What's for Dinner #182 - Bleak Mid-Winter Edition [OLD]

[roxlet]

Ready to have a go at warm, comforting foods to tide you through the cold and damp of January? Me too, except that we are expecting temperatures in the 50s today for an early January thaw. Really early, since we haven't actually had very cold weather yet!

I am starting dinner now -- split pea soup with ham. I have 3 Egyptian guests arriving at the end of the week, and I thought it best to find a way to use up the rest of the New Year's Day ham before they arrive. So the peas are soaking and the broth is bubbling.

What's cooking in your part of the world?

[mariacarmen]

i guess Linda has re-started chicken paprikas season... i made the simplest version i could - cut up boneless salted chicken thighs sauteed in butter and oil, remove from pan, add sliced onions, saute til starting to brown, add Hungarian sweet paprika, white pepper, chicken broth, add back chicken, simmer for awhile, and add in a boatload of sour cream. i started out using only a quarter of the tub, but the more i added, the better it tasted. oh, and i can't remember if we talked about it before, but i think putting peas in paprikas is verboten and frowned upon. but i did it anyway, as the Oldster loves them. oh yes, this is for the oldster. he'd better like it. or at least, he'd better eat it.

also made a meatloaf that he'll have tonight with mashed buttery potatoes and steamed buttery lemony broccoli. t

as for us, my sister and i did it again: spit roasted a bone-in pork butt, about 5 lbs., and sliced slivers off of it straight into our mouths, standing over the stove. dinner: done.

[steve h.]

You and sis should be sharing the porky goodness on Saturday morning at the farmers' market.

[mariacarmen]

if only. both sick, taking care of dad, couldn't really leave. another time, steve, another time.

[ChristinaMason]

I love this "season" and picked up 4 turkey legs just for the occasion :)

[mariacarmen]

oops, i see i put it on the old thread. ah well, i'll just repost.

[roxlet]

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/886021

Let's continue the discussion here!

[Frizzle]

Two dishes from the COTM tonight. A parsley and barley salad, it was a repeat of a hit from the book and a sort of variation on tabbouleh. The main dish was an 'open kibbeh' another riff on a traditional dish of lamb mince and bulgar. It was decidedly average. There are leftovers but I'm not terribly inspired about repurposing them tomorrow.

[twodales]

Haven't had much time to myself so not much in the way of posting here lately. I have, however, been trying a lot of new recipes, many of them vegetarian. Later on those.

Tonight we had a pre-theatre dinner of salmon with a red wine-shallot-reduction... a shot of butter added in at the end. Delish. On the side, tiny golden spuds for the Brit, creamy leeks and also spinach for us both. Enjoyed it all.

The play was "School for Lies" by Moliere as staged by our delightfully wonderful Shakespeare Theatre of Chicago. Cleverly done and very funny.

[LindaWhit]

A foggy day, in London Town....

I don't know if it's foggy in London, but it is where I live. Errands today, and then just hangin' in the house. I was craving a fresh, light salad, and went searching in my pie safe pantry for something different. I have pomegranate balsamic vinegar from Cuisine Perel? That'll do the trick for a vinaigrette!

I wanted to put together a salad of baby spinach leaves, a quarter of a red pear thinly sliced, goat cheese, pom arils and pistachios. But what did I forget? The goat cheese. :-/ Didn't matter - the salad was still very nice drizzled with the pomegranate-ginger vinaigrette I made.

For the chicken, I had some mushrooms to use up, so I made a throw-together recipe that turned out pretty nicely. I was looking for chicken stock in my upstairs freezer, but found mushroom broth instead (went downstairs for some chicken stock) and the mushroom broth gave it a nice, earthy flavor.

Paprika-Mushroom Chicken

1 chicken breast, cut in half lengthwise
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 cup mushroom broth (made from previously reconstituted dried mushrooms, sieved to remove grit, and frozen)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1-1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

Mix flour, paprika, salt, pepper, and dried thyme in a small ziploc bag, and then add chicken cutlets. Seal and shake well until chicken is dusted with paprika/flour mixture.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook for about a minute or two on each side. Temporarily remove chicken, and add mushrooms and shallots to oil in pan (add more if needed). Cook for several minutes until mushrooms are soft. Return chicken to the pan, and add mushroom broth and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a healthy simmer and cover and cook for about 10 minutes, turning chicken once, and liquid is reduced.

Serve over rice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pom-Ginger Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp. pomegranate balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. grated ginger (could have used more)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 Tbsp. olive oil

I shook it all in a jar until it was emulsified and drizzled it over the spinach salad.

[steve h.]

Impressive.
Foggy here, too. Reminded me of San Francisco.

[mariacarmen]

funnily, San Francisco today was bright as a pin with an icy blue sky... favorite kind of days.

[mariacarmen]

what, pray tell, is a pie safe pantry?

[LindaWhit]

Well, technically it's just called a pie safe. I, however, use it as an additional pantry. Gourmet food goodies (mustards, honeys, special herb mixes, various syrups, baking chocolate, etc.) are stored there, and the bottom shelf is also my liquor cabinet. Mine looks something similar to this, but I have a single drawer on the bottom:

http://img3.etsystatic.com/008/0/6403...

These were used for pies and other baked goods to cool back in the "olden days". The pierced tin panels allowed air to circulate inside, but didn't let the bugs in.

[mariacarmen]

wow, that's really pretty! learn something new here every day.

[steve h.]

Very cool, LW.
I may have the breadbox equivalent of your pie safe.

http://www.coldcreekfurniture.com/cat...

[LindaWhit]

Very nice!

[boyzoma]

That sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks for putting the recipe here too. I've got to make that! I bookmarked it for future reference :)

[steve h.]

Saturday was all about food and football.

Brunch was at Tarry Lodge in Port Chester. We sat at the white marble bar because we are fans of Michael the barkeep, settled in with prosecco and smoked trout followed by a killer pizza margherita and a flight of excellent Italian reds by the glass. There was a celebrity sighting: Joe Bastianich (co-owner with Mario Batali) was having a meal with his wife and kids at a table nearby.

Next up was a trip to the market for olives, fresh pastas, blood oranges and a duck pâté with black truffles. The wine store contributed a case of house prosecco, a quality champagne and a very decent red.

Denver and Baltimore are putting on quite a show right now. San Francisco and Green Bay later tonight should be an outstanding matchup.

Supper tonight will be nibbles: deviled eggs, pâté, maybe some cheesecake for dessert. Sunday will be another huge football day.

[LindaWhit]

Was Joe B. making his usual Masterchef grimacing face upon tasting the food? ;-)

And while I usually don't watch football games in which the Pats aren't playing, I *have* been watching the Broncos/Ravens game. Pretty darn good! I'd like to see the Ravens win, as I'd just like a year where a Manning isn't in the playoffs. :-P

And can't *wait* for tomorrow!

[steve h.]

Joe looked tanned and content. There were no hovering sycophants.

This may be the best weekend of football ever!

edited to add: Deb is wearing her Peyton Manning jersey. There may be one hell of a Manning/Brady matchup next week. If so, you and I need to negotiate terms and conditions of a game-day wager.

Second edit: Denver loses, Ray Lewis lives to fight another day. Flacco was impressive, Manning not so much.

[Frizzle]

Smoked trout...prosecco...pâté...truffles...champagne. Oh my. That's quite a day of nibbles and foraging. I'm very jealous.

[steve h.]

I'm softly chuckling to myself. It sounds pretty fancy now that I look back at the post. Sometimes the planets line up right.

[mariacarmen]

i want your life (minus the sports watching)!! really excellent day, Steve. Does Bastianich look as angry in real life as he does on t.v.?

[steve h.]

It was a pretty domestic scene. My take is that he has a dry sense of humor (as when he discusses his "beer swilling sister") that doesn't translate well to television.

[mariacarmen]

i'm thinking more of his appearances with his mom on her show, pre-weight loss, pre-his own cook-off shows... he just seemed humorless. but, t.v. personality is certainly not an indicator of a real-life person.

[steve h.]

Ten years ago, Deb and I attended a wine class presented by Bastianich and David Lynch in the back of Joe's wine store, Italian Wine Merchants, in Manhattan. The pair had just written a book, Vino Italiano: the Regional Wines of Italy. Both were charming, witty and insightful.

This was a bit before they became celebrities. Anne Burrell prepared the food for the tastings.

[mariacarmen]

how fabulous!

[roxlet]

I think Tarry Market is a great addition to the area. I love the place!

[steve h.]

Totally agree. We needed a place like this.

[wyogal]

Leftovers, the Italian "red gravy" and meat from last night. I am finally feeling human again, so am off to the store. Husband said he'd drive, if I go in and pick up dessert. I have no idea what dessert will be.

It is really cold here, didn't snow too much, but cloudy, kinda snowy over the mountain. Hope they get some up there, we are to have a Nordic meet next weekend (our son is one of the coaches), but not much to ski on.

[wyogal]

having lemon cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

[roxlet]

Our dinner tonight will be short ribs, done with beer in a manner similar to Carbonade Flamande with mushrooms. With that will be mashed potatoes. I will make a heep of asparagus as well. For me, it will be small portions, but the asparagus will help tide me through.

[mariacarmen]

sounds perfect. a little of that yumminess goes a really long way, you'll be surprised.

[weezieduzzit]

We got a dinner invitation from friends that were just gifted an Alaskan salmon that the neighbor caught. Its being smoked and we'll all be pickled by the time we're done. :) These are our favorite friends to eat with, I'm excited!

[roxlet]

Speed reading! The first time through, I read that the salmon was being smoked, then pickled. I was thinking that I'd never heard of smoked pickled salmon. Pickled people? Why, that's something else! But if it's hot smoked salmon, it really won't take long enough to get soused!

[LindaWhit]

Smoked salmon and pickled people go very well together. :-)

[suzigirl]

Lol. Agreed

[Frizzle]

Lol LW!
It sounds delicious WD and like a good evening.

[weezieduzzit]

One night at their house ended up with the horses (mini horse and Shetland pony, both rescues,) in the living room (according to the pictures... couldn't say I really remember anything beyond the headache the next day.) They're such good hosts the glass is never empty there...

Have a great night, all!

[mariacarmen]

now THAT is a party.... "i can't even remember when the shetland ponies came in!"

[Frizzle]

It was a mussel fest here as well last night for the toddler and I. The fish-hater had a fried aubergine and yoghurt dish I make that he ladled into pita bread and scoffed.
Inspired by linguafood's sauce I did the mussels two way. The toddler had the non-alcoholic version pictured below. Steamed in water and the topped with a breadcrumb mix (bread, garlic, lemon zest, parmesan and parsley) and grilled. She made her way through two dozen leaving only a eight for me so I was very glad of the extra bag stashed in the fridge.

The second way was with a similar sauce to linguafood's (thank you so much for the inspiration). Butter, shallots, garlic were fried until soft and in went wine and mustard and some cooking liquid from the mussels (steamed with wine this time). Fresh parsley was added and a grate of pepper. A squeeze of lemon juice was added to the plate at the table as it felt a tad salty. A small end of bread mopped up juices. Yum.

[roxlet]

Sounds like some toddler you've got there! I'm surprised she didn't scarf down your mussels too!

[Frizzle]

I'm sure she would have if she had been awake! She's pretty good with most foods except anything with even the teensiest hint of chilli.

[LindaWhit]

TWO DOZEN? She's a very good little Chowhound!

[Frizzle]

I know - the mind boggles as to where she fits them. I am ridiculously happy about her seafood eating after her rejection of mackerel the other night.

I'm not sure how big mussels are in the US or UK but the ones in Australia (blue mussels?) seem small compared to the green lipped mussels I grew up with in NZ. I feel a little traitorous saying this but I prefer the Aussie mussels to the NZ ones.

[linguafood]

Yumboski!!

[mariacarmen]

yum yum yum.... and yeah, that baby's going to have some expensive tastes!

[linguafood]

After last night's virtuous mussel fest, it's another porkapalooza at casa lingua.

A 7 lbs. shoulder I brined for 8 hours, then dry-rubbed with deliciousness, went into the oven last night around 2 AM or so (the details are a bit fuzzy) and was at 200° about an hour ago. It's now coming to room temp, and I should probably (?) put it in the fridge until our guests arrive.

One of our friends promised to bring apps, which I am hoping will be some of his incredibly addictive smoked cornish game hens, another will bring a veggie side and dessert.

I am making a fennel, grapefruit and ? cheese salad with a walnut vinaigrette. Not sure yet whether to use feta or gorgonzola.

Burning some midnight oil is on the agenda. Lazy Sunday morning ahead for sure.

[LindaWhit]

PORKAPALOOZA!!! Enjoy, lingua.

[mariacarmen]

can't wait to hear the deets... i'm sensing you're reaching the point where you can't make a bad pork roast... porkactualization...

[linguafood]

It was delish. I used the same rub as last time, but upped the cayenne to give it a tiny bit of an afterbite.

Fall-apart tender, juicy and flavorful. Not sure I'm gonna futz around with the recipe much.

We have about 2 lbs. leftover, which will be FD tomorrow!!

[Berheenia]

Today started out really bleak. The weather, my life. I had a early morning long dental appointment with my periodontist (aka gum doctor) who hasn't gotten his hands in my mouth for a long time. When I arrived he had cancelled! Sorry you are sick sir! Went directly to the warm coffee shop next door to his office and had coffee and corned beef hash benedict. With extra hollandaise. These Albanians can cook! Then we were the early birds at the supermarket and picked up the ingredients for baked ziti for dinner tomorrow after the game. The weather is still bleak but life is good!

[suzigirl]

Life must be good. You have corned beef hash Benedict in your tummy. Kudos to the extra hollandaise. I order that too.

[LindaWhit]

Breakfast was a much better thing than fingers in your mouth, Berheenia. :-)

[thymetobake]

We didn't have turkey at all over the holidays but hubby picked up a small turkey breast for the freezer. So, today I'm making turkey gumbo. I've made chicken and seafood gumbo my whole life but this is the first turkey one. Considering how much we love turkey gravy I'm betting this will be one good gumbo.

Also baking off the rest of the focaccia dough I made earlier in the week for the freezer (and future sandwiches).

[JungMann]

Turkey gumbo is a favorite post-Thanksgiving treat. I'm sure yours was a real pleasure!

[thymetobake]

Thanks, JM

It turned out really good. I could tell the difference between it and chicken. The broth just had a richer, silkier feel and taste. It took longer to get the meat tender, but it was so much easier to pick the meat off than a chicken is. I think I've made my last chicken gumbo and will stick to turkey from now on. If we can find them other than thanksgiving, anyway.

[roxlet]

Last night was a desperation dinner, nothing in the house and nothing planned. I wound up with ramen noodles with shrimp, mushrooms and a hard boiled egg. My husband did a quick sauté with some ginger and galangal added to the mushrooms and shrimp. Everyone else had cheeseburgers with sautéed mushrooms, onions, bacon later on. I, a WW newbie, left the room when he brought out the potato chips!

[rabaja]

Although your dinner sounds slurpy and delicious, that must gave been tough to watch.

Pop chips are a treat for me when I want chips with a sandwich or something. It's hard at first to allow the snacks(at least for me)that offer nothing nutritional, but maybe down the road.

Btw, what kind of ramen did you use?

[mariacarmen]

pop chips have saved me more than once.

[roxlet]

He buys the super spicy ramen at the Asian supermarket. I love the spice!

[Bacardi1]

Last night we hit our favorite local Japanese/Chinese spot for dinner ("Dragon Chef", Culpeper, VA).

For appetizers, hubby enjoyed a Tekka-Maki roll (tuna), while I had my favorite Tuna Tataki (barely-seared thin tuna slices served on a bed of sesame seaweed salad with a drizzle of extremely spicy soy dressing over all).

Entrees were Chinese Mustard Shrimp for hubby; & a nice plate of sauteed Udon noodles with vegetables & sliced beef for me.

Very satisfying for a cold, raw, drizzly evening.

[Cherylptw]

Tonight I pan seared and finished in the oven a giant porterhouse with sauteed onion & bells; green beans sauteed in bacon fat and the left over cous cous with roasted red bells for the bf; a salad for the both of us (his was a plain garden variety) I added blackened chicken breast and avocado to mine with a garlic vinaigrette.

[Dirtywextraolives]

I need more giant porterhouses in my life. For real.

[suzigirl]

Don't we all, Dweo?

[steve h.]

Fettuccini all'Alfredo is on the menu.
This is the Marcella Hazan version so heavy cream, butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano figure prominently. Not for the faint (weak) of heart. House red will be on the table.
The house reeks of paint but that's the price of poker when renovating. I'll take Deb out for brunch tomorrow.

[LindaWhit]

Nice dinner.

[mariacarmen]

all that a FA'A should be.

i'm lying here with a bad cough and a diet coke, having eaten take out pizza (it was all that sounded good), but drooling over your dinner and your wine. maybe i'll have a glass myself. medicinal, after all, ain't it?

[steve h.]

Feel better, mc. House red should get you back on your feet.

[LindaWhit]

Awww, mc - I hope you're feeling better soon! Have you had that looked at? It's not bronchitis, is it? It turns out my SIL had a sinus infection her entire week here, so at least she's on antibiotics now and should be feeling better.

[mariacarmen]

i really think it's just a bad cold. it doesn't feel worse than any other one i've had, or lasted longer... yet....

thanks, tho, for the concern! very sweet, much appreciated.

another day of non-cooking here.... tomorrow will be better!

[LindaWhit]

FINALLY found a place to get my flu shot - my local supermarket, Hannaford's, has a pharmacy, and they had the vaccine (no CVS or Rite Aid near me had it available).

Tonight's dinner? Delmonico steak seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a pinch of Herbes de Provence. I'll pan-sear it and then tuck it in the oven to finish cooking. Also having a baked potato with sour cream, and some steamed green beans.

[juliejulez]

Linda you are having one of my favorite meals... steak, potato, green beans. :)

[suzigirl]

I must echo what juliejulez said. Mmm mmm

[steve h.]

Good call on the Delmonico steak. Maybe my favorite cut of beef. It calls out for a glass or two of red.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Love a good Delmonico steak...... Sounds wonderful.

And we are getting scarce with the vaccine even out here in LA. Thankful I was able to get my kids and myself vaccinated, now pushing the hubby to do so as well, but our local CVS was out of it also......

[LindaWhit]

Dweo, try a supermarket with a pharmacy OR some place like Target's pharmacy. I'm thinking CVS stores are SO prevalent that people automatically think of them to get their shots.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Thanks so much for the advice! The kids and I are good, a local pharmacy got a new shipment in today. But the hubby will have to search on his own; unless he walks in the door at this very moment, I will have to assume he did not get to the pharmacy down the hill in time before they closed at 7 pm.

[Frizzle]

That sounds simply delicious LW.

[PHREDDY]

Still responding,and wer're working for and helping Sandy people who need our help.....but have not been cooking , eating a lot of crap and have gained 5 pounds....but following all my CH friends....
After a loss of my niece's husband who was 27 and she is 5 months pregant....(Friday before New Years....I am numb....but I love reading all of your adventures....the past year sucked , with my ex-wife any my dad an my nephew have passed on and they are gone....but all be told, you guys are the warmest and most comforting of all....
2012= nightmare
2013= culinary delight!!!!
be back soon....Phreddy the Plumber!!!

[LindaWhit]

I'm sorry for your niece's loss, Phreddy. :-(

[steve h.]

Words escape me. Hang in there, PHREDDY.

[wyogal]

Take care, my condolences.

[Dirtywextraolives]

So sorry to hear about your rough year..... Hope we can be as comforting as possible..... I am hoping and praying 2013 will not be a rough year for us, though, it is already shaking out to be not so good..... Keeping our chin up though. Sincerely, my sympathies are with you.

[Frizzle]

Phreddy, so sorry for your family's losses. Condolences and best wishes for this year.

[alliegator]

Phreddy, I am so very sorry for the losses you've endured in '12. But your attitude about '13 is great and I wish you many, many, culinary delights :)
I hope you share them with us.

[ChristinaMason]

My goodness. 2013 is bound to be better.

[mariacarmen]

Phreddy, for all the good you're doing for Sandy victims, this year has to be better! so sorry for your newest loss. that's just terrible, so young....

[GretchenS]

PHREDDY, so sorry for your losses, this has been a tough year for you. Admire your spirit looking forward and your good deeds for Sandy people!

[ChristinaMason]

+1

[boyzoma]

PHREDDY, ++1. I'm with CM. I'll keep you in my thoughts for a better 2013! You deserve it.

[suzigirl]

All this fish talk made me go get a lovely side of salmon. Dividing it up this evening and I am going to bake it with lemon and butter and garlic. Serving it with steamed broccoli and jasmine rice. Campari tomato and Kirby cucumber salad and olive garden vinegarette

[Frizzle]

That sounds fantastic, I love salmon with broccoli.

[suzigirl]

Thanks. So do I. And when i bake the salmon I use the pan drippings to drizzle on the rice and broccoli.

[linguafood]

Bought two bags of 2 lbs. of mussels each which I will steam -- likely in two shifts -- in a huge wok with white wine and aromatics. 2 lbs. each might be much, but hey... it's the entree, and there's not much else on the menu.

Once the mussels are done, I'll make a nice mustard sauce with the steaming liquid, sautéed shallots & garlic in butter, Chablis mustard and maybe some tarragon (forgot to buy any fresh herbs. dang)

My man has the end of a bread for sopping up the sauce, I'll make sure I myelf sop it all up with the mussels :-)

Simple green salad on the side.

[Dirtywextraolives]

So jealous, I would gladly eat two pounds of mussels....Hubby does not like mussels, so I never make them for myself, even though they are so quick and easy....

[linguafood]

Dang, shoulda seen this sooner! My man decided 4 lbs. of mussels were too much for the both of us, so we invited a buddy over for "dinner & a movie". Next time, DWEO!

This also means that there will, after all, be fries (tempt me not, evil potato batons from TJ's), so the men are appropriately fed. One can not live on mussels and salad alone, three most certainly not :-)

I'm stoked about making that white wine mustard sauce. Hope it will be luscious, creamy and tasty.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Sounds, divine, moules et frites!! Love those garlic ones TJ puts out! Please, whenever you get a moment, can you let me know the proportions of your white wine mustard sauce? I just may make these for myself for lunch one day..... Thanks so much!

[linguafood]

Aí. I'm notoriously bad with measurements and proportions, but I'll try. Emphasis on TRY... please bear with me :-)

While the mussels were steaming away in a cup of white wine with fines herbs -- which, btw, I didn't taste even a hint of... must be old -- I melted roughly 2-3 tbsps of butter in a sauce pan, then added a couple of finely diced shallots. Let them sauté for a few minutes, then added about 3 crushed cloves of garlic. Then I added a bit of flour, and probably 1/2 cup of white wine. 2 tbsps of chablis mustard (courtesy of TJ's), and a cup of the steaming liquid that now also included the mussel liquor. Cook down a bit. Add a teaspoon (or 2 or 3) of cream freeeeeeeeesh. Done.

I think it might benefit from some chopped fresh herbs, maybe chives. But it was mighty tasty. I have some mustard sauce leftover and might put it on top of a soft-boiled egg for lunch.

The TJ fries were nice, especially with sriracha mayo. I'll hafta give the garlic fries a try soon. I've been liking quite a few things at our newly opened Trader Joe's.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Sounds great, thanks so much for taking te time to explain, I appreciate it....

[Frizzle]

The toddler and I have about the same amount of mussels to get through as well linguafood. Despite not yet being two she can chomp her way through an astounding amount of them so I've learnt that if I want more than a few of her rejects an extra bag must be purchased. For her I'll steam them in water, rip one side of the shell off and sprinkle a little breadcrumb, parmesan, lemon zest, parsley and garlic crumb with a good drizzle of olive oil and then pop them under the grill so the crumbs can brown a little.

You've got me salivating about your sauce so I think bag two will be done your way and consumed after she's asleep. I have no fresh tarragon either so a bit of parsley will have to do.

[juliejulez]

Well it's snowing up a storm here, which wasn't forecasted. I'm hoping my boss will tell me to go home early. Anyway, looks like I'll make my very un-authentic ground beef enchiladas, it's one of BFs favorite things. I was originally going to take him out to celebrate his new job but if it keeps snowing we are better off staying put.

[wyogal]

So, the storm headed south? We are getting it up here today, I think it's worse up north of us, though.
Congrats on the new job!

[juliejulez]

Yeah I work down south of Denver near the Tech Center and it's coming down even down here. BF said it's coming down really hard where we live NE of Denver. Should make for a fun commute home :-P

[wyogal]

Be careful!

[juliejulez]

I will! All of a sudden it stopped, and now it's sunny. This is my first Colorado winter (spent years in Chicago) so apparently a change like that is normal?

[wyogal]

Welcome to the west! Yes, very normal.

[rabaja]

Would you mine giving me the basics for your beef enchiladas? I've been craving mexican like crazy, but haven't taken the time to make anything at home. Ground beef enchiladas sound perfect.
I know it may sound nuts, but I am so jealous of your snow! Its cold and grey here, but I would love a good snow storm to hunker down in with the cats, the husband and a roaring fire! Im one of those silly northern californians that think it all sounds cozy and romantic. No, Im not thinking about digging out my driveway or starting my car. :)

[juliejulez]

Oh they're the easiest ever, but like I said, not remotely authentic. Nothing from scratch, all packets and cans. Cook a pound of ground beef then follow the instructions on the taco seasoning packet (I use Old El Paso reduced sodium) to season (add the water etc). Then I take flour tortillas (I use some that are made here locally) and put in the ground beef, then top with pre-shredded Mexican blend cheese, roll them up, put in the baking dish, using the can of enchilada sauce to keep it from unrolling. Repeat. I usually get 8 out of the pound of beef. Then, open up the small can (I think it's 10oz) of enchilada sauce and pour on top and spread it around. Then take more of the shredded cheese and top it. BF likes black olives so I top with that too. Then I just bake them for 15ish minutes at umm 375? Doesn't really matter there, just until the cheese is all melty. Not really a recipe at all really.

To make it worse I serve with a side of the Mexican flavored Rice A Roni. BF grew up in Wyoming and his mom cooked everything from boxes and cans for the most part, so this is what he likes, and really, I don't mind them either. It's one of those "dirty recipes" :)

If you want a recipe that involves actual cooking, I've been saving this one to try: http://ellysaysopa.com/2012/09/24/bee...

I grew up in Central CA so I think the snow is romantic too :) The only time I don't like it is on my commute. Once I'm at home I love it... especially now that I have a garage to park in, which I only had in one place when I lived in Chicago. Rest of the time I got to dig out my car.

[juliejulez]

I should also say BF tops his enchiladas with an obscene amount of sour cream as well.

[rabaja]

Thank you! From a can/packet is totally my speed this month! Sounds comforting and delicious, can't wait to try them.

[Dirtywextraolives]

I've made them this way before too, sometimes using that horrible, neon orange cheese sauce from the chip company in with the beef..... So trashy but yummy!

[mariacarmen]

the sour cream is the best part!

[Dirtywextraolives]

Well, we're back to the grind of school and all the activities that it brings. Have been eating down most of the pork shoulder as carnitas tacos and burritos, and finally put the rest in the freezer for another day.

Last night was a roast chicken dinner, which I usually save for weekends, but hubby was going to be out of town for the day, but home in time for dinner, so had to make sure we had enough for all four of us, as I usually don't plan on him most weeknights. A six & a half pounder, that was on sale at 50% off, rubbed it down with kosher salt, then let dry out in the fridge for the day. Re seasoned with thyme & salt before roasting, with a lemon half in the cavity, and the last of the thyme sprigs. A shallot and some fingerlings in the pan while it roasted. Served with pre made garlic mashed potatoes, since the children have not yet learned to adore roasted potatoes, a sauce made with the drippings and a simply dressed (other half of lemon, evoo, salt & pepper) spinach salad.

Tonight will be Korean marinated skirt steaks. Have to take out two of them, as one is not enough for all of us. Will marinate in soy, garlic, ginger & goochujang paste. Will steam some rice and serve the rest of the garlic mashed with them. Will look at the greens when I hit the store, maybe some quick blanched cabbage or baby bok choy to go with.

Feeling like a beef stew over the weekend, my sister made the one in the fine cooking issue and LOVED it, so we'll see.

[roxlet]

I'd be happy with both of those meals!

[ChristinaMason]

Me too. I'm starting to lose track of all my food crushes in this thread.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Thank you both girls, and CM, that is too cute! I have lost track of mine on this board as well, such a fun and accomplished group of home cooks I am privileged to virtually eat with!

[LindaWhit]

You're eating very nicely, Dweo!

[Dirtywextraolives]

Thanks, really can't complain.....

[steve h.]

Definitely need more Korean food in my diet.

[suzigirl]

I'm off to the farmers market to see what inspires me for dinner. Then to the grocery store to shop for the weekend. I think I want to roast a chicken this weekend to get some leftovers for the week nights. We'll see. I know something will speak to me.

[alliegator]

I saw this recipe for chicken wings on cooking channel this morning and decided right away it would be dinner. I love chicken wings but hate frying in my home, so I hope it tastes as good as it looks!
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recip...

[suzigirl]

Yum. Those look good.

[alliegator]

I'm sure mine won't be quite so pretty. I'll report back on how it went :)

[suzigirl]

Please do. I would like to know. And who cares if they are pretty? No one looks pretty eating them either but that has never stopped me from digging in.

[wyogal]

Eat 'em by candle or TV light! Looks like a good recipe!

[alliegator]

Definitely by light of the TV, and with the mandatory Friday night shot of Goldschlager, because Goldrush is on! Yes, I'm a dork.

[suzigirl]

I like your dorkyness cuz I am right there beside you watching. You can have the goldschlager though. Had enough of that about a decade ago and still get the heebies when I smell it. Even the cinnamon brooms in the grocery stores at the holidays get me just a bit.

[alliegator]

If It looked good to you---I urge you to make it! The chicken got so crispy in the oven but stayed really moist inside. The noodle salad was nothing terribly special, but was a nice side dish. I didn't make the peanut crunch stuff (that aversion to deep frying) but I did toss the the noodles with red diced bird chili topped it with chopped peanuts.
And since we're only 2 ppl, I made 1/3 of the actual recipe.
All in all, a very solid recipe. Even if Roger Mooking and his obedient ingredient schtick drives me nuts!
A great meal for geeking out to Gold Rush :p

[suzigirl]

Thanks for reporting back. Going to put them in my must try list. They look great. +1 on Roger Mooking

[wyogal]

Inspired by another thread, I am going to make red "gravy." I picked up some pasta, and meat: boneless ('cause I don't want to deal with bones, I know, I know, they add flavor) country style pork ribs, beef chuck short ribs, and mild Italian sausages. I have peppers, onions, flat leaf It. parsley,other herbs, red chili flakes, garlic, and took some frozen farmer''s market tomatoes out of the freezer. I also picked up some tomato paste. I'm going to look up a recipe and see if what I'm doing is along the right lines. I have a bit of fennel bulb, and some anchovy paste.
I also picked up a crusty baguette. I have a wedge of parmesan.
Maybe I won't have to cook the rest of the weekend! ha!
Oh yeah, I'll use my new Staub pan, the big one with the chicken handle, simmering on low all day. It is snowing.
(I got in for my blood work, whew)

[ChristinaMason]

Sounds great. The classic would probably skip the green pepper and fennel, but I'm sure they'd be tasty. What kind of pasta will you serve it over?

[wyogal]

I'm using red/yellow/orange pepper, and didn't use much fennel. I got some bronze cut pasta from Italy (but Private Selection, I think it's for Kroger), interesting shape, "Italian Gigli" probably not the right sauce for that pasta, but oh well. I think it will be good.

[wyogal]

Two pics... one before it finished cooking, one after, greatly reduced.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Looks incredible!

[wyogal]

Thanks! It was! We have leftovers for the weekend, too!

[suzigirl]

Mmm mmm. That has me swallowing hard. Looks great.

[wyogal]

Thank-you very much!

[ChristinaMason]

Tonight I'm planning on grinding some chicken breasts in the food processor to make lettuce wraps. I'll add coarsely grated carrot, chopped scallion, ginger, chopped water chestnuts, hoisin sauce, sriracha/sambal oelek, and toasted sesame oil. I may repurpose some almond butter into a spicy dipping sauce with a little honey, rice wine, tamari, and hot oil. I also bought a bag of broccoli slaw, originally intended for the lettuce wrap contents, that I may just turn into a veggie side stir-fried and doused in oyster sauce.

[roxlet]

I love the sound of those lettuce wraps!

[ChristinaMason]

Thank you, so do I, but it looks like they won't get "et" tonight. DH is back home from work and in bed with this awful upper respiratory thing that's going around. I'm making chicken soup per his request (have the stock going, using 6 thighs, now), and will probably poach the b/s breasts intended for lettuce wraps in the broth, as they need to be cooked.

I am not complaining, though, because I looooooooooove soup. I made a tasty one with green lentils and debrecziner sausages last week that I forgot to report on. Leftovers taste even better with soup!

[LindaWhit]

Me too! But I see they're going to have to wait - I hope the DH is feeling better soon!

[gingershelley]

CM - now THAT is going on the list for this week... I got some ground turkey on sale and now I know what the rest of it will be for! Thanks for the inspiration!

[ChristinaMason]

Nice! I was planning on starting with this recipe and running with it: http://www.emilybites.com/2011/11/asi...

Could definitely use some jazzing up!

[amsuka]

No clear choices, so looked to the pantry for some inspiration and whipped up a little polenta, let it set, then pan-fried it with tomato sauce drizzle, old cheddar, and peameal bacon, until the bottom was crispy and the cheese all melty. Yummy.

[ChristinaMason]

I had to look up "peameal bacon", which seems similar to what we call Canadian bacon in the US. Are you a neighbor in the great North? Sounds like a tasty dinner.

[Frizzle]

It was segregated and very late dining here tonight. The fish hater satisfied himself with pumpernickel bread and the beetroot, orange and olive salsa from Jerusalem I made last night with some sautéed spuds on the side. A very odd meal but I think after a long week he was more interested in the wine than the food.

I had a couple of mackerel fillets left so I tried a recipe from a Christmas present cookbook - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Three Good Things. The idea of the book is the the best meals come from combining three flavours. I used his recipe for fish, onions and olives for which he recommended mackerel. It was very good and paired with the potato was only lacking in a nice green side salad to make it a fully satisfying meal. Black olives and mackerel are my discovery of the week it seems.

[ChristinaMason]

I finally made Lidia's sweet potatoes and Swiss chard, and just in time, too, because my chard was wilting. It's so darn fragile. I added half a small diced yellow onion to the recipe, and swapped avocado ("Paleo-friendly" for the olive, which I saved for drizzling at the end): http://www.lidiasitaly.com/recipes/de...

I was worried it would be a bit bland and used an "Italian" salt blend with rosemary, lemon peel, and red pepper. It was delicious, and perfect with the hamsteak I seared in butter. For that I made a sauce of the drippings, in which I sauteed a minced little onion and reduced down with some coarse German mustard, Aleppo pepper, balsamic vinegar, white wine, maple syrup, and a splash of cider vinegar. It was just the right counterpoint to the salty meat and blandish, homey side.

[mariacarmen]

oh that hamsteak in butter!

[ChristinaMason]

love me my butter. and if i was unclear, that was avocado oil, not straight avocado.

Also, if anyone else tries this recipe, note that (I think) the recipe cook times at each stage are about 5 minutes excessive. We would have ended up with flavorless mush if I'd cooked the potatoes, stems, or greens that long before pan-frying.

[steve h.]

Still fat and happy from lunch.

A buddy and I hit up Dinosaur Bar-B-Que at their new location in Stamford, CT. Dinosaur traces its roots to a biker bar/Q place in Syracuse, NY.. I like the bloodline.

BBQ chicken wings and deviled eggs to start, a kick-ass pulled BBQ chicken sandwich followed. The rack of ribs were killer, the corn bread exemplary. A hoppy IPA (is that redundant?) washed things down.

Supper will be a little salumi and maybe a tiny slice of Junior's Cheesecake.

[LindaWhit]

That's a dino-mite lunch, steve! ::::ouch!:::: I know. :-)

[Cherylptw]

Nothing special tonight...bf requested breakfast for dinner so I made it simple with spicy venison sausage links, grits and scrambled egg with extra sharp cheddar. For myself, I re-heated the leftover chicken stir fry and rice from earlier in the week. Glazed donut for dessert.

[sunangelmb]

I had all these great plans for dinner, but woke up with a fever and flu. Looks like its popcorn and Campbell's soup for me, and cereal for the kiddos. Oh well...tomorrows another day.

[mariacarmen]

ack, feel better. that flu is nasty, i hear.

[wyogal]

Oh, no! Can you get to a doctor? They say that if you go right away, you can get tamiflu. I've been sick since Dec. 22nd, and didn't go in right away, so missed the treatment window.
Take care, and hope you fell better soon!

[sunangelmb]

If I feel this cruddy I definitely will try the dr. Husband and both kids were home today too, although they started the sickness Tuesday. (I'm always late to the party.lol) luckily, I have a pretty great immune system and am able to fight things off quickly. Stayed in bed all day, and slept. Thanks for the well wishes.

[pagesinthesun]

Here is a thread from September of soups and stews. Tonight I am making the Avgolemono soup by Chowhounder ctfoodie for the second time. It is so gosh darn delicious and perfect for a cold night.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/870612

[eperdu]

Thanks for the thread! I'm dying to make that avgolemono soup but will have to halve it as that is a lot of soup ... :)

[MRS]

I just made the No Boil Homemade Mac n' Cheese from this month's Bon Appetit and it was really quite good and easy. Very cozy on a bleak or blustery night. I would suggest however, doubling the amount of shredded cheddar it calls for so it is a bit gooier. I found this one to be a tad dry. But a hit nonetheless!! I served with haricot verts and salad to start.

[eperdu]

Did you use the recommended salt? It appears from the reviews that it was excessive.

[rabaja]

I found fresh, wild salmon at our farmers market this morning for $17 per lb. After eyeing all of the tired looking previously frozen salmon our groceries have this time of year and telling myself we can have salmon again on the spring, I swooped in and bought two big pieces.
I'll probably slow roast it and have it with veggies and more rice-quinoa pilaf.
I'm tempted to make roxlets ratatouille from the ww thread, but I doubt I'll be ably to find eggplant at our militant natural food store in town.
Of course, all I really want for dinner is nachos and tostatas. Sigh.

[mariacarmen]

mmmm.. all of it. salmon, that ratatouille, nachos and tostadas. i'm going home to my soup but i would also like a really bloody rare hamburger with it. my cold is making me crave protein, i think.

[rabaja]

The salmon was just ok. I think I let it cook too long, as I know my husband doesn't like it as med-rare as I do, and I missed the flavor of fig leaves, but what can you do.
I roasted it over sliced Meyer lemon with fresh thyme, olive oil and s&p. The veg and quinoa made up the rest of a very dietetic plate, which I was kind of thankful not to have to eat.
Someone brought me home a chicken taco salad from our local mexican joint. It hit the spot!

[mariacarmen]

hah - saved by bell!

[wyogal]

Here is tonight's dinner. Crab rangoon, pork/vegetable egg rolls, stir fried veggies, basmati rice.

(and I found a walk-in lab that is open tomorrow for my blood work, yay!)

[rabaja]

That looks wonderful. I could cozy up to that any night.
You really need to go put your feet up and focus on resting and feeling better!

[wyogal]

Thanks! Yes, that's all I accomplished today. Husband unloaded/loaded the dishwasher, and I'm back on the couch for the evening.

[mariacarmen]

oh my, that all looks really good! i'm hungry!

[wyogal]

Thanks!

[Frizzle]

Lucky man! That looks wonderful. I hope you feel better soon.

[wyogal]

Thank-you!

[JungMann]

Now that has to get on my weekly rotation! I can't wait for Fry-day.

[wyogal]

oh yeah! Husband just heated up another egg roll in the microwave.

[prima]

Broccoli & chevre frittata, mushroom risotto, healthier oatmeal raisin pecan cookies, with sugar reduced, and 3/4 of the butter replaced with apple sauce. Not as good as my favourite home-made full-butterfat oatmeal cookie, but tastier than any store bought health-conscious cookies I've purchased.

[JerryMe]

It's going to start raining soon and be freezing tonite so - Making these this afternoon

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/10/citrus-butter-cookies/ This is a new recipe (for me) but citrus is a great buy now and I'll enjoy the aroma.

Then for dinner is going to be this recipe

http://www.chow.com/recipes/14308-eas...

I've made the chicken and dumplings before and it's a keeper! I will have to substitute the savoy cabbage for napa cabbage. Market didn't have savoy.

[ChristinaMason]

Chicken and dumplings---perfect thing to take off that wintry chill. That sounds great.

[MRS]

like!!

[mariacarmen]

it's 10:53 and i am DYING to go heat up my soup for lunch.

ETA: Ok, have to report back. SOUP IS GOOD FOOD! i love it. it's probably the best soup i've ever made, which isn't saying much because i'm not a huge soup person (i know, blasphemy, around these parts) and i don't make that many of them. wish i'd brought more with me.

[suzigirl]

I bet it was delicious. It sounded amazing

[mariacarmen]

thanks it was really good!

dinner was another cuppa, and a burger patty (thanks to lingua for the instigation), cooked almost rare, with a little kosher salt sprinkled over, plopped on top of salad greens in a vinaigrette, and with a teeny squirt each of kewpie mayo and ketchup on top. totally what i was craving.

[Frizzle]

Glad to hear the soup delivered. The burger sounds yum too.

[KitchenBird]

It is wet and chilly here in SW Ohio. There is an unexpected warm front coming in this weekend, so I need to take advantage of the chill to do my serious oven dishes.

Tonight is pretty no frills, roast chicken with pan gravy, sauteed brussel sprouts and baked sweet potatoes. Maybe a pear tart for dessert? We'll see if hubby has a late night at work and if I can get all these papers graded.

Additionally, does anyone have any good add-ins for a basic chicken gravy? I like my basic recipe, but would also like to experiment!

[wyogal]

What is your recipe for gravy? Do you water, broth, or milk? What seasonings do you use?
Of course, bacon always makes it better...... ha!
Maybe sauteed mushrooms?
Your dinner sounds great!

[KitchenBird]

Thanks!

I make gravy the same way my grandmother taught me, drippings, stock (if I have it in the fridge or freezer, if not, the Knorr "jelly" stock cubes are lovely, if not salty!), flour, pepper, salt (if using my own stock - I really enjoy smoked sea salt at the moment).

I love mushrooms. I assume I should saute beforehand?

[wyogal]

yes, and I love those jelly stocks, too! I just don't salt before I put them into something.
I use sage, thyme, and as mariacarmen stated, fresh cracked peppercorns.

[JungMann]

Sounds like we have the same basic recipe for chicken gravy. I like the addition of sage for a wintry flavor, but I also like the combination of soy sauce and butter to my roux for a very deep umami flavor. I usually balance the salinity with a heavy squeeze of fresh lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.

[boyzoma]

My spices for the gravy depend on what I have (I need to make a run to Penzey's for some sage that I'm out of). I always have poultry seasoning on hand so sometimes it is just that. And yes, I would saute the mushrooms first. That pat of butter adds a richness too.

I also like to make an herb butter and put it underneath the skin. Sure helps to keep the bird moist (my favorite is rosemary butter).

[mariacarmen]

mushrooms are always good in gravy... and minced sauteed shallots to start it off... maybe some crushed peppercorns?

[KitchenBird]

Oooh! I do love shallots. I think I have a few rolling around in our veggie cabinet. They may have to go into the mix too.

[linguafood]

I've been having serious salmon cravings lately, which is too bad, b/c my man is not a big fan. There was one Cooking Light recipe he liked I made ages ago which involved some brown sugar & maple rub or some such, but anything else he's pretty 'meh' on. Shame, cause I got this fab MW method with Asian flavors that is fast & makes me swoon.

We've been eating out most of the week (Sichuan on Sunday, take-out pizza Monday, sashimi & cocktails Tue, more Sichuan yesterday.....gaaah!), so it's time for a home-cooked meal.

Alas, salmon or anything fishy will have to wait, as my man remembered a lb. of kosher ground beef we have in the freezer, so it'll be a cheeborger eve chez la maison lingua.

Side will either be TJ's oven fries (not a good idea), or a BLT salad (better idea :-)).

Oh, the excitement.....

[mariacarmen]

too bad about the salmon. i see other people here who manage to make two things - his and hers - but the BF never really seems to want to do that. or i'd be eating more fish, that's for sure.

cheezeborg sounds really good right now. hmmm...going to the oldster's tonight, how can i make that happen.... certain things for him are decidedly "lunch" items only.

[linguafood]

I could just make a tilapia or cod filet for him. The MW technique is great for two filets, and I don't have to care that his won't taste as awesomely salmony as mine. HA! Take THAT, salmon hater!!!

But borgers have been decided on, so borgers it is. No argument here. Nice sharp cheddar, toasted sesame buns, cosmo lettuce, kumato slice, red onion slices, mayo & ketchup.

Better beat the shit outta that bag tonight at k-boxing....

[suzigirl]

I was married to a "breakfast or lunch only" guy for years. I can relate. Good for me my bf likes to be fed breakfast lunch or dinner whenever. And the oldster, bless his heart, knows what he likes. :-)

[boyzoma]

Like your man, I'm not a big fish person (but do like my shrimp, scallops, clams, etc.) Once in a while I'll be on the bandwagon for fish and chips. I do, however, have a recipe for salmon with maple glaze that I really do like. Otherwise I can leave salmon alone 99% of the time. Maybe he would like that? I've done it on the grill with the cedar plank and I've done it in the oven just baked.

CEDAR PLANKED SALMON WITH MAPLE GLAZE

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger root
2 1/2 lb. center cut salmon fillet with skin - greens from 1 bunch scallions

DIRECTIONS:
1. Simmer above ingredients in a small heavy saucepan for about 30 minutes, or until reduced to about 1 cup.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F - if using a cedar plank, lightly oil and heat in middle of oven for 15 minutes or lightly oil shallow baking pan large enough to hold salmon.
3. Arrange scallion greens in one layer on plank or baking pan. Place salmon skin side down on scallion greens and brush with half of glaze. Season with salt and pepper and roast in middle of oven just until cooked through-approx. 20 minutes if using baking pan and 35 minutes for the plank. Heat remaining glaze in a small saucepan over low heat just until warm. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice and serve over salmon as a sauce.

[linguafood]

Wegmans actually sells exactly *this* -- cedar plank salmon with a brown sugar & maple rub. For the lazy among us. I do love the sound of that glaze! And I always put a ton of scallion greens under my salmon filet when I make the MW salmon. I love how they get quick-braised and taste like a fantastic veggie side....

And he likes that one, too, when it's grilled. He just generally doesn't get excited about salmon, but he'll eat it. If he *has* to '-)

[boyzoma]

It was snowing this morning. Thursday's are our soup nights. Sunday I made a pot roast in my dutch oven. So I saved the leftovers and tonight I'm making some Vegetable Beef Barley soup! Yum, Yum. Probably have a Ham & Cheese sandwich in the panini press to go with!

I did split pea & ham soup last week :)

[ChristinaMason]

Oh man, vegetable beef barley is one of my favorites. The obsession started with Campbell's as a kid, and grew from there. Jealous. I might have to make some sans potatoes or barley.

[kariin]

Love soup w/ham bone here but are your guests Muslim?
Observant or not, many guests would prefer not to have
pork-based dishes. I have relatives from mid-east and often
they do not think to request no pork and of course, a courteous guest welcomes whatever a hostess would provide with gratitude. My SIL has taught me to politely ask and it has helped.

this may be something you've already anticipated, if so, many thanks. for others it may help.
k

[roxlet]

Yes, they are Muslim, but not arriving until the weekend. We have frequent Muslim guests, and we never feed them pork, and we let them know that from the get-go.

These are all elite junior or professional squash players who travel the world, and the funny thing is that they have all had pork. Usually, it's at the restaurant buffet where it never seems to occur to them that that yummy-looking breakfast sausage might be pork. The breakfast sausage that you get at buffets in Egypt is always beef or lamb sausage, so they don't think about it. And the other funny thing is that they all talk about it with great nostalgia -- "It was so delicious," or "It was the best thing I had."

[juliejulez]

Tonight I'm making a "skinny" version of Cajun Chicken Pasta. Needed something light as Monday night we had bar food, Tuesday night I had a sleepover at my best friend's house up in the mountains and we had pizza and chocolate cake, and last night I had Taco Bell.

Also my BF got a job offer for a new consulting job he's going to take, that involves him traveling 4 days a week, Sunday night through Thursday night, starting at the beginning of February. So, I will have to adjust my cooking to cook for one most nights. At least I can finally cook with peas and butternut squash, and make the ridiculously spicy hot food that I love that he can't deal with. I'll just have to figure out a reminder system to remind me to take the meat out of the freezer in the morning! He currently works at home so when I forget I can just ask him to do it :)

[JerryMe]

Congrats on BF's new job! And yea you getting to enjoy all the thngs that are delicious to you!

[Bacardi1]

A few weeks ago we enjoyed some fabulous Prince Edward Island mussels, & I shelled the leftovers & froze them in some of their wonderful winey broth.

So last night I sauteed a couple of cloves of chopped garlic in some extra-virgin olive oil, added the frozen block of mussels & broth, a can of chopped clams, a handful of small frozen cooked shrimp, a dash of dried oregano, & some chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley. Brought everything to a simmer & served it over spinach pasta with a nice green salad & a warm baguette to soak up all that lovely brothy sauce.

[suzigirl]

That sounds like perfect weeknight comfort. Yum

[ChristinaMason]

Sounds delicious.

[tcamp]

Not exactly full of great ideas for tonight. Considering a green bean, beef, and ginger stirfry as all ingredients are on hand at home.

[LindaWhit]

I personally think that's a very great idea, tcamp. :-)

[Berheenia]

We have three kinds of gloop from 2012 in the freezer. The red is Memphis rice, a spicy one dish recipe with cheese tomato and hamburger and duh rice. The brown goop is enchiladas made with corn tortillas and hamburger and the least popular item- hubby only likes flour. The white gloop wins! Mac and cheese with ham. There is a giant crown of broccoli for the veg.

[Frizzle]

Yum, you all have me craving mac and cheese now.

[Klary]

wow these threads move fast :)

I made a really nice salad yesterday - roasted carrots in a rosemary/orange/mustard dressing, tossed with some arugula, topped with crispy fried cubes of spicy tempeh. Had a lot of leftover different herbs in the fridge (dill, cilantro, chives, parsley) and some aged goats cheese, made a little frittata with that.

I'm trying to clear out the freezer because I want to make Dutch split pea soup this weekend, and I want to freeze lots of it. So tonight will be chili from the freezer, and I hope some of the unlabeled containers will be hiding some kind of vegetable...

[JungMann]

What makes a split pea soup Dutch? I know what makes it Quebecois, but a Dutch recipe would be new to me.

[Harters]

Erwentensoep is a Dutch classic

http://www.smulweb.nl/recepten/136022...

[wyogal]

In Dutch.
Here's one in English (I'm not sure how to get the other link in English)
http://www.food.com/recipe/erwtensoep...

[Klary]

that's similar to my recipe (the one that my family has made the same way for generations) except I use a lot more water and cook mine a lot longer: about 5 hours.
My recipe is here:
http://forums.egullet.org/topic/76568...
It makes a very rich, sweet, thick soup that is really more like a stew than a soup.

[JungMann]

Google Translate is your friend... I take it from these two recipes Ertwensoep is a rib sticking stew? I had somewhat hoped to see a bit of an Indonesian influence in there; I've come to really enjoy the little shots of sambal and spice that sometimes inflect Dutch recipes like Gehacktballen.

[Harters]

Nope. This is an old style soup. None of yer foreign muck in there. Quite similar to the pea & ham soup we have on our side of the North Sea.

[mariacarmen]

foreign muck - tell us how you really feel, Mr. H!

[Harters]

There are some foods that are not improved by being buggered about with :-)

FWIW, the Netherlands is the furthest I've ever travelled specifically to eat. Caught flight. Ate rijstaffel. Went to hotel & slept. Caught flight home.

[boyzoma]

Wow Harters! I had to look rijstaffel up, and all I can say is what a meal that would be. You'd have to sleep after that!!

[mariacarmen]

you sir, are the real deal!

[JungMann]

There are worse reasons to travel! I've only had rijstaffel once and while the cooks did not do a great job, I could definitely see the potential!

[Harters]

The one had (at what was then certainly the best place in Amsterdam for it - and may still be) was outstanding. About 20 little dishes - no more than a couple of bites each - served to you all together, with the dishes ranged from mild and fragrant to searingly hot. And I mean searingly hot - I dont think I've ever experienced heat in food like it before or since.

[Frizzle]

It was going to be a break from the COTM tonight and a return to Fuchsia Dunlop tonight (the other food influence on heavy rotation here) until the fish-hating bloke had to travel for work at the last minute leaving me free to indulge in fishy goodness.

A trip to the fish market yielded numerous spoils. A dozen Sydney rock oysters (creamy and sweet). I ate them raw with just a squeeze of lemon and a grate of black pepper. Yes, I ate all 12 myself. To follow was a fillet of mackerel smeared with harissa, pan fried and topped with a beetroot, orange and black olive salsa - a recipe from the COTM. A very nice combination, especially black olive and mackerel. A couple of glasses of a west Australian Sav Blanc washed it all down and watermelon finished the gorging.

I'm very glad I cleaned as I went because now I'm glazed-eyed and sluggish. This is fairly typical of my nights after a trip to the fish market. Still stashed in the fridge are a couple of mackerel fillets and two kg of mussels. I'm expecting company for lunch tomorrow so the mussels will be polished off. The mackerel may end up in the freezer if the fish hater plans to be home for dinner.

[linguafood]

Any time your fish-hating bloke is gone, this fish-loving lady would be happy to share your awesome fishy meals. Seriously.

My man's not crazy about fish either - he prefers the mild-to-zero-flavor fishies to the ones I like: salmon, mackerel, sardines, etc.

Oh well. Nobody's perfect, I guess :-)

[mariacarmen]

ooh, nice splurge on yourself - 12 oysters at home! great dinner.

i'm with lingua - in the fish-loving, man-disliking fish club. i want to change that to some extent this year.

[suzigirl]

I am also in that club. Strangely enough he will eat salmon but only doused in lemon and broiled with cheddar on top. Yes, I said fish and cheese(shudder)

[mariacarmen]

too funny! here's weird: my bf will eat raw oysters, some preps of shrimp, mussels... the latter two not always willingly. he will NOT eat salmon. he eats some sushi. he claims to not like tuna fish but he'll eat my tuna fish "ceviche". weirdo.

[suzigirl]

Bf will also pick and choose shellfish according to prep. No way in hell on ceviche or sushi

[mariacarmen]

oh yeah, mine will totally eat ceviche - or like a poke tuna - if it's got some kind of citrusy marinade on it, he'll eat that over just raw fish.

[Frizzle]

Mine won't eat anything. I've been working on the toddler to make sure she's a devout pescatarian with a fairly good success rate until the mackerel last night. She clawed it out if her mouth as if I had tried to dish up a sweaty gym sock. Funnily enough she's devoured it before. Hers had no harissa and I made sure I had pin boned it so who knows what her caper is. I hope she's not turning to the dark side like her dad. Two fish haters in the family would be miserable.

[ChristinaMason]

Frizzle, it's official: I have a food crush on you!

[Frizzle]

Naw, shucks. You're too kind.

[Harters]

Tonight, there's a brown gloop from the freezer - a Provencal style chicken casserole. We'll have that with some bought potato croquettes. There's also bits and bobs in the fridge that need using up as a makeshift starter. And some fruit for afters.

And that'll be my last WFD contribution fro a while. We are joining the other Swallows and heading off to Tenerife - where the weather is definitely warmer and drier. We will cook, of course, but the produce is not good there and I reckon our cooking will be very basic. If I can find a cafe with Wi-fi, I may check in and see what you're cooking. Hasta la vista.

[Frizzle]

Enjoy your break Harters. I hope the sun behaves for you.

[LindaWhit]

Ahh, enjoy your holiday, Harters and the Mrs!

[linguafood]

Bon viaje, Harters, and enjoy the sunshine!!

[mariacarmen]

ciao, bello, enjoy your warmer respite.

[mariacarmen]

soup's on! i'm sure it will be even better after sitting overnight, but so far i'm really liking the black eyed peas soup. didn't have carrots or celery, so my "mirepoix" consisted of sauteed onions, garlic and piquillo peppers. sliced kielbasa, diced spanish chorizo, ham bone stock, thinly sliced curly chard, a little smokey paprika, some onion powder, cayenne, and, of course, the BYPs. it's nice & smokey, and i hope the beans get a little creamier sitting in the hot broth as it cools down so i can put it in the fridge tonight. soup for lunch!

[Frizzle]

Glad to see the chorizo made it in. I bet it's delicious tomorrow.

[JungMann]

Onions, garlic and piquillo sounds like a great sofrito base for black eyed peas. Should make a very tasty lunch!

[mariacarmen]

I'm about to go into the kitchen to make the oft-threatened black-eyed pea soup. which will be the first bit of cooking i've done this year. in the meantime, the BF made tonight's actual dinner, still keeping to my suggested plan of attempting to lure the jeans back home. crispy-skinned chicken two ways - one with a sort of curryish rub and the other a soy/5-spice. both delish. oven fries/sweet potato fries with red peppers, and a big green salad. very yum on a cold (for us) day.

[ChristinaMason]

Crispy chicken thighs two ways<---stealing this!

[Cherylptw]

Pan cooked liver, onions & bell peppers with home fries and the last of the cooked mixed greens for the bf...I had a grilled cream cheese, cheddar and smoked gouda sammich. Lemon tart for me and the last piece of the gingerbread for him.

[gingershelley]

Hi all!

Your meals are sounding delish! I am feeling super busy, and not always on top of making food; kind of last-minute thinking going on so far this first week of 2013, but am inspired by the "Jerusalem' cookbook to add more interesting veggie preps and less meat into my meals.

To that extent; yesterday, in between computer tasks for work and errands, I sliced, salted, seasoned and roasted an eggplant to use for snacks or a spread; ate the last of the roasted butternut squash/red onion dish with a handful of raw spinach turning it into a salad, with a sploosh of tahini sauce on the side.

Made today a 'fridge-clean' soup that seems to consist of ham chunks, water, shredded lettuce, a couple of potatoes that were past prime, a carrot in chunks... a garlic clove, some dill and parsley. That is back on the stove right now heating up and I will use the hand blender to turn it into a pottage worth eating, correcting seasoning. On the side is a BIG loaf of bread-in-5 made with partial WW/rye flours, and about 4 days of aging for sour in the fridge. GREAT oven spring on the loaf, and the smell is amazing, so soup and bread is WFD.

Simples. And I hope good:)

[eperdu]

My week is pretty boring. Sunday was the day for me to make split pea & ham (America's Test Kitchen version) which was delicious and I've been eating leftovers all week for lunch. I don't cook a lot during the week so my big three meals will be Fri/Sat/Sun.

ATK has a plan for making a large roast/chicken/pork and then repurposing 2-3 meals from it. I'm planning on doing a french roast for one meal, ragu for a second and then cottage pie for a third. It should be tasty!

[roxlet]

What was in the ATK split pea and ham soup? Any special ingredients?

[eperdu]

Sacrificial bacon was my favorite ...

But seriously, 1# split peas, 1 onion, 3 carrots, 1 celery, 4 slices thick-cut bacon, 1# ham steak, thyme, bay and 2 cloves garlic.

Saute the onions with salt about 3-4 minutes, add the garlic for about 30 seconds, then add the bacon, ham, and spices and simmer on low about 45 minutes. Remove the ham and shred it. Add the carrots and celery to the pot and cook an additional 30 minutes or so until carrots are done. Remove the bacon, thyme and bay. Add back the ham and serve.

It was easy and tasty. I think day after it ended up being fairly sweet. It's also pretty thick days after but thins out as it heats up.

From America's Test Kitchen episode: Cold-Weather Comfort.

[ChristinaMason]

I'm not sure if this is the same one in New Best Recipe, but if it is, it's the same recipe I referenced elsewhere, roxlet.

[eperdu]

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/re...

[steve h.]

Cheeseburgers are on the menu tonight (tip of the hat to LW).
These are the 3:1:1 burgers (chuck, short rib, brisket) that I ground previously and froze. The mix is a keeper.

White American cheese on each topped by caramelized onions for sweetness. Potato rolls, lightly toasted, will be the delivery mechanisms. There will be crisps. Deb brought back some Junior's Cheesecake from Manhattan (the GCT outpost)!

Painters have been here all day prepping the remodeled first-floor powder room as well as the interior of my now fancy garage. I suspect they will be here for another week. The wheels of progress grind slowly. There will be beer and wine.

[LindaWhit]

Enjoy. The pub burgers my nephew and I had last night were very very good!

And I was talking to my SIL re: grinding my own beef, so I'll have to remember your mix.

[steve h.]

You'll have too much fun formulating your "house grind."

Serious football on the horizon.

[gingershelley]

Sounds like what I WISH I was having for dinner Steve - and congrats on the newly remodeled (and soon painted) powder room and - dare I say? - Man-cave fancy garage?

Excellent.

[steve h.]

Thanks. The burgers were pretty good.
And yeah, I really like the way the garage is shaping up.

[Berheenia]

I love the GCT shopping court! I love Junior's cheesecake! Definitely heading there on my next trip in April. mmmmm

[steve h.]

For a healthy dose of sensory overload, you may want to consider a visit to Eataly.

[Berheenia]

Ah yes me and my wallet were there but it was too early for a glass of wine. I need to go back there... I found Grand Central more in line with my budget that day when my son had a picnic in the park for his bachelor lunch. They had the famous black and white cookies too.

[weezieduzzit]

Apparently today is the last nice day we'll see for a bit ( in the low 70s as I type this but the 10 day forecast looks miserable starting with the temp dropping tonight,) so the chicken thighs I've defrosted will be spice rubbed and *might* go on the grill if we have enough charcoal. If so, veggies will also go on the grill. If there isn't enough charcoal or the wind picks up too much, they'll be oven bound and there will be a big salad on the side with lots of veggies.

I MUST put the dry brine on a couple of chickens for Zuni chicken Friday night.

[steve h.]

Ah, Zuni chicken. Judy Rodgers' gift to humankind.

[weezieduzzit]

I've taken to making them 2 at a time because the leftovers repurpose so well.

[steve h.]

They really do. That includes the bread salad.
Deb and I are frequent visitors to San Francisco (3-4 times a year). Zuni is one of our "goto" lunch places.

[gingershelley]

Well done, Weezie, well done. Zuni chicken lends it'self to so much more than just the original meal.... as SteveH, said above - a gift to humankind:)

[suzigirl]

Per my hard working mans request I am making another mash up meals of pork chops puttanesca. Seared pork loin chops in a tomato, mixed olives, capers and anchovy sauce with garlic. Simmered til all marry and then covered in thick cut mozzarella and melted. Served with pasta and broccoli and a cucumber and parsley salad with balsamic vinegarette. I know its not traditional to put meat in this sauce but i like coloring outside the lines.

[juliejulez]

Sounds delicious :) Sounds like your man and mine have similar tastes!

[suzigirl]

Is he a meat and cheese guy too? He might just like this then. Its simple too.

[juliejulez]

Yup, those are his two favorite food groups LOL As long as a dinner has meat and cheese in it, he's a happy camper. Also has a freakish love for sour cream.

[suzigirl]

Mine too. Happy as a clam. He eats healthy but he likes it more when it has meat and cheese involved.

[LindaWhit]

Survived the family visit. :-) Actually, it was quite a nice visit. Although my SIL was sick with a head cold the entire time - I think she probably caught something on the plane from LAX to BOS. She was not doing well last night, so she got her own bed in my 2nd BR, while my brother and nephew shared the sofa sleeper. Hopefully she can catch some sleep on the plane right back to sunny CA.

BUT...I got my bacon cheeseburger and crispy fries fix last night, with my nephew and I both getting the exact same meal. He has very good taste. :-) My brother liked his steak; my SIL liked her fried shrimp.

Today, we met up with my Mom and had lunch near her. I took it easy with a grilled chicken Caesar salad. But I had also forgotten to take something out for dinner tonight, so I'm taking an easy way out - Trader Joe's to the rescue with their Mandarin Orange chicken, served over rice with some sauteed carrots topping everything. I'll add some additional orange juice to the sauce, and IIRC, someone here on WFD suggested mixing in some hoisin sauce as well. I'll do that, as I like the additional sauce with the rice.

[gingershelley]

Good work LW - in surviving, and possibly thriving with the family visit - glad you got everyone out to the local for the burger's, etc. meal - less work and stress for you!

[prima]

Wolfgang Puck's goulash, but made with venison, dried thyme, and dried marjoram, served with spaetzle and rosenkohl. Haven't made his recipe in almost 6 years, thought it was worth revisiting. http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/recipes/v...

[rmarisco]

in mid-winter we usually do the heavier stuff - hearty soups and stews. but, once in a while, i'll go for a thai or vietnamese rice noodle or rice dish just to enliven things. it's really nice to have those bright fresh, and spicy, flavors occasionally. Last night we had pork meatball soup with garlic and spinach over rice noodles from Quick and Easy Thai by Nancie McDermott. I highly recommend it - i've cooked a lot from it and all have been winners, any time of year.

[rabaja]

It's surprisingly chilly here today, with grey skies. Well, in the 40's, but thats chilly for these parts.
Tonight, I am ready to break out the Italian sausages we brought back from Boston. Sausage and peppers it is, with some good mustard, on a griddled roll.
Pickled cauliflower and carrots on the side.
I found a pretty good non-alcoholic beer for the warmer weather, and I just may pop one open tonight.

[juliejulez]

Mmmmm sausage and peppers is one of my favorite things ever. So simple but so good :)

[mariacarmen]

it IS chilly here! supposed to have a drop in temps in the next couple days too. your dinner sounds nice and warming.

[biondanonima]

I'm making chicken in a sherry vinegar sauce from one of my Christmas gifts, A New Way to Cook (which was also a COTM a few years ago). Roasted vegetables (probably Brussels sprouts and broccoli) to go with. We're trying to eat light and low-carb to shed a little of the holiday poundage, and this recipe looks tasty and comforting while being relatively light on both carbs and fat.

[LindaWhit]

biondanonima, is it this recipe? This sounds very good!

http://wegottaeat.com/chef_linzi/reci...

[biondanonima]

Yes, that's the one! I'm going to make some changes to reduce the carb count (skin-on chicken with no flour coating) - I'll let you know how it turns out!

[biondanonima]

Well, the chicken in sherry vinegar was neither a hit nor a miss - it was ok, but nothing special. I deviated from the recipe and used skin-on chicken thighs, and didn't flour them - just seared them on the skin side and removed from the pan before making the sauce. The sauce was good, but far too liquidy even though I only used half the chicken stock called for - that may have been my fault, though, since I used a can of crushed tomatoes rather than the chopped tomatoes called for. Next time I would use diced, and more of them. Also, the sauce didn't need the additional sugar (my sherry was only medium sweet), and could have used an extra hit of vinegar.

The biggest issue, though, was that the chicken and sauce were so separate, and because the chicken was on the bone, it was hard to eat them together. I think I would use boneless thighs next time, perhaps cut into largish chunks, and serve this as more of a "curry" style dish rather than leaving the pieces whole and bone-in. The combination of tomatoes and sherry was nice, though, and worth repeating.

[juliejulez]

I've made similar recipes before a couple times and always found the boneless thighs to be good. I would definitely try that next time :)

[LindaWhit]

Thanks for the review, biond.

[wyogal]

My husband loves my egg rolls, and since he has been working so hard to finish our basement (just trim and casings left in the guest room, family room is finished!, as well as a nice stairway/handrail), I thought I'd make them for him.
I just made the filling, browned ground pork, then sauteed shredded savoy cabbage, sliced green onions, diced carrot shreds, chopped water chestnuts, toasted sesame oil, 5 spice, ginger, garlic, and some chili flakes.
I will put that into wonton wrappers that I have on hand, square ones, so they will be mini-egg rolls.
I'll serve with a simple fried rice.
I'm still battling influenza, the upper respiratory strain, not a whole lot of energy, so thought I'd make the filling this morning, then roll and fry later.

[JungMann]

Sorry to hear you're unwell, wyogal. It seems like everyone has gotten the upper respiratory bug this year, myself included! Maybe dipping your egg rolls in hot mustard will clear out your airways!

[wyogal]

Yes! a bit of an ulterior motive on my part! Garlic, ginger, chili flakes, hot mustard to dip!!!!

[ChristinaMason]

homemade egg rolls are one of life's great pleasures. lucky hubby!

[wyogal]

:)

[mariacarmen]

feel better wyogal - i hear that flu is nasty! your egg rolls sound sooo good.

[wyogal]

Thanks! and on top of that, I think I screwed up by taking OTC cold/flu meds while taking statins.... I think I've damaged my liver.
The egg rolls are easy, and so good!

[LindaWhit]

Ugh - sorry about the flu! I still need to get my flu shot - they're saying on the Boston local news that it's getting worse in MA. I'll probably stop at CVS tomorrow on the way home from work.

[wyogal]

Yep, I didn't get one this year, and my pharmacy has 15 left, I have a call in to the doctor's office now. I'm a bit feverish today, so couldn't get one while at the pharmacy.

[LindaWhit]

Yikes. I should probably call CVS and find out if they have them available!

[Berheenia]

You better get that shot Linda! Top Chef is heating up and we look forward to your recaps. About to log off and watch last night's episode on demand and read your recap as well!

[suzigirl]

Hope you feel better. It's sweet of you to treat your husband to egg rolls. They are worth the work though.

[wyogal]

Thanks! I got some frozen ones over the weekend, and he hated them. So, thought I'd help him celebrate finishing up the basement by making them tonight.

[suzigirl]

I wanna celebrate wyogal style. He's a lucky guy

[gingershelley]

"What suzigirl said" :)

[gingershelley]

Feel better wyogal - those rolls are a nice gift to your family when your not even feeling your best! Hang in there!

[wyogal]

The won ton wrappers were just too small, and I didn't feel like standing there, making and frying a gazillion, so used regular egg roll wrappers. Husband LOVED them. We watched a movie and ate in the new basement family room.
It took a lot to just go to the grocery store yesterday morning, then got a call from a tearful daughter, her car broke down, in front of the grocery store on a very busy street/highway. So rushed down there, flagged down a cop that was driving by, he helped with traffic until she could get a tow. Husband came and tried to jump the car, but it didn't work, so had to tow it. An older lady (70's?) helped us push her car out of the way!
Then, when rolling the egg rolls, I determined that I needed the larger size, thought I'd just run over to WMart (it's in a neighborhood across from ours)... they were out. So......... back to the grocery store.
and I still feel like crap, but called my doc and will go in for some blood work tomorrow.
Tonight's dinner? leftover egg rolls, and I may make crab rangoon with the wonton skins that I've opened. I have those ingredients! and some plain rice.

[mariacarmen]

oh my goodness what a night you guys had! and you're still cooking! i woulda done take-out long before. sorry you're still feeling poorly - take care of yourself!

[wyogal]

Thanks! Yes, but I wanted to do egg rolls for my husband. :)
Drinking lots of water today. Still in pj's. Cancelled the violin lesson this evening, so will just relax and make the crab rangoon, and reheat the egg rolls. Rice will go in the cooker.

[suzigirl]

Egg rolls and crab rangoon? I'm jealous of your sweetie. He's getting the royal treatment even though you feel bad. What a good wife you are. Hope you're feeling better very soon

[wyogal]

Thank-you. The crab rangoon is assembled and in the fridge, just put the rice in the cooker, and will put the eggrolls in the oven to warm up. I'll probably saute some vegetables (pepper, onion, savoy cabbage) and/or make some chicken-broth soup. Not crazy about the egg in the soup.
Making the rangoon was a task, got a bit fever-ish. and dang it, the walk-in lab for some blood tests I need isn't open tomorrow, so put a call into the doc about getting an order for a different lab. grrrrr.
I must get well, I have a huge week next week in schools, performing, and teaching violin lessons a couple of the evenings, and an Irish session to attend Wed.
We'll see.

[suzigirl]

It all sounds amazing. You need to be careful not to push it if you continue to get feverish exerting yourself. Err on the side of caution. Hope you get well soon

[mariacarmen]

everyone's doing the ham bone!

reposting from the prior thread....responding to CM's query: I'm making it up as a I go along... i made stock from our leftover ham bone, froze it, soaked my black-eyed peas, and i have a bunch of beautiful frilly chard, and a smoked kielbasa. so tonight (finally) when i get home, i'll make a mirepoix, add the stock, sliced up sausage, the beans, a bay leaf, and a good shake of cayenne, and we'll see what happens! i've been anticipating it for so long, and this cold has been lingering so long, that i'm really looking forward to it now.

ETA. i MAY go crazy and add a little spanish chorizo to the soup too.... whatcha-all think?

[wyogal]

The Spanish chorizo would be fabulous! Sounds great!

[gingershelley]

Chorizo me happy, seesta MC - more porkiness could never make your dish bad, non?

Spice, etc. allready has you on a good road with those BIP's:)

[suzigirl]

Chorizo is awesome. I would try it for sure. I bet it makes the meal even better.

[JungMann]

Left out a few slices of bread this morning to get stale for a bread sauce when I get home. Ideally I should have left an onion studded with cloves to steep in milk as well, but since I don't like cloves anyway, I'll just hack the sauce with a few pinches of the ground stuff and nutmeg. This will be served alongside roast chicken and green beans almondine and a side salad of baby lettuces, pickled turnips, feta stuffed olives, cucumber, red pepper scallions and parsley with the yogurt dressing from the COTM's recipe for Na'ama's fattoush.

[mariacarmen]

what is a bread sauce, JM? other than bread with onion and nutmeg? milk in there?

[JungMann]

This particular version is an English recipe of milk steeped with onion, cloves, nutmeg and bay and thickened with breadcrumbs. Traditionally it is a favorite accompaniment for roast fowl in the wintertime and appropriately is flavored with salt and spice and all things nice.

[mariacarmen]

it sounds lovely.

[Harters]

Bread sauce is a firm requirement for the British Christmas turkey meal.

JM has it absolutely nailed with the clove studded onion, breadcrumbs and a good grating of nutmeg to finish.

[gingershelley]

Here is to Harters, for the bread sauce comments - 'like' button hit.

[gingershelley]

YUM JM, bread sauce... reminds me of the summers living in Cambridge, England when I was a teen. Loved that with roasts, and particularly, cold roast!

[JungMann]

The bread sauce is benefiting from a steep overnight of milk, onions and cloves as I wasn't very hungry when I got home this evening. That should make for a flavorful sauce come tomorrow. Tonight I instead browned my green beans and almonds in chorizo oil to make a warm salad with the aforementioned chicken and some lettuces which I tossed in the piquillo dressing ChristinaMason recommended in the previous WFD thread. I must remind myself (and perhaps her husband if he's nearby) to always follow her advice, because that sweet and spicy dressing absolutely bowled me over! It is going to be a mainstay for saucing roast fowl along with grains and salads from here on out. I walked away from dinner in that blissed out state where one finds oneself muttering to no one in particular, "Man, that was delicious."

After such a great meal, I could only follow with a favorite dessert: elusive and hard-to-find sugar-free turron. And with so many calories saved, I was free to reward myself further with highballs of gin, sweet vermouth, lemon juice, orange bitters and a dollop of spiced quince and pear jam. Looks like I'm finally tucking into the host gifts I've earned from all the parties of 2012.

[ChristinaMason]

To quote a crazy crackhead, that's "winning!"

So glad you enjoyed it. It's also fantastic over quinoa or cous cous if you feel like a carby splurge.

[JungMann]

I made chicken salad with your dressing, yogurt and Sriracha for lunch this afternoon. I think we can quote another crazy crackhead and say I am bi-winning!

I already plan on making a quinoa salad with that dressing for a dinner party! I think quinoa with wilted kale and that sauce would get me hipster high-fives.

[ChristinaMason]

If you really want to gild the lily, serve that quinoa with either shrimp or scallops sauteed with garlic and hot pepper flake in a sherry-cream sauce. So good.

And good call on adding the greens.

[Bacardi1]

Had a 1/2 a sack of turkey meatballs in the freezer, so last night's repast was ooey-gooey mozzarella & parmesan cheesey turkey meatball sub sandwiches topped with baby arugula.

[mariacarmen]

mmmmy ooey-gooey just made my mouth water....

[Bacardi1]

(Yeah - for me the cheese is the best part - lol!!)

[gingershelley]

OK, bacardi1, I now officially need to re-visit the meatball thread from DOTM, and make some for my freezer for 2013;

A cheesy-gooey meatball sub sounds awesome, if NOT on the slim down non-resolution for the year:), it is certainly in the 'delish-dish' I never think to make resolution file for the year!

[Bacardi1]

Okay - well, this time I cheated. These were commercial turkey meatballs. I DO make my own, but when I find them on sale, I like to stick a bag in my freezer for a quick impromptu meal.

And Turkey Meatball Sub Sandwiches are definitely an impromptu delight. A loaf of Italian bread, microwave-thawed turkey meatballs (I halve them before adding to the sauce to help keep them from sliding out of the bread while eating), a small jar of Ragu "Pizza Sauce" from the pantry, & some shredded Mozzarella & Parmesan cheese that I always have on hand. Heat up the defrosted halved meatballs in the sauce, toast the bread, add meatballs/sauce to bread, top with cheese, run under the broiler, top with arugula (optional) & 2nd piece of bread; but into 4 sandwiches. Enjoy.

[aching]

Tonight we'll make one of our favorite weeknight meals - a warm bulgur wheat salad with roasted broccoli, grilled chicken, chevre, and artichoke hearts.

[rabaja]

Gosh, that sounds good! So simple too, why don't I think to make that on a weekday?

[gingershelley]

Aching - that sounds really delcious, and pretty healthy, care to share more?

[aching]

Sure, sorry for the delayed response! This is the original recipe, which is excellent, and its very adaaptable. In the summertime we sometimes use grilled zucchini, and we chill the salad before serving. This time of year we like to use roasted broccoli instead of asparagus. Sometimes we throw in some sun-dried tomatoes as well. The lemon is a critical component in my opinion.

BULGUR WHEAT SALAD WITH ARTICHOKES & ASPARAGUS

11⁄2-21⁄2 cups chicken broth
11⁄2 cups bulgur wheat
1 bunch thin or medium asparagus, tough ends removed
1 large or 2 small lemons, zested and juiced
1⁄4 cup olive oil
4 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1⁄2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 oz. goat cheese, crumbled (optional)
1 chicken breast, grilled and cubed (optional)
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1⁄2 cup marcona almonds, coarsely chopped (optional)

• In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil.
• Add the bulgur wheat, return to a boil, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand for 10 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
• Grill or steam the asparagus as desired.
• Let the asparagus cool, then chop into 1⁄2” pieces.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, and olive oil.
• Add the bulgur, asparagus, artichoke hearts, parsley, goat cheese (if using), and chicken (if using).
• Toss gently.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with the almonds (if using).

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Adapted from Food and Wine (August 2006)

[gingershelley]

Thanks Aching! That does sounds really good - I might try it with cooked lentils or quinoa as well:)!

[tcamp]

Wednesday is activity day/night so dinner is already cooking away in the crockpot: Honey Baked ham bone (nabbed from office potluck) in a black bean soup.

[thymetobake]

I think I'll make a focaccia type bread and pull out the left over pernil, from the freezer, to make a pressed sandwich.

I keep trying to find the right kind of bread for pressed and baked sandwiches. Hoping the focaccia is the right fit. I'm thinking roasted peppers, caramelized onions and whatever kind of cheese i have will be good.

Salad on the side with nuts, feta, and dried cranberries.

[roxlet]

That sandwich sounds great.

I think that any flat-ish bread is great for a pressed sandwich; focaccia is a great choice, as is ciabatta. But don't forget that in Italy they make a lot of pressed sandwiches with plain old white bread, and as long as the filling doesn't overwhelm the bread, they are delicious!

[gingershelley]

think that any flat-ish bread is great for a pressed sandwich; focaccia is a great choice, as is ciabatta.
______________

'What she said" :)

[thymetobake]

Well, you were both right. The focaccia turned out great! It was an Artisan bread in 5 recipe. I think it's the best one I've made from that book. I was expecting it to be bland tasting but, man, was I wrong. The house smells intoxicating.

The crust was just right for a sandwich. Most of their recipes yield a really thick crust (for me, anyway) which is great, fresh out of the oven, but not so good later. This was perfect and so easy. I see lots of hot sandwiches in my future. I didn't follow their recipe to a T, though. I combined a bit of James Beard with it.

[rasputina]

My husband is out of town until Friday, so it's just me and my daughter who is vegetarian. I've got a ham bone in the freezer from Christmas but I think I'll wait and cook with it on Friday.

It's been raining constantly since yesterday and I'm loathe to go to the store so it will have to be something from the pantry. I think I'll have to do something with the leftover brisket or the lone chicken breast I have in the fridge.

I'm so impressed you already have something started for tonight.