Ann_T

I grilled Burgers and made Fries. I had recorded last night's Raptors Laker's game and we watched it at 3:00 AM this morning. They kept showing Burger King ads which gave us both a craving for burgers.

I have some lamb in the freezer that I would like to use to make this dish. I looked up recipes and the one that I found has a lot of carrots in the dish. I hate carrots. Your dish looks like it has peppers rather than carrots. And is that potato in it as well? This is the recipe I found. Can I substitute peppers or something else for the carrots? https://thewoksoflife.com/lamb-rice/

I don't know what I want more. @liuzhou your lamb and rice dish or @Shelbyyour chicken tostadas. @mgaretz, wonderful grill marks on your pork chop. I didn't cook a turkey for Christmas, but I bought two small fresh turkeys for the freezer. When I say small I mean really small. I hadn't seen such small turkeys before. One was just under 7lbs and the other just over 7lbs. Defrosted one for dinner last night. Made the dressing and baked it separately. Dinner was just a traditional turkey dinner. Mashed potatoes, dressing, rutabaga and green beans. And of course gravy. Although dinner was good, we both decided that we really do prefer roast chicken over turkey. And we have roast chicken often. I separated the remaining breast from the carcass for sandwiches and tossed the carcass along with the legs into a pot last night and made a pot of turkey broth. Left it on low to simmer overnight. Destined for a pot of soup.

Started a batch of dough Friday morning. It was a batch started with 200g of Pate Fermentee, added to a new dough made with an additional 1000g of flour. This way I still end up with a 1000g batch and can save another 200g for the next dough. I also added 1.5g of yeast, 16g of salt and 640g of water. I've been using a pate fermentee ever since @PatrickT shared a link to this method. Before refrigerating I cut off a piece that weighed 550g for Matt, and put it into a separate container, the 200g for the next batch of dough went into its own container, and the remainder, about 1090g went into another container, and all went into the fridge. Matt took his dough out of the fridge early yesterday morning around 5:00 AM and made a large pizza around 1:00 PM. He took the other container with the 1090g of dough out for me at 10:00 AM so it would be ready for me to use when I got in from work after 5:00. I made a small Margherita pizza for Moe and I to share from 260g of dough and baked three baguettes with the remainder. It was cold here last night so rather than bake in the Ooni, I baked the pizza in the top part of the oven, under the broiler using Jim Layhey's method. I've tried many different pizza doughs over the years and I've never found one I like better than my baguette dough.

I think this is probably Moe's favourite way to have eggs. Two of his breakfasts. Yesterday he wanted the last of the potato leek soup with toast and today I made him pancakes with blueberries simmered in maple syrup.

@liamsaunt, your dinner looked so good you inspired me to make something similar. Did a grocery shopping before leaving for work this morning. I had time to shop and bring everything home first. I don't cook salmon very often because to be truthful I don't really care for the Pacific varieties of salmon. I don't think you are suppose to admit that when you live on the west coast. It was always fresh Atlantic salmon we had when we lived in Toronto. Today, the fish counter had fresh Atlantic Salmon and I had them cut me two nice filets. The salmon was pan seared, and then turned with the skin side down and finished in a 450°F oven. Made a broth with chicken stock and a little miso, seasoned with slices of ginger and garlic and let simmer for a few minutes before adding sliced mushrooms, baby Bok Choy and the white part of green onions and Udon noodles. Added a little chili garlic sauce for some heat. Just before serving added the green part of the green onion and chopped cilantro. Ladled into the bowls and top with the salmon.

@OlyveOyl You should frame this.

@OlyveOyl, you get such beautiful colour on your breads. First bake of 2024. Dough was started using a Pate Fermentee with just 1.5g of yeast. Made yesterday before leaving for work and went into the fridge until last night at 8:00 PM. Left on the counter overnight and I started the preshape of 8 baguettes before 4:00 AM. Sliced one this morning for breakfast. Lots of shine on the crumb.

@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.