What's For Dinner? #125 [Old]

[LindaWhit]

We maxed out the previous thread, so we're all over here now. I've not done anything but reheat leftovers from the weekend, and tonight won't be any different as it's Top Chef night and I have a new remote control to program! (Exciting times in my house, huh?) But I hope to get culinarily creative on Thursday.

What's cooking in your homes?

[megjp]

I'll put mine here since I am talking about tonight, not about the Big Game (I hate that stupid rule where you can't refer to it on TV without paying for the right).

Despite coming home completely uninspired and exhausted, I roasted some Brussels sprouts and finished with a thank-god-my-blood-pressure-is-low amount of fleur de sel.

I also made Anne Burrell's sweet potato, bacon, and apple hash: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/an...

I'm much less grumpy now. Also the man ate the sprouts LAST, meaning he liked them BEST. My goodness. :)

[mariacarmen]

i do that too - i usually eat bites of some of everything on my plate, but i always want the last bite to be something i really LOVE. i would have been hard-pressed to figure out which to eat last on your menu tonight!

[steve h.]

Hi all,
I started a new thread (there were 300-plus entries here when I did but I guess the thread went on a diet).
Here's the link:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/831208

[BananaBirkLarsen]

I worked later than I thought yesterday and ended up defrosting split pea and bacon soup for dinner. So tonight will finally be the turkey dinner I've been planning for the last three days. Turkey, stuffing, cranberries, green beans and I think I may try my hand at the infamous hasselback potato.

I made some tea cakes for dessert last night. I imagine we'll have some more for dessert tonight.

[nomadchowwoman]

Mon. night I made one of my favorites, unfortunately not well suited to our climate but I so love it: Potato-leek soup. Sides were wild mushrooms on toast and salad.

Last night I tried out my new (el cheapo, $8.99) wok. Hot pepper shrimp (from Essential NYT) was served w/white rice and kale (blanched, sauteed, dressed w/soy sauce and sesame seeds). For starters, we had a few (steamed) pork-cilantro dumplingsw/scallion-soy sauce.

Mulling over Pepin COTM for tonight. It will be chicken; that much I know.

[mariacarmen]

that shrimp looks like it might be the best shrimp i have ever seen. do you have a link to that NYT recipe? i can just do a search.... yes, i'm lazy! thx NCW.

[nomadchowwoman]

Can't find a link, mc, but I'll paraphrase:

Hot Pepper Shrimp (Julie Sahni recipe, adapted from Shun Lee Palace)

Combine and set aside: 4 garlic cloves, minced, 1 T. fermented black beans, rinsed & drained, 1/4 c. chopped scallion (I used more), 1/3 c. thinly sliced hot green chiles or 12 dried red (I used about half this amount, a mix of jalapeno and Thai bird peppers, and that was plenty of heat for us),

Combine and set aside: 3 T rice vinegar, 2 T soy sauce, 1 T sugar, 2 T rice wine (I subbed gin), and 1 T. cornstarch.

Coat 1 lb. peeled and deveined lg. shrimp with a lightly beaten egg white. Sprinkle 1 T. cornstarch over the shrimp and mix well.

Heat oil (I used 1 c. peanut) in wok.(Recipe calls for 3 c. oil, but I've now made this recipe in a lg. saute pan and a wok, and that much oil just isn't necessary). Once oil is hot, add shrimp and stir-fry until shrimp are pink, about 1 1/2 min. Remove shrimp and set aside while you discard all but 2-3 T of the hot oil. Return wok to burner, turn heat to high, and add veggie mixture. Stir for a minute. Return shrimp to wok and add vinegar mixture. Cook another minute or so, until shrimp are well coated w/sauce. Serve w/ rice.

[mariacarmen]

you're so nice! thanks!! i definitely want to try that.

[linguafood]

During the last two or three weeks of, ahem, wearing my *suspenders*, the dwellers @casa lingua ate well. Some of the meals pictured below -- a kickass cheeburger w/hasselbacks, campanelle with shrimp in mint-cream-sauce, chuck-eye roast with maitake shrooms & sautéed garlicky spinach, peking duck.

[nomadchowwoman]

What fine feasting you've been up to. All looks scrumptious, but I have to ask about the burger bun--what type? It looks perfect.

[linguafood]

Oh, just a regular Kaiser roll courtesy of Wegmans, me thinks. Toasted, of course. Gotta have toasted :-)

[linguafood]

la-haaame.

(when not toasted, i mean).

[mariacarmen]

and she's back!

re-droooooool......

[GretchenS]

Wow, some seriously good-looking eats! I WANT that burger...

[Jazrotorman]

Thai red beef curry. After struggling for 20 minutes to think of what to have (and pouring over Chow for inspiration!).
Had some casserole beef and wanted to cook it in my pressure cooker but couldn't be inspired by casserole tonight so will cook it in the pressure cooker to make it tender and then cook the curry on the stove top.
I second what GretchenS said about that burger!

[Harters]

The freezer is the source of many brown gloop dinners. And the occasional beige one.

As tonight - baked butternut squash & chestnut pasta. It wasn't a total rave on its first outing but was good enough to bother to freeze the leftovers. There'll be a handful of rocket on the side. And an Egremont Russet apple for afters.

[L.Nightshade]

I feel like I haven't had enough time to read this thread, let alone post! Just skimming a few entries, it looks like you are all up to your usual high standards. Right now I'm going to quickly post about the dinner we hosted over the weekend: our supper club's French dinner.
The rundown:
Along with Lillet blanc and pastis, we had the starters: I made salmon rillettes from Larousse, another guest made a goat cheese tart.
Two guests prepared sequential first courses, first, shrimp in a Provencal sauce; and next, a vegetable terrine accompanied by a mushroom stuffed with foie gras and baked in puff pastry.
For the main course, chicken ballotines. Mr. NS boned two chickens (he's quite a pro now) and I lined them with bacon, stuffed them with garlicky spinach, bread, and gruyere, then reassembled and trussed them up. The photo of the ballotine slice was taken before it was sauced. Another guest made delicious petatous to go along with the chicken. Beets in vinaigrette and orange juice, and carrots with olives and capers shared the plate. Many bottles of wonderful French wine were emptied during the course of the meal.
After dinner, along with coffee and Pineau de Charentes, we had a perfect tarte tatin, made by yet another one of the guests.

Mr. NS is out of town, and I just finished work. Lucky me I get leftovers!

[L.Nightshade]

Shoot! The prettiest dish didn't publish! So here it is, the vegetable terrine. You'll have to use your imagination to view the mushroom stuffed with foie gras and baked in puff pastry that perched on the edge of the dish, after I took this photo.

[mariacarmen]

that whole meal is the stuff of dreams, LN! hope you enjoyed your leftovers.

[L.Nightshade]

Thanks maria - and per your statement above: "everything's better with an egg on top." I'm thinking of putting a poached egg on top of one of those petatous for breakfast.

[mariacarmen]

genius!

[ChristinaMason]

pretty incredible...all of it. lots of good eating out your way.

[GretchenS]

Wow, sounds and looks like an incredible meal!

[nomadchowwoman]

If there were a beauty contest for dishes, they'd all be wearing banners.

[LindaWhit]

Wow. This puts my former dinner club to SHAME, L.Night!

[hannaone]

Simple fried rice tonight
Carrots, green beans, corn, and onion with cubed chicken breast and angus beef patty. Seasoned with garlic, soy sauce, pepper, and sesame oil. Served with over easy egg on top.

[bjosiah]

I made fried rice the other day, should have fried an egg to put on top...

Tonight is left over stew...carrots, onion, yellow pepper, and left over london broil. Cooked in beef bullion, seasoned with garlic, balsamic, and soy sauce...then thickened with flour. :)

[mariacarmen]

everything's better with an egg on top.

[jenscats5]

LOVE fried rice with an egg on top!!

[ChristinaMason]

I'm thawing some pork meatballs in saffron-almond sauce (Roden recipe), which I'm planning to heat up, fold some fresh baby spinach into the sauce (and maybe a touch of sour cream and broth), and serve over egg noodles. On the side, probably a salad with a honey vinaigrette another Hound posted about elsewhere.

[mariacarmen]

wow that sounds really, really good....

[ChristinaMason]

not to brag or anything, but it was really good! i folded in the spinach and added about 1/4 c. of sour cream, 3/4 c. chicken broth, some chopped parsley, and hot pepper flake. Tossed with the hot noodles and dusted with a little ground sumac. I might even make something similar in the future, subbing ground pork for the meatballs but keeping the almond sauce and add-ins.

leftovers re-purposing, hurrah! instead of mixed greens, we just had leftover mango-jicama-cucumber salad, which doesn't hold particularly well. can't win'em all!

[buttertart]

Seriously CM, yummola!

[mariacarmen]

brag away! sounds awesome.

[GretchenS]

That does sound really good!

[LindaWhit]

Sounds heavenly - is there a link to the pork meatballs in saffron-almond sauce, Christina?

ETA: Never mind - found you linked it below. :-)

[nomadchowwoman]

Is that recipe from Roden's latest book on Spain?

[buttertart]

Yes.

[ChristinaMason]

I don't have the book, but I followed this online version, using pork only: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recip...

[L.Nightshade]

You've once again tarted it up a bit, made it your own. Sounds wonderful, I'm going to give it a shot soon!

[GretchenS]

I am happily anticipating some of my made-yesterday chickpea patties (don't know why I said lentils) that I put extra feta into. They will be drizzled with a little of the awesome tahini I got at the Armenian market this weekend and go with a romaine, avocado, radish, red cabbage and whatever else is in the crisper salad.

[onceadaylily]

I was going to make falafel this weekend, but have been putting off that particular project for long enough to know that it really isn't what I want. And then there you were--I *can't* get enough feta lately (isn't it funny how you like something, and then, all of a sudden, obsession strikes). I would love the recipe for the patties, if you've the time..

[L.Nightshade]

I get occasional craving for falafel, that are difficult to fulfill. Haven't made them myself for ages. Do you deep fry, saute, or bake yours? I mean, when you actually make them.

[onceadaylily]

I haven't made them but once (fried), and they were just okay. I have a very random, internet recipe for baked falafel that I wanted to try (I dislike deep-frying), but I couldn't quite convince myself that it wouldn't be too dry. I can get decent-to-good falafel here very easily, but wanted to attempt it at home without the spatter burns, and volcanic swear words scaring the cat. I keep saying I'm going to try baking it, but found myself continually uninspired. And it doesn't help that the comments on this blog just admire the photography.

http://chowvegan.com/2009/01/06/baked...

[GretchenS]

If this link doesn't work, I'll be glad to paraphrase. These are highly adaptable, I have 3 friends who make them all the time (as do I) and we all make them differently and they are all very good, we swap them sometimes and it's amazing how different but equally good they are. http://articles.boston.com/2009-01-14...

[onceadaylily]

The link opened up perfectly. Thak you, Gretchen. I'm looking forward to trying this. And it does look very flexible. I'm already playing around with it in my head. :)

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Two nights ago was more pizza, with the other half of the sourdough dough I made. Topped with bacon, onions, red peppers and mushrooms.

Last night we were feeling either sick (my boyfriend) or lazy (me) so it was breakfast for dinner. Pan-fried, curry potatoes with onions and red pepper. Baked eggs with pepper jack and a swirl of sriracha. Tortillas.

Tonight we are planning our third turkey dinner of the year. I would happily break it apart and cook the pieces separately, but my boyfriend loves stuffing, so we're doing the whole thing. With green beans and potatoes of some sort.

[Cherylptw]

Those curry potatoes sound really good! I'm going to have to try those...and speaking of turkey, we haven't had it since the week after Thanksgiving; I have 5 in my freezer...that's right five...I see turkey dinner coming up in my immediate future...

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Glad to know I'm not the only one who keeps their freezer stocked with turkeys -- they're just so cheap after Thanksgiving! And the leftovers are so versatile! (I've already got a coconut curry soup and green enchiladas lined up.)

And I really do like turkey stock so much better than chicken stock.

[melpy]

This week: lamb shanks osso bucco with risotto
Weisswurt and homemade pretzels
Braised short ribs with vanilla glazed carrots
Pear and gorgonzola pizza

[nomadchowwoman]

I'd best not let DH see your post; he might show up on your doorstep.

[Cherylptw]

Last night we had ricotta & spinach tortillini in red sauce to which I added a couple ground up links of cooked beef & bacon sausage. Before going in the oven, the dish was topped with slices of sweet Italian sausage, dollops of ricotta and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. On the side, a salad of mixed lettuces, carrots, cukes & roasted tomatoes and toasted garlic bread. Dessert was the bf's mother's butter pound cake & ice cream with my homemade caramel.

I'm about to put a beef roast into the crockpot. First it'll be seasoned & pan seared then get a splash of both beef stock & red wine before slow cooking for four hours. I'll add onions, garlic, carrots, and chunks of white & sweet potatoes, re-season & thicken the liquid for a sauce and continue to cook for another three hours. On the side will be green beans cooked in bacon drippings and some homemade rolls.

[nomadchowwoman]

Your homemade caramel! My favorite ice cream topping. Just sugar, butter, cream? Or do you have some other secrets, Cheryl?

[Cherylptw]

I add a bit of really good vanilla after the addition of the cream. Sometimes I'll add other extracts like butter & nut or maple to vary the flavors

[Harters]

"Cooking the books" continues at Casa Harters and tonight's dinner comes from "Complete Italian Food", Antonio & Priscilla Carluccio (1997) - Petti di pollo alla Pizzaiola. Or chicken breast in a tomatoey sauce if you prefer.

Chicken goes in the pan along with olive oil and is all but cooked through. Then in goes garlic, capers, parsley, anchovies, passata, oregano, salt & pepper. It reduces a bit and, erm, that's it.

Alongside, some garlic & rosemary roast taters and steamed cavolo nero.

[buttertart]

Carluccio's one of those big-dealio guys over there who's pretty much unknown over here. Good books?

[Harters]

Books are OK, nothing more. Italian at other than the most basic of levels doesn't really feature in Britland cooking - no significant immigration patterns, of course (although we did have some mid-19th century influx in Manchester with folk coming to work in the various ironworks - their mark is left by the community's significant move into the ice cream business in the area.

Carluccio's getting on in years now and hasnt been at the stove for quite a while. He started up a chain of pretty good Italian trat. type places but has sold them now. But he recently did a TV series with Gennaro Contaldo who probably isnt known by name by many Brits - but anyone who has watched Jamie Oliver programmes will probably have seen Contaldo as Oliver's "mentor".

[mariacarmen]

the Vietnamese grilled pork over vermicelli came out GREAT. the marinade was the real deal, and using a grill pan gave me the nice charred bits i wanted. the BF really wanted imperial rolls in it too, but he settled for the nearby chinese place's egg rolls (which are nowhere near as good but sufficed.) we'll be having this again for sure.

[nomadchowwoman]

I'm w/BF on the imperial rolls--love those babies. But it all looks great.
Q: did you use pork shoulder, and if so, how did you cut it (slices, chunks)? Every time I've had Vietnamese grilled pork (in a rest.), I've assumed it was from the loin; sometimes it's an actual thin chop.

[mariacarmen]

yep, shoulder, and yeah, i sliced it thin. it was perfect - nice and fatty with crispy bits.

[operagirl]

Made a quick batch of arepas tonight, split open and topped with sunnyside eggs and salsa. Served with a big salad of butter lettuce, avocado, cucumber, blood oranges, and endives, dressed with a little oil and vinegar.

[free sample addict aka Tracy L]

Spinach, mushroom, garlic and pepperjack cheese quesadillas. Sort of like the quesadillas at one of my favorite Cali-mex cafes, but less cheese, Simple, yet yummy and so much more healthy.

[ChristinaMason]

I used leftover carnitas in enchiladas rojas tonight served with leftover taco toppings for garnish. I made the mistake of just warming, rather than frying, the corn tortillas, so they were a bit too soft, but the flavors were there. Leftover rice and beans and chips and queso on the side. Maybe some leftover bday cake later.

I'm glad I've been going to the gym regularly. Oy.

[weezieduzzit]

What a busy weekend it was!

Tonight is an easy dinner of gyoza and steamed veggies- nice and light since I'm still working (Just taking a chow break for dinner!) I'll make the man something if he ever comes out of the garage.

After dinner and work I'll have a cocktail and play with one of this weekend's cool finds... a 1965 Wurlitzer 2900 jukebox.

[wyogal]

Leftover prime rib: sandwiches with horseradish sauce. served with church potluck beans...
Dessert: anglaise made with milk and coconut milk, cornstarch, egg yolks, cardamom, vanilla; over fresh fruit.

[ChristinaMason]

Mmm, your dessert sounds delish! Inventive use of coconut milk.

[wyogal]

Thanks!

[TxnInMtl]

After an oddly warm weekend in Quebec City spent gorging on rich, French food, I needed something a bit different. I meant to have the beet, orange, and olive salad from Plenty with some roasted chicken, but chicken just wasn't going to do it tonight. Instead, I ended up with the beef with cumin from Dunlop's RCC (I cheated further by using pre-cut fondue meat). Not the most traditional meal, but lots of bold flavors. The salad is being added to the list of recipes for when I'm drowning in beets and I'm happy that my first recipe from RCC went so well as I've loved Land of Plenty.

[boyzoma]

Well, it's rainy and uncomfortable outside so we needed something warm and cozy. So tonight will be beef stew, which is simmering as we speak. Always like the allspice and clove since it makes the house smell wonderful. Just added the carrots/celery. The meat is almost fall-apart tender. Green Beans, Corn, peas, potato chunks, etc. go in shortly. I'm wishing I could send you smell-o-text. Absolute heaven. Buttery biscuits with honey will also be on the plate. Oh, yeah!

[LindaWhit]

Whoever invents smell-o-text is gonna be richer than Mark Zuckerberg. :-)

[nomadchowwoman]

I can almost smell it, boyzoma--and I sure wish I had some now. And I love biscuits with honey!

[nomadchowwoman]

As this may be the last "cold" night for us for a while (who knows? it's been crazy weather-wise), I'm making potato-leek soup tonight. I mentioned this to DH a while ago, and he said "I hope we can have some kind of meat too." Sigh.

So I'm trying to come up w/ something else, but it's more likely to be mushrooms/prosciutto on toasts than the kind of meat he's got in mind. That, soup, and a green salad will have to be WFD tonight.

[jenscats5]

So the other day whilst perusing Chow I saw a recipe for Red Curry squash and Green Curry Cauliflower. The store had cauliflower on sale, so picked some up.....Remembered I had an acorn squash in the fridge too....

Tonite's dinner is Green Curry cauliflower with chick peas and acorn squash. Just basically combined the two recipes. I added some red bell pepper and spinach as well. A great vegetarian dish & also good with chicken, which I added & served over rice. The squash really cooked down and thickened the sauce.

[LindaWhit]

It's going to be honey-ginger-pomegranate pork tenderloin, with roasted butternut squash spears (I hopefully will avoid anything like the 2011 Thanksgiving Knife Incident when I cut off the rind/skin!), and sauteed spinach with toasted pine nuts.

[mariacarmen]

i'm trying my hand at this tonight:
http://www.theravenouscouple.com/2009...

It's one of our favorite restaurant order vietnamese dishes, and it sounds really easy, tho i'll have to do the meat under the broiler as we have no grill. just happen to have lemongrass in the fridge from last weekend's chicken, too.

[jenscats5]

Oh wow that looks delicious!! Bookmarked!

[ChristinaMason]

Oh, yay! That's the one I made a little over a week ago. It's good. I had to used minced lemongrass in a tube, but it was still good. Don't skimp on the sriracha, and add lots of chopped peanuts, and it'll be great. Hope you enjoy!

[mariacarmen]

oh i just saw this!

haha - the BF poured on the sriracha, which we both love, and i used a little too, but i mostly let the heat from the nuoc cham do the trick for me (i put a lot of minced habanero in it). it was really a good recipe. and yes, plenty of peanuts!

[Berheenia]

Life has been a blur shopping for a church event yesterday, cooking and serving it today. After all that brought a groupon to our local pricey meat store and got a strip steak for tonight plus some ground meat for later in the week. Tonight I'm revisiting the Essential New York Times, Cookbook of the month from last February, and making cabbage and potatoes with heavy cream. There will be leftovers. Pricey store has all kinds of marinated wings that can be baked in the oven so I know where I'm going next Sunday for the game day first course.

[GretchenS]

Last night I had kielbasa (new Nueske's product, very good, was in with my Super Bowl shipment of brats) and made a cabbage recipe from my Hungarian cookbook (which I have no recollection of buying) with fresh dill and just a bit of sour cream. It was good but when I reheat the leftovers I think I will add a bit of mustard. This morning I made a huge batch of minestrone and a batch of salmon cakes and will shortly make a batch of lentil cakes, so my freezer is in great shape. Tonight will be a Greek sausage (the kind with orange rind in it) and Greek salad with some of the fabulous feta I got at the Greek market yesterday.

[mariacarmen]

damn girl, you've been busy!

funny, one of the things my father WILL eat are salmon cakes! i made him some last week.

enjoy that greek sausage, sounds wonderful

[jenscats5]

Had the step-daughter over for dinner yesterday so made Voodoo Shrimp over rice. Rice was easy - jut put some sushi rice in the rice cooker. For the Voodoo Shrimp I poured a bottle of beer in a pan and added Sriacha sauce, red pepper flakes, chili paste, salt, black pepper, cumin, and bay leaves plus a can of tomato paste. Once I brought it to a simmer I added a pint container of light cream. Simmered the sauce till it thickened and added 2 lbs of raw, shelled shrimp. Continued to simmer until the shrimp was cooked. Served it over the rice!

Step-daughter LOVED it - she loves spicy food and this totally fit the bill.

[mariacarmen]

that sounds fiery like goodness JC5!

[jenscats5]

Step daughter LOVED it - she had 3 helpings!! It was very good and there was so much of the sauce left over that she took a large container of it home for other uses....

[nomadchowwoman]

You are obviously not a step-monster, jenscats, but a Voodoo Queen! Your shrimp sounds wonderful; wish I had some right now.

[onceadaylily]

After an extraordinarily busy week of work, traveling, and family get-togethers, it feels nice to have a quiet day that I can shape according to my own whims (once I get the laundry done). And now I can finally figure out what to do with some of the six pounds of frozen asparagus the boyfriend brought home a week ago. I have to do *something* with it; I went to the market yesterday and had to stay away from anything that might need to go into the freezer. Irksome.

I've settled on Food and Wine's asparagus and ricotta soup, with the addition of shallots. The tips of the spears are added after the soup has been pureed, and a pesto of green onion, white wine vinegar and pistachios swirled on top, which might assuage the guy who doesn't like 'baby food'. I might add a bit of feta to the soup along with the pesto, add a tiny bit of basil to the pesto, and might roast the asparagus, instead of cooking it stovetop. Grilled cheese (rye bread with smoked swiss), and spinach salad to go with.

Before I make the soup, I'll throw together a pasta for the boy to eat tomorrow. I got a headstart on the sauce last night, and sauteed some tomatoes in olive oil and a little bit of butter, and then added ground fennel, balsamic vinegar, a splash of cream, salt and pepper, and some fresh basil. To that, I'll add some kalamata olives, roasted broccoli, parmesan (and maybe some feta), and then toss it with cavatappi. Along with the leftovers from last night's pizza (artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, feta, and kalamata olives, with tzatziki to dip the crust in) he'll be easily fed until I can get back in the kitchen on Wednesday.

I am damn tempted to add roasted asparagus to his pasta.

[LindaWhit]

LOL at your last sentence, OADL! Tee hee! I think adding some roasted asparagus would be VERY good with the overall dish. I say go for it. :-)

[onceadaylily]

By the end of the week he's probably going to be saying things like, "That is a very interesting garnish for my beer, isn't it?" and "Why is my cereal . . . green?"

[Caroline1]

A little asparagus flavored toothpaste might be in order as well!

[nomadchowwoman]

That soup sounds delicious, too.

[onceadaylily]

Thanks, NCW. The ricotta sold me on it. I'm hoping it is flavorful enough. I really wish I had some preserved lemons on hand to work into this somehow, but I've already made a few changes to the recipe, so maybe that's for the best.

[mariacarmen]

i knew from sentence 2 that was you, lily! your soup sounds fantastic, as does that pasta, and yes, the boy should definitely be eating asparagus til it comes out of his ears since he bought the stuff!

[onceadaylily]

Thanks, MC! He could live on pasta, he loves it so. Which is too bad, because he really does think that he has celiac, just like his mom and brother. I'm waiting for him to set up a doc's appointment, and offered to cook gluten- and wheat-free for awhile, just to see if he feels better, but he's dragging his feet a bit. Which I totally understand--the list of what he would have to give up reads much the same as his preferred menu choices!. For now, he wants pasta tomorrow.

And isn't it funny how one's use of text can be as identifiable as any of their other characteristics? This pleases me, for some reason.

[jenscats5]

I'm the same way with pasta - could eat it daily and I believe I am gluten-sensitive. I get severe heartburn when I eat gluten - it's quite painful. (tested negative) I'm really enjoying however the brown rice pastas that are out there - Tinkyada is my favorite.

[weezieduzzit]

Me, too and it came on really suddenly. Bread and pasta send me to bed with the most incredible heartburn and stomach pain. I refused to believe it for a long time (I'm stubborn and love bread and pasta,) and caused myself a world of hurt. I'm still hoping it goes away as fast as it came on!

I will definitely be looking for Tinkyada, thank you so much for mentioning it!

[onceadaylily]

Thanks, Jen. I've added that pasta to my market list. We might as well try it out, and see if he likes it. I know he doesn't even want to talk about it right now, but I think it's wise of us to take advantage of this time and try out products before the situation becomes set in stone. He loves to try new things, and I'd rather it be about that, rather than being told that is *all* he can have.

[mariacarmen]

oh that's really too bad for the boy! i don't know what i'd do if i suddenly developed an allergy to .... bacon? tacos? seriously, tho, poor boy. i hope that's not the case.

[onceadaylily]

In case anyone was curious, the soup was very good, but also very rich. If I were to make it again, I would add more broth, and less ricotta. It was more of a starter than a main, but I think we all knew that. ;) I'll eat a little more tonight, but the rest of the pot is destined to be used in a tart, I think, with the addition of egg, a bit more cheese (something sturdier), sundried tomatoes, and a generous handful of whole asparagus.. Oh, and we weren't really crazy about that pesto. I should have listened to my own instincts and left out that vinegar. It was too assertive for asparagus.

[mariacarmen]

whoda thunk there was such a thing as too much ricotta...

[onceadaylily]

Not me, until last night. But the batch I made yesterday was very rich and very creamy. The whey looked like two percent milk.

But when I come home tonight I'm going to ladle that soup over some rye toast, add a bit of feta, and then top it with an over-easy egg or two. I think I'll have a new appreciation for that soup as a messy little plate.

[GretchenS]

that sounds SOOOO good oadl!

[mariacarmen]

yum. eggsses is so good.

[buttertart]

A surfeit of asparagus always makes me think of Proust.

[onceadaylily]

Heh heh, I won't say I was thinking of him today, but his *is* near and dear to my heart. And now that association will be burned in my brain forever.

And thanks, ladies!

[Harters]

Lamb chops. Oven cooked tomato & saffron risotto (a Sophie Grigson recipe). Green beans.

[GretchenS]

Sounds great! Glad you had a good holiday in the warmer climes.

[Caroline1]

Thanks!

[Caroline1]

For late lunch today (and why isn't there a word similar to "brunch" for late lunch/early dinner? "Linner" maybe? Or maybe "Luner" if you serve moonshine cocktails) I made real Hungarian gulyas! Well, semi-real Hungarian gulyas; I used a little chopped celery in it. In BudaPest they'd more likely use celery root if they used celery at all. But despite the corruption, it turned out GREAT! I did it in my new pressure cooker, which would likely not be used in Hungary either, but what the hey? Grass fed (organic) beef, Szeged sweet and a little hot paprika, a bit of carroway seeds and marjoram to balance out the tomatoes and bell peppers. 45 minutes in the pressure cooker and the taste and texture of cooking all day. I'm soooooooooo glad I finally gave up on ever finding my old pressure cooker again and broke down and bought a new one. This was the best gulyas I've had in decades! Possibly because of the grass fed beef, which is what I grew up eating? Anyway, there is a bit left for lunch tomorrow. Or maybe breakfast. Or a midnight snack? '-)

[MaryContrary]

Caroline1, so glad to see an entry from you. Maybe I've missed it, but haven't seen one in a long time

[GretchenS]

Caroline1, welcome back!!! SO GLAD to see you here!

[mariacarmen]

wow, blast from the past, and what a blast to reemerge with! your gulas sounds wonderful. we may have to open up the "Gulas Week" early this year.....

[Caroline1]

Thank you, Mary, Gretchen and MariaC! Come on over while there's still a taste or two of gulyas left! '-)

[nomadchowwoman]

We had dinner at friends' last night, both proponents of pressure cookers--and they each have one, he the old-fashioned kind w/the scary valve, and she a newer version. We had quite the discussion about them. I have always been scared to death of the things, but I'm coming around.

BTW, the best gulyas (not sure how the Germans spell it) I ever had was in Bavaria, made by this same friend's grandmother (who was Polish)--and she had made it in her pressure cooker. Yours sounds divine.

[Caroline1]

After five years of searching unpacked moving boxes for my old aluminum rocker-valve pressure cooker it finally dawned on me that the only way to find it is to buy a new one. The new one is a Fagor "Splendid" induction friendly stainless steel model that comes with the pressure cooker lid, a clear glass lid, a 4 quart and 8 quart pans that both lids fit and a steamer basket that can also serve as a pasta basket. I paid $90.86 on amazon.com with free shipping. I couldn't say no! And it has the totally safe pressure valve. No more hissing rock and roll! If fate forced me to choose between the new pressure cooker and my Sous Vide Supreme, I'm afraid the pressure cooker would win hands down. Try it, you'll like it! And if you get this model, if you don't like it, at least you'll have two spiffy large pans with a glass lid and a steamer/pasta basket!

[ChristinaMason]

Welcome back. Missed your posts!

[sdoconnell]

Home alone, so eating leftovers while hubby's working night shift.

But hoping for some help... we're having vegetarian friends for dinner party on Tuesday.

We often eat meat free in our house, but I don't feel the need to "impress" my husband or kid. An egg main with side salad is a good dinner for us. With these guests coming, I want to make a cohesive menu that is a little more special.

I"m thinking of a tomato pesto quiche for our main. What would be a nice appetizer to have with cocktails? And a side with dinner? I'm a pretty good cook, but a terrible menu planner in terms of unity.

[LindaWhit]

A couple of appetizer ideas:

Roasted mushroom and goat cheese bruschetta sprinkled with a bit of Aleppo pepper
Roasted red pepper & white bean dip with various veggies

And the side could just be an arugula or spinach salad with sliced pears, thinly sliced shallots, toasted walnuts (if no one is allergic) and dried cranberries with a wonderful homemade vinaigrette dressing.

[sdoconnell]

Hey thanks! I'll steal your ideas shamelessly, and now I know what we're eating for the party! :)

[LindaWhit]

I'm very glad I could be of help, sdoconnell!

[Harters]

I'm stealing that salad as well. Pears are very much under utilised at Casa Harters.

That said, I saw an absolute belter of a dessert on TV the other day. Pear was cored from the base and then poached. The hole left by the coring was then filled with chocolate ganache, so it would be a surprise when you cut into it. Fab!

[LindaWhit]

Oh. My. Freaking. God. at the pear/chocolate ganache recipe - that sounds heavenly! Is there a recipe online from the TV show, Harters?

[Harters]

Here you go, Linda.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/pra...

Full recipe is very fancy as you'll see - the TV series is the current "Masterchef" programme (have you had these in the past on, say, BBC America?). Cut down for home use, I think it'd be great

[LindaWhit]

Believe it or not, Harters, the cable choice I currently haven't doesn't *include* BBC America! Grrrrr.....But I have seen the American version of Masterchef.

And wow - that *is* an involved recipe. I'll wait until someone makes it for me. :-)

[Harters]

It's only Week 2 of the competition but I have that guy down as my early guess as the winner.

I reckon a much simplified version - say just poaching the pear and filling the middle with ganache would work fine

[boyzoma]

Love what LindaW has suggested. I might add stuffed cremini mushrooms or an artichoke dip.

As a side, some peppers stuffed with wild rice? Of course, mushroom risotto is always my favorite! :)

[peppermint_sky]

For your salad dressing, try this honey vinaigrette! I just served it on an arugula salad with toasted pistachio, dried cranberries, crumbled blue cheese, organic scallions and it is lovely with arugula!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[megjp]

Chicken and rice stew, again, but this time with salsa and a more tex-mexy feel. Now that I've cooked all the chicken that was going to get freezer-burnt soon, it's time to portion out the meals and re-freeze them! :)

[LindaWhit]

OK, as I noted in the OP, I did leftovers the ENTIRE week - except last night, when it was OUT with several friends. By the time we sat down at the restaurant, I was stahving...and when I saw the specials menu had a balsamic caramelized onion, cheddar and bacon burger, I was all over that bad boy. ::::Nom, nom, nom:::

Tonight I'm back to cooking - and having read a week's worth of meals in this thread has me craving udon noodles with chicken and veggies with a peanut sauce. I'll make a simple and thinned version of my dad's satay sauce (much thicker than usual to "stick" on the grilled kebobs it usually goes on) to toss with the udon, sauteed chicken and veggies. I know I have carrots, onions and mushrooms - I'm hoping to find asparagus and/or broccoli to throw into the mix.

[wyogal]

sick burger........... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[wyogal]

My brother sent me a mail-order roast (Chicago), a dry-aged, prime rib roast. He wants me to try it out and compare it to the bone-in filets (yes, I know) that he got us at Christmas. I'll do the high heat, (450) then turn down to 325 cooking method. Will coat the roast in coarse salt and pepper, rosemary, garlic.
So, tonight, we are having a couple over for dinner. Will serve it with a plain brown rice pilaf and roasted sweet potatoes. The couple asked to bring something, so I told them to bring a fresh fruit and veggie platter. I have some dried fruit/pepita oatmeal cookies, will make some plain oatmeal cookies, too, for dessert.

[operagirl]

With your high --> low heat cooking plan, I couldn't help but think of last week's NYT Dining Section recipe, where Nathan Myhrvold showed Melissa Clark how to freeze, sear, then oven-roast steaks. I can't help but think this method has some promise when used with big roasts, too. . . let us know how yours turns out!

[wyogal]

O was reading those posts. I'll try that with one of the 16 oz filets. I'm going to do this one in my "regular" way to have something to compare it with. He wants taste test/comparison kind of feedback.
I am more than happy to oblige! hahaha!
I'll have to tell him that I really need to compare it to their pork crown roast, ya know....
Not sure yet about flavor combination for the sweet potatoes. I want to keep them rather plain, so maybe just a sprinkle of kosher salt. Not sure if I want to go the cinnamon/allspice route. We are all trying to watch our diet, so am doing the sweets, and then brown rice instead of doing a side of regular potatoes. I picked up some Lundberg brown basmati and jasmine. Not sure which I will use. I'll cook it with just a bit of onion and beef broth.
I want to keep flavors simple (not plain, was going to use that word, but not plain), and focus on the roast. Might even do up a score card for the meat and report that back to my brother.
He must have a deal or something, $300 piece of meat. jeez. I usually cook a $45 piece of choice rib at the holidays.

[ted]

Chiming in kind of late here. I tried the NY Times recipe with strip steaks last night. They were hard frozen. The one thing that kind of stumped me was seasoning them. I was pretty sure that kosher salt and pepper wasn't going to stick to the frozen steak, so I seasoned after frying but before tossing them in the oven. They didn't come out seasoned enough for me.

I wonder if maybe salting them and letting them sit for a few minutes would give the salt a chance to melt the surface a touch and actually get into the crust.

Otherwise, I liked the result. Maybe a touch oily-tasting but again that could've been my lousy seasoning technique.

[wyogal]

I was wondering about the seasoning sticking to the frozen meat, too.

[wyogal]

and the couple just canceled. Going ahead with dinner, will have leftover prime rib. darn. Will pick up some wine as it would have been a NA evening otherwise.
Will do up some crudites from what's in my vegetable drawer. maybe throw together some kind of cheese biscuit.
The cookie dough is in the fridge... James Beard refrigerated cookies, but with 1/3 unbleached flour, 2/3 old-fashioned oatmeal, ground. Also, used cane sugar, and molasses. Added cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.

[LindaWhit]

whogal, they know not what they're going to miss. ;-) Enjoy!

[boyzoma]

Send me your address. If I can find a flight, I'll be there! Hate to see a good piece of meat like that go to waste. I'll be happy to do any comparisons with you.

[wyogal]

It was O.K. The flavor didn't really go "ka-pow," as I had hoped. It wasn't much different from the ones I get in the grocery stores.
I used the wrong knife to slice it and kinda tore it. But, I am looking forward to some sandwiches later. I also made some hoagies.

[LindaWhit]

Well, it still looks wonderful! And I love that you made your own hoagie rolls - enjoy. Too bad there's no football on today - would be a perfect football type meal!

[wyogal]

Thanks! We just didn't want to make one more stop at the store for bread. We may need to go for a walk today. Ha!
I thought I'd slice it thinly, I like mine grilled a bit on CI, toasted rolls, probably grill some onions, too. Horseradish .

[LindaWhit]

That SO works for me. And what time should I be there? ;-)

[mariacarmen]

the fat layer on the meat is just killing me! save your scraps for me?

[boyzoma]

If I were a dog, my tongue would be dragging on the floor! Arf Arf.

[nomadchowwoman]

Does your brother need another tester, by any chance?

[Harters]

We didnt arrive back from Spain till mid-evening, so herself blasted a frozen pizza in the oven and I went and got Chinese takeaway for me.

Tonight.... tortilla & salad. Or I suppose that should be tortilla y ensalada.

[LindaWhit]

Bienvenido de nuevo a España, Harters y la señora!

[Harters]

Gracias.

Nice to be home, even though it's bloody colder.

[mariacarmen]

Vale, vale, como te fue?? Hope we'll be able to hear some of your food exploits on these boards... Welcome home!

what's in your tortilla?

[Harters]

Classic tortilla - potato, onion, garlic, eggs.

As for the foody experiences while away, they werent really worth reporting back on. We ate out every day and the restaurant food was generaly quite touristy ( as expected). Did have one particularly good meal. One starter was a simple & delicious "pan con tomate", the other a quick fry of Padron peppers and a spicy sausage (they serve the starters tapas style to share). My main was a couple of lovely big pork chops, green beans, chips. Herself had grilled sole. All good Spanish cooking - good ingredients, cooked simply - sort of reminds me of thestyle of good British cooking in the simplicity.

[mariacarmen]

all sounds good - pan con tomate is one of the simpler yet greatest pleasures ever.

[TxnInMtl]

Catching up for the week, Thursday night I came home and the BF had ribs cooking and homemade fries in the oven. I added some stir-fried watercress (plus arugula that was on its last legs) from Radically Simple to give us something green. Last night was orange and thyme rubbed pork tenderloin (from All About Roasting), Jerusalem artichokes with cheese and basil oil (from Plenty), and a warm red cabbage salad with goat cheese. The pork was a little bit overshadowed by everything else on the plate and I didn't taste much of the orange even though I used more zest than was called for, but still juicy.

[ChristinaMason]

your tenderloin meal sounds amazing. do you find you use a lot of recipes from Plenty? It's been on my list for a while...

[TxnInMtl]

I bought Plenty a while ago, but haven't cooked from it much (maybe a half dozen recipes). I like flipping through it, but the recipes generally feel like too much work (or too many ingredients I need to track down) for a weeknight side dish. I'm making a conscious effort to try to use it more though!

[nomadchowwoman]

I love the combo of red cabbage and goat cheese--mmmmm.

[mariacarmen]

Fridge-Clean-Out-Friday! Leftover lamb stew - yes, THAT lamb stew of ____ days ago! (it passed the smell/taste test.) Very little actual lamb left, actually, more like lamb sauce, but it still had plenty of raisins and almonds. so i chopped the meat up small, and mixed the stew with leftover jasmine rice. also added finely minced habanero, and chopped green olives to give it more of a picadillo-ish flair. Fried an egg, sprinkled it with aleppo, plopped that on top. Salad was romaine with chopped pickled daikon and carrots, shallots and cabbage, with some of the leftover spicy nuoc cham as dressing. Pretty tasty, all said and done. Love eggs for dinner.

[nomadchowwoman]

That's some "clean-out," mc: gorgeous pics.

[mariacarmen]

Thanks NCW!

[LindaWhit]

Ditto that - that's a WONDERFUL re-use of leftovers, mc!

[mariacarmen]

Thanks LW!

[GretchenS]

Looks gorgeous and sounds yummy -- this week's leftover champion, I'd say, even with the heavy competition around here.

[mariacarmen]

awww, way too kind. but it was good.

[buttertart]

That so-called prosciutto (Speck by any other name would smell as smoky) from TJs made super carbonara last night. Really nice.
Tonight, in honor of Liam's third birthday yesterday, his favorite, scallops. Microwaved for him, tarted up for us somehow. No cake please, we are Kitty.
Tomorrow, dunno, but Sunday's our crack at bo ssam.

[nomadchowwoman]

Can't wait to hear about the bo ssam, esp. after all the chatter about it recently.
DH put in a request for it after he saw the photo in NYT mag.Looks and sounds scrumptious.

[mariacarmen]

ooh, going to try that too, very soon....

[LindaWhit]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mr. Liam!!! Buster and Alfie say "Mroowww!" (That means enjoy your scallop!)

[buttertart]

He says thank you kindly and could we have scallops every night PUHLEEZ?
Bo ssam in oven after about 6 hrs...bo-nus pic of the mighty Liam...

[mariacarmen]

how did it turn out? Not Liam, we KNOW how he is - little prince charming!

[buttertart]

It is one of the raunchiest sexiest over the top rock and roll baby things I've ever made. You would LOVE it. Delicious. Make it.

[mariacarmen]

hot DAMN, BT - i've never heard of a more seductive endorsement for a piece of meat! i can't WAIT to try it!

[buttertart]

I could go farther but I'm a lady!

[mariacarmen]

just my kinda lady!

[buttertart]

Back atcha!

[nomadchowwoman]

Last night we had early appetizers--wild mushrooms sauteed w/garlic and bits of prosciutto on toasts--and a late dinner of African-style chicken (marinated in onion, garlic, ginger, lime, chile, then browned and braised), from the Pepin COTM, which was really delicious. That was served on a bed of quinoa, with steamed carrot sticks, and kale, marinated in coconut milk and spices and then grilled. (The kale, from a NYT magazine recipe, was just barely ok, not worth the trouble; I like it better raw, in a salad.)

[mariacarmen]

that looks and sounds beautiful. but you say the kale was grilled? too bad it wasn't great, it sounds really good.

[nomadchowwoman]

This is the recipe for the kale (I used lime juice, what was stipulated in my clipping). Looks great, right? Despite a five-hour marinade, It just didn't have much flavor and was very chewy. Could have been a problem with the kale, but it was bought at the FM that day so I know it was fresh. I grilled it longer than the recipe said to, hoping it would soften up, but nah. And [sigh] that was going to be the kale recipe that made a convert of DH.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/mag...

[LindaWhit]

Ah-May-ZING.

And ::::::WANT::::::

[ChristinaMason]

Friends are coming for a birthday dinner. We'll start with queso blanco with tortilla chips and celery and broccoli for dipping. For the main: I'm braising some pork in mojo criollo and pacifico beer along with onion and garlic for tacos later. There will be a ton of fixings (napalitos, avocado, radish, pickled jalapeno, pickled red onion, diced white onion, cilantro, assorted salsas, roasted pineapple with habanero). Sides: a mango-jicama-cucumber salad, "Spanish" (red) rice, and seasoned black beans.

Dessert is a yellow cake with dulce de leche cream cheese frosting. I picked up some pretty "cupcake pearls" to scatter across the top, which is about as fancy as it gets here for cake decoration :) I just discovered what I thought was a can of dulce de leche was actually only condensed milk, so I'm gonna try my hand at making it from scratch.

Drinks will be some of that Pacifico, margaritas, and a cocktail with tequila, cassis, lime juice, and spicy ginger beer.

[Cherylptw]

Dang, I'd love to be a guest at this dinner! Mexican is my favorite..speaking of which, dinner tonight will be leftovers. I have chicken & pastry, a few pieces of fried chicken, some pigs feet, potato salad, cole slaw, braised greens with pig tails, corn kernels and a ton of salad fixins in the fridge, so the bf and I will be eating some of this BUT I have been wanting to make a guacamole all week. I'm mixing the avocado with cooked & well drained Mexican chorizo, roasted tomatoes, onions & garlic and poblanos, and topping with crumbled Queso fresco. I oven toasted some flour tortilla chips which was sprinkled with ground cumin. Can't wait to taste!

[GretchenS]

would you mind mailing me some of the braised greens with pig tails, please? pretty please??? I never had pig tails until recently but man are they ever good!!

[Cherylptw]

Package will be delivered next day service (lol!) They are so so good! My bf's father corned the pig tails first so that just added to the flavor.

[JungMann]

Cheryl, have you ever tried re-frying leftover fried chicken? I have a cocktail party coming up and I've been told that if I make fried chicken the night prior and then re-fry it before service, it comes out extra crispy, but I find it hard to believe that the taste is unaffected.

[Cherylptw]

Yeah, no...don't do it. I'm going to put my chicken in the oven to re-heat. If you want to use that method, just pre-cook it a few hours before having to serve, then drop it to finish cooking. I wouldnt do it the night before, it has that leftover flavor even if you cook it again. Something to do with the hardened oil settling into the breading that makes it taste off. That's my opinion but if you have time before the party, cook a piece of chicken and re-cook it the next day just to see. Let me know what you think.

[JungMann]

Kenji Lopez-Alt tried this technique, but I'll probably leave it to someone else to verify these claims.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/01/th...

[Cherylptw]

Interesting...But I'm standing on my previous comment because of the flavor factor

[ChristinaMason]

Interesting, I'd be surprised if the batter doesn't burn to a crisp before the meat is heated through. Let us know if you try it.

There's a local restaurant (Pearl Dive Oyster Bar) that braises its chicken in white wine, broth, and spices before battering and frying just until the outside is crispy. It's supposed to be amazing.

[nomadchowwoman]

I feel a great party coming on. I love all those fixins and wouldn't turn down a cocktail, either. Have fun, CM.

[ChristinaMason]

That's funny, I feel a great hangover coming on. Good thing I don't need to be productive tomorrow.

The guy the the couple asked about bringing beer, and I said we'd have plenty of drinks, but it depended how thirsty he was. His response? "I"m always thirsty."

Yep, that's a pretty good indicator of how tonight will go.

[operagirl]

That sounds like an awesome birthday dinner! Did you make the pickled jalapenos and onions yourself?

[ChristinaMason]

jalapenos no, onions yes (I think I got the "recipe" from epicurious, but didn't note):

For Pickled Onions:
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes and salt, heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add onions and dried oregano. When mixture is cool pour into a quart container. You may need to add a bit of water just to cover. (Keep at room temperature for about 6 hours then place in the refrigerator.

[megjp]

Last night I used leftover rotisserie chicken for a third attempt at cracking that Soup Nutsy Caribbean soup -- I'm pretty sure I got it.

I'm off work today (finally a long weekend!), so I think I'll boil up the chicken carcass with the usual suspects and make a bit of stock. If it's enough, I'll make chicken soup since the man found some celery for 50c yesterday and I ONLY like celery in soup.

But that's not what I think we'll eat tonight. Since I'm off, and since new sales started today, I will eventually flip through flyers to do a shop, and plan something a little more labour-intensive. I wonder if normal people would look forward to this planning as much as I am over a morning tea..

[ChristinaMason]

<Soup Nutsy Caribbean soup -- I'm pretty sure I got it.>

OK, you knew this was coming: recipe please!

[megjp]

Hrm. When I said I got it, I neglected to say I didn't write down my last changes. It's not quite as thick and indulgent-seeming as the prefab stuff, but I'm certain it has loads less fat and salt.

Stock:
6 cups water
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (plus any additional chicken backs, etc., if you have them)
1.5 medium onions, chopped large
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 whole cloves
5 small dried red hot chilis (I used bird's eye a couple of times)
S&P
Large bay leaf
- Simmer all ingredients together for 1+ hours, skimming as necessary; strain through cheesecloth, set chicken thighs aside to cool for removing the meat, and return strained stock to cleaned pot. You're looking for thick gelatinous stock, hence the added bones. You can use pre-made chicken stock that isn't spiced thus, but add additional spicing down the line.

Soup:
2 each large red & green peppers, chopped relatively small (0.5"?)
1 sweet potato (~1.5 cups), chopped slightly larger
2 large jalapenos, halved, seeded, and sliced
~0.5 tsp. cayenne pepper
Generous 1 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. allapice
0.5 tsp. strong cinnamon
1-2 tsp. nutmeg
4-6 cloves, ground
2 bay leaves
1.5 tsp. Old Bay or that amount of various of its constituents (last time I used paprika, celery seed, dry mustard, and some more allspice and nutmeg)
Meat from the chicken thighs that has been removed from the bone and chopped/broken into chunks
0.5 can diced tomatoes, mostly drained (I had San Marzanos in the fridge)
0.75 cup long-grain rice, white or brown
Salt to taste
- Bring to a boil; simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice is done, soup is thickened, and vegetables are tender. I haven't needed to thicken mine by adding anything, but a flour or a cornstarch slurry should be fine. If you need more acid, I'd say red wine or cider vinegar would do the job nicely.

[ChristinaMason]

Interesting---I've never heard of this!

[TeriPie]

I hear ya megjp! I consider myself "normal"....as far as a "FOODIE" goes anyway! LOL!! ...I LOVE to cook and plan meals especially with the EXTRA time permitted on some weekends! Happy cookin to ya! I am actually so jealous because I work 7-days a week and cannot do what ur doing today! ;-)

[operagirl]

Tonight, I baked a spaghetti squash (halved, cut-side-down, 45mins @375F), then mixed it with some homemade pesto made from basil, pepitas, Garlic Gold Italian nuggets, and salt. Served with sauteed onions, mushrooms, and basil turkey sausage. Big salad on the side -- mixed greens, avocado, cucumber, blood oranges, and endives, dressed with fig balsamic vinegar, evoo, and salt. Not bad for a weeknight!

[ChristinaMason]

nice flavors going on there. i'd eat it...with gusto.

[peppermint_sky]

I adore spaghetti squash. I usually turn it into a Moosewood-inspired casserole with ricotta, fresh basil, and sauteed mushroom/onion plus some tomato.

[operagirl]

Oh wow, that sounds good! Care to paraphrase?

[peppermint_sky]

Absolutely... have to just locate the recipe and I will absolutely paraphrase :)

[operagirl]

Great! Still have half the cooked spaghetti squash to use up, and a casserole sounds nice. Mine will be a mini-version, but still. The flavors sound great!

[ChristinaMason]

Here's one that purports to be a variation: http://www.ricestandard.org/a-recipe-...

[peppermint_sky]

Yes! That's the one -- thank you, Christina. Operagirl, I have made this for years. It's an excellent excellent dish to bring to a potluck for vegetarian friends (or vegetarian self, as was the case for me when I first made it). I have served this at Thanksgiving dinners, brought it to parties. It's really special and festive and also cozy and delicious.

Here is the recipe again:

http://www.eat.at/swap/forum1/74274_O...

[operagirl]

Thanks!

[LindaWhit]

SERIOUSLY good meal, opgirl!

[operagirl]

Thanks, LW!

[SAHCook]

Coca-cola ham, brussels sprouts and buttermilk biscuits. Shared dinner with an older friend (my grandpa's age) and wanted to make something comforting and filling. PB cookies with mini kisses for dessert!

[Chocolatechipkt]

Chicken thighs marinated in Greek yogurt and garam masala, and then baked with sun-dried tomatoes and yellow raisins. Very tender and tasty. Served with jasmine rice and a walking salad of red and yellow bell peppers, carrots, romaine lettuce, avocados, and broccoli. Oh, and a tofu version of the chicken for the vegetarians.

[mariacarmen]

what does walking salad mean, CH?

[ChristinaMason]

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Wa...

[Chocolatechipkt]

Actually it was my grandmother's term for a very informal salad, usually a variety of carrot, pepper, and celery sticks (that is, you could walk around with them in hand ... except that you weren't supposed to, lol.) We've expanded our definition a bit over the years. :)

[mariacarmen]

thx. CM, that link doesn't explain the term walking tho....
and CH - did it mean that you could use the carrots, etc., as walking sticks???

sorry to be so obtuse....

[Chocolatechipkt]

LOL no ... just that you could walk around with your salad in hand--finger food, yk?

[peppermint_sky]

Chocolatechip ---

Did you use boneless/skinless thighs or bone-in skin-on thighs? What cooking temp did you use, and for how long? I did a similar version earlier in the week, with bone-in skin-on breasts. I would never think to put garam masala with sun-dried tomatoes. How was it? I served mine with grilled onions and orange bell peppers, and more of a yogurt/mint/shallot sauce and some orzo.

[Chocolatechipkt]

That sounds really good! I used boneless/skinless thighs. I baked them at 350 for 45-60 min. I used the sun-dried tomatoes in part b/c they fell on me when I opened the cabinet (soft package, no harm done) but also b/c I'd been thinking about using canned diced tomatoes, but I didn't want all the extra liquid to dilute the other flavors. The sun dried tomatoes added a sweetness along with the raisins, but they weren't a huge part of the overall flavor. We had the leftovers tonight, and they were still yummy.

[peppermint_sky]

GREAT tale of sun-dried tomatoes launching themselves at you! yes... thank you for the laugh!

[hannaone]

Wind, rain, snow, and ice - good night for spicy soup so we went with kimchi jjigae -

Sour kimchi, pork neckbone, firm tofu, onion

served with 5 grain rice.

[JungMann]

How long do you keep your homemade kimchi in the fridge before it's ready jjigae? When I used to buy the commercial varieties, within 1-2 weeks, we were having jjigae, but I understand homemade ripens differently.

[hannaone]

From two to three weeks.
We let it set out about 24 to 48 hours before putting in the fridge after making it.

[caseyjo]

I boiled down a chicken carcass yesterday, and soaked some pinto beans in the resulting broth. Today, I heated up the beans, then I fried up some bacon, then sautéed onions, carrots, parsnips, and celery in the grease. I threw the bacon and vegetables in with the beans, cooked them for awhile, then served a big bowl. Delicious!

[JungMann]

I defrosted a package of shish taouk to make a quick and easy grilled chicken dinner. When I dumped the contents in my pan, however, I discovered that I had actually defrosted a package of shish taouk marinade and chicken trimmings. SOB! Rather than let it go to waste, I figured the lemon juice in the marinade would probably go well with the vegetables I had planned to eat as a side so I added some olive oil to the pan along with steamed broccoli to stir fry the lot until the chicken had crisped up and the broccoli had charred. Dressed with a bit of strained yogurt and a shower of sesame seeds, it wasn't a bad plan B. And since it was such a cheap and healthy dish, I can excuse getting my main course at the wine bar across the street. Foie gras torchons and fried smelt anyone?

[mariacarmen]

damn, are you still there! i'm flying as fast as i can!

[JungMann]

I don't know if you want to. Like all things in NYC, we couldn't get into the wine bar, couldn't even open the door for their sister restaurant and crestfallen had to go through the White Castle drive-thru while looking for alternate side street parking in the rain. The fairy tale and the city are so rarely the same.

[mariacarmen]

ohhhhh sad.... turning the plane around...

[buttertart]

Go have the fried smelt at the swell Greek place near the Embarcadero, Kokkinelli or whatevs. And guess what, we'll be in SF for a few days this summer!a

[mariacarmen]

i've had that smelt at Kokkari!!

OH HELL YEAH - WHAT ARE WE GONNA EAT????

[buttertart]

Everything in sight, lady!

[mariacarmen]

that's my girl.

[LindaWhit]

Wow. Going from anticipated foie gras torchons and fried smelt to White Castle. :::Sadz for JM:::

[suburban_mom]

I roasted poblanos and took out the seeds. Layered them with a mixture of rice, chopped rotisserie chicken, some tomatillo enchilada sauce I had in the freezer and cilantro. Added shredded white cheddar. So, it was put together like this poblano, rice mixture, cheese, poblano, cheese, rice mixture, cheese.

Mashed pintos are on the side.

[mariacarmen]

yum. that sounds good and cheesy and gooey!

[tonifi]

Chiming in again...fish cooked in coconut milk w/ fish sauce, lime, ginger, lemongrass and cilantro, realized at the last minute that I might need more food (less fish in the packet than I thought) so I defrosted a small slab of pork(boneless 'country' ribs) marinated it in fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, garlic & lime juice...pan-seared & finished in oven & cut into squares, rice noodles and salad of a little bit of romaine we had left over & some shredded carrots. I made peanut sauce to act as salad dressing. The entire meal was planned simply to justify the peanut sauce. Really. I love the stuff.

[ChristinaMason]

<The entire meal was planned simply to justify the peanut sauce. Really. I love the stuff.>

It IS good. I make that at least once a month as dressing or dipping sauce. What's in yours?

[tonifi]

Usually I start with a small can of coconut milk, add peanut butter, some curry paste,a bit of brown sugar, salt, turmeric, and vinegar and keep tasting and adding stuff 'till it tastes right...sometimes a little chili powder if the kids aren't eating it...last night, I confess, a Lobos packet of 'satay sauce' as per the instructions on the back. And I had only one can of coconut milk and that went into the pan with the fish, so I made it w/milk & peanut oil. Mea culpa. ChristinaMason, care to share your recipe? I love peanut sauce; good, bad or indifferent, I still love it...but if you make a good one I'd love to know how you do it!

[ChristinaMason]

I'm like you...taste as I go until it's "right." I've made coconut-based peanut sauces for satay using the same method you mentioned.

I also make quickie peanut dipping sauces for lettuce wraps or to use as dressing on salad. Those are usually some combination of natural peanut butter, brown sugar, Sriracha or chili garlic sauce, splash of rice wine vinegar and soy sauce, some grated ginger, etc. thinned with hot water.

[Sue in Mt P]

I have been known to eat spicy peanut noodles for breakfast. Makes the whole day better!

[wineos]

I quartered some large green olives and blistered them in olive oil with a hefty amount of crushed red pepper. I added about four cups of my homemade marinara sauce, simmered for 30 minutes and served over whole wheat linguine. Fresh parmesan on top. Spicy comfort food at its finest.

[ChristinaMason]

Cooking for one tonight, so dinner with cater to the tired home chef's whims (mine): petite sirloin steak rubbed and seared MR, thinly sliced, and served atop a salad of romaine and spinach, cukes, grape tomatoes, and homemade blue cheese dressing. And spicy curly fries from frozen. Assuming I can ever get up off the couch. There will be chickflicks.

[L.Nightshade]

Gotta respect a woman who cooks a steak for herself! Sounds like a nice evening!

[ChristinaMason]

Fries were kind of meh, but the salad hit the spot.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

I've been playing with the idea of curried meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce. Possibly served with a mixture of roast potatoes and sweet potatoes. Nothing's set in stone just yet though.

[bitchincook]

I'm going to grind up some leftover roast beef in my food processor and make pastitsio.

[ChristinaMason]

Love that dish. It's a lot of work though!

[JungMann]

That sounds like a very intriguing idea. How do you control the texture of the final product when you're grinding cooked beef?

[bitchincook]

I cut the meat into cubes about 1-and-a-half inches big and then pulse them in my food processor. Pulsing allows me to stop grinding when the meat gets to a consistency I like. I use this technique with all kinds of cooked, left-over meat to make a wide array of dishes that ordinarily would call for raw ground meat or poultry.

[boyzoma]

Tonight is going to be a big pot of Minestrone soup that I have simmering on the stove. Will add some pasta, spinach and zucchini after while. Some sort of sandwich will be found to go with. Have not had a good homemade Minestrone in ages.

[ChristinaMason]

That sounds really good right now. Minestrone is such a nice way to get some vegetables in.

[boyzoma]

I love my veggies. Probably going to have that again tonight. One tub goes into the freezer for DH to take to work (when he is able to go back). I've got a lot of little tubs of various soups in there for him.

[sassyapron]

Sausage with Olives, Zucchini and Sundried Tomatoes - Simple but yummy pasta dish I made up last week - usually don't like repeating recipes (at least this close together anyway) but my son missed out the first go 'round and he is a huge olive lover!

[L.Nightshade]

This sounds very appealing, and eminently repeatable!

[peppermint_sky]

Speaking of dishes with olives.... I was reminded of this simple and simply delicious one (chicken with olives, tomatoes, onions, and fennel) that can be made as a roast or a braise. I've done it in my Le Creuset and it comes out as a wet braise, and it's delicious roasted in a Pyrex as well. I add fresh fennel and the herbes de Provence are marvelous here. I sometimes serve with cheese tortellini if it ends up brothy.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[ChristinaMason]

boy, that sounds good, especially with your variations. I'm going to make it!

[peppermint_sky]

I'm glad to hear that! Let me know how you like it! I may make it for this week's Top Chef date with my friend, too. Mushrooms are another great addition here.

[Berheenia]

We've been reheating leftovers from the weekend too but tonight I'm going to make a chicken sausage,roasted red pepper, garlic, diced tomato over ziti with some fontina cheese thing and have some zuke on the side with a couple of olive rolls. Probably make another leftover. We're invited out over the weekend so I'm thinking steak for Sunday as there is never any left over. I'd like to start fresh next week and gear up to a couple of Super Bowl menus. We are going to win so I need some good food for the celebration.

[sassyapron]

I would love this recipe - can you share this? Do you make the olive rolls as well?

[Berheenia]

It's a lot like the olive dish you posted but I forgot to buy olives. Cook 1/3 lb of large ziti to taste, meanwhile saute cut up chicken Italian style sausage in evoo, add some smashed garlic cloves and some roasted red pepper, deglaze with a splash of white wine, add 1/2 box Pomi chopped tomatoes, some capers, some italian dried herbs and the pasta. Add cheese (I had some shaved parmesan from Trader Joe's) and cover briefly on simmer. The rolls are from a local bakery.

[ORtastytravels]

I made tom yum noodle soup last (thai spicy and sour soup). It was delicious!!

[jenscats5]

Care to share how you make yours? I love tom yum....

[ORtastytravels]

I will jot down a recipe and post it soon.

[L.Nightshade]

Dusted off the old slow cooker, trying to acquaint myself with it. Made beef with anchovies and rosemary. Cooked up some polenta using our chicken demi-glace (very dark, made polenta that looked like Maypo), parmesan stirred in. Side of broccolini with breadcrumbs toasted in butter, with lemon zest and chile flakes. The slow cooker overcooked the beef, we felt, but the flavors were all good.

[mariacarmen]

that polenta looks incredibly rich and delicious, LN. love the idea of the beef, anchovies and rosemary.

[mariacarmen]

My wish was my own command. Following a tip from Ina, I made vietnamese boiled chicken. To the boiling water I added lemongrass, crushed garlic and ginger. i made a nuoc chom and added scallions, habanero slices, cilantro and slivered ginger, i served the sliced chicken with jasmine rice, and on the side, the spicy/gingery nuoc cham, a little bowl of chili garlic sauce, another of sriracha, more cilantro, lime slices, sliced shallots, sliced scallions, and more slivered ginger. the nuoc chom was so spicy (love habanero) we really didn't end up using the chili garlic sauce or the sriracha - and we usually love that stuff. also did a quick pickle of sliced daikon for more crunch. Nary a drop of oil in this meal, yet packed full of flavor (belied by the overall whiteness of the one pic.) very homey yet fresh. the BF LOVED it. just what the doctor ordered for my head cold. and i have a very mild broth leftover for tomorrow's lunch.

(god, two different cameras! one is my cell phone, one my Nikon Coolpix - can you guess which is which?)

[L.Nightshade]

Don't know about the cameras, but love the color in the one on the left. Dinner sounds great, and so healthy!

[megjp]

What a great idea! I think I need to pull some chicken out of the freezer pronto.

[megjp]

ChristinaMason mentioned bitter greens with raisins -- I made some tonight! I use the spinach with raisins & pine nuts recipe from The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook, but I used chard instead because I had picked some up earlier this week.

I also baked some falafel patties and put some tahini in a bowl, and re-heated some leftover potato wedges for good measure. Nom!

[Chocolatechipkt]

Meatloaf (with tiny meatballs set aside in the freezer for future Italian wedding soup) and roasted butternut squash and carrots with honey.

[steve h.]

Pepin's vegetable soup and some garlic and cheese bread on the side. Il Poggio Sangiovese Rubicone to wash it down. Deb made the soup a few days ago and we simply left it in the coolerator to build up a little body. Burn Notice on the plasma (yes, a stand-up-at-the-kitchen-counter meal).

This was a good meal: soup was comforting yet clear in all its flavors, the bread was a good side. The wine (house wine) worked well with all the flavors. I'm hoping Deb posts on the COTM forum to give chapter and verse.

[ChristinaMason]

Tonight we had what's become one of our favorite recipes from the Chow site: http://www.chow.com/recipes/29671-spanishy-couscous-salad

I made some changes this time (our third time w/ the recipe) to make it a bit more nutritious: swapped red quinoa for the cous cous, added 1/2 a bag of chopped spinach and some peeled, sliced cucumber. I also saute the onion but add a little bit of minced shallot for zip. To make it a bit heartier, we dusted some large brined shrimp with Adobo seasoning and pan-seared, finishing with a squeeze of lemon. All folded together, it was very delicious and a nice blend of contrasting flavors and textures. DH had the bright idea to add some cubed avocado on top. Even better.

Dessert is a dingbat cocktail: http://www.cocktailia.com/cocktail-re...

[mariacarmen]

that salad sounds really good, CM, as do your changes. going to try that soon. i love the idea of the smoked paprika.

[ChristinaMason]

thank you. yep, we've made just the dressing for a steak salad before---it's excellent.

[L.Nightshade]

I don't think you can even cite that recipe any longer, you've definitely made it your own creation. Sounds delicious!

[suburban_mom]

Chicken and snow pea stirfry over rice. Sauce was soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, ketchup and crushed red peppers. Quick, simple and tasty.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Tonight will be pizza with my first attempt at a sourdough crust. Linguica and green peppers on top and a salad on the side with Asian pears and balsamic-dijon vinaigrette. Probably some more blood orange sorbetto for dessert, or maybe just some tea.

[mariacarmen]

yum, i just learned to like green peppers last year, and that pairing sounds great.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

I'm also something of a green pepper convert, although I don't think I'll ever be one of those people who eats pepper slices like carrot sticks.

The pizza was good -- I added garlic and olives and a bit of feta to the mix as well -- but it could've used something sweet to balance all the spicy and salty. Next time I'll add pineapple or up the amount of sauce and make it a touch sweeter.

[megjp]

Third the green pepper thing; I feel so much less alone now. :)

I wouldn't eat them like that either, but they do add a nice and very specific flavour to things.

[buttertart]

I've been feeling spicy lately so last night I made chicken with Chettinad flavors and rice with sesame seeds from "At Home with Madhur Jaffrey", which we ate with some of the lotus root and cucumbers from Saturday night. Tonight, the Beast having been out, I scoffed some of the rice heated up with the rest of the chicken, tossed with some non-fat yogurt. And half a humongous pomegranate. Very nice.

[buttertart]

PS everything I've made from that book has been very good.

[ChristinaMason]

I need to get it!

[buttertart]

Simple recipes and tasty food, what's not to like?

[boyzoma]

Well, wasn't too inspired last night, so I made a French Country Omelet (sort of). Fried up some crispy potatoes, then sauteed some cremini mushrooms, red and green pepper and onions. Then beat some eggs and threw them in the pan and put everything on top of the eggs and popped in the oven. Turned out great. Some maple sausage and toast on the side. Hit the spot.

Tonight is roasted chicken and a Caesar salad. That said, looking forward to boiling me up some bones!

[mariacarmen]

dang that sounds good. i wish i could get the BF on board with bfast for dinner.

[peppermint_sky]

***** Top Chef night, yay!!!! (more cheering here)

FEEDBACK, PLEASE --- I am adapting a recipe and I need some input. The recipe (below) called for boneless/skinless chicken breasts (grilled) and I am using bone-in skin-on breasts and I plan to cook in oven. What temperature/time? Maybe 400 for 35 to 45 minutes???

2nd question -- Should I leave the yogurt marinade on during baking (maybe scrape off before serving??) for moistness? Or just discard as the recipe calls for when grilling the chicken? I am going to serve with a separate lemony shallot/mint/yogurt sauce, plus orzo and some grilled onion and orange bell pepper :)

The chicken will be marinated in Greek yogurt with cinnamon, cayenne, coriander, chili powder cumin.

[LindaWhit]

p_sky, with a yogurt marinade, I've found it gets "curdled" after baking for a long time so I'd scrape it off. And for BISO chicken breasts, if you're at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes (depending on if they're Frankenchicken breasts) that should be a decent amount of time, maybe a smidge more. With the yogurt marinade, depending on how much sticks to the chicken, you might not get the skin as crispy as it would if it were just roasted with oil and seasonings on it. But by scraping most of it off, it might get crispy enough. Perhaps someone else can weigh in with more thoughts.

[peppermint_sky]

Thanks, Linda. I was also apprehensive about the curdled yogurt. But I may leave it on during baking and scrape off prior to serving, b/c while chatting with a chef pal earlier tonight she suggested coating the chicken in the yogurt during baking to keep it moist. She suggested 350 degree oven .... hmmm.

[tonifi]

Pork butt, dry-rubbed and in the oven for about 8 hours on 225 because the freezing rain makes me disinclined to break my leg trying to run back & forth to the gas grill (hey, at least I used 'smoked' paprika!), homemade mac n' cheese to use up the eleventy thousand little bits of various cheeses that had accumulated in the cheese drawer, and a carrot/brussell sprout slaw. Girl child has been a little unwell, so dinners this week are geared toward her favorite things to tempt her.

[buttertart]

Best m&c I ever had was from end bits of cheeses I had overbought for a dinner party. Bet it's great!

[mariacarmen]

oh and your pork butt was probably all melty after the 8 hours.... yum.

[rabaja]

It seems any plan is sure to be thwarted when one is packing, but tonight I have pork chops. Three, boneless pork chops, the kind I am really good at drying out.

The pantry has been packed. I left out olive oil, one vinegar, salt and pepper, some dried bay and arbol and fresh garlic.

Oh, I also thought japchae would be a fun way to use up leftovers, so I have sweet potato noodles in there as well. WITH NO OTHER ASIAN CONDIMENTS. Because I am a genius.

I do have stock, and onions, and cabbage. Do I dare brown the chops, fry up some onions and sliced cabbage and put the whole shebang in my dutchoven with stock? God help me, I almost bought some cream of mushroom soup, just for ease and comfort.

There's always his mothers dish of porkchops cooked in a mixture of tomato sauce and ketchup...I've actually had it...it's rib-sticking good. But...do I really want to fail at one of his Mother's recipes whilst in the middle of packing up two households, I ask you? No, probably not.

I'll figure out the chops, I guess, but from here on out, that taco truck is looking pretty good.

[Abby0105]

Tonight's dinner is based on a Martha Stewart recipe for escarole pizza, but I'll probably buy pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joe's on the way home to speed things up. The pizza is topped with blanched escarole, dried currants and golden raisins (plumped), sauteed red onion with balsamic vinegar, and gruyere cheese.

We've had a number of chicories in our CSA share lately (escarole, different varieties of radicchio, pan di zucchero). Neither hubby nor I are crazy about them most of the time. I guess we're not huge fans of the bitterness. So if you have any fun ideas for chicories, pass them along!

[GretchenS]

I have been meaning to make this radicchio baked ziti recipe but haven't yet. http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/cookbook/2008/italian-meatballs/baked-penne.html#axzz1kViQQwVY I have another in my to-try pile that has radicchio, cream and cheese, not sure where I found it. I LOVE all of those chicories, so sorry you don't!

Oh, I just found that other one in Chow: http://www.chow.com/recipes/10694-bak...

[Abby0105]

Mmm...I do love a cheesy baked pasta! I bookmarked that page for next week.

[ChristinaMason]

that pizza sounds excellent! i like bitter greens with raisins.

[MaryContrary]

Have smothered steak braising in the oven. To be served with egg noodles, a vegetable TBD and probably a tomato (bought some for 50 cents a pound and while they're not that great, they're as good as it gets right now).

[cakebakerlady1]

It's cold and rainy here, so I'm guessing leftover Taco Soup and maybe some corn dog muffins. Excited for both!

[mariacarmen]

TOP CHEF NIGHT? TOP CHEF NIGHT? Hell yes, it's exciting!!!

not sure what we'll be eating either. something with chicken..... i wanted to try skinnytaste's (www.skinnytaste.com) 5-spice chicken legs but they required marinating and it's too late for that now... i'm still in an asiatic mode, so something spicy and gingery - will be good for this budding cold, too. and more of that "toasted" couscous that is actually a really velvety israeli couscous i have... or jasmine rice - lately i've been making really excellent batches of it. i don't know what's up but i'm not jinxing it.

[LindaWhit]

Whatever you made, the gingery caught my attention as did the toasted couscous. And don't question making good jasmine rice. Just go wit da flow, mc. ;-)

I hope you're feeling better soon!

[mariacarmen]

Linda - yussssssss! another good pot-o-jasmine rice. the spell remains unbroken. thanks!

[Chocolatechipkt]

I've been loving the Israeli couscous too -- hot like risotto and warm/cold in a salad. So good.

[mariacarmen]

yes - it's totally risotto-like! i didn't make it tonight (posted below) but will again soon.