What's for Dinner #186 - OLD

[mariacarmen]

It's warmer here in San Francisco, but for many of you it's still a chill-fest. Whatcha got cookin' to keep yourselves warm? (and for those of our friends in warmer climes, vice-versa!)

[LindaWhit]

New thread here:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/888543

[fldhkybnva]

Not sure what the rest of the week holds but the weekend will start of with seared tuna. We usually do an Asian style prep (soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, green onions, mirin). Any other favorite seared tuna seasonings?

[ChristinaMason]

I like it crusted with black and white sesame seeds and served with wasabi mashed potatoes.

[wyogal]

Lasagne, using my new Staub rectangular baking dish. I will layer a boxed, no cook pasta sheet with a blend of browned sweet sausage and ground turkey, pureed roasted red peppers, browned onion and sweet peppers, jarred marinara, and Italian blend grated cheese, ricotta/egg.
With a loaf of whole wheat french bread.
Key lime/meyer lemon pie for dessert. We may eat that when we get home from our regular Irish session at a coffee shop early evening.

[ChristinaMason]

Key lime pie is just the best. Yum.

[Bacardi1]

Market had a "buy one get one free" on Louis Kemp surimi, so I picked up a couple of packets. And it was nice that hubby had a hankering for a "fake krabmeat roll" for supper - lol! Tossed the surimi with some mayo, lemon pepper, & a couple of tablespoons of chopped fresh Tarragon, then loaded the mixture onto toasted rolls lined with fresh baby arugula. Shoestring fries on the side.

[mariacarmen]

yum.

[alliegator]

Inspired by the favorite winter sandwich thread and egged on by my brother who has a thing for unusual pizzas, I'm going to attempt a croque monsieur pizza. I guess the gruyere, then ham, then sauce on top of that? Or two very thin crusts like a sandwich? Or maybe a single crust croque madam to break up the cheesy overload. I'm not sure, but it should be eeenteresting. And a green salad goes without saying with this train wreck of cholesterol.

[JungMann]

That sounds quite decadent. I've topped pizzas with bechamel before and it is quite extravagant. I'd love a single crust pie served with an egg tableside for a croque madame slice!

[mariacarmen]

oh yes, i love this idea!

[alliegator]

That does sound like a great idea, and it's the route I'll go--thank you! Pics of all this tomorrow.

[iowagirl]

In the middle of a winter storm warning here in the great Midwest (4-7 inches of snow, then blustery winds and a plunge back into the deep freeze) so am working from home. Inspired by suzigirl and juliejulez, it's the easy pesto chicken tonight with mashed sweet potatoes and green salad for sides. Big red wine and I'm planning to make some oatmeal cookies for dessert. I love working from home!!

[suzigirl]

Juliejulez gets all the credit for that. She found the recipe and passed it along to me. But it is very simple and delicious. It made me and my sweetie happy and it reheated well in his lunchbox the next day.

[juliejulez]

We can thank my boring job for it. I have nothing to do most days so I have lots of time to find recipes! But really, the site it came from (kalynskitchen.com) is a really great one, one of my favorite "healthy" food websites.

[suzigirl]

Thanks boring job. I like the looks of the pesto rolls you posted and the orange honey mustard chicken you posted elsewhere too. I am tucking those in my to do file for later.

[iowagirl]

Yes, thank you boring job indeed! This will make hubby happy, even if he does have to stop to pick up some mozzarella on his way home. Hey, he's already out in this stuff - makes sense for him to stop, right?!

[juliejulez]

Exactly and he will be pleased with the results so the trouble is worth it :)

[JungMann]

One of the drawbacks of cooking for one is that I always have leftovers. But on the brightside, I'm always free to experiment with those leftovers since I needn't cater to anybody's prejudices.

Half a container of pasta in yogurt and feta were turned into a down rent version of fatteh. A handful of rotisserie chicken, a couple spoonfuls of hummus and a dollop of labneh gave me all the right flavors, if not all the crunchy carby goodness that comes from topping the lot with pita chips. To add a bit more greenery to my meal, I decided to attack the massive bunch of chard I still had in my crisper. Given my near interminable supply of berbere (why did I buy a pound?), I decided to go in a vaguely Ethiopian route braising the chard with onions, garlic, ginger and the spices. Finished with a squeeze of lemon juice and served up with cottage cheese, it was surprisingly cozy and pleasing. Probably something I will add to the rotation for meatless days.

[mariacarmen]

mmmmmm the chard and cottage cheese sounds really good for some reason right now...

[Frizzle]

Drool, fatteh. I might have to make some soon.

[Frizzle]

The plan for dinner changed three times today, it was just one of those days of dithering. The eventual and happy outcome was a night without the fish-hater to cook for and a trip to the fish markets.

Some very fresh looking sardines took my fancy and after a bit more dithering about exactly how to cook them I used a River Cafe Easy recipe that roasts them with cherry tomatoes and black olives. Some ciabatta mopped up the juices. I added a bunch of parsley to the dish at the end to get some green in the meal as I was too lazy to make a proper salad.

Dessert was strawberries roasted with balsamic and honey mixed though with yoghurt and polenta. If that sounds a bit like baby food it's because it was. The toddler rejected it for her dessert in favour of fresh mango so I got her leavings.

[Frizzle]

And the photo. A pretty dish if you don't mind fish staring at you.

[JungMann]

That looks really great! I tend to serve fish with a lot of grey, green and beige so the tomatoes add a lot of pop.

[Frizzle]

Are you talking about sammekahara (sp?) by any chance? It's one of my favourites. If you know the dish I'm talking about what fish do you use? I used to use snapper but I'm trying to buy more sustainable fish these days and I haven't got my head around what would be a good substitute.

[JungMann]

Definitely samke harra. I have to admit that my fish choices are not the most responsible. I love cod and it is easy to get, so that's what I normally use. Sometimes tilapia. Really I think you can use any mild-flavored whitefish. Striped bass, barramundi, trout would all be winners.

[Frizzle]

Thanks! I'm missing that dish so much.

[roxlet]

That looks amazing. How did you like the recipe?

[Frizzle]

Thanks! It's very nice. I got rid of the heads and backbones for eating and the flavours of the sardines, salty olives and sweet tomatoes was great. I think next time I'll do the tomatoes even longer. The recipe only gave them 25 mins at 200. I prefer mine almost charred.

[steve h.]

Looks great. We're big fans of the River Cafe and the cook books.

[Frizzle]

Thanks! I love their books too. The Easy ones are great for weeknights.

[mariacarmen]

gorgeous! did the toddler have her share of the sardines too?

[Frizzle]

Thanks MC. The toddler got salmon (I bend my sustainable fish rules for her). A lovely tail pan-fried. Served with peas and a grated carrot salad with a sesame oil dressing. For starters she had the red lentil and lemon soup from the NYT that roxlet mentioned up-thread (sans cayenne). The toddler eats well, I can't wait for her to grow a few more teeth and start to like chili so I can stop cooking separate meals.

[mariacarmen]

i can't wait for the toddler to start posting....

[ChristinaMason]

Dinner party tonight!

-"Edith's Fizz" and "Bourbon Dynasty" cocktails http://www.artofdrink.com/ingredients/vermouth/lillet-blanc/
http://postprohibition.com/recipes/bourbon-dynasty/
-mixed olives roasted with bay leaves, lemon peel, fresh rosemary, fennel seed, and hot pepper flake
-Frizzle's Syrian eggplant dip sprinkled w/ sumac http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/841356#7245911
-roxlet's Green Goddess dip
-dukkah and fruity olive oil http://www.lottieanddoof.com/2012/03/carrot-puree-dukkah/
-homemade pita and crudite - blanched green beans, green pepper strips, grape tomatoes, celery and carrot sticks
-lamb ragu w/ strozzapreti http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/strozzapreti-with-lamb-ragu - I had mine on julienned zukes
-arugula salad w/ radicchio, red cabbage, currants, grape tomatoes, and sherry vinaigrette
-yogurt panna cotta w/ honeyed apricots http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/gr... - used Lillet Blanc in the syrup and honey in the panna cotta in place of sugar

Austrian Zweigelt, IPA, and decaf coffee to drink.

[juliejulez]

Quite the spread, and I love your table & chairs too!

[ChristinaMason]

Why, thank you! We hauled them in the rain from NJ and PA. Fun times.

[mariacarmen]

wow - Tuesday night dinner party! impressive! and yeah, that table is gorgeous.

i like your puffy pitas too!

[ChristinaMason]

Thanks! I made a mistake in reading the recipe my friend sent me, which is why they turned out that way. It calls for letting the *balls* of dough rise for 30 min., then punching them down and rolling them flat and baking them on a rack. I was reading the instructions too quickly and thought they called for rolling the balls out flat, then letting them rise. Oops. DH said they were still good but maybe not quite as good as my usual recipe.

[JungMann]

From start to finish, an entire meal I would swoon for. So many things sound familiar and then I click the recipe and find something utterly intriguing... coconut in dukkah? Bourbon and Lillet? I mean come on! How does one get an invitation?

Do you normally make your pitas on the rack or are you using a baking stone?

[ChristinaMason]

*blush*

Thank you for the kind words. I like little twists on things, as long as they don't take the dish totally awry.

Pita breads cooked on a baking stone end up more like Cosi flatbread. If you bake them on a rack, they puff up into a true pocket. I like both, but I cook them on a rack usually.

[roxlet]

What an amazing dinner! I hope your friends appreciated all the work that went in to it. How was that pasta sauce? I look at that cover of BA all the time since it's on top of the pile of periodicals in my kitchen. I should hide it!

[ChristinaMason]

Thanks so much. They seemed to enjoy it. Having good recipes from trusted sources helps ;)

The pasta sauce was very tasty. I used half ground beef, half lamb (as it was $8/lb!). DH said he thought that was a wise move as it kept the sauce from becoming too gamey. I think it would have been nice with some crumbled French feta folded in, too.

Ultimately I think I prefer traditional bolognese, but this was a nice twist. I sure missed the pasta.

[LindaWhit]

That's an amazing dinner party - well done!

[ChristinaMason]

Grazie, LW!

[linguafood]

AMAZing spread, Christina!

Which Zweigelt did you get? The ones available here are out of my price range.

[ChristinaMason]

Thank you :)

It was Leo Hillinger-- $11.99, which I thought was reasonable. I also like their Small Hill red blend, but that was $17.99. Prices on that one have gone up.

[steve h.]

Fantastic. You really know how to throw a dinner party.

[ChristinaMason]

Thank you. It's one of my favorite things to do, period. It helps I wasn't working yesterday :)

Now, what do I need to do to get paid to throw dinner parties for a living?

My DH good-naturedly helped clear our apartment of clutter before our friends arrived, AND he voluntarily did all the dishes after, despite my insistence I would help. Good man.

[suzigirl]

What an amazing party. And what a dear dear man.

[ChristinaMason]

I'll keep him around. It helps he's well fed.

[suzigirl]

I bet it does. Nothing like that menu to keep him well fed. :-)

[ChristinaMason]

Oh, and I forgot, with the panna cotta I served these: http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/sto...

I sent them home with our guests to get the temptation out of the house!

[twodales]

Wonderful and adventurous menu. Lucky guests!

P,S, Green Goddess is a weakness of mine.

[ChristinaMason]

Thanks :) I love people who love to eat and cook, as they do.

[Frizzle]

Yum! And very proud to see the family eggplant dish made the line up :)

[ChristinaMason]

It was really a very big hit. Much more than the sum of its parts. I even made and strained the yogurt myself this time. This is at least the second or third time I've made it for entertaining, so thank you :)

My proportions were 1 med./large eggplant, about 2 c. thick plain yogurt (whole milk+), 1 large clove of minced garlic. I have a feeling your original probably uses quite a bit more garlic---right? I can't stand lingering raw-garlic breath though, so I played it safe.

I sprinkled it with sumac, but I don't know if that's legit in your family ;) I thought about maybe topping it with some za'atar, too, but didn't go there.

[Frizzle]

My garlic addition depends on whether it's a work night. Jungmann mentioned in another thread about a different yoghurt dish that has garlic in that he leaves the yoghurt and garlic mix overnight in the fridge to mellow the garlic flavour. I haven't tried that
The sumac sounds good. Dad sometimes sprinkled paprika on for a bit of colour at serving time. I think if it tastes good then go for it.
I'm so impressed with you making the pita and yoghurt yourself as well. Your guests were very lucky.

[JungMann]

Did I say overnight? I leave garlic yogurt maybe 20-30 minutes at most on my counter, mostly to come to temperature. I am not one to shy away from garlic since I usually use a couple cloves mashed in a mortar and pestle (best to release all the essential oils) for one cup of garlic. Best eaten the day of, but as you say, if I have leftovers that have to get stashed away in the fridge overnight, the taste does mellow out.

[ChristinaMason]

Do you have any pita recipes that you like or that were handed down in your family? I had been using, until this last time, this no-knead pizza dough recipe with success: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2...

Yesterday for our cooking "lessons" I tried using store-bought pizza dough. I figured if it works with homemade, why not try it? But instead of pita, I basically ended up with big doughy, bready blobs. Not sure what was different except maybe the amount of yeast? And it may have been over-risen a bit just by virtue of sitting in the refrigerator case.

[JungMann]

I've never been in a position to make pita bread before. My family always had great bakeries nearby and I buy low carb pitas from a Syrian bakery in Brooklyn. But it did just occur to me after I was dissuaded from buying the KA in our previous thread that a W-S baking stone and the breads I could make on it might be a better use of my giftcard.

[Frizzle]

I'll ask my parents. They used to make their own years ago when they couldn't buy it. I've made it once while living in Singapore as I had trouble finding any I considered edible. From memory my attempt was fairly poor and I had trouble getting the temp in the oven just right.
Sorry for the incorrect steer on the yoghurt and garlic from JM.

[twodales]

Bobby Flay recipe tonight: Orange-Glazed boneless and grilled short ribs with a peanut and scallion topping, sauteed bok choy and shitake mushrooms with ginger/soy/garlic/sesameseeds. Apple crisp for pudding.

Bucketing with rain so I used a very hot grill pan on the stovetop. I was a little worried they might be chewy but they were perfect.

I would advise making the glaze a day ahead or earlier in the day if you plan on making them.

Today 60, tomorrow night 20 and snow. Love Chicago weather!!!

[suzigirl]

To tell the truth I rarely follow a recipe but the last two recipes in a row have been suggested by miss juliejulez and I loved them both. A ez pesto chix that rocked and tonight the ham and cream noodle skillet dish from kevinandamanda. Its on the end of the last thread. It was good and I must say I was nervous about skillet cooking. It worked almost perfect. The tweeking I thought it needed as i went along were minor.
1. About three more minutes on the pasta where I am and maybe for our tastes. Doneness can vary so much.
2. I skipped the cornstarch slurry and went with a heaping spoonful of whipped cream cheese.

I know I tweeked it a bit but all in all a keeper for a one pot wonder.

[juliejulez]

Yay I'm glad it worked out! I love skillet meals, but its hard to find good ones.

[alliegator]

Tonight, it's dinner for one and a windy, loud thunderstorm.
I'm making pan seared scallops and sauteed spinach with ginger and orange sauce. It's from an old Cooking Light, but I've tweaked it quite a bit. It's an older favorite that I haven't cooked up for quite a while, so I'm looking forward to it!

[Berheenia]

Rice in the rice cooker. Can't find the pack of ready made Tikka Masala Sauce (where is it?) so I'm winging it. Have chicken breasts from TJ's and some garlic nan. Petit peas on the side. Tomorrow it may hit 60 degrees!

[steve h.]

Duck is on the menu tonight. Duck fat potatoes and carrots will be the sides. A California cab (Krug) to wash it all down.

Old man winter is going to leave us alone for a few days. I'm grateful.

[LindaWhit]

Nice dinner. I need to get some duck breasts very soon.

[steve h.]

You owe it to yourself.

[LindaWhit]

I know. However, I will be going to my favorite restaurant on Friday, and one of my friends who are going likes duck too. So I think I'll get a mini-fix then. :-)

[twodales]

Big fan of duck but I rarely make it at home. I haven't quite mastered the devil. It's always a treat having it out. Reminds me of Sunday lunch at the 'Fox and Hounds' ,just on the edge of Windsor Great Park, UK

BTW, you are killing me with your crab casseroles and ducky delights Mr. H.

[steve h.]

I'm a big duck fan, too. Fox and Hounds sounds like my kind of place. The Brits "get" game.

[Frizzle]

Your meals always sound wonderfully decadent Steve H. Crab, duck...and lovely wines too.

[steve h.]

Thanks. It's been brutally cold here so any excuse to turn on the oven is a good one.

[mariacarmen]

whatcha doing with it? breast? whole duck? i have been meaning to make breast of duck..... i've never worked with duck at all. except the fat.

[steve h.]

Whole duck roasted on a rack in a 425 degree oven. The breast meat was tender to the point of almost being creamy. The skin was good but just short of the crispness I prefer. We'll do better next time.

Deb will make a duck hash from the legs and the meat I picked off the carcass.

I've enjoyed duck all over the world in many manifestations. It's really versatile. You need to get busy with this delicacy.

[mariacarmen]

duck hash! swoooooon...

i do need to get busy.

[linguafood]

Duck breasts are amazingly easy to make, crispy skin & rendered fat and all. Sadly, the d'Artagnan brand of duck meat is rather flavorless. So... good duck is a prerequisite for happy ducking.

[mariacarmen]

i think we have something other than d'Aragnan at my local butcher, but i'll have to check. thanks for the tip.

[steve h.]

"...good duck is a prerequisite for happy ducking."

Well said.

[twodales]

I have seen duck in many forms at one of our local Korean Superstores. Will have to pick one up next time I pop in there.

[Cherylptw]

Sammiches tonight...Tuna sub for the bf; hot ham & smoked gouda for me....the usual fixings on top...nothing special.

[alliegator]

Ham and smoked gouda is a combo that's pretty tough to beat!

[mariacarmen]

last night the BF pan-grilled thin-cut ribeyes, nice and bloody, roasted a potato which we split in half and spread with horseradish, and a side green salad. simples. after that, i went to sleep.

[Sal Vanilla]

Just to make everyone else feel better:

I had mixed bean soup, brussels sprout/broccoli salad and bread from the freezer for dinner. The salad did not go down easily as I am still sore throated, but it was good and nutritious. I am having it again for lunch. We have to keep the windows cracked in the house today. Sigh.

I would rather have had porchetta and a nice buttermilk pie.

Grumble grumble.

[roxlet]

My son requested pasta today, but since I am doing weight watchers, that definitely means that I have to cook in such a way as to make the pasta a small part of the meal for me. I came across a skinnytaste.com chicken cacciatore recipe, and since I have every element used in making the dish in my fridge and cupboard, it looks like we have a winner. We also have a load of broccoli, so I think I will make Ina Garten's recipe for baked broccoli with parmesan.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/06/chicken-cacciatore-43-pts.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...

[juliejulez]

That broccoli is my favorite. I make it all the time, usually minus the pine nuts though since I don't keep those around.

[roxlet]

I always have a bag of pine nuts in my freezer. They keep forever in there.

[mariacarmen]

same here. other nuts too.

[roxlet]

Yup. Right now I have pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, shelled pistachios and hazelnuts. We mostly buy them at Costco, and it takes a while to get through those big bags, but it's nice to always have them on hand.

[roxlet]

Just found out the husband will be featured on The Taste tonight. Going to tune in to see if they made him look like a dork, lol!

[Breadcrumbs]

OMG, that's exciting roxlet, is mr roxlet a chef or a home cook (don't I just sound like a panellist?!!) Fingers crossed that he makes it through!! Congratulations to him!

[Sal Vanilla]

I just looked it up to see if I get it. ABC! (8 pm for westies at least (KOMO if you are a Seattleite) OK Yay. Are you giving out his name or do we guess?

[roxlet]

He's the one with the suspenders, tie and glasses.

[Sal Vanilla]

I got detained I hope he has not come on yet. Grr. I just saw a man in a blue shirt who chose the frenchman. Not sure what that even means. But I am excited and I am not even sure why - not completely why. OK it is on!

[juliejulez]

I saw! His dish looked delicious!

[LindaWhit]

Yay! Watching it right now! He's ON RIGHT NOW! ::::Squeee!!!::::

Oh noooo!!! Aww, roxlet! He had a chance to be picked by both Tony and Ludo! Dammit.

[Sal Vanilla]

Fooey

[Breadcrumbs]

Ok roxlet, I think I recognized your beautiful pooch so I'm assuming Robert is mr roxlet. They messed up by not picking him...what a shame. He did great and your home is beautiful.

[roxlet]

Thanks. I think he got hosed. Had he been up earlier, he would have gotten chosen I think.

[LindaWhit]

If they have a 2nd season, would he try out again?

[roxlet]

Definitely. He had a blast.

[alliegator]

His dish looked fabulous and I wish they'd given him a chance. Glad he had fun and enoyed such a unique experience and I hope he chooses to go for it again next time!!

[mariacarmen]

DAMMIT - i missed it!! at the Oldster and he's busy watching Cops (UGH). going to see if i can DVR a rerun of it somewhere or On Demand it....

I'm sorry he didn't make it roxlet - i am sure he deserved it! we've all been in his virtual kitchen many times.

[roxlet]

It's available online. He's about in the middle of the second segment.
http://abc.go.com/watch/the-taste/SH5...

[ChristinaMason]

Right at 15:36

[mariacarmen]

oh good, thanks roxlet!

[Berheenia]

Thanks for the link.. I watched it on my phone! I probably wouldn't have seen it otherwise- hubby hogs the clicker but now I know it's on I'll watch on On Demand. It seems like the contestants today were at a disadvantage because the teams had filled up in the first show.- I thought he should have been picked- tell him to get some tattoos next time. haha

[roxlet]

Haha. Then he can go live someplace else! But thanks, I'll tell him -- after he makes some grilled tri-tip for dinner tonight!

[juliejulez]

Cookin' for the potential in-laws again. Keeping it pretty simple though since I won't get home til 7, making SO's favorite Baked Chicken stuffed with pesto and cheese (http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2005/04/...), only I think I might try out panko breadcrumbs seasoned w/ italian seasoning this time. Usually I use regular seasoned ones).

Sides will be a pretty plain baby spinach and spring mix salad with some cucumber, grape tomatoes, bacon, and cheese if they want it, and store-bought garlic bread. I wasn't even going to do garlic bread because the chicken is super filling, but apparently SO's stepdad is a bread lover. The other night, along with the pork roast, potatoes, and roasted broccoli, he requested some bread and was happy with plain sandwich bread with butter on it. So, store-bought garlic bread is what he's getting tonight! I thought my SO was pretty "meat and potatoes" but I think his stepdad takes the cake!

[juliejulez]

Sooo, nobody bothered to tell me that SO's folks had a dinner thing tonight... Even after seeing that I had taken 4 pieces of chicken to defrost.

So, anybody know if you can freeze the garlic bread you buy in the bakery section that comes in a foil bag? No way can the 2 of us get through a whole one of those.

[Jeanne]

Yes - no problem.

[mariacarmen]

well, that wasn't very nice of them!

[juliejulez]

Yeah. They are NOT good communicators and planners. If I hadn't called his mom and specifically asked her what day they were coming, we wouldn't have even known that! Then after I asked her I said "OK thanks, I'll have the house ready for you!" and she replies with "well if it's too much trouble we can stay at a motel" WTF?? We have a 3 bedroom house, including a very nice guest room. Last time they visited last summer, I didn't even know hey were coming til the day of, while I was at work (and hence unable to clean the house!). My family is the total opposite, everything gets planned out like a month+ in advance, so it's been, let's say, an adjustment for super organized me. They're very nice people though, just a bit clueless when it comes to stuff like that.

[ChristinaMason]

That would drive me bonkers. You're good to go to such trouble for them.

[boyzoma]

Tonight we will be using up some leftovers. Chili Cheese Baked Potatoes. Had some Chili left over from Saturday, so I'll bake up some potatoes, then load them up with Chili, Cheese, diced tomato's, diced ham, diced onions and Sour Cream. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Saturday's chili was the best I've ever made yet!

[Breadcrumbs]

Sunday's dinner was something special for us. dkennedy had recommended a recipe for a Piled-High Pork Sandwich from Nancy Silverton's Sandwich book and believe it or not, this is a multi-day undertaking. Despite losing my stamina, I persevered and boy were we rewarded! This sandwich was sensational! I served it with Zuni's Caesar Salad - our new "go-to" recipe.

Tonight we're going the simple route of a yet-to-be-determined soup (I have a couple in the freezer and mr bc is in charge of defrosting) and another Caesar salad since we have some dressing leftover. It had been ages since we'd had a Caesar salad and we'd forgotten just how much we love them!

[linguafood]

BC, would you elaborate on the Caesar deets? I have a favorite dressing, but am always curious how others do it.

[Breadcrumbs]

lingua this is a lovely recipe and I'd highly recommend it. I found it online here for you:

http://lemonsandanchovies.com/2010/04/zuni-cafe-caesar-salad-almost/#.UQgC8o7ysfM

FYI, this was also a COTM recipe so here's a link to my review and those of other hounds who have made this:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/3559...

[linguafood]

Interesting! Really, the only diff seems to be the addition of red wine vinegar -- do you find it really makes a massive difference in flavor?

Mine also has olive oil, lemon juice, egg, garlic & anchovies mashed up, lots of ground black pepper, a bit of dijon mustard and of course parm in it. So they're very similar, save for the vinegar. Huh.

[Breadcrumbs]

I definitely think the red wine vinegar makes a difference but I also think Ms Roger's techniques and tips make a difference as well lingua.

[Bacardi1]

Last night we enjoyed "Jalapeno Flavor Shrimp Burgers" ("Chef Big Shake" brand & pretty darn good for a commercial product) on toasted rolls with mayo, Thousand Island dressing, & lettuce. Sweet potato fries on the side.

[Klary]

Made some pretty nice dinners the past days. Sunday I cooked for some vegetarian friends, a quick dinner before going to see the Hackensaw Boys here in Amsterdam! I made tofu pancakes with roasted pepper and cherry tomato salsa, a green salad with boiled eggs, mustard dressing and crispy turmeric potato croutons, and roasted brussel sprouts with dates and melting goats cheese. 'Boterkoek '(a Dutch buttery pastry with ginger) for dessert.

Yesterday the veggie theme continued wit pumpkin sweet potato soup with black beans, and a salad of barley, raw kale and fried mushrooms, with a soy/sesame/chili dressing. That salad was awesome! Will have the leftovers tonight, probably with a fried egg.

I also have some of the salsa left over, and I think I will turn that into mini quiches. I also have some pumpkin left that I will cook down to a puree, and then make savoury oatmeal - pumpkin pancakes with.

[LindaWhit]

The salsa added to mini quiches sounds like a great idea, Klary, as do the pumpkin pancakes.

[fldhkybnva]

It is a bit warmer here today but I just spent a lovely good time with a ginormous bowl of pasta - chicken fettuccine Alfredo with kielbasa and mushrooms...oh my such a great cold weather meal! I rarely eat pasta so the gargantuan amount that I piled onto my plate tonight has induced quite a great Sunday night serotonin surge.

A predicted 65F by Wednesday...I hope the warmer weather doesn't squash my comfort food cravings.

[ChristinaMason]

I made salades niçoise tonight: chopped Romaine, quartered Romas and hard boiled eggs, blanched green beans, roasted beets, Kalamata and oil-cured olives (my local doesn't carry the niçoise), Italian olive oil-packed tuna, and (for the man only) chunked boiled redskin potatoes. All the parts were seasoned individually and then it was plated up as a composed salad, drizzled with a little of the tuna oil, and dressed with roxlet's *excellent* Green Goddess dressing.

The better half heartily approved.

[ChristinaMason]

And now he's searing up a burger patty leftover from last night. LOL. *He* was the one who asked for a "week of salads"!

[steve h.]

Leftover crab casserole that Deb topped off with additional bread crumbs is on tonight's menu. I'm the editor in charge of re-heating stuff so I'll be careful to not let down the team. There will be house red to wash this rich dish down, cheesecake on the off chance that too much is never enough.

It snowed today but I'm sensing a shift out of the deep freeze to more familiar winter weather. We'll see. Top Gear, the BBC version, will be on the plasma.

[rabaja]

Would you mind giving out some details of your crab casserole recipe?
I have about two cups of crab meat in my freezer from leftover crab dinners and would love to find something delicious to repurpose it into.
Thanks.

[steve h.]

Here you go:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/887399
I gave source and ingredients. I can backfill with chapter and verse if you wish. The recipe is a keeper and leftovers, if treated gently, are even better.
Let us know if this rendition workers for you.

[rabaja]

Thank you! I was able to look at the whole recipe on Amazon. It looks creamy and comforting, and a good use of leftover crab.

I'm hoping to make this for dinner this week. The ingredients happen to all be on hand, so it should be an easy dinner. Although I only have fresh tarragon, which I will cut back on.

Did you re-warm in a water bath? Or just low heat?

Thanks again.

[steve h.]

I was nervous about the re-heat but it turned out to be simple and straightforward. I portioned out individual servings in ramekins, tented them with foil and popped them into the toaster oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or so. I took off the foil and broiled for three minutes to crisp up the additional bread crumb topping.

The casserole actually tasted better on the re-heat (We used jumbo lump crab) and that surprised the heck out of me. Maybe crab isn't as delicate as I thought.

[mariacarmen]

that would have surprised me too....not that i have much experience with crab....

[steve h.]

A wild guess on my part is that the pound of jumbo lump (canned!) was cosseted in fatty goodness from all the butter, cream, milk and so on called for in the casserole recipe.

[mariacarmen]

good to know about the canned! i'm much more likely to make it.

although.... my dad won't eat it, my BF won't eat it... my sister might... though she prefers eating crab just steamed and meticulously picked for hours out of the legs....

[Jeanne]

Steve H - you're talking about pasturized crab like you can get at Costco and other places - not canned (that you buy on shelfs), right? Just making sure - I'm sure you are.

[steve h.]

I'm a lobster bigot so I can understand, sort of, where your sister is coming from. I spent a lot of time training down from Manhattan to Baltimore on business and have spent way too many hours field stripping your basic M1 crab. Very labor intensive. It's casserole and cakes, including New Jersey style crabecakes, for me now.

Quality canned crab can be quite good. You get what you pay for. Pasteurized crab lends itself to casseroles, picked crab, in season, is better for cakes.

Shellfish is a hot button for a lot of people. I'm thinking there is a Lobster Thermidor in my future.

[mariacarmen]

oh i'm not against it, at all. and neither is she - she just likes unadulterated crab rather than crab in something else. she wouldn't hate it, though, just a preference.

love lobster thermidor. and i used to love the lobster newburg at the Brown Derby in Hollywood.

[steve h.]

THE Brown Derby? Very cool.

If you haven't already, you should consider getting a copy of Jasper White's, "Lobster at Home." It's my "goto" cookbook for all things lobster. Lots of references to him here on Chowhound.

[Musie]

One of the joys of the winter ice is smelts. My husband is pan frying flour dusted smelts and I've made wedges sprinkles with tarragon to go with them.

Yummy!

[rasputina]

I guess the pint of holy cannoli ice cream doesn't count as dinner?

Hummus and a horiatiki salad I guess.

[roxlet]

Only if you want them to!

[fldhkybnva]

Thanks for the new link.

[mariacarmen]

you're welcome. you should repost your entry here, just copy and paste it as a new post...

[alliegator]

Not sure yet about dinner. but it's going to be something mighty easy. Just as my "code" started to improve a big ol' warm front (80! & 90's in a few days) with low pressure front rolls in and my head is killing me.
I may do just a spaghetti and homemade sauce (I use canned 'maters) and some garlic bread.
I hate making dinners that are just good enough, hopefully this will be the last of those nights for a bit.

[foodieX2]

Snowy day and I have a bunch of 11 year olds to feed so tonight is nachos with black beans, ground beef, cheese and salsa, Serving bowls of sliced jalapeños, guacamole and sour cream on the side.

Not the healthiest of meals but sure is satisfying!

[mariacarmen]

it sounds so good right now!

[suzigirl]

I consider myself to have the palate of an eleven year old and that sounds great

[fldhkybnva]

I am quite jealous. I hoped to make the Pro Bowl a football game actually worth watching and use it as a good reason to make nachos. I assumed nachos were easy and they likely are, but it was quite the disaster. Perhaps I can jump back into the nachos game for the Super Bowl.

[gingershelley]

I am 11 x 4(+ a few) - can I have that for dinner?

[foodieX2]

Of course!! When it comes to nachos in this house we are all kids at heart!

[roxlet]

The plan was to make tacos with the leftover porchetta, but my son, who seems to have a little bronchitis, called from practice to ask if I could make the red lentil soup I made a few times last year. It's from the NY Times, and it's listed in the index of The Essential New York Times Cookbook as red lentil soup with lemon. It's a quick soup, so it should be ready fairly quickly. Leftover porchetta can be on the side, as a salad will be.

[mariacarmen]

sorry your boy is feeling under the weather, but i love that he calls and asks his mom to make a soup from the NYT - he has the good taste to have loved it and remembered it!

[gingershelley]

Roxlet,

That is a GREAT soup - and so cool that your son has enough taste and sense to ask for it when feeling under the weather:).

Nice eatings, and nice upbringings!

[roxlet]

Thanks mc and gs! He had two big bowls, and it was just the thing!

[Frizzle]

That's a fabulous soup, we're having it tomorrow night. I hope he feels better soon.

[DelishDi]

Chicken penne pasta with spinach soup. It's soooo cold up here. I have soup or chili of some type for every lunch or dinner....

[suzigirl]

I love things like that when its cold too

[linguafood]

Postponed plans to make chicken cordon bleu - not feeling fussy tonight. Instead, it's a boyguh for my man, and calf's liver for me, with caramelized onions. Romaine, cukes, orange grape turmators, feta in dill-vinaigrette.

Snore.

[rabaja]

Last night I finally whipped up the fried chicken and biscuit dinner that has been on my mind since seeing that last silly episode of Top Chef. -which luckily put an end to my Josie watching misery, but damn, I'm still irritated they kicked off Kristen. I digress...
Anyway, despite a wrenched back/neck I came home determined to make this and I am so glad I did. Even more thankful for the leftovers that will be tonights dinner, as that makes the mess of deep frying much more worthwhile.

I seasoned and buttermilked a bunch of thighs, threw together some fat, fluffy white biscuits and nuked some corn kernels. Oh, and there was steamed broccoli and cauliflower as well, but really only just in case my mother happened to come knocking on the door to count up my vegetable quota for the day. I don't even remember eating those.

For dessert, mint chocolate cookie ice cream, which was not homemade, but which I am going to try my hand at for this weekends Super Bowl party, in the form of ice cream sandwiches.

Can't wait to do it all again tonight. I figure the calories I am saving in wine and cocktails these days allows for these kinds of splurge meals a few times per month. Sticking my fingers in my ears now, until my doctor tells me otherwise!

[mariacarmen]

your baby is eating all that delicious food, enjoy!

so do you fall on the side of "real" fried chicken is pan fried and not deep fried, or vice-versa? not growing up having had it (except for the Colonel's), i was surprised to learn from discussions about that TC that pan frying is considered more of the real deal to a lot of people...

sorry about your back/neck! and by the way... re TC, do you watch last chance kitchen?

[LindaWhit]

I'll take fried chicken *either* way, mc - as long as someone else makes it. I tried making it once, and the godawful mess on my stove top pretty much ensures I won't make it again.

[mariacarmen]

i'm with you!

except of course now i want to try it... but i'm supposed to be "being good" so it's not going to happen in the near future.

[rabaja]

I saw that thread, and it made me even more motivated to finally make it for dinner last night. I really wanted the corn pudding coll linked to as well, but I am trying not to kill my husband, so we went with plain corn :).
eta-I thought you meant the fried chicken thread from this past weekend...but now I remember those conversations on TC, too. Everyone has their specific way to make this simple dish!

I started deep frying my chicken when I saw how much easier it was when at work gigs, but you need a ton of oil, and when it's coming from my bank account and I'm the one cleaning up, I am more likely to do a partial deep fry/shallow fry.
Last night I used up a quart of canola oil I had mistakenly bought (awful stuff, I was so worried the fishy smell would flavor the chicken, but we lucked out and with the hood going, the smell dissipated fast. Peanut or safflower oil is what I would buy going forward), poured into a four quart le creuset. This created several inches of oil, and really contained the spatter, so not too messy.

I love using my cast iron for these types of things, but the clean-up makes me weary just thinking about it. Maybe outside on the grill burner if we ever figure out how to get it fired up.

I haven't watched the last chance episodes this season as they aren't shown on cable (Right? Am I missing something?) and I haven't taken the time to watch them on-line. Are they fun? We have our fingers crossed that we get to see Kristen again.

[mariacarmen]

thanks for the info - i didn't know that about canola oil - is it at high temps that it gets a fishy smell?

and you are right, LCK episodes are only online. they're fun because they're really short - actual cooking/contest time is like 5 minutes, maybe. you can fast forward thru the beginning. here's a link, if you want to see some of them, or at least the last one. http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/seaso...

[gingershelley]

I WANT homemade fried chicken!

Put this on the list after my roomate moves out in a few days; glad to be at the end of the '40-something single-never-married-stoner 'houseguest' who seems to not get any sense of how to live in a convivial household with another.

Let the dinner parties commence again...

Winner winner - chicken dinner!

[Berheenia]

Houseguests are like fish- they all start to smell bad after a few days!

[ChristinaMason]

What a feast! That sounds like some hearty country fare.

[Cherylptw]

Tonight is the leftovers of the oxtails from last night, which came out so good...they'll probably be better tonight and the gravy has had a chance to refrigerate so I can get the solid fat off before re-heating...leftovers of the sides as well. Now I can ponder WFD for tomorrow; I'm leaning to dumplings...saw Lee Ann Wong's food crawl show last night and it's all I can think of....

[LindaWhit]

What show is that, Cheryl?

[Cherylptw]

It's called "Food Crawl with Lee Ann Wong" on the Cooking Channel. They're re-showing it on Sat at 7 am and Sunday at 5 pm (I'm assuming it's the same episode)

[LindaWhit]

Thanks! I'll have to see if I can catch it this weekend.

[mariacarmen]

yesterday at the Oldster's i made him mashed potatoes, pan fried some bratwursts, and smothered them with sauteed onions and tomatoes. Ikea swedish meatball gravy on the taters (he loves gravy and even better if it comes from a package.)

for my sister and i, we had another sashimi/sushi splurge. purchased salmon and tuna, my sister sliced it up, and we made our own little sushi "wraps" - seaweed squares topped with the fish, tobiko, japanese pickles, scallions, avocado, wasabi, kewpi mayo and garlic chili paste mixed together, and a little smoked trout on the side. we ate this, like most of our meals at her house, standing over the stove, with dogs swimming about our legs like sharks.

my sister's handy knifework:

[rabaja]

That looks so good!
Can't wait for sushi to come back into my rotation. And cocktails.

Do you get your fish and tobiko and Nijiya?

[mariacarmen]

No, what is Nijiya?? I got it this time at Ranch 99 in El Cerrito, but I've been going lately to Tokyo Fish in Berkeley (they're closed Sundays). I can't believe i lived in the East Bay for so many years and never went there - it's quite a little treasure trove.

[rabaja]

I've not been to Tokyo Fish yet, but I have heard it's the best. I lived in Oakland for almost four years and didn't make it there, what was I thinking?
When I lived in the city, Nijiya was a favorite spot to get prepared sushi (really good rolls, with perfect rice, always fresh) and sliced fish or fish to take home and slice.
They also have an excellent selection of fish cuts to cook, some marinated and good chicken cuts and korobuta pork. Good rice selection too -I love the grain on, brown rice they sell. It's sticky and so satisfying, and I ate it ALL the time when I was doing WW hard core. Tamaki Haiga:
http://www.tamakimai.com/product.html

http://www.nijiya.com/
I probably mention this place every time you mention making sushi at home, sorry if I keep repeating myself!

[mariacarmen]

and i probably forget each time, since i'm a sieve-head. groundhog day and deja-vu all over again. i'll have to check it out, thanks rabaja!

[gingershelley]

Very fine, very fine indeed. I want to sit down to that spread - yours, not the oldster's:)

[Allegra_K]

Today is the first day in a couple of weeks where it's nearly in the single digits (-10, woohoo! definitely beats the -30's we've had to endure) and I've decided to chisel the barbecue out from its icy enclave and grill me up some steaks, Salvadoran-style! I'm trying the recipe from "Gran Cocina Latina", and my hunks (meat hunks, that is) are currently bathing in a mixture of mustard, worcestershire, piloncillo, cider vinegar, and a relajo spice mix. Dug some chorizo out of the freezer, so they'll get thrown on the barbie as well. Maybe I'll add a side of casamiento (rice n' beans),some avocado, and a pico de gallo/chirmol, and life is grand!

[gingershelley]

Impressive to 'carve the bbq' out of ice and cook outdoors... I am shutting up about the low 40's weather I barbeecu in then!

[prima]

rouladen and spinach gruyere brown rice gratin (the gratin will be based on the following recipe link, but I'm increasing the amount of spinach and substituting mushrooms for the chard http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/hea... )

[ChristinaMason]

Nice menu. Are the rouladen German-style?

[JungMann]

Over the years I have developed something of a Paula Deen-like reputation among my friends. It is a bit unfair if you know how I eat during the week, but I suppose when you only see me around the holiday times when I am churning out bacon praline king cakes or chorizo-fried chicken tacos, maybe I understand how I've gotten this rep. With guests coming over, I thought I'd show them what a nice meal looks like when it's just me.

To start there were plans for a large mezze spread, however we only got to hummus before I had to rescue a pie from my oven which had begun billowing clouds of smoke thanks to a roommate's pizza droppings left uncleaned at the bottom of the oven. After 30 minutes of cleaning out a 400 degree oven, I was back on track for mains: herb crusted rack of lamb on celeriac puree, rainbow chard braised with pomegranate molasses and 7 spices and a low carb rotini dish dressed with yogurt and spicy whipped feta.

The guests joked that they weren't shocked at how tasty everything was as much as how bereft of lard and bacon my meal had been... so I didn't tell them what was in the crust when I served up our dessert of buttermilk pie and hot buttered whiskey. But so long as everything is sweetened with Splenda, I can use the veneer of low carbiness for my defense!

[linguafood]

Whatta feast!

[prima]

sounds delicious.

[mariacarmen]

oh man. yeah, i'd be thrilled to sit at your "austerity measures" table!

[gingershelley]

Nice sleight of hand, there JungMann.... I wouldn't have thunk you to be a meat-fat and carb pushing pusher-Mann myself - but a wonderful encyclopedic knower of more far-flung cuisines!

It's so funny how our 'different faces' of ourselves show up in the world....

That dinner and dessert sound AMAZING!

[JungMann]

In my original low carb days, no one could have mistaken me for a low-fat puritan. In fact the annual Carnivale party I host, The Meat Ball, is a tongue in cheek celebration of that fact. Nowadays, a little more concern for my long-term health, along with a sensitive stomach, make me a little bit lighter a diner, though I do have my moments (I still deny that I finished off the tub of ube ice cream in the fridge last night! There is no photographic proof!)

[Sal Vanilla]

My gorsch! I dream of such meals being served to me in the happy ensconcement of someone's home.

Had to laugh about the crust. And drool.

[iowagirl]

Such a great weekend of eating - I'll be paying for it this week for sure! Friday was dinner and cocktail for my bday at our fave tapas place, where we found a new fave! Smoked trout pate! Soooo good with the horseradish and caper accompaniments. Hubby said it was like the best gelfite fish he'd ever had!

Saturday was Chef Paul's meatloaf with the Very Hot Cajun Sauce for Beef, chive and garlic mashed and roasted green beans. With white chocolate raspberry cheesecake for dessert. Lovely comfort food with lovely friends!

Hubby made me breakfast yesterday - his favorite meal to cook, then we used up the bits of veggies and leftover taco meat to make a huge platter of nachos to watch the Blackhawks win their 6th in a row!!!! Guinness on the side.

Tonight, it's leftover meatloaf and taters, which I'll make into patties and pan fry in a little butter to make them crunchy on the outside and creamy in. Butter lettuce salad with apple, pom seeds and cider viniagrette. Coted du Rhone to wash it down. Monday doesn't seem so bad!

[mariacarmen]

glad you had a delicious weekend!
i love doing that with mashed potatoes.

[Bacardi1]

Last night was a "comfort food" kind of meal.

A zippy turkey meatloaf (made with both ground turkey & hot Italian turkey sausage meat), with mashed potatoes & buttered baby green peas on the side.

[ChristinaMason]

That sounds homey and good.

[MAH]

Sounds awesome. I also made a turkey meatloaf last nigth, flavored with (gasp) Lipton onion soup mix, ketchup, sriracha and a bit of Stubb's spicy bbq sauce. Glazed on top with the mix of sauces as well. served with simply roasted cauliflower and asparagus. Started with crostini smeared with my fromage forte and broiled for a touch to get bubbly and a bit browned.

[steve h.]

Leftover veal parm and thick spaghetti (Barilla) was on the menu tonight. House red to wash things down.

Dinner Rush is on the plasma. Maybe the best foodie/casual gangster movie ever. It's pure NYC in a low key, insider, wink-wink kind of way. If you haven't seen it, get thee to a Blockbuster/whatever immediately. I've owned the DVD for years and dust it off at least once a year and am always floored by its quintessential Manhattan vibe. Yeah, it's that good.

[Frizzle]

Last night was a quick dinner as I was out late finally watching The Hobbit. Great movie and seeing the landscape made me very homesick. The dinner consisted of a couple of tins of butter beans that are thrown into a pan with fried onion, garlic, ginger and cherry tomatoes. A teaspoon of cinnamon and smoked paprika are added and a very generous handful of pitted kalamata olives. A bunch worth of chopped flat leaf parsley leaves are stirred through as you take it off the heat. Simple and tasty. It's one of our standard fast dinners.

Tonight we're having an Indonesian/Malayasian dish - fried tempeh with petai beans and green beans. We got into eating fresh petai beans when we lived in SEA and have been lucky to find some in jars here. They're hard to describe flavour-wise, quite strong, some say similar to shiitake shrooms. A nickname for them is stink beans as they have a fairly pungent odour and the same effect as asparagus. They need a good strong sauce to hold up to them so I'll do a riff on a Malaysian rempah to hold the dish together. Plain white rice will be served alongside and probably some krupuk (prawn crackers).

[LindaWhit]

Well, I didn't go Moroccan OR use the preserved lemon. Two fat Frankenchicken breasts were seasoned with salt, pepper, and dried thyme and pan-seared in hot olive oil and butter. I added a half cup of homemade chicken stock and 1/4 cup white wine along with 1 Tbsp. of roasted garlic and let it simmer on high for about 3 minutes to slightly reduce. Into a pan went the chicken and the "sauce" to finish baking at 400°.

Israeli couscous, sauteed in some butter and olive oil to toast it, and then I added 1 cup of homemade chicken stock, 2 Tbsp. of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and topped it to 2 cups with water. Simmer until just done and a bit "saucy".

Roasted TJ's corn and peas alongside.

[Frizzle]

Sounds good! I love Israeli cous cous, it's got such a great texture.

[LindaWhit]

I like the texture as well. I prefer it to regular couscous.

[suzigirl]

I was going to be having ham leftovers but i am switching gears because I took Steve H's suggestion and had ham biscuits for a late breakfast(thanks Steve). Ham twice in a day is overkill. I am going to have country ribs in cheriyaki sauce that I planned for Friday. Jasmine rice and canned baby corn on the side, i think. I may add waterchesnuts for the bf as I find the texture offputting. I have some shrimp that were going into a jambalaya that need used up so I may make twice the rice and make a ham and shrimp fried rice tomorrow. If not i am debating ham croquettes

[palomalou]

Nothing exciting: rigati with homemade pasta sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella and some leftover mixed greens.

[tcamp]

I have a good name! As discussed on Science Friday, we're experiencing Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) that is causing frigid temps in some places while arctic zones (AK) are warmer. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/st...

Dinnerwise, I made something new and delish. Cooked pork shoulder country style ribs in the crockpot overnight, then put them in the fridge as I was heading out of town. Two days later, I put them in a baking dish, slathered with a mix of soy sauce + sriracha+chopped scallions+sesame seeds, and baked/broiled for 15 minutes or so. Served over mashed potatoes with cabbage slaw.

[DonShirer]

Thai Chicken Curry (Epicurious recipe) with 50/50 Rice/Quinoa.

[sparky403]

Last night I made Pork Tenderloin, butterflied, stuffed with roasted red and yellow peppers, wraped in bacon - tied it up and hot smoked on the bbq - finished with a small amount of bbq sauce.

Green Beans - with bacon tomato and chicken stock (fresh)

Roasted baby spuds with garlic, rosemary and shallot... life was good.

the first real culinary adventure of the new year - it was very good and a love presentation too..

[ChristinaMason]

My uncle-in-law calls that tenderloin prep "smoking a fatty." We howled when we realized he was talking about cooking. He puts all kinds of things inside his, including cheese, preserves...usually some kind of bacon or sausage involved, too.

[sparky403]

It;s a great canvas for just about anything - perfect size for two as well - I;ll use your uncles term going forward;-)

Last time I did this I did two - stuffed one with spinch and the other with peppers - I did them in Jerk Seasoning... and used apple cider to make the gravy. It was very good too.

[LindaWhit]

LOVE the phraseology from your uncle-in-law! :-D

[Cherylptw]

Beef Oxtails tonight...browned then deglazed with beef stock and red wine; mirepoix puree and a bit of flour to thicken and it goes into the oven to slow roast. On the side, roasted sweet potatoes with oj, bit of thyme, butter and finely grated orange zest and simple pan roasted broccoli with a little parmesan. Mine will be served over grits cause that's what I've been wanting. Fresh hot homemade biscuits to soak up all the delicious gravy.

Chocolate bread pudding with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

[suzigirl]

Oxtails biscuits and grits. Someone needs to turn off the fountain that is going off in my mouth. Just yum.

[Berheenia]

Last night we finished off the pasta recipe I got on this board- penne with TJ's spinach artichoke dip and anything else that sounds good- artichoke hearts, broccoli, a few chunks of chopped tomato from a box ... you name it. This pasta got better the second time around with a fresh dose of the spinach artichoke dip and some more odds and ends. Again I think this was a Weezie creation.
Today was fun- a bunch of us made American Chop Suey and Pasta Fazool for 100 plus at our annual meeting. We had a good time cooking and every bowl came back licked clean.
My husband is losing the battle with a nasty cold but thank God he still has an appetite. So a large whiskey for him and some Sav Blanc for me and we'll be all set for dinner. I have turkey gravy (brown glop) in the freezer so that will go ever some baked bone in chicken breasts and I have a box of Bell's stuffing - must have stuffing. There may be mashed potato and a big crown of broccoli or frozen petite peas. Still deciding on the veg. I love a cold Sunday in January- I know I must be weird.

[Cherylptw]

100 people is a lot to cook for; good thing you had some help! I love your tonight's menu; pure comfort food...and everything goes together (either the broccoli or peas would be perfect)

[ChristinaMason]

Wow! I'm joining the salivating club.

[mariacarmen]

lurrrrve oxtails so much.....

[ChristinaMason]

I recently picked up several packages of ground beef that had been mis-marked down ($1.99 for 3 lbs!), so tonight we'll have hamburgers--or maybe cheeseburgers--cooked in the cast-iron skillet. No buns, but a salad with blue cheese dressing on the side. And I think maybe also some roasted Brussels sprouts drizzled with walnut oil.

[roxlet]

Well, that's a score! Meatballs for the rest, perhaps?

[ChristinaMason]

Haha, well, I got 12 lbs. worth....so far we've had picadillo, tonight's burgers, meatballs or meatloaf seems likely if I can get it to hold together without anything starchy. I'm also thinking a cottage pie-type thing with cauliflower-rutabaga mash.

And I forgot we've got some fresh green beans that desperately need to be eaten, so that's WFD in place of the sprouts.

[Cherylptw]

I'd say to use mashed sweet potato or roasted butternut squash to hold it together but that would be starch...

[ChristinaMason]

I might just try an egg and hope for the best. Rutabaga is actually allowed, so maybe that mashed...sounds potentially goopy though!

[alliegator]

Spent yesterday in my pajamas in full "hab a code" mode, watching figure skating on the tube and cursing at judges. I ate ice cream and plain rice. Nice...
Now that I'm feeling some better, I'm up for an easy recipe that I found for sorta chinese style meatballs and noodles. Looks like there's a fair amount of flavor, and it's just something a little different.
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recip...

I had planned for today to be puupuu platter day (from the puupuu platter thread). But I'm just not going to invite friends over and feed them food I made with my germy little mitts. It can wait.

[ChristinaMason]

That recipe looks really interesting (although, contrary to the name, it strikes me as more Thai, except for the Szechuan peppercorns). Let us know what you think of it :)

[alliegator]

It seemed very Thai to me as well. That's the Asian cuisine I cook the most at home, so I happen to have all the ingredients. I'll definitely report back :)

[alliegator]

Well, it wasn't the best meal I ate but it wasn't the worst. It's almost as thought the coconut milk kind of smothered the snap of the peppercorns. And the meatballs just kind of didn't gel with the rest of the meal. It won't get a repeat.

[ChristinaMason]

Bummer, oh well!

[Berheenia]

It looked like a great recipe to me! I get caught up in the TV cooking shows when I'm home and as I'm coming down with something I look forward to the escapism even if the results aren't quite up to par. It's like what we used to call living room camping - a popular winter sport in New England involving LL Bean catalogues.

[roxlet]

My son babysits for a family with two young children, and he asked us to have them in to dinner. My husband has had porchetta on the brain, and since he does nothing by halves, he bought this absolutely enormous - maybe 20 pound - hunk of pork that he rolled with garlic and herbs and left to steep overnight. It is roasting now. I decided to try to scare up some other company, and managed to get a friend and her daughter to come down from Greenwich to join us for dinner. My husband will also slice today, meaning the prosciutto and finocchiono that we always have in the fridge will be put on his super- duper slicer. He also bought some nice olives, marinated mushrooms, provolone and mozzarella. With dinner will be broccoli rabe and fingerling potatoes. For dessert, I made chocolate cupcakes for the kids, and a blueberry- peach crumble pie for the adults. It should be a fun -- and delicious dinner.

[linguafood]

Sure sounds it! 20 lbs. of pork!!!! Holy guacamole.

[ChristinaMason]

roxlet, that sounds fantastic!

[Breadcrumbs]

roxlet I laughed aloud when I read your post. We have a local butcher that will prepare the porchetta for you so all you do is roast it. We were having friends for dinner(a couple...yup, 2 people so total for dinner that night was 4). I asked mr bc to order & pick up a porchetta. I was lost for words when he walked in the door. I've cut him out of the photo below so as not to further incriminate him but you'll get the idea. The furry guy in the bottom right is my sous chef who was also trying to get a piece of the porky action that day!!

Needless to say our friends took home about 10lbs of leftovers!!

[suzigirl]

Have mercy, that thing is gigantic. It looks like pork perfection.

[LindaWhit]

And just how long did you nosh on that gigantor porchetta, Bc?

[Breadcrumbs]

I still have a 3lb section in the freezer Linda! Last time mr bc gets to shop for meat products on his own that's for sure!! I felt like I should go out on the street w a meat slicer and start making sandwiches!! ; - )

[ChristinaMason]

I'd be lining up.

[LindaWhit]

LOL! You could have started a Porchetta sandwich business. :-)

[Breadcrumbs]

Christina & Linda I WISH you were here to have taken some!!

[mariacarmen]

whoa - monstrous!

[Sal Vanilla]

Oh heaven to Betsy that thing is ginormous. I dream of such things. Apparently so does your pooch. Poor fella. I am gonna have to find a funny pooch torture pic to upload here.

We make her mind the habachi.

[Breadcrumbs]

What a lovely girl Sal....and so well behaved! Or does she just prefer her steak more cooked a little more?!! ; )

[Sal Vanilla]

Laughs~ Thank you for the ab work.

[LindaWhit]

LOL! She is very intently making sure they don't overcook. ;-D

[Sal Vanilla]

I try to tell her that a watched steak never cooks up but she has her own way. She is very amusing.

[mariacarmen]

hah! love it!!

[foodie_guru]

Looks lovely BC. Any chance you would let me know who your butcher is? I get cooked porchetta at Vincentina's in Vaughan, but would love to get my hands on some to cook at home. TIA

[Breadcrumbs]

We've been to Vincentina's fg but for porchetta, I've found that nothing beats Tortera Fine Foods (also in Vaughan). You have to order the porchetta ahead and you can specify whether you want it cooked or uncooked. They do a remarkable job. If you'd like to try it first they do have a small hot table in between their deli counter and prepared meat counter and they'd be more than happy to shave a piece off for you to try if you ask. For any Italian meats, this is our #1 choice.

I'd love to hear what you think if you do give them a try.

[foodie_guru]

Thanks so much for the info. I will definitely make the trek and let you know once I do. Again, appreciate your reply.

[steve h.]

Chez roxlet rocks!

[Berheenia]

Wish my husband would get porchetta on the brain but all he has is a nasty cold. Fortunately it responds well to bourbon and food.

[roxlet]

lol!

[LindaWhit]

This sounds WAY better than the painting I was doing this afternoon!

[mariacarmen]

wow - feast!

[gingershelley]

Pictures please Roxlet! I want to see the 'sliced goodness' and the 20 lb. porchetta!

[roxlet]

Here are the before and after pics!

[JungMann]

That's the kind of bronzed beauty that could win a pageant!

[Sal Vanilla]

I just showed my husband the pics. here and the one of it sliced. I think he is pissed that we do not have your butcher. No, he tells me that he is simply trying to figure out how to do one himself. We both are saying - "I would be nabbing pieces of that fat." 20 pounds of Heaven roxlet. You done good. So pretty.

[roxlet]

My husband buys the fresh ham, and then does the rest himself. He bones it out, and then seasons it, and rolls and ties it. You don't necessarily need a butcher if you're good with a boning knife!

[Sal Vanilla]

I am going to talk him into it. I wish I felt better because this looks like a feast fit for a Superbowl!

[Breadcrumbs]

That's absolutely gorgeous roxlet, well done - such a professional job and perfectly roasted.

[mariacarmen]

wow. gorgeous color!

[MidwesternerTT]

Seafood Newburg, based on the Joy of Cooking recipe, using skim milk in place of cream and with the addition of sauteed mushrooms as suggested. The seafood was a small packet of crab surimi and the last of the frozen shrimp, thawed and warmed in the sauce. I served over cooked rice. It was wonderful. Garnished with a little shredded parmesan. And with a few sliced grape tomatoes on each plate for color, a very nice lunch for two on short notice.

We'd planned to visit the Winter Carnival ice sculptures this morning, stop in at the Saintly Cat Show, and have brunch out. The forecast for imminent arrival of sleet caused us to cancel those plans. I'm very glad we stayed home -- it looks slippery out there.

[LindaWhit]

I think the Northeast is supposed to get some of that sleet/freezing rain/snow Monday overnight. :-(

[linguafood]

Not entirely sure yet.

Yesterday was spent suffering the aftermath of a Great Birthday Party, and I mean *suffering*. I cannot remember the last time I had such a horrific hangover.

By 6 PM, I was finally able to have some crackers, which is good, as we were hosting a poker game last night, and I was most certainly not going to cancel just b/c Ms. Lingua can't handle her booze!

We ordered take-out, and a wonton noodle soup really hit the spot for me. What also hit the spot? Cheetos, fluffy white bread with salami and cheese, pecan pralines, peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies, other people's food (drunken noodles, crispy duck, laarb)... I figured I had to catch up on all the food I didn't have all day :-)

As I was not ready for the hair of the dog, I managed to pocket $94 in winnings, being the soberest person at the table. Yay!

Today I have to be a good girl again (and I might even be ready for a beer or two tonight at the blues jam), so no pigging out on snacklets & sweets.

I've had cordon bleu on my brain, but I might just be lazy and see if I can get a quorum of friends to join us for spicy, delicious Sichuan food at a new resto in town.....

[LindaWhit]

You crack me up. Perhaps it's smart to drink the night BEFORE the poker game - nice clean-up you had there!

[alliegator]

It's amazing the little nibbles here and there that help a hangover victim feel better. The money would perk me up, too!

[mariacarmen]

yikes! glad it's over... but congrats on the winnings!
sadly, i've never been the soberest person at the table....

[linguafood]

I don't see repeating *any* part of yesterday's activities any time soon, including being >gasp< sober at the poker table :-D

[gingershelley]

But think of the money, Lingua! You cleaned up!

Well, I guess you were cleaning out your system, first and formost, but looks like you hit a couple wallets on the way to the next drinky session:)

[linguafood]

The evening more than made up for the day, for sure!

[wyogal]

Cheeseburger sliders, sweet potato fries (yes, frozen), baked beans.
It's freakishly nice here, 40's, 50's. We have had very little snow, it's going to be a dry summer without the run off.

[wyogal]

The cheeseburger sliders have morphed into green chili burgers...
using pepperjack cheese.
Spreading a bit of smooshed beans (the combination can, rinsed), with seasonings on the bottom bun, top with the pepperjack cheeseburger, top with a home made roasted hatch green chilie (I froze them last fall) and spinach sauce (pureed, used up a wilted bag of baby spinach, getting something green into my husband). Seasoned in a similar way to the beans, but lighter. (ground cumin, coriander, ancho chile powder, paprika, diced yellow onion)
I also used up a half bag of pasta for a pasta salad, pretty basic, using a yogurt/mayo dressing, with other condiments, one that my husband loves. Added shredded carrot, diced yellow pepper (which was the last of a bag of those minis, had to use them up), frozen peas.
We are kicking back after a great walk at a nearby, but out of town park, took our dog. Too warm, but a beautiful day, nonetheless.

[ChristinaMason]

wyogal, silly question, but what's a "combination can" of beans?

[wyogal]

It's got black, pinto, and one other kind , maybe white or red, in one can. So one can make a combo bean dish without using a gazillion cans of beans (if using canned beans) and ending up with too much. It is unseasoned. I rinse my beans, then seasoned them myself.

[juliejulez]

SO's folks show up today. When? I have no idea, they never tell us, they just... appear. At least this time I know they're actually coming today. They have a 5 hour drive so I'm hoping I have until at least 1 or 2 to finish cleaning (and shower myself).

But tonight I'm making a 3lb pork loin with a bacon and brown sugar glaze. I've made the glaze before with pork chops and the original recipe is for a loin so hopefully it turns out. Also making a "twice baked potato" casserole that I've never made before, and the parmesan roasted broccoli from Barefoot Contessa that I've made a million times.

Speaking of broccoli, what is up with the price? It has gone up over a dollar a pound in the past month. It's usually 1.59 (99 cents on sale) and this week it was 2.59.

[foodieX2]

I noticed that too! Same with cauliflower.

There was a sign about limited availability/cost of "bagged" produce and salads due to inclement weather across the country.

That pork sounds really good! bacon AND brown sugar. Yum!

[foodieX2]

posted this on the old thread by mistake…

Another movie night with friends! This time I did succumb and will be watching Looper. So many mixed reviews coupled with violence tell me it wont be fave.

I am making Giada's polenta squares with mushroom ragu as a nibble while we have a cocktail and catch up. I am making a couple tweaks as I plan to cut out small rounds and grill the polenta before topping with ragu.That along with Ina's thyme roasted marcona almonds should start us out right.

Dinner is from the latest Bon Appetit- Rigatoni with spicy Calabrese style pork ragu. I am subbing penne for the rigatoni. We will have a hearty bread for soaking up the sauce and mixed green salad. Bought one of favorite every day red's to go with-Peppoli Chianti Classico.

Also it is still beyond cold here so no fire in the fire place….

[wyogal]

Find some good tunes or something in a different mood for after the movie......
Why no fire in the fireplace if it is so cold?

[foodieX2]

It has been so cold here that that our 260+ year old farm house can barely maintain 62 degrees. Our fear is that once that fire went out any residual heat/home heat would go right up the chimney resulting in a bitterly cold home in the AM. With oil prices where they are its not worth it.

We hope to put in a wood burning stove or possibly put glass "doors" on the fireplace at some point. I love a good fire!

[wyogal]

So, it's an old fireplace then, yep, get an insert.
:)

[foodieX2]

yes it the original fireplace(s), the entire house has no insulation and still has the original windows. Can you say drafty? The heat is one zone so our furnace works double time just to get to our high of 62. Our therm is set at 55 at night and when we are out. Its set at 62 when we are home. Its no wonder we spend all our time in the kitchen/family room!

[LindaWhit]

Oh wow. Original fireplace, no insulation, AND original windows? Brrrrr......

[wyogal]

Wow! located in the north east?

[LindaWhit]

The polenta squares with mushroom ragu sound wonderful! And why no fire in the fireplace if it's so cold?

And how did you like Looper? I went with "Ted" and while it was crude, it *was* funny!

[foodieX2]

I just answered about the fire above. Living in a really old farm house has its disadvantages. Its hard to keep heated!

The polenta squares were really good. I highly recommend! I think it would make a wonderful vegetarian casserole too by spreading the polenta in dish, topping with a layer of the ragu, sprinkling with cheese and baking. The pasta was excellent too!

Looper was awful, violent and very confusing. It was difficult to follow along as they "looped" between years and you often had no clue what year they were in. I lost patience half way thru. ANy move that you have rewind to figure out is not worth it!

Now Ted, I loved. Yes crude and often line crossing but FUNNY!

[LindaWhit]

I see you're in my general area, foodie. I can't imagine trying to heat a large, old farmhouse in this cold. Agree - get that insert AND a wood stove! LOL My sister and BIL heat their house (South Shore) and their cabin (Bethel, Maine) with two wood stoves each - and it is plenty warm in both once they're fired up.

And thanks for the Looper info. It still does look like an intriguing premise for a movie, although I can understand with the "time hopping" it would be confusing.

[foodieX2]

We are on South Shore too and I so want a wood stove! We have three fireplaces that feed into a central chimney. The set up is perfect for them but we have a looooong list of things that need to get done first. Oh the joy of home ownership!

You are not missing anything with looper! Wait till it comes to you local library so you don't waste a rental, LOL

[roxlet]

That is the pasta recipe I want to make! It looked sooooo good n the cover!

[foodieX2]

I have to say it was amazing but it is even better reheated today. My son and husband ate two huge bowls after hockey. It's a keeper!

[Berheenia]

Ditto.

[Berheenia]

You are good- I just buy the ready made polenta roll and slice away. Still a really nice dish.

[Frizzle]

Did you end up grilling the polenta? It sounds so good I just googled the recipe and I'm curious if you think the grilling improves it.

[Breadcrumbs]

mc I think your title is "clever" ... very cute!

So last night's parmesan crusted provimi veal chops were a delight and the caramelized crust brought some welcome flavour to an otherwise blandish cut of veal. mr bc wanted pasta alongside so I opted for quick and super-simple Donna Hay recipe for a pasta w fennel, onions, olives and capers. The great thing about the recipe is that the veggies are roasted and become super-sweet. I melted the anchovies in a small pan w a little EVOO then tossed in the olives and capers. This turned out great and made for a yummy meal. The veal had a piccata-style lemon/caper sauce and a little seeped into the pasta ...a very good thing and I think I'd add some lemon to the pasta if I were serving it on its own.

I'm really excited about tonight's dinner. I've been totally craving home made caesar salad for a while now so tonight I'll be making Zuni's version for the first time. We're having this with an awesome looking roasted pork panini sandwich with bitter greens and a yam spread from Nancy Silverton's sandwich book. Our own dkennedy highly recommended this when I posted that I'd purchased the book. Can't wait to try this.

[foodieX2]

looks fabulous!

[linguafood]

WANT. All of it.

[steve h.]

Nice.

[Sal Vanilla]

Delightfully puckery. And pretty to look at.

[Breadcrumbs]

foodieX2, linguafood, steve & Sal...thanks so much. It's nice when everything works out the way you hope. Sal you're quite right it was indeed a puckery meal!!

[mariacarmen]

wow, BC, this spread looks amazing.

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks so much mc!

[PHREDDY]

BC....where there any leftovers?

[Breadcrumbs]

Nope, and that's rare around here PHREDDY but mr bc couldn't resist 2nd helpings!

[gingershelley]

Looks and sounds wonderful BC - Nice crust on the chop, and the lemon sauce, plus the pasta side would so hit the spot.

I have been craving capers, lemons and salt lately.... perhaps it's all the meyer lemons in the stores all fat and juicy, or my new jar of preserved lemons I made a few weeks ago.

Those flavors are nice on a bleak winters day!

[Breadcrumbs]

gingershelly thank-you so much. I was pretty excited w the crusts too. Like you, I love lemons and when Meyer lemons are in season I'm full of lemon-love!!!

Just in case you're interested, here's the pasta recipe I used:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=MSbER...

[Njchicaa]

Spinach lasagna with homemade pasta sheets. Yum!

[Berheenia]

This board is making me hungry! Is the spinach in the filling or the pasta or both?

[charlesbois]

Chuck roast! Big sale on them and the husband is in charge of roasts generally, so it was a night off of cooking for me. This was the very first time he did a roast in the oven, as opposed to a stovetop pot roast. He loved the results and will do them in the oven from now on. Now we have lots of leftovers for hot beef sandwiches.

[twodales]

Waiting on an ice storm and fortunately have been cooking up a "storm" the past few days so we have a lot of leftovers.
Nothing Haute Cuisine I must confess.

Made a large batch of stew. It came out beautifully, full of lovely parsnips and carrots. Enough for four meals.

Swedish meatballs with gravy.

Sunchoke (Jerusalem Artichoke) soup, blended to a velvety texture and with a delightful flavor. NIce with a sprinkling of preserved lemon, pine nuts, apple and fresh thyme.

King Ranch casserole (the non-soup) version. I have never had it before and was reluctant to try it but it hit the spot.

I also made some hors d'oeuvres for the freezer just to have them on hand to take to parties or for last-minute guests.

HAve been invited to go ice-boating today but might not be able to get there. Dang!

Hopefully, our power stays on. No cooking for me today!

[LindaWhit]

twodales, may not be "haute cuisine" but it sure as hell looks like lots of good food! Hope your power stays on.

[steve h.]

Sounds super!
Ice boating is pretty hairy stuff, not for the faint of heart.
All-in-all, mighty impressive twodales.

[Berheenia]

Is the King Ranch Casserole the one with chicken and Rotel? I love that dish. Got me thinking maybe I should break out the Velveeta....

[twodales]

I guess there are a million ways to make KRC. I used the Food Network recipe and I doubled the sauce. It was just a little spicy but not too much.

[Sal Vanilla]

Ice boating? I have never heard of such a thing. Sounds frightening. I pucker when my car merely slightly skids on the road.

I have never had a swedish meatball or a sunchoke. Now I will probably fixate on them until I do! I have had plenty of King Ranch. My servings plus some. Sigh.

What a busy day in the kitchen! Fingers crossed for your power.

[ChristinaMason]

<I have never had a swedish meatball or a sunchoke. >

Oh, you must remedy both of those ASAP!

Do not get the Swedish meatballs from Ikea. I think they have a gross texture from too much filler or something. The flavor of homemade is also better.

[Sal Vanilla]

You are screwing with me about Ikea balls right? I am Ikeanaive.

[PHREDDY]

SV....she is not...they sell many Sweedish food items. generally is a small area next to their refreshment stand....I regualarly stop and pick up a couple jars of herring.

[Sal Vanilla]

I'll be darn. How is the herring?

[twodales]

Ice Boating? Think of sailing on ice only with big skates on the bottom of the boat instead of waves.

Meatballs: My Father was born in Sweden so I was raised on these goodies (Secret Family recipe I am afraid) Also a million ways to make them. each family has their own recipe.

Sunchokes are a little unusual but the soup is lovely, velvety and satisfying. They also keep well in the fridge.

So far so good on the power but we aren't out of the woods yet.!

[Sal Vanilla]

I looked it up after reading your comment. That looks thrilling. I wonder if I can grow a sunchoke in WA state (west side). Hmmm. I need a sunchoke.

[gingershelley]

Sal, they are called SUN chokes for a reason, and I don't think they will grow well here in Western WA.... but you can get them at Pike Place in August and September, and sometimes at asian markets - I got them last year near me in White Center at Hung Long.....:)

Wouldn't it be cool to try ice boating?

[mariacarmen]

actually, they have a more widespread range than i knew.... but yeah, not here in the West. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusale...

[mariacarmen]

moroccanish chicken came out great. leeks under the chicken were a delicious caramelized mush, the chicken skin was uber-crispy.... that cauliflower dish is TO DIE FOR. i usually just mash steamed cauli with a hand masher, but putting it in the blender made it cloud-like. i steeped crushed garlic cloves in the milk. and it really only needed a teensy bit of butter. great dish.

salad was butter lettuce (our local meximart is selling them 2 for a $1.00!) and strawberries that were either early harvest or late harvest - whatever, they were sweet, juicy and good - i macerated them in pomegranate syrup and raspberry vinegar, a little olive oil, fennel fronds, and salt & pepper. toasted up some pine nuts, and added a little goat cheese.

[Sal Vanilla]

Ah your dinner looks absolutely lovely. I now need leeks!

I love cauli done that way too.

[roxlet]

I've been thinking about the chicken on top of leeks from Sunday Suppers at Lucques, but this looks outstanding!

[boyzoma]

That looks like heaven, mc. I've gotta try the cauli that way one of these days.

[boyzoma]

Yesterday, I made a big pot of chili. Chopped up a bunch of leftover red, green and yellow peppers to go in it. Let it simmer all afternoon and it was the best I think I've ever made!

Tonight will be nice thick pork chops (DH had the butcher cut them for me) with a ginger bbq glaze. To go with, I'll make some rice in the cooker and in the top of the rice cooker, I'll steam some mixed veggies. The ginger glaze also will be drizzled on top of the rice.

Just realized where I put this! LOL. Should have started in a new post under the OP post! Oh well. It's early morning here!

[Breadcrumbs]

mc your meal looks and sounds incredible. I love the idea of putting the cauliflower in the blender and will definitely give that a try. I have a good friend who goes off carbs from time-to-time and I make mashed cauliflower vs potatoes when she comes for dinner. I can imagine that by blending them you'd eliminate the textural element that differentiates them from mashed potatoes and I think that would be a very good thing. Thanks!

[LindaWhit]

Oh MY that looks good! And :::sigh::: Wish I could trust pine nuts in my area to *not* be from some place other than Turkey or the Mediterranean. I just don't want to take a chance on getting pine mouth again, and the inferior ones from Vietnam, China, or Russia do that to me. :-(

But your "Moroccanish" chicken dish gave me an idea to use the remaining preserved lemon and some roasted garlic for my chicken dinner tonight. Hmmm....

[Sal Vanilla]

Oh my gosh I have had that terrible pine mouth. I have not eaten one since. Miserable.

[LindaWhit]

I know. It's really terrible. I checked with Whole Foods, thinking they'd source them from a reliable source - nope. Vietnam and Russia. :-/

[ChristinaMason]

Our WF carries Italian pine nuts in the bulk section. I think they are something like 19.99/lb. I've never had any pine mouth issues from them, but then, I rarely buy them because they're so expensive!

[LindaWhit]

It must be local only to you. The packaged stuff is from Vietnam and Russia, and the bulk stuff they couldn't tell me (I asked at the service desk, and I actually got an Email from the bulk foods manager the next day). They *thought* they were from Turkey, but thinking and absolutely knowing are two different things.

I'd buy them even at $19.99 a lb. You often don't need a lot for the recipe, so I'd be willing to spent $4.00 on what I need for whatever I was cooking.

[ChristinaMason]

I'll double-check next time I'm there (sometime this week), and if I can confirm they are Italian, I'll let you know. Maybe we can arrange a pine-nut care package for you ;)

[LindaWhit]

Aww, that's sweet! :-)

[mariacarmen]

yeah, i remember last year when they were $30 a pound!

[LindaWhit]

OK, *THAT* price would give me pause, mc. Yikes.

[mariacarmen]

it really did.

[Sal Vanilla]

I wonder if you replied to my post on chow lo so many years ago when I was moaning about it. I got mine from Costco.

[ChristinaMason]

Great flavor combinations, mc. Looks great.

[steve h.]

Great looking meal. Well done (as usual).

[alliegator]

Absolutely gorgeous! and I'm so glad you're feeling better. What an ordeal you've had. That lovely meal was well deserved!

[mariacarmen]

hey thanks everyone! very kind.

linda i have been lucky and not suffered from pine nut mouth, though i know mine are more than likely from china....

[Frizzle]

Yum for everything.

[gingershelley]

Everything looks and sounds delish, MC! I am bookmarking that cauliflower recipe:)!

[Sal Vanilla]

Tonight I made congee with an egg dropped in it. I feel sickly.

[mariacarmen]

aww sorry you're feeling poorly, SV. hope it doesn't last long! your dinner sounds very curative.

[Sal Vanilla]

I hope so too - on both accounts. It did settle things down!

[LindaWhit]

This cold/flu is like a fruitcake - everyone keeps giving it to someone else because they don't want it! I hope you're feeling better soon, SalV.

[Sal Vanilla]

Thank you.

For the record I vote for fruitcake. I sequestered myself in my room with a costco bin of chem wipes. Blah.

[Bacardi1]

Well, a few weeks ago I made my favorite Julia Child French Onion Soup recipe & thus had a quart left over in the freezer. Broke it out tonight with baguette slices & shredded gratineed Jarlsberg on top for dinner. Nice meal for a cold night.

[mariacarmen]

i wish i'd thought to freeze some of my FOS. sounds great, Bacardi.

[biondanonima]

I was in the mood for spice tonight so I made a chicken curry out of 660 Curries with fenugreek leaves and toasted cashews. The original recipe calls for a relatively low level of spice, but I had to sub HOT red chiles for the type called for, so this dish packed a punch. The sauce was marvelous, though - velvety and incredibly rich despite very little oil and no dairy. Cashews are magical! It warmed us right through.

[Sal Vanilla]

That sounds so so good.

[mariacarmen]

nice.

[roxlet]

Tonight we started with a frisee salad with duck confit. Being on the wagon a bit in regard to rich food, I dressed my own salad and skipped the confit. The second course was mussels in a wonderful garlicky broth with a crusty baguette.

[mariacarmen]

YOU. SKIPPED. THE. CONFIT???? you're like a goddess or an angel or something! wow, that is willpower.

of course, mussels in a garlicky broth are no slouch either.

[roxlet]

:) Gotta exercise that willpower, but sadly my husband informed me that that's the end of the confit --- for now. He's saying he's making more, however, so temptation will raise it's head again. Just not now.

[Dirtywextraolives]

Made a pot of jambalaya as well. Decided to roast two large bone in chicken breasts, over a bed of onion & garlic pieces from the head of garlic.... Sautéed some kielbasa and added the onion & garlic from the roasting pan. Braised green cabbage in chicken broth & bacon fat. A simple spinach salad and a loaf of roasted garlic bread. Large green salad of a sub for lunch.

[wyogal]

We spent several hours at a bar this afternoon, my son's band is shooting a video. Had a couple of drinks, and the cigarette smoke was awful! We came home, took showers, and husband went out for Dominos pizza and Chicken Kickers, with the hot sauce, helping to clear out sinuses.

[mariacarmen]

yesterday was the first day in 3 weeks i've felt almost normal. today was even better. whoo-hooo!

lunch today was the last of the pork shoulder FINALLY. pulled pork marinated in gochujang, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, fresh tangerine and lemon juices, dark soy, pickled ginger, granulated garlic, and brown sugar, for about 4 hours. spread the meat out on a foiled pan and broiled it for a few minutes to crisp it up and melt the fat. toasted up bolillo rolls, spread them with sriracha mayo, and topped with a red cabbage/green onion/cilantro slaw with fresh lime juice. seriously good. La Semana de Puerco is over!

i had a Moroccan dinner out last night at a highly touted restaurant that wasn't Moroccan enough for me. so, marinating for tonight's dinner (well, dry-rubbing, more like) are chicken leg/thigh pieces in ground cumin, cinnamon, thyme, aleppo, oregano, smokey paprika, onion powder & s&p. i'm going to roast those with plenty of leeks and preserved lemon, and i may glaze the legs with CHer Linda Nightshade's lovely gift of homemade pears in ginger syrup or apricot cardamom marmalade (i can't decide which!) On the side will be this cauliflower dish
from skinnykitchen: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/03/cr... And some kind of salad...with a pom syrup dressing.

I am also very much in the mood for a glass of red. To be followed by a couple rounds of pool and gin tonics later tonight. Happy Saturday night, all!

[LindaWhit]

SO glad to hear you're feeling better, mc!

[roxlet]

Glad to hear you're on the mend!

[mariacarmen]

thanks ladies!!