suzilightning

i usually cook at home 4 nights a week and make enough so we have leftovers the other 3 - as well as food for lunch. am getting ready to post on the dinner thread but besides the dinner i made tonight and last night - i have a leftover game hen, yellow and green beans to make into a pot pie on tuesday for john's lunch on weds and thurs made a batch of foccacia to send to work for john's snacks during the week. takes maybe 20 minutes to bring together and then rising and baking i'm still good on coffee cake and toffee blondies for his other snacks - will probably have to do more of these my next day off, tuesday breakfast this morning for john was a fried egg sandwich with turkey bacon. i was eating soy yoghurt and fruit. tomorrow it will probably be french toast to use up the last of the portugese sweet bread from last tuesday or maybe just toasted with the latest batch of toast dope. i also have several batches of soup individually frozen from my participation on the soup thread. it makes life a bit easier when all i have to do for the 3 nights i work late® is grab something from the freezer for a late dinner or to throw in our lunch bags. i enjoy eating out occasionally though i prefer lunch for that. did try a new bbq place on tuesday last week. johnnybird and i are planning to go out for lunch friday when we have to run errands. we do eat out a bit more on vacation though our condo does have a full refrigerator, 2 burners and a microwave and, since we tend to go off season, most of the places are open only on the weekends.

wow that parsley soup is really calling me. how did i miss it? oh, yeah - i was sick. maybe tuesday when i'm off and it is supposed to be 50 degrees and sunny last night was a use up night so shrimp noodle soup 4 cups chicken stock 1 medium yellow onion, diced 2 shallots, sliced 3 carrots, diced 2 thai bird chilis 30 large shrimps about 1/2 cup frozen peas 3 cups leftover udon noodles 1/4 cup mirin chili oil cook the onion, shallot, carrots and chilis in the stock 8 minutes. add shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes. add leftover noodles and mirin. simmer 1 minute. serve with chili oil. tomorrow i was planning on tomato pasta soup since it is supposed to be raining/snowing

not at all. it just is the first one this far out in morris county and all the people who moved from bergen and union are flooding the place

lou- i know why harold and kumar went to white castle but why would you sit in the drive in line for 1/2 an hour when there are really good burgers at this place called An American Grill?

i agree with r.p. though i can't comment on fink's since i have never had his - it wasn't sloppy wet though a small container of sauce came on the side(though this may have been for the ribs - i used the last of it for my rib today). the beans were sweetish and creamy. i added 3 ribs to my sandwich for 2.99 and shared with the people at work - the spicerub is assertive without being obnoxiously spicy and creates a nice crust. the cornbread wasn't sweet but the butter tasted like lime and went very, very well with the bread - i ate that for dessert today. i hung out at the bar waiting for my order and had a good time bsing with the barmaid. she said they are fairly quiet in house until about 3 pm - most of the trade is local lunch takeout. total was about 14.00 for sandwich, beans, ribs, coleslaw and cornbread. one of my coworkers and her husband went for dinner last night - he had the meatloaf platter with mash and corn, she had the halfslab of ribs and said that they were to die for. this from a woman who was on a rib kick last year and at ribs at least once a week. they also tried the hush puppies and a piece of the chef's mom's cheesecake that d said she couldn't eat - it was so rich. with a few drinks she said it was about 40.00 for the two of them. the added bonus was getting to chat with teh people at the tables around them including the owners/chef's mom, wife and child. definitely have to get johnnybird here - i want to try the margaritas and the sliced wrap brisket or the ribeye sandwich or the jacked-up jambalaya or the grilled shrimp or the grilled quesadilla or the drunken shrimp......

THEY'RE OPEN!!!!! got takeout and it was sooooo hard not to eat it on the way up to work. will give a full report later after the 5th graders are gone. start thinking about pming some dates to visit the north country

OH...MY...GAWD... memories. i was a sickly child(asthma) so our "egg hunting" was usually indoors. you don't want to know what it smells like the next week if you miscounted the eggs that were hidden !!! it was usually around easter "grandma" and "grandpa" conklin - the neighbors who had known our family for about 75 years migrated north from FL. they always had baskets for their real granddaughter sallie and their adopted "graddaughters" that included those sugar egfs. we loved the panoramas that they gave us. never was a big fan of jelly beans EXCEPT the black ones(like my grandmother) unfortunately the licorice does push my bp up a bit so i no longer scrounge them from wherever i can find them. i do remeber the lamb - a point of contention in years past with the huband. we always had paschal lamb for easter. the first time i tried to cook it for my husband and his family i was told VERY forcefully that ham was the only thing cooked for easter in their family and to bring lamb up was tantamount to an insult(subsequently i found out his mom loved lamb but his dad hated it, therefore his kids hated it[except for one]) - now i sneak my mil lamb any time i can) never cared for the cadbury eggs or any of the modern candies. give me a golden book any day - the books and coloring books were what we usually got in our baskets course i also got my new spring coat(sewn by my mom) for easter every year.

when johnnybird does get home he will be greeted....with a cocktail and me dinner is to a stopping point - shrimp with minced garlic, udon noodles with green peas and a peanut sauce, cucumber and carrot salad it's freakin' snowing again though not like tuesday actually can't wait for the weekend. john will be up in po-town for a visit and concert. i get to cook lamb the lamb curry i will share with my dangerous dining partner, 'chelle and i picked up ground lamb to explore with a mix of nigella's and monica bhide's recipe for kheeme (sorry suvir - it isn't grilling season in this nw nj household - otherwise it would be lamb burgers!!!!!!!!!!). i'm thinking of doing this with a gratin of dried mushrooms and potatoes in some sort of a bechemel (with approriate amounts of freshly ground nutmeg, of course)

ok, ladies - looks like we will have to make mike and steve honorary ladies - not that steve hasn't already dressed up as one of us already. though fried chicken and mac and cheese does sound good... mike, quick tip. use a dryer with a buzzer that will let you know when your shirts are done. no more ironing.

the snow seems to be over... the wind is really beginning to pick up and i am getting ready to go out and shovel at least the driveway. made two soups to freeze so john and i can take some for dinner the next two days and the rest is frozen so we have it and john can take some for his mom: smoky black bean soup and winter squash and apple soup smooch(macaroni, crushed tomato, ground buffalo, onions and peppers) jalapeno corn bread andouille and chicken gumbo - for lunch at work tomorrow, along with some white rice and chives chocolate cinnamon cake - for john and i to take to work and share banana nut tea cake for john's munchies boy so i love my day off when it snows - keep warm all

ok al_dente... how 'bout you show us your butt? that might satisfy some cravings... n.b. how come so many guys are starting to invade this thread? can't they read or are they so desperate to avoid work?

this is an adaption of a ming tsai <sigh, drool> hot and sour shrimp soup we use 1/4 cup neutral oil 1 lb. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and reserved, thinly sliced 4 thai chilis 2 lb. shrimps, shelled, deveined and shells reserved 1 large onion and 2 medium shallots, chopped 2" piece of fresh ginger, sliced 1/2 cup fish sauce 3 quarts chicken stock 2 4 oz cans sliced bamboo shoots 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 1/2 cup chopped cilantro(or italian flat leaf parsley) 1/2 cup basil leaves, chiffonnaded in a large, deep skillet heat half the oil then add the shiitake and season with salt and pepper. cover and cook over moderate heat until tender, about 5 minutes. uncover and cook, stirring until the mushrooms are browned,about 3 minutes. transfer to a plate. add the rest of the oil to the skillet, add the chiles, shrimp shells, onion and ginger and cook over moderate heat until the onion is softened about 10-15 minutes. add the fish sauce and stock and bring to a boil. simmer over moderate heat, about 10-15 minutes. strain the shrimp broth into a large bow. return the broth to the skillet, bring to a simmer over moderate heat. add teh shrimp, shiitake, and bamboo shoots. cook until the shrimp are pink and curled, about 2 minutes. add the lime juice and add salt and pepper to taste. to serve ladle into bowls and sprinkle with the cilantro(parsley) and basil.

the snow sems to have come to an end - just blowing as the temps drop and the windchill plunges. johnnybird is going up to his mom's this weekend so i did two soups (and froze enough for him to take up for her) - smoky black bean soup and winter squash and apple soup. will keep some out for our lunches on weds and thurs. i have a recipe for asparagus vichyssoise - will try it when it warms up a bit

after 60F yesterday it looks like there are only 4-5 inches of snow on the ground and most of the storm is past - the town plow just made it's second pass. now the wind is beginning to pick up and they expect minus wind chills tomorrow. how can i think of a garden? but i am - just ordered some monkeyflower seeds and hosta for the north side of the house. two dwarf blueberry bushes that i can bring in during the winter and put on my back porch, a french tarragon plant and some seeds my girlfriend and i will split for our herbs. i plan on buying patio tomato plants from our local vegetable stand guy. spring ...spring...spring

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH... seriously, anyone want those coupons? fresser? course i also remember the french maid picture<SHUDDER>

tom- if you were in the wharton shoprite epazote should be in the same aisle as the dried chiles. did you get the ground buffalo that is on special this week? sorry i missed you...

8 tater tots and a glass of coffee milk- then off to run errands and the gym

ok- if anyone is craving state fair CORN DOGS i have (3) 1.00 off coupons i can mail to y'all.

making bread. i actually set a timer so i will have some sort of an idea how long i have been kneading. also washing dishes. i love to do them and always in the same way as i learned as a kid. i wash, rinse, look out my window, think.... i love it.

well, chicken and andouille gumbo is on the fire for next tuesdays "soup part deuxday" at work. being the evil bitch that i am i'm actually going to make it at work BWAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

i grew up picking wild asparagus and eating it raw. blanched asparagus, wrapped with thin slice prosciutto and provolone, heated and served with garlic toasts.

last night's dinner STARTED out as peruvian stew and ended up as soup. canary beans sofrito of leek, red onion, garlic, cumin and tomatoes with jalapeno peppers chunk of bacon the last of the capon stock the last of the red pepper carrots oyster crackers a la hidden valley ranch it really was quite good

a question for all of you who know about using goat(something i love)... the local butcher i use only has frozen goat and only leg. is this usable or should i try another butcher where i can get shoulder of lamb? still working on a recipe to use since i found out the library i work at has two books of indic cookery and neither has a meat dish in it .

after i got back from the doctor's office - again - it had started to snow - again . started a bolognese sauce that i served when john got home with ziti, a mixed baby green salad and garlic toasts. tonight will be a starter of poached asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and provolone. macaroni and cheese and a salad. dessert is going to be out of this month's cooking light: chocolate walnut cranberry cake. 2003 eroica in the fridge.

before we had to go out and shovel the 8.5 inches of snow we got overnight - made maypo using milk and water then served it with maple syrup and toast dope dusted on top. got us through 1.5 hours of shoveling