What's for Dinner? #149 [old]

[LindaWhit]

And it's time to start a new thread.

Summer? Yup - we *finally* have it here in New England after many days of rain - but thankfully, not too hot to have to turn on A/C. Just a beautiful bright blue sky and a light breeze. Quite frankly, perfect weather. My kittehs have enjoyed the open windows as well as the smells from the neighbor's who have pulled out their charcoal grill last night and tonight. :::Green with envy::::

So what are you cooking/BBQing/grilling in your house?

[roxlet]

Let's take the conversation here:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/854301

[mariacarmen]

whoa, under 300 posts and we're gone? see you over there in a bit....

[Caroline1]

Sometimes easy and simple is the way to fly. A friend treated me to a HUGE juicy hamburger for lunch, so I felt kind of protiened out for supper, so I simply nuked a potato, smushed it open, bombed it with shredded cheese, doused it with Mexican crema and topped it all with honey glazed teensy weensy baby carrots, kosher salt and freshly ground tellecherry pepper. My god, it was good! I think if they made fat free Mexican sour cream, I'd never let the standard version in the house again. But then, isn't "fat free Mexican" ANY kind of food an oxymoron? <sigh> And that's why it's so good!

[megjp]

I made a (considerably) lightened and downsized Ina Garten pasta recipe with pesto and peas.

Then I ran to the liquor store before it closed.. I've got the thirst after this week, that's for sure. Cheers, all!

[LindaWhit]

Tonight was a CORN meal - I cleaned out the fridge of a cup of the diced tomatoes and a cup of the cannellini beans (which I drained) from a meal earlier in the week. I put the diced tomatoes in a pot with a good amount of dried basil, garlic, some Aleppo pepper for a bit of bite, a pinch of sugar, and a Tbsp. of tomato paste. Let that simmer on low until the spaghetti was almost done, when I added the cannellini beans to warm up. Tossed the white bean sauce with the spaghetti, added a bit of Parm-Reg cheese on top, and along with a crusty roll and a quick salad of the CSA greens, it was dinner and it was pretty darn good! Probably a bit carb heavy, but it cleaned out the fridge of those bits and bobs, as Harters puts it. :-)

[BananaBirkLarsen]

I had tomato soup for lunch -- the Pacific Naturals kind in the carton. It was really good with saltine crackers crumbled on top. More saltines on the side with some havarti and thin-sliced salami.

We're doing carnitas-ish tacos for dinner, using meat from last night's leftover ribs, cooked down and fried up with some onions and maybe a splash of orange liqueur. Topped with avocado, salsa, sour cream ('cause I forgot to buy crema) and perhaps some iceberg lettuce for a bit of crunch. Black bean-mango salad on the side.

Maybe I'll make some sort of dessert with the rest of the cherries in the fridge.

[bblonde]

BF and I have a date at Shakespeare in the Park tonight. I jumped at the opportunity to put together a picnic. I am finally using up some of my leftovers, rather creatively if I may say so myself. I will have Ina Garten's orzo with roasted vegetables (using my leftover grilled veg), and lemon-dill chicken salad in sundried tomato wraps (using the oregano grilled chicken from a couple nights ago).

Now I am looking for help trying to round out the meal. I don't think we need an app, but I would like a dessert and beverage (sadly it must be nonalcoholic--they sell alcohol there but do not allow anyone to bring in). I have many halved strawberries and blackberries (whole) from my dessert yesterday that I would like to use. Any creative suggestions on how to take portable berries other than a simple fruit salad? Or some cookie/bar/biscotti/cream to go along with simple fruit salad?

[PHREDDY]

BB....sure do....I once took a bunch of strawberries, raspberries, put them in a plastic container and filled the space around them with vodka...... the other container was that of "Cool Wip"....anyway we got past the security with our berries and cream......had a great time...now I don't remember if we had desert first or our snacks first....well, I guess that comes with maturity!!!!

[bblonde]

That sounds like the perfect decoy. And I still have time to douse the berries!

[PHREDDY]

I am not sure if you eat the strawberries first or the raspberries.....go for it!! let me know how "Shakespere" was

[bblonde]

Boy what a bust on the food. BF gave the thumbs down to the orzo and the wrap. I don't even know what he thought about the berries because I did not even want to know at the point. I was shocked by how disappointed I was. I thought the food was pretty good.

Once I got past my disappointment, the play was wonderful. Here's to better food.

[tiffeecanoe]

I'm making a use up random crap in the fridge dinner tonight. We were gifted - strangely - a bottle of Olive Garden vinaigrette and I had an abundance of pork loin chops in the freezer - so two of those are currently marinading in the vinaigrette, I'm channeling my mother here. I'll toss those on the grill. Then we will have a kitchen sink pasta salad I'm guessing!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

I've finally come the the realisation that everyone who rents property in Santa Cruz, whether they own the buildings themselves or they work for a property management company, is crazy. Completely crazy. They ask questions they have no right to ask, they change deposit amounts, move-in dates and pet policies at will and they lead you on for a week, telling you that they'll know "tomorrow" if you can rent the apartment, or that they are "too stressed out to make a decision right now". We even got a lecture about the harmful radio waves being emitted from wireless internet signals. When I moved to New York, people told me that finding an apartment would be the hardest part. It was, but it was nowhere near as hard (or as frustrating) as finding an apartment in Santa Cruz.

Realizing last night that we are, in all likelihood, back at square one and will be stuck here for another month (unless our current landlord finds someone else to rent the place, in which case I don't know what we'll do...) we decided to celebrate with a nice dinner. Pork ribs were browned in the broiler, glazed in a homemade BBQ sauce and then transferred to my roasting pan to finish in the oven. The little red potatoes made another appearance, halved and boiled and drenched in butter, salt and pepper. There was also a salad with bibb lettuce, avocado, blue cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes in an oniony vinaigrette. Cherry lemon pudding cakes for dessert, along with the first season of The Wire (which I have, until now, never seen).

[LindaWhit]

Oh BBL, I'm sorry. That sounds like a complete cluster**** trying to get an apt. And rather space-cadety about the harmful radio waves. Put on your tinfoil helmet. ;-)

Your ribs sound wonderful - I do hope it helped! And I hope something clicks for you on the rental situation.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

My boyfriend actually made a crack about a tinfoil helmet during the lecture... I don't think she saw the humour.

And yes, ribs always help!

[GretchenS]

So sorry, BBL, how enormously stressful. That dinner sounds like a great way of coping!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Thanks Gretchen. I figure that even if we're really stressed out, at least we can eat well.

[mariacarmen]

your whole dinner is making me drool, and i had a huge lunch.

it's probably a blessing in disguise that you are not moving in to that particular apartment with that crazy landlord. here's hoping you find the only sane one in SC, and that everything else related to the move goes smooth as silk (pie)!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Well, it's actually been three places we've looked at with crazy landlords. Yup, that's right, three individuals who seemed to have no concept whatsoever of reality. Giving up on the last place makes me kind of sad. It had it's own mini orchard with lemon, fig and plum trees. But you're right. I've had crazy landlords in the past and it's never worth it, no matter how many fruit trees are in the yard.

PS: I just made parfaits with layers of lime pudding, cherries soaked in orange liqueur and vanilla-sour cream mousse for dessert tonight. Just sayin' (for the sake of staying on topic).

[LindaWhit]

Umm....vanilla sour cream mousse? You KNOW what I want, BBL, please! ;-)

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Here ya go! Basically, I made a vanilla mousse recipe and subbed sour cream for the whipped cream and added a ton of extra vanilla. It's very light and egg whitey.

Vanilla Sour Cream Mousse

2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 scraped vanilla bean

Whisk egg whites and sugar in a double boiler over low heat. Warm through until the sugar has dissolved, whisking constantly. The mixture will turn thick and white, but should still be cool enough to touch with a finger. Remove from heat and beat 5-10 minutes, until light and fluffy and the mixture has cooled.

In a bowl, beat sour cream with vanilla and vanilla bean scrapings until fluffy. Pour in the whipped egg white mixture and gently fold together.

[LindaWhit]

Nice and vanilla-y - thanks!

[mariacarmen]

that's a terrible run of bad luck - and let's hope it's over! you've run thru all the crazies!

those parfaits sound heavenly, and i don't even care about dessert....

[Berheenia]

My son and preggers lovely wife spent most of May being similarly tortured moving from Manhattan to Brooklyn. They finally had to threaten legal action and all sorts of various unpleasant stuff but finally got into a place. He says it's the most stressful thing he ever did. But now they are happy in a new hood with great Polish food and some great bars so hang in and get ugly if it will get you a place! If you made in New York .. you know the words...

[Harters]

It's a dim sum dinner at Casa Harters.

No, of course, I'm not making them. These are frozen dim sum from the Chinese supermarket. 15 minutes steaming from frozen and dinner's ready.

[twodales]

So today the "QE3" gets launched...finally. She's had a real tarting up this year: new windows, new home-made dagger board, new bits-and-bobs, paint and so on. Packing lots of food and liquid for the lads and holding my breath until the mast is up and secure.

Hopefully, tonight I get to go to "Ravinia" (an outdoor concert venue in a park setting) to see and hear a little classic soul music ala the Rev Al Green. "Let's Stay Together" anyone? So do I buy brie and mushroom pizza there or schlepp some food along with me?

BTW: Added a new avatar for steve h to enjoy our little waterbug.

[PHREDDY]

TD....schlepp it! toast some baguette, bring some goat cheese, sun dried tomato, some hard sausage, maybe some black, cured olives, some dried apples, bananas, apricots, cashews, almonds and some light chardonay....

[LindaWhit]

Definitely schlep it. As Phreddy said, just get some crusty bread, cheese, various meats, fresh fruit, a bottle of wine - WAY better.

[twodales]

Schlepping is what we usually do: tables, chairs, blankets and chow. It is especially nice when we have a large group so we can share. It's Friday and I'm being a lazy girl today!!!

Oh also Phreddy, I am an ABC drinker: Anything But Chardonnay

Actually, there are not many whites I can tolerate. I much prefer red, so red it will be!

Thanks kids...you have fun too!

[mariacarmen]

i'm witchoo on the ABC - unless it's the french, unoaked, non-buttery kind. i'm a sauv b gal, when i'm not a tanq & tonic gal.

[LindaWhit]

mc, New Zealand and Australia have a LOT of unoaked chardonnays you might want to investigate. :-)

[steve h.]

Chicago can get really hot this time of year (90's). Gin & Tonics in the cockpit always work, cold beer too. Mild-mannered reds are great when the sun goes down. A Spanish rose from Rioja, like Muga Rosado, is really good when chilled and can be exploited no problem in the heat of the day.

There are no hard and fast rules: Whatever floats your boat.

[PHREDDY]

If you like savo.....which like too...i go to my Malbec as my red savo....

[gingershelley]

+1 MC n 2D, not a fan of oak; I like minerals and citrus in my white wines. French white burgundy or chablis is my favorite:)

[mariacarmen]

just bought a Macon Villages chard that i had at a tasting at BevMo - $.05 a bottle when you buy a first bottle.

and my new fave sparkler - Campo Viejo - Cava Brut Reserva - same $.05 deal!

[LindaWhit]

Wait - buy one, get a second for 5 cents? I *like* that deal!

[mariacarmen]

yes, isn't that great? It has to be the same wine. about 300 wines are included in that deal.

[rabaja]

Wait a second, you guys don't have Bev Mo in New England? That five cent sale is almost as exciting a xmas around here...this could significantly change my thoughts about moving your way in the next year or two! :)

[GretchenS]

Nope, I think they are CA and AZ only. Never heard of any sale like that in MA, our liquor laws are heavily influenced by our Puritan forebears.

[rabaja]

well, I may just bring my hedonistic ways that a-way anyway...

[LindaWhit]

Well, they're not MY Puritan forebears. I just moved here 23 years ago. :-)

rabaja, the MA Legislature finally abolished the Blue Laws (forbidding alcohol sales on Sunday) here in Massachusetts in 2004.

There were exceptions to the no-alcohol sale starting back in 1990 for those towns and cities that were within 10 miles of the NH borders. Then in 1992, they allowed all cities within MA to sell the Sundays between Thanksgiving weekend and New Year's Day.

But even with Sunday alcohol sales, they can't open the stores until noontime.

[mariacarmen]

that is a damn shame.
rabaja, are you really thinking of relocating??

[rabaja]

Well, the plan is in just under two years we go to New England for a couple of years. A suburb of Boston, most likely. We may come back here, if we miss it terribly, or we may just set up shop out there.

To me, it's an adventure, so it's all good. I'm a California native who's only lived out of state twice, for a year or two at a time, so I'm game.
What's a little snow? Kidding.
Honestly, I look at it as an opportunity to cook and eat a lot of things we don't have out here. Oh, and maybe actually being able to afford to buy a house AND furniture to put into it.

[LindaWhit]

You would have been fine with last winter's lack of snow (except that damn Halloween storm that took out power in many towns for several days). (Boston area - total of 9" or so)

The winter before last? Yeah. Not so much. (about 7 feet - almost as tall as Shaquille O'Neal)

[mariacarmen]

absolutely an adventure! and we want to hear all about it.

[gingershelley]

Twodales! A trimaran man! After my own heart. Allways suspected you to be of fine taste and refinement:)

When I was married 10 years ago, hubby's clan were 'cruisers', and we sailed all over in their trimaran; panama canal, fiji, several weeks cruisin' up the GBR coast. Super!

Loved cooking and dining on our boat or theirs; food tastes better on the water:)

[steve h.]

Howdy td,
That's one swell-looking waterbug! Fair winds and following seas :-)

[LindaWhit]

Well, tonight was Tiffeecanoe Burger Night for me! I had taken a hamburger out of the fridge last night to defrost....so it's slightly different from what she noted back on 6/12 here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8533...

Since the burger was already made, I just schmeared some hoisin sauce on both sides of the patty, along with some freshly ground pepper and some minced garlic. Had meant to use some of the fresh chives I got from my coworker's CSA, but forgot (and afterwards, figured it would be better to have the onions/chives blended in with the beef). Let the burger sit while I made a quick coleslaw - red and green cabbage, mayo, lemon juice, a pinch of sugar, celery seed, and freshly ground pepper.

I also made the sriracha mayo by guesstimating a single portion to go on both sides of the bun - about a Tbsp. of mayo, a 1/4 tsp. of sesame oil, and a few shakes of sriracha. Bun toasted, burger grilled, sriracha mayo schmeared, some arugula onto one of the bun halves, topped with the burger, and onto the plate. Potato chips on the side with the coleslaw.

VERY good! I'm usually a ketchup person for burgers, so doing the mayo thing just seemed *wrong* to me. But it was good!

[scubadoo97]

Sounds yummy to me

[twodales]

I had some salmon and some puff pastry to use up so tonight's dinner was salmon en croute with a lemon dill wine and cream sauce. Not very Summery but the hot weather has not returned yet. The sauce was really nice.

[tiffeecanoe]

Yum! So glad you enjoyed it! It's definitely a burger you can play with and change up with toppings and such!

[scubadoo97]

With plenty of scallops in the freezer and fresh corn plentiful I had to pair them again.

Started with a corn sauce. For this I used a good quality frozen corn which was quite naturally sweet. 1 medium yellow onion sweated and then the 2 cups of corn added with salt and white pepper and a little cream, maybe 1/4 cup at most. Cooked this to warm it and let the cream reduce a bit then pureed it in the Blendtec blender until smooth and set aside. Used water to correct texture prior to use

Toasted 3 ears of corn on the gas stove and cut kernels off the cob. Did a brunoise of a couple of red and orange mini peppers and added it to the kernels of corn to saute in a tbs of butter, seasoned with salt and pepper and a shot of bourbon.

Seasoned the very dry scallops with S and P and browned in butter till golden brown.

Laid down a long puddle of corn sauce, topped with the corn pepper mixture and the scallops on top.

Looked pretty and tasted even better.

[LindaWhit]

Sounds amazing!

[megjp]

I did it up styles tonight, as if to make up for last night.

I had a friend's jar of homemade marmalade (well, my jar technically, but we don't return containers to one another empty) so I made marmalade roasted chicken thighs from a recipe I've been meaning to try for a year (bless these remaining AC-less evenings, sporadic as they are).

I also roasted up the last of my baby potatoes, and buttery sweet peas for colour. Check it out and pretend I can photograph food worth a lick:

[LindaWhit]

That looks like a great meal, meg!

[GretchenS]

Very pretty!!

[linguafood]

First night in a LONG time where I cooked. Pork chops rubbed with a mix of cumin, paprika, cayenne, marjoram, s&p were pan-fried and served with a rather massive baby greens, radishes and tomato salad with walnut vinaigrette.

App was buffalo mozza with basil chiffonade, oo & fresh ground black pepper.

Off for a weekend of traveling to see family in the Rhineland and Swabia -- more restaurant meals coming right up.

[boyzoma]

We finally got some nice weather again, so the grill is going into play for dinner. Soaking some skewers. Chicken strips are marinating in some teriyaki mix in the fridge. Will thread them on the skewers and baste with more home made teriyaki sauce, then rolled in toasted sesame seeds. On the side will be some grilled broccoli, cauliflower, squash, baby carrots and button mushrooms using the grill basket. On the side burner is jasmine rice. Can't wait for dinner!

[steve h.]

Pasta is on the menu:
Pappardelle with sausage, favas, peperoncino, olive oil and a few slivers of cheese. House red to wash things down.
Yanks swept Atlanta last night, Mets swept Tampa today (hey PHREDDY, that's the definition of synergy). Tiger Woods is currently three shots off the lead in the U.S. Open and tied for third place. The Open this year is in San Francisco. They are playing on the Olympic Club's Lake Course. It's a beautiful venue.
Burn Notice season premier will be on the plasma.

[PHREDDY]

SH.....caught the end of my Met game and thank G-d I took my heart pills today....Was in the mood for lentil soup for the past few days.....got home early...started the pot and it is almost finished...in the soup, Lentils, short ribs, red potato, carrots, red and green cabbage, onion and some chopped cilantro and garlic....a few other goodies, but removed before serving, celery, a whole tomato and a couple of pieces of bay leaf.....I made some wild rice along side , with some sliced avacado, with a splash of organic apple vinegar and a dash of EVOO.....

[steve h.]

Soup is good for the soul. Both the Yankees and the Mets are one beat away from a (fan's) heart attack. For our reward, the Yanks next face the Nats. No rest for the wicked.

[Harters]

No cooking tonight. We've been away for a couple of days - a gardening show that had a food show tacked on. Great fun. Bought lots of plants.

Also bought the makings for a snacky dinner (as we stopped at a pub on the way home for lunch). So, there was pork pie. There was Welsh cheddar. There was pain de campagne.

We had some bits of salady stuff in the fridge - so carrot batons, celery sticks and cherry tomatoes helped towards the five a day.

And, from the cupboards, some homemade preserves - pickled onions, sea fennel (the BiL brought me back a big bag last time he was in Mallorca visiting his father) and apple & mint chutney.

It's keeping the wolf from the door.

[mariacarmen]

cooked for the oldster last night - half a b/s chicken breast, sliced in half and pounded thinnish, dredged in breadcrumbs seasoned with s&p, garlic powder, and oregano, fried in butter and olive oil until golden and crispy but just a tad past pink inside to maintain tenderness. steamed broccoli, soft, chopped up and mixed with a bunch of butter, salt, olive oil, his favorite cranberry jelly, and fried bananas. he ate it all up! the chicken was pretty damned good. i want to make it at home for me and the boy, but trying to low-carb it, so i read somewhere that you can sub soy flour. anyone have any experience with this substance?

no cooking for me tonight - happy hour(s) tonight!

[LindaWhit]

"he ate it all up! "

~~~~~~~~~~

The best part of your post, mc. :-) Sounds like he's doing pretty well?

[mariacarmen]

aw, thanks LW! he is holding up to treatment very well. prognosis still TBD, but we'll know more after next week. thanks again.

[gingershelley]

Glad to hear that oldster is holding up, and eating well. Nice work on the dinner:)

[GretchenS]

How great that he ate all of it!! Don't know about soy flour but have been playing around with almond and chick pea flours and don't have the hang of them yet. The only good thing I have produced so far with either was socca with chickpea flour, water and loads of olive oil, but it has limited uses as it is not sturdy enough to be used as a wrap. If you try soy flour, let us know. I will post more about my experiments when I have anything decent to report.

[mariacarmen]

thanks GS! is chickpea flour also low-carb? i have so much to learn....

will let you know if/when i find some soy flour.

[weezieduzzit]

Good to hear he has his appetite.

I used almond meal (seasoned with s&p, I would have added parmesan if I had some,) to "bread" pounded chicken breasts last night. I really liked it. I'd do it even if it wasn't because I'm avoiding flour.

[mariacarmen]

thanks wd, i'll look for that next time i'm near a Whole Foods.

[bblonde]

I am so excited for dinner tonight, I could hardly wait to post! Today is my parents' anniversary, and rather than go out tonight, they are waiting until tomorrow, leaving tonight open for me to cook up a celebratory dinner.

Nothing could top last year's anniversary my sister and I hosted for them. I posted about it here http://bonnieappetite.blogspot.com/20.... Two years ago we had planned a similar anniversary party to celebrate their 25th anniversary, but my granddad passed away very unexpectedly just 2 weeks before their anniversary and no one was really in the mood to party. Last year we went ahead with the previous year's plans and it was very much enjoyed. A HUGE success. As my sister and I are both poor students, and so we could not throw an elaborate party (make it to the 50th and then we'll see, mom and dad!! By then I should be out of school!). In some instances it really is the thought that counts. And it didn't hurt that my parents' kitchen renovation had just been completed.

I in no way expect to top that, but I still want them to have a nice, fun, evening with family. I'll start off with appetizers special to them--fried mozzarella sticks with honey mustard dressing. When they were dating this was a favorite of theirs! The cocktail is also a favorite of theirs, an amaretto sour. For dinner, I'm going with a surf and turf of beef tenderloin with grilled antipasti vegetables, grilled lobster tails with garlic butter, roasted rosemary red potatoes, and berries in champagne syrup for dessert. Probably some bubbly to drink as well.

[scubadoo97]

What a great thing to do for your parents bblonde. Your food looks absolutely fantastic.

Congratulations to your folks on 25 yrs of marriage. I would be thrilled if my daughter would do that for me and my bride. 30 yrs next week. Not holding my breath ;-)

[bblonde]

Thank you! This is actually 27 for them. Hey they let me crash at their place while in grad school, the least I can do is make dinner :)

[bblonde]

Everything was great. I realized I did not have time to make the champagne/berry gelee, so my sister made this beautiful angel food with 7 minute icing below. But now I'm tired and my Thunder lost. G'night

[LindaWhit]

Everything looks great, bblonde!

[mariacarmen]

Wow..... absolutely wow....

[GretchenS]

Stunning food, fab pictures, what a terrific meal you put on and gorgeous dessert from your sister! Your parents must be so proud to have such talented and wonderful daughters!!

[GretchenS]

Wow, that sounds fantastic, bblonde, such a nice thing for you to do!! Congratulations to your parents!!

[LindaWhit]

Nice work last year, bblonde, and this year's dinner sounds even better - enjoy!

[PHREDDY]

Wow!...I assume this meal will be a sit down or are you doing a buffet?...How many people did you have last year?

[mariacarmen]

lucky parents! i'd say grilled lobster tails and amaretto sours beat just about anything!

[boyzoma]

I'd be happy to adopt you if you would make that meal for DH and I. Sounds fabulous. What a great daughter you are.

[nomadchowwoman]

A bit of a crapola week here, too--a couple of medical emergencies for my mom, one minor and one "major" (though with a pretty good result), and we're leaving town tomorrow with our repairs still not finished. Oy. But I've been trying to clean out the freezer somewhat and also enjoy the season's largesse. Monday we had red beans (fresh from the FM--sooo much better than the usual dried), NO style, served with brown rice, and big fried shrimp on the side, and some sliced ripe tomatoes. I also made some chocolate ice cream for my niece, but it was inhaled mostly by DH.

Last night it was the last two crabcakes from the freezer, sauteed and served with pan-roasted asparagus, pasta with uncooked tomato sauce, and arugula salad w/lemon vinaigrette.

The fridge is looking pretty bare, and that's a good thing. Off to the Carolinas and Virginia, where more culinary adventures no doubt await.

[gingershelley]

NMC - enjoy your trip, that sounds relaxing from what I know of the kindness and largess of the area... tell us if your posting on any local boards for meals so we can follow you. Safe travels.... and have FUN!

[LindaWhit]

ncw, sorry about Mom's medical issues - hope she's OK! Enjoy your trip!

[mariacarmen]

sorry about emergencies with your mom, NCW - glad that the results were good.

"big fried shrimp on the side" - green with envy....

[roxlet]

I defrosted some veal cutlets yesterday, but then last night no one felt like having a real dinner, and given the crappy day I had (a massive tire blow-out on the Long Island Expressway), I didn't really feel like cooking. So everyone had sandwiches for dinner. Mine was ham and Brie, the DH's was left over flap meat, and my son's was Scorned Woman chicken. Tonight, I made the veal. It was Milanese with a side of spaghetti marinara. And as we were finishing that, I realized that I forgot to make the salad I had planned. At that point, no one even wanted anything else, so that was dinner, plain and simple.

[LindaWhit]

Oh, so sorry to hear about the tire blowout, rox - especially on the LIE! Sandwiches are a good meal after a day like that. As for tonight - veal and spaghetti - that works. Don't *always* need your greens. :-)

[gingershelley]

Sounds good Rxlt, sometimes, the sandwich is Just THE THING... simple, and perfect.

Sorry on the tire!

[PHREDDY]

ROX.......so you were the reason I was stuck in traffic!!!!

[scubadoo97]

Home alone for dinner and not in the mood to fix a big meal.

Opened a bag of frozen peas rinsed and thawed. . Sautéed a big leek and put it all in the Vitamix with some fresh tarragon. There were fresh pitas at the Middle Eastern market today so made a za'atar/pita roll up with sliced tomatoes and labne. Soup and sandwich

[GretchenS]

Tough day meant I needed a quick, easy dinner. Two sole fillets flash sauteed in butter, topped with browned butter, lemon juice and brown butter-frizzled capers accompanied by a simple salad of (bagged) butter lettuce and radicchio, topped with some really nice avocado and dressed with a good squeeze of lemon, a sploosh of olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt did the job with minimal time and fuss and was extremely tasty. Fish that fresh does not need much help! I love love love my fish share (except when it turns out to be hake).

[megjp]

A simple tomato-dill soup with baby spinach wilted in, a hardboiled egg with fleur de sel to dip, and a handful of tortilla chips. I'm tired but this is pretty tasty.

[gingershelley]

like! (big *!)

[weezieduzzit]

The grass I need to pull out of the garden was hiding a couple of very large zucchini so I'll make a salad of zucchini ribbons similar to the zucchini carpaccio method. Fresh picked tomatoes, herbs and some diced prosciutto will go in but I'm afraid I'm out of parmesan. I haven't decided on the protein- either shrimp if I feel up to peeling/deveining, chicken if not.

[tiffeecanoe]

Chicken Grenobloise... such a fancy name for pounded out chicken w/ buttery, lemony caper sauce ;) Not sure what else. Maybe just a salad of mixed greens, maybe I'll go all out and whip up a warm potato salad or something. We'll see how long my daughter naps.

[mariacarmen]

how different is that from a piccata?

[tiffeecanoe]

Ha! not much as far as I know! Grenobloise just sounds so much more delcious, ha!

[kubasd]

hmm.... does the pounded cutlet have to be floured for piccata?

[mariacarmen]

yes, they're typically dredged in flour too...

and yes, tiffee, saying it in French certainly gives it that je ne sais quoi!

[gingershelley]

Ahh, Grenobloise... like pronouncing " grenouille!". The frog's legs, delish!

And then there is "Pamplemousse". Enough said for fine French words....

[boyzoma]

Haven't been on lately, but have had some great meals.

Sunday I did a nice pot roast in the dutch oven with carrots, onions and potatoes. It was simmered in beef broth until pull-apart fork tender. Made a rich gravy out of the juices. Um, um, good.

Yesterday I made split pea soup. Had some bacon that I diced up and cooked till crisp. Set aside and sauteed diced onion, carrots and celery in the bacon fat (after all, everything goes better with bacon). Used two nice sized ham shanks and home made chicken stock and simmered for about 1/2 hour. Then added the split peas and simmered for another 1 1/2 hours. Topped the bowls with some of the crispy bacon. Hubby is still being scraped from the ceiling. He has already said he is having it again for dinner tonight! Guess I'll eat the last of the pot roast!

[mariacarmen]

nice to hear from you again, boyzoma! bacon does indeed make everything better.

[JungMann]

Simple arugula salad with roast turkey and penne with pesto. Why the simplicity? I spent yesterday evening making Jeni's Bangkok peanut ice cream (subbing Urfa pepper for the coconut for more of a kick) and am reserving my calories for something truly extraordinary.
http://threemanycooks.com/recipes/swe...

[mariacarmen]

wow, that sounds extraordinary, JM....

[shecrab]

Have you tasted it yet? I'm intrigued. That's the most unusual MOP I've seen for ice cream. So you used the coconut milk but not the actual toasted coconut,and swapped the cayenne for Urfa? I wonder how chopped peanuts, golden raisins,coconut and curry would taste... Thanks for the link!

[boyzoma]

shecrab - those sauces look very tasty. But your link is broken (the "year." at the front needs to be removed) :-)

[JungMann]

I don't know how to remove the ice cream that freezes to the side of my machine without scratching the surface so I just let it soften for a bit before eating it... er, tasting it straight from the bowl. The coconut flavor is subtle (even with using a bit more coconut milk than called for), however the ginger is pretty much lost entirely. The flavor is still quite interesting, but I can't help but feel like something is missing, maybe texture. Urfa pepper tastes a bit like raisins and curry -- using those instead highlight an interesting complexity.

[shecrab]

Thank all of you lovelies for your help and input. Tonight is the flawless Cobb salad with that fantastic honey mustard dressing paired with corn and okra fritters. Sweet fresh cherries for dessert. Now must go procure all the life sustaining goodies one only indulges in on road trips. (Stuckey's pecan log, anyone?)

[mariacarmen]

oh MAN thanks to tiffee for the Hoisin burger idea! they were super! Extremely juicy, flavorful - excellent especially with the avocado. I loved the sriracha mayo too, we had a tiny artichoke we split and dipped the leaves in that as well. garnish/salad was iceberg lettuce (leftover from our Trashy Tacos a couple weeks ago), chopped cilantro, sliced scallions and jalapenos, and a side of cucumber slices dressed in mirin, toasted hot chili flakes. chili sesame oil, sesame seeds and salt.

[mariacarmen]

oops here's a pic.

[LindaWhit]

I want that burger! (sans avocado tho since it doesn't agree with me). Love the idea of hoisin in the burger and the sriracha-sesame mayo. Perhaps a Friday night dinner....

[Berheenia]

I'm making these Friday- also sans avocado as it's not on Mr B.'s list. I will use a roll as the vehicle - may decide to put some avocado on mine. mmmm

[GretchenS]

OK, mc, I am nominating that for Picture of the Month. I could happily hang that on my wall...

[mariacarmen]

oh goodness, too kind! but it WAS fricken' delicious.

do it Linda, do it! i'm already contemplating doing it again....

[LindaWhit]

mc, as I told a friend today (who says she avoids cutting off fingernails by just having cereal or PB&Js for dinner), I almost always am thinking about what next to make for dinner. This burger is my Thursday or Friday dinner. :-)

[gingershelley]

I am having that tomorrow or the next day too MC. Sans bun, and WITH avocado. Like the idea of the artichoke alongside as well - that's a staple in this house.

Will thaw out one of my house-ground burgers, and mix in the hoisin, etc.:) It'l be WFD Thurs. or Fri like Linda W:)

[LindaWhit]

We'll be Dinner Twins! We should probably dress the same too, you know. ;-)

[mariacarmen]

wheeeeeeeeeeee! look what tiffee started!

[LindaWhit]

It's rather Chicken Paprikash-like, don't you think?

[mariacarmen]

exactly what i was thinking. love how the waves carry us.

[gingershelley]

Super like:) WHERE IS that button, overloards?

[gingershelley]

LW, my pants are still on fire, being flamed in the town square after all the MC antics, etc., but I WILL be making this burger for friends Friday night...

What are you wearing? I think a spring skirt, etc.... seriously, I might bust out a nice wrap dress (ala Dianne Von Furstenberg), and some low-heeled sandals so cooking is chic but no chore. How 'bout you?

I know the avocado is coming, as is green garlic and a salad of peas and pea vines.

Let's dish...

[LindaWhit]

It's a burger. It'll be a t-shirt and shorts tonight to avoid any grease stains on the good clothes. So I guess we'll have to be fraternal twins. :-)

[gembellina]

oh boy oh boy! that looks wonderful - great recipe tiffee. what a shame it has appeard during the only time in living history that the bf has decided he doesn't want red meat. but then he did manage to eat steak, beef ribs, two kinds of pork ribs, pulled pork, and meatloaf all in one day while we were on holiday so I'm not surprised!

[mariacarmen]

you could use ground chicken, i bet it would still be good... but not AS good.... ( :

[gembellina]

I'll put it in the recipe file and wait it out... i'm sure it won't be long!

[boyzoma]

That looks seriously good. Including the avocado's. I've gotta get this on my list! Wow. (Now I'm probably drooling on all the posters below me).

[gingershelley]

hahhaa boyzoma, please don't drool on the posters below! That's one mental image....

[rabaja]

what a perfectly gorgeous photo!
I have ground pork to use up...wonder if this would work...and an avocado on the counter and cilantro coming up in the garden...this may be our destiny tonight.

eta: found the recipe upthread, and I do have both pork and beef on hand! If laab doesn't win out these are on.

[gembellina]

LAAB! Great idea. That is exactly what I'm cooking tonight. Perfect :)

[steve h.]

Outstanding photo. Hoisin burgers need to be on my menu.

[twodales]

Love hoisin so these are a must try.
I have been trying all new recipes lately. Here is one you might enjoy if you are a lamb person (has a bit of pork as well). I really enjoyed these.I found them to be quite Summery!

Here you go: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes...

[gingershelley]

TD, LOVE a lamb burger. Thanks for the link:)

[mariacarmen]

that sounds amazing.

bet lamb would make a mean hoisin burger... : )

[Caroline1]

It's a gorgious pic. Don' worry 'bout it!

[mariacarmen]

thanks C1! i got the mods to get rid of the repeat pic.

[weezieduzzit]

Mmmm... sounds like a great flavor combo and the pics are really nice. (Both of 'em!)

[shecrab]

I am so making that, all of it. I will need a half dozen tiny artichokes all to myself though.

[mariacarmen]

yeah, the boy found 10 baby artichokes for a $1.00! i'm not sure why he only cooked up one. and now i'm out at dinner 3 nights in a row and i bet they'll be gone by Sat. night! phooey.

[tiffeecanoe]

Oh wonderful! So glad you enjoyed them! Gorgeous picture too!

[mariacarmen]

you started a tidal wave - everyone's doing it!

[tiffeecanoe]

a delicious tidal wave! hooray! Seriously they are such tasty summertime burgers. I get so tired of the typical grilled burgers, such a nice change :)

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Meatloaf tonight, following the ATK recipe, more or less. Green beans and halved red potatoes on the side, both with salt and a touch of butter (and probably some lemon on the beans). I am anticipating meatloaf sandwiches for lunch tomorrow!

[LindaWhit]

The best part about meatloaf for dinner is the meatloaf sandwiches for lunch the next few days. Enjoy!

[gingershelley]

Well, hello to all my fellow (and well-loved) community on WFD; I confess I have only been occasionaly commenting this week on others meals, with no will to post on my own meals, as they have been mainly of the 'hunk of bread with cheese', or a solo grilled rare tuna steak made out of sheer - 'EAT SOMETHING! FEED YOURSELF", kind of week.

Alas, I am outing myself. The Frenchman and I are no more... I see a friendship still, at least for awhile, but the romance is gone,and this week we made it official, hence - the lack of appetite while processing the transition. Albiet, there were some great steamed artichokes, his sauteed potatoes, and a lamb chop I never tasted among oceans of wine while we talked it all out...

I will pick up my diginity now, return to cooking for friends and family, and remember all the travel and wonder we had. All you singles on here, just don't forget - being the rebound GF usually doesn't get you the distance. They can't see how awesome it is, since the don't know what 'else' is out there in the desert.

Tonight, I am not cooking, but tomorrow, am planning on some copper-River salmon with saffron Aioli and pea vines. NO potatoes; as I don't have to satisfy the Parmentier society anymore. And damn, in the next few weeks, I am cooking every spicy, amazing, tasty weeknight dinner I have skipped for nearly 3 years since 'The Frenchman' doesn't like spicey.

I reclaim my independence, and thank JF and France for all I have learned. Next chapter - I look forward to you....

[LindaWhit]

gingershel, I'm sorry about you and the Frenchman. Totally understand the lack of appetite while going through this. BTDT all too recently myself.

Enjoy bringing the spice back into your life!

[gingershelley]

Thanks, I shall muddle through... but, most poignantly, so far I am missing the 'idea' of having a French BF (and his LOVELY company), more than actually being romantic partners every day, so clearly, some house-cleaning was in order.

I will cherish the memories, and all I have learned about French food, and the travel, and well - the time with the Frenchman.:)

[LindaWhit]

gingershel, believe me - I *do* understand missing the *idea* of having a boyfriend. I think that is what I mourned most a few months ago. But the knowledge you gained and the memories you have will help.

[megjp]

Aww, I feel for you!

I ate mushrooms for like a month straight after my mushroom-hating ex and I split and I'd gotten my own place. Then I ate spicy after the kinda-rebound-man and I decided to forget it, because he doesn't like spicy. THEN I started feeding social friends and co-workers while I reeled in the forget-to-cook-for-one tendencies. I for one encourage this behaviour wholeheartedly, and look forward to hearing about it.

PS Your tomorrow dinner sounds great, and I don't even like salmon. :)

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Sorry to hear about you and The Frenchman, GS. It sounds like you have the right attitude about the whole thing, though, and that's always good. Enjoy your independence and your spicy food! (I fear that should my boyfriend and I ever split, I may resort to eating fish sauce by the spoonful during that transition period...)

[mariacarmen]

(BBL, for me it would be fish fish fish and more fish with a side of lobster.)

[BananaBirkLarsen]

(I might be willing to put some fish under my fish sauce... and a gin and tonic on the side!)

[mariacarmen]

sold!

[Caroline1]

gingershelley, sounds like one of those real PITA times in life! But you obviously have a great head on your shoulders for finding your way. From my ancient age my best advice is pack up the memories with as much joy as you can muster, and pack them away for your old age. It's more fun to have as many treasures to look back on as possible! Meanwhile, have a BIG bowl of pico de gallo, and celebrate you!!!

[mariacarmen]

OH GS so sorry to hear this for you.... it's so terribly difficult, no matter what the circumstances. my heart goes out to you.

now, cook your heart out, for YOURSELF, and soon enough (or whenever you so choose) you'll be cooking up another love for yourself. In the meantime, enjoy your friends, and enjoy your reclaimed spicy life, you Hot Tamale, you!

[gingershelley]

Thanks all for the sympathy... I shall muddle on. I think I have not been truly 'in love' w/ him for awhile, so mostly it is habits of lifestyle that will have to change, and - the lack of free trips to Europe. Sigh. SO many great memories I must say, and he was a wonderful partner while it lasted. The French do have a straying culture, so perhaps if I was French myself, I could have handled it, but this American want's undivided attention, so there!

I will find someone else to eat Foie Gras with, dammit!

And you all are right about eating my way through spicy meals to ease the pain, and Megjp - I know your split was not so long ago, and agree about inviting friends over to share meals. I did that allready, and will just do it more I guess.

[rabaja]

Oh, gingershelley, if I could have you over to share a spicy meal, I so would right now! I hope your heart heals quickly and that you get used to your new normal with lots of laughter on your side.

Break-ups stink. Even if you know you are better off, the memories can sting. Get out in the sunshine, put on a pretty dress and take care of yourself!

Three years ago I was in pretty bad shape. Today I am newly married to an absolute treasure. It can happen, don't lose the faith. Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders, lots of love to you.

[LindaWhit]

rabaja, you are my heroine in the hopes that I find my absolute treasure as you did. :-)

[rabaja]

oh, he's out there LW. You're too good a catch for it not to happen.

psst..have you considered match, cause i hear on good authority that it works. and the process is a hoot.

[LindaWhit]

I've heard from others about it. Some good, some bad. I do know to stay away from OKC if I ever do choose to go that way.

[gingershelley]

If you do the on-line thing, please skip match, and do something more focused, like Chemistry. If you have any religous leanings, then, maybe E-harmony. I met JF on chemistry, first out of the gate, and wouldn't trade the experience for the world...

[mariacarmen]

i've heard many success stories....

[gingershelley]

Re: rabaja comments; LW If the world were mine, you would be the QUEEN! You deserve a love that wants to make meals with you, engages all your interests, and finds you to be the most appealing person on earth, and breaths life to spend time with you... I am sure that is in your future.

Everything you show up as, on line, which is such a simple interaction here, of faith, telling about what is so; that leads me to believe in who you are.

Thanks for showing up. Life will show up - Grandly!. I believe in it for myself as well. Peace.

[gingershelley]

LW, and rabaja - so kind of you both to speak about deep feelings, and I appreciate all your loveingly made meals, and your courage!

Also, I think we all know, that inviting others into our world to share a meal, or show someone how to cook a dish , or simply offer up or table of delicousness is a means for giving back, and a way to create all we notice about the wide, wide world of great food.

Blessings to all of you who do that - I admire you all the time as i hear about your dinners, and am inspired, and learning from what your up to!

LW - Don't you think, love is in the conjured pot of life? I do, and I am sure You (!) will find your special someone, at a dinner, a farmer's market, or somwhere else that speaks to your soul. :)

[mariacarmen]

rabaja, your story would be an inspiration to me if i ever (god forbid) lost my boy!

[gingershelley]

Rabaja, thanks for the love. Every moment right now is SO missing all I DON"T have left... yet, filled with everthing that was amazing...

Your right, put on the pretty dress, go out ( I will in a week or so when I can muster). At least now, I can go to the Farmer's market, invite my friends in for dinner, and just be OK with missing France and Italy in early fall. Truffles, chestnuts, foie on the goose in front of me. I just wish for a new incarnation of all I have learned to love.

Thanks for the inspriation that you are newly married, and that love can thrive again. Peace..... You are gracious with your comments, and I appreciate that to a deep degree. :)

[nomadchowwoman]

Ah, gs, sorry for this tough time, but you have a great attitude. Eat spicy food. and have friends over--and hold out for the undivided attention; you deserve it.

[gingershelley]

Spicy spicy NMC! Perhaps the next man comes from the more southern America's...... And, I agree, We ladies should always, allways, be the most important person in the room, in the the thrall of the man we find the most exciting person that is also there. I am not a fan of small love:) May we all have BIG love, in both partners, meals, and plans for where to eat out:)

Thanks my delightful virtual friends for making me feel better. I plan on making an important singlton dinner soon, with guests, and getting my inspiration from all your posts.

So kind. Thank you:)

[GretchenS]

So sorry for the sad times, gs, but I deeply admire that you are choosing to see the bright side and cherishing the good memories. And do enjoy your spicy meals! The salmon with saffron aioli sounds amazing...

[roxlet]

The next chapter is always better since you've learned from the one before.

[gingershelley]

Roxlet, how kind, You are right.... I have SO much from what went before, and all that is left is possibility:)

[twodales]

It's cooled down so it's boeuf bourguignon from the freezer, out of spuds so flower-shaped pasta will do, asparagus on the side, a baguette to soak up the sauce and some nice "plonk" ......which I realize is a contradiction...so sue me.

[LindaWhit]

Your entire meal, including the plonk, sounds great!

[LindaWhit]

YAY ME!!! It's another great knife incident in the kitchen tonight - that's two in seven months. Thank God for sharp knives, or it could have been worse.

Dinner tonight - which was very good - was Za'atar rubbed chicken that was roasted. Sides were leftover Israeli couscous and an adapted recipe for sauteed bok choy with garlic and cashews. It was that last side that was the stickler. I was using garlic scapes I got from my CSA in placed of the pressed garlic. Chop, chop, choppity-chop-chop-chop....OW! Dammit - there went a half moon off my left ring finger. Surprisingly, just a bit of a sting (unlike the 2011 Thanksgiving Great Knife Incident that hurt like a mo-fo!) Got a couple of paper towels, wrapped the finger after rinsing it in cold water. Checked the cutting board; no blood. Oh look - there's the nail. Removed it from the cutting board.

Checked the fingernail - yeah, it definitely needs a bandage - but it doesn't hurt. Upstairs to the bathroom and got the nonstick bandage, got the wrapping tape, got out the finger splint (yathink I've done this before?) Wrapped it all up and finished prepping and cooking dinner, albeit a good bit more slowly in the prepping.

So - good dinner. Bad knife incident. Definitely not as painful as last Thanksgiving as I didn't cut as deeply into the nail bed - but it's a more of a bitch to type without the use of the ring finger - moreso than when I cut into the forefinger last time. Criminy. Learn how to chop using the finger curl, Linda!

I'm having ice cream tonight. Definitely.

Recipe I adapted for the bok choy - I used four humongous leaves and white stalks from the bok choy from my coworker's CSA that she gave several of us (she's traveling so I got arugula, bok choy, garlic scapes, and chives):

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/...

[weezieduzzit]

Yeowch!

[scubadoo97]

Curl those fingers Linda.

But it happens. I slid a knife into my thumb slicing a tomato after consuming a couple of big strong margaritas on Cinco de Mayo while lounging around the pool then went in to fix a bite to eat. Alcohol and sharp knives can be hazardous to your health or at least together.

[LindaWhit]

Yeah, I knew I was rushing...and the minute I cut the finger, "you didn't curl your fingers, dammit!" And had there been alcohol involved, I think I would have been rushing. I try and work more slowly when I've had a glass of wine.

Well, at least it's not throbbing as badly as the cut from last year did.

[LindaWhit]

Make that I *wouldn't* had been rushing. Geez - without the ring finger to type, I'm leaving letters out of words! LOL

[Berheenia]

We had to make a rule about using the mandoline and our favorite sharp knives- no wine drinking before the stuff is prepped if it needs a really sharp blade. Too many scars and even though blood is a great form of protein, it isn't very attractive on a salad. And then there is the one handed stir fry- wounded hand held above the femural artery.
I seem to chop more aggressively after a few glasses...

[gingershelley]

LW, food sounds good to great, but OWWWE! Glad you found the fingernail moon, sorry you lost it.

I too have cut myself at least twice (nothing serious) this week while simply 'putting together' dinner since my mind has been 'not on the cutting board'... hope it heals fast.

i am having ice cream too. Local Full-tilt mexi-chocolate, with a Dreyers' mango ice bar smashed on top. Looking forward to that...

[LindaWhit]

Well, if the Thanksgiving Knife Incident is any indication, the finger will be sore to the touch and will remain bandaged with Neosporin and a nonstick bandage for about 2-3 weeks. The nailbed will mostly grow back in about 3 months or so.

The typing thing is what is going to be most frustrating. I was able to use my thumb for the forefinger's typing; the ring finger is used for a lot of keys and it's too hard to sub the middle finger or pinky finger. But the finger splint will remain on until it heals enough so I don't bang it.

[GretchenS]

Oh LW, you gotta be more careful! :). Ouch, hope it feels OK tomorrow and glad the dinner turned out great anyway, LOVE bok choy!

[LindaWhit]

I seriously LOVED this bok choy recipe - can't wait to get some in my own CSA and make it again! And I was surprisingly calm re: this fingernail slice - perhaps because it wasn't as deep as the last one. Again, I'm thankful the knife is *sharp*.

[Caroline1]

Ouuuuuuuuuchh.........! Don't DO that! What were you thinking? That you're a contestant on Top Chef???? Heal quickly and well. We NEED your full typing skills!!!

[LindaWhit]

LOL! I couldn't even be a contestant on Master Chef, Caroline. And since TC doesn't start until the fall, it should be OK by then. :-)

[mariacarmen]

ZACKLY!

[mariacarmen]

ohhhh man! sorry Linda... you be careful, girl!

[roxlet]

Owie. I did that a couple of weeks ago. Hurt like a dog. I hope yours is better soon.

[weezieduzzit]

After 6 days of a house guest with all sorts of dietary restrictions/ constraints/ hurdles and hindrances (none of which I was warned about ahead of time... and a house absolutely full of people a couple of the nights- the car show they've been getting cars ready for was this weekend,) I'm so happy to be back in my kitchen tonight! It was just easier to send the guys OUT to eat than to try to come up with something acceptable and I spent most of the weekend under the weather so I didn't really feel like cooking anything major for just me.

Doro Wat is what's for dinner. I had planned on making it 6 days ago... then found out it wouldn't fly and ended up putting the chickens in the freezer. It's one of the man and my favorites and I'm making a double batch so we can have leftovers for lunches tomorrow. No injera tonight, though... if he wants something I'll make him rice but no starches for me at all... I'm enjoying the jeans getting much too big every day... looks like I'll need to go shopping this weekend! Oh, and veggies on the plate.... lots and lots of veggies.....

[gingershelley]

Weezie - great on the car show going well, even if the men had to go out to eat so you could keep your sanity. Dietary challenged house-guests are tough! Glad your feeling better.

Doro is so delish! Happy for you that you have your 'house back' and can make a dinner you both love now that things are quieter. Congrats too on the looser jeans:)

We just had the LeMay car museum open last week here locally in Tacoma, WA, and I took my dad; awesome array of cars from the turn of the century up to now. Check it out on-line. Everything from Indy early century, to touring cars, to European sports cars, British manufacturer section, and of course, all kinds of mid-century fins.

Super fun! What kind of cars does your crowd show?

[weezieduzzit]

Traditional hot rods. We would LOVE to go to the LeMay. Its on the list of road trips!

[mariacarmen]

wow weezie! a) that for you guys Doro Wat isn't "cooking anything major"; and b) the jeans "getting much too big"! awesome!!

[weezieduzzit]

I make it so often it goes together quickly. :) Most of the time it takes is unattended and the house smells so amazing....

Thanks on the jeans... I'm working on it! I've been pretty damn good, too. I've kept anything grainy/starchy/carby to once a week or less. Not always easy but great results.

[mariacarmen]

i'm trying too, but just started, and already blew it over the weekend... but i'm going to keep trying - you're my new muse!

[JungMann]

I have been stymied in my desire to make Ethiopian at home by my lack of berebere. Do you make your own or order it from a shop?

[Caroline1]

I'm not weezie, but it just so happens I downloaded this one is my cyber-tour of African cooking yesterday. It has an authentic ring to it, but I've not yet actually made it.
http://www.whats4eats.com/sauces/berb...

[JungMann]

As it so happens, I have all those spices. I have no excuse anymore.

[weezieduzzit]

I make it (can't find it locally, either.) The recipe Caroline1 posted looks great!

[Caroline1]

(sigh) I have everything but fenugreek seeds. I have added it to my next worldspice.com order! If you make it soon and use some, tell us how you like it! If you've like the related recipe "ports" from my cyberworld recipe tour, these go with it:
http://www.whats4eats.com/poultry/doro-wat-recipe
http://www.whats4eats.com/sauces/nite...

These are ALL weezie's fault! (Thank you, weezie!)

[weezieduzzit]

Leftover niter kibbeh keeps in the frige in a jar for several weeks- and is awesome on steamed or sauteed veggies.

[tiffeecanoe]

Exhausted... my baby girl does NOT sleep ;) - pulled some bolognese out of the freezer so we'll have that over fresh fettucine (store bought!) and a caprese salad.

[Uncle Bob]

Big Glass Of Merlot.........
Chied Fricken........
New Potatoes/White Sauce...
Recycled Crookneck Squash......
Recycled Green Beans.........
Corn Bread.........
Sliced D'mater........
Sliced Cuke.........
Cow Horn Pepper
Banana Nut Bread for Later.....

[shecrab]

You sound like a man with a green thumb and a garden full of fat happy plants! Summer brings everything that's good to eat, doesn't it?

[MaryContrary]

Okay, okay. What's Cow Horn Peooer?

[Uncle Bob]

A type of Cayenne Pepper....reaching lengths of 8" to 10" ...kinda has a curl to it....thus a "Cow Horn"......I would describe it as mildly hot....YMMV

[bblonde]

All-grill dinner tonight of Grilled chicken ratatouille, store-bought caesar salad, garlic bread on the grill, and honeydew melon. Then some beer with Thunder basketball. BF ditched me and is going to the game!

[bblonde]

Photos

[LindaWhit]

Looks great, bblonde!

[gingershelley]

I'd love to eat that bblonde! Salad looks so refreshing.... tasty!

[scubadoo97]

Looking good bblonde

[megjp]

Last night it was another open-faced sandwich to use up the rest of the pesto mayo and ham, but I did make a sweet potato-chipotle soup for sides.

I took the day off work today after leaving early yesterday, too tired to think, so after rolling out of bed around noon I've been lounging and munching on potato salad all afternoon. When it cools down I'll run some errands, and although I feel restored the heat really kills my appetite so I'll likely just have an omelette with something green or some leftover red posole before I freeze the rest. With something green.

Every summer is like an imposed diet for me, I swear, with this heat-sensitive stomach. It has its upsides, I suppose -- I may not feel like a round sleek baby seal for much longer. :)

[GretchenS]

I have been pretty lazy of late in the cooking department. Sunday I made a nice dinner of grilled small lamb chops and a non-lettuce Greek salad with a new buttermilk-feta-dill dressing I found oneline. The dressing was OK but I vastly prefer the realtor's garlic buttermilk dressing and there is no reason I can't take that in a feta-dill direction. I think the answer is to make a good batch of that w/o herbs and then each night add herbs and/or cheese of choice. Last night was supposed to be leftovers of Sunday night but instead, lured by a thread on the Boston board, I checked out a new (to me) kabob and falafel place which knocked my socks off. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7761... Now on a major recruiting kick to get a bunch of friends together and go back and order one of everything. :) Tonight is my fish share which this week is grey sole fillets. I'm thinking that a nice meuniere/piccata treatment would go well with a big pile of local garden peas...

[mariacarmen]

oooh your meunier/piccata fishies sound delish... delish fish...

[Caroline1]

I'm slowly easing into a Moroccan culinary trip, but I'm not there yet. The new tagine arrived on Friday, replacing one that was broken a decade or two ago, and I'm still in the process of curing it and seasoning it (literally). I looked for some couscous locally and wasn't happy with the choices, so I ordered a ten pound bag of Israeli couscous from Amazon.com. Soooooo.... Tonight, in anticipation of the unglazed tagine soon being ready to slow cook something delicious, I faked it with a cast iron frying pan over low heat for an "almost tagine couscous stew."

Sauteed some finely diced Vidalia onion in butter. When they were nearly transparent I added a generous pinch of saffron, a generous amount of Ras el Hanout ((first time using Zamouri Spices version, and it's a bit heavy on cloves and cinnamon and light on roses and cardamom, so I'll correct for that next time), and a bit of cumin (pretty simple for Moroccan fare). When the spices bloomed I added some chopped Medjool dates, and chopped stuffed Manzanilla olives and brought them to heat until the dates were melting soft. Then I added chicken stock and some bite size bits of grass fed beef, brought it to a simmer just long enough for the meat to be medium rare, then turned off the heat and poured in some couscous, covered it and let it rest for twenty minutes.

Turned out pretty darned good, despite the cinnamon and clove. And except for not reducing the liquid until it was almost only butter like a true tagine (the dish, not the pot), the flavor was fairly authentic. I just made one fairly large portion and ate it all up....!!! I'm really looking forward to the first real tagine (stew) cooked in a real tagine (pot) and served over fairly simple couscous... OR... Maybe even do it the authentic way and have the couscous AFTER the tagine to fill me up...! I'm having fun...!!!!

[GretchenS]

Sounds delicious, I like the idea of cooking the beef until just medium rare instead of stewing it to death.

[Caroline1]

Ultiately, I'm hoping to head toward a 19th century tagine stopping just short of going to the souk on a camel to buy mt spices! In traditional clay tagine cooking the old way (and in today's version of complicated couscous, for all I know) the meat was nested in onions and other long cooking vegetables that had been tossed in olive oil, then the whole thing began cooking from cold together. Its supposed to allow the meat to absorb a lot more of the flavors than browning the meat first. It worked pretty well last night!

Today I made some fresh tomato soup from scratch for lunch, with onions sauteed in olive oil, a dozen tomatoes, cook to mush, puree with the stick blender, add a bit of chicken stock but not to overwhelm the fresh tomato taste, then a little buerre manie to thicken it a bit, finish off with a bit of dill weed, a kiss of basil (very ight!), salt and pepper, then pour into a mug and top with a touch of Mexican crema agria. Just for old time's sake, I'm having it in a HUGE Campbell's Kids soup mug! LOL! Campbell's kids never had it so good!

[GretchenS]

That tomato soup sounds delicious and all the better for the way you served it!!

[mariacarmen]

that sounds amazing. i haven't made ras-el-hanout in about 10 years. and you're reminding me i want to make some preserved lemons!

[Caroline1]

Meyer lemons aren't the easiest to find at times, so just to make sure I have some on hand, I broke down and bought a jar. I got all excited one spring right after I moved here when I spotted a nice lemon tree in a garden shop. The shopkeeper peered over his spectacles at me, "You DO understand you have to move it indoors in the winter in Dallas, don't you?" It didn't come home with me.

[mariacarmen]

but... preserved can be made with regular lemons too, right? not just Meyer? i'm hoping to find some overhanging tree in a neighborhood and just help myself (ok, i'll ask first!) to a few, so as not to buy the waxed ones.

[Caroline1]

Meyer lemons are traditional, but I suspect the salt preservation method would work with grapefruit too. hmmmmmm... I'm thinking! I'm thinking! '-)

[mariacarmen]

no, i meant regular lemons, not grapefruit! although grapefruit sounds really good too...

[scubadoo97]

Yes Maria, you can use regular lemons. Easypeazy to do. Just cut, salt them up and make sure they are covered in juice/salt mixture. Keep in the cupboard for a month then in the fridge. Shake jar every day or so in the beginning to keep brine mixed. The liquid will thicken as the pectin is drawn out of the skin.

I had a big bag of limes from Costco and there was no way I was going to use them up so they are in the state of preservation at this moment. No reason they wouldn't work except they have thin skins compared to lemons. Be interesting to see how they taste.

[gingershelley]

MC - you can use regular lemons, no problemo. Easiest if you can find small lemons; more fit in a jar with less wasted space (= less extra lemon juice needed). :)

[mariacarmen]

thanks everyone, i know all this info was provided a couple threads ago - i was just confused when Caroline1 said that about meyer lemons - i thought it could be any. one day soon! i saw big canning jars at my supermarket.

[Caroline1]

Sorry if I confused you. I don't know if the traditional lemons that are native to Morocco are botanically identified as "Meyer" lemons or not, but they are NOT the thick-skinned, super pithy, less-than juicy lemons I find in MY local supermarkets! Since it is the peel of preserved lemons that are used in most recipes, the most critical thing, in my opinion, is to use ORGANIC lemons! Who needs preserved pesticides? But yes, the salt preservation method used for traditional Moroccan preserved lemons is probably the oldest method for preserveng things known to man. No reason why it won't work with ANY type of citrus fruit. As long as the peel is pesticide free to start with. '-)

[mariacarmen]

so do you think thinner skinned is better in general? just wanting to be sure i get the best results. and organics are usually thinner skinned? i was just going to go find a neighbor's tree.... and ask nicely! thanks!

[Caroline1]

Thinner skinned lemons are better (imo) because the white pith under the zest is bitter. Thin skinned lemons have a better balance between zest and pith. On the other hand, I've never been adventurous enough to experiment with preserving thick skinned lemons! If you've preserved them and like them, why not? I'm sort of a stick-in-the-mud about a lot of things. But thin skinned is traditional, as far as I know. Even in traditional orange marmalades, now that I think about it! When it comes to citrus, it seems thin skinned is in! But thin skinned people are a pain! '-)

[mariacarmen]

that makes sense... and no, i've never done them before, just gathering info for when i do!

yep, thin-skinned people do not deserve to be preserved!

[gingershelley]

Caroline1; What fun to break in a new tagine! And the dish sounds great you made to start things off...

Moroccan is one of my fav cuisines (used to teach it here at local cooking school). I am with you on the joy's of foods of the souk!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

I've been away from WFD for a while, as I have been preparing for the move that seems like it will never happen, and more or less scavenging around the cupboards for food (still waiting to hear about a place, still dealing with a half-packed apartment, and very thankful that our landlord is so easygoing and has said we can stay as long as we need to... looks like we won't be moving until July) But the last couple nights got me out of my non-cooking rut. Last night we had a big dinner in our building's communal back yard with neighbours and friends. Fried chicken and various salads and veggies and rices and appetizers and a ton of wine. I made a cherry cherry-plum pie from the cherry plums that grow down the street and I nailed the crust. It got rave reviews, which was satisfying after a not very satisfying week.

Tonight I pan fried the lamb I'd been marinating overnight. The marinade was a version of the dressing for my favourite epicurious quinoa-mango salad. A combination of yogurt, lime, ginger, curry powder, garlic and mint. It made an excellent pan sauce with a bit of extra yogurt added. Bamboo rice on the side (another back-of-the-cupboard find I forgot I'd ever bought) and a salad of red bell pepper, tomato, grapes and mint with a yogurt-preserved lemon dressing.

[LindaWhit]

Glad you had a good building picnic, BBL! Hang in there with the move - something will click on a new apt. at the right time!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Thanks LW. It's getting to be one of those uphill battles that feels like it will never end. But at least good food helps ease the pain. :)

[Berheenia]

Sounds like a tough building to move out of- I once lived in such a place- great barbeques and a block party in the summer. Hope you find something soon!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Believe me, if we could pick this building up and set it down in Santa Cruz, we would, co-tenants and all! Although the rent would probably triple overnight.

[mariacarmen]

BBL, you'll probably find a whole new host of people to have great food parties with. Santa Cruz is a super cool place! Hope the move happens quickly and smoothly...

[mariacarmen]

the BF made the tacos as i worked a bit late. he mixed the leftover smokey paprika pork, chopped up fine, with leftover chorizo, and added a little chipotle sauce. a sprinkle of queso fresco, a splash of my llajwa, and a few drops of habanero green sauce. a little smoodge of black beans and big lime-y salad. yum.

[GretchenS]

Looks yummy mc!

[PHREDDY]

Oh Yea....now ur talkin'!!!

[twodales]

Thin spaghetti and a sugo all'amatriciana, salad, french baquette, some vino...add a friend dropping in and all is good with the world.

[melpy]

Fried rice: leftover rice, diced carrots, diced Asian white radishes, sliced spring onions, sliced radish greens, diced celery, chopped garlic, sugar snap peas, Chicken, egg and seasonings.

[Uncle Bob]

George Dickel..............
Pork Rib Sauce Piquant...........
Rice.......
Fresh Green Beans/Cherry Tomatoes.........
Fresh Crook Neck Squash.........
Toasted Corn Bread........
Pods of Cayenne Pepper..
Cold slices of Vidalia......
Oatmeal Cookies..........

[kubasd]

By George Dickel are you referring to the whisky? sounds like an absolutely delicious meal, as per usual, Uncle Bob. Makes me think of eating with my grandparents (both from Somerville, TN.)

[Uncle Bob]

Yep...Old No.12 Dickel...Best Tennessee whiskey on the planet.

[scubadoo97]

Good country cooking Uncle Bob. Pass the Dickel

[buttertart]

This weekend was filled with food and frolic.
Saturday night, finally hungry after our pre-theatre lunch (Mr. Jim Parsons in "Harvey", a delight), I made a shepherd's pie with a bunch of rare-cooked lamb and part of a steak ditto that had been frozen. Seasoned the hell out of the meat (onion, Dijon, dark soy, regular soy, black vinegar, paprika, cayenne, ketchup, Worcestershire, and horseradish, s&p). Miked a bunch of potatoes, peeled and mashed them with butter, milk, and s&p and M's brilliant suggestion, more horseradish. The spuds made the dish. Belgian endive salad with.
Last night was going to make Marcella's veal with hazelnuts from "Italian Kitchen",
but after a swell lunch of noodles and whatnot at Biang!, it seemed a bit heavy. Hit the book again and came up with the scallopine with celery and orange (batonnets of celery, julienned orange rind, fresh oj) which was nice and fresh-tasting. Garlic and olive oil on the Portuguese bread lurking in the fridge, crisped in the oven, and watercress vinaigrette with. A hazelnut ad gianduja very crisp cookie after dinner and after Don. Dump that Megan, come ON!
Monday is Mexican as it always is, chicken tacos, salsa, guac, chips (an excuse to eat same).

[LindaWhit]

I adore the play, "Harvey" - I can only imagine how much fun Jim Parsons would be as Elwood P. Dowd! Your shepherd's pie also sounds wonderful!

[buttertart]

He was excellent. I love him anyway.
Try the horseradish in the potatoes for it, really super!

[mariacarmen]

wow, that Shepherd's pie does sound amazing -- we love horseradish too, will have to remember that for next time, especially with the lamb.

[buttertart]

It's supposed to be lamb to be a shepherd's pie, the beef one is a cottage pie. Maybe this one was a shepherd's cottage pie. (We always called it shepherd's pie at home, and it was always beef only.)

[mariacarmen]

yeah - i remember! yours is hybrid pie.

[Harters]

Horseradish mash makes a relatively regular appearance on UK bistro menus - deservedly so.

And, yes, for Brits, if it's lamb it's shepherd's pie and cottage pie if it's beef. Buit we are tolerant towards foreigners who don't always get the distinction ;-)

[PHREDDY]

I actually buy a horesradish mayo made by Gold's.....reall good on an old fashioned Ham, Swiss, L&T...

[tiffeecanoe]

Well, tonight I'm grilling up some hoisin burgers w/ spicy mayo and avocado. Leftover potato salad and I'm thinking an avocado, black bean salad something or other I'll throw together. We have a TON of avocados all ripe at once. Yum.

[mariacarmen]

tiffee.... those burgers sound heavenly! can you elaborate some on the hoisin-ness of them? do you just add hoisin the to meat when forming patties?

[tonifi]

Pounded chicken breasts currently brining in the fridge with some cumin/pepper/coriander & garlic. I should actually go pour a bit of lemon juice in there...hmmm...going to do a vaguely Middle Eastern spice on them & probably do them in the grill pan. Couscous with some hunks of squash, zucchini, onions & cherry tomatoes. Maybe hummus and I think I have a few pieces of pita left in the freezer. I've been in the mood for hummus.

[tiffeecanoe]

Certainly! I just take either just beef or a combo of beef and pork - whatever I have on hand really and mix in about 2-3 chopped green onions, some minced garlic, S&P and a good tablespoon of hoisin and form patties. Then I serve with a layer of avocados on the bottom and a spicy mayo that contains mayo, sriracha and toasted sesame oil - basically the mayo of spicy tuna rolls! You can brush some more hoisin on just before you take the patties off the grill.

It's truly delicious. I recently saw a version of these in a magazine my stepmom gets, but I've been making mine this way for years. I try not to make them too often so I don't tire of them, but my husband is requesting them again tonight - pretty sure I just made them 2 weeks or so ago, ha!

[mariacarmen]

the BF loves hoisin, so I think i'll make these sometime this week. Thanks!

[JungMann]

I bought a jar of hoisin ages ago to make the mahogany beef stew that was popular here a while ago, but just never got around to it. Your hoisin burgers sound a lot more my speed.

[LindaWhit]

I remember that recipe being hyped here. Will have to find it for next "stew season". :-)

[mariacarmen]

i made it a couple times - we loved it.

[JungMann]

Now I feel badly for never trying it. I blame NYC for making good beef such a rare commodity.

[LindaWhit]

It looks very simple - red wine, diced tomatoes, and hoisin sauce - how can you go wrong? :-)

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

[mariacarmen]

so excited.... the patties are made and in the fridge (i added a teensy bit of minced red onion and cilantro to the rest of your ingredients just because they were leftover from the tacos), and i made a fresh new batch of mayo and took half of that and mixed it with sriracha and sesame oil, bought a little avocado... no grill, so they'll go in the grill pan, but i can't wait!

[tiffeecanoe]

awesome! I actually added cilantro to my batch last night and think I'll do it again in the future. We had an extra patty and my husband had it for lunch, fries up in a grill pan beautifully :) Hope you like them as much as we do!

[mariacarmen]

see down below, tc, we did!

[gingershelley]

Great idea for a burger TiffeeC. A new and interesting one. Thanks for the tip!

[mirage]

We loved these. We used grass-fed beef (which I don't believe make the best burgers - our CSA beef is very lean) and fabulous buns. For two pounds of beef I minced three large scallions and used three generous TBSPs of hoisin. Our grill-master complained that he had trouble keeping them together, but he managed.

The hoisin enhanced the beef, rather than masking the flavor. The avocado is an absolute must. The spicy mayo took it over the top.

Thank you!

[mariacarmen]

See tiffecanoe? your hoisin burgers live on!

[bblonde]

Dinner tonight is citrus-sesame tilapia I have in the freezer from the grocer. I don't know if I should do something to spice it up, or just serve it plain. Originally I had planned to make cornflake-crusted halibut with chile-cilantro aioli. Trying to decide if the aioli with citrus-sesame would be a weird flavor combo. To go with I'll have jalapeno hushpuppies from the freezer, and frozen corn cobbettes, and a marinated cauliflower and zucchini squash salad I made Saturday. Feeling the desire for a dessert tonight, too.

[JungMann]

Waste not, want not tonight. The squash pulp from the hollowed-out kousa from last night will get a quick saute with onions, mint, lemon juice and Aleppo pepper for a quick side. Main will be tandoori chicken that has been marinating since yesterday afternoon, served with a quick cucumber and walnut raita.

[scubadoo97]

My mom would always use the squash insides after hollowing and do exactly that, cook up with onions.

[jujuthomas]

Tonight is last night's leftover grilled chicken, which was marinated in Penzey's Turkish Seasoning for an hour before grilling, with leftover roasted fingerlings, fresh broccoli or salad.

[shecrab]

Good people! Do you know how rare it is to find civilized, kind, people on this interwebs? I'm so lucky i found you. Chardonnay talking, but anywhoos... we are road tripping to Ohio! Yep, I'm venturing north past the Mason Dixon line on Thursday! Are there going to be boiled peanuts at every gas station? Cheerwine? I'm researching... going to get a tshirt from the Rocknroll Hall of Fame. I'm going to see the "A Christmas Story" house... RALPHIE! I'm going to bring home pierogies and cottage hams (why are they so tiny?) and potica. Any can't miss eating would be greatly appreciated because I trust all of your judgments implicitly.Help a sistah out! Chardonnay!

[LindaWhit]

shecrab, your best bet is to ask that on the Midwest/Great Lakes board. It's going to be considered OT here on Home Cooking.

http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/72

[GretchenS]

We sure want a foodalogue of that trip, shecrab!! And we are so glad you came back to us after that long hiatus!!!

[onceadaylily]

Ha, I love ya. And I *might* be able to help. The boyfriend is from Ohio. Is it Cleveland you're going to (or just through)? He might know of a few spots . . . though, given the friend of his that actually lives there, his memory might be a bit hazy. Just a bit. But it doesn't hurt to ask. And Linda's right that the Great Lakes board is worth looking into, though it covers a LOT of area. The easiest way to search it is to put 'Cleveland Chowhound 2012' into google, and you'll see some decent rec's, but it looks a little light in content. It might be worthwhile to start your own thread.

Here's two threads that might help:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/841137
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/829665

I'll let you know if BF can think of anything that stands out.

[mariacarmen]

we have a leetle bit of the smokey pork shoulder left, so i think we'll make tacos out of that. need to get some avocado on the way home - coolness of the avo will go so nicely with the pork. and a good fat dollop of my spicy rocoto pepper sauce, which i'm loving on everything.

[onceadaylily]

I had to look that rocoto up, MC. Are you making your own, or is there a brand you like? I'll have to see if I can find some around here.

[mariacarmen]

i found frozen rocoto peppers at a store right around the corner from me, oadl, and then loosely followed a recipe which consists of cottage cheese, a little milk, s&p, a clove of garlic, all blended together. i ate it today for bfast AND lunch - a couple tablspoons over a small tub of cottage cheese. nice and creamy and spicy - oh hell yes.

at the little store, they also do sell the jarred stuff, which i haven't tried yet, and i probably won't since this is so easy to make. ALSO, i just found out a guy we know grows them in his backyard! so i'm going to get my sister to plant seeds in hers.

[PHREDDY]

I hope you will recognize this meal....simply.....sofrito de red pepper, onion, tomato, with pork chops cut into small pieces...Saszon, Adobo, salt, pepper, sugar, buillion...arroz, acete verde, ajo,...cooked all that up then on the side.......red beans , hot sauce and green chilie sauce with a spalsh of honey....salad of
Tomato and pepino con dill Y acete verde Y viniagre rojo. con ajio......

My lover made this meal for me after a very difficult week.....need i say more......not the DH...but she made me feel like a king!!!! great food can make you declare your love for the people that love you... ...eat well ...be well..I am going to eat like a pig tonight.......beef ribs....grilled.... then double stuffed pots....my favorite...asparagus...creamed spinach...carrots with butter and honey.....desert.......Hagen Das butter pecan in front of the TV......then leave me alone.... peaceful , sleep until the AM

[Harters]

Sounds like a great evening ahread, Phreddy. Enjoy.

[shecrab]

I LOVE IT! You do have a way with words PHREDDY! You are absolutely unquestionably right. Food can and should soothe the soul and make you feel loved. it is NOT just something you shove in your pie-hole to stop the gastronoise! Beautifully put.

[scubadoo97]

Sounds great. Enjoy!

[mariacarmen]

mmmmmm i'm not sure what you call that but it sounds good!

[MaryContrary]

Good grief, Phreddy!

Hope you rested well. Know you feasted well.

[PHREDDY]

Mc...I think you will recognize this meal....is this typical comort food south of the equator........i was told it was.....your comments please....

[mariacarmen]

i don't know what you have in mind specifically - a particular dish - but those ingredients are all in latino cooking at its best!

[shecrab]

It was a weekend of indulgence and impaired self control.Time to reel it back in, well. .within reason. No need to be drastic. I have a big white eggplant (I love these, they are never bitter like the purple ones can be), sliced, grilled and served under a tomato-onion sauce, cold sweet green pea soup, a watercress and orange salad, and popovers. Virtuous and full of antioxidants! Gotta be in top physical form for next weekend,amirite?

[mariacarmen]

what's next weekend, shecrab?

[megjp]

White veg besides potatoes and such tend to weird me out, but it's interesting to hear the white eggplants aren't as bitter. Maybe I'll give one a chance next time I spy one, and finally learn to love the aubergine :)

[Harters]

Dinner is a recipe from the Philippines in our "cooking the books" offering this week - "Far Eastern Cookery", Madhur Jaffrey, 1989. It's "pork cooked in a pickling style". Cubes of belly pork are going to be marinated in dark soy sauce, white malt vinegar, garlic, bay and peppercorns for an hour.

Oil's heated and more garlic goes in, then the pork is browned. Marinade and a little water goes in. Lid on and its simmered for 30 minutes. Lid off, heat up, another 10 minutes to reduce the sauce. Rice to accompany.

[JungMann]

Pork adobo, one of my favorite dishes. Given its relative simplicity of ingredients, it is surprising how many variations of this recipe there are and the level of obsessiveness one can devote to executing it "authentically" (see below). Malt vinegar sounds like a good variation -- I usually use cider vinegar for its added sweetness.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/619604

[Harters]

I have little time for "authentic".

There's no real background of Filipino food in the UK (no imperialist history with that country, of course) so I havnt anything to judge the taste against. If it becomes a keeper (yes, I know we've had the cookbook for over 20 years), then I'd certainly try it with cider vinegar, which is a favourite cooking vinegar.

[JungMann]

I happened to make it to the farmer's market quite early yesterday morning and beat the crowds to the first kousa squash of the season. Stuffed with lamb and rice, I have been waiting for this dish since last summer. I deviated from my typical spice blend to try scubadoo97's baharat which was absolutely phenomenal. The ginger really lifts all the flavors and blends surprisingly well into the tomato sauce used to stew the squash. On the side a nice arugula salad with anchovy and lemon vinaigrette and a new to me Jura white wine to abate the heat from stewing the squash.

[nomadchowwoman]

Lamb/rice stuffed squash, w/ginger--sounds heavenly.

[Jjjr]

I felt like something creamy-chicken-alfredo-ish and made an creamy sauce with asiago cheese and chunks of chicken and broccoli. It was meant to be a crepe filling but I got lazy and just baked a potato and poured the mixure over it.

[LindaWhit]

I actually like the baked potato version vs. the crepe filling idea. :-)

[PHREDDY]

After a nice day here in NYC and lunch at the sister's house, home for a quick easy meal....picked up some fresh made cheese ravioli, fresh peas, and French Baguette...
Some hot EVOO with sliced garlic, s&p, fresh basil, and topped off with some really good parmigiano...the longest part of the meal was boiling the pasta water!

[nomadchowwoman]

Lovely looking. I'm envious of all of you who get nice fresh peas, something we don't see much here. (By the time they get here, they're starchy, not sweet.)

[PHREDDY]

I am fortunate to have some really great Italain gourmet stores not to far, and they always seem to stock something seasonal that catches my eye, so I buy some, go home and pair it. Always lots of fun and yummy!
What veggies are in season in your neck of the woods?

[nomadchowwoman]

Tomatoes, okra, green beans, every imaginable squash, lots of beans--but "English" peas, like many other things I love, do not grow well here so I could never be a true locavore.

[scubadoo97]

Agree about the peas. The dish looks very comforting

[roxlet]

Last night we were invited to a real swankola cocktail party, and there were so many delicious passed hors d'oeuvres, that we only had part of our planned dinner afterward. Earlier in the day, I made a quiche with mushrooms, bacon and gruyere, and we each had a slice of that, but bagged the salad for tonight's dinner. Tonight we are having Scorned Woman chicken (made as high temperature chicken on the grill after being marinated in Scorned Woman hot sauce, garlic, and lime. With that we'll have some barbecue beans, and to start, we'll have a Caesar salad with the unused lettuce from last night.

[tdmort]

Steaks have been marinading all day in an Asian Marinade. I'm having a wild rice mix along with carrots and freshly picked sugar snap peas. Also going to make a simple cucumber salad and DH has gone to pick up a bottle of wine! Yum!

[LindaWhit]

As for me - I've spent the day doing some clean-up around here. I *should* have been outside, but I just put up my hair, dressed in shorts and a tank, and got busy. If I don't do it, no one else will, right? Got some decorating things done, got some laundry done, got some cleaning up done, got some cooking done.

I made a soup in the early afternoon to use up the kale from my CSA (per my comments in the previous WFD thread) so I'll have work lunches. I halved this recipe and followed it exactly - and OMG, it is SO good! I had 4 VERY large leaves of kale, and halving this recipe is perfect. I got four 2-cup containers out of it...that takes care of 4 lunches (with a slice of toasted sourdough alongside). If I'm going to be kale'd out for the first half of the CSA, this is a great way to use it - thanks to Chris who Emailed it! It's going into regular rotation.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/...

For tonight's dinner, it's Pistachio-Crusted Chicken. I defrosted a Frankenchicken breast and halved it lengthwise. The two thinner pieces have been marinating in some orange juice for the afternoon. I'm riffing on a recipe given to me by a co-worker, although hers doesn't have the stuff I'm adding. :-)

Finely chopped/crushed shelled pistachios (about a total of 1/4 or 1/3 cup) will be mixed with some salt, Aleppo pepper and ground sumac (those last two are my two adds, along with the orange juice marinade). The chicken pieces will be patted mostly dry and then rolled and patted into the pistachio/spice mixture, making sure it sticks.

A bit of olive oil will be heated in a pan and they'll be pan-seared. They'll finish in a 375° oven for about 20-25 minutes. Any juices from the roasted chicken are to be drizzled over the chicken.

Sides will be steamed asparagus and toasted Israeli saffron couscous with sauteed shallots.

Oh - ETA that vodka and lemonade is back in rotation. It's just the right weather for it. :-)

[LindaWhit]

Easy pistachio chicken dinner, and VERY good!

And I need to use saffron more often. :-)

[scubadoo97]

Sounds delicious. Love the spice mix

[nvcook]

add a splah of cranberry to that vodka lemonade. So refreshing!

[Njchicaa]

We had a big beach bash today--smoked salsa, guacamole, fruit salad, fried fish nuggets, burgers, hot dogs, chicken, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, and spinach salad. Long days at the beach wear me out so I pulled a container of homemade tomato/meat sauce from the freezer. We'll have that over penne later for dinner.

Tomorrow is marinated turkey London broil that I'll grill. I mixed up olive oil, chopped garlic, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, dijon mustard, dried basil, dried thyme, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes for the marinade. We shall see!

[LindaWhit]

That turkey marinade sounds very good, JerseyGirl! :-)