Ann_T

@rotuts, thank you. I actually did soak the ham in a big container of cold water. It probably could have been soaked longer, but it was in for just under an hour. The ham actually didn't taste overly salty, which they often do, but according to the label 100g of ham had 780g of sodium. I weighed out exactly 100g for Moe's serving last night. This morning he asked for ham on toast, and I sliced it very thin, and he had two slices of toast with 25g of ham on each slice. He was happy and didn't feel like he was getting short changed. I don't buy a ham very often so it was a nice treat.

I had been having a craving for ham since before Christmas but hadn't bought one because of the salt content. But we cheated yesterday and I baked a ham. Ham is definitely not low sodium, but we factored it into his daily intake. The sides were all low sodium. Potatoes au Gratin, roasted butternut squash with brown sugar and rosemary. And steamed green beans. I divided the ham up and froze most of it, including the bone. Which is destined for a pot of bean soup at some point in the future.

Every time you make these I keep saying to myself I need to make these. They would be perfect for taking for lunch, but also for Moe when I'm not home.

@liuzhou, as much as I enjoy the meals that you order in, I am hoping that 2024 is a better year for you health wise. First dinner of 2024!!! Chateaubriand for Two. With Parisienne potatoes, steamed green beans, cauliflower and carrots for Moe, sautéed mushrooms and homemade Bearnaise sauce.

Hard to believe it is the last meal of 2023. We had lobster tonight. This time I went with lobster tails. Bought four. About 7 oz each. And very sweet. Butter seared with garlic and lemon.

@AlaMoi, I'm not sure what everyone else does, but I have a few friends that I keep in bread. No one ever turns down fresh baked bread. I get to satisfy my need to bake and everyone is happy. Baked this morning. Dough was made yesterday starting with a Pate Fermentee and left in the fridge for 12 hours and then left on the counter overnight. I start to work it this morning at 3:30. Last bake of 2023. Edited to add: Bread does freeze very well. I wrap in paper towels and then into freezer ziplock bags. Because I tend to make smaller loaves, they defrost quickly.

Linda, Matt is a vegetarian. He cooks a lot of beans and usually in the Breville Pressure Cooker. Because he intended to season them later, they were cooked just in water with some salt. He then seasoned them with garlic, rosemary and parmesan cheese. If I had cooked them, they would have been done in chicken broth. He cooks a lot of pinto and black beans, and they are cooked in the PC too with either water or vegetable broth along with cumin, garlic, and salt. And then depending on what he is going to use them for or with they will have additional seasoning.

Moe love beans, and I don't make them often, but Matt does. He made a pot this morning and then baked in a casserole, seasoned garlic, rosemary and parmesan. Moe had a bowl for breakfast with toast.

I made one of our favourite chicken dishes this morning before leaving for work. Moe had it for breakfast and I took it for lunch. Italian roast chicken with a side of Bucatini Aglio E Olio.

I had a pate Fermentee in the fridge for a few days. I actually couldn't remember how long it had been in the fridge, but probably five days. It smelled wonderful so I weighed it and it weighed 6 oz, so fed it the same way that I feed my sourdough starter. Assumed it needed refreshing. I added 3oz of flour and 3 oz of bottled water and left it on the counter to rise. When I got home from work it had doubled so it went into the fridge until last evening. So in the fridge since Sunday evening. I added it to 1000g of flour, 1.5g of yeast, 16g of salt (reduced sodium diet) and 640g of water. After the last stretch and fold, the dough was left on the counter overnight until 3:00 this morning. Today's bake.

Moe mentioned deep fried wontons yesterday, so while we were out I picked up the wonton wrappers and made wontons. I used my regular wonton recipe but instead of using them in soup, I deep fried them and made a dipping sauce out of apricot jam, rice vinegar, garlic, grated ginger and Thai sweet chili sauce.

For someone that doesn't make pastry often, that is one beautiful tourtiere, before and after. I roasted a duck for our Christmas dinner and made a fig port sauce and potatoes roasted in duck fat, steamed green beans and braised red cabbage.

Christmas Eve dinner. Our tradition - French Canadian Tourtiere. Ready for the oven. Just out of the oven, Moe had his with both gravy and the Chile Sauce I made for him earlier this week and I had mine with just gravy.

I agree with @rotuts. Amazing food. I'm working today so I got a head start this morning on my Christmas Eve Tourtiere. Both the filling and the pastry are made so it won't take long to assemble the pie and get it baked tonight.

@Kim Shook, Depending on which day you ask me, a roast chicken dinner is my favourite meal too. On another day though it might be lamb shanks or oxtails.

I finally got around to making the Chile Sauce for Moe's Christmas Eve Tourtiere. Made half a batch and canned 8 - 500ml jars. Giving a couple away and the remaining should keep Moe happy for most of the year. They are all his. Not a condiment fan.

@liuzhou, I'm sure you wish you were able to cook, but damn you have the best take out food ever. Didn't cook last night. Had a take out pizza from a new place. Disappointing. We had wings Tuesday night. Started in the oven and finished on the grill, and homemade potato chips.

@Shelby that venison looks amazing. Dinner tonight was Steak and Frites. Got in from work at 5:18 and started the wine sauce. Put the potatoes through the fry cutter and in to cold water to soak. Seasoned a 16 oz Sterling Silver NY strip steak to share. While the wine and shallots reduced, I did the first fry on the potatoes. Turned on the grill to heat. When the wine had reduced added a cracked garlic clove and a sprig of rosemary and some low sodium beef broth and black pepper. Simmered on low to reduce. Grilled the steak. While the steak rested, did the second fry on the fries. Carved the steak and plated with the fries. Drizzled a little of the wine sauce over the steak and served. We were eating by 6:25.

I had planned on roasting a small chicken for dinner last night. And I knew I wouldn't have time to make a dressing when I got home from work , so I cheated and bought a box of Stove Top. Works in a pinch especially if you prepare it using chicken broth instead of water, and extra butter. But Moe wasn't very hungry last night so instead I made a pot of Stracciatella soup. A quick and easy soup to make. And I roasted the chicken this morning. Moe is having it for breakfast and I'll take a roast chicken dinner to work for lunch. Mashed potatoes, store was out of rutabaga so went with small white turnips and some really tasty tiny Brussel sprouts. Good thing that the rest of the meal was very low sodium because the same can't be said for the Stove Top.

I feel the same way about Shelby's posts. No lunch yesterday so made an early dinner. I surprised Moe with a favourite dinner. Chicken Curry with Aloo Gobi, basmati rice and homemade Chapati.

Great photo. Looks so pretty. Made Moe a tomato bacon omelette for breakfast with toasted English Bloomer Bread.

Crusty English Bloomer Bread (left sliced side down, middle a whole wheat version, and right, the second white. This bread is new to me. Someone on a FB group posted about this bread. I went searching for a recipe for this bread and found a couple. I went with two different recipes. One using a pate fermentee and my regular bread flour and one that was a Whole Wheat version. The first batch was a 1000g of flour, and a 200g pate fermentee, at 63% hydration, 5 g of yeast and 15g of salt (I've reduced the salt in my breads by 50% for lower sodium). I adapted the recipe from Culinary Explosion who used a poolish in his dough. I already had the pate fermentee in the fridge for a couple of days so that is what I used. I cut off another 200g piece of dough for future doughs and it went into the fridge and what was left was divided half and made two very large loaves of bread. The crust is a beautiful colour and "crusty" and the crumb surprised me. Sliced while not quite cold,it was nice and soft with holes and the shine I usually get on baguettes and doughs with very little yeast. I wasn't expecting an open crumb. Moe had two slices buttered and Matt ate the heel. The second batch - Whole wheat was from a different source and it was 400g bread flour with 100g of Whole Wheat , I used 8g of salt, 5 g of yeast (although this recipe called for 7) and again at 63%.

Last night's dinner. Green Peppercorn steak. With Parisienne Potatoes, cauliflower, green beans, carrot for Moe and sauteed cremini mushrooms.

@Captain, great looking loaf. Is it sourdough?

I had a boneless chicken breast with skin on that I had intended to stuff with mushroom duxelles for last night's dinner. That didn't happen because we had pizza instead. So I cooked it this morning for Moe's breakfast. Seasoned with one of Hot Mamas salt free rubs, pan fried and finished in the oven. Served with mashed potatoes, sautéed zucchini and gravy.