What's for Dinner #164 First touch of fall edition [OLD]

[roxlet]

This was the first morning that I closed the windows in the kitchen, heralding the arrival of much cooler, drier weather in the N.E. I have some marinara simmering on the stove, which will be dressing the delicious mushroom and ricotta salata ravioli that I bought at Tarry Market, the Batali/Bastianich outpost in the burbs. I also have some wonderful cheese sausage from Biancardi's on Arthur Avenue defrosting on the counter, which we'll have after the ravioli along with a green salad.

Is your weather turning? What are you inspired to make for dinner?

[LindaWhit]

Started a new thread here:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/869500

[LindaWhit]

It'll be a salad to use up the CSA lettuce and tomatoes. Well, "use up" is incorrect. Perhaps "use some" is more apropos, as I'll still have plenty left. Will need to figure out how to use that more quickly as I expect there will be more forthcoming in tomorrow's CSA.

Lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, leftover cut up chicken, grated carrots, and whatever other veggies need to be eaten, goat cheese, dried cranberries, croutons, and a lemon-herb-ginger vinaigrette.

[GretchenS]

I haven't posted much lately because mostly what I have been eating is some combination of fabulous farmers market produce and a piece of FM sheep or goat cheese. Yummy but not noteworthy. Today on a grey, rainy day I am very excited about WFD: MMRuth's Swedish Meatballs, which I have been meaning to make FOREVER and am finally doing in honor of Meatball Month. The mix is made and waiting in the fridge. Will report results later....

[Harters]

Dinner comes from the Harters cookbook of the week. It's "Lebanese Cuisine", Anissa Helou, 2003. And a dish I've often eaten in restaurants but never cooked - Kibbeh bil-Saniyeh. Basically a bulghar wheat and minced lamb "sandwich".

You make two lamb mixes. Two thirds of the lamb gets mixed with softened wheat, onion, cinnamon and allspice - half of this goes in the base of a baking dish. The final third of the lamb gets an onion, pine nut spices and pomegranate syrup mix and is smoothed into the baking dish. The remaining wheat third then goes on top and it's baked for 20 minutes.

Alongside Laban ma Khyar (pretty much the standard yoghurt, mint, cucumber, garlic dip that you find all over the eastern Med) and a Salatet Roccah (rocket salad) - just rocket, a little chopped tomato, oil and lemon juice.

[scubadoo97]

You hit my buttons with a good kibbeh. Fried, baked or raw....I'm there. Love it

[Harters]

EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT.

LATEST SHOCK NEWS.

Mrs H declares she will make za'atar flatbreads to go with it.

[mariacarmen]

Mrs. H. rocks!

[LindaWhit]

Yay, Mrs. H!

Dinner sounds good - when you say "softened wheat" - what do you mean?

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Homemade za'atar?? Your whole dinner sounds wonderful!

[Harters]

BBL - it's just the bread she's making . The za'atar is bought.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Still a great accomplishment! How did everything turn out?

[GretchenS]

John, if you and the missus like the Kibbeh would you mind posting amounts of ingredients? You've already given us the method. It sounds fab.

[Harters]

Gretchen - quantities are for a serving for 4 - 6 (and, apparently, it freezes well)

For the kibbe:

1 onion chopped
500g minced lean lamb (we're using leg)
200g burghul (soaked for a while to soften a bit)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoon allspice
0.5 teaspoon black pepper

For the stuffing:

60g pine nuts
500g onions, finely chopped
200g lamb
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons allspice
0.5 teaspoons black pepper

The stuffing gets a bit of cooking before the baking. Fry the pine nuts till golden. Fry the onion till its soft. Fry the lamb to colour it a little. Then add everything together.

By the by, there's another recipe in the book that might better suit folk wanting to freeze quantities and that's to turn them into kibbeh balls. It uses the above quantities of ingredients and makes about 40 balls - roughly the size of a plum. You take a plum sized ball of the kibbeh. Push your finger in and work the hole out a bit. Add a heaped teaspoon of the stuffing and then work the kibbeh back round to seal it back into a plum shape. They're then deep fried for about 3 minutes. She suggests putting them in the freezer for a little while to firm up before frying. Dunno about the western side of the Pond but this is how I'd usually see kibbeh served in restaurants.

[GretchenS]

Thanks John, duly noted, that sounds very good to me!

[mariacarmen]

lambalicious, is that that is...

[gingershelley]

That sounds GREAT, Harters! Somehow, that is getting all my buttons pushed.
I realize I have never had a dish like that. MUST MAKE. Thanks for inspiring!

[Harters]

Well, it's a good evening so far. Dinner proved to be pretty much OK - although, in truth, the different layers weren't that different and they blurred into one. A nice blur, mind.

And Manchester City are still putting up a spirited defence against Real Madrid. Somewhat gob-smackingly the score is 0- 0 at half time. We'll be lucky to keep it to that over the next 45 minutes. A nail-biter!

[mariacarmen]

Chicken marinated with preserved lemon, garlic & rosemary and olive oil, then braised with chicken stock and castelvetrano olives - love those. same couscous as last night, but i added a big splash of vinagre de jerez - have we talked about how sherry vinegar makes just about anything so much better? Wow - delish! can't wait to have the couscous for lunch.

we're on a slight clean-out mode too, though mostly we have a lot of condiments. our freezer stuff can stay put, we'll only be gone for 5 full days - going on a totally cheesy little cruise next week from Long Beach to Catalina Island to Ensenada and back. but i'm actually really excited. i can't believe i won't have to BE ANYWHERE!

AND ... FISH TACOS!!!!! i can't WAIT.

[scubadoo97]

Your meal looks relish and sherry vinegar is my favorite
Have fun on your cruise

[GretchenS]

That sure looks tasty, mc! Have fun on your cruise...

[LindaWhit]

What a lovely looking meal! Enjoy your cruise and your fish tacos, mc. :-)

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Ooh, that chicken looks great. I really need to find myself some sherry vinegar so I can find out what I've been missing. Have fun on your cruise!!

[Dirtywextraolives]

Yes, i agree, sherry vinegar makes everything better.....

Have fun cruising!

[gingershelley]

You get to lounge around, EAT whatever you want, hike on Catalina, etc. I love the cheezy cruise!

[roxlet]

My husband pulled a half a pork but from the freezer, and I decided to make a quasi pernil based on the ingredients for the dish fro All About Roasting by Molly Stevens. The pork didn't have the skin on, and was much smaller than called for, but it was really delicious served with rice and black beans.

[mariacarmen]

that pork looks succulent. well done!

[LindaWhit]

::::stomach grumbling:::: That looks amazing, roxlet!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

I found a bunch of wild salmon reduced at the store and am planning on making gravlax tomorrow. Perfect for using up some fresh dill that's wilting in the fridge. Still hunting down juniper berries, but I bought a bottle of gin today and, since the recipe only calls for 1/4 cup, am forced to use up the leftovers for dinner tonight in the form of g&ts (with lots of lime). The gin's nothing special, but I've had a craving for g&ts all summer, so I'm looking forward to it. Red chili beef burritos with black beans and rice on the side. Lemon-ginger ice cream with dulce de leche, if we want dessert.

[scubadoo97]

If you can't find the juniper berries it will still come out great. I love making lox

[BananaBirkLarsen]

I'm excited. Like gin, salmon is generally something that my boyfriend will not eat, so I'll get to have it all to myself! Speaking of which, how long would you say this usually lasts in the fridge once it is cured? I have over 2 lb of salmon and am thinking I'll probably have to freeze some of it.

[gingershelley]

What a sacrifice you are making - having to eat all that salmon yourself, washed down with gin!

[PHREDDY]

After you cure the salmon, you will not have two pounds, because the sugar and salt draws our teh moisture...thus teh "cure"...you will probably have about 1 1/2 to 1 1/4 lbs. it should last in the fridge for 1 to 1 1/2 weeks...slice it only as you need it...if you freeze it, slice it first...

[ChristinaMason]

What a sacrifice to make...drinking gin for your salmon. ;)

[BananaBirkLarsen]

What can I say? I'm all about the sacrifices. ;)

[mariacarmen]

funny, g&ts are my normal drink, and i subbed grapefruit juice and tanquerays for the summer, but now you're making me want to switch back....

let us know how the gravlax turns out!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Grapefruit and tanquerays (also a g&t) sound great as well. G&t used to be my normal drink, but my boyfriend had an unfortunate bout of gin-related alcohol poisoning shortly before we met and wasn't able to drink it for a couple of years. He seemed okay last night, though, so I anticipate more g&ts in my future (especially if I keep finding wild salmon on sale)!

[mariacarmen]

i was actually told by two different bartenders that grapefruit and gin is the way a "real" greyhound should be made (as opposed to vodka and grapefruit.)

here's to more g&s in your future!

[PHREDDY]

Make it at least once every two months, and then pack it and send it off to my daughter....if you do not have juniper berries...I use some vodka and whole peppercorns.....try to add some minced shallots....it should be set aside skinside down it the fridge at least two days.....let us know how it turns out!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Oooh, peppercorns sound good too! Perhaps I'll do a bit of both. The crazy thing is, juniper berries are supposedly growing wild all around me and I just don't know what they look like in the wild. I'll have to hunt some down and dry them for the next batch of salmon!

[gingershelley]

Hi all! I ended up out of town over the weekend at the last minute visiting friends who live in the country on a mini 'gentleman's farm' down by Vancouver, WA; the occasion was their local Sausage Fest and Fair'. Lot's of fun. We feasted on some great microbrews and great local sausage from several different vendors/beer halls on Saturday, and some super local music to accompany. Had some great spicy merguez, with a smoked paprika aioli, a nice white bockwurst with beer-braised onions and spicy mustard, and a boar sausage I shared. Pumpkin beer while watching kiddies try to ride the sheep? Priceless.

Breakfast yesterday featured freshly-gathered poached eggs, and honey from their own beehive on homemade bread. So good....

Tonight I am craving a burger, so making some home ground chuck and sirlion mix, with garlic, onion and some Aleppo pepper mixed in. May turn the one I cook tonight into a hoisin burger, and top with avocado, tomato and grilled red onion, served up on a great locally-made bakery bun. Nice to be home again!

[mariacarmen]

wow, what a yummy weekend you had! (i had merguez sausage twice on Saturday - bfast and then dinner out - that stuff is sooooo good.)

welcome back, gs!

[LindaWhit]

What an amazingly fun food weekend, gingershel! And that burger last night sounds tasty as well. :-)

[gingershelley]

Thanks Ladies - it was super fun. And the burger hit the spot too:)

[steve h.]

Spaghetti Carbonara is on the menu.

I bought farm-fresh eggs, we have guanciale and good quality Pecorino Romana. The inspiration is Roscioli, a purveyor of cheeses, meats and wines just off the Camp de' Fiori in Rome They make the best carbonara I've ever had. It's one of my "goto" places.

I'll liberate something Italian from the wine jail. Football will be on the plasma.

Here's a link to the recipe:
http://www.deliciousdays.com/archives/2008/11/02/3-pepper-spaghetti-carbonara-roscioli-inspired/

Here's a video from Katie Parla's website (great source of information) that shows the technique:
http://www.parlafood.com/spaghetti-ca...

[suburban_mom]

Last night we had steaks grilled over hardwood lump charcoal. I also grilled eggplant, red onions and red peppers. The steaks were from my organic meat supplier - 2 tbones, 1 porterhouse and all dry aged. We also had a salad- greens, sungold cherry tomatoes and cucumber. All the veggies except the cucumber came from our CSA. The cucumber came from our garden.

Tonight's dinner - porkchops for our meat supplier that were grilled last night with the steaks. Roasted acorn squash from the CSA and a repeat on the salad.

I like that I've got 2 meals that didn't require trips to the store.

[mamachef]

Huge amounts of food prepped here, for my family and four other families I deliver to. Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) was tonight, and the menu follows the usual theme.
Sliced apples to dip in honey (to signify a sweet new year)
round challah bread
hummous, pita, mezze
matzo ball soup
brisket, braised w/ port and stock, w/ prunes and carrots. Melted in the mouth. Outstanding.
kasha varnishkes (kasha and bowtie noodles, w/ mushrooms and onions, cooked in stock)
glazed butternut squash chunks (orange glaze)
broccolini sauteed w/ garlic
green salad, honey vinaigrette
walnut-date cake, pecan pie
Happy New Year to all members of the tribe.

[scubadoo97]

Happy New Year Marci. You start the new year with a beautiful mitzvah/zedakah. May you have a wonderful healthy and happy new year

[mamachef]

scubadoo97, what a beautiful blessing and beautiful words. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I wish you and yours nothing but peace, mitzvahs, and prosperity this 5773.

[Harters]

A happy new year, Marci.

I live two doors down from the synagogue and had noticed how busy it was today and realised it must be "something special", so had Googled it when I came back home.

Dinner sounds fab - even by the standards of this devout athiest.

[mamachef]

LOL, John. I used to live just a door away from a Buddhist temple, so I always knew when special days were happening, and felt like a cultural noob for not knowing this stuff. (though, why would I?) Thank you for the New Year's wish. Dinner WAS good, but I'm looking forward to making a breakfast hash out of the leftover brisket, with some Yukon gold potatoes and onion and a few poached eggs even more.

I'm not religious by any means either, but culturally speaking, I tend to the rituals always; it brings me a sense of belonging and I like to carry out traditions so my atheist kids will want to do the same thing, regardless of their belief system. I hope it brings them much joy, and that they pass it on too. TRADITION! :)

[Harters]

No doubt a sign of the times, but the cops were parked outside the synagogue all day. No idea whether there had been any specific threats or it was just a general security presence.

[mariacarmen]

sincerely hope it's the latter and not the former.

not religious here, either but i love those traditions of mamachef's tribe - because they sound so danged delicious.

[Harters]

Agreed. Anyone's traditions that involve food have my genuine respect

[GretchenS]

Happy New Year, Marci, you certainly welcomed it in with much deliciousness! I love the cultural traditions expressed in food. A wonderful friend of mine explains Jewish traditions to me and usually ends by saying, "and that's how we have done it for many centuries".

[mamachef]

Thank you, Gretchen! I really love the rituals too - doing things that my tribe does in the basic, same way, for all these years now. I like your friend's explanation.

[mariacarmen]

ohhhh the sound of that that brisket made me swoon!

[gingershelley]

Happy New Year to you Marci! Hope it was a joyous celebration. The food of course was great:)

[PHREDDY]

MC....Happy New Year!!!!....

[mariacarmen]

had two dinners in the works: this morning i marinated b/s chicken thighs in chopped up preserved lemon, fresh rosemary and 5 cloves of sliced garlic. yesterday i made couscous with smoked paprika, toasted pine nuts, feta, shallots, cilantro and dill, which was supposed to go with the chicken. today, my sister spit-roasted a brined pork shoulder for me while i tended to the oldster and ran errands. when i got home, BF was starving, i was pooped, and i'd forgotten to add any olive oil to the chicken. sooooo.... a few glugs of olive oil, a nice little massage, and the chicken went back in the fridge to marinade another night (oh, and i added a handful of castelvetrano olives to that).

path of least resistance: i made a glaze of the BF's homemade hoisin, black vinegar, light soy, and sesame oil to brush all over the pork roast. stuck it in under the broiler to crisp the fat, served it up with couscous and a salad of red leaf lettuce, sweet cherry peppers and scallions in a sherry vinaigrette. schizo, yes, but it was pretty delish. plenty of couscous left for tomorrow with the chicken, or for lunches if the BF can't stomach it again. on second thought, i think i'll have him make his roasted potatoes with the chicken instead.

[mamachef]

Oy, mc2. What wonderful things are going on at your place!! That pork sounds outrageous. I hope you have leftovers so you can make a sammidge or two. :)

[LindaWhit]

Your path of least resistance was a good left turn to make - what wonderful flavors!

[GretchenS]

YUM, looks and sounds gorgeous!!!

[mariacarmen]

Danke, ladies! can't wait to try the chicken tonight!

[gingershelley]

Sounds great MC!

[tiffeecanoe]

Oh goodness, my dad surprised me with liver dumpling soup - delicious! I've been craving it for too long!

[ChristinaMason]

Tonight it's down to the bare bones of the pantry and freezer, but I think we're doing pretty well: kashmir curry with shrimp, cauliflower (from frozen), ginger, onion, and a can of tomatoes with okra and corn (blame the DH for *that* random purchase). That will be served on top of brown rice steamed with the remnants of a bag of dried minced fruit. Some homemade yogurt to cool things down if needed.

While things simmer, my man's Belgian triple is helping to whet the appetite.

[GretchenS]

You know, a well-stocked pantry and freezer will just keep turning out delicious meals! :)

[ChristinaMason]

Indeed! Things got really random when we threw in some tomatillo salsa that needed using up. Surprisingly, it worked. And a chopping of toasted almonds (from the pantry, natch) finished things off nicely.

[Dirtywextraolives]

The heat has finally broken here, but still no reprieve from the laziness of a warm Sunday afternoon.

Falafels on warm pitas, hummus w extra lemon, pickles, yogurt sauce & dressed iceberg & tomatoes made a satisfying lunch.

I rubbed down a 3# pork shoulder with spices two days ago. It's been slow roasting & making the house smell wonderful since noon. I'll bake some black beans w queso fresco to go with, and make tacos with the carnitas. We have chips, salsas, avocados & tortillas. And tequila. And cheesecake. What a party!

[mamachef]

Dirtywextraolives, all your meals sound delicious. What spices did you use on the shoulder; cumin? garlic? I hope your dinner party was totally fun and fulfilling!

[boyzoma]

Tonight, since it is still nice weather here (for a change) will be a Beer Can Chicken on the grill. To go with will be some BBQ Red Potatoes with onion in a foil packet also on the grill and on the side burner, some fresh steamed green beans. Yum!!!

[mamachef]

bz, don't you love the foil packet thingy? I played w/ that one all Summer long, to the extent that I was figuring out fruits and desserts, among other things. It works so well, keeps the kitchen cool, and you can put virtually anything on the the grill. Dinner sounds great.

[boyzoma]

mamachef - I've also got some of that non-stick foil. It works great too! I love it! I've even done swiss steak in the packets!

[LindaWhit]

A beautiful fall day - perfect home opener weather for the Pats. Too bad they couldn't pull it out in the last few seconds of the game. Very uncharacteristic shanking of the field goal kick by Gostkowski.

I enjoyed a visit from my sister, and she brought drawings of her kitchen for the Maine cabin - she's ordered the oven/stovetop and the kitchen cabinets. She also took measurements of my kitchen cabinets and is going to price them out at the place from where she's ordered hers. It'll be awhile before I can afford them, but if I at least have an approximate price, I know what to aim for.

We also headed up to a local-to-me antique store a few towns set in the first floor of an old mill in Lawrence. Nothing purchased, but we had an enjoyable time.

Tonight's dinner works with the cooler weather - baked ziti. I'll make one regular-sized loaf pan as well as a few smaller foil loaf pans which I'll freeze for later use. Sides will be garlic bread rolls and lettuce and tomatoes drizzled with a lemon-herb vinaigrette.

[mamachef]

Dinner sounds wonderful. Ziti is such a comfort food. You're always turning out the major grub and it makes me drool. I'm glad you had such a good day with your sister.

[Berheenia]

Going to enjoy some of the excellent mail order pork chops Gretchen turned us on to and keep it simple- green beans and little potatoes - to be cooked according to whim not yet determined.

[chefathome]

As we are going on vacation in ten days for a month, we are cleaning out the fridge/freezers/pantry. Today I am making Jambalaya but serving it with non-traditional steamed spinach with tahini dressing. And chocolate pots de creme (a request from my husband).

[scubadoo97]

I love clean out cookery

[Novelli]

It's been pretty hot here in SoCal, so outdoor cooking was in order. I have an abundance of garden veg to use, so it cam in handy.

Tonite I slow roasted a boneless chunk of leg of lamb to just med rare, sliced thin with a cool tzatziki sauce, some smoked baba ganoush, and grilled flat bread with rosemary and thyme.

Nice, light, refreshing, and perfect for eating out on the porch on a hot evening.
I was totally bummed to find out my camera battery is dead :(
I made lots, and will definitely be making this again this week if this weather keeps up.

[weezieduzzit]

*making mental note of this menu*

That sounds delicious, Novelli!

[Dirtywextraolives]

Yes, I am suffering in your heat as well! We don't usually have to many days this hot! Your lamb sounds wonderful. Enjoy your leftovers, some of the best kind...

[scubadoo97]

Great menu

[ChristinaMason]

echoing everyone else here; that sounds fab!

[roxlet]

Tonight's dinner was what I like to call "Italian Fusion": that is, Veal Parmesan, an Italian American classic. I know that there is no mozzarella in this dish in Italy, but that's the way I made it tonight. To go with the veal, I made a side of spaghetti with the same marinara sauce, as well as the eggplant parmesan that is much loved in this month's COTM. It is made without mozzarella, but with fresh ricotta. What makes it really nice is that the eggplant is baked, and doesn't turn into little oil sponges. It was a very red sauce kind of night!

[Novelli]

wow. very comforting. looks fantastic!

[Dirtywextraolives]

Yum, some very delicious looking & sounding memories to me! I love Italian-American food, I grew up on it. So comforting & delish. Was looking to thaw out some gravy from last winter....

[Berheenia]

Yum. Gotta check out that eggplant parmesan- this month COTM has been totally off my radar but life is slowing down nicely today.

[ChristinaMason]

wowza, that looks delicious!!

[Dirtywextraolives]

I'm with weezie, sweating it out here at about 100..... Haven't left the cool house, but may have to take some restless kids to the pool....

Marinating some boneless chicken thighs a la roxlet's halal recipe. Looks real tasty, can't wait. Iceberg salad & naan bread on the side.

Cheesecake & strawberries for dessert. Theres still some chocolate cake in case I get desperate...

[Dirtywextraolives]

Did you get any sushi recs, Steve? Besides my Nobu in Malibu?

[Dirtywextraolives]

You'd better pray we don't get Santa Ana's.....

[roxlet]

I hope you and your like it as much as my son and I did! Quick, easy and delicious!

[Dirtywextraolives]

We really did, thanks for the link. I thought it was delicious, I use a very similar marinade for chicken legs, a recipe my gf gave me, they come out delicious. The rice was also great. The only change I made was adding the cooked rice into the pan with the chicken & marinade. It just seemed like the thing to do, and it came out perfectly. Definitely a keeper. Glad I have leftovers for some falafel for lunch tomorrow ;)

[weezieduzzit]

The current temperature of 106F(down from this afternoons 108,) is too hot to turn on anything that makes heat in the kitchen so two london broils (planned leftovers that won't require heat for lunch tomorrow,) marinating since yesterday morning will hit the grill with a handful of soaked wood chips, a bundle of asparagus will hang out with them at the end, a foil packet of mushrooms with a big knob of butter on the edge of the grill. Gorgonzola compound butter is waiting in the frige and I'll grab a handful of fresh chives while I'm outside.

If I'm lucky the temp will have dropped to 102 or 104 by the time I light the grill. Lots of stuff for a big cold spinach salad in the frige, I'll have to see how I feel about that in a bit. Appetites aren't that big when its so hot- I'll probably save the salad stuff for tomorrow's lunch with the leftovers sliced on top.

The man will have to pick up beverages on his way home. Every single thing in my 42 year old car is made of metal and much too hot to touch right now. I *might* have everything for mojitos here already... I'll have to check on that.

[ChristinaMason]

My kind of meal! Yum.

[mamachef]

weezieduzit, is the compound butter for the London Broils?
Hope you get some relief; that heat sounds all but unbearable. But you keep on cooking, because you are one delicious read!

[LindaWhit]

Got my new TV console delivered today. Loving it - although it seems odd to actually having a coffee table again! It now looks like too much furniture in my living room with a coffee table. :-)

Dinner will be roast chicken rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with za'atar, additional ground sumac (other than what already comes in the za'atar), and salt. Roasted Yukon Gold and purple potatoes tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic/herb seasoning mix, and steamed green beans with toasted almonds.

[scubadoo97]

Dinner sounds "marvelous"

[Harters]

I've become something of a za'atar bore in recent weeks, after chatting with the woman at the newish Lebanese food shop down the road from us. Did you know there are different national styles of za-atar - Lebanese, Palestinian and Jordanian, being the main ones. We bought the Jordanian one as it's the heaviest with citrus flavour (presumably from sumac).

As for dinner tonight, we're going into the city for Cantonese food. A place we've not tried before (not least because herself isn't the biggest fan of Cantonese) and I worry a tad because it has a bit of a reputation more for glitz and glamour, than good food. So, there you are, Harters & Hartess do glitz and glamour for Sunday dinner.

[LindaWhit]

I didn't know but it makes sense. This "gourmet" brand is called Tunisian za'atar roasting rub. Sumac is the first ingredient, with a oregano-marjoram blend being second, and then the toasted sesame seeds. Interestingly, no thyme which is what I usually see in the recipes for za'atar. So I always add some, as well as the additional ground sumac.

Enjoy the glitz and glamour. And I hope the Cantonese works out to the Mrs.' taste!

[scubadoo97]

Typically I see green and brown za'atar

[mariacarmen]

i did know it, but only because a local middle eastern grocery store carries at least 6 different blends. i haven't been in a while, need to do that.

Hope the glitz paid off tonight!

[steve h.]

Fillets of Sole Florintine is on the menu.

Fillets of sole gratineed on a bed of spinach. There will be a Mornay Sauce, maybe some rice to round out the plate.

This is a Julia Child recipe (p. 93. The Way to Cook).

I bought the fish this morning from a commercial dealer who also sells retail. Deb will do the heavy lifting, I'm on KP.

Deb and I are upgrading our hideous foundation plants. Peonies have been transplanted to make room for hydrangeas from White Flower Farm (Incrediball). They should go quit well next to the
andromedas. The rudbeckia will be yanked out like the weed that it is. The flashy weigela will remain on the opposite side of the steps as a puffy reminder that cool looking, tough plants always have a home at my place. My back hurts.

[scubadoo97]

Nice meal Steve. Well deserved after a day of labor

[mamachef]

It was that sole recipe that got my kids to try and like fish. Yumm. What memories that brings. I may have to make this soon; I have spinach that needs using and now I'm craving Mornay sauce.
Enjoy the landscaping project. Don't hurt yourself!

[HillJ]

http://www.davidrocco.com/recipes/sal...
Farro Salad and wine marinated grilled turkey thighs for dinner 2-night!

[scubadoo97]

I really like the chewiness of farro. Nice meal

[HillJ]

Thanks scub! This is a fun thread to follow along with.

[chefathome]

We grilled two spicy-rubbed pork tenderloins last night (as above post mentions) and had one with a sweet and spicy glaze. Well, tonight we are having the second, again with the sweet and spicy glaze. But instead of creamy polenta we are serving with Hasselback potatoes (with bay leaves and garlic slivers inserted). Our side is sauteed bacon and pearl onions with chestnuts. Then you drizzle in a little honey and everything becomes sticky and sweet. Think chestnut-onion-bacon candy!

[scubadoo97]

Sounds fantastic chefathome. Chestnut onion bacon candy has a nice ring to it. Drooling at the thought of it

[mamachef]

I love what you did w/ the potatoes. I love that recipe, but have never thought of inserting anything; just seasoned them up. I need to try this. I love the flavor of Bay. And that onion dish sounds like Manna.

[chefathome]

I just love how bay flavours these potatoes. You can also insert fresh thyme, rosemary, etc. Easy but gorgeous and delicious. And the onion dish was AMAZING!

[Dirtywextraolives]

Yum, sounds divine!

[mariacarmen]

i too love HB potatoes with garlic slivers inserted in the cuts! and rosemary, or any herb... so yummy.....

bacon and pearl onions and chestnuts and honey, oh MY!

[mamachef]

I am lucky enough to be babysitting a very verbal 3-year-old tonight, and I don't want to serve him a separate dinner, so today we're going to make a pot of Summer vegetable soup: chicken stock, onions, tomatoes, peas, green beans, zucchini, corn, diced carrots and potatoes: all nice and familiar, and his pickiness (which is low on the scale anyway) does not extend to having foods that are "mixed up" or that "touch each other." So I feel pretty safe with this. On the side, I'll make some cheddar biscuits and a fruit crisp of some kind, depending on what's at the market or in the CSA box that's coming today; hopefully there'll be some good cherries or peaches about. And a big glass of milk, and dinnah is served.

[Harters]

Dinner at Harters Hall is going to be a very British roast duck. There'll be roast spuds, of course. But instead of the very traditional peas to accompany, we'll be having sugarsnaps. For a sauce, I went for a nosy in the freezer for apple (also traditional) but, horror of horrors, no left, But I did find something marked up as "clementine sauce for duck" which we made last November - absolutely no recollection of what it was like but it can't have been vile, otherwise we wouldn't have frozen the leftovers.

Cheese for afters - supermarket had a very nice looking Red Leicester.

[mamachef]

Gawd, I love your traditional British meals and colloquiallisms: "Went for a nosy in the freezer." And clementine sounds great w/ duck - I think citrus in almost any form cuts the richness of the fowl and is a perfect companion. Enjoy dinner.

[gingershelley]

+1, on what MC said. Love clementine....

[Harters]

Have to say (modestly, as always) that it was just a bit fucking brilliant as a dinner.

Herself found some bits and bob of things in the fridge to make a starter - mozzarella balls, olives, sundried tomatoes. And some homemade grissini. And she'd made a seed & walnut bread that was outstanding with the cheese.

[LindaWhit]

"Have to say (modestly, as always) that it was just a bit fucking brilliant as a dinner."

::::grinning:::::

[mamachef]

Harters, your modesty totally becomes you. :)
Herselfs bread sounds wonderful - sesame seeds? sunflower seeds?
That's one hell of a throw-together meal, Mister!!
Cheerio, John.
Marci

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Chicken-veggie-noodle soup on this rather cool night. A drizzle of sriracha to make it interesting and bread and butter on the side.

Also making some dulce de leche with a failed batch of still-liquid cream cheese. Not sure what I'll do with it yet. Perhaps I'll spoon it over the lemon ginger ice cream I made with the last failed batch of cream cheese.

[gingershelley]

Well, BBL, looks like you are making great stuff out of failure, at least:). I can't remember; do you use Jeni's Splendid as your template for ice cream, or do you use an egg custard? Curious about the lemon ginger, as I have a huge supply of both on hand right now and would like to try that flavor if you could give me some tips.

[BananaBirkLarsen]

I generally prefer an egg custard, as I like the eggy flavour and also enjoy finding something to do with all the leftover egg whites. This time, however, I was out of eggs and so used an eggless recipe which looks like it was based on the Jeni's Splendid template. I recently cleared my browser history and can't find the recipe, but it was pretty much the Jeni's Splendid base with ginger syrup (ginger boiled in simple syrup) and lemon zest added. The lemon zest and ginger chunks were strained out before churning and some extra lemon juice and candied ginger were added half way through (I skipped the candied ginger 'cause I didn't have any).

My favourite ginger ice cream, however, is the custard based Lebovitz recipe. You could probably add lemon the exact same way as in the eggless recipe. I also have a recipe for lemongrass ginger ice cream written down somewhere that I could type up if you want. The custard curdled, if I remember correctly, but the end product was really really good (and I think you can avoid the curdling by blanching the ginger).

[gingershelley]

Thanks BBL; I love David L, and will look up his recipe.
I have a strong ginger syrup just as you describe in the fridge - I put it in plain seltzer water all the time. So just adding this, plus lemon juice and zest to the base worked fine it sounds like. I like her base recipe, so may try that first, then compare with a batch of DL custard-style.

MUST make some version of this this week, and will report back.

[ChristinaMason]

Tonight was ground turkey tacos, which helped to obliterate some lettuce past its prime, a can of tomatillo salsa, some radishes needing love, and a box of corn shells on the slightly stale side. The shells crisped up nicely, and I heated up a can of black beans with some bay leaves, cumin, and the last of the chipotle puree in the freezer. Not bad, and thrifty. The Man's IPA and a geuze to drink. I am all about sour beers lately.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Sounds like you're working magic on clean-out duty. I'd eat that right now.

[ChristinaMason]

Thanks. If you were in this household, you wouldn't have much choice ;)

I enjoy the challenge.

[kubasd]

Sounds like a great dinner, especially for a clean-up dinner!

p.s. sour beers = love. Brouwerij Boon, Cantillon, and Allagash make my favorites! Oh and Russian River, of course :P

[ChristinaMason]

I've been to Cantillon. Awesome little place! Their lambics are (were?) a bit TOO sour for me. I'm a Kriek girl, and recently I've been getting into all kinds of non-fruited lambics and sours. My favorite are the barrel-aged.

[scubadoo97]

Great meals everyone

The other day I picked up a couple of racks of lamb that were on sale at Fresh Market the other day.

Today took one rack and marinaded it in a mix of 1/2 cup of evoo, juice of 3 lemons plus the zest, a tbs of za'atar, 1 tsp of oregano, 1 tsp of rosemary and a couple of cloves of garlic and wizzed it up with a stick blender and poured it over the rack of lamb and let it sit for a couple of hours

Heated up the smoker to 220 and tossed in a bunch of pistachio shells and let it smoke for a while until I was getting thin blue smoke and then tossed the rack on for a reverse sear. Smoked the lamb until it was hovering around 100 then tossed it onto a hot grill to sear and finish until it hit 140-145 then removed it to rest.

Had some brussel sprouts roasting in the oven which were just done when I took the meat off. Made a salad to complete the meal.

[ChristinaMason]

Oh, wow! Smoked with shells...who would have thought of it! Do they impart much flavor? Gorgeous color on that meat.

[mariacarmen]

those are GORGEOUS!!

[eight_inch_pestle]

Yeah, damn fine work, Sir.

[GretchenS]

Fabulous. I want it now. :)

[LindaWhit]

::::Stomach rumbling:::: Those. Are. Amazing!

[steve h.]

Your pictures do justice to a great meal. Pistachio shells? Well done.

[gingershelley]

Wow! Those are fabulous chops.... have never had smoked lamb, and now I am dying to try it. Nice job scubadoo!

[scubadoo97]

Thanks all for the kind words. They were some of the best rib chops I've had in a long time

The pistaschio shells didn't impart a strong smoke flavor since I let them burn off all white smoke and then some. There was a mild smokiness which was over shadowed by the chared fat from the grilling but what I was using the electric smoker for was more of an outside oven to slowly bring those chops up to temp and it's proximity to the grill

[Dirtywextraolives]

Just like mamachef's family, we are also celebrating yet another birthday here! And so, it's been nothing but snacks since after school, chips & salsas, found a delicious mango-peach one. And pop chips, and fruit salad.

Dinner was requested as crab. As in, king crab legs....as in, kid after my own heart...but really? So I bought four legs, forgetting they are each four feet long.....the things I do for my budding Chowhounds...

I have a can of lump crabmeat I **must** use up, so Baltimore crab cakes alongside with lettuce leaf cups. Remoulade sauce & clarified butter on the side. Baked stuffed potatoes. Cheesecake with some strawberry sauce and nine candles for dessert.

EDIT: so crab was a week past it's "best by" date, so not risking it. There I'll be enough crab from the dinosaurific ones I got at the super expensive grocery store. Subbing in some portabella pizzas with fresh mozz & arugula instead. Garlic bread also.

[gingershelley]

Nice crabby meal for a 9 year old! Way to encourage the budding chowhound:)

[eight_inch_pestle]

Simple chicken thighs, browned then braised with beer, tomatoes, butter, mixed fresh herbs, onion, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and just a touch of cinnamon. Reduced the sauce while throwing the thighs back under the broiler, and stirred in some sauteed zucchini slices and just a swirl of cream at the last moment. Turned out well. Simple salad and beer to go with.

[LindaWhit]

Oh my! Both your meal and chefathome's sound wonderful!

[eight_inch_pestle]

Thanks L-Dub.

[chefathome]

We had leftover creamy polenta from last evening so I made a spice-rubbed pork tenderloin with sweet and spicy red pepper sauce to go over it. Something quite different from the ragout we had last night. Our veg was sauteed shaved Brussels sprouts with smoked ham which was then braised for a bit. Then toasted almonds were added for crunch. We served it with a gorgeous wine we brought back from our last trip to Croatia.

[GretchenS]

Oh. Yum.

[scubadoo97]

that sound delicious

[ChristinaMason]

ditto!

[mamachef]

Celebrating a family birthday this evening, and the express request of the birfdayday boy is Surf- n-Turf, which had me going in a bazillion different directions, but with some help from mc2 and a few helpful others we managed to dodge the (too) classic grilled steak/shrimp cocktail combo, and what I came up with for a final final menu is:
Prawns, grilled w/ charmoula; grilled flatbreads; assorted mezze
Tenderloin kebabs (marinated in walnut oil, red wine, pomegranate vinegar, spices) on a bed of charred onions and peppers
Potato-peanut croquettes
Salad: hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers; yogurt/cilantro dressing
More flatbreads, w/ z'atar; olive-oil drizzled
Whatever red wine whomever brings; Ginger-lemon iced tea (or whatever anyone wants)
And to top it all off in the most traditional way.....Birfday Cake! Double fudge/strawberry ice cream cake, layered w/ fresh berries, thin layer of ganache; buttercream icing
And a nap for all concerned. Or just early to bed.
Have a great, safe weekend y'all. :)

[kubasd]

It's my birthday, too!!!! Not really... but I want that meal! Sounds wonderful, mc.... good job! And happy birfday to the boy :)

[mariacarmen]

oh those kebabs sound way better than what i suggested! enjoy yourselves!

[Dirtywextraolives]

Sounds wonderful & very celebratory indeed!

[GretchenS]

Great birfday meal mc, have a terrific weekend!

[scubadoo97]

Wow what a spread mamachef

[smilingal]

hey Marci - been thinking 'bout ya - wishing you and yours a healthy, peaceful and happy New Year. Hope you are doing well.

BTW - this wish is for everyone else reading here as well!

[mamachef]

smilingal, how sweet! L'shana tova; may you be inscribed and have peace and prosperity this year and always. I just wrote in the "who is making RH dinner," and since I'm feeling super-redundant I figured I'd just stop in here and write about the same menu in a different place. I mean, G-d forbid somebody misses the exciting account of our very classic dinner which was pretty much the same as everybody elses, only I had to do large-scale quantity because I was also cooking for four other families who didn't want to make their dinner tonight. Great for business, but dang I'm tired!
Thank you so much for the blessing!
Marci

[smilingal]

Are you still cooking for your house of men? lol

[mamachef]

No, I'm not - I moved out of the area about 6 months ago, though I go back frequently to manage things there since I still have a house there. I miss my fellas and talk to a few of them when they call now and again, to get a word of advice or encouragement. Or (a very few of them) a recipe. :) I miss it. What I'm doing now is food delivery for several local families who haven't got the time to cook, and some to-order baking and side catering, and it gives me a bit more free time!

[PHREDDY]

Wishes for a coming year filled with good health, prosperity, and sweet......deserts!

La'shana Tova!

[mamachef]

PHREDDY, how nice. Thank you! Are you Jewish? If you are back atcha; if not, thanks for taking a moment to wish me lots of goodies in the coming year!! :)

[PHREDDY]

Yes...my menu was similar to yours, except we added in some roast duck....for lunch yesterday, (after shul) we made a duck , red onion & red pepper fritata....instead of chicken schmaltz, we used duck schmaltz!!!!! Great for the arteries...but hey...once or twice a year in the name of our ancestors!.
Best wishes for a wonderful year! Fivel Schmul (Phreddy)

[GretchenS]

Last night I made pork and bacon roulades, which I have been hankering for since L. Nightshade posted about them on the Planet Barbecue thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8612...
Basically you flatten out thinly-sliced sliced pork, roll it up around a bit of onion, pickle and cheese, wrap in bacon, skewer and grill. Well, honestly, what could possibly be bad? These were fab even though most of the cheese dripped out into the grease pan under the grill. (I will freeze the cheese batons next time.) Raichlen suggests serving with a dollop of sour cream but I morphed that into my beloved old-fashioned cucumber-sour cream-vinegar salad and also had some really good sliced heirloom tomato. I was a happy bunny.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Yum!

[chefathome]

Man, I love roulades! The Planet Barbecue book is a worthwhile investment.

[gingershelley]

Last night was a really nice piece of tri-tip, simply rubbed with garlic cloves, kosher salt and cracked pepper, left to absorb those flavors for an hour, then grilled. Side of grilled fresh pimiento pepper (red pepper that has thin skin and a bit more bite than red bell), and grilled zucchini. Nice beefy flavor. Served the meat thinly sliced across the grain, the MR was flavorful and juicy.

I got a whole slab of this meat on 'sell-by' discount, so have 2 more chunks for future steaks in the freezer. Yeah.

Dessert was a perfect, ripe, giant nectarine cut in chunks and left to macerate in a little maple syrup. That juice in the dish was nectar of the fruit fairies I tell you! More of that for breakfast today:)

[ChristinaMason]

I promised pre-move cooking would get weird, and it has:

Last night was the last of the Ikea meatballs from the freezer, browned in a skillet with some diced onion. I tossed in the remaining 1/3 bag of some frozen okra and drowned the whole thing in a jar of Newman's Own alfredo sauce. It was not bad, but kind of strange.

Tonight will be ground chicken tacos to use up some corn shells and salsa.

[GretchenS]

You are a trooper using everything up even when it gets weird!

[ChristinaMason]

Haha. I didn't mention that it was served over two different types of pasta: egg noodles and orchiette (cooking timed appropriately). Both remnants from their respective packages.

[gembellina]

It dropped in chilly a few days ago and I thought the summer was finally over, but it's warmed up again. However the leaves are turning and there's a definite change in the air so I think it's time to give up on salads and start stewing and mashing. Tonight will be mushroom provencale according to recipe though I'd call it more of a bourguignon sans boeuf. Anyway, 5 kinds of mushrooms, garlic, onions, bacon fat and butter, thyme, red wine and homemade chicken stock, served over fauxtatoes and with something green alongside. Can't wait - just have to get through the Subway sandiwches at my lunchtime training course :(

[Harters]

Fauxtatoes?

[gembellina]

Mashed cauliflower! An idea from the low-carb threads; surprisingly convincing as mashed potatoes and also delicious in its own right.

[mariacarmen]

i love mashed cauliflower - but it's funny, i learned fautatoes as canned broad beans made in to a fauxtato salad, from BabsW!

and that bourgugnon sas boeuf sounds divine...

[LindaWhit]

I can't wait for stewing and mashing and braising. :-) Your mushroom provencale sounds wonderful!

[Harters]

Upcoming........pan fried pollock. Devilled sauce......1 tablespoon each of Worcestershire sauce, grain mustard, mango chutney & orange juice. New potatoes, simply boiled. Something green from a tin or the freezer.

[LindaWhit]

I *like* the sound of that sauce, Harters. I'm thinking it would be good dolloped on chicken as well. ::::making a mental note to buy some Major Grey's::::: I think some chicken, potatoes, and green beans are on the menu for tomorrow night after I get my TV console delivered (and regain the use of my coffee table which has been holding my TV for the past year-plus!)

I will be dining out with a friend and her daughter tonight. I'm going to see how adventurous I can get her daughter to be in ordering, although I suspect it'll be a burger or chicken tenders.

[Harters]

Let me know if you try it. I'm never convinced that orange works with chicken but I bet a slug of white wine and little squeeze of lemon would do very nicely in its place.

[roxlet]

I've come down with the same crappy cold that everyone seems to have these days, so I was not inspired to cook. The husband came home, and acting on my son's suggestion, made shrimp and chorizo tacos with black beans. They were excellent, and there was very little cleaning up, which always is good when you're feeling bad.

[gembellina]

Hope you feel better. Those tacos sound like a great combination. I'm trying to do more with black beans, I don't think they were widely avilable in the UK.

[Harters]

I think that of the main British supermarkets, only Waitrose sells black beans - and didnt have them in stock when I went looking a couple of months ago. They were called for in a "rice & peas" recipe but I went back to my default red kidney beans.

[roxlet]

My son's former Jamaican babysitter would use pigeon peas for her rice and peas. She would use red kidney beans only if the pigeon peas weren't available.

[mariacarmen]

wow those tacos sound great!
feel better!

[Dirtywextraolives]

Agreed, on both counts!!

[gingershelley]

Feel better Roxlet! Hope there was salsa or hot sauce with the taco's, to chase the bugs away.

[GretchenS]

Feel better rox!

[gingershelley]

Last night I finally got down with the meatball gauntlet, version 1. I had perused a bunch of my cookbooks and found surprisingly few recipes that called out to me to make. And I was very into the idea of the pork and shrimp meatballs that Nomadchowoman put up on the meatball thread.

Of course, I can never leave well-enough alone, and there was some discussion of them being a bit wet, and sliding off the recipe's plan that you grill them (or broil) them on lemongrass stalks.

Here is the recipe as she posted it.
This is a Susan Spicer recipe:http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8661...

So I made the recipe, sans grated carrot (somehow, that didn't appeal to me), added a bit of fresh bread crumbs, soaked in milk for a couple minutes and squeezed out. I also added lemon peel, as for some reason I couldn't find lemongrass in my asian store yesterday. Weird about that, so subbed in micro-planed lemon zest. I also added about 2 oz. of ground chuck that I had in the freezer since it needed using up. Made about 1/2 recipe as just lil' ol me for dinner, and I knew I would have leftovers as it was.

I chilled the meatballs for an hour after forming (perfect, nice scoops made with mini ice cream scoop). Then I browned them, removed to a plate, and made a light fresh tomato sauce in the drippings. Garlic, ginger, scallions, a couple of very juicy local tomatoes diced up got sauteed until breaking down. Added some harissa paste for heat, a dab of tomato paste for depth, and a sploosh of lime juice, fresh orange juice, and a pinch of sugar. Put back the meatballs to finish and simmer in the sauce for 30 minutes to finish cooking them and heat through. Lot's of chopped cilantro to finish.

Delish! Kind of a hybrid Thai-ish meatball in a ginger tomato sauce. Very good over some rice noodles, tho I think coconut-ginger rice might have been a better base for some reason. Will try that next time. These are a keeper!

By the time I was ready to eat, I forgot to take a finished-dish pic, but here are the meatballs in their sauce in the saute pan

[GretchenS]

Mmmm, those look wonderful.

[scubadoo97]

yes they do!!

[chefathome]

I've been on a real meatball kick lately. All kinds. Yours look delicious!

[Berheenia]

Very low key boneless breasts dredged in spicy egg mix and some elderly sun dried tomato panko crumbs will be pan fried and served with broccoli crowns and TJ's orzo pilaf from the box. There will be Ranch dressing.

[Dirtywextraolives]

After a day of food debauchery yesterday, and the battle scars to prove it this morning, we're eating light.

Simple cheese omelettes & tater tots for the kids. Breakfast burrito for me with leftover rice/cheese/tomatillo stuffing, eggs, avocado & cholula. Trying very hard to say no to chocolate cake for dessert.

[mariacarmen]

once again, i want you to make me BOTH your meals! yummy stuff!

[LindaWhit]

I want to know more about the food debauchery and the battle scars. :-)

[kubasd]

ditto! lol

[gingershelley]

+1 on reports on debauchery, seriously - dish - er, um as it were.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Well, okay....but just between you, me and the wall....;0)). It involved a completely selfish lunch for one at an uber trendy slice of action in a happening part of town, with solid cred in the kitchen. Started w a dry sparkling rosé, then I proceeded to enjoy a few of the things I miss from home: a lobster roll, the perfect bite size on a grilled brioche top split bun. Albacore sashimi followed, then an ethereal dish of linguine and clam sauce with an uni agilo oilio, and garlic chile breadcrumbs, a dish I most definitely will never forget & will try to replicate at home...drooling just thinking about it. And then I had to go and order a salad to pretend that I ate something healthy...an heirloom tomatoes, olive vinaigrette, cukes, olive ciabatta croutons in thin slices. A French Feta, I believe, so creamy. Took half of it home. And ordered a fried chicken sandwich to take home for dinner, as I was Not Cooking that night. Unbelievably good three hours later. Killer brioche buttered, griddled bun, a spicy slaw that was delicious, lots of dill pickle slices, and a rooster sauce, which I guess is sriracha mayo on the bun. Perfect. Had a smug, that's-what-he-gets-being-out-of-town-onmybirthday-'tude. Then he came home with flowers & a chocolate cake. Which of course I had to have a huge slice of.... So it was all good. Until the next morning....

[LindaWhit]

Oh, VERY nice food debauchery! Well played. Until the next morning....

:-)

[GretchenS]

Sounds like fabulous debauchery! Happy (belated) birthday! And many more...

[mariacarmen]

wow - that's a great birthday day! happy belated!

[gingershelley]

Wow, I am drooling at that wonderful meal DwO! Love the pasta dish - I LOVE uni....

And Happy belated birthday to you! Let her eat cake!

[scubadoo97]

Now that does sound luscious

[kubasd]

Wow..... I am seriously impressed!! It all sounds FANTASTIC!! but especially that pasta.... I am drooling at the computer, here.

[mamachef]

Casual Thursday dinner because there's a WHOLE lotta cooking coming up very soon for the High Holy Days, and I'd as soon take it a little easy. So tonight is Berber-spiced lamb, stuffed into pitas, with cucumber/cilantro raita, and a fennel-y slaw, sided by a cherry tomato salad w/ a hummus vinaigrette. Goooood stuff. Purchased baklava for after.

[mariacarmen]

oh yum that lamb sounds good. ground or chunks? please say chunks please say chunks please say chunks....

[rabaja]

That lamb does sound good. We are having lamb steaks, probably with marjoram, garlic and red wine, but now I want it mama-style...
You should swing by, mc!

[mariacarmen]

i WISH! one of these days we should make that happen.

[mamachef]

Not impossible; we're all within a slingshot's distance from each other. :)

[rabaja]

Seriously, I've probably walked by you both at some point.

[mamachef]

Chunks it is, mc2: medium-rare and cut off part of a leg; soooo goood. I also tossed together an orange/date/olive relish, and it's working really well with it; little tangy, little sweet, fresh, umami......definite keeper.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Sounds incredible, may have to try that one....

[gingershelley]

That's some pretty fine cooking, Mamachef, for taking it easy - really! I admire from afar:)

[mamachef]

Hah, the reason it's easy (if not always totally simple, but the other night it was Tuna sandwiches and Campbell's Tomato..) is because I cook for several other families several nights weekly, and tonight is NOT one of those nights.

[gingershelley]

Good for you for having a night just for YOUR peeps, mamachef!

I am considering doing the private chef thing myself. Perhaps I could send you an email and ask you some questions about how you find that?

[mamachef]

Absolutely. I'll answer anything I can!!

[gingershelley]

Mamchef, thanks for the help. Will be in touch:)

[tiffeecanoe]

Made one of my ultimate comfort foods tonight on this lovely cool Wisconsin day! Konisberger Klopse! German meatballs in a creamy caper sauce! They're served over some ridiculously fattening mashed potatoes! Mmmm butter and cream!

Hopefully there will be some leftovers for the husband! ;)

[mamachef]

tiffeecanoe, if you feel like sharing I'd love to have your recipe for it. I haven't had it in years, and boy does it sound comforting.

[tiffeecanoe]

Of course! This recipe has been adapted over the years from who know where!

meatballs
500 g ground meat ( ½ pork, ½ beef) – 1pound.
3 T finely chopped onion
2 tsp mustard (yellow, brown, grainy, smooth – whatever you have)
1 egg yolk
Breadcrumbs (varies ¼ or so)
salt, pepper, fresh nutmeg, garlic powder (all to taste, nutmeg can be omitted, it's the Dutch in me that automatically includes it!)
750 ml water

Sauce
2T butter, 2T flour
500 ml of the broth from the meatballs
1 egg yolk
2T milk
2T capers
salt, pepper
1T Lemon Juice (to taste, more or less)
Speisewürze (or Worcestershire, to taste)

Directions
Combine all meatball ingredients, except breadcrumbs. Add as much breadcrumb as needed for desired consistency. Roll into preferred size, smaller typically better.

Bring 750 ml of salted water to boil in a saucepan. Then add the meatballs and let the water simmer until the meatballs are cooked through. Typically takes 2 batches. Take the meatballs out when done and set aside. Set aside 500 ml of the broth from meatballs.

In the emptied pan make a roux with the butter and flour. Take it off the stove. Pour some broth into the mix and stir until it becomes a smooth paste. Add additional broth. Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes and remove from the heat.

In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk with the milk. Whisk it into the sauce.

Add the capers, salt, pepper, lemon juice, speisewürze – all to taste! I like it a little more caper-y and lemony than some. Return the meatballs to the sauce and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving! Serve over mashed potatoes!

[mamachef]

Thank you, my dear! This sounds a whole lot like dinner sometime next week; delicious!

[GretchenS]

This dish, Konisberger Klopse, was unknown to me two weeks ago and now it is following me around like these creepy ads do for weeks after you once search for something on Google. Except this is definitely not creepy! Thank so much for the recipe, tiffee, I like the sound of it better than the other ones I have seen. It will be made soon chez moi.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Download AdBlock Plus and never see a creepy ad again.

[mariacarmen]

it's true, it works, but it also often blocks my ability to watch videos from youtube or other sites. i checked my settings, nothing says "block videos", but it still happens a lot.

[gingershelley]

Tiffee, that sounds GREAT! I love me any dish that has a caper featured. I hope you have this on the meatball thread too. Came her first, so sorry if I am not up to speed about that. YUM.

[tiffeecanoe]

I don't, but I will very gladly add it!

[eight_inch_pestle]

Omelets filled with sauteed garlicky zucchini strings, tomatoes simmered in olive oil with lots of fresh tarragon, and some shaved Beecher's flagship cheese. Buttered sourdough toast and a nice IPA to go with.

[HillJ]

Chicken tenders coated in pretzel crumbs and baked and served with honey mustard sauce, spinach and garlic saute and mini mac n cheese cups.

[jeniyo]

Hey guys,

I haven't been in a while because I have been moving to Taiwan.

Though produce is cheap and the markets are abundant, it will take some time for me to scout out my fav stores/stalls. My new home doesn't have an oven therefore, everything is being done on the stove top.

Last night, it was halibut with roasted wild mushrooms, chive flowers, chive oil and chili oil.
The night before is black-eyed bean salad with tomatoes, and some bread and butter.
Sometime later tomorrow, we will have some oniony chive blossom pesto, roasted chicken and orechiette.

It is still rather hot here, but I've been wanting to braise and make bolognese this week already. Can't wait for the fall.

[LindaWhit]

jeni, sounds like you'll have lots of fun looking for new foods with your local product market stalls! The halibut dish sounds very good.

[mariacarmen]

wow, sounds like we're in for some very exciting and interesting posts! congrats on your move!

[buttertart]

Man would I love to do that again. What city? What kind of a kitchen do you have? Taiwan is paradise for produce.

[GretchenS]

Wow, what an adventure! I hope you post and share it with us!

[Harters]

We calling this one "Completely Inauthentic Hungarian Shepherd's Pie". It's a brown gloop meal.

Last month, we made a casserole of lamb, beans, lager, caraway, paprika and the like. It was OK and there were leftovers. We bunged the leftovers in a dish, topped it with mashed spuds and stuck it in the freezer. There'll be even less authentic corn on the cob to accompany it (or more likely they'll be drenched in obscene amounts of butter and eaten as a starter)

[mariacarmen]

gobs of butter renders any meal authentic.

[gingershelley]

Harters, is corn on the cob common in the UK these days? I know in most of Europe it is exceedingly hard to fin edible corn, let alone people who want it. Curious about England. Of course, we all know you are well traveled and know about other cultures food gems, and are also a man of refinement and taste, - oh - except perhaps when wearing a bib and dripping corn juice and butter down it:)

[Harters]

Yep. Corn has been popular here at least since the 1970s. Back then, it was a very fashionable starter in the steakhouse type of restaurant. It features in one of the only three occasions when we've sent food back in a restaurant. It was cold!. I can date this precisely to the evening of 12 August 1972 - a meal in the restaurant of the hotel where we spent our wedding night.

[LindaWhit]

You just celebrated your 40th anniversary! :::::very big smile:::::

[Harters]

We did - 12 August (the opening of the grouse shooting season here).

We celebrated with a trip down south - two dinners and one lunch - a total of six Michelin stars.

[buttertart]

Congratulations to the only couple of my generation I know to have been married longer than we (by 9 months, exactly).

[mamachef]

Harters, congratulations to you and best to the Missus. And many more happy years.

[gingershelley]

Awh, Harters, that is a sweet story. Interesting that corn even had a 'fashionable' period. In the late 70's, when I was in high school, my family spent every summer in Cambridge where my dad had a teaching seminar. I don't ever remember seeing corn on the cob, and I was already a huge foodie and experienced cook. Interesting!

[DuchessNukem]

Ah, we've had a couple of fresh days in TX finally. And Costco has their Lobster Bisque again! so to that, we added corn that I'd frozen raw this summer, leftover lobster from a shipment from the inlaws, homemade chicken broth, sherry, and fresh parsley -- leafy sprout salad (home sprouted) to start and buttered rustic bread. So wonderful.

[LindaWhit]

Lobster bisque with corn and extra lobster - wonderful! But "leftover lobster" - is that even possible? LOL

[mariacarmen]

that's what i was thinking!

[DuchessNukem]

LOL, the inlaws had sent two 3# lobsters and a quart of clam chowder. We'd reached a point of gluttony where we would simply have been shoving food down our gullets like pelicans. I HAD to freeze the meat from the second bug.

[LindaWhit]

LOL! Good visual, Duchess! And totally understood re: the freezing.

[gingershelley]

Duchess, I would love to have that problem of too much lobster to shove down my gullet! Bisque sounds wonderful!

[mariacarmen]

Tonight at the oldster's i made a Bolivian dish - aji de fideos (ah-hee de fee-deh-ohs) - it's basically pasta and ground beef with tomatoes in an aji sauce - which means basically chili, like a chili pepper, but i've always known it to mean a kind of stew, of noodles (fideos) or chicken (aji de gallina) or whatever. and, because it's my dad, it can't be spicy, so i found this seasoning called aji panca, a peruvian red pepper, but with the heat removed. so you just get the flavor.

so, basically, the dish is: toast up dry pasta in hot oil as you might with rice, saute onions, garlic, gr. beef, add back the noodles, add a can of stewed tomatoes and their juice, add two cans of water or enough to cover the pasta (i used farfalle), season with the aji panca, paprika, a bay leaf, s&p, and let the whole thing simmer for maybe 25 mins., until the noodles were soft enough for an old man's faulty dentures. that's for his dinner tomorrow night. tonight he had leftover meat loaf i made Saturday, with mashed potatoes and a salad of chopped tomatoes and cilantro.

Me, i had a half of a cold subway-type pastrami sandwich my sister didn't want, and it was actually really tasty. it's funny, but the Aji de fideos is a dish my mother made for us growing up all the time - and i never liked it! But i know how to make it, and my dad loves that kind of homey stuff. even my sister had a bowl.

[mamachef]

You take amazing care of your dad, mc2 - and the fideos sound delicious. I love stuff like that. Pure comfort.

[mariacarmen]

thank you mc!

[GretchenS]

Yes, you and your sister do take amazing care of your oldster! it's very nice that you know how to make that for him and do, even though you don't like it. And how great that he is eating so well!

[mariacarmen]

aw thanks Gretchen. very sweet.

[gingershelley]

+1 on your care of your dad, MC. It is very touching. I hope to be able to do that for my dad someday, when (knock on wood) he finally stops being all healthy and active and stuff. I am so lucky that at 76, he is still working full-time, has a writing career, goes to the gym 5 days a week, and has a lovely creative wife 10 years his junior. I think that stuff is keeping him young - for now.

[mariacarmen]

absolutely, gs! your dad sounds like he's got a loooooooooooong time ahead of good health, great attitude, and a dynamic life ahead of him! good for him being so active! and when he does slow down a bit, you'll be there to nourish him with good food.

[gingershelley]

Thanks for the pep talk, MC:)

[weezieduzzit]

Sister In law and I had chipotle mango marinaded chicken breasts with leftover sides from last night. The chicken stayed nice and juicy and caramelized nicely on the outside. Not exciting but a decent weeknight dinner. I apologized for food this week being kind of dull and she said it's been great because she's never had a lot of what I've been making- I am really thankful that there are few restrictions with her (no seafood so I save that for nights she isn't here,) and that she's willing to try things she's never had. She's only 18 and is just now being introduced to different foods. Her boyfriends mom is Korean and it turns out she loves kimchi!

Leftovers stashed for the man when the poor thing finally gets home. They're swamped at work and he's been working insane hours... I must come up with something special to make this weekend....

[mariacarmen]

it's really great she's enjoying your food, and willing to try new things. so, that's your hubby's sister? a young one!

[weezieduzzit]

Yep, he is just shy of twice her age (and I robbed the cradle... 6 years older than him.) Their Mom is a good cook, just a very standard meat and potatoes/ ingredients out of boxes and cans cook. I always cook over there for Mother's Day and take things for holidays and try to pick things they haven't had. They always like it, it's just out of her comfort zone to make something new/ unfamiliar. (Bananas Foster was a big hit for Christmas dessert, for example.)

SIL wants to learn to make Creme Brulee to impress her boyfriend, I don't mind that at all!

[gingershelley]

Weezie, that is super fun you are helping form a new Chowhound in your SIL. Buy her her own little propane torch for that Creme Brulee, and watch her want to torch all kinds of things (Meringue, grapefruit, etc.)!

[chefathome]

The high today was only 12C. Perfect for creamy barlotti beans with tomato ragout over creamy polenta. Side of honey glazed chestnuts, onions and bacon.

[gembellina]

ooh that sounds lovely! How do you do the borlotti beans?

[chefathome]

It was lovely! All you do with the beans is soak overnight, cook until done (with a bay leaf and juniper berries as the tomato sauce also has juniper) and mix in with the thick and chunky tomato sauce. Then all goes over polenta with Parmesan grated over all.

A really great autumn vegetarian meal. We are omnivores and enjoy hearty comforting vegetarian meals. We did not even miss the meat at all.

[rabaja]

After an extended weekend in Seattle, we are home and glad to be back in the kitchen again. We had some good food, but we realized how spoiled we've been with vrbo's, where you can source out goods and keep cooking "at home" on vacation -I didn't miss doing the dishes, but the prices for even the simplest meal out were killing me after four days. Plus, I like coffee upon rising, not after a four block walk up a hill.
Anyway, last night I made a batch of garden ratatouille, steamed spinach from our hippy-mart and I grilled the most mammoth bone-in ribeye I've ever found. It was delicious, but so rich I could barely eat more than a couple of ounces. I gnawed on the bone just because I could, but eventually had to step away.
The DH didn't even bother trying to eat my leftovers, it was that rich. The leftovers have been diced up and the turned into the first of many fall soups, mushroom-beef-barley.

[mariacarmen]

oh wow - loving that hunka meat!

[eight_inch_pestle]

Wowzers. How thick is that bad boy? And what part of Seattle was your condo in?

[rabaja]

It was thick enough to slice in half horizontally after it came off of the grill, so we each had a grilled side and a med-rare cut side. I cut it along the bone too, so we each got a strip of that fatty, melty meat too.
It was 1.75 pounds with the bone before we cooked it. Huge!
From a very nice butcher in Capitol Hill in Seattle, Rain Shadow Meats. We packed a mini cooler with the beef, two pork chops and some lamb steaks.
I wish we'd had a condo or apartment in Seattle, we stayed at a hotel on the water. It was nice, but next time we need a kitchen for all of the beautiful ingredients we found.

[gingershelley]

Awesome Rabaja that your rib eye was from Rain Shadow! I love those guys:) I went recently to a grilling cook off they participated in in Ballard where everybody cooked a whole lamb, and had the option of making 'bits' into other items, and they did great Moraccan kababs, and curried lamb sausages in additon to the delicious carcass. They have the best supplier's, and I just dig the aging room you can see from Melrose market. I always want to buy pate's from them, but I make my own so can't stand paying the price, however tempting...

[gingershelley]

Oh, P.S. - did you FLY with a cooler taken as carry on? I have never tried this.... curious what TSA said, if anything.

[rabaja]

We have flown with a small, soft-sided cooler before without any problem. We brought one back from Hawaii filled with lunch items, cut orchids and wedding cake, no one said a word. Although now that I think of it, those orchids may have been a no,no...
This time we checked the meat since we had room in one bag (short flight, too), after packing it in a smallish, soft sided cooler bag we found at the cupcake shop up the block from Quinn's.
One tip if you are carrying on a cooler, is to add in an empty gallon zip-lock, which you can then fill with ice once you get through security.

[gingershelley]

Wow, good to know you can do this. I am very up on issues with bringing back items from abroad, but never thought to fly domestically carrying fresh goodies. Thanks for the advice and info!

[Dirtywextraolives]

I can so relate to that....

[eight_inch_pestle]

Yeah, Rain Shadow is my meat shop of choice here. Although I also hear very good things about the Swinery in West Seattle.

When we get bone-in ribe-eyes like that actually treat them like a small roast, searing them quickly then finishing them in a very low oven.

[gingershelley]

eight inch - I DO like the Swinery as well. I live in WS so that is closer for me, like if I need pure lard for topping Rillettes or something. I think Rain Shadow has a much larger selection of regular 'meat', but Swinery has more unusual items, like lamb kidneys, house-made sausages, etc.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Thanks, GS. I've been wondering but don't know any regular customers: has it maintained the same quality and service since one of the co-owners passed last summer?

[aching]

No fall in sight here in LA - it's still summer summer summer. I'll be making a bulgur wheat salad tonight with poached chicken, goat cheese, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, and veggies.

[LindaWhit]

Got some more kale in my CSA today, so chopped that up and did a quick sauté in some olive oil to wilt the kale, and then a steam after adding about a quarter cup of water and covering until the water was almost gone. Set that aside.

Took out a bag of frozen roasted tomatoes. Defrosted and whirled in the food processor. Into a small saucepan with some wine, a pinch of salt and Aleppo pepper each, and some heavy cream. Let that slowly warm while the spaghetti cooked. At the end, added a handful of grated Parm-Reg cheese to the sauce.

Spaghetti went into a bowl, topped with a spoon of sauteed kale, and then some of the roasted tomato cream sauce. Sprinkled a bit more Parm-Reg on top, had some garlic bread alongside, and it was dinner.

[kubasd]

I misread that and thought you'd written frozen roasted potatoes... i was thinking it was a rather... odd... sauce, lol

[LindaWhit]

And I would most definitely agree that it would have been a rather... odd... sauce if it had been frozen roasted potatoes. :-)

[rabaja]

that sounds delicious, LW. So comforting, yet healthy with all that kale.

[roxlet]

Tonight it's Peruvian roast chicken from A Bird in the Oven and then Some
http://leitesculinaria.com/64220/reci...
with that will be the recommended recipe for avocado salad (kind of deconstructed guacamole -- twist my arm) and corn on the cob. It's nice to have the oven on in the kitchen and the windows open. I'm so happy it's not that hot and humid here anymore.

[steve h.]

Leftovers. Tasty leftovers.
Pulled pork on a potato roll topped with cole slaw, Connecticut corn on the side.
Deb will have Burn Notice on the plasma, I'll monitor the Yankees on my laptop. Beer and potato chips will be available.
Days are getting a tad shorter, night-time temps chillier. White Flower Farms has delivered my new hydrangeas so gardening is in our future. September may be the best month of the year.

[Dirtywextraolives]

All-Time. Favorite. Garden shop. Ever.

And yes. September is, by far, the best month of the year!

[roxlet]

WFF is the best. So beautiful there with one of the most gorgeous beech trees ever!

[mamachef]

A swell friend is bringing dinner over, and my understanding is that the menu is smothered pork chops, mashed 'taters, of course applesauce, and that's what I know. She's one of the better home cooks I know, and I'm really looking forward to the company tonight.
Have a great safe rest of the week, y'all. And a great weekend after that.
Oh, and dessert I'm handling....molten dulce de leche individual cakes. Yum.

[mariacarmen]

yum on that, and good for the company! those cakes sound divine....

[gingershelley]

OOOH! Mamachef, can you share the recipe for those molten cakes? LOVE dulce de leche:)

[mamachef]

Of course, gingershelley!! These are so good, and so easy. I like to serve w/ nutmeg whipped cream, or rum whipped cream, or plain - or butter brickle or butter pecan ice cream. But Chocolate or vanilla bean would be dandy too.
6 4-oz. ovenproof ramekins
1 rimmed baking sheet
Oven 425
Unsalted butter
2 1/2 T. AP flour, plus more for ramekins
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 2/3 c. Dulce de Leche, whichever brand you like
ice cream or whipped cream, for serving
Butter ramekins thoroughly, and then flour. Transfer them to baking sheet. Using hand mixer, beat eggs and yolks together until doubled in volume and holds a ribbon; about 2 1/2-3 minutes. Beat in Dulce well, and then incorporate flour. Divide between ramekins, and bake at 425 (preheated) for 12-14 minutes: they should be golden brown but jiggly in the middle. Invert into bowls or rimmed plates; serve w/ garnish of choice. A handful of salted cashews or pecans is great on this too.

[gingershelley]

Great recipe - thanks for sharing MC! This would be a super fall dessert with the last of the roasted peaches (we are still getting peaches from Eastern WA now).

Perhaps if my dinner party comes together for Sunday night, I will serve this for dessert:)

[mamachef]

Oooooh, and what a beautiful way to lighten it up just a little. The cogs are turning; bet we could brainstorm some pretty amazing combos w/ different molten cakes, fruits, curds, etc........

[Berheenia]

Oops just posted on the old thread. An early morning trip to Trader Joe's sealed the deal for the next few days. I usually don't have use of a car during the week and being able to browse without the thundering hordes I was able to pick up a bunch of Pantry items for a quick pasta meal. Jars of roasted red and yellow peppers are still just 1.99 as are sun roasted tomatoes and several types of olives. And they have a nice selection of linguine - I got garlic basil and scooped up a tube of tomato paste cheap. So pan of pasta tonight with a couple of Italian chicken sausage from the freezer courtesy of WF. I had read in a post about two hounds eating exclusively from TJ's products for 2 weeks that the frozen battered halibut makes an awesome fish taco so that's on for Friday. Grabbed a jar of tarter sauce for Mr. Berheenia to drown his fish with and a bag of shredded cabbage for my tacos. Also got three bottles of wine, a red California mix, a NZ sauvignon blanc and a Vinho Verde. Very civilized and home before 9am.

[LindaWhit]

Hey Berheenia - which TJ's near you has a liquor license? Those outside the 128 belt seem to have missed out on having them available because of the stupid MA law that only allows 3 stores to have the ability to sell alcohol in one franchise group. :-/

[Berheenia]

We have a choice of Brookline in Coolidge Corner or Cambridge next to MicroCenter on Memorial Drive. I think the Brookline wine dept. has a better layout, selection and more knowledgeable staff but the Cambridge parking lot is is a bit less of a zoo. Neither is a fun way to spend a weekend afternoon. I hate this state's liquor laws having put up with the no booze sales on Sunday BS for most of my over 21 life.

[Harters]

In the UK, Wales used to have some "no booze on Sundays" counties until 2003. It meant pubs had to shut (except for one my father knew where the county line ran straight through the pub - meant they could open one half on Sundays but not the other) but hotels were exempt. All very silly.

[LindaWhit]

OK, I'm just laughing at the idea of half a pub being closed and everyone crowding over to the serving half. Did they have tape down the middle of the floor for county differentiation?

[Harters]

IIRC, there were two rooms.

[LindaWhit]

I like the idea of tape down the middle of the floor better. ;-)

[Harters]

Me too.

[mariacarmen]

me three.

[weezieduzzit]

Me four, I have visions of it being difficult to stay on the correct side of the room after a few drinks.... and I can't help but wonder which side the bathrooms were on.

[LindaWhit]

LOL! Now *that* would be funny, weezie! "Oh, sorry mate! Can't use the loo - that's in the other county."

[Harters]

Ah, no. You misunderstand the creativity of the Welsh. It's only the drinking that's illegal. Pissing is fine.

[PHREDDY]

LOL....

[gingershelley]

Here in WA state, Berheenia, we had no hard booze on Sundays for most of my adult life until a few years ago 'select' state liquor stores started opening on Sunday, then 2 years ago, all opened on Sunday. This year, a citizen initiative (sponsored by Costco money) passed, and now booze is for sale in all large grocery stores. Prices went up nearly 30%!

They say eventually will come down, but basically, there are HUGE taxes on booze, that at 40% to the shelf price of any bottle. Ugggh!

[Berheenia]

In 2010 visiting my son in WA state I had to produce ID at the liquor stores in order for them to enter the purchase in the cash register. I hadn't been carded in decades- don't even think of asking how many. However now all the WF that sell wine in MASS ask to see it from EVERYONE. They would card MC's oldster if he tried to buy.

[gingershelley]

WA was very strict about carding in liquor stores; even if you looked plenty old, you had to HAVE the valid ID on you to buy anything. No one asks me now... sigh - clearly I look plenty old to purchase!

[kubasd]

Indeed... I am now 28, and I KNOW I look young, so I am skeptical of the reputation of the bar/restaurant/liquor store if I DON'T get carded, lol.

[mariacarmen]

here in California, TJs carries wine, beer and spirits too.

[LindaWhit]

I KNOW!!!!!!!! Which is why I hate Massachusetts limited license liquor laws.

(Ha! You try saying those last 5 words together without stumbling over your tongue!)

[Harters]

That sounds like the probably apocryphal tale that a UK police sobriety test used to be to get someone to recite "The Leith police dissmisseth us"

[kubasd]

In CT, grocery stores can only sell beer.... Not even wine! And convenience stores can't sell any alcohol... So weird after living in NoVa where the ONLY reason to go to a 7-11 was for beer.... Lol

[gingershelley]

Our TJ's in WA state still only sell wine and beer; square footage of stores is not enough to slip into the 'big box = booze sales' category.

[mariacarmen]

i'm glad you posted that about the fish for fish tacos....

[weezieduzzit]

I made a mental note of that tip, too.... sounds like easy fixin's for a fish taco night.

[Berheenia]

I made the fish tacos last night and really liked them but I am no fish taco maven. When somebody started selling them here the mavens came out of the woodwork on the Greater Boston Board- seems they all used to live in Texas or Baja California. I learned to like them on Cape Cod myself. I used a locally made corn tortilla and faked a salsa with what I had on hand: diced red onion, avocado, grape tomatoes with some Kraft mayo and TJ's enchilda sauce to hold it together, and I had shredded cabbage too. The battered halibut was the perfect size but the poster actually used breaded haddock so maybe next time.

[LindaWhit]

I was very uninspired last night, which is why I didn't post it on #163.

A bag of Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange chicken.
The sauce that goes with said Mandarin Orange chicken augmented by 1/4 cup fresh OJ.
Leftover basmati rice upon which to serve said Mandarin Orange chicken.
Sliced and cooked carrots to top the Mandarin Orange chicken.
Eat. Enjoy. Have some more for lunch at work today.

[Harters]

Dinner's going to be a chicken satay sort of thingy.

Strips of chicken breast weaved onto wooden skewers and bunged under the grill for a few minutes.

A pack of supermarket stir-fry veg to be, erm, stir fried and drizzled with a little kecap manis

That half empty jar of satay sauce that's been lurking in the "ethnic" cupboard for months to be warmed up with more of the kecap and a little sriracha (which I only recently discovered in a shop in Chinatown - this'll be its first use)

Rice to be be boiled.

[LindaWhit]

The sriracha should augment the jarred satay sauce quite nicely!

[weezieduzzit]

Chili and garlic rubbed flank steak was served with fauxtatoes and tomatoes that were topped with a mixture of homemade mayo, parmesan, garlic and herbs and then run under the broiler. Easy, yummy. A good weeknight dinner.

[weezieduzzit]

Oh, and since you asked, roxlet, we're expecting 107 degrees all weekend. We're probably looking at at 4-6 weeks before the temperature breaks here and we get inspired to bake, braise and roast.

[mariacarmen]

REPOSTING FROM THE "OLD' THREAD - *grumble grumble* ok, roxlet, i'm HERE.

breaded & fried steaks (milanesa or apanados, take your pick) i made Sunday were re-crisped, and the BF made rice, salad, sliced toms, red onions, and red peppers, and his curtido. dollop of green habanero sauce on mine. simple flavors, very satisfying. off to see Fiona Apple!

[roxlet]

Well, at least I didn't threaten you! :)

[Querencia]

I'm inspired to bake some acorn squash on the half-shell but haven't found it yet at the farmers' markets. Any minute now I hope. 425* oven so it caramelizes a bit around the edges. Melted butter. Oh my goodness. A seasonal joy.

[roxlet]

Deleted!