nan

I plan a week's dinners at a time. Since it's almost always just the three of us, I usually plan on cooking a meal, then having the leftovers the following meal(s). So I usually end up cooking something new three to four times a week. Sometimes that all gets thrown out the window depending on thawing times, my mood, whatever, and then we pull out what's quick and easy. In picking out recipes to try (I'm not quite skilled enough to create something on my own), I try to do a variety (so no chicken all week long). I've also started picking out one meal with my husband's tastes in mind, another with my 5yo's tastes in mind, etc. So hopefully one person will be happy with each meal, as I usually can't please everyone.

Thanks for the tips - I think we'll try one of the local indian grocery stores. I have a co-worker who is checking with a friend who uses it to see where she gets it. It's a good excuse to find out where all the ethnic markets are in town. thanks again!

Thanks nakji and merrybaker! I think there is an Indian grocery store nearby, maybe I'll check that out. Otherwise, we'll play with nakji's reverse-engineering idea.

I'm posting this for my mother - she's the one looking for this stuff. She has a soup cookbook that calls for blocks of creamed coconut for a number of the recipes. We've searched the grocery stores and Whole Foods Market with no luck. I haven't seen the recipe myself, but it sounds like it just calls for some shavings off the block then melt it down with broth. Can we substitute coconut milk for this? Or any other suggestions on substitutions. Also, if anyone knows of an online source (I can only find UK sources) for this, I'd greatly appreciate it. thanks!

Thanks! I figured the color was normal, but I wasn't sure about the smell. My mother says perhaps it is because the salmon was wild vs. the farmed I'm used to? I don't know... my husband ate a bite last night and is still around, so I guess it's okay to eat. I just can't get past the strong fishy smell...

My mother was recently in Alaska and brought us back a package of some smoked salmon, sealed and supposedly not needing any refrigeration. We opened it today - it has a very strong fishy smell. It reminded me very much of cat food (the smell, that is ). I'm definitely a fish eater, and have eaten salmon, both smoked and baked and have never noticed such a strong fishy smell before. It wasn't pinkish like I expected, but more of a brown color, but I expect that's normal based on the little I've read. My husband ate a bite of it and declared it okay, nothing spectacular, but okay. I'm tempted to throw it out, following the "when in doubt" rule, but have put it in a container in the fridge, in hopes someone can tell me whether or not this is normal to have this smell. thanks!

I vote for CAKE. I love pie, but only if it isn't fruit, which seems to be the opposite of most posters on this thread. Strangely enough, I don't mind cakes with fruit...

I've attended a couple of sessions at Supper Thyme, which is the local version of Dream Dinners, I guess. Several co-workers told me about it, so I thought I'd give it a try. We don't go through the dinners very quickly, mostly because I view these as a back-up of sorts. I plan our meals weekly, and of course, those plans don't always work out. So we fill in the gaps with those meals. What seems to be different about my experience is that all of the meals offered are either thaw & bake in the oven or combine and stick in the crockpot. The only one I had to do any kind of work on was a quiche. It seems that others have had to do more to get their meals on the table. I think the food is pretty good, but then I'm not very picky. I don't mind the cream soup base, which a lot of the casseroles seem to be. My husband is not quite as fond of them as I am, though (which is the other reason we don't go through them very quickly). My mother wants to try doing these freezer meals at home, but I like going to Supper Thyme because I don't have to chop or clean up.

I've never had a Krispy Kreme doughnut, but I'd have to go with b,c, and/or d. I like some doughnuts and burgers, but the combination doesn't sound very appealing... I'm not really surprised that someone came up with this idea, though...

On the mashed potatoes, you could try adding pureed vegetables to it. The Nov 05 issue of Cooking Light had an article on purees. I made a carrot-coriander puree for Xmas dinner that was the hit of the meal - and it was basically mashed potatoes mixed with pureed carrots & seasonings. I love reading your blogs, because I moved away from upper Montgomery County about a year ago to move to the midwest. So it's always nice to read about one's hometown.

I just asked my 4-year-old son. Here is his menu: BREAKFAST Waffle sticks for him & I (his with syrup to dip in, mine without "dip") Plain waffles for my husband LUNCH Turkey kielbasa Hard salami Grapes Red bell pepper DINNER Rice & lentils Turkey kielbasa & rice Macaroni & cheese Little smokies Chili & rice A lot of these choices are based on what he's had the past few days. The rice & lentils is something he used to eat at his old daycare provider, who is Peruvian. I've promised him I'll make this the week after Thanksgiving. Now I just have to find a proper recipe... Little smokies are something they serve at school for snacktime. We always serve our chili over rice. Not sure where that started, but we'll be having that next week.

It's from the September 2004 issue. It was really delicious! nan

Dinner Monday was Thai Pork Salad with Chile Dressing Tonight was Golden Potato and Leek Soup with Cheese Toasts Both recipes are from Cooking Light

Would you really use chicken/goose fat for cookies though? Hmm... thanks for your help!

My husband would like to try making a family cookie recipe. The recipe is all in German, and for the most part he can translate it (he's not into cooking, so that's the limitation). What we're not sure about is what the equivalent would be here in the U.S. can anyone help? Here are the ingredients in question: 250g Schmalz (fat, but what kind?) 400g braunen Sirup (is this molassas?) 200g süße Sahne (heavy or whipping cream?) 15g Pottasche (not sure what this is) süße Mandeln (I've not seen anything but regular almonds - what is this?) Pfefferkuchengewürz (special gingerbread type spice mix - but what is in it? can I make a mix up on my own?) Thanks!!

Okay, a week or so ago, I gave gnocchi a try. This is my first time making it, or even much of anything involving a dough from scratch. It turned out okay, I guess, though not very flavorful. I followed the recipe in How to Cook Everything, but I think next time, I'll try to use the instructions that were linked to in this thread. I tried to make a butter sage sauce, but was in frantic mode by that point and so it was too much butter. I should have mashed the potatoes more - I had left that part to my husband to do ahead of time. I'll try again, though I'm not sure I'll convince my husband to try it again. Here's my dough The uncooked gnocchi (too big?) The finished result (served with a tomato & mozzarella salad) Any tips / advice for next time would be appreciated! nan

Catching up with some recent dinners... Rice Pilaf with Peas and Potatoes, served with Cucumber Raita Turkey Jasmine Rice Meatballs, served with Bok Choy (Bok choy didn't turn out so good, but the meatballs (from Cooking Light) were delicious! Turkey Stuffed Portobellos, served with Sesame Snow Peas Tomato Mozzarella Salad, served with Gnocchi (pictured on challenge thread) nan

Oops, I thought I had posted this before, but I must have just previewed... Last night I made a meal out of "Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites". It was very spicy but really good and certainly will be keeper recipes. I might tone it down slightly next time, though... Mango Coconut Cucumber Salad Thai Vegetable Curry

Last night was Rice with Mushrooms and Shrimp, from Cooking Light's online database of recipes, served with a simple green salad. This recipe was really good!

I'm not sure if this counts as a composed salad or not - my husband thinks it is just a nice arrangement of vegetables. But this was served at room temperature and has an herb dressing on top. How do you draw the line between vegetable side dish and salad? I'll have to try again next week for a real salad.

Last night was two recipes from "Fresh and Fast" by Marie Simmons... the menu was one suggested by them. Oven-Roasted Vegetable Plate with Herb Dressing Cannellini Beans with Arugula and Golden Garlic (except my garlic wasn't quite so golden) Both recipes were very good!

Definitely yes! I have fond memories of my great-aunt making me "little french fries" every time I came over (and you can be sure I asked for them every time I came over). I wish I had written down how she made them - someone's quote about "cut in wheels and cooked in meal" sounds about right.

Based on recommendations seen here on eGullet, I picked up a copy of Suvir Saran's "Indian Home Cooking" over the weekend. This is the first recipe I've tried from it. Sauteed Cauliflower with Green Peppers, Tomatoes, and Yogurt served over jasmine rice Leftovers of the same for tonight. nan

Thanks Ann for the bread pudding recipe - it looks delicious! Last week, when planning the week's meals, I decided to pick out a cookbook, open to a page and make a recipe on that page... So this meal is what resulted. This is Minty Avocado Shrimp Salad with Jamaican Gingerbread, both recipes from Sheila Lukins All Around the World Cookbook. If you're wondering where the mint is on the salad, it appeared on the salad after I took the picture...since I forgot that part until the last minute. Anyway, both recipes were excellent!

Zucchini Buttermilk Soup with Watercress Pesto (didn't blend as well as I had hoped) served with Goat Cheese Crostini. Recipes from Cooking Light of course...