worry about getting sick.)

PS. Any hints on growing basil? I'm finding I suck at it big time. :)

[onceadaylily]

I did see, and thank you both so much. I knew I could count on WFD folk. I'm going to have a bite or two in a minute. I'm waiting until it's time to feed the cat. She always comes running, screeching madly, when I open the jar, and then throws a fit when I don't give her a taste. This way, I can just give her dinner, and avoid the drama.

Ina, my basil is potted, and I make certain it gets several hours of full sun daily (rotating it every day), and bring it in when it rains. I examine the stems for any sign of woodiness (this can happen if it grows *too* much, and affects the flavor of the leaves), and severely prune any stem that has brown traces. I prune it about once a week, starting at the top, and then checking the growth on the sides. A basil shouldn't get too tall, and encouraging it to grow out on the sides (by strict pruning of the top) helps encourage new the growth of new stems. I hope that helps.

And Steve is right: mint is quite the garden bully. That and lemon verbena all but took my other herbs lunch money every day, back when I had a herb plot. You have to be careful to keep the more aggressive growers at a protective distance from the ones that need more encouragement.

[inaplasticcup]

Thanks, lily! Now that you've echoed steve's advice, I really think Basil needs more sun.

Any hints from you and steve as to how to keep the leaves tender is also much appreciated. :)

[onceadaylily]

They need quite a bit of sun. I had a plant indoors last winter, and promptly died (my windows allow little *direct* sunlight). Pruning fairly often is the only way I know to keep the shoots and leaves tender. And not allowing the blossoms to develop.

And I revise my advice to let it wilt: I saw two brown spots today on my plant. My boston fern developed root rot, and I was overreacting (who, me?) and cutting back on water for all my guys. I'm going back to my original a drink every third day plan.

[steve h.]

Keep picking the leaves. The more the better (they grow back). Basil likes it when you prune it hard.
Pesto is very cool and it freezes well. Find a style you like and steal the recipe.

[inaplasticcup]

Thanks! :) You guys are the best.

[serrac]

After a couple months of lurking on Home Cooking, I'll join in for Part 100. All of the food sounds so good, it's making me hungry!

Going to a "Brinner" (breakfast for dinner) event, so making biscuits, rosti (from the Chow recipe) with bacon and green chile white gravy.

[LindaWhit]

And welcome to you as well - so glad so many lurkers are joining in! Enjoy your Brinner. :-)

[MaryContrary]

Yet another newbie for the 100th edition. Been "lurking" for far too long, and being computer illiterate, just couldn't get it together. Hopefully, this will take.

One of our favorites is WFD. Pinto beans (Mr. C. throws in all kinds of seasonings), potatoes fried with onions, cornbread (of course), sliced tomato and home canned hot, hot, hot pickles (gift from a friend).

And greetings from South Texas, ya'll.

[inaplasticcup]

Welcome, Mary! :)

Love me some hot pickles!!!

[MaryContrary]

Thanks, Ina. Glad to finally be here.

[tzurriz]

Last night we wound up ordering sushi, it was delicious and my DH was totally grossed out when I ate the last roll for breakfast this morning.

Anyway, for tonight I took out some chicken breasts to defrost but am 100% uninspired as to what to do with them. I'm thinking either chicken shnitzel or a curry, but would have to go to the store for missing ingredients in either case (lemon or coconut milk respectively), and I raided my parent's garden this morning and have over a pound of garden fresh super yummy cherry and grape tomatoes. If those last until dinner, I'll make a marinated tomato salad to go with whatever I do with the chicken.

Any ideas?

[linguafood]

It's hard to go wrong with schnitzel (I generally use panko for the breading and they come out awesomely crispy & golden brown), but another fave and no-brainer recipe of mine is chicken piccata -- fast, easy, delicious. Would also go well with the tomato salad.

Or you could marinate the chicken Greek-style -- oo, lemon juice, s&p & lots of oregano, then grill.

[chef chicklet]

Chicken Picatta gets my vote, you need capers, green onions, vermouth or white wine, and fresh lemons. Serve over garlic butter pasta with fresh parsley and grated Romano or Parmesan. Add the tomatoes if like, add some freshly ground black pepper.

Or make, a take on pasta carbonara. Bacon can be used instead of prosciutto, an add your tomatoes or eat separately. Grape tomatoes are the best, I am jealous!

[tzurriz]

I have no capers, green onions, or lemons. :( It sounds really good though. I love picatta. If DH finishes work soon, I think I'll run the store. I'm not taking the crazy monkeys though. :)

[linguafood]

All you really need for piCCaTa (sorry, can't help myself) is chicken, fresh lemon juice, copious amounts of capers, and white wine. Maybe parsley. Green onions aren't necessary.

[tzurriz]

Sorry, it's hard to type with a 3 year old pulling on your arm. I thought I caught all my typos. :)

[tzurriz]

I wound up browning the chicken breasts, sauteing an onion, and then adding artichoke hearts, broccoli, wild mushrooms, the grape tomatoes, and some broccoli, splashing in some white wine and returning the chicken to the "sauce". I let everything cook while I boiled up some spaghetti, and served the chicken over that. It was delicious. :)

[linguafood]

Wow. Nice!

[tzurriz]

Oops, only added broccoli once, not twice. See what happens when I worry about spelling? ;)

[linguafood]

Is there such a thing as too much broccoli? '-)

[tzurriz]

Around here, we don't think so. :)

[Rocky74]

I am in danger of being derailed from my eating plans every time I come on here. So many nice ideas!

Tonight the lovely husband is making a sort of pork bourguignon that he has made before and is delicious. I have hijacked all the cooking recently so it will be lovely to be cooked for! Having it with home baked rolls and a salad of cooled roasted veg (including beetroot, my current favourite!) with rocket.

[LindaWhit]

Oh my, Rocky, that sounds wonderful - enjoy!

[mariacarmen]

any way hubby will share the details of that bourguignon dish? i love it with beef, but pork is the god-head of meat!

[Rocky74]

Absolutely. It is based on a recipe by the head chef at The Havelock in west London which about eight years ago was one of the unsung gastropubs in London

He suggests pig cheeks but we live on an island ten miles long so that's not an option. We just use pork tenderloin. About 800g.
Butter
200g bacon - we use the thick cut English kind but US style might work too but might need to cut back on other fat sources to stop it being too oily.
1 large finely chopped onion
2 crushed garlic cloves
2tbsps flour
750ml dry red wine
2 bay leaves
2tbsps chopped thyme
300g button onions peeled
250g button mushrooms.

Preheat oven to 275.
Melt as much butter as you fancy and fry the chopped bacon until browned. Remove and then brown the pork (in bite sized chunks) in the same pan. Remove and cook the onion and garlic for about ten mins. Return the pork and bacon and sprinkle in the flour, stirring so that it absorbs the nice piggy juices. Slowly add the red wine. Season and add the herbs. Cook covered for three hours.

Meanwhile brown the button onions and mushrooms. An hour before the end of cooking time, add them to the pork for the final hour.

It was really very nice last night - the kind of dish that makes you just have 'one tiny spoon more'!

[twodales]

Thanks for this recipe. It looks simple enough, which is often the sign of a very tasty dish imho.

[mariacarmen]

thanks Rocky74! i wonder, tho, you being not in the States if a pork tenderloin here will work as well as it does there.... our porks have a lot of their fatty goodness bred out of them. i noticed that when i was living in Italy. pork tenderloins here are pretty lean....

[Rocky74]

Sad to say but the majority of the meat we get here comes from the States so the tenderloin I used was just one of those frozen packs where you get the two pieces.

Such a shame as BVI pork is fabulous when you can get it - it clears as soon as it hits the shelves so you have to monitor things closely!

[suburban_mom]

Tonight - spare ribs, grilled corn (that was picked today), baked beans. The ribs have been rubbed and will be cooked in a low oven then finished with bbq sauce. Beans are canned baked beans doctored with onion, bell pepper (from our garden), mustard and molasses. Corn will be served just grilled - so fresh is doesn't need help.

[iL Divo]

Nanna's famed coleslaw
Favorite next door neighbor Marie's famed baked ziti
Favorite Gymnist Sarah's meatballs in gramma's all day sauce from yard tomatoes&basil&shallots&garlic
CAL bread pudding with warm maple banana caramel sauce
company dinner for 8

[ChristinaMason]

Finally got around to that cheddar-bacon-leek white pizza. I made the crust the night before (using Smitten Kitchen's recipe, borrowed from Otto in NYC, which calls for white wine), and DH took care of everything else. He whipped up a really delicious white wine, cream, and leek sauce for the base, which he also covered with roasted garlic. Yum. A mixed greens, beet, and blue cheese salad with creamy herb dressing on the side.

The only thing I wasn't totally thrilled with was the pizza dough (http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/piz...), because it didn't have much chew. I used bread dough and kneaded it at least as long as the recipe calls for, so I'm not sure what the problem was. DH decided to par-bake the dough by itself first, and I'm wondering if that had something to do with it? It puffed up like pita bread (eventually deflated), and truth be told, that's kind of what it tasted like. A good pita bread.

[INDIANRIVERFL]

Been observing and lurking for years. Finally decided to get involved.

The internet is awash with this being Lucille Ball's 100th birthday. For me it will always be the day the day the first nuclear bomb was used on Japan. For this my father was eternally greatful as he was to be deployed to a carrier for the invasion of Japan. Dad was a pilot.

As such, I will recreate one of my Father's favorite summertime meals. Spareribs invariably burnt on a charcoal grill. A wedge of lettuce with classic (red) rocquefort dressing, and a baked potato with butter and sour cream.

I will preceed with a vodka gimlet, up, and then hop'n gator. Or as it is known in Bavaria, a radler. Or as my Bermudan mother-in-law would say, a shanty.

[steve h.]

A vodka gimlet, straight-up, is a thing of beauty.

[mariacarmen]

August 6th is not only (my favorite) Lucy's bday, but my parents' motherland's bday (Bolivia's independence day) and (this year) my 50th, so no cooking for me. The BF made me a delicious omelet this morning with the leftover cochinita pibil from bday dinner #1 last night (i need to make this, have had the annatto in my spice drawer for years and it's just been taunting me this whole time - anyone ever worked with it?) with charred tortillas for brunch - to die for. bday dinner #2 tonight will be Russian Tea Room (San Francisco). can't wait for pelmeni, sashlik & blini!

[shecrab]

That pizza sounds like a party in your mouth.YUM

[ChristinaMason]

Thanks! It was good. I have an interview tomorrow, however, so I'm swearing off anything garlic-onion-leeky until after! 'Twas quite pungent.

[inaplasticcup]

Good luck, Christina! :)

[Breadcrumbs]

Best of luck tomorrow CM.

[L.Nightshade]

Hope your interview went well today, and you are relaxing with something "quite pungent!"

[ChristinaMason]

Thank you! I celebrated survival with takeout pizza and shitty garlic sauce. You know the one :) Promise to cook tonight ;)

[nvcook]

Dear friend and neighbor had a benign brain tumor removed today. I am stocking their refrigerator with simple to reheat meals. Chicken noodle soup? But, of course. Beef stroganoff, the best chicken and rice dish ever, stuffed pork chops, salads, cookies and brownies. Doggie biscuits for their 2 labs that miss their family!

[LindaWhit]

You're a good friend and neighbor - I'm sure the family and pups will appreciate the food!

[chef chicklet]

I would be so thankful to have a neighbor like you.

[L.Nightshade]

What a good friend you are, even to the labs! Best wishes for your neighbor's recovery, and to you for helping lift the burden.

[capeanne]

I recall this topic started by a Canadian gentleman who had a Burmese Mountain dog as his avatar.. He got pissed by some early accusation re racism and stopped posting for awhile. He then came back to this thread with a vengeance until he announced that he was entering Hospice. And disappeared Do you recall this Harters? It's when you and I had a great Beatles analogy exchange..... Congrats on surviving to 100. I have learned a lot.

[rabaja]

Apparently it was all a ruse. He wasn't truly ill, just trying to garner sympathy and attention, and he was some how found out. I was one of the fools who believed him.

[karenfinan]

Wow, I had no idea!

[suburban_mom]

3rd child came home from camp today and she requested burgers, waffle fries, and the sweet and sour slaw from our local grocery store. I grilled the burgers and topped them with Irish cheddar and grilled onions.

Apparently, the camp cook trained at the Minneapolis Le Cordon Blue. They had lasagna, chicken Parmesan, baked ziti, and really good homemade French toast. Camp food sure has changed since I went there.

[westernmeadowlark]

bell pepper and beef stir fry, to use up all those half veggies (half an onion, half a carrot, etc) in the crisper drawer :), with rice. dessert: homemade lime sherbert

[Matahari22]

Love the WFD thread. I really enjoy reading what other people are cooking around the world, and it always gives me so many ideas!

I made Seared Curry Lamb Chops, Flat Bread Chips and Apricot Chutney.

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...

[linguafood]

Change of dinner plans, unfortunately..... no trout to be found at the local market, and the weather isn't cooperating for grilling.

So I got some pork loin chops that will be dry-rubbed with some cajun seasoning, the side will be a massive tomato & fresh corn salad with loads of fresh basil & parsley, red onion, some leftover diced green peppers, diced yellow squash, oo & a splash of balsamic.

Corn to be nuked on the cob, then scraped off, squash, pepper and some of the tomatoes will go in a pan for a bit with oo & sea salt.

[twodales]

Apologies to you linguafood. We had some lovely trout ala meuniere style.Had no almonds to toss in so it was very simple but very good. Sauteed some spuds with red onion and had a bit of broccoli. That was it. I haven't had trout in many moons so it was a real treat.

It seems lately that our local grocery has the same tired choices so I went to a proper fish shop where prices are a bit higher but at least I could choose fish other than salmon, tilapia and catfish. Think I'll do it more often.

[linguafood]

Well, our local Wegmans actually has quite a decent selection of fish -- whole branzino, trout, Spanish mackerel... part of the problem was also the weather.

The chops turned out well, but tonight I think I'm ready for some wild salmon!

[steve h.]

Menu for an Aging Leo

• Chilled sparkling wine (Brut Rose) to cleanse the palate.

• Cup of lobster bisque.

• Patagonian Toothfish.

• Fresh strawberries and cream over a homemade biscuit.

• An assortment of digestif.

Music: Ella Fitzgerald (Cole Porter Songbook), Rolling Stones (Let It Bleed).

Happy Birthday to all you other Leos on the board!

[LindaWhit]

Might it be a certain Leo's birthday, steve h? If it is, many happy returns! The birthday dinner sounds lovely - AND it's not being eaten standing up. ;-)

[steve h.]

Thanks.

Supper will be in the dining room: utensils will be silver, glassware courtesy of Waterford, china will be very old and very French. Linen will be linen. Deb is the editor in charge so you know the meal has to be good (olives, capers, anchovies, red wine vinegar, house tomatoes and so on are part of the supporting cast).

On a different tack, congratulations to you and the board on cracking the century mark. Well done.

[steve h.]

Here's a shot of the setup.

[LindaWhit]

You're so cute. :-) Beautiful crystal and china. I love the feel you get when you "set the table with the best." Everything tastes better. :-)

[steve h.]

Living well is important.
Best of luck on your new home.

[steve h.]

The wine was lovely, bisque, too.
Here's a parting shot of the tooth fish. The orzo was mighty tasty.

[L.Nightshade]

Just beautiful! If I hadn't clicked on your profile, I'd assume that you were in Europe. Applause for a bit of class and aesthetics in the U.S.

[ChristinaMason]

<Applause for a bit of class and aesthetics in the U.S.>

LOL, um, ok.

[linguafood]

I am from Europe, and orzo would never be allowed to slop over the edge of the plate in such an unclassy way in any European country.

Looks tasty, tho, steve '-)

[steve h.]

They were free range orzos, very hard to herd.

[twodales]

Ha Ha Ha!!! Good one Steve!

[steve h.]

It was a fun meal. We're still talking about it today.

[inaplasticcup]

Lovely, steve. Down to your unruly orzo. :)

[mariacarmen]

Thanks steve h, and to you too! your bday dinner sounds divine.

[steve h.]

We Leos stick together!

[iL Divo]

who's a Leo?

[steve h.]

Folk born in late July/early August.

[mariacarmen]

me & steve h. and i'm sure others.

[shecrab]

+1! I have the emotional scars from dealing with the DMV renewing my license to prove it!

[mariacarmen]

i recently started a new job and got quoted medical ins. at one rate (i have to pay 40% of the premium) and then 3 weeks later was told it was going up because i was entering a new age bracket!! phooey!!

[inaplasticcup]

Happy Birthday, Steve! What went into that toothfish?

Love Ella. Nice choice!

[steve h.]

Thanks, ina.

A little extra virgin olive oil, a little onion and a little oregano. Oven was set to 425.
Meal was superb. Now I need to learn how to take photos that are almost as good as yours.

The cherry tomatoes came from the garden. They were paired with a mix of garlic, olives, anchovies, red wine vinegar, salt/pepper and extra virgin olive oil.

[inaplasticcup]

Sounds simply and elegantly delicious! I'd love to grow tomatoes in the garden, but I'm having a hard enough time just keeping the mint and basil alive.

[steve h.]

Basil needs sun. Lots and lots of sun. Never water the leaves, just the ground. Keep the weeds away. I've never fertilized basil but I have amended the bed so it's pretty happy.

Mint is a happy weed that will take over the garden. Rip it out and grow it in a large plastic container if this is at all practical.

Tomatoes are a labor of love. For next season: build a bed, invest in stakes, select your young ones carefully. Netting to keep out big critters (deer) is a good idea. Staples, to firmly plant the netting to the ground, keep the little critters out. Tomatoes demand sun. Water the little guys at the base but not too much. Feed 'em monthly.

Do a little google homework to find out what grows best in your area. A cool bonus is that basil and tomatoes work great in the same bed.

[inaplasticcup]

Thanks, steve! I think I'll move my basil - he doesn't get too much sun. THe mint is getting chomped up on all sides by I have no idea... :/

[steve h.]

Critters and over-zealous gardener types are the primary source of garden malfunction.

Kick back, design next year's bed and have too much fun. It's a labor of love. Herbs are pretty important, too. Find a place for them.

[L.Nightshade]

Happy 100 to all of you!
Although I haven't been participating for very long, I've learned a lot and received so much inspiration from all of your posts. Thanks to everyone.
Cheers to the second 100 threads!

[GretchenS]

A big welcome to all the new posters, we're so glad you joined in! Tonight is yogurt-marinated chicken kebabs on the grill, thanks to whomever posted about this earlier this week, (I love picking up ideas from all of y'all), lovely farmstand green beans and basmati rice. Not a huge rice fan but my father is and he won't make it for himself. It occurred to me the other day that I think they make very small rice cookers, I need to investigate that for him.... Have a fanstastic weekend everyone!

[Katrina_R]

Today we're having cottage pie for lunch, and probably the cottage pie leftovers for dinner. I'll be making jam-filled shortbread cookies for dessert. :) Yum!

[onceadaylily]

The fates that control WFD wanted me to cook tonight instead of going out for tapas. The boyfriend's schedule got squeezed, and he's back to work for another closing shift, so I have to hit up the pantry for an 'extra meal' outside of what I've planned for.

I think I've decided on a chipotle corn soup, and a batch of spicy black bean cakes (black beans, green onions, garlic, bell peppers, cilantro, jalapenos, and cumin, lightly battered and fried). Also, garlic naan, which is the only bread I have on hand, at the moment, but it'll work. There is sour cream, salsa, limes, and extra cilantro for dressing the works up. If I didn't already have so much starch going on, I might have thrown the cumin potatoes at this meal. But I have to make soup. The boyfriend surprised me with a gift last night: four large vintage soup mugs, in four different colors. They are the same soup mugs we had while I was growing up (there were four of us then, and we each had our own--mine was the color of sand, with orange lettering), and I saw them on ebay a few weeks ago, and was flooded with memories. The boy smiled at my story when I showed him the picture, and then quietly bought them for me. They arrived yesterday, so soup has to be WFD.

And now I can't stop wondering wth happened in part 23 that almost cleared the table. Damn you, Harters! ;) Happy 100th, everyone!

[Rocky74]

Chipotle corn soup sounds lovely!

I am another newbie who would love to join in too...

Friday night is steak night here too - although I have fish. Mahi mahi this evening with jerk seasoning and done on the bbq, new york strip for him. Served with sweet potato wedges - a kind of strange white sweet potato that I have only ever seen here (I live in the Caribbean). They get really crispy. Salad of baby spinach tossed with roasted cherry toms, beetroot and edamame.

[onceadaylily]

The corn soup is ridiculously easy, very adaptable, and found on Chow : http://www.chow.com/recipes/28537-chi...

Your meal sounds lovely . . . as does being in the Caribbean. Huh, I'm very curious about that potato. I'll look it up. Welcome!

[Rocky74]

Oh thank you for the recipe. Wil definitely try that. Looks lovely!

[shecrab]

It's Friday and we love Friday so much it's going to be a eat til it ouches night with TWO (2) entrees because I'm greedy like that. Shrimp and grits with a fresh tomato salad ( Jamie Oliver's recipe, mothership tomato something or other, really good!) and the most beautiful, delicious, composed salad ever invented in America (drum roll) the COBB! Yum!! Biscuits and garlic bread will round it out, followed by banana puddin because I can't look at another stone fruit or berry right now.Then I may indulge in an Arrested Development marathon.

[ChristinaMason]

Nice menu!

I've been thinking about banana pudding ever since I had drinks and apps at a local Southern restaurant. They serve their shrimp over cornbread squares. Delish!

Must make banana pudding soon. I am craving desserts lately!

[twodales]

Sounds like a lovely summery meal. I'm not a big breakfasty person really but once in a while I whip up shrimp and grits for breakfast. It's one of thos meals that suits any time of day, even a late supper or late-night snack, if one is so inclined.

[inaplasticcup]

Sweet of him to get you those mugs, lily. I'll bet that soup tasted extra delicious in them. :)

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

Being I am going out for sushi tonight....our "Steak Night" was last night...

Classic Steakhouse favorites

Seared Strip perfectly rare, sauteed mushrooms finished with truffle butter

Served with the ever so classic Iceberg wedge topped with homemade blue cheese dressing, applewood thick cut smoked bacon, heirloom tomatoes and more crumble blue cheese...

Only thing missing was the perfect martini...

[Harters]

I couldnt let this one pass without popping in to wish the thread a happy centenary. After all the "unpleasantness that dare not speak its name" at around WFD Part 23, you wouldnt have bet a fiver on it lasting this long.

As to the upcoming dinner - chicken breasts get poked about with a knife and stuffed with sun-blush tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. They're then baked alongside some courgette, yellow pepper and garlic. A couple of new potatoes each provide minimal carb.

I'll pop out again now. Bye.

John Hartley

[LindaWhit]

Sounds like a GREAT chicken dinner, Harters!

::::And I'm openly hoping that Harters pops back in more often!::::::::

[linguafood]

Sound delicious, John! And thanks for popping in -- we've missed ya.

Must still be rather chilly in Yurp, what with baking and stuff.

I'm hoping to get some local trout at the farmer's market in a bit (if they're not all gone by the time I get there) which will be brushed with oo, sea salt, crushed black pepper and crushed rosemary before they go on the grill.

Side of grilled yellow squash and likely a salad. Summer eatings, I s'pose. Oh, and corn. MUST have corn these days.

[GretchenS]

Come back more often, I miss reading the wonderful meals you have at Harters Hall!

[twodales]

So nice to have you back here John. Greetings from Chicago to Old Blighty!

[mariacarmen]

Yay Harters!!! Glad you were drawn out, and sincerely hope it's not merely a cameo.

[painperdu]

I am going to have to the archives and check out #23. Always up for a good murder mystery . I am taking Thai beef salad ( combining the one in the current issue of CI with a couple of other versions) to a friend's cottage, with a peach cake and Spanish rose.

[mariacarmen]

i actually don't think it was that long ago, i think it was only in the last 5 - 10 threads.... at least if i am thinking of what Harters is thinking about.

let's not stir it up again!

[linguafood]

roxlet just spent forever to find it. the 23rd one that is. nothing there....

[LindaWhit]

No, mc, there was *other* unpleasantness awhile back as it relates to this thread having to do with someone who's no longer here that threatened to derail the entire thread. That is why the earlier threads are lost to us forever.

Luckily, several of us picked up the slack. :-)

[mariacarmen]

so this thread indeed has a checkered past! she's a dame with a history. i like it.

[nvcook]

I think that Harters might be referring to the "gentleman" that originally started this thread. It was discovered he wasn't what he professed to be (and worse) and was booted from CH. Good riddance but thankful the thread continued...

[Harters]

As Linda says "several of us picked up the slack"

;-)

[Harters]

Don't bother, pp. The chow secret police arranged the hit, disposed of the body and scrubbed the scene clean. So move along now, folks, there's nothing to see.

So....back to dinner.......my elegant stuffed chicken turned out to be a bit of a dog's breakfast, as we'd defrosted chicken thighs. Which made stuffing them a tad rustic (in fact it meant they were loosely wrapped round the stuffing, in a sort of casual louche way ) .

But I did also make a dessert - a rare occurance at Harters Hall. Some peaches were past their prime. They got sliced , drizzled with Cheshire honey, lemon juice and a little ornage blossom water and were dotted with butter, then baked (seeing as the oven was on).

[mariacarmen]

oh my those peaches sound heavenly.
i love the idea of your (ahem, the chicken's) thighs, louche or not.

[ChristinaMason]

hope you stick around, John.

[karenfinan]

I'm a total lurker- and I've so missed your voice on this thread. Welcome back!

[mariacarmen]

Happy Centennial, WFD! and look at the fine new newbies our 100th posting attracted! Welcome!

No cooking for me - bday celebrations are abounding. I'm thinking I'll be back in the kitchen by sunday. and those cumin roasted potatoes WITH a fig vinaigrette sound like something i'm going to try! Happy Friday all!

[Klary]

Hi all.. been reading the WFD threads for a long time, figured that # 100 was a good place to start posting my dinners!

Yesterday was an easy dinner of cumin roasted potatoes, served with a cool avocado / basil/ mayo/ yoghurt dip. A cherry tomato & parmesan frittata, and a salad of baby leaves dressed with a beautifully sweet and syrupy fig vinegar.

[LindaWhit]

OMG, the fig vinegar sounds like a wonderful dressing for salad - thanks for the idea! I've had a bottle for *so* long and tend to just drizzled it over fresh fruit. Thanks for the idea - and welcome to the WFD thread! :-)

[Klary]

thanks for the welcome :)
it's actually fig & date vinegar, and it's great for salads because you don't need any oil.

[inaplasticcup]

Welcome, Klary! :)

I like the sound of those potatoes...

[DuchessNukem]

I haven't been in the previous threads but have scanned some, always nice ideas. :)

I work long shifts every weekend, so Fridays are my Sundays, I cook most of day so hubby can eat well all weekend. So Friday dinners tend to be our nice meal together. :)

Tonight:
Simple mixed sprout salad w/vinaigrette (home sprouted)
Creamy parsnip gazpacho
Roasted asparagus
Chicken/salsa/corn stew from the solar oven (108 degrees planned for TX today. Again.)

[LindaWhit]

Oh, DN, I've got a friend who lives in northern TX, and she's about ready to melt. I cannot even imagine. You've got to get a break SOON! (I'm going to amend my OP to note gorgeous "New England" summer day!)

The solar oven sounds like a good way to at least use that blast furnace.

[GretchenS]

How clever of you to use a solar oven! And the stew sounds yummy!

[roxlet]

Tonight will be try-tip on the grill, probably served with beans, tortillas and various other fixings that will turn it into steak burritos.

[LindaWhit]

As for me, a friend and her husband have always made Friday "Steak Night" (although she doesn't eat it as much as he does). And driving home last night, I thought "Hmm, tomorrow's Friday - it's Steak Night!" LOL

So I took some garlic and cheese sirloin tips out of the freezer, and they'll be grilled on the grill pan tonight and finished in the oven to medium-rare. A baked potato alongside, and a "romaine salad" - just some leaves drizzled with homemade Thousand Island dressing.