What's for Dinner? #172 - old

[steve h.]

Time to put Superstorm Sandy and the Nor'easter behind us and embrace braises, roasts and squashes.

Risotto with squash is on the menu tonight. The dish is inspired by a meal Deb and I recently had at the Getty Center restaurant (go for the art, stay for the food).

[mariacarmen]

oops, forgot we are on a new thread....

[LindaWhit]

Time to move to the next thread - here you go!

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/877980

[ChristinaMason]

Last night I had dinner with a friend but made dinner for DH. He supped on a seared rosemary pork chop topped with mushroom sauce (wine, herbs, butter, broth), an iceberg wedge salad w/ blue cheese, and rice pilaf.

Tonight, my mom is in town. I'm making pork carnitas tacos with all the fixings, black beans, and yellow rice.

[roxlet]

You're a very nice wife (and daughter!).

[ChristinaMason]

Aw, thanks. It's great cooking for both of them because neither is ever critical of the food!

[rabaja]

A serious craving for my MIL's braised pork chops led me on a detour to the grocery store on my way home yesterday when I should have been heading straightaway to finish my work. It's the holiday season though, what better time of year to slack on my responsibilities?
For the first time, I think I nailed this preparation. The braised pork chop has eluded me, as I am always fearful I will take a piece of heritage meat and render it tough as shoe leather.
Not last night, however! I browned the meat, removed it, and put in several unmentionable ingredients to make a sauce before returning the meat to the pan (I used a DO) to simmer on low for an hour. A whole hour! I was both determined and fearful, but I tried to ignore this and focus on steaming spinach and baking sweet potatoes. Rocket science distractions.
In the end, they were fork tender and delicious. I made a pot of rice at the last minute to cut the salt in the sauce. Turns out tomato sauce, ketchup, worcestershire and garlic powder can pack in the sodium! I told you the ingredients were unmentionable.
I don't know what it is about this dish, but I love it and crave it when the weather turns cold. So glad I overcame my fear.

[mariacarmen]

did your MIL specify 1 hour? that would scare me too! is there any cream in the dish, or just the unmentionables you, um, mentioned?

[rabaja]

The recipe (as written on an index card, kept in a recipe box she gave him when he left for the west coast) does indeed say 1 hour, covered.
I think what was key was that this time I left it on the stove with the very lowest low my knob would allow. I've tried to finish them in the oven before and the sound of the pot bubbling away always made me short change the cooking time. This time the noise was very minimal, just a lazy poof poof came to the surface when I peaked.
The original recipe calls for onion powder, a small can of tomato sauce and the other mentioned unmentionables. I sub out a diced onion for the powder, sautéed and scraped up with the fond from sauteeing the chops before adding in a can of this and a glug of that
Oh, and i add a T of bbq sauce. Its actually called "barebequed pork chops"!
Total comfort food.

[mariacarmen]

hey thanks! i bet the BF would like this.

[gingershelley]

It's like cooking squid - only a few minutes/sometimes seconds - or a LONG very low braise to bring back thru tough to tender..... Sounds delish!

[linguafood]

Sounds tasty and comforting!

[Cherylptw]

Tonight we're having fried catfish that we caught a couple of months ago....they'll be dredged in seasoned cornmeal and fried in peanut oil. Skillet cooked red potatoes & onions to go with and I've got a little broccoli raab and a little cabbage cooked up in the fridge that needs eating. A few hushpuppies to go with. Dessert is gingerbread I made a couple of days ago for the BF and ice cream for me.

[Bacardi1]

Thanks to folks on another thread giving positive reviews for frozen lasagna made by "Michael Angelo", yesterday I picked up a package of their frozen "Eggplant Parmagian" & served it with garlic bread & a nice green salad. Although I would've liked a little more mozzarella cheese, it was quite good for a frozen product.

(Only 2 more days till my new fridge is delivered. Yay!! This eating out or eating fast/frozen food is getting very tiresome - lol.)

[Harters]

OK, so there are some bits and bobs in the fridge - half a ball of Mozzarella, a few slices on salami, spring onions and a couple of cooked beetroot. So that's a starter on its way.

For mains, lamb chops. And these are not just any old lamb chops. Oh no. These are saltmarsh lamb, raised here in the north west, on the estate of Lord Cavendish. There'll be spuds and some steamed chard - simple and certainly nothing that's going to get in the way of the flavour of the lamb.

[JungMann]

Any seasoning on those chops?

I had meant to have a similarly light dinner last night. Lamb chops, roasted eggplant sauce, yogurt and a pickled vegetable salad. What happened? I was designated Translator of Menus at a newish-to-us German beer hall and liters of beer later found myself tucking heartily into the Hüftgold platter, crafting an obscenity of sandwiches from pretzels and a mountain of currywurst and cheese.

Tonight, the recompense: a starter of pickled herring and beet salad with labneh. Roast eggplant tortilla with harissa makes up the mains.

[Harters]

A little grind of pepper - nothing more. Saltmarsh lamb ( or "pre-sale" as the French call it) has a taste subtley different from ordinary lamb - even from the very tasty hill lamb Iocal hill lamb. I don't like to mask it at all. It always surprises me that it doesnt taste salty - you'd expect it to when it's diet are plants regularly washed by the sea.

(EDIT: I'm reminded that there's an accompaniment/garnish to this meal that comes from our current "cooking the books" - "French Cookery Course", Mireille Johnston, 1992. It's a garlic timbale, involving garlic softened in boiling water, cream, eggs, seasoning being whizzed together in a blender before going into ramekins which get a 15 minute bake in the oven, till they are lightly set. )

[Dirtywextraolives]

Those garlic timbales sound exactly like some I had years ago at a great place in Boston. Roasted garlic custards. Wonderful with roasts.

[gingershelley]

That lamb (simples) and garlic custards sounds divine, John. I wish someone out on the kitsap or Olympic peninsula's (ocean all around) would raise lamb for "pre-sale' style lamb. It is SO tasty with that kiss of the sea:)

[roxlet]

My husband makes something similar to the garlic timbales, and he floats them in a cream soup. Utter deliciousness.

[gingershelley]

Beware the litres of beer and currywurst!

[linguafood]

Hüftgold is the best kind of gold.

[JungMann]

It certainly stays with you longer than the other kind!

[Harters]

There hasnt been a lot of German immigration into the UK over the years (and what there has been was in the earlier part of the 20th century of German Jews fleeing assorted persecution). So, it was with some surprise that one of my local internet trawls has turned up a German cafe/restaurant a few minutes drive away. Now on our "to try" list, of course.

No website but apparently it's Bavarian and Hessian food. Although the most popular item, which I can't wait to try, is the very weird dessert known as Fantakuchen. Yep, a cake made using Fanta Orange. Heaven know if this is a Hessian speciality or something chef conjured up on a day when s/he had particularly partaken of substances not legal round here.

[linguafood]

Well, AFAIK, 'murrcans make a coca cola cake (?), so it's not *that* far out :-)

Not that I've had fantakuchen. Ick. But Hesse and Bavaria aren't my favorite local cuisines anyway. Äbbelwoi? Nasty plonk that smells like decent cider was used to wash the feet of the entire population of Frankfurt. Blurgh.

Actually, Bavarian can be quite good if done well. Mmmmmpork knuckle.

[Harters]

My Bavarian food experience is limited to one dinner there, 30+years ago. I remember nothing of the meal, except learning that the German for onion is zwiebel.

[linguafood]

Funny story... Zwiebel = onion. Zweifel = doubt.

My man, when he was first learning German, would order his döner kebab "ohne (without) Zweifel". He kept repeating it to make sure they wouldn't put any onion in his sandwich. The döner person probably just thought "ok, ok, I get it. you're really, really, really sure about your order, man" (or insane).

Still cracks me up.

[roxlet]

That's really funny!

[mariacarmen]

ahhaha - that's so cute!

when i was in Italy, a friend/neighbor took me to his favorite mussels place, and told me how to order them "Cozze". The next time we went, i piped up "Cazzo, per favore!" He died laughing, as i had requested that our poor waiter serve me up his penis.

[LindaWhit]

ROFL! MC!!!! I'm sure you were the talk of the restaurant - AND the town/city you were in with that request!

[mariacarmen]

little tiny town in northern italy, not a lot of tourists! luckily, my Italian improved ten-fold by the end of our stay there.

[linguafood]

hahahahahahaha.

[GretchenS]

mc -- even hilariouser!

[roxlet]

When I was in Egypt, I found I had zero ability in Arabic. When we would leave the club every night after training, I would gaily wave to the guards saying, "Good Morning! Good Morning!" It was a while before I realized what I was saying, And there was a guy at the club named Hadidah, which was a nickname meaning iron, because he could get anything done. Anyway, I thought his name was Habibi, which means sweetheart or honey, and everyone was amused that I was calling him that, lol. For those not as talented as you, lingua, languages can be challenging! I feel for you hubs!
Another good one was a friend of mine, also language challenged, who went to see her little cousin who was studying in a school in France, where my friend repeatedly, and getting more agitated by the moment, demanded of the guard to see "ma petit cuisine Américain," or "My little American kitchen." They were ready to call the police on her until they found someone who spoke English.

[linguafood]

Love that!

[Harters]

Great story, lingua.

Britons are not generally good at languages. I think it comes from many other folk speaking our language as their second or third one. Our usual solution on finding someone doesnt speak English , is to carry on speaking English to them, but slower and louder, with some arm waving if things become desperate. :-)

[GretchenS]

linguafood -- hilarious!

[gingershelley]

heehehehee

[weezieduzzit]

We had what the man calls "Mustard Chicken" which is pounded chicken breast dredged in a good grainy mustard and breaded in a mix of panko and finely grated parmesan (and sometimes herbs, sometimes not.) Its pan fried in butter. Yum. Green beans were blistered in a super hot pan with oil and then the heat was turned down and lots of fresh smashed garlic added until golden brown with just slightly toasty edges, finished with a bit of butter. Yum.

[mariacarmen]

indeed.

[scubadoo97]

That chicken sounds excellent

[LindaWhit]

NICE dinner, weezie!

[Cherylptw]

Pan seared chuck steak with onions, peppers and garlic seasoning finished in the oven...beef rice pilaf and the remainder of the broccoli raab from Monday's dinner (from my garden) for the bf...Not really feeling an entire meal, I made myself a sammich of ham and swiss with chopped vegetable salad and a spread of olive oil mayo on a bolillo roll; side of pickled fresh green beans (garlic, onion, cider vinegar etc. solution) and bbq chips to go with. Those pickled beans are fabulous!

[mariacarmen]

how long was the pickle, Cptw?

[Cherylptw]

I pickled them on Sunday; They're refrigerator pickles and can be eaten after 24 hours but the longer they're in the solution, the better they are. I made them as part of a veggie tray I'm doing for a family dinner next weekend. They'll be soaking until then

[gingershelley]

Last night was a very tasty thrown-together casserole of some items my temp. roomy brought home from a friends garden which is on it's last legs... a couple of slightly sad eggplants, a huge white 'new' potato (thin-skinned and fresh, if not small), and some red peppers.

I made a quick sauce of onion, garlic, chicken stock and a can of fire-roasted chopped tomatoes with some thyme and oregano. Sliced, salted and drained the eggplants, thinly sliced the potato on the mandoline, grilled the epplant and peppers on the grill, layered everything up (x2 layers of everything, ending with sauce and cheese) with an impromptu mix of minced mini mozz boconcini that needed using up, a few handfuls of standard grated italian mix cheese, and a single layer in the middle of cottage cheese, some leftover goat crumbled up, and an egg. Kind of a lasagna/gratin thing - very tasty! I liked the thin layers of potato, and will do something similar again, except add in zuchinni layer as well.

Tonight I am off to the theatre to see a friends young cousin in some semi-proffessional holiday themed dramedy's pre-opener friends and family night tonight. Told there would be cheap wine and hors'doeuvres to stave us till afters.

Then there will be mexi chow down the street and a margarita for sure! Bring on those holidays.....

[scubadoo97]

Tonight I'm making collard greens with seared salmon. The greens are so freaking good the fish is an after thought. How do people not like greens?

[mariacarmen]

so, just an update on the brussels sprouts i made for the work thxgiving lunch today. they came out pretty darned good.... BUT. someone in the office, because she doesn't cook, ordered a boatload of a nearby very good Italian restaurant's sprouts and had them delivered. they are THE BOMB. totally stole my thunder. they also use duck fat, but they're also made with anchovies, which i ALMOST put in mine. ultimate umami. but mine didn't embarrass. and at least they got all eaten up. beet salad did too.

i think i'm too stuffed to eat tonight. famous last words.

i'm taking home some kick-ass blackeyed peas and ham hock this woman makes. it's phenomenal. and some catered sausage/sage stuffing. all in all, a good lunch today.

[scubadoo97]

Upstaged on the sprouts. Glad yours were enjoyed as well.

[steve h.]

Hamburgers are on the menu.

I separately ground chuck, brisket and beef short rib about an hour ago. The bowls o' meat are chilling in the coolerator. I'll make a 2:1:1 mix of the three cuts to be fried in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. I'll freeze whatever I don't use today so I can noodle the ratio at a future date.

This is a modest experiment to see if I can improve on our base burger made from house-ground Angus chuck. The burgers will be topped by Land o' Lakes white American cheese. Potato rolls are the delivery mechanism of choice. There will be grilled onions, the last of the home-grown tomatoes and Heinz ketchup as condiment. Potato chips will be available. Beer to wash things down.

[scubadoo97]

Sounds fabuloso Steve. I have flap and short ribs to grind for tomorrow's dinner and was thinking of running out for a hunk of chuck.

[steve h.]

very cool.
keep me posted.

[GretchenS]

Last night I had my fish share (cod) and no time to go to the store, so out of what was in pantry and fridge I made a sort of cheater's paella. A small package of yellow rice partially cooked then topped with tomatoes, olives, peas, slices of a really good Spanish chorizo (from a package I recently found lurking at the back of the fridge, *no idea* how that got overlooked!) and scallions, into the oven, and at the very end, topped with chunks of cod dusted with Spanish paprika. It was seriously tasty, thanks largely to the fabulous chorizo and super-fresh cod. Good thing because I only ate half and the rest (with more cod) is WFD tonight. Sorry for crappy cell phone photo, too bad because it really looked pretty good.

[mariacarmen]

that sounds fantastic, GS.

[mamachef]

Cold weather here calls for cold-weather food - at least 'til it warms up and I regret the choice....but I won't regret it TOO much, since dinner is Osso Bucco, served up w/couscous that I'll cook in strong beef stock with lots of chopped onion and a bit of garlic; maybe a handful of raisins and pine nuts, just for grins. W/ a side of fairly plain braised greens (shot of lemon or vinegar in them, fer shure ;) and some good tough-crusted bread, that about does it,except for the little guy I've been taking care of while his mommy recoups after having a new baby. He'll be chowing on the couscous, bt it'll be w/ a main of leftover pot roast and applesauce. Little dude's got a pretty adventurous streak where new foods are concerned but not to the extent of wine-braised meat, and for once, I'd left it out of the roast.

[mariacarmen]

osso bucco yummmmmmmy! love the raisins/pine nuts in that. are you having a cold spell? 70 in the City today. little guy is lucky.

[mamachef]

Totally bipolar; butt-ass COLD in the wee hours and then the thermo. shoots up in the later part of the day, pretty much the same as Oakland, only colder in the a.m's. Re: my little dude; he'd probably even love the osso bucco, but his folks don't use vino for any reason, so he won't be getting his first taste of it from the likes of me! (nobody can say it was me who got his trip down the road to wrack and ruin started, riiiiiiiiight?)

[mariacarmen]

well, not from the vino, anyway...

hah!

❤❤❤❤

[Berheenia]

Last night was a hasty ratatouille with a helping hand from TJ's fire roasted peppers and onions which were added to the sauteed eggplant, zuke and tomatoes. Some italian sausages were cooked and bathed in some red wine and the remains of a jar of Rao's marinara sauce and the whole thing was served over penne. I am about to thaw out some Memphis rice (aka spanish rice with hamburger) and that will be WFD tonight along with a bagged caesar salad.

[Bacardi1]

Since I'm stlll in kitchen appliance limbo (until Sunday - yay!), last night was takeout chicken wings from Pizza Hut. I know - sounds strange, & I'm not a Pizza Hut fan, but their traditional wings aren't half bad. Wednesday is 50% off wing night at Pizza Hut, so 2 orders of their hottest "Burnin' Hot" (which is quite decently spicy hot), & one order of their "Parmesan Garlic" (that we spiked up with a bottle of Buffalo Wild Wings' "Parmesan Garlic" sauce) came to a mere $13.20 (for a total of 24 wings), so it turned out well. Just a few wings left over that I'll enjoy for lunch today. (Need to keep leftovers to a bare minimum what with not having a reliable working fridge at the moment.)

[Harters]

Upcoming......chicken casserole (or stew, perhaps, as it's stovetop cooking not oven)

Chicken thighs are fried until they are just about done and are kept to one side. Celery, carrot & onion are softened. Mushrooms are added and fried for a bit. Stock & wine go in and the lid goes on. Simmers for 10 minutes. Chicken goes back in to warm through. An egg yolk or two are mixed with a little milk and are stirred in to thicken the sauce.Some or pasta alongside as the carb.

An Antonio Carluccio recipe.

[LindaWhit]

That sounds heavenly!

[mariacarmen]

the BF buttered up the cooked, leftover chicken legs/thighs with DUCK FAT - GASP! and then stuck them under the broiler. awesome. leftover couscous, 3 salads (!) (leafy greens, beets/tomatoes, and a minty cuke one), and then he took the final bit of leftover lamb, ground it, and made meatballs of them. with fries, and served with some hummus. unfortunately, he burned the meatballs a bit. ah well...

i went a different way with the brussels sprouts for my office party tomorrow. LW, i made the mixture of a little sherry vinegar, tons of minced garlic and ginger, and some maple syrup. i ended up adding a little dry sherry as well. but i had started roasting the halved sprouts in duck fat and it seemed like it would be a waste of that flavor. also, i just wasn't sure the people in my office would appreciate that dish. so i've frozen the ginger sauce, and will save it for a pork tenderloin in the future. instead for the sprouts, i sliced up some shallots and threw them in with the sprouts, and roasted them until nice and golden brown. I'll toss the sprouts tomorrow with parm regg and then top the whole dish with some leftover leaves i set aside, fried crisp, with some rinsed salted capers.

beet salad just needs to be assembled in the office kitchen.

[LindaWhit]

The ginger sauce sounds perfect for a pork tenderloin, mc! I'm still going to be plaintively asking for the recipe for Brussels sprouts eventually, I know. ;-)

[linguafood]

The birdies came out fine. I came home late from practice, hadn't found any shears anywhere, so decided to just roast 'em whole.

Cranked the oven up to 450, brushed the hens with duck fat & fines herbes, stuffed a quarter lemon in each one and voila - about 45 minutes later we had some pretty perfect birdies. It's like a single-serve chicken.

The petite peas sautéed in olive oil with mint, shallots, white wine & a shake of aleppo pepper came out well, the mixed greens salad with avocado, feta & "heirloom" tomatoes was tasty, save for some chewier leaves, and tomatoes that weren't particularly flavorful.

I'd definitely make those hens again, though. They're less fatty than chicken, so are less likely to destroy me :-)

[mariacarmen]

ah, it's the fat. but porkapalooza doesn't have the same effect?

i want to try those birdies sometime.

[linguafood]

nah, for some reason, chicken fat does me in. pork fat? not so much. a fatty rib-eye? unfortunately, yes.

dammit i love fat.

[mariacarmen]

thank god for duck fat, eh?

[linguafood]

thank the ducks instead '-)

[mariacarmen]

: )

[ChristinaMason]

My better half LOVES cornish hens. Me, I find them too boney to really enjoy eating. But yours sound tasty, and those peas especially appeal.

[weezieduzzit]

Simple and easy here tonight. Carne asada and pollo asada are marinated and ready to go on the charcoal grill, sliced red, yellow and green peppers along with onions and sliced jalapenos will be sauteed, corn tortillas will be warmed on the grill just before serving , crema mexicana, salsa and a sauce made of chipotles in adobo sauce blended with mayo, lime and a pinch of salt on the side.

[ChristinaMason]

I want to live in your house! Totally my style of meal.

[weezieduzzit]

C'mon over, leftovers are what's for lunch!

[scubadoo97]

After watching The Mind of a Chef on ramen I made a homemade ramen minus the ramen noodles which were store bought Mancuhirian brand. Couldn't find any better ramen like noodles but results were hearty and tasty

[linguafood]

That's so funny, I was watching that episode with dinner tonight! Mmmmmramen.

[ChristinaMason]

Sounds great. How did you make the broth?

[scubadoo97]

Made the broth with a couple of beed shanks and a small piece of a 7 bone chuck. My wif doesn't do pork. Added a bunch of dried shiitakes a couple of star anise pods, an onion and carrot and pressure cooked for 90 min. It was strained out. The meat gave up all it's flavor so was not used in the final bowl

Portioned stock was then seasoned on the stove with fish sauce and some white miso and some lime juice and dressed with fresh vegies, herbs and noodles

[scubadoo97]

Beef shanks and 7 bone chuck with an onion, carrot,'a bunch of dried shiitakis and a couple of star anise pods. Pressure cooked for 90 min. Seasoned it further just prior to adding noodles and veggies

[LindaWhit]

I "marinated" 3 BISO chicken thighs in dry sherry, freshly grated ginger, and a bit of lemon juice all day. They're roasting in a hot oven with some of the ginger on top of the skin. The marinade is simmering to be reduced a bit for drizzling, if I want it.

Sides will be leftover basmati rice and sauteed bok choy...I'll heat up some vegetable oil in a sauté pan until it's shimmering, and add some minced garlic and give it a quick stir. Add the bok choy, a bit of white wine, and a healthy pinch of Aleppo pepper. Lid goes on, the bok choy steams for a minute or two. A drizzle with a fruity Spanish olive oil and it's dinner.

[mariacarmen]

that sounds delightful. and you've given me an idea for the work potluck brussels sprouts i'm making tonight for tomorrow... ginger!

[LindaWhit]

Ginger and brussels sprouts will work very nicely together!

[mariacarmen]

i found this:
http://www.mylifeasamrs.com/2011/09/g...

i'm thinking sherry vinegar and ginger, tho, instead of the soy... what do you think? a touch of honey or maple syrup too?

[LindaWhit]

mc. It's got ginger. It's got garlic. What do you THINK I'm going to say? LOL

The amount of soy isn't all that much for the quantity of brussels sprouts. But I think sherry would work just as well. I'm thinking a drizzle of maple syrup should be very slight.

[mariacarmen]

ahaha - that's why i asked you, i just wanted validation!
i was just thinking the soy would give it an asian flavor that i'm not looking for in a thanksgiving meal side dish (tho, the ginger effectively takes care of that.)

[kubasd]

Really LW? You like the idea of ginger?? LOL I do really like the idea though..... gives me ideas for a new direction for brussels sprouts. I get stuck in the Italian route with them for sure.

[LindaWhit]

Yeah, I kind of like the stuff, if you hadn't guessed by now. ;-) And I like the idea for brussels sprouts. I will probably bleat out a post a few weeks from now to mc plaintively asking for the recipe she used, as I haven't bookmarked the link. :-)

[mariacarmen]

ack, see below. i chickened out!

[tiffeecanoe]

Lasagna! Assembled it while my husband was home for lunch so it's been sitting in the fridge. Pretty sure it'll be delicious! Looking forward to it.

[Harters]

It's "eat out night" for Harters and Hartess. Small bistro a few minutes drive away round the metro orbital. Not been before - nor can I recall how it got to be put on the "to try" list, which is bit odd.

[linguafood]

I got a couple of fresh cornish game hens at the farmer's market tomorrow, and they've been air-drying with a salt rub in the fridge since yesterday. I've been told they're best spatchcocked, so I will have to either get on with sharpening my knives, or run out and get poultry shears.

Haven't decided yet whether to grill or roast. Sides will be a lettuce mix with arugula from the market and heirloom tomatoes from TJ (we'll see if they have any flavor -- my guess is no), probably with a simple vinaigrette. Petite peas with shallots and mint.

[Harters]

Living on this small cold island off the coast of northern Europe, I am used to tomatoes which have no flavour and are hard enough to play lacrosse with. That said, last week, I had a wonderful roasted one at a restaurant. Unfortunately, everything else on the plate was underwhleming.

[linguafood]

I can't remember the last time I had a great tomato. Seriously. It's been over 10 years, at least.

Perhaps a sojourn to the Mediterranean is necessary next summer.... spend some drachma :-)

[mariacarmen]

i had some really great tomatoes 3 years ago, from a farmers' market. and a few this summer, like once, from a FM. but you're right, they're so rare.

[JungMann]

Tomatoes are perhaps the only vegetable I turn into a raving locavore hippie over. They are such a delicate thing, easily bruised by sunlight, travel time, refrigeration; I only buy them when I know who grew them. I had a few good ones this summer but for now I'm limited to greens for a couple weeks before it'll be another good 8 or 9 months until I can purchase tomatoes without trepidation again.

[mariacarmen]

my sister grew some this summer, and those were very good, but not outstanding. it was her first attempt at them in a new yard.

[mariacarmen]

what are you, back to the future? tomorrow, since yesterday, whaaa?

buy the shears - i use them a lot.

[linguafood]

haha. yes, that was strange... i musta meant the day before yesterday. now.

[GretchenS]

Maybe it's all just an excuse to buy poultry shears, but I have not found them necessary for cornish hens. I do like having them though!

[linguafood]

I couldn't find any anywhere (and was a bit rushed this afternoon), but yeah -- I don't think I would've needed them.

[Bacardi1]

Since I'm still in the throes of trying to use up as much fridge food as possible (fridge has conked out & new one won't be delivered until this Sunday), last night I used up most of the remaining Burger's Smokehouse smoked turkey thanks to a delivery of luscious Wolferman's English Muffins (got 1 pkg. each "Wild Blueberry", "Cranberry Citrus", "Original", & "Cheddar"). Split & toasted up 2 "Cheddar" muffins, & topped each half with the smoked turkey, a poached egg, & a goodly dollop of Knorr's Hollaindaise sauce mix that I spiked with fresh lemon juice & a dash of Frank's Hot Sauce. Made for a nice quick "Eggs Benedict" variation supper.

[roxlet]

Last night, my son called me to pick him and his friend up at school, and he informed me that they were starving and wanted to eat before they went to meet another friend to play squash. My husband had been planning on grinding the rest of the chuck from Sunday's chili fest, so I thought we would have freshly ground burgers. However, a minor plumbing emergency kept him from the grinder, but I was able to find some burgers in the freezer from the previous batch to cook for the boys. My son's friend comes from a severely food-challenged home. The first time he came to our house, he stared in fascination at our spice rack. He had never seen so many spices in one place before. His mother cooks not at all, but according to the friend, his father is pretty good on the grill. Anyway, I made them two burgers each in the cast iron skillet, and he thought that they were sooooo delicious. He said he had never had such good burgers, and he wanted to know what I seasoned the meat with. 'Nothing,' is the answer to that question. And after they ate, my husband started grinding up the chuck, and he stared in fascination as the meat came out of the grinder. Now, this is a really smart kid -- he applied early decision to MIT! But very, very food deprived. Anyway, when we got home after the boys played, I made myself one of those newly ground burgers, and it was so delicious. My husband refers to these as 'sausage burgers,' since they have quite a bit of fat in them. Of course, this is what makes them so delicious!

Today is my son's 17th birthday, and he was between Veal Milanese and Moussaka as his birthday dinner. The veal was chosen and is now defrosting on the kitchen counter. Since I already made three cakes for his birthday celebration this past weekend, I may just go to buy him a cupcake somewhere and put a candle in that. For the moment, I'm kind of all baked out. With the veal, I'll serve a side of pasta and a salad. With all the fancy cooking that goes on in this house, sometimes the simple things are the best!

[JungMann]

Your son is quite lucky to have a mother who has the time to grind his dinners and bake him cakes while chauffeuring him to squash matches. Not even Robin Leach ever had it so good!

[Berheenia]

Hope the kid gets into MIT. It is in a great place for budding Chowhounds. Lots of terrific ethnic restaurants and home to many budding and reknown chefs.

[LindaWhit]

His culinary world will open wide once he gets out of his mom's house! LOL And as Berheenia said, LOTS of great ethnic restaurants surrounding MIT and in the Boston area.

ETA: And a happy birthday to your son! Very nice birthday dinner. :-)

[mariacarmen]

you are inspiring that MIT hopeful to become a chef! nice to open someone's eyes...

happy day to your boy!

[GretchenS]

Yum to all of it and Happy Birthday to the bday boy!

[ChristinaMason]

What a lucky kid...er...young man! Sounds delicious.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Sounds like a lovely celebratory meal, roxlet! Best of luck to your boy!n

[roxlet]

Thanks all!

[gingershelley]

Great story, Roxlet. Glad you can provide inspiration to friends who don't get that at home... that happened alot in my house growing up with my mom and I cooking - many of my friend's moms did not!

Birthday dinner sounds terrific too!

[mariacarmen]

i had every intention of coming home and eating luscious leftover LW chicken and 9-hour pork, but the BF's sole friend was in town and wanted to take us out for dinner. GREAT dinner at a place around the corner from us (for anyone local, or visiting soon... http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/877568). the BF ended up whipping his card out faster (which was kind, as the friend is underemployed and his wife expecting a baby) but i'm grateful that the friend finally made me try a place i've been dying to go to.

so. TOMORROW night. leftover chicken, leftover pork, leftover couscous, kale salad, etc. i will also need to prep/cook for our annual Thxgiving lunch at work (mains are provided by the firm, we all bring sides) on Thurs. i'm doing a brussels sprouts dish (sherry, shallots, maybe some bacon or pancetta), and my own oft-requested roasted beet/goat cheese/avocado/toasted slivered almond salad in a dijon/lemon vinaigrette.

[linguafood]

more deets on the salad, por favor!

[mariacarmen]

that's really it - roast (or steam, or boil) beets (red and gold, cuz it's pretty), cool, peel, slice, slice avocados, plate decoratively (you know, avo slice, beet slice, avo slice, etc.), sprinkle with feta/goat cheese, toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds, and sliced scallions or chives, s&p, then drizzle with this dressing:

mince a whole shallot
add to juice of at least 2 whole lemons
add salt & pepper to taste
add about a tbls. of dijon mustard
add extra virgin olive oil to double the volume
whisk all together
adjust salt, lemon to taste - should be very tart. (as i know you like it too!)

c'est ça!

[gingershelley]

Resto sounds GREAT ( I am jones-ing for some good mexi chow!), as does your Tday office contributions, MC.

[tiffeecanoe]

I'm a month late... but I made enchiladas tonight. I did Rick Bayless' creamy chicken w/ tomato and chiles and they were good. I messed up the recipe by not draining my tomatoes - woops, so I just skipped the broth. Would probably do that again, actually. They were a mess, but they were delicious. I ran out of chicken and did the last four with cheese and onion - would do that again too. SO good!

[steve h.]

Second day lasagne. House red, a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, to wash it all down.

[mariacarmen]

mmmmontepulciano....

[kubasd]

Well, it's been a busy (and exciting) few days here, so I kept it simple and comforting tonight. Rib-eyes simply seasoned with kosher salt and black and red pepper, seared on the stovetop and finished in the oven. Smashed red new potatoes with roasted garlic, and sautéed rainbow chard (with more roasted garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt). Mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert. After taking the TEAS test for nursing school yesterday and finding out about a paid internship (plasmid research) today, this meal was perfectly celebratory and easy, to boot!!

[steve h.]

Very cool. Well done.

[scubadoo97]

Love simple meat and potatoes and chard is great. Really love the stems too. The rainbow chard stems would add great color and interest

[mariacarmen]

great dinner, great news, kubasd. congrats!

[GretchenS]

Congrats, great celebration meal!

[gingershelley]

Congrats on the meat and potatoes tasty meal, and the career moves forward!

[Cherylptw]

Leftover chicken noodle soup from Saturday; I oven toaIsted some flour tortilla chips for dunking. I have a ripe avocado that needs to be used so I'll make a quick guacamole.

[scubadoo97]

I made a Thai Chicken and red curry stir fry with green beans from Serious Eats
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...

I had picked up a couple pounds of string beans on sale and was searching for something to do with them. Had a half of chicken breast in the freezer so this recipe was intriguing and worth a try.

Exceeded my expectations. I used a little Thai red curry paste but also added some sambal oelek before stir frying the beans. Damn it was tasty. Must have been the MSG in the oyster sauce.

[kubasd]

oh yum! I love thai red curry, sambal oelek, and green beens... I must try this!!

[Dirtywextraolives]

I've been meaning to do a Thai curry....sounds good!

[LindaWhit]

Quick marinade made when I got home tonight for a half pork tenderloin: Lime juice, olive oil, ketchup, maple syrup, salt, and LOTS of ground pepper. Similar to the firecracker sauce I use for kebabs, but without the heat of pepper flakes. Into the oven to cook to a just barely pink inside, basting occasionally.

Alongside will be roasted purple potatoes tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Herbs de Provence and leftover steamed broccoli.

[kubasd]

Those potatoes sound great! I'm a sucker for those pretty purple Peruvians, though :P It's funny, I only really use Herbs de Provence on lamb, for some reason.... I should try branching out a bit!

[LindaWhit]

I use Herbs de Provence on lamb, pork, chicken (love it rubbed into and under the skin and then roasting it!). It's even good sprinkled on zucchini planks and grilled.

[JungMann]

What exactly do you put into your lamb seasoning when you use herbs de provence. I tried a bit once on lamb chops and it came out rather bitter and sharp.

[Harters]

I like herbes de Provence with lamb, although you can easily come unstuck if the balance between contents isnt right. By "isn't right", to my taste, is if there's too much lavender

[JungMann]

I tried to avoid rubbing a handful of lavender on the lamb chops, but even the bit of herbes de Provence I used made the whole thing taste like grandmother's soap. I thought perhaps it needed to be balanced out with other ingredients like tomatoes or onions.

[Harters]

Must admit, I prefer the herbes to be in, say, a ratatouille that I'm going to eat with chops, rather than rubbed on the chops themselves.

[kubasd]

And for the record.... I am not a big fan of lavender AT ALL, but I find the chili flakes somehow balance it out. I need to find a mix of the original herbes de Provence, which didn't have lavender.

[LindaWhit]

Exactly - too much lavender can overwhelm. Although it does make the house smell good.

JM, usually I just do an olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper and Herbs de Provence liquidy "rub". But if you're overly sensitive to the lavender, as it seems you might be based on your "grandmother's soap" comment, maybe making your own and leaving the lavender out completely might do the trick?

[kubasd]

I use a VERY simple seasoning (for chops).. herbs de provence, salt, and red pepper flakes. Usually I add in some fresh thyme to boost the flavor a bit. Otherwise for lamb (usually racks) I use a mix of 2Coriander to 2Garlic to 1Shallot with some salt.

[JungMann]

I am pretty adept with using spices effectively, but perhaps to the detriment of my ability to deploy herbs with a deft hand. Perhaps I should try pulverizing the herbes de Provence so I can sprinkle a thin and even coat along with your chili flakes. Thanks for the advice.

[kubasd]

I've read with great relish many of your cooking endeavors. To be honest, I hope to one day be able to cook with your skill and breadth, so I know of your spice expertise. :) I use a very light hand with the herbes de Provence, I actually sometimes use a mortar and pestle to further grind the blend.

[linguafood]

It's cheeborgerz at casa lingua, with nothing on the side, I think. Which makes it a pretty meaty day, given my (superduperlate -- 4 PM) "brunch": Wegmans had some turkey giblets for 21 cents.... livers, gizzards, heart. So I just had to buy that and fry it up in duck fat & butter when I got home. Tossed with a splash of maple balsamic....mmmmmmmgood. Perfect pre-workout sustenance :-)

[GretchenS]

well right, protein before workout, good idea!!!

[mariacarmen]

ummmmm... another thing i have to curse the BF about - an aversion to innards! sounds fab.

[GretchenS]

I raided my stash of frozen heritage pork chops yesterday before going to work and last night took a nicely-marbled one and cooked it on my new(ish) gas grill, with just kosher salt and olive oil. Divine!! Accompanied by braised endive (wonderfully silky) and some leftover roasted potatoes I sauteed into crispiness. All made very exciting by the strong odor of skunk I detected when I went out to turn the chop over -- yikes! But I was not sprayed. Tonight I will do that old standby, pork chop piquant, with the other chop in the package. Rice and broccoli alongside. Can hardly wait!

[LindaWhit]

Wait - what? Strong odor of skunk when you flipped the chop? Why?

[linguafood]

My guess is there was a skunk nearby when she went out to flip the chop. Not related.

[GretchenS]

zacky, that skunk probably was under my hedge, thinking hungrily of either my pork chop or my trash. :)

[LindaWhit]

Oh geez. I read this just before I signed off at work, and was thinking you were cooking inside and *not* outside on the grill. All I could think of "it's exciting when a pork chop smells like a skunk?" Phew. ;-)

[mariacarmen]

i lived in a place in Berkeley years ago that had a rotating family of skunks that stored themselves beneath my hardwood ground floors whenever it rained. it was exciting to the senses, to be sure.

[jenscats5]

Well as predicted, I was at work late last night! So a quick dinner was right on time! So it was some chili with extra veggies added, some cheese, broken corn tortillas and just a tad (which is all that was left) of the sour cream.

[Novelli]

It was a little chilly last night, so I made Yao Hon - a Cambodian-style Hot Pot with an assortment of watercress, bok choy, green onions, hardboiled quail eggs, mushrooms, paper-thin sliced beef, squid, and shrimp with a nice big bowl of rice.

Warmed me right up and made the house smell wonderful!

[GretchenS]

Sounds fabulous!!

[melpy]

We are movin and have no time to shop so we are eating whatever we have.

Last night I made spaghetti with the following sauce:

Hot Italian sausage, crushed tomatoes, red wine, fennel seeds, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, salt, crushed red pepper, garlic, chopped onion, minced hot pepper, fresh parsley, and gold raisins.

I put in chiffonade of collard greens and decided it was a mistake and picked out most of it.

[Bacardi1]

Yesterday was "buy new major kitchen appliances night", as our dishwasher died a few years ago, range is on it's way out, & fridge has been playing games this past week to the tune of my now having all the fridge food out on the deck in styrofoam coolers. So after ordering a new fridge, dishwasher, & range, we dined out at one of our favorite Tex-Mex spots.

I enjoyed my usual "Enchiladas Verdes" (4 chicken enchiladas on a bed of tangy green tomatillo sauce), while husband enjoyed his usual "Shrimp Quesadilla" (a huge affair boasting a filling of lovely nice-sized shrimp & melted cheese). Thankfully the fridge decided to conk back on last night so I'll be able to enjoy the leftovers for lunch without worrying about poisoning myself. . . .

[LindaWhit]

Hope the new appliances are delivered soon so you don't have to worry about the fridge and freezer food!

[Bacardi1]

Thanks!! The fridge food is very minor - pretty much just condiments & dairy products. But the freezer food!!! A D'Artagnon duck, smoked chicken breast, smoked duck breast, duck proscuitto, ground goat meat, wild Canada goose duck breast halves, ground free-range heritage turkey meat, etc., etc. Eeegads - I do NOT want to lose any of THIS!!!

Luckily, the fridge has happily been clicking on & off enough to keep everything in the freezer rock solid, so I think we'll easily make it until the new fridge/freezer arrives.

Delivery is scheduled for this coming Sunday. Could have had it Thursday, but I'd like my husband to be on hand since our kitchen is small & convoluted, & they'll be taking away the old stuff & installing the new. It's going to be a Marx Bros. circus - & one that I'd prefer not to experience alone - lol!! Would prefer to have one extra Marx Bros. in the form of my husband - lol!!!

[LindaWhit]

Yes, you *definitely* don't want to lose what's in your freezer! Fingers crossed for an easy removal/installation of the new appliances!

[mariacarmen]

wow, Bacardi, i want to live in your freezer!

[gingershelley]

Bacardi - I cringe at the thought of having to deal with any of my fairly-new kitchen appliances! I have a VERY narrow galley kitchen, and I have NO idea how we would get out the fridge or stove if a major crisis arose (come to think of it - not sure quite how the workmen got them IN!); plus the "L" turn, past the pastry counter.... My sympathies!

[Berheenia]

How exciting!. Pictures when installed please! Appliance Porn!

[Bacardi1]

Berheenia - You may well be uber disappointed - there won't be much, if any, porn - lol!. Our house was built by someone who built it as a "second" vacation house - for hunting mostly. Thus it was built with only the very basic appliances in mind. So no "top of the line" appliances here - only the best ones we could buy that will fit into the spaces we have.

Only difference we changed from the 15-year-old appliances we'll be ditching is to a top freezer instead of a bottom freezer on the fridge. I've had some serious leg/back horse-related injuries that has made accessing our current bottom freezer horrid. A top freezer will be a breath of fresh air for me.

[Harters]

While I've been out doing my voluntary work at the local hospital, herself has donned her hunter/gatherer robes. Well, she put a coat on and drove to the fishmongers a few minutes away.

So, there's a hake recipe for dinner. First, beetroot and thyme are wrapped in tinfoil, as are shallots, honey & garlic. They're both roasted for 30 minutes. The hake also gets wrapped with oil, lemon zest & juice - it needs 10 minutes in the oven.

As a sauce/dressing, peas, white wine vinegar, olive oil, spinach get blitzed in the processor.

Like the idea of the peas; not so sure about the beetroot with fish.

[linguafood]

What a neat idea for a sauce! I'll hafta try that some time.

[weezieduzzit]

Carbonara... gawd how I have missed carbonara! It was so delicious that the man decided if a meteor was headed toward the Earth, this is what he would want me to make.

[steve h.]

Excellent choice.

[HappyHattiesburgr]

The side dish will be a sweet potato and there will be a salad. Not sure besides that.

[mariacarmen]

ay! porc-a-rumba tacos! made a thick and chunky guac, quick pickled cabbage slaw with minced serranos and cilantro, served with shredded jack and crema the BF crisped up the gorgeous fat cap on the pig and i shredded the meat. succulence par excellence.

[linguafood]

porkaliciousness!

[GretchenS]

Drooling....

[gingershelley]

Please pass me a plate....

[mariacarmen]

well lah-dee-dah - the BF doesn't want the chicken "two days in a row" (tho he liked it), so we're doing the Porkzilla tonight after all. i'd like guac with that please. that's all i've got so far.

[roxlet]

Porkzilla and guac sound like an awesome combo.

[gingershelley]

I had a weekend with no internet at home, as my very nice but slightly clueless temp. roommate managed to kick a phone jack off the wall, which took out the home phone and the internet. Sigh..... I refer to the 'general topics' thread: chowhound.chow.com/topics/873414.

Anyhoo, I did cook Friday night, and made a big pot of Thom Ka with shrimp, chicken, spinach - that lemon grass, chili and coconut milk hit the spot...
Saturday, out and about and saw Skyfall with dear ol' dad and out for a slightly uninspired italian meal at the mall.
Yesterday, as I stewed in my non-comunicative state of incognito at home - And it was a perfect CH Sunday - drizzly, chilly; reading the paper and a good book at hand - I decided to make a pot of split pea potage. Out to the market for a smoked hock, and flavored the soup with that on top of the usual mirepoix, with extra carrot chunks, bay leaf, thyme, and for some reason, a jalepeno that was going off. A chunked yukon gold or two and a splash of sherry vinegar added later, along with some chopped ham steak.
The little extra spice and the vinegar really added to the soup. On the side was a nice leafy lettuce salad with HM blue cheese dressing, toasted walnuts, pickled red onion and cherry tomatoes.
My first loaf of WW sourdough bread on the side. YUM! Tasty with a side of Walking Dead......

Tonight will be leftover's of same soup, and another salad, but with avocado added. Technician comes tomorrow to fix the communications problem, so I should be back up and running. Sitting at the library today!
Happy Veterans day to all - and hugs and gratitude to our CH'ers who served, as well of course as others:)

[steve h.]

I bet that soup tastes even better today.

[gingershelley]

Yes, the soup was even better left over! Of course, as most soup/stews are:)

[mariacarmen]

i need a non-communication day!

of course, i say that now.... be jonesing without you all.

soups sound great, esp. that Thom Ka....

[gingershelley]

VERY happy to be back on-line with no issues again! VERY wierd to be so 'off-line for several days.

I forget that SO often - multiple times a day - I just Bing/Google something to check further on info in an article, recipe, some random street view of another city, etc. these days.... What DID we do a few years ago?

[linguafood]

I'm hoping to check out a new place in town with a friend of mine -- a "cajun" place (quotes because, really -- in central PA? we'll see...) where I am also hoping to perhaps score a regular w/end gig with my band.

As an appetizer at home for us while we jerk around on our ukes, I made smoked salmon pinwheels, but pretty bad ones :-)

The salmon slices were small, so making them overlap and filling them ( a shmear of crème fraîche with dill and capers), then trying to roll them up in foil was... difficult.

I put the log in the freezer so the filling could firm up a bit and I could cut it in slices... well, 30 min. later I figured 'tis time.

It ain't pretty, but tasty. I topped them with a bit more shear and some lemon zest.

[ChristinaMason]

Yummy. I'd eat that.

[sisterfunkhaus]

It just got cold here so vegetable beef soup with barley.

[LindaWhit]

Ahh - beef-barley-veg soup. Haven't made that in several years. Will have to do so as soon as the chill comes back to my area!

[ChristinaMason]

Me, too. That's one of my favorites. I don't insist on the cold weather, though. I think the last time I made it was in July.

[roxlet]

Tonight there will be no cooking. Both my husband and I are beat from yesterday's fun festivities. None of us really got a chance to sample the chili, and there is just enough left for dinner, so that will be that. The ribs are all gone, and there is surprisingly little cake left. Just a small piece of each type.

[Cherylptw]

Really nice day here at about 70F. so the grill will be lit for a big T-bone that'll get slathered in jerk spices and grilled. Sides will be baked potatoes cooked in the coals and steamed broccoli topped with brown butter crumbs. Homemade canteloupe ice cream for dessert

[mariacarmen]

mmmmmmmmm! to all of it!

[Shellhead]

Tonight I'm trying a new recipe:

Ginger Steamed Red Snapper with Lemon-Sesame Sauce

[LindaWhit]

Sounds very good!

[Shellhead]

It's an easy recipe, and I've been on a ginger kick recently, so I thought I'd try it.

[LindaWhit]

Many people on the WFD thread(s) know my inordinate fondness for ginger. In fact, I've got some bok choy sitting in my fridge that will be sauteed tomorrow night with freshly grated ginger and dry sherry.

[Shellhead]

Wow! That sounds awesome!

[LindaWhit]

We'll see. I store freshly grated ginger in the fridge, in a jar covered with dry sherry, so those were the first two things that came to my mind today. Tomorrow I might change my mind. :-D

[Shellhead]

I usually have a fresh root in the fridge. I also make ginger-flavored olive oil for cooking and salads. :)

[gingershelley]

Again, I will always encourage a love for Ginger;), LW!

[gingershelley]

gingershelley will encourage you to be on a Ginger kick - allways good for the soul and digestion:)!

[Bacardi1]

Last night's dinner - while a quickie - is a popular one around here. My own version of a quick "Shrimp Newburg" using - GASP - Campbell's "Cream of Shrimp" soup & some nice U.S. wild-caught shrimp from the market . Served over white rice & absolutely delicious with a nice green salad on the side.

[ChristinaMason]

OK, you've piqued my curiosity. Could you share the shrimp recipe? I don't think I've ever seen that particular Campbell's product on shelves.

[Bacardi1]

Sure thing! Campbell's condensed "Cream of Shrimp" soup is a handy little item to have on hand. Unlike many condensed soups, it's not salty & has a nice shrimp flavor as well as pieces of chopped shrimp. Unfortunately, like several other of their condensed soup flavors, "Cream of Shrimp" isn't always available, so when I come across it, I always buy several cans. I never know when it will pop up somewhere, so when I'm in the supermarket soup aisle, I always check.

That said, here's my recipe. Since I also try to keep a pound-bag of raw, peeled, deveined frozen shrimp in the freezer for impromptu recipes (thaws in about 15 minutes under running water), I can have a nice dinner on the table in about 20 minutes tops.

Bacardi1 Quickie Shrimp Newburg

One pound medium or large peeled, shelled, & deveined shrimp – thawed if frozen
One can condensed “Cream of Shrimp” soup (put out by Campbell’s)
Approx. 1/3 to ½ soup can measure of milk, ½ & ½, or cream – whatever you have on hand
Approx. ¼ to 1/3 soup can (or to taste) of dry sherry
Dash of ground nutmeg
Dash of hot sauce
Unsalted butter
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste (optional)
Approx. ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Cooked white rice for serving

Melt enough butter to lightly coat the bottom of a skillet large enough to ultimately hold all ingredients. Saute shrimp in butter until just pink on both sides. Remove shrimp to a plate or bowl.

Combine soup, milk, sherry, nutmeg, & hot sauce in the same skillet & gently heat through. Add shrimp & taste for any seasoning adjustments.

Serve over cooked white rice & top with chopped parsley & freshly-ground black pepper to taste if desired.

[ChristinaMason]

Thanks!

[Harters]

Brown gloop daal. Rice, chutnies, pappads.

[mariacarmen]

here's a pic of the BF's dinner, using LW's chicken/shallot recipe.

i was salivating as he ate it, as i'm going out to dinner shortly. Linda, i did not end up making the pan sauce for him, because, as predicted, using dark meat and skin-on chicken resulted in quite a lot of pan juices. however, after i put the leftover chicken away, i did make a sauce with the juices/butter, which i'll serve for our dinner tomorrow night.

[LindaWhit]

Looks very good, mc! (I can't believe you didn't at least take a bite to try it out! LOL) Mmm...I see that roasted garlic clove on top - lord, I can taste the sweet roasted garlic!

[mariacarmen]

i did sneak a bite of crispy chicken skin, and ate a shallot - shallot was to die for! talk about sweet. i'm excited for dinner tonight. i had to put all the leftovers away in the fridge immediately for fear he'd "snack" them away!

and dinner tomorrow night is ready too. here's the porkzilla. needs a heat blast to brown up the fat cap further (it's crispy already, but needs color):

[gingershelley]

You DID have a busy weekend cooking, and eating out MC - guess your supplied for a few days there with porkzilla!

[weezieduzzit]

A big pot of stock has been simmering away on the stove for hours, whole spices are toasting in the oven and Mulligatawny stew is what's for dinner later tonight. The house smells divine and it hasn't even really been started yet.

[scubadoo97]

Don't you just love those lingering smells of something great cooking

[weezieduzzit]

Being able to have things simmering away on the stove all day is one of the big bonuses of working at home- but it can be absolute torture waiting until the man gets home to eat.

[scubadoo97]

Over the last week Ive made a few Middle Eastern dips. Hummus, baba ganoush and bazagan, a red pepper and walnut spread. So tonight I made fried kibbehs and a salad for dinner. The dips go really well with the kibbeh

[JungMann]

Sounds like a dinner I could get behind! What spices do you use in your kibbeh? I tried an Aleppan recipe last year that I really like compared with my standard of allspice, cinnamon and cumin.

What is your recipe for bazagan and how is it different from muhammara? All Google turns up is recipes for Syrian Jewish tabbouleh.

[scubadoo97]

Ooops, I made muhammara. Bazargan is a sweet sour bulgur/walnut salad.

For the kibbeh I use cumin in the shell and our baharat spice in the meat mixture. I think I gave you that recipe a while back.

[JungMann]

You did. I modified my typical blend to more closely resemble yours. The nutmeg and ginger are particularly nice touches.

[mariacarmen]

feeling a bit guilty for leaving the BF for dinners out 3 nights this week (including tonight), now in the oven is the baked chicken with shallots LW posted above - i did BISO chicken leg/thighs - it smells heavenly in here. for a side i made a sundried tomato and pine nut couscous - has a little kick, too, as my sundried toms were mixed with some type of dried red chili pepper. i also butter braised some celery that had to be eaten. Also, a salad of red leaf lettuce, kale greens, shredded carrots, scallions, fresh parsley and mint in a pink grapefruit vinaigrette.

i also made use of some more of the remaining lamb vindaloo by chopping it up, mixing it with a bit of chopped celery, sultanas, pine nuts, sauteing it quickly, then stuffing it into a buttered, already cooked butternut squash half. i put that in the oven early this afternoon with some chicken stock to heat through for the BF's lunch, but he said he was honestly lambed out. fine - it's now my lunch for work tomorrow. for him i made toads-in-the-hole - ciabatta slices pan toasted in butter with an egg in each (the bread had big air holes) and finished in the broiler with grated jack cheese, drizzled with Tapatio.

finally, in the fridge is a 2.5 pound pork shoulder in a kosher salt water brine. when i get home tonight, i'll put that in the oven to roast at 250 degrees throughout the night while we sleep - i'm aiming for 9 hours. my sister made one yesterday that was SO incredibly good, but i couldn't eat but a fatty/salty sliver of it as i was going to dinner at my friend's birthday feast. poor me.

off to dinner with Canadian CHer grayelf!

[LindaWhit]

I hope your chicken and shallots ended up tasting good - for the BF! LOL And I hope you enjoyed your dinner with grayelf!

[steve h.]

Very cool.
I'm always impressed by the grayelf's (Van Hound) exploits. Have too much fun.

[mariacarmen]

we did. posted about it on the SF Board (we went to AQ) if you're interested, Steve, since you make your way out here pretty regularly.

[gingershelley]

Will have to read your review on SF board - pictures looked good. My dad was not overly impressed with AQ when he went a few months ago....

[mariacarmen]

yes, it was not a - MUST GO BACK ASAP place.

[gingershelley]

Sadly, even living in a food town as you and I do, the places that ARE 'must go backs ASAP' here are either usually only occasional-can-visit due to price, or just simple hole-in-wall ethnic places. So much that's hyped and busy and in the middle to upper is not nearly as good as the hype... IMO

[mariacarmen]

well, then the next day i went to lunch with same CHer at a rightfully highly touted place, Cotogna (my 2nd visit) and was utterly wowed, again.

and then that same evening, i went to a place that gets little hype, but isn't a hole in the wall, called Lolo - reasonably priced, and WONDERFUL. you just never know!

[steve h.]

mc eats well.

[gingershelley]

She sure does, Steve:)

[Dirtywextraolives]

Roasting a whole dried bird on a bed of leeks & fennel, butter, salt & pepper. Stuffed it with half a lemon, bunch of thyme & fennel stalks. Butter,s&p, plus thyme under the skin. Steamed the bed vegs first, then topped with the bird, some oiled shallots and garlic cloves, more thyme. The oil covered the back of the bird, roasting for about two hours.

Potatoes were baked in some milk +garlic, butter, s&p, then layered with shredded smoked Gouda and topped with grated pecorino Romano. Toasting some Italian bread, to rub with garlic and serve under the chicken & juices. A spinach salad with sliced grape tomatoes on the side.

Roasted apples for caramel sundaes. Happy Veterans Day, we love our soldiers past & present!

[mariacarmen]

those taters!

[gingershelley]

Sounds awesome DWO!

[ChristinaMason]

Gorgeous weather brought an impromptu invitation from a friend for a bbq. I hate showing up empty-handed, so I made a quick dip of sour cream mixed with an envelope of Good Seasons, a bunch of dill, and a bit of shallot salt and Worcestershire. Blanched some French-style green beans to bring along as crudite along with a bag of baby carrots. I also made a batch of parmesan-herb shortbread that was waiting in the freezer.

Dinner was tons of grilled meats (pork ribs, chicken, hot dogs, burgers, etc.), jollof rice, guac, tortilla chips, etc. My friend wasn't sure what to do with a bag of Brussels sprouts he picked up, so I stepped in with a simple prep: trimmed, halved, steamed, then pan-seared in a goodly amount of butter with a minced shallot. When the cut sides were nice and brown, I sprinkled everything with ground coriander, black pepper, seasoned salt, and some lemon juice. These went over really well.

Way too full now. Happy Veteran's Day, hounds!

[JungMann]

Jollof rice? Lucky you! That's a delicious dish, though one I've not seen at a barbecue before!

[ChristinaMason]

Pays to bbq with Nigerians ;)

And I love jollof rice, too. My friend gave me an industrial-scale recipe I'll have to cut down and give a go.

[ChristinaMason]

I made my favorite fall cocktail for dessert -- the Port Authority (just made it up one night, and it's stayed in rotation since):

apple jack
lemon juice
aged port
bitters
maple syrup simple or honey simple

Shake, strain, serve with a lemon twist.

[linguafood]

Delicious sounding 'cue, CM. And that drink sounds perfect for fall...

[ChristinaMason]

Thanky! It's really just the thing when the weather turns crisp.

[mariacarmen]

what a feast! sounds great.

[LindaWhit]

I had a butternut squash from my CSA sitting on my counter, and I knew that it would go well with sausage. I wondered pizza? Sure enough, there are several recipes out there using the squash as a sauce, so that's what I'm going with.

I peeled and cut the squash into 1" cubes, and tossed them with olive oil, salt, Aleppo pepper, and dried thyme. Roasted the squash on parchment paper on a baking sheet in a 400° oven for about 25 minutes, stirring/turning once.

I pureed about half of the squash in my mini food processor with a bit of half and half until a thick sauce was formed. I tasted it, and it's got a nice bite from the Aleppo pepper, which will counter nicely with another ingredient I'm using.

Meanwhile, I squoze out 2 links of sweet sausage and pan-sauteed it, and also cleaned and stemmed and chopped up about a cup or so of spinach leaves, and did a 30 second sauté on the spinach until they were barely wilted in the bit of oil left from the sausage.

I'm using Trader Joe's pizza dough, stretched out on a lightly oiled pizza stone (bought years ago, never used - first time, so we'll see how it goes!). The butternut squash sauce will be swirled around the dough, sprinkled with the sausage bits, spinach, and some grated mozzarella and Parm-Reg cheese. Into a 425° oven for about 10-15 minutes until the edges of the crust are just beginning to brown.

And this will give me a work lunch tomorrow. Provided the pizza turns out well.

[jenscats5]

HOPE it turns out well as it sounds utterly delicious! What a great pizza combo....one I would not have thought of...

[steve h.]

Sounds great. Squash is comfort food this time of year and sausage is, well, just super.

modest thoughts: never oil your pizza stone, never wash it. Corn meal can act as teeny-tiny bearings to slide your dough from your peel onto the stone and, subsequently, will greatly facilitate extraction. Heat the stone in the oven an hour before baking. That will insure a tasty bottom crust.

[LindaWhit]

steve, according to Pampered Chef's website, they suggest that things can stick for the first few uses, and recommende a *very light* oiling to prevent that from happening. We'll see what happens. (I don't have a pizza peel - will just use a couple of spatulas or cut it on the stone with a pizza cutter). And they also recommended against pre-heating - and you're telling me something completely different. Now I'm worried.

[steve h.]

Howdy Linda,

Been doing this stuff for years. Reinhart's (sp?) American Pie is a pretty good intro making pizza at home.

A long/short: Corn meal should take care of any sticking issues; the stone is cold and requires a great deal of time at baking temperature before it can properly bake a dough's bottom - at least an hour. A stone is porous and will absorb oil. It will become rancid (stinky) over time if you oil it. Worse, it will crack if you wash it and put it back in the oven.

I think Pampered Chef took a holiday when his/her marketing team published the site's recommendations.

Lastly, try to wring out excess moisture from your toppings.

I love pizza. Welcome to a whole new world.

[LindaWhit]

Do you not wash your stone at all? Just brush it off?

[steve h.]

Yes.
I also bake at a very high temperature - 500 degrees. Getting the stone up to temperature, at least one hour, is key to a good crust.

[linguafood]

We have an awesome pizza stone (well, two -- a round one and a rectangular one), and it never gets wet. Ever.

Corn meal sprinkled on top is all you need, no sticking. And the crust comes out perfectly.

[LindaWhit]

Cornmeal reminds me of Greek-style pizza.

And I used a nylon scrubby brush on the stone last night. :::shrug::: I don't expect to be using it on a regular basis, so I think the stone will dry out with any water it might have absorbed before I use it again. If it cracks, it cracks. As I said - I can't even recall when I bought it, as I don't even go to these Pampered Chef parties. Probably someone at a former company I worked at was selling the stuff and I bought it.

[mariacarmen]

these are good tips to know. we recently purchased a pizza stone, and have not tried it out yet.

[twodales]

I can attest to the corn meal. Be generous with it too.
A peel helps (again aided by lots of corn meal) transfer the pizza to the hot stone without fuss.

[ChristinaMason]

Probably much more elegant than my routine: "cover top of pizza in plastic wrap and flip from butcher block cutting board onto baking sheet, then from baking sheet onto scalding-hot pizza stone"! Half the time it works; the other half...makes for some funny looking pizza.

[gingershelley]

I like this flippy method - makes for some to-the-oven excitement!

[ChristinaMason]

trepidation, for sure! ;)

[Berheenia]

Love TJ'S pizza dough. Sounds delish.

[LindaWhit]

Okey-dokey - here's the after-cooking picture. The edges of the pizza dough didn't brown as I had hoped, nor did the bottom of the pizza, but that's probably because the stone went in cold into the oven. But since the cheese had started to brown, it was time to take it out.

I'm trying to figure out how stretching the dough on a very hot stone would work, as I spent a good bit of time pushing the dough out on the stone to get it to the thickness I wanted, and then a bit more time putting the toppings on the dough. I guess this is where a peel would come in handy, but I'm not going to buy one. So maybe make it on the back of a baking sheet and then sliding it onto the stone might work.

And Steve, the spinach was sauteed *so* briefly and in probably just a few drops of the grease left from the sausage, so no 'wringing" needed.

Meanwhile, it tasted great!

[steve h.]

Very cool.
Get a peel, keep me posted.
Folk who can bake a pizza, make a great burger and fry chicken ace all the top chef contestants.

[LindaWhit]

I failed the 1 time I tried to fry chicken. And stunk up the kitchen for 3 days. I'll just buy that when I go out to eat from now on. :-)

[steve h.]

Another challenge as your Patriots march to maybe another Super Bowl appearance. Yes, they are that good.

[LindaWhit]

They let a few too many things slip through their fingers (two catches by Welker that weren't caught, for one). Again, if not for McCourty, they would have lost today's game. But I'd like to think that your statement comes true!

[mariacarmen]

that looks fantastic!!

[gingershelley]

That's a fun and festive seasonal pie, LW! Will have to borrow that idea..... but somehow, sage and blue cheese sound good on there too, and maybe wild mushrooms?

[LindaWhit]

Several recipes I saw called for sage adn blue cheese (I had neither), but I wanted the spice of the Aleppo'd butternut squash and the sweetness of the sausage to be the flavors. I also can't see blue cheese on a pizza. But that's just me.

[gingershelley]

That's why we all get our own pies, my lady... personal preferences:)!

[steve h.]

Lots of cooking today and a bit of burger strategery.

Deb ground half of the chuck I purchased yesterday for another Bolognese batch. This will go into a lasagne for consumption later in the week. Brunch was a nice prosecco paired with egg salad on lightly-toasted Portuguese bread. Supper will be buttermilk fried chicken based on Thomas Keller's, Ad Hoc at Home cookbook (the secret is in the lemon-herb brine). Maybe the best fried chicken I've ever had. Here's a link to the recipe:
http://www.ouichefnetwork.com/oui_che...

Since Deb only ground half the chuck, I took that as license to go out this morning and buy some brisket and beef short ribs. I'll grind the three cuts and mix in a 2:1:1 ratio. I also bought a bag of potato chips. There are burgers in our future.

Cowboys and Eagles on the plasma. It will be war. Beer and wine will be consumed throughout the afternoon.

Edited to add: Today is Veterans Day. Go hug a veteran.

[jenscats5]

How do you prepare your egg salad??? Sounds delicious with the bread & Prosecco!

Watching the game here myself...

[steve h.]

Mayo, kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper. Farm-fresh eggs, coarsely chopped, can really make a difference both from a flavor perspective and a visual one. There's something about a deep orange yolk that makes this simple concoction so inviting.

[jenscats5]

Wonderfully simple....thank you!

[Berheenia]

I hug one every day but it's nice that they get their own day. The Patriots won so dinner without indigestion is a Martha Stewart recipe that popped up in foodily with lots of lemon, rosemary and olive oil over chicken, potatoes and mushrooms with a final dollop of cherry tomatoes. Not sure if the cherry (actually grape) tomatoes will make it into the final dish. Jets and Pats Thanksgiving game may be too late for us but I'm sure we will post about the food.

http://www.marthastewart.com/312659/r...

We don't grind our own burger but last night's impromptu meat loaf was the usual suspects of ketchup etc in low fat chopped ground beef from WF with some chopped slab bacon, grated gruyere cheddar cheese from TJ's and a healthy amount of chopped onion. It would make a nice grind.

[steve h.]

Very cool. Deb gets to hug one every day, too.
Brady and the Patriots are the hottest team in the NFL right now. My Giants have lost two in a row and are limping into the bye week.

[LindaWhit]

Thank you to both Mr. Berheenia and steve h. for your service.

And yeah, I'm glad for today's win. Although it *was* a nail-biter. Thank you, McCourty, for that end zone interception!

[chefathome]

With lots of snow on the ground and temps of -20C today is a perfect day for roast chicken. I am rubbing it with a Moroccan rub and serving it with celeriac puree with hazelnut oil and cardamom orange glazed carrots. Coconut cream cake with coconut lime buttercream for dessert.

[roxlet]

Braises, roasts and squashes? Not bloody likely! It's supposed to be close to 70 degrees today, and even warmer tomorrow! Today we are having a family and friends party for my son's 17th birthday, which isn't until Wednesday. My husband is making his special chili -- he gets a whole chuck, slices it into strips, grills the strips, and then cuts the meat into small pieces and stews with tomatoes, and about 5-6 different dried chilis that are hydrated and whirred in the VitaMix until they are a paste. Garlic, onions and tomatoes go in that too. In addition, since it's such a gorgeous day, he lit the smoker and will serve some ribs. I'll make guacamole to serve with drinks, which will be beer, margaritas, wine and soda, and we'll serve the chili with tortillas, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, etc, and everyone can dress his own bowl. I made three cakes yesterday: the epicurious double chocolate cake with vanilla flour frosting, a double recipe of Malgieri's coconut cake with coconut flour frosting, and a new to me lemon cake from the Art and Soul of Baking, which is two sponge cake layers cut in half, brushed with a lemon syrup, filled with a whipped cream, mascarpone and lemon curd icing, then each layer spread with more curd, and the whole thing is iced with the filling. The only problem is that they are all white!! I may have to dust the chocolate cake with some cocoa to mix things up! And, oh yes, the neighbors have brought a bunch of stuff over to be smoked! Busy day.

[jenscats5]

A busy, but delicious day!!! The chili sounds divine....

[hotoynoodle]

warm here too. dinner will be cherry tomatoes, cooked down with some garlic, over shrimp, spinach and artichoke hearts. fried garlic sprinkled on top. a glass (mebbe 2) of dolcetto.

[linguafood]

Awesome sounding chili. And I fucking hate chili :-D

I would totally eat that. And your guac, too.

[mariacarmen]

i was just going to say the same thing...

and happy last year as a non-adult to your son!! tell him to enjoy it while it lasts...

[steve h.]

Very cool, roxlet. Sounds like you guys are kicking ass and taking names. Happy birthday to the young man.

[LindaWhit]

Oh my - that new-to-you lemon cake sounds heavenly! And a very happy early birthday to the almost 17-year old!

[Dirtywextraolives]

It all sounds delicious, roxlet! Congrats to the boy! Nice job with three cakes!

[JungMann]

Seeing as how we've had our first frost, I was happy to see collard greens at the farmer's market. I bought an extra large bunch, along with lamb stew meat thinking it'd be just the thing for our cold weather and now here we are: Indian summer just days after 4 inches of snow.

Though it may be unseasonable given the weather, I'm sticking to my autumnal menu of braised collard greens and a Middle Eastern lamb stew known as thareed. The latter has a long history; reportedly it was a favorite of the Prophet and recipes are given in 14th-century Moorish texts from Al-Andalus. With pitas fresh from a bakery in Brooklyn, it still satisfies even if it feels more like November in Nablus than New York.

[JungMann]

Thareed, for the more visual among us.

[weezieduzzit]

Beautiful, JM. I read a little about Thareed after you posted earlier (I'm sensing a soup/stew binge coming on...) and it sounds like it fits right in the comfort food realm.

[ChristinaMason]

An amazing spread. Wish we were neighbors!

[PHREDDY]

Ro.. Best wishes to your son.... Now he can drive anytime anywhere! Turn him onto "Drive thru" establishments!

[roxlet]

Haha. He'll have to take the test first, and he hasn't finished his Driver's Ed course. These days, a lot of kids are so busy, that they don't have time to learn to drive. And it's more fun to be driven anyway -- you can text away or read or study. But the driving test should be in December sometime.

[gingershelley]

Impresive Roxlet! After a weekend at Uncle Bob's, I want to come to your house and eat chili, ribs and 3 kinds of cake!
That lemon one especially sounds ambitiuos! Nice work!

[linguafood]

As a rather festive (= booze-heavy) week winds down, tonight we'll be indulging in some of the bounty we picked up at DiBruno's on our recent overnight trip to Philly: we went a little sausage-crazy, so this evening there will be jalapeño & cheddar brats (we also bought feta & spinach chicken sausages and hot Italian -- and I stocked up on duck fat, of course. god, I could buy that entire store). On the side I'll fry up some yellow & red peppers and sweet onion, and a nice head of cauli shall be roasted to crispy sweetness.

Entertainment is zombies and mobsters, and maybe a blues jam later in the eve if I'm up for it. Which is kinda doubtful. I needs a break.

[Cherylptw]

So, my man's had a cold or flu or something going on the last few days and the taste buds have been shot...no cooking going on until last night when I made a pot of chicken noodle soup (I used wide egg noodles). Soup was great and he said he wished he had a thermos to take some to work (I'll have to pick one up next time I go shopping since he feels that way!)

Taste buds are back; I have a rabbit thats been thawed in the fridge a few days bf bagged last season that I'll be browning then smothering in gravy & onions. On the side, a pot of mixed greens (mustard, turnip, kale) which will be cooked with corned pig tails, crushed red pepper and vinegar. Mashed potatoes & my grandmother's biscuit recipe to go with the rabbit.

[tiffeecanoe]

Finally making that brat and creamy cabbage dish I posted in WFD last round. Meant to make it on Thursday, but daughter was teething and feverish and by the time dinner rolled around picking up a pizza seemed to be the way to go. So, very much looking forward to dinner tonight!

[jenscats5]

Doing my usual Sunday advance cooking for the week........making a few items for meals during the week since I'll most likely be working some OT this week.....

Baked off some porcupine meatballs (which I don't think I made correctly) so far, frizzled some ground turkey, have applesauce currently stewing in the crockpot, will be baking a pork loin for dinner & have some cabbage thinly sliced for some sauteed cabbage. So for dinner I think I'll have the pork with applesauce & cabbage.

[Berheenia]

Grew up on porcupine meatballs and fed my kids happily with them- I have the defining recipe (haha) if you are interested. Picky eaters united was our mantra as children.

[jenscats5]

Oh your recipe would be great!! Mine fell apart completely, so I know I did something wrong. The recipe I found called for 1/2 cup of water in the meat mix, which I don't think was necessary. Would love to try again.....

[Berheenia]

Mine is my own redo of what my mother fed 2 picky eaters in the 50's and I haven't made this in a long time- my baby is 33. It involves a can of tomato soup (like the one Andy Warhol made famous) and that puts a lot of people off but much as I hate the stuff it makes the dish and doesn't taste like the canned stuff after cooking. Perhaps a 21st century fix would be to make a simple tomato soup and buzz it. Also she used minute rice which I hate but I use Uncle Ben's for this recipe.

Soak a half a cup of rice in half cup of water (this gets drained)
Make the soup with one can water, season with Worcestershire and start simmering on stove in oven proof casserole.
Add drained rice to one pound hamburger (85% lean) and season with chili powder, onion or garlic salt or what ever spices you like. Another short cut was of mine was to use dehydrated onion rather than mince up some fresh onion- I was in a rush- but add 1/4 cup onion or equivalent of dried. Gently pat meat into ping pong ball sized meatballs and drop into the simmering soup. Cover dish and bake at 350 until balls get puffed up about 45 minutes.

[Dirtywextraolives]

I believe my Mom made this for us many times......this & the one with spaghetti, said soup & sausages.... I loved those casseroles.....

[jenscats5]

Thanks so much!! And have to agree on the soup - once cooked it does taste different....

[iL Divo]

jens, altho I'm tardy in reading about your meal, I love the sound of it albeit late in saying so.
you had me at porcupine meatballs. I haven't thot of those in a hundred years.
my step sister used to make them, I'd never had them before that, and remember thinking yum.
they were so good and each the size of a bulldogs' head. fun memory.

[prima]

last night's supper was rack of lamb with lemon, aleppo pepper, cumin, thyme and sumac, eggplant and leeks sauteed in olive oil with oregano and thyme, and orzo.

[LindaWhit]

Can't go wrong with that leg of lamb!

[Uncle Bob]

Yesterday was a busy day here,,beyond the blacktop. ~~ After a shot of
Bourbon we Cooked up a big pot of fresh mustard, turnips and roots that we picked behind the house. Seasoned with bacon and tasso. Oh My!!! ~~ Fried up some fresh catfish....some filets, some whole small ones. Rounded it out with Jalapeno hushpuppies.

Just polished off a big breakfast of Country Ham, Red-Eye Gravy, Biscuits, and fresh hen eggs....

Tonight will be Red beans & Rice. Seasoned with Andouille and Tasso. Maybe a little Smoked Sausage on the side. ~~~ I love week-ends!!!!.

[Cherylptw]

I LOVE your entire weekend's fare Uncle Bob. Can you share the details of your biscuits? I'm making a pot of greens myself tonight and biscuits too!

[steve h.]

Uncle Bob hits it out of the park.
Sweet.

[tiffeecanoe]

You never fail to amaze me Uncle Bob! I always LOVE reading what you're having for dinner... and breakfast now, too! Sounds so delicious.

[gingershelley]

I want to spend the weekend at Uncle Bob's!

Perhaps a Chowhound weekend house party?

[Bacardi1]

Yesterday the market had some really lovely U.S. farm-raised catfish filets that were in-house marinated in a Cajun marinade, so I took two home & baked them up. Very nice marinade - spicy but not salty like they sometimes are. Served them with a new Knorr pasta side - "Chipotle Rotini" - which was very spicy for a commercial product. Quite good. Green salad rounded out the meal.

[Harters]

So, it's stew night Chez Harters.

A sort out of the freezer contents turned up two packs of beef shin. One of Aberdeen Angus from our usual online supplier; the other Welsh Black from the farmers market. Perhaps the two tastiest breeds you get in these parts (although I also like the localish Galloways)

We'll make a big stew - half for tonight, half to go back in the freezer as a future brown gloop meal. For veg in the stew, there's onion, celery, carrot and swede. And, of course, there'll be dumplings

[Dirtywextraolives]

Thawed out quite a few things from the freezer, which included some bul gogi. So made Korean tonight, with the broiled beef short rib lettuce wraps. With a bacon kimchee fried rice. As inspired by the DOTM thread, made kimchee pancakes to go with. They turned out pretty well. Lately the best part has been that the kids are doing the KP. So relaxing with some wine and looking through recipes for the holidays. Definitely cleaning down the freezer in anticipation of the holidays :)

[tiffeecanoe]

I made Salisbury Steak! It's been too long since I made it. Husband wanted burgers, though, neither of us felt the urge to run to the store to pick up some buns! So, I had an abundance of parsley... so, Salisbury Steak it was! Gotta say, it was really quite delicious and such an inexpensive meal. Will have to remember to add it to the meal rotation. It was served with some corn...because honestly, I was tired of looking at the half full bag in the freezer and a rutabaga mash.

[sisterfunkhaus]

The risotto sounds divine. I am going to try that next weekend. Acorn and butternut seem really good right now.

I am making chicken and dumplings. I made the stock today from leftover roasted chicken.

[steve h.]

Save some stock for your risotto.

[mariacarmen]

out again tonight. gf cooks herself a fabulous, multicourse birthday dinner party for 15 women every year - always amazing food, lots of cocktails/bubbly, and a good time.

whipped together a cottage pie (NB, Mr. H - beef) for El Viejo, with a mashed yam/potato/parm topping. hoping it goes over well. there are less and less things he likes from my repertoire of bland.

[LindaWhit]

What fun - happy birthday to your friend, and enjoy the food and bubbly - please report back as to what you had.

[mariacarmen]

thanks!

[mariacarmen]

So my friend's bday dinner last night for 14 was: the "official" cocktail - "When Figs Fly" - consisting of fig syrup which she made herself from fresh figs, bourbon, and your choice of heavy cream and/or sparkling water, on the rocks. such an odd combo that totally worked! chased liberally with vino & cava throughout the evening. appetizers: crostini with goat cheese and a blueberry/cranberry/raisin/orange zest chutney; sriracha deviled eggs, smoked salmon puff pastries topped with aioli. then, at table: salad of mixed greens, fennel and persimmons in a honey/lemon vinaigrette with green olives and shaved parm regg; a wild mushroom creamy soup (no cream, just shrooms, onions, garlic and broth) - such earthy goodness; pumpkin gnocchi with a sage browned butter - to DIE for, the standout of the evening, for me (and as i spent the night, it was even better for breakfast this morning!); and roasted salmon filets in a garlicky spinach sauce and andouille sausage slices. dessert: cheese cake balls rolled in a variety of nuts and ground chocolate, with a strawberry/rhubarb compote. She's amazing!

[LindaWhit]

Oh. MY. I want:

Crostini
Deviled eggs
Mushroom soup
Gnocchi
Salmon filets
Cheesecake balls

What a wonderful dinner you had, mc!

[linguafood]

WOW. Just wow.

[gingershelley]

That sounds all so delish and like a GREAT evening...

Do you think you could get us that gnocchi recipe?

[mariacarmen]

i'l ask!

[gingershelley]

Gracias, mi amiga.

[mariacarmen]

oops, "I'll" ask. so i got it, but it looks like a recipe she copied from somewhere, word for word, but she didn't say from where, so i don't know if i can post it here verbatim. i can send it to you on the OTHER social network....

[LindaWhit]

Maybe you could Google a phrase in the recipe, and see if it's available online and link it?

[mariacarmen]

good idea, i'll try that.

[mariacarmen]

HAH! you're so smart, LW! and funnily enough, it's a Chow recipe!

http://www.chow.com/recipes/30496-pum...

i think my friend did not do the creme fraiche, just a browned butter with sage sauce.... but they were awesome.

[LindaWhit]

They sound and look amazing!

[gingershelley]

Thanks MC - SO funny it is from Chow...... a tiny world, indeed!

May make these sometime over TD weekend and report:)

[Harters]

Heh, heh, heh.

[scubadoo97]

Found some flap meat for burgers tonight. Did the Serious Eats Ultra crispy potatoes as a side

[LindaWhit]

The day was spent erranding. A lot more driving than I had expected, as I didn't find what I was looking for in my old neighborhood. A quick text to my sister and she gave me another idea to find what I was looking for...which meant driving a bit further out of my way (but where I could still hit up some of the stores I was planning on going to back in my old stomping grounds).

So a LONG day on the road. Let's just say the stupeyheaded Christmas sales have started, bringing out the stupeyheaded drivers, and the stupeyheaded parking lot bad car parkers, and the stupeyheaded store aisle walkers who also stop with their shopping cart in the middle of the aisle or drive on the wrong side of the aisle. :::::Gritting my teeth::::::

Took out a couple of b/s chicken breasts (which will require a gentle defrost in the nukerator as they won't be defrosted in time for dinner prep). I had picked up a bag of shallots at Trader Joe's, and wanted to use some of them in tonight's dinner. Luckily, there's this little thing called the Internet that came up with just the right recipe!

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/ba...

I'll probably deglaze the pan with a bit of chicken stock after roasting the chicken and shallots for a bit more of a pan sauce. Sides will be basmati rice and steamed broccoli with toasted cashews.

[mariacarmen]

report back, wouldja? i love shallots but i never leave the whole or almost whole, and i don't know why. bet they're delicious like that.

[LindaWhit]

mc, this dinner was VERY good! I added 1/2 cup of chicken stock to the pan sauces in a small skillet, brought it to a boil, and the turned it to a simmer and reduced it. I mounted it with a pat of butter, and it was an amazing sauce. And I *did* cut the two large shallots I used in half, so they began to separate into layers as they cooked and some of the pieces got all nice and caramelized. Quick and easy to make. One I'll do again.

[mariacarmen]

yummers. thanks, i'm going to try it too.

[LindaWhit]

Just an FYI - in my opinion, it *definitely* needed the add-in of the chicken stock for reduction for a pan sauce. Otherwise, it's just melted butter and a minute bit of chicken juice drippings. Perhaps with the BISO chicken, it would have more juices/fat in the pan, but I liked it with the chicken stock.

[mariacarmen]

i would do that, definitely. but yeah, i would use BISO. and prolly thighs. thanks for the tip.

[gingershelley]

The Frenchman's 2nd cousin taugh me a few years ago (mostly with gestures), that she uses whole shallots both as part of her ratatouille, and as a base to a pork roast dish she made on another visit.

I adopted that trick for a number of roast dishes, and love a caramelized roasted shallot as part of my veggie assortment under most roasts now!

[twodales]

Fine Cooking has some Fine Recipes

[LindaWhit]

I was very pleasantly surprised, twodales. Although after signing up for their site so I could drop a review there, I got inundated with Emails. Which promptly got unsubscribed from.

[PHREDDY]

Steve,
A light white from a jail in California?

[steve h.]

Nope. A California pinot noir. A glass of California sparkling wine to start the day, of course.

Deb's risotto and squash is pretty heady stuff. Pumpkin seeds and fried sage send a traditional dish over the top. The pumpkin risotto at the Getty Center was the inspiration. I'll post chapter and verse on our excellent (and timely) trip real soon now.

[mariacarmen]

La Crema? I wonder if you ever made it over to Artesa in Napa, which does lovely pinots. Maybe your next trip thisaway.

Deb's risotto sounds amazing.

[scubadoo97]

Yes it does

[steve h.]

La Crema? Yes.
Deb and I have a brief milage run in December. We'll be settling in to Sausalito in August for an extended stay. The purpose is the Louis Vuitton Cup. Artesa is now on the radar.

[mariacarmen]

oops, wrong spot.