What's for Dinner #151 [OLD]

[LindaWhit]

Heat. Humidity. That's the northern East Coast.
Cool. Chilly. That's the northern CA West Coast.
Cooler in Miami than it is in Boston.

Bizarre weather.

As for meals? They're all over the place! So what's cooking? Or what's *not* cooking and are you going with cool salads and sandwiches?

[roxlet]

Let's take the discussion here:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/856239

[ChristinaMason]

Wow wow weee wow: lots of great cooking here! My mouth waters just reading through. Sorry I am too lazy to comment individually---when I don't log in for several days, it's tough to catch up :) But kudos to everyone for such inspiring meals.

As for us: been eating out a lot recently. Happy hours quickly turn into hunger easily sated with buffalo chicken tenders and the like...regret later. Ah well. Tonight, though, we're celebrating the SCOTUS affirmation with a little shin-dig. A few friends will gather for light beers in the heat to enjoy the sunset over GHG's black bean dip, tortilla chips, ATK's spinach dip, crudite, Ruffles, and a tri-color pasta salad with grape tomatoes, cubed mozz, olives, and pepperoni. No one will leave hungry.

[mariacarmen]

a great thing to celebrate, CM! i'm loving the app happy hour party.

[ChristinaMason]

agreed! it was a good time.

[nomadchowwoman]

I toasted the celebration with your cocktail, CM. You are right--it is summer in a glass.

[ChristinaMason]

cheers!

[melissa511]

Sunset Magazine's Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas. Typical of my leftover management style: I buy a half-pound of pasilla and anaheim chiles to use up a roasted chicken breast and some near-expiration corn tortillas for this recipe ... my son turns the chicken breast into a sandwich ... I have to go out and buy, then roast, another chicken breast to make the enchiladas. But it will be done, oh yes!

[mariacarmen]

love it.

[Harters]

A freezer raid turns up brown gloop curry - a very small portion of a lamb/potato one and a more generous lentil one. And some naan bread and onion bhajees. Cupboard is heaving with homemade and bought chutnies. Not going to starve.

[mariacarmen]

phew!

[Pata_Negra]

half kilo of percebes (goose barnacles) followed by arroz de mariscos, washed down with vinho verde from Baião.

nice and cool here in oPorto, Portugal.

percebes. must find more percebesssssssss

[kubasd]

wow, insanely jealous!! That sounds like an ideal meal (look I'm a poet!). I've wanted to try percebes since the very first time I heard of them!

[mariacarmen]

yeah, turning green here... not the least because of where you are!

[gingershelley]

OOOH! Percebes! I love those things... had smoked percebes at Extebarri a couple years ago.

Haunted by the taste.

Lucky you - and that wine too.... sigh.

[weezieduzzit]

Following mariacarmen's lead I'm stuffing some peppers. i picked a half dozen large anaheims and will be using green onions, queso fresco, cilantro, turkey sausage and whatever else I find rattling around in the frige.

Peppers blackening over the flame is one of my favorite smells.

[mariacarmen]

YUM! and yes on the smell...

[gingershelley]

+1!
I want roasted stuffed peppers and ribs tonight!

[GretchenS]

So tonight I had my fish share: gorgeous blackback flounder fillets. Me neither, it had a slight tinge of grey where the skin used to be, but otherwise looked like your basic flounder, two quite good-sized fillets about 8 oz each and a little one. Got home on the late side so kept it simple: flounder piccata, sauteed baby kale with maras pepper, boiled tiny potatoes. Oh. My. Goodness. That was just astoundingly good because the fish was so amazingly fresh and yummy -- and I quit being a heat wuss and got it a lovely brown w/o overcooking it -- yay! So fab it might be the same exact thing FD tomorrow night with the other big fillet. The wee one is getting sauteed and topped with a fried egg tomorrow morning if I get up on time.

[rabaja]

That's a gorgeous looking plate, GS. I love fish cooked like that, wish I could find some as fresh for tonight!

[tiffeecanoe]

beautiful plate! Inspired to make something similar soon!

[mariacarmen]

wow, gorgeous, GS, and sounds so delicious. i hope you got up on time today!

[mariacarmen]

After a night of extreme indulgence (my sister and i engaged in a foie-hop as it's about to be banned here in CA, - though subsequently I read that it probably won't be enforced. ah well, we'll just chalk it up to a delicious "waste of time"), I need something light and airy and calorie-free.... but i'm going to the oldster's where i'm charged with making something dense, flavorless and gravy laden. and there are always potato chips on the counter. i don't think there are even proper salad fixings over there... mayhap a trip to the grocery store is in order.

[GretchenS]

can we read about the foie-hop on the SF Board? Sounds truly decadent and yummy.

[mariacarmen]

yes, here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8207...
thanks for inquiring!

[GretchenS]

your hop sounded delicious especially the flat iron steak with foie -- description made me drool right into my keyboard..

[jmcarthur8]

Since we overate at a chinese place for lunch, dinner was fresh creamed corn and sliced tomatoes.
Here's one nice thing about getting to know old timers here in Georgia - they teach you how to cook real food. I used to work for a guy whose mom would bring lunch for the half-dozen of us who worked in his cabinet shop. She had the most delicious creamed corn, and I asked her once how she made it.
All she did was slice the kernels lightly off the cob, then scraped the creamy innards off the rest of the cob with the back of the knife. Cooked it for a few minutes in butter, then salted and peppered. No cream, no sugar, no nothin'. This is an OMG dish.
With a fresh tomato from the garden, and a little grey sea salt, it was an excellent meal.

[mariacarmen]

that sounds like corn heaven, jm. delicious.

[scubadoo97]

Simple and very delicious

[LindaWhit]

I can't wait for local corn to show up. It'll be awhile for us New Englanders, tho.

[mariacarmen]

i made this for my oldster last night, on your recommendation, for his lunch or dinner tonight. tasted it - heavenly as expected! thanks jm!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Today I saw the dark side of being a CH -- I had to clean my kitchen from top to bottom and it was far dirtier than I would have thought possible. Also, whoever invented oven cleaner... I don't know what they were thinking. In any case, it's clean now and we have the walkthrough tonight and we're leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Tonight we're having a final backyard potluck with our neighbours (one of whom is also moving tomorrow). My contributions are carne adovada and a black bean mango salad. There should be lots of other delicious contributions from everyone else. And I heard talk of mojitos, which would be very greatly appreciated. I could use a drink.

[mariacarmen]

the kitchen's always dirtier than you think it is, no matter how hard you try....

great good luck with your move, BBL, see you when you get to your new digs!

[GretchenS]

Wow, the speed with which you accomplish these significant life changes (to say nothing of doing an entire kitchen cleaning!!) is impressive! Happy party -- hope it does include mojitos -- good luck with the move, and we can hardly WAIT to hear from you at the other end!!!

[LindaWhit]

Good luck with your move, BBL! And enjoy the farewell potluck!

[weezieduzzit]

I hope it's a wonderful roadtrip to your new home! No matter which route you take I'm sure there are helpful CHers along the way so holler if you have trouble anywhere.

[nomadchowwoman]

Happy trails, BBL, and off to your new adventure!

[rabaja]

Good luck with your move! How exciting, Santa Fe!

You are getting there at a good time too, before the chile harvest! I am so jealous....

Hope you find good road food too. The Stern's have good books on that stuff.

[prima]

Mon: lime cumin garlic paprika roasted chicken, beet greens, roasted asparagus and pilaf, fresh strawberries.
Tue: lemon oregano roasted wild salmon, string beans with basil, evoo and balsamic, basil cuke radish salad, fresh cherries
Wed: arugula frittata and papas bravas

[mariacarmen]

I'd have loved to have been there for the Wednesday special!

[mhays]

Just had an amazing simple salad. Greens from my garden (butter lettuce, mizuna & red leaf harvested, fortunately, before the heat) with a dressing of pureed avocado, olive oil, lime, minced shallot & cilantro and a bit of water to get it the consistency of salad dressing. Extremely decadent but delicious during a heat emergency.

[boyzoma]

Oh, yum. Unfortunately we didn't get to plant a garden this year due to medical issues, but will rely on farmers markets or stupid markets. So I'm jealous. The dressing sounds divine.

[twodales]

Tonight another concert at Ravina (concert in a park setting). My contributions to the shared picnic: chilled shrimp with a Thai-style dipping sauce and cous cous, spring greens, grilled veggies sprinkled with goat cheese. Daiquiris to accompany. Tomorrow supposed to be over 100 so must think cool and light!

[nomadchowwoman]

Sounds like a wonderful evening--love Chicago in the summer (but not 100+ temps; that's just not right! But I know it happens--hope things return to normal soon)

[twodales]

Last night was wonderful. Ramsey Lewis followed by Sergio Mendes and his talented musicans and singers.What a great night!

Today: Yep it hit 100, so far. Tonight: some prosciutto and nectarines or figs to start followed by broccoli and cheddar quiche and salad. Also, churning up some roasted strawberry buttermilk ice cream. Maybe a nice chilled rose.

Will be tuning into "Suits" later on.

[gingershelley]

Sounds like a great hot -weather meal 2dales....

Is that Jeni's roasted berry ice cream your making?

[twodales]

Yes. It's Jeni's. I've been eyeing it for two weeks now and finally got around to mixing it up. Will be churning it around 6 so will see what it's all about then.

[kubasd]

One of my favorite summer shows :)

EDIT: oh and food related... I made a quinoa salad with red quinoa, halved sweet 100s (from my plants, yippee!!), half moons of english cucumber, red onion slices, tarragon, white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper.

[mariacarmen]

yums. love a nice chilled rose, any day.

[weezieduzzit]

Last night was ground chicken Larb on romaine leaves. The leftovers are making an excellent breakfast.

[mhays]

Ooo. Larb sounds really good right now.

[Berheenia]

Last night I made another 'old tired' recipe that we love- Nike pasta. Got it from Burt Wolfe back when the college student went veggie. It is a big stir fry of summer veg and minced garlic, ginger and bean sprouts with generous dollops of Hoisin and sesame oil tossed into cooked pasta- the pasta I like is Barilla Plus spaghetti. Found some nan in the freezer to accompany.

[Dirtywextraolives]

That sounds really good! And a great plan when I have none! I will keep this in mind, thanks for sharing!

[Harters]

The Isle of Man is a odd place. The small island sits in the Irish Sea, between Britain and Ireland but is not part of either country. It has its own government, its own laws and its own currency (the Manx pound). It also has its own rare breed sheep - the Loaghtan. We're just back from a few days on the island (it was cold and wet) and I'd hoped to try the lamb but never saw it on the menu of restaurants we ate in.

But it's left me craving lamb for dinner. It'll be a simple meal. Lamb leg steaks, simply pan fried. Boiled Jersey Royal spuds (seemingly the last of the season - there were none to be had in the supermarket today). And peas. And mint sauce.

[mariacarmen]

did you eat anything of note there, Harters? or is that posted on the UK Board?

[Harters]

Two good meals and two not so good, MC. All four posted to the UK board (although as the island isnt technically UK, I wondered if it was the right place)

[JungMann]

Last night's dinner was a CH inspiration, namely luckyfatima's recipe for mutton curry. Mutton curry was one of my father's best dishes, the kind of saucy, marrow-filled stew that I loved to dig into with swatches of roti, rubbing the bread into my plate to sop up every last bit of sauce. Sub low carb pita for roti and you get my meal. On the side I had a simple salad of romaine, cucumber, tomato and onions and a helping of mango pickle to spice up every other bite... as if 2 dundicut chillies and 5 Thai chilies weren't enough to heat up my meal.

[mariacarmen]

yum. i've only had mutton as BBQ, in Austin once. sounds rich and wonderful.

[twodales]

I am trying to empty the freezer and it was nice and coolish tonight so we had Swedish Meatballs with gravy, lingonberries, tiny spuds cooked with dill, fresh peas and lovely raspberries with a splash of cream and demerara sugar sprinkled on top. Watched a rather dark comedy and relaxed with The Brit. Nice.

[gingershelley]

Very nice 2dales, and glad you and 'the Brit could relax together - with berries!

[Chocolatechipkt]

Today was one of those rare, perfect days, and cooking outside did not involve melting in the heat, nor was I attacked by mosquitoes (knocking on wood for the future ...) Tonight we had grilled Italian-style chicken sausages, veggie burgers for the veggies, sweet local corn on the cob, parmesan-zucchini tots, green beans, ... and some added raspberries and strawberries to their plates as well. All happy, tasty summer food. :)

[GretchenS]

I have not posted any dinners for a long while because it has all been pretty pedestrian chez moi of late, but tonight's total fling-things-together pasta dish came out great! I had some gorgeous Italian sausage that I pulled out of its casing and browned well, then added thinly-sliced garlic and red pepper flakes till fragrant and the remains of a bottle of NZ sauv blanc to deglaze, let that bubble almost completely away and added cream and chicken broth to simmer a bit while I threw the rotini into its water. Then I started rummaging in the fridge and added some remarkably bitter radicchio (torn into bite-sized pieces), some coarse-shredded dark green outer leaves of Romaine, and a healthy squeeze of lemon juice. At that point the drained rotini got added to pan along with some frozen baby peas. It all bubbled away for a minute or two till the pasta got coated and then got finished off with a bit of freshly grated parm. It was truly yummy, every bite was different, the bitter radicchio, the sweet peas, the astringency of the lemon, the creamy mouthfeel of the (fairly sparse) sauce, the meatiness of the sausage combining in different proportions for each bite but always in harmony. Of course, I will never be able to reproduce it, but it sure was good!

[LindaWhit]

You did a pretty good job describing it here, so hopefully you can reproduce it - it does sound very good!

[mariacarmen]

mmmmm i love the sound of this!

[JungMann]

That sounds like one of those magical meals that comes together without any mind at all. Worth recreating!

[nomadchowwoman]

Sounds great, Gretchen. I love the bitterness of radicchio.

[rabaja]

Chicken thighs on the grill, slathered in barbecue sauce. To go with, a cherry tomato, corn, and basil salad with pickled spring onions. Maybe some mozzarella, too.

Leftover potato salad is ready to be devoured. I refuse to think about how much mayonnaise went into this batch. This is why we have it once every six weeks, although next week is 4th of July, and I can't imagine it won't be requested.

For dessert, a berry bunt cake I made from Smitten Kitchen.
http://smittenkitchen.com/2012/06/tri...
It is truly delicious. Even after reducing the sugar and adding a little whole wheat flour it is roll my eyes up to Heaven, good.
I'm making another one tomorrow for my nieces 2nd bday, but that one will have the lemon icing, and pretty pink writing, I hope.
My sister calls her daughter a lab because she is so obsessed with food she even begs from strangers. I find this hysterical, and can't wait to have pizza and cake with her tomorrow night.

[mariacarmen]

how fun rabaja! your meal sounds so summery...

[boyzoma]

Your meal sounds great! Love anything on the grill. And that cherry tomato/corn salad sounds great, too. Lucky you.

[gingershelley]

Rabaja - yum to all. That salad is calling my name, and the cake may have to be copied!

Have fun with the birthday - 2 is such a fun age:)

[rabaja]

Here's the cake, not quite as perfect as SK, but it's our new favorite dessert so far this summer.

*finally figured out how to post pictures again. woot!

[LindaWhit]

Pretty!

[mariacarmen]

wow, that's impressive...

[gingershelley]

SO sweet - nice writing, and love the little fleurs. Have to make this! You have inspired me!

[roxlet]

Really nice looking, and excellent writing!

[nomadchowwoman]

Sweet! I saw that recipe on SK and thought it looked good; you've confirmed it. (Sounds like your niece may take a bit after her auntie.)

[rabaja]

Are you saying I'm a lab, ncw? Because I think I'm more like a poodle, on my best day. A pug, on my worst.

[nomadchowwoman]

Just a very discerning hound, rabaja, with a lucky little niece!

[mariacarmen]

omygod, all loveable, regardless!

[boyzoma]

That looks fantastic. I'm drooling!

[GretchenS]

So pretty -- bet she loved it!

[tiffeecanoe]

Have some shoyu chicken on the stove. Couldn't pass up some nice quality chicken thighs at .99/lb! Now have a freezer full! My soy isn't that great of quality, but hopefully it'll turn out ok.

[boyzoma]

Not been on lately. My dad has been in the hospital and they found out he has a fractured back. Last week he blacked out and woke up staring at the floor vent. So have been spending time there and taking care of him (they sent him home as there is nothing they can do but have him take it easy and rest). Believe it or not, he wanted soup and pizza Sunday. Saturday DH and I had made a HUGE batch of spaghetti sauce so took some of that to dad as well.

Back home and cooked dinner last night. Made Ginger Glazed BBQ Pork Chops. DH had the butcher cut them 1 1/2" thick, bone in. Perfectly grilled (grill marks and all) on the BBQ, basted with a ginger/mustard/soy/molasses/tomato sauce glaze. About 8 minutes per side and were the most moist and juicy chops we have ever had on the grill. With that, some Jasmine Rice on the side burner and corn on the cob on the other part of the grill. We both were in 7th heaven!.

Tonight will be more spaghetti (since we can't get enough of that - DH's special blend).

[gingershelley]

Boyzoma - hope Dad is mending well, and your meals post-trauma sound delish!

Hope all is good in dad and spaghetti land!

[mariacarmen]

Oh BZ, so sorry to hear that! i'm sure your dad appreciates all the care you're giving. funny, my dad could eat my sister's spaghetti 3 days a week! I hope he gets some relief soon.

and it sounds like you're taking care of yourself with those delicious sounding ribs.... my mouth is watering....

[rabaja]

Hope your father mends quickly, boyzoma!

He sounds like he's a pretty good patient and your husband sounds like a keeper too!

[GretchenS]

boyzoma, so sorry to hear about your father, hopes he heals quickly, you are certainly providing some yummy eats to help him recover. And for yourself too -- those pork chops sound amazing.

[LindaWhit]

So sorry to hear about your dad, boyzoma. I hope he gets lots of joy from your cooking and it helps him heal quickly!

And that pork chop glaze sounds wonderful - do you have ingredient proportions?

[boyzoma]

First off, thanks to all. I'll be sure and tell him what you all said. He would appreciate it. It's going to take a while.

LW: Here is the link to the recipe I used. My chops were thicker, bone in (and they looked MUCH better than their picture). Also, I added a bit of dark brown sugar to the glaze. http://easygourmetdinners.com/recipe/...

I've made a few things from this site and all were good. Really enjoyed the Potatoes Gratin on the grill. But you can do them in the oven as well.

[LindaWhit]

Sounds great - thanks! In fact, I might try that tomorrow night with chicken!

[boyzoma]

I think it would be wonderful on chicken. In fact, that site I listed does show a recipe for the sauce using chicken and it looks good too. Let me know how you like it.

[LindaWhit]

I've just been "strongly encouraged" to drive down to Boston tomorrow evening for drinks. So it might (*might*!) have to wait until Friday night. :-)

[mariacarmen]

you have to do what you have to do, Linda....

[LindaWhit]

I'm still debating whether to go for various reasons.

[nomadchowwoman]

No doubt your cooking is aiding in the healing. Hope it goes more quickly than expected.

[PHREDDY]

Food from a daughter is some of the best medicine around!

[boyzoma]

I decided I did have to add a pix of the pork chop. Had one left over and before I ate it, I wanted to give you an idea of what it looked like. Now, I'm going to eat!!! P.S. I can't believe I made something that looks so gorgeous as well as tasty!

[mariacarmen]

beautiful grill marks!

[LindaWhit]

Ditto that!

[GretchenS]

gorgeous!! if it tastes as good as it looks, WOW!

[boyzoma]

I think this is the best grill marks I have ever done!!!!! And it did taste as good as it looked. Thanks mc and GS! I've cooked a lot of things that I thought were great, but this one took the cake!

[nomadchowwoman]

Gorgeous indeed!

[Uncle Bob]

Cold Beer in Frosty Mugs.......
Red Beans with Tasso and Andouille....
Rice.......
Side of Smoked Sausage.......
Bread.....
And I got all these D'maters and Basil....So a Caprese Salad......
Stromberry cake for D-Zert.......
Coffee......

[Ruth Lafler]

Belated birthday dinner for a friend:

Pan-roasted NY steak
Creamy Mac N Cheese (half extra sharp cheddar half gouda -- roommate said it was the best she'd ever had and had thirds)
Steamed zucchini from the garden
Nectarine crisp with ice cream

Washed it down with a nice Paso Robles cab

[mariacarmen]

lucky roommate...

[Ruth Lafler]

She's lucky I'm not going to kill her for putting my Riedels in the dishwasher -- I'm afraid to open it!

ETA: They survived!

[LindaWhit]

OMG, I *winced* when I read about the Riedels, Ruth! Very glad they survived.

[roxlet]

There was actually a thread recently about putting Reidels in the dishwasher. Never, and what's the big deal about washing some wine glasses? I'm glad to hear they're ok!

[mariacarmen]

ack! guests trying to help are often just.... trying. thank goodness they made it. she lives to eat another of your good meals.

[mariacarmen]

oh man oh man - those peppers were good! they certainly were a bit messy as gs said above, but so tasty. i sauteed small-diced onions and then added the chorizo. divided up the meat mixture into each of 4 bell pepper rings. my peppers weren't super wide in diameter, so when i cracked the egg over each one the whites spilled over the sides a bit, but that just meant that i got nice crispy edges fried in the chorizo fat. these were super easy and the peppers came out totally mild. i cooked them long enough that the egg yolk was still tender and very moist, but not runny, and i think i really like it that way. pepper jack cheese went over the top. we each ate two of them! sorry the pic doesn't really do them justice - i should have taken a photo of them in the pan.

and i also made the stuffed pasilla peppers. blackened them over an open flame, rinsed, peeled, slit open, cleared out most of the seeds. in a pan, i took half the sauteed onion from the other dish, and mixed it with some rinsed, canned black beans, scraped kernels off a fresh raw corn cob, chopped cilantro, and diced up the remaining linguiça. quick heating/sauteeing of that mixture, then stuffed the peppers. added queso fresco - the cremoso kind - and sort of kind of sealed the peppers up with tooth pics. i was afraid to seal them all the way for fear of ripping, but no matter. into the oven for about 20 minutes. the cheese didn't melt all the way but oh MY these peppers were MUY BUENO!! i think i even liked them better than the chorizo ones. The sweetness of the fresh corn just played off the linguiça so beautifully .

for the BF i reheated some of that yuca he had leftover, sprinkled a little Tapatio over for moisture, and then a simple salad for the both of us.

I would definitely make either/both of these pepper dishes again.

[weezieduzzit]

*Making mental note of this post*

Both look and sound wonderful and the pepper plants are doing great so I should be able to try them soon.

[JungMann]

Your peppers sound like a better indulgence than mine!

[mariacarmen]

they were pretty indulgent alright.... the BF finished off the remainder of the linguiça filling late last night. need to put a lock on that fridge....

[GretchenS]

Wow, mc, sounds seriously good!!!

[gingershelley]

YUMNNESS on the stuffed pasilla's - I am borrowing your stuffing:) looks and sounds great MC!

[tiffeecanoe]

oh my, YUM! Our peppers should be ready in the garden soon, I'll be making something like these for sure!

[nomadchowwoman]

Big bag of poblanos in fridge; must stuff them! Yum.

[weezieduzzit]

The freezer is dangerously low on stock so tonight is a whole chicken stuffed with meyer lemons (a neighbor gifted me a grocery bag FULL,) and fresh herbs from the garden (hand full of sage, rosemary, thyme,) s&p cooked on a bed of veggies in a cast iron dutch oven in a hot oven. We never tire of chicken this way (good thing since it's a cheap no brainer.)

Tomorrow stock can simmer on the stove while I work (most likely in the crock pot so I don't heat the house all day, it's a large mid-1950s stove and it throws some serious heat- nice in the winter, not so much now while it's in the mid 90s.)

I'm pretty sure there's a hard cider in the frige with my name on it.

[LindaWhit]

You're VERY lucky to have a neighbor gifting you with a whole bag of Meyer lemons! Enjoy.

[gingershelley]

Wonderful gift! Time for making preserved lemons, limoncello, etc.!

The chicken sounds wonderful too. Must make one myself as running out of stock also, Thks for reminder!

[weezieduzzit]

LindaWhit, I thanked her profusely and encouraged her to bring any more she needs to get rid of :)

Gingershelley, we still have jars of preserved lemons and limoncello from last year! The limoncello made excellent Christmas gifts and was very well received so I should put up another batch of it so it's ready by Christmas.

[jmcarthur8]

gingershelley and weezieduzzit, tell me, what do you like best to do with the preserved lemons? I have a jar of them that I bought months ago, and don't know the best use for them. I have surfed around for recipes, (there are plenty out there) but having never tasted them, I hesitate to try anything!

[weezieduzzit]

Moroccan food, sliced super thin and scattered over fish, anywhere that both salt and lemon zest is called for, thin slivers brighten up green salads... everywhere I can think of using them!

[gingershelley]

Exactly what Weezie said, Jmc... Great julienne'd on fish, I make a lemon vinaigrette sometimes with them.

Of course, in a Tagine... Here is a thread from January that discusses preserved lemons and some recipes for them. My Preserved lemon chicken tagine recipe with olives and prunes is on here, as well as some other great ideas...
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/814672

[jmcarthur8]

Now I get it! Thank you both.

I like the idea of these on fish. And the lemon vinaigrette. I'll take a look at the link, too, and get some inspiration.

[mariacarmen]

i had a dish at brunch recently that added them in to cut the richness of a dish: fried oyster scramble with uni and i think hollandaise sauce. the preserved lemon worked in their beautifully! so i would think you could add them anytime you wanted a nice tart/salty counterpoint (says the girl who has her first ever jar preserving right now on her counter!)

ETA - i see they gals who actually know what their talking about already mentioned this!
i can't wait to try it with moroccan food, obviously.

[gingershelley]

MC - It is remarkable how differently/better preserved lemons work rather than just lemon juice and salt. Hard to describe until you get used to working with them... I think it is the 'ageing/preserving of them that takes the whole quality of lemon/salt up a notch. Nearly haunting quality, that cuts right through in the right foods!

In fact, I am now not using lemon oil in my asparagus risotto w/ seared scallops tonight - but slivers of preserved. Thanks for the discussion. Me meal moves beyond ordinary:)

[weezieduzzit]

Agreed. It looses that salt-on-top taste in favor of something more well rounded and developed. I might just hafta pull some out of the jar for my salad tonight.

I've been in put-it-on-salad mode lately... it's been hot here. Even last nights roasted chicken and veggies landed diced up on top of a plate of spring mix.

[gingershelley]

weezie, that was last night with the salmon fillet - prime NW Copper River, and that damn fillet went on top of a salad off the grill...

didn't add preserved lemon last night, but - did tonight on the scallop and asparagus risotto. stay tuned for pics tomorrow:0 Delish!

[mariacarmen]

i can't WAIT!!!

[gingershelley]

ALL worth waiting for, CM....

[PHREDDY]

I have had copper river salmon in Seattle , is this season? What is the price now?

[gingershelley]

Phreddy, For copper river king, it get's up into the low $20's at higher end grocery stores. Sale price at Kroager last week was $16. But, we can get Copper river Sockeye for sale price of $9-10 per lb. If you can get a nice center cut, I prefer this to King actually.

[nomadchowwoman]

They are good in so many things, as others have already suggested, but I also love them minced and added to tuna or egg salad, deviled eggs, sprinkled over asparagus or green beans. And maybe over good ripe tomatoes (I think I'll try that tonight).

[nomadchowwoman]

Meyer lemon curd!

[gingershelley]

Well, another cool day in the NW, but I am determined to bring together 'the sum of parts' to make a country pate; found the elusive Pork liver at the local hehe 'Hung Long' store finally, after perusing several cool butchers, with no results; Ground veal on premise, Pork shoulder and belly; all herbs, pan epice made, and juniper berries sitting on the counter.

Here goes:) Small loaves, loaded with spice and fat, most headed for the freezer. Something I just had to do. In the oven now, so we shall see tomorrow how it really tastes.

Dinner tonight? Last fillet of local salmon, roasted low/slow with LW's maple syrup glaze with add of fresh ginger and dijon. Should be great! Simple salad along side if the freshy fresh from the farmer's market of last week; cuke, toms, radish, pea vines, a homemade buttermilk-blue cheese dressing with some champagne vinager. A good night.

Happy Mealings!

[mariacarmen]

gs, can't wait to hear how your pate comes out. sounds wonderful, as does your dinner!

[roxlet]

Yes, I'd love to hear about your pate! It sounds wonderful!

[gingershelley]

Well, relief! Just unmolded the first little 'loaf' of pate. I made 4 mini loaves rather than one large so I can freeze some easily. Smells great, looks good, and tastes pretty good. The bits of ham and mushrooms I put in the middle worked great as internal 'garnish', and the juniper berries really added to the flavor.

A bit drier than I hoped - probably 'cause I subbed ground veal for some of the pork shoulder called for (I had the ground veal on hand bought on sell-by date sale, and needed to use it).

Will post picks later when I plate some as first course of dinner tonight.

The Frenchman is coming over to fix a small plumbing leak for me, so I am making him dinner. Love to cook for him, as he is a good and discerning eater.

Will have the beloved steamed artichoke with my herb mayo, followed by the pate - plated course; a few slices with cornichons, and a small dressed salad alongside with a strong champagne vinegar/dijon vinaigrette.

Main will be asparagus risotto with seared scallops up top with some lemon oil.

Mixed berries (in France they call this 'red fruits" - his favorite)over sweetened yogurt creme.

Cheaper and more fun than calling a plumber!

[Berheenia]

This is what I call a wow meal! My one attempt at pate was not encouraging - very pedestrian but yours sounds very sophisticated and dare I say "French". And the risotto!
Worthy of a Seinfeld moment. :)

[gingershelley]

Golly jeapers, Berheenia, it is really pretty simple menu. After all - pate (esp. country pate like this) is really just French meatloaf, served cold:)

Now it would really be a Seinfeld moment if I served it with the Big Salad!

[gingershelley]

Well, dinner was a success, as was the plumbing repair. Just nice enough to sit outside for dinner with sweaters on.

Forgot to take a photo of the artichoke, but you all know what a steamed choke and sauce look like!

Here is the pate plating; really liked the mustard dressed arugula with it. Cornishons for me, but none for the Frenchman - he just eats tons of bread:).

The finished risotto, with the usual of him fussing I am cooking the scallops too long, and then they are perfect (if not as crusty brown as I wanted). The tiny bits of preserved lemon were excellent in it, and shall be repeated. Also, I cooked the woody ends of the asparagus for 20 minutes in water, so I had asparagus stock, as well as chicken to use, and it certainly upped the asparagus flavor of the finished dish. Also shall repeat!

We never got to the 'red fruits', as we lingered over the wine... so they are still macerating in the fridge. I will 'have to' eat them today:)

A nice menu, which I may trot out again this weekend for a friend's birthday....

[twodales]

What a lovely meal!

[mariacarmen]

that pate looks to die for!

[GretchenS]

that is one pretty pate, just as pretty as can be, and beautifully plated too!

[scubadoo97]

Wow, that looks great

[nomadchowwoman]

Oh wow--lovely on all counts. That risotto looks to die for.

[gingershelley]

Thanks all for the kind comments! If I could ship you each a mini-loaf, I would!

I used this recipe; http://www.publicradio.org/columns/sp...

But used 1 lb. of pork belly ground in the food processor, and 1 lb. of purchased ground veal. Pork belly used as it had more fat than shoulder to compensate for the drier veal.

Rest of the recipe followed, except shallots for onion. Really needs all the salt called for! I eased off about 1/2 tsp, and my pate needs salt.

I put 1/2 the mixture in the pans, then put small chunks of ham down the center, interspersed with slices of mushroom pushed vertical into mixture so they would show in the slices. Add rest of mixture, smooth down, put a bay leaf on each before wrapping with plastic and baking in water bath. cooled on counter, weighed each loaf down with cans, refridgerated overnight. Easy peasy - it's meatloaf people:)!

as for risotto, it really upped the flavor to simmer the asparagus trim in water to make asp. stock and use that for part of the liquid. Will always do this for risotto if possible; could do for mushrooms, spinach, etc.

[nomadchowwoman]

Great tip--I'd never thought to make an asparagus stock, probably why my asparagus risotto never tastes very asparagus-y.

[gingershelley]

News to me too - Don't know why I hadn't thought of it before, but easily 50% improvement, and I always thought I made decent risotto. A lightbulb moment!

[JungMann]

Tonight's dinner was stuffed peppers with a spicy tomato sauce. The filling was the usual ground beef and rice mixture with the addition of garlic and walnuts in a nod towards muhammara. In lieu of pomegranate molasses, I added a healthy amount of my ghost chili hot sauce which adds a subtle sweet and sour flavor, along with not-so-subtle heat. On the side a simple salad of romaine, purslane, cucumbers and scallion with a tahini and coriander chutney dressing. And since the weather is so mild, I used the bitter orange soda I was drinking to make a modified old fashioned with high-rye bourbon I could enjoy as I lingered into the evening.

[PHREDDY]

JM how long did you cook these? on the stove top or in the oven?

Cuzben still here....we decided on some Picado ceviche, vegetable LoMein, chinese brocolli with oyster sauce, and roasted chicken thighs with red onion and garlic....
The ceviche was to die for....
6 servings for an appy:
1/2 lb Picado...( fish lighter in color and texture than tuna) cut into 1/2" squares
Salt & pepper
2 tablespoons of fresh minced cilantro plus two scallions sliced into small pieces,
1 small red onion diced (about 2 inches in diameter)
spalsh of Miren
1/2 cup of grapefrunit juice
1/4 cup of lemon juice.

place all ingredients in a bowl , stir well ,place in fridge for 1 hour...after one hour adjust for salt.

on each plate place flat 2 - 3/8" to 1/2" slice of either roma or beefsteak tomato
mound two table spoons of civiche on top of tomatoes...spoon liquid around tomatoes on place....garnish with a wedge of fresh lime, and some cilantro leaves...serve a mixture of hot sauce and ketchup along side for those who like it....
Great on a hot day, so impressive, yet so easy...

[mariacarmen]

i love the grapefruit juice in your ceviche!

[PHREDDY]

MC...grapefruit is just one of many citrus jusices that use in my ceviche..of course my basic is shrimp ceviche, with red onion, tomato, cliantro, a bit of EVOO and of course lime juice...Others fish that I use; Tuna, salmon, flounder, halibut or red snapper....for citrus; orange, pineapple, lemon/lime, even mango mixed in...I vary the ingredients and I myself, can eat ceviche 3 times a week, when I am on a quest to reduce calories and ultimately move the belt another notch...

[mariacarmen]

hmmm... i wonder if the fish-not-liking boyfriend would eat ceviche if i made it at home.... he DOES like ceviche, and some sushi.... (i know, it makes no sense at all.)

[gingershelley]

Maria - DO make him a light white fish seviche then - follow PHReddy to the sweet spot, and I bet the BF will go along.... :)

[JungMann]

Stuffed peppers are relatively quick. Maybe 5 minutes to saute the onions for the rice filling and then 30 - 40 minutes to braise the peppers on the stove top.

Ceviche and lo mein sounds great. Reminds me of the Cuban-Chinese restaurants that used to dot my old neighborhood on the Upper West Side.

[PHREDDY]

JM....thanks for the detail on the peppers...inspiration for the ceviche and LoMein, came from left overs in the fridge!!!!!

[roxlet]

All the rain here today has substantially reduced the temperature, so we're starting with a doctored up ramen noodle sout with enoki mushrooms, bok choi and shrimp, and then having a reprise of Saturday's beef satay with a lime/ Thai basil sauce.

[twodales]

Only 75 here today with a cool breeze.50's this evening. Taking the opp for a light lasagna tonight. I made some spinach pasta sheets, Anna Nanni's Ragu, bechamel and some parmesan to finish. Salad and we are good to go.

By Thursday we might have the temps around 100 so need to think about some light and cool meals after today.

I am planning on trying a roasted strawberry buttermilk ice cream this week. Seems like a fine idea with soaring temps.

[ChristinaMason]

Tonight it's assorted chicken sausages from Eastern Market, grilled asparagus tossed with shallot salt, olive oil, ground coriander, and pepper, plus strips of zucchini w/ olive oil, sumac, lemon pepper, Aleppo pepper, and seasoned salt. On the side will be mixed greens w/ cucumbers and tomatoes from the balcony and a blue cheese dressing.

[bblonde]

Whew it's been a hot one here. Using leftovers before I leave for Mexico tomorrow! Tonight's dinner is a pork roast, leftover succotash, leftover zucchini gratin, and a salad with blue cheese, grape tomatoes, and raspberry walnut dressing. MUST NOT EAT ICE CREAM. I'm going to make it my mission to try out some lactose-free ice cream. The fancy grocery store sells it. Otherwise I guess I will not have homemade ice cream.

[LindaWhit]

Have a good vacation!

[gingershelley]

Viva la Mexico - Bblonde... where are you headed?

Have a great time, and post when can:)

[tiffeecanoe]

well, some pureed pears and prunes and pureed chicken and peaches - oh wait, that's what I made for my daughter all afternoon ;)

I tossed in some random northern beans, boneless country ribs w/ some tomatoes, wine, garlic, fresh basil and oregano and onions in the crock pot. Oh and a big ol' spoonful of giardinara - maybe too big, my husband might find it to be a bit on the spicy side! Smells delicious, didn't feel like running the oven or running out to get more charcoal.

[mariacarmen]

yum, i like the adult version of dinner!

[mariacarmen]

from a tip from on-again-off-again Ch-er BarbaraW (? i'm sorry, can't remember her handle), i'm going to try these bell pepper rounds with chorizo, eggs and melted jack cheese. you cut thick rounds from the middle of bell peppers (which i only recently learned to appreciate) so that you have these big rings. separately, saute up some chorizo and onions, set the rings in a pan and fill with the chorizo, and then break an egg over the top. Cover the pan and cook until the eggs are set, then add grated cheese. I also bought a pasilla pepper to stuff with something... have to figure that out still. maybe a little rice with black beans. or... diced linguiça, black beans, corn off the cob, and toasted pinenuts. and more cheese, of course.

[LindaWhit]

Pictures when you're done cooking these up, pleaseandthankyou! :-)

[mariacarmen]

but of course!

[scubadoo97]

Oh, now that sounds good

[roxlet]

That sounds great, particularly for a short-notice dinner!

[gingershelley]

I want to eat that mess in the pepper ring! Sounds GREAT! :)

[Berheenia]

sounds awesome- good work with the linguica again!

[BabsW]

Yay! Aren't those pepper rings fun?

[rabaja]

Friday I prepped chicken legs in the am, so the Hubs could throw them in the oven when I was on the way home from the city.
I never think to roast whole chicken legs, but I found a nice package of four for $3/lb, thinking I'd break them down and use the bones for stock. I'm so glad I roasted them whole, they were delicious!
I seasoned them well with salt and pepper along with lots of thyme, oregano and rosemary from the garden. They we're layered over a bed of carrots, onion, green cabbage, sliced garlic and teeny potatoes. More herbs on the veg, olive oil and marash and a thinly sliced Meyer lemon over the top. It sat in the fridge for six hours and then into a 400F oven for about two hours. At some point we took off the foil, and added Romano beans and summer squash. The skin got nice and browned and the juices from the meat and veg mixed with the olive oil to make a delicious sauce.
Easiest Friday night, make-ahead dinner and saved us from takeout/delivery!

Saturday we had tuna, marinated in a sesame-shiitake dressing, with corn on the cob and tomato-mozzarella-basil salad. Can't get enough of tomatoes this way, and I'm so glad the season is just starting here.

Sunday it was lamb chops -a wonderful gift from work which we really enjoyed. I certainly am not ponying up for lamb chops these days, so it was great to be able to bring two nice racks home. Ones in the freezer for another meal when we get a craving.
I used my standby Niloufer King spice rub, that she suggests using for quail:
Cumin, fennel, chilies and black pepper toasted and ground and then rubbed into the meat with pounded garlic and ginger. A little olive oil and Pom molasses (I used a fig balsamic) keeps it all moving.
These sat while I made a quick ratatouille, and we had the grilled chops with that and bulgur.
Some good eating this weekend here in Marin. Thankfully we managed to ride 32 miles over two days, which helps keep me in my summer clothes. If only the wind and clouds would go away!

Tonight, we are grilling burgers. Super simple, with avocado and whole wheat rolls. New England potato salad on the side, and maybe a nice Greek salad too.

Going to make a surprise dessert of summer berry-almond crisp too!

[Dirtywextraolives]

What is your New England potato salad, rabaja? That sounds intriguing.

[rabaja]

Maybe I'm taking liberties calling it that, but it's my husbands grandmothers recipe so it's NE to me!
Anyway, it's so simple I didn't really believe I'd even like it but I do!
You cut russets in half, crosswise, and boil with their skins on. When tender, drain, cool, and remove skins. I salt the water.

Finely dice a white or yellow onion, mix with mayo and add salt and pepper. Dress the potatoes. Allow to sit.
That's it! It's the perfect foil to whatever you are eating it with because it's so simple.
My family adds celery, olives and egg, which I've always loved, but I am digging this plain, old fashioned salad more than I thought possible.

When he left for work this morning I teased him by suggesting I might gussy up the potato salad for tonight. He was very serious when he said that's fine, but can you take some out for me before you add anything...ha, I know what Not to mess with.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Hahaha! Very interesting. Yes, we add eggs & celery plus paprika. I also like the French version where you dress it with tarragon vinegar or other light vinegar while the potatoes are still warm. That way you can leave it out longer than the ones with mayo. I will have to try that, thanks for your quick response!

[mariacarmen]

wow - you know, you're not so far away that you wouldn't receive an unexpected houseguest.....

[rabaja]

You would be most welcome!

[scubadoo97]

Sounds Excellent!

[rabaja]

Hey, how's Sonoma? Are you having some wonderful meals?
Bet it's still cool, but glad you are enjoying your rental witht he fireplace.
Did you hit the Tuesday night FM? Or, El Molino or The Fremont Diner?

[jmcarthur8]

DH is making a roasted concoction with our homegrown Japanese eggplant, our friend's yellow squash and zucchini, and some Vidalia onions. I asked him to put it over long pasta with some pecorino romano, and he said that sounded fine.
I got to work and was given a bag of sweet corn from the same friend's garden, so that will be the side dish, for sure!

[jmcarthur8]

Update: I came home from work early, so I made the vegetables into a ratatouille lasagna: 2 kinds of eggplant, yellow squash, green peppers, Vidalias, garlic, mushrooms, mozzarella and pecorino, with basil, oregano and thyme from our garden. I used the Barilla no cook lasagna noodles.

We're still having the sweet corn on the side. Can't wait for that - I haven't had sweet corn since last summer.

[ChristinaMason]

Yum! love all those veggies.

[Berheenia]

This sounds like the marriage of two of our favorites - I think I'll try this combo soon. yum

[Berheenia]

Yesterday afternoon I broke out the 3 kinds of Italian sausage I bought Saturday, sweet, hot, and cheese garlic, and made a pot of red sauce and some spaghetti. My neighbors wanted sweet and hubby wanted sweet or cheese so I still have a pound of hot to use. Bunch of wimps up here in Boston!
Made a simple salad with some locally grown Boston Lettuce and cukes. I love summer.

[Dirtywextraolives]

After a delightful seven course foie gras dinner this week with some wonderful friends, and other food debauchery over the weekend, it was back in the diet for dinner tonight. Broiled salmon with a raspberry-wasabi mustard glaze that I added pomegranate molasses to, and a green salad with a sesame ginger vinaigrette.

[MAH]

yesterday - grilled cheeseburgers, asparagus, corn, baked onion rings

today - country style "ribs" rubbed with cajun dry rub and slow cooked in the oven for a couple of hours. Finished on the grill with not too sweet bbq sauce; grilled pineapple, corn, steamed green beans; bbq baked beans; vanilla ice cream with salted caramel sauce for dessert

Lots of good summer fun -- bike rides, swimming and outdoor play. Still miss living in the city, but the perfect summer fun in our backyard is beginning to bring me around.

[jmcarthur8]

Perfect summer dinners!

[gingershelley]

After a morning of coffee late courtesy of the allways pleasant home Nespresso, F1 race, then England/Italy world cup at the pub with a couple of appetite-killing beers w/ chips and salsa with Frenchman (who is about to become just Investor and house plumber:) - smile), I got home late afternoon to yardwork and curiously no appetite - or was it I couldn't figure out what sounds good?

Sometime, I am starting a thread on that - not that I am not hungry, just can't fix on what to make with a fridge full of farmer's market stuff, freezer with lots of possibilities, but... sometimes for a gal with wide choices, can't decide?

Finally, fixed on stuffing a couple boneless chix thighs - pounded out with some herb cheese bought on sale last week (like Boursin), they are freezing stuffed for an hour right now, with seasoned flour, panko and egg awaiting.

Stir fry of pea vines, asperagus, garlic and lemon to go on the side. A bit of white wine and dijon to finish pan sauce for chicky pieces. Simple, tasty, but not the barbecued ribs I really wanted after reading an article after coming home.

Ribs, later this week - fo' sho!

[nomadchowwoman]

Indecision? We should talk. With a well-stocked pantry, fridge, freezer, I still agonize over WFD, usually about the time most people are washing up their dishes. Just as I'm changing clothes a fourth time while DH is yelling, "we're going to be late."

[gingershelley]

Women of the same mind.... +1 on the clothes-changing too.... tho that may have more to do with my jeans STILL out and and about running amok with MariaCarmen's.

Need to drop a few pounds!

[mariacarmen]

word.

[LindaWhit]

double word.

Although I ain't doin' nuthin' 'bout it. Except eating a lot of greens from my CSA. ;-)

[gingershelley]

Word to that LW.... I just keep saying - 'now what do I feel like eating?" Think it is the break-up phase - I will get to the 'single and skinny' soon enough. Sigh.

[mariacarmen]

yes you will, gs!!

[gingershelley]

Thanks for the support MC :)

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Super quick dinner tonight. Turkey dogs, stuffed into some halved, "you-bake" crusty baguettes, topped with brie, mustard, ketchup and a splash of hot sauce. Fruit salad of cherries and strawberries dressed in a spiced balsamic/red wine reduction on the side.

[suburban_mom]

I think it has been at least a month since I've been here. The end of the school year with 3 kids and house guests is a killer.

Tonight we had grilled chicken thighs that were marinated in spicy Allegro marinade. New Yukon gold potatoes and onions in a foil packet on the grill. Kohlrabi and garlic scapes in a foil packet on the grill. Snap peas with sesame oil, mirin, soy sauce, and seame seeds in a foil packet on the grill. Hmmmm, see a trend? All the veggies came from my CSA box. Something for everyone in my house.

[ChristinaMason]

After remembering hearing my father-in-law rave about his Swiss Steak, I decided it was finally time to tackle this classic. It didn't hurt that Aldi had everything I needed, and cheap: cube steak, stewed tomatoes, celery, green peppers, onions, etc.

I more or less followed Alton Brown's recipe, but added a diced green pepper to the mix and swapped regular sweet paprika for the smoked. It's bubbling away in the oven now---hope it's good!

[JungMann]

How was it? This is a cut I'd normally use for chicken fried steak, but I would love a less waist-expanding option.

[ChristinaMason]

Y'know...it was OK. Not something I'd serve company. Discussed with DH and agreed we probably wouldn't make it again. He said the sauce "wasn't interesting enough to repeat" (and that was with my doctoring). Think of it as cube steak cacciatore. Glad I tried it, but probably wouldn't make it again.

[ChristinaMason]

Oh, JM, we followed that meal with a completely unrelated cocktail that you might also appreciate: gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and several bruised sage leaves (fresh). Shake and double-strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a thin round of lemon. Summer in a glass.

[JungMann]

Yes. I would appreciate that very much. Sage, though, is a flavor I've always associated with the Fall, since the only time I ever have it on hand is to make Thanksgiving dinner. But I can imagine the combination is worth getting stocked on herbs a little earlier this year.

[nomadchowwoman]

That cocktail sounds so good, CM. Not only am I a gin gal, but I have a beautiful bunch of sage in the crisper. I may try this tonight.

[ChristinaMason]

Let me know if you do! I think it's a keeper. It might also be tasty with some Dolin Blanc or honey water in place of the simple syrup.

[steve h.]

Spaghetti (Barilla) and meatballs (house-made, yanked from the freezer. cleaning stuff out). House red. Season 2 of Burn Notice on the plasma. I noticed that AL teams are cutting through NL teams like a hot knife through butter. I also noticed that Bobby Valentine up in Boston has whacked that mule of a team to the point where he now has their undivided attention. Youkilis (sp?) is on his way to Chicago and the Sox can now get back to the business of winning ballgames. Yanks-Mets tonight in one of the best pitching match-ups of the regular season.
Europe on Tuesday. Deb and I will celebrate our 38th wedding anniversary June 30 in Pest. Dinner details are in flux (interwebs sometimes can be hit or miss). I'll let you know how things work out.

[LindaWhit]

HEY!!! Youk helped us win a couple of WS. Sorry to see him go. Know nothing about the jamokes we got in trade. But hopefully the right-hander does better than some of our current ones.

As for your trip - have a WONDERFUL time, and a very happy 38th anniversary to you and Deb! But where is "Pest"?

[steve h.]

Hungary, of course. Thanks for the kind words.

edited to add: your new third baseman, the rook who replaced Youk, is a star in the making. At the end, it had to happen. Bobby is the new sheriff in town and Youk thought it was business as usual. Youk lost. The trade was not about players. Rather, it was a salary dump (Youk making too much money and not producing). It was a smart move by your front office.

[LindaWhit]

Oh, THAT kind of Pest. :-)

And I know about Youk. Just don't like seeing him go but we all get older and change jobs. David Ortiz is the last of the 2004 gang.

[steve h.]

Ortiz is to Boston as Jeter is to New York in the sense that both are fierce competitors and emblematic of their teams' winning ways.
Outside of that, Jeter is a first-round Hall of Fame inductee.

[gingershelley]

Anniversary in Bhuda is a great reason for yanking from the freezer some meatballs Steve. Sounds like lot's to look forward to:)

[twodales]

Steve h.

The Very Best Wishes to You and the Missus!

Have a wonderful time together in Hungary.

I have heard that the food is pretty darn good out that way. I'm quite jealous.

[mariacarmen]

will you not hit Buda, this trip? : )

i would love to hear about the food, as when we went i was not so foodie-inclined as i am now, and we were on a very strict budget.

You'll have a wonderful time, i'm sure - such a gorgeous city!

[steve h.]

Thanks everyone. It should be a fun trip.

[scubadoo97]

Have fun Steve and happy anniversary

[nomadchowwoman]

Happy anniverasry to you and Deb, Steve--and have a wonderful trip. I've no doubt you two will sniff out the delicious chow to be had in beautiful Budapest.

[jmcarthur8]

Tonight we are having cold shrimp salad with Duke's and fresh dill from the garden. It's Ina Garten's recipe, simple and creamy.
We were in Charleston SC yesterday visiting the Navy boy, and found our way down to Wando's at Shem Creek for fresh-off-the-boat shrimp. We picked up 10 lbs at $2.00 a pound, head-on. The salad is chilling, and the shells and heads are simmering away for some kind of soup later in the week.

[Uncle Bob]

Excellent plan!!!!!!

[LindaWhit]

Two. Dollars. A. Pound.

Oh. Em. Gee.

Lucky. You.

[ChristinaMason]

That sounds like delicious warm-weather food! Yum. Peeling them is a bit of work, eh?

[gingershelley]

Do you ship jmcarther? I would gladly pay the fee for those shrimpies at that price for their freshness + heads n tails to make stock! Awesome!

The salad sounds shrimpy-creamy divine...

[jmcarthur8]

The shrimps really were wonderful. And, yes, CM, they did take a while to peel. I had DH put a Blue Planet show on the TV, something wet and fishy, and I sat at the snack bar and peeled away. We go back to Charleston end of July for my son's A-School graduation, so I think I will see if I can score another 10 or 20 pounds at a great price..
Gingershelly, I can ship 'em for the price of a trip to Charleston! I do have Sue in MtP here on CH to thank for the tip on Wando's. It's so off the beaten path, we'd have never found it on our own.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Do you freeze what you haven't used tonight, raw? If so, did you shell them all before freezing?

[jmcarthur8]

Dw, yes I froze the rest raw. No, I did not shell them before freezing. Just separated them into 2 lb. bags, picked out the little fishes and crabs, and threw them in the freezer.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Smart. Lucky duck!! Enjoy your shrimp!

[LindaWhit]

It's a little warm, but I'm refusing to turn on the A/C. It'll cool down soon enough with the rain coming in.

I'm marinating a couple of bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs and a chicken leg quarter (skin-on) in the remaining yuzu marinade that I drizzled on the Swiss chard last night. I augmented it with about 2 tsp. of additional grated ginger. A good substitute for this marinade would be soy sauce, canola oil, orange and lemon juices, rice wine vinegar, freshly grated ginger, honey and minced garlic. The proportions? No idea. But those are the main ingredients on the label of the bottle, and flavors I like. :-)

I'll roast them in the convection oven at 400 degrees to keep the heat down in the kitchen. The marinade will be spooned over top as the chicken roasts. Some of the chicken will be used for salads for work lunches.

Sides will be basmati rice (probably with a smidge of the boiled marinade drizzled on top) and it's time to use up the CSA kale, especially if I'm getting more with next week's delivery. It'll be sliced up, washed, and spun dry in a salad spinner. Some olive oil into a large fry pan; add some minced garlic. It'll be warmed up *just* until the garlic begins to lightly brown to flavor the oil, and then the garlic will be removed as best I can so it doesn't burn. Add the sliced kale, sauté for a few minutes, add a bit of water to the pan just after it begins to wilt, cover and let it steam for a few more minutes. A pinch of salt, some chopped (homemade) roasted red peppers, and cook until most of the liquid is gone. Sprinkle the cooked garlic back on top, drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Dessert? Whole Foods had Ataulfo mangoes on sale - 5 for $5.00. Oh yeah. Picked up five. I'll slice one up, with some strawberries and kiwi, and drizzle all with some 30-year aged balsamic for dessert, which was gifted to me when it was a 20-year aged balsamic.

[mariacarmen]

linda, what a perfect dinner that sounds. i'm going to try that marinade - love the idea of the lemon with the ginger.

[LindaWhit]

It is smelling absolutely wonderful in my house, mc! I listed the ingredients in the order they were listed on the label - here's the link for the marinade I used. There are more ingredients in the marinade than I listed:

http://www.tontonsauce.com/sauces/sau...

[mariacarmen]

thanks, LW!

[gingershelley]

LW, all sounds SO good! chicken, kale prep - and the mixed fruit dessert (ah - GREAT mangoes!) with balsamic. Sounds like summer:)

[LindaWhit]

Meant to leave a review - the marinade was very good and made a superb glaze on the chicken - except the chicken needed some salt. If I make this as a homemade marinade, will be sure to add it.

[Uncle Bob]

After Church today the gang gathered round my southern table for Sunday dinner...There was fried chicken, yellow squash casserole, smashed tators, fried green tomatoes, pink-eye purple hulls, fried Okra..Fresh slices of tomato, Vidalia onion, pods of cayenne pepper, bread & butter pickles, chili sauce...and as if that wasn't enough, the little brown-eyed girl made a fresh peach cobbler...nilla ice cream for those that wanted it.....Coffee.

[twodales]

What a feast of Americana! I am feeling tempted now by all of this goodness.

[Dirtywextraolives]

You took the words right out of my mouth, twodales!! Sounds wonderful, Uncle Bob!

[LindaWhit]

Amazing! Can't do fried chicken like Southerners do. :-)

[gingershelley]

Uncle Bob, will you adopt me, at least for a week of southern-cooking love? I at least want to be a guest at your table.... dreams are made of southern meals like this:)

Kudos!

[MaryContrary]

Really sorry I missed all that!

[nomadchowwoman]

Uncle Bob--you could get me to church if that was waitin' afterwards!

[mariacarmen]

love this.

[ChristinaMason]

Our fridge has been pretty bare as we still haven't made a proper grocery trip since returning to town. Yesterday was a completely un-seasonal meal of braised corned beef (from the freezer). We didn't have any cabbage except for the bag of cole slaw mix that I found in the crisper, so that was cooked in the broth for the last 20 minutes. It turned out surprisingly well, considering.

No idea WFD tonight---plans are to hit the farmers market and maybe also Aldi, so the food forecast is positive.

[bblonde]

Friday BF and I went to our favorite steakhouse. We shared a crabcake appetizer, then split a large filet mignon, lobster mac n' cheese, and asparagus hollandaise. This is absolutely my favorite dinner. Expensive but so worth it.

Yesterday was very busy, so I was quite tired when friends came for dinner. Simple appetizer of crudite and a jalapeno ranch dip. The main was raspberry chipotle grilled chicken (same store-bought marinade I've used before--I liked it on the chicken but I preferred it on the salmon), fresh corn succotash, and a zucchini gratin. The gratin was very good, with the white sauce, bread crumbs, and gruyere, but it seemed misplaced. Everything else was so bright and fresh or smoky. Finally for dessert was strawberry cheesecake ice cream. It was TO DIE for but I need to stop tempting my lactose intolerance. It's just so hard not to indulge in the summertime but a couple bites in and my tummy is upset.

[LindaWhit]

Your dinner sounds wonderful, bblonde - but sorry about your tummy not liking milk-based products. Sadz. :-(

[buttertart]

Boring, boring, boring same old stuff here this week, but tonight should be good -- the pork tenderloin "Stroganoff' from jane Grigson's "The Mushroom Feast", a lovely book, with oyster mushrooms and a few chanterelles, and rolls, I think, with. Salad. Was supposed to be Father's day dinner but we were stuffed from an orgy of Shanghainese food for lunch, so that was a quick riff on veal scallopine with hazelnuts (based on a Marcella recipe).

[mariacarmen]

how was the stroganoff, BT?

[mariacarmen]

repeat of the BF's killer snack: linguiça & soft scrambled eggs. hit the spot.

[LindaWhit]

Oh WOW. That looks amazing! Sorry that the oldster is having "issues" - I hope they go away soon!

[mariacarmen]

thanks, LW, things have cleared up a bit for him!

[rabaja]

Love the two forks!

[mariacarmen]

Had a beautiful day at the oldster's today - great sunny weather, light breeze. He sat outside for 45 minutes. For his dinner, i made an attempt at a repeat of the chicken thighs he loved so much on Wed., but we were out of breadcrumbs so i used flour, which of course made it more gravy-like. anyway, the thigh chunks came out very tender, dredged in seasoned flour, frizzled in hot butter and olive oil, with browned onions, and i added in milk and yellow mustard. i think he'll like it as well as the last. also, fried plantains and buttery mushed up broccoli.

although.... he's having some .... issues, and turns out he didn't even eat dinner after all! poor guy....

Chez nous, pork stir fry, to continue in the Asian vein of last night.... a quick stir fry of onions, thinly sliced pork butt, ginger, garlic, then added a mixture of dark soy, rice wine vinegar, balsamic, Ina's gifted ssamjang, and brown sugar. then in went scallions, sesame seed, and green beans, top on, let the whole thing cook for about 5 mins - voila! Rice and same salad as last night on the side (it's my new favorite). Boyfriend on all prep! again, not a great pic, but this was even better than last night's chicken.

OH! and we're on Day 2 of the preserved lemons project! i used a small jar and only 3 medium sized lemons - wanted to see how they turn out before i venture into a bigger jar. 5 days to go!

[gingershelley]

MC, looks good - as does the reprise of the linguica n eggs!

Glad your trying the prserved lemons. 1 week is minimum (especially if you didn't freeze your lemons overnight to jump-start), so you may want to give 'em longer... they need to be kind of translucent looking, and there should be a uniform color all the way through the rind to show they are cured enough.

[mariacarmen]

thanks gs, will do!

[twodales]

Did some gardening today and stopped long enough to have some hummous followed by a nice Greek salad, eaten outside of course.

Tonight we went to a college grad party with wonderful Puerto Rican food and Sangria. Even the meat-and-two-veg Brit loved the food. There is hope!

Since it's grad season, two more parties tomorrow.

[roxlet]

My husband made me the most amazing birthday dinner with my summer birthday crew. I wanted SE Asian food, since we have none in our general vicinity. He made two dishes from Cradle of Flavor, one from the NY Times, and one from The Asian Flavors of Jean George. We started off with beef satay from COF, next were the chicken wings from Jean-Georges. We segued into the Chili Lobster from Marc Forgione that was in the NY times a couple of week's ago, and ended with chicken rendang from COF. For dessert, I made a strawberry ice cream cake using the strawberry ice cream I made using local berries and Jeni's recipe for roasted strawberry buttermilk ice cream. The overll recipe was from the Martha Stewart web site. Great friends, lots of laughs, and a wonderful meal.

[twodales]

This sounds wonderful! Lucky you!

AND a very Happy Birthday too!

[mariacarmen]

oh MY, your hubby's the best! and happy birthday indeed!

[mcf]

Yeah, I'll second ALL of those sentiments!

[buttertart]

Sounds terrific. So THAT's the birthday you were making that cake for!!!

[roxlet]

Yes, and my two girlfriends' birthdays -- one has a birthday this week, and the other in two weeks, so we do this most years.

[LindaWhit]

"Great friends, lots of laughs, and a wonderful meal."

Sounds like a perfect birthday, roxlet - Happy Birthday!

[JungMann]

Happy birthday. That sounds like a perfect celebration!

[roxlet]

Thanks for the birthday wishes, everyone. And yes, my husband IS the best. Right now he's firing up the pit, and he's making ribs for a family celebration tonight. He's also making ribs for two neighbors. Tonight, dinner will start with a salad he invented called Raffles Salad made with hearts of palm and mangoes, followed by the ribs, slaw and potato salad. My sister is making a cheese cake that intrigued her in this month's Food and Wine. The diet begins tomorrow!

[Dirtywextraolives]

That all sounds delicious, especially the Raffles salad!

[buttertart]

Sounds great!

[gingershelley]

Ahhh, the BBQ neighborhood machine comes out in service of love, Anniversary and the neighbors, VERY nice:)

Diets are Always there, alas, how well I know they can wait a day:)

[nomadchowwoman]

Belated wishes, roxlet. What a fantastic dinner. And sweet husband.

Are you loving Jeni's ice cream book as much as I am? I love that base--and she has so many inspiring flavor combinations.

[gingershelley]

I have the Jeni's book on my 'save' list on Amazon - you are really liking it then?

[roxlet]

I do like it. I had some doubts when I really focused on the ingredients (no eggs, a small amount of corn syrup and a slurry of cornstarch), which seemed a little unusual, to say the least, but he roasted strawberry buttermilk ice cream convinced me because of the purity of the flavor with no egginess. The coconut ice cream I had made recently with lots of eggs, seems heavier somehow -- though undeniably delicious. I'd say that his book, while it has lots of tempting recipes, is really about this technique.

[gingershelley]

roxlet - isn't Jenni a her? Just checking if we are talking about the same book:)

I did look at the 'look inside' pages, so saw that there are some different techniques - that is what interested me, although as you seemed to be - a bit dubious of cream cheese and corn syrup in my ice cream. I do love purity of flavor, so interested in if I will really use it, or is it a "make one thing and it will sit on my shelf' kind of book

[nomadchowwoman]

Well, I've tried making ice cream, according to many different recipes, and I've a few books dedicated to the subject, but I've never liked the result--it was either too eggy or I could taste cornstarch or crystals formed. My husband, a real ice cream fiend, would never eat the leftovers after I'd served it once. When I saw the recipe for Jeni's base, I too was dubious about the corn syrup, the corn starch, the cream cheese, but the first batch I made--blueberry--was incredible. I made another batch of blueberry, a batch of peach, a batch of chocolate, which my niece and husband practically fought over, and a riff on Cherry Garcia--studded w/sweet cherries and chunks of dark chocolate. Really, I can't get over how good this stuff is, how perfect the texture.

[roxlet]

ncw, now I want to try those recipes too! With blueberries and peaches coming into season, I'm sure I'll be giving those a whirl!

[nomadchowwoman]

'veI only really used her base recipe and then did my own add-ins (using her method) although when I made the blueberry ice cream, I used her "wild berry lavender" recipe, subbing regular blueberries for wild in the compote and omitting the essential oils. For the chocolate, I used the chocolate proportions from David Leibovitz's recipe--perfect degree of chocole, imo. But I am dying to try some of Jeni's flavors--the salted caramel, especially, but I'm intrigued by a lot of the others. Strawberries are done for this year; otherwise I'd be trying the roasted strawberry and buttermilk that you made.

[twodales]

I agree with you ncw regarding the surprising ingredients and how nicely everything comes out.

[JungMann]

How hard are your Jenni results coming out? If I zap a quart in the microwave for 30 seconds or leave it out for a period I end up with a decent texture, if not quite as airy as commercial ice cream. But fresh out of the freezer, these recipes are pretty rock hard. Admittedly I am using Splenda, which may affect the results.

[gingershelley]

JM, I am pretty sure that sugar would lead to a softer texture.... quantity of sugar in a recipe affects it's freezing temp.

NMC - thanks for the further info. REally sounds worth getting the book and making some of her recipes. LOVE deeply flavored ice cream!

[roxlet]

Are you using the Splenda/sugar mix? I'm wondering how that would affect the flavor.

[JungMann]

I'm using straight up Splenda. I thought using the same quantity would similarly inhibit ice crystal formation. I get smooth and tasty ice cream once it softens, but out of the freezer, it is a rock.

[nomadchowwoman]

Not sure what's happening there, JM, but this ice cream freezes the same way any ice cream does in my freezer. It's pretty hard when I take it out of the freezer; I have to let it soften a bit to scoop it. But I don't notice any difference, in that respect, from it or, say, Ben & Jerry's.

[roxlet]

Isn't awfully sweet using the same quantity of Splenda as sugar???

[weezieduzzit]

Just salads here tonight (spring mix, baby spinach, cukes, tomatoes from the garden, poached eggs over top,) to hold us over until we head to a barbeque at an Australian friend's place. They always do a whole pig on a spit and the most droolworthy apps and sides. I'm not normally a fan of pork at all (other than one kind of bacon and prosciutto- I'm not insane after all,) but this is amazingly good.

The food is always ready very very late over there and we've been working hard on a major overhaul of the back yard all day so our appetites are large tonight.

[mariacarmen]

phew, weezie, you just slipped by with that admission of at least loving one kind of bacon and prosciutto!

hope the bbq was a good payoff for you tonight! whole pig sounds amazing.

[Uncle Bob]

Maker's....Neat
Catfish - Fried
Greens & Ree-oots....Simmered
Crooknecks.....Recycled
Pink-eyes....Last of the pot!
Green Tomatoes....Fried
Corn Bread......
Cow Horns.....
Pickles....Bread & Butter.
Vidalia....Cold slices.......

[mcf]

Tonight we have beautiful weather after heat, humidity and storms, so made this incredibly easy and delicious recipe for Dijon and lemon chicken (no Meyers around this time) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/an... with steamed broccolini with butter and lemon and two tiny garnet sweet potatoes cooked on the rack in the grill. Super easy, super good.

[steve h.]

It's been pretty hot the last few days, today was an exception. Grilled veggies (stovetop) were on the menu: red peppers, yellow peppers, onions, both green and yellow squash. The veggies found a home on some decent bakery bread smeared with goat cheese. An Italian white for Deb, a Dutch beer for me.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, a low-key Eastwood-directed movie, is on the plasma. We're clearing out the coolerator. Back on the road come Tuesday. Y'all be good.

Grill shot:

[weezieduzzit]

Love that movie. (I'm both a Cusack and a Spacey fan.)

[steve h.]

Newman and Redford made a pair of good movies together. Pity they didn't make more.
Cusack and Spacey don't have the same star power but it would be a shame if they couldn't agree on a script sometime soon.

[twodales]

That sounds like a perfect Summery dinner! I never seem to tire of grilled veggies or goat cheese.

Great choice of film too. There is such a sultriness to that movie.

A detective friend of mine said it was based on a true story.

Not sure if you are a fan of couscous but if so you might like this recipe: http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/ro...
I skip the harissa as I find it overwhelms the rest of the flavors.

Basically it's cous cous, grilled or oven roasted veggies of choice, spring greens & dabs of goat cheese (I use soft goat cheese). I have had guests ask to eat leftovers for breakfast. True story.

[JungMann]

Felt kind of experimental today. Tried a very bright garlic scape pesto at the farmer's market that piqued my interest, but feeling a bit carb heavy after the past week, I decided on a chicken, broccoli and garlic scape stir fry instead. Sadly just a minute or so in the wok killed the flavor of the scapes. Lesson learned: eat your scapes raw. Made up for failure with some snickerdoodle ice cream. Now we're back on the right track.

[gingershelley]

Well, it was POURING rain all mid-day, enough to drive a CH to distraction and make me think it was October!

But, late afternoon arrives, and sun comes out, temp goes up about 10 degrees (woo hoo, 67!), and I am more fortified for the evenings doings;

The Frenchman to come over, and we are going to continue extricating ourselves personally, while trying reciette's for Moules for the resto idea; he is a founding partner. No worries all, we seem to be fine in that all is good about relating, creating a resto or watching F1, but just not in the C-pulating dept.

Tonights offer is the Moules ala Juliette; Blue cheese, white wine, shallot, cream, a smidge of garlic n parsley. Served with the planned (1 of many sides/starters) herb salad with dijon viniagrette/ herbed crumbs, roasted tomatoes. Frites are ala TJ's, as we are not beginning that quest until a better deep-fry method enters the research plan. Fries are easy (well, kind of), but getting mussel preps down, not so much.:)

[Dirtywextraolives]

I find shellfish much easier to deal with than deep frying, especially frites. Your mussels sound delicious.

[LindaWhit]

Yesterday? Hot and sticky. A/C on.
This afternoon? Wind came up, rains and thunder came through. A/C off and windows open. It's quite lovely.

Dinner tonight will be a large pork steak/chop seasoned with salt and pepper, pan-seared, and then a BBQ sauce poured on top to simmer away until done.

Sides - toasted Israeli couscous cooked in half water, half pork stock, with some salt, pepper and dried thyme mixed in, and sauteed rainbow Swiss chard with previously caramelized onions and lightly drizzled with a yuzu marinade I had in the fridge.

Evening sunset, a glass of wine, and dinner. Works for me.

[Dirtywextraolives]

That all sounds lovely. Especially the wine & sunset. Do you make your own pork stock? Can I also ask how you make your yuzu marinade? Thanks so much!

[LindaWhit]

The pork stock was what was left over after I made pulled pork awhile back. I let the juices sit, the fat separated to the top, I scooped that off, and got about 2-1/2 cups of stock that I froze. It added a really good flavor to the Israeli couscous. I'm glad I kept it!

As for the yuzu marinade, it was store-bought. Not sure where I got it, but this is the brand:

http://www.tontonsauce.com/sauces/sau...

[Dirtywextraolives]

Thank you very much!! I have not considered using the leftover juices as a stock.

[LindaWhit]

I hadn't either, but when I saw how much liquid was left after removing the pork butt, I figured it couldn't hurt to try the fat separation and see what was left. It was lots of porky goodness! :-)

[gingershelley]

"like!" Will try this myself next time I make Slow pork.....

[LindaWhit]

Here's the recipe I used - perhaps adding the cup of ginger beer added to the crockpot helped create all the pork stock. Not that that's a *bad* thing!

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8510...

[gingershelley]

Thanks LW, I LOVE gingerbeer (being a ginger gal!), so this is a great idea for pulled pork. Will try, and thanks for sharing recipe!

[LindaWhit]

I ended up having to add some ginger to the BBQ sauce, as the ginger beer really didn't give a whole lot of flavor. But adding a healthy Tbsp. or so of grated ginger gave a different bite to the pulled pork.

[nomadchowwoman]

Slow-cooked pork butt w/ginger beer and added ginger--coming right up for 4th of July, methinks!

[LindaWhit]

The added grated ginger really made it. You get the sweet of the molasses and the tang from vinegar and ketchup, and then just a slight bite from the ginger.

Being only the second time I've made pulled pork, I'm glad it came out the way I liked. Otherwise, I think I would have given up. :-)

[Dirtywextraolives]

Well kudos to you for such a great idea!!

[gingershelley]

Aaah, LW, pork steak, sides, and the A/C off! It is a good day if you can finagle all that! Plus Sunset and a glass of wine. Kudos, and good eatin's:)

[PenskeFan]

It's hot today but I am still going through with my craving for fried chicken. Its been in a nice buttermilk brine with some garlic and other seasonings since this morning. Perhaps some corn on the cob to go with it and some mashed potatoes.. the sides aren't set in stone. If I get ambitiious there will be cornbread and fried green tomatoes along with the meal, but my sons as want a lot of attention today so probably not.

[twodales]

Last night was an herb-rubbed rack of lamb, haricot vert, sliced up creamer spuds with a few varied mushrooms mixed in. A drizzle of balsamic glaze. A rather nice Malbec to accompany. Not a typical friday night meal but a nice one.

The 4 legged beast was desperate for the bones but got a few tiny scraps and was in doggie heaven.

[mariacarmen]

damn, i forgot the pic. not a very good pic, but i like a visual. Happy weekend, everyone!

ETA: And damn if the BF didn't just show me up! HIS late night snack was some sliced linguica sausage we had with some scrambled eggs. TO. DIE. FOR.

[LindaWhit]

Looks pretty good - could you linky-link to the 3-day marinade? Hopefully not too spicy for my palate.

(And yes, the BF did show you up with his late night snack! LOL)

[mariacarmen]

here 'tis: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8543...

you could just omit the chili flakes and/or sichuan peppercorns. and as i said, a little brown sugar would do wonders. we stir fried it with some chopped scallions thrown in.

[LindaWhit]

I'd probably keep the (smaller) pinch of chili flakes, and omit the sichuan peppercorns, since I don't have them. But I also don't have the fermented black beans OR the shaoxing wine. I'm pretty sure the shaoxing can be had at a good supermarket, but the fermented black beans? Not sure if my good supermarket would have them, as I've never looked! LOL But thanks - you know how much I like garlic and ginger, so I do like the sound of this stir-fry!

[mariacarmen]

yeah, i had to order my black beans and peppercorns. but you know, i think you can just sub some white wine, and maybe a touch of rice vinegar and/or mirin and get just as good results.

[nomadchowwoman]

I never could find those beans until I went to an Asian supermarket, LW. (Even then, it took me two trips. But they have transformative powers.)

[PHREDDY]

MC....just those two items?....I love omlets and eggs in general.....

[Berheenia]

Way back in the day I went to a party on a house boat in Woods Hole and ended up spending the night (ah youth) and for breakfast the guy who lived on the boat made us all scrambled eggs with linguica and I thought it was the best thing I had ever eaten in my life. This was on Cape Cod which is home to many Portuguese Americans. I also loved the Portuguese bread- just slightly sweet and perfect for toast. Now in my old age I order the 'Portuguese scrambler' for breakfast when we get down to the Cape.
edit: found this online "Portuguese scrambler 2 eggs scrambled with linguica, red peppers, red onions & cheddar"

[mariacarmen]

SOOOO GOOD.

[nomadchowwoman]

What is your technique for blistering the beans, mc? I have a mess of 'em to deal with.

[mariacarmen]

oh, just oil in a very hot pan, throw them in, stir and stir and stir... basically it's a stir fry. throw in a little sesame oil, little chili oil, salt, sprinkle some sesame seeds over, you're done! super simple and yummy.

[mariacarmen]

the 3-day marinated chicken turned out pretty darned good, although, despite good advice from my mentor Inaplasticcup, i forgot to add a little brown sugar to the marinade, and it needed it. We doctored it up at table with a sweet Thai chili sauce. I would also add even more sichuan peppercorns, because i didn't get enough of that mouth-numbing, addictive tang i love so much.

Alongside were blistered green beans in a sauce of garlic, ginger, soy and some of Ina's ssam jahng (gifted to me), jasmine rice, and a salad the BF whipped up of greens with a sweetish kimchi-like thing i'm determined to find the name of.

And i just had, as a post-pool playing night-cap with the boy, a taco with the chicken, a bit of that kimchi-like stuff, some of the sauce for the green beans, and a little mexican crema. Ehhxxxcellent (ala Monty Burns) late night fare.

[gingershelley]

Well, I missed a day or so here - busy week - stay tuned for more, but possibilities are just beginning to percolate for a long-envisioned resto; Moules!Frites!.... Discussed the idea with dad last weekend on FD, and he was so impressed he is interested in helping round up investors. Swore I would never open one at this late date in life, and with all the hours I have had in them and seen owners manage, but, well - sometimes a good idea should HAPPEN. Stay tuned all. Idea is a set menu pre fix price with choice of different steamed mussell preps, different fries, different salad/starter side, different dipping sauces. Order 1 from all 4 categories at walk up, and all gets delivered to your table. There is a kind of sad mini-chain in Paris with this idea the Frenchman and I have been to, and we talked this up for over a year... There is nothing like it around here, and I think it would fly, if I can get the price-point right.

Kind of upscale quick service with a hip vibe. DONT STEAL IT, AND DONT TELL (opty's for buy in will come soon enough - laugh!).

Anyhoo, to the cooking around the Shangrila at least yesterday, Made a BIG SALAD. with a lot of great fruit - raspberries, first of the season fragrant nectarine, baby marzano's.Arugula, lemon/Zatar marinated chicken, currants, toasted pine nuts, feta. Sherry vinegar/orange/OO dressing with a bit of garlic.

Last of the baba gannoush on the side with Bin5 bread, since out of flatbreads. Wonderful, tasted like I left for lebanon by way of california:)

Tonight is going to probably be TJ's shrimp potstickers with a cobbled asian dipping sauce as just home from a late meeting and massage (aaahhh!). Fruit for afters.

Happy weekend all!

Here is a pic of the fab salad - camera back in action!

[twodales]

That salad looks terrific. I am very much a salad person and had to train the Brit to eat salad all year long. He was brought up only to eat it in the "heat" of an English summer. That just had to change!

The *whispering* idea sounds wonderful. Hope it all goes forward. V. exciting!

[mariacarmen]

i'm SO into this idea for your resto! do it do it do it!!!!

[LindaWhit]

Salad sounds and looks amazing, gingershel! And your secret idea sounds great - good luck with it!

[nomadchowwoman]

That salad looks great.

Years ago, I was travelling with a couple of friends (and very few francs); one of our splurges during a glorious week in Paris was a restaurant (I don't think/know if it was part of a chain) tucked in near the Pompidou that served only "moules et frites"--in every imaginable prep. We were in heaven. I've gone looking for that place in every trip to Paris since, but never could find it--it's probably not there, but also quite possible that the copious amounts of wine we consumed completely distorted my sense of its location. So--go for it, and I will have to go to Seattle and patronize it. Lucky you, for having such a supportive dad! That FD dinner must have been a real hit ; ).

[gingershelley]

NMC - that is probably the "Leon" chain of 'Brussels Mussels'. There are about 5 in Paris, and one near the Pompidou for sure. I have their menu bookmarked in my 'research folder' in my favorites. We ate there a few years ago on our first Paris trip together (I was unimpressed the Frenchman took me to a chain, but he was trying to show me where he got the idea for mussels with blue cheese).

Thanks for the support!

I think I may be 'musseling' up another prep idea tonight......

[Dirtywextraolives]

Grilled skirt steak soft tacos.

[weezieduzzit]

I noticed a bunch of jalapenos need to be picked when I was watering this morning. Since then I've been craving cream cheese and shrimp stuffed bacon wrapped japapenos so I think that's dinner tonight (with a cold cocktail, of course!)

I'll probably throw some chicken on the grill for good measure (it can always turn into chicken salad for lunch tomorrow,) but I'm all about the jalapenos tonight.

[mariacarmen]

weezie - "I've been craving cream cheese and shrimp stuffed bacon wrapped japapenos" - now I'M craving those!

[weezieduzzit]

It was delicious. :) The jalapenos were really mild once cooked so next time (there WILL be a next time...) I'll leave some of the ribs and maybe a few seeds.

I served it with braised kale so I felt better about eating poppers for dinner. They were baked on a rack over cookie sheet so they didn't sit it bacon fat and weren't breaded and fried so really not so bad in moderation.

I'm sure in a month's time I'll be begging you to let me send you a box of peppers- the hotter the weather gets the faster they grow and I have several each of jalapenos, serranos, anaheim and poblano.

[mariacarmen]

i would not refuse!

[gingershelley]

I want a japapeno!

[twodales]

That is sounding awfully good.....................

[nomadchowwoman]

I could eat those for breakfast, weezie--sounds like a fine dinner!

[LindaWhit]

LONG day at work, including a VERY delayed company lunch delivery (we weren't eating until 1:30 or so) and a last minute scramble to deal with someone leaving work unexpectedly.

I had planned on cutting up some chicken to put on a salad from my CSA greens augmented with tomatoes, cukes, carrots, and various other veggie stuff, but I just don't feel like it. Some chicken, cheese and lettuce and sriracha mayo will go on some sourdough bread for an easier version of my CBLT&C from last night. It'll fill the belly.

Vodka and lemonade has been drunk. I think one more is in the cards.

[mariacarmen]

Vodka and lemonade sounds so refreshing right about now.... ugh, still at work. damn regional time differences! (of course, you were up and at 'em while i was still snoozing this morning.)

[gingershelley]

Sometimes, LW, after the first cocktail, making dinner after a stressful day is more about putting something together, rather than cooking.

Sounds like an evening of relaxin' is in order!

[Uncle Bob]

Cold Beer in frosty Mugs...........
Fresh Butter Beans/Tasso
Fresh Crook Necks/Onion.....
Fresh Fried Corn.........
Fresh Boiled Oak-Ree
Recycled Pink-Eyes......
Recycled and Toasted Corn Bread...
Fresh Slices of Tomato, Cukes and Vidalia.......
Fresh Cayenne Pepper Pods........
Zucchini Bread & Coffee Later.........

[gingershelley]

Uncle Bob, so jealous (in a good way) of your plethora of great produce so early in the season. Hope it was as delish as it sounds!

[Uncle Bob]

Thanks Ginger.....For sure, one of my favorite meals.....A plate full of vegetables, with various accompaniments....I never tire of it ...which is a good thing 'cause it's staple fare here......

[nomadchowwoman]

It is veggie heaven Down South!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

This is what I'm thinking for dinner tonight: honey-mustard glazed salmon, perhaps with walnuts, using the apple/cinnamon-infused honey I bought last week (I just can't justify spending money on maple syrup right now), served atop lemony-garlicky-buttery spinach, with a potato-artichoke gratin on the side. Should my boyfriend take one taste of the salmon and say, "no frickin' way!" hopefully the gratin will be hearty enough to fill out the meal. I just can't believe that he's agreeing to this...

[PHREDDY]

Believe it and go with it! If he chickens out, try putting some of the salmon on some French or Italian, with a thin slice of onion, some sweet pickle relish and touch of mustard... Tell him I did not like salmon, my mother made it for me many years ago and I was on my way. Remember life has a way of always reinventing itself. You guys will be great, just remember to enjoy it!
Y

[BananaBirkLarsen]

You know, even if he doesn't chicken out, I might just do that with some of the leftovers tomorrow. It sounds great.

[onceadaylily]

I had planned a make-ahead ratatouille for last week, but wound up making something else after my kitchen proved to be a bit too hot to remain upright in after I'd finished making a batch of enchiladas (spinach, poblano, and cheese, with green sauce--they were delicious). But the temperature here has dropped quite a bit, and baked ratatouille is back on the menu for tonight. Onions, peppers, garlic, and tomatoes will be cooked down into a sauce to line the pan, and then I'll layer in the eggplant, zucchini, spinach, basil, breadcrumbs, and . . . a little fontina (the boyfriend won't eat eggplant without some type of breadcrumb and cheese treatment, and I love having him as an excuse to do it). A loaf of ciabatta will be baked with a smear of pesto to go with. For dessert, I think I might whip up that box of Dr. Oetker chocolate mousse that I bought on a whim a few weeks ago. I've never had it before.

I'm working through the weekend, so a bowl of pasta salad (the usual: artichoke hearts, olives, sundried tomatoes, tuna, pasta, with a balsamic/mayo dressing, and whatever is left of the pesto), will be whipped up and tucked into the fridge for his after-work meals while I'm out.

Today's weather is just perfect.

[nomadchowwoman]

I love those enchiladas, oadl. Love, love, love poblanos.

[Berheenia]

I'm out of fruit and veggies and good stuff to eat- I hate this weather! Tonight is a cheeseburger period. Tomorrow I'm going marketing big time- I need some veggies and an open window with a breeze coming in...sigh.

[gingershelley]

Sometimes a cheese burger is all you need Berheenia!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Tonight the boyfriend is cooking up his famous red sauce-style chicken cacciatore, made with lots of mushrooms and leftover wine from the other night. I think there might be some garlic toast and a salad in the works as well. We're celebrating, sort of, tonight. I think we've decided to give the finger to Santa Cruz and move to New Mexico instead. He'll put off school for a year and we'll work and save up money. We're thinking of it as a vacation. It's a little terrifying, but really exciting, too. We have to make a decision by tomorrow.

I might throw together something for dessert. Maybe, maybe not.

[weezieduzzit]

Sounds exciting! (I lived lots of places before "settling down.") You only live once and you can always move back, all it takes is money which can always be made and saved.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Exactly! It's actually a lot more terrifying for him than it is for me. I've lived in quite a few different places, and never in one place for more than 5 years, but he's been living here for 30 years and isn't at all sure that they'll accept his reapplication to UCSC next year. But hey, life's for living and food's for eating and we fell in love with Santa Fe and its food when we were there on vacation over the holidays. So I'm excited (even if I'm also a bit terrified... we can't afford a moving truck and might have to start from scratch when it comes to furniture...)

[LindaWhit]

Does he have to reapply? Or can he just postpone for a year?

And good luck with your move - It's going to be BBL's and BBL's Boyfriend's Big Adventure! (Make sure you have your red bike packed away!)

[BananaBirkLarsen]

He has to reapply, but the admissions person he talked to said they would take the fact that they had accepted him before into consideration. It's a pretty big risk, but Santa Cruz just wasn't happening and then this great opportunity came up... So a Big Adventure it is!

[mariacarmen]

wow, BBL! i love your style, you and your BF's - giving the finger to such a big prospect! love it!! may have been meant to be.... here's to you two adventuresome, devil-may-care souls! you'll be fine, wherever you land. i feel it.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Aww, thanks mc!

[Berheenia]

Wowzer! You should definitely go for it while you're young or before you have family ties that keep you in one place. You should check out some of the sites for apartments to swap or rent for a short time - my friends went to India for 6 months 3 years ago and are still able to find housing there and renters here. Everything is fully furnished. (I know you aren't renting out your place but a storage place is probably cheaper than movers X 2.). I hear the food in NM is a chowhound dream come true if you like it hot.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

We've actually found a place already... a 2 bedroom house that costs less than the tiny studio apartments we were looking at in Santa Cruz! And the food that I've had there has been amazing. We'll actually be just a few blocks from a really great restaurant we ate at when we were there over the holidays.

[LindaWhit]

Great news! And is there a possibility of applying to school in New Mexico instead of Santa Cruz?

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Not until the fall, but if we really love it there, it is definitely a possibility.

[onceadaylily]

Love cacciatore! And how lucky you are to live with someone who makes it for you while you plot an adventure together. How exciting, BBL! I love that when the plan you all had proved to be too much of a frustration, you two decided to take your lives in a whole other direction. I just love that. It's inspiring.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Thanks OADL! I am very lucky in both the cacciatore and the partner-in-crime departments. He's even agreed to try the salmon I'm going to cook for dinner tonight (although I should probably make sure that we have sandwich fixings on hand...)

[GretchenS]

BBL, how very adventurous and cool! I agree with others who have said that now is the time to do this and I bet that it will work out great and you will have no regrets. And as weezie says, all it takes is money which can be made and saved. And we know that you are both creative and willing to work (eg walk amazing distances) in pursuit of what you want, whether it be Mexican food or whatever.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Thanks Gretchen! Although if we can't find a rental car or van for less than $750, we may be walking to Santa Fe!

[weezieduzzit]

Look for online coupon codes for rental vehicles and hotels. Go to the 99 Cents Only store for water bottles and snacks for the trip. You can make it!

[GretchenS]

BBL, check craigslist to see if anyone needs their car driven from anywhere near you to Sante Fe, maybe you could find a win-win. And second the idea of bringing your own food, a friend and I once drove cross-country eating mostly out of a cooler we restocked with ice once or twice a day, and besides saving money it was a lot better than fast food.

[twodales]

ROADTRIP!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

:D

[gingershelley]

GO for it BBL & BBL BF! Grab all the adventure while you can... you know you can handle it together when you can cook for each other, and he will try your salmon. Adventure near and far...

[BananaBirkLarsen]

"BBL & BBL BF" -- I like it! And thanks. And we are indeed going for it -- we signed a lease yesterday!

Also, Experiment Salmon went remarkably well. He turned to me half way through the meal and said, "This doesn't taste fishy at all. It just tastes like meat," and then, after it was done, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing." He says he's still a bit squeamish, but that he knows it's all in his head and I think that were I to make it several more times, he could even get over that!

So thank you to everyone who suggested a sweet, glazed-style salmon (I think that really sold it). And, to the "My boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife hates seafood" support group, this is a victory for us all.

[mariacarmen]

first, congrats on signing the lease! love the way you're making this impromptu dream happen!

second, it really IS a victory for us all - you made a non-fish eater like SALMON! that's pretty impressive.

[gingershelley]

VICTORY BBL!!!!! A lease, and a newly minted salmon-eater. There is hope alive in the world today:)!

[LindaWhit]

How good is that - a lease AND a BF who likes salmon? Things are certainly looking up for BBL! :-)

[nomadchowwoman]

Great idea, BBL. Explore/live/cook//eat in a different culture--and save some money. You'll both be better educated when you do decide to return to school. It's only a year, and when its over you're likely to be much richer for the experience. I wish I could get my husband to uproot for a year!

[twodales]

It's gone quite pleasant today and the heat has moved to you Easterners. Help is on the way.

Tonight it's just me and I had some Middle Eastern food for lunch so I am not really hungry. Think I'll make a little Eton mess tonight. Juicy strawberries, crushed up merengues and whipped cream. Perfect.

[rabaja]

Just got turned oN to Eton Mess after reading April Bloomsfields book. So delicious!
Have you read it? A Girl and Her Pig.
I'm hoping it's a COTM one of these days.

[twodales]

No I haven't. I will look out for it though. So my dinner of Eton mess was scrummy (scrumptious and yummy). I don't usually go for sweets but it hit the spot.

[JungMann]

I knew you had hot weather, but nothing prepared me for the thick soup of superheated air that greeted me yesterday. I also had a large Middle Eastern lunch (kofta kebab with baba ghannouj and tabbouleh) so I wanted to go small for dinner. Sadly I was also overhot and slightly tipsy from all the beer I had drank after work in a desperate attempt to cool off / enjoy life, so dinner ended up being ice cream with mochi.

I must admit I am approaching 30 with trepidation -- beer and ice cream are an unexpectedly efficient bachelor's meal when you're in your 20s. 30, however, seems the point when such meals cease to be ironically charming and more a precursor to diabetes.

[PHREDDY]

I disagree strongly...sounds like a perfectly balanced meal....although lacking a litte protien.....

[JungMann]

I made this ice cream with peanut butter and cream so there was actually a decent amount of protein!

[twodales]

Well then....what are you worried about JM??? *chuckling*

My hubby was at a cocktail do--- British/American confab so when my movie plans fell to the wayside, dessert for dinner seemed perfect. No guilt here especially because I don't have a sweet tooth and rarely eat dessert. I just wanted something light and cool.
I just like to make desserts and give them away. Not a chocolate person either.

I know, I know.

Hope you get some relief soon and ave a Fab weekend.

[PHREDDY]

Jm & td. .... Thunderstorms right now! Relief.... Td... Not met to many other people like you and i that can live without chocolate. My dad and one of my daughters have the same gene!

[gingershelley]

JM, I think of ice cream when I want a hit of protein for sure... LOL

[mariacarmen]

you enjoy while you can. plenty of time later to worry. give yourself a good.... 7 years.