suzilightning

so which blues did russ bring back? and what are you going to pair them with?

so you would offer the protein and a veg with the starch for a bit more? do i have that concept right? ok- i'd go for that. i know several restaurants where you can order a la carte or 5 course and the price is reflected on the menu as: roast duck breast with duck leg confit, sweet potato spaetzle and grilled vegetables 29/45 the 45 would include soup, appetizer, salad, entree, dessert and regular coffee.

just had the book over the week. i like the concept. i think the program will be excellent to watch. the recipes are interesting. freakin hated the book. i felt the layout was schizophrenic and detracted from the flow of the book. i found myself reading the sidebars more than the recipes since my eyes were drawn to those boxes that were in different colors. while it may, to some, display the energy of the participants in the finished television show - i found myself saying "why am i looking at this' and took it back to the library. oh, well. at least there was one circulation on it.

lou- have been thinking about this quite seriously. your portions are more than generous and usually when we eat lunch we take something with us or - if johnnybird does his usual and orders clam chowder and crabcakes - he will eat the crabcakes and leave the salad/veg/starch. option a is the one i would prefer. yes you offer some wiggle room but remember the sides are where you have the least loss. i was raised by parents/grandparents who did not believe in leaving any food on the plate but i have found that if the portions are appropriatly sized for people who are more conscious of how much they eat nothing is wasted. now you see why we never order desset - there is no room. course i would love to know how rosie and lowell manage 3 desserts between them and stay so thin. genetics i guess <sigh> then you get people like my friend - your coffee server- michelle whose husband doesn't eat all day and then wants to know if the portions are "generous". remember someone like this will eat a 20 oz steak and baked potato - don't bother with anything green, thank you.

last night of being single this weekend (dinner tomorrow night will be take away from barnstormer bbq in newburg, ny since i work till 5 pm) so a night of "stuff i like that johnnybird hates" mashed potatoes(ok- he likes those as any good german/irish/dane would) sauteed onion and garlic lamb burgers baby lima beans with dill and butter glass of 2003 ruffino chianti last night was western sandwich on english muffin while i exchanged mash notes with fresser

ok- i'm in - or should i say johnnybird and i are in. we have the baron book at work and she does suggest some alternatives to lamb(which john won't eat) and eggplant (sorry, guilty as charged here). zucchini and ground beef mixed with pork also potatoes. the bechemal won't be a problem. will serve with a spinach salad and some dry red wine. oops - used the zucchini for dinner tonight so guess it is a trip to the green grocer and, since my butcher isn't open until wednesday to the public, it looks like this will be next friday's meal

WHERE THE FLIP IS THE ICON FOR CHOKING ON YOUR WINE!!!!!!!!!! steve, sweetie, use the ladies next time - no open facilities and the bidet usually is in a stall as well so all we see is your generous form washing up. course you may hear some less than ladylike words and bitchy things but...as long as you don't tell, i;m sure your sisters won't as well. back to the topic at hand... so to speak... why does the salt/sugar/fat craving go away(as well as the desire for any food) once your "friend" visits....and what about us approaching a "certain" age when the cravings come but not your period? (and NO there is NO freakin' way i am with child - i'm leaving that to my 37 year old sister-in-law)

Photos! And what in the world is "green tomato mincemeat"? I gotta know...... ←

black bread thinly spread with butter and wafer thin slices of radish, s & white pepper carrot basil soup mixed greens with vinaigrette boy were those radish sandwiches good.....

i've been the recipient of the following items still in use in my kitchen: from my grandmother a copy of the handwritten cookbook her mother-in-law gave her one christmas. this had been adapted for modern ovens and added to by my late mother. i use the oatmeal bread recipe every thanksgiving and aunt bye's hermit recipe for christmas. it also has my favorite green tomato mincemeat for the fall. i passed the original of my great grandmother's cookbook on to one of her other great granddaughters who was also named for her. from johnnybird's grandmother - a small cabinet that was on the landing between the kitchen and basement in her house for 55 years. it originally was used for her potatoes and onions but has been repainted and used for catfood. can't think what i will do with it when my allie is gone. also two ceramic bowls that are beige-ish with pastel bands on them. from my mom - the quart revere ware pan with cover she received as part of a wedding present...now 53 years old and one item i use almost everyday. i still "polish it's face" (clean the copper bottom) just like i did as a child at least once a week.

last night... wheatables, low-fat peanut butter and cheddar and jalapeno pub cheese delicious

any and all franken wines maultashen johnnybird's grandmother was from schweisheim and she taught me to make esslin cookies and spaetzle, apfelkucken and kattafel salat, cucumbers in sour cream or vinegar.(also probably spelling everything wrong since she never wrote them down).

i was cleaning out the freezer over the weekend so made vegetable stock with all those carrot, leek and onion ends i had been squirreling away. used that as a base for an asparagus with tarragon soup that was yesterdays lunch. tomorrow carrot dill and i will freeze some to send up to the mil this weekend.

Senegalese Chicken Soup Included in the wonderful Soup thread. 2 T finely diced onion 2 T butter 2 tsp curry powder 1 T flour 4 c chicken stock 4 egg yolks 2 c heavy cream 1/4 finely-diced chicken Handful toasted coconut to garnish In a large saucepan, over medium heat, saute onion in butter until translucent. Add curry and flour and simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. Beat in the egg yolks and cook for one minute more. Press through a fine sieve. Serve hot, with toasted coconut to garnish. If serving cold as appetizer, chill until serving time and garnish with toasted coconut. Keywords: Soup, Vegetarian, Easy ( RG1181 )

Senegalese Chicken Soup Included in the wonderful Soup thread. 2 T finely diced onion 2 T butter 2 tsp curry powder 1 T flour 4 c chicken stock 4 egg yolks 2 c heavy cream 1/4 finely-diced chicken Handful toasted coconut to garnish In a large saucepan, over medium heat, saute onion in butter until translucent. Add curry and flour and simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. Beat in the egg yolks and cook for one minute more. Press through a fine sieve. Serve hot, with toasted coconut to garnish. If serving cold as appetizer, chill until serving time and garnish with toasted coconut. Keywords: Soup, Vegetarian, Easy ( RG1181 )

pad thai #2 was dinner (for john) last night - unfortunately he didn't get hungry until about 9 which was wayyyyyyy too late for me to eat. i had prepped most everything beforehand so it was a matter of putting things together. made the Padd Thai Ayuthiya so had made a sauce of tamarind, fish sauce, granualated sugar and brown sugar earlier in the day. a tin of small shrimp was opened and they were well rinsed as were capers. i did add minced flat-leaf parsleyand finished with lime wedges. the color was wonderful and the extra taste it added to the sauce was very unique. john really preferred this one to the Padd Thai Bang Gog i made earlier. served it with a small salad of mixed greens, thin sliced radishes and a dressing made with lime juice and enova oil.

and jason's review is in tomorrow's NJ section... too bad i hate cities - i'd love to have a great dane

i don't see it on the site but have in the back of my brain that marcus sammuelson is hosting

bacon blue cheese burger yesterday. why do they bother putting all that other "stuff" on the plate - inferior coleslaw and potato chips (said i didn't want the fries). give me a couple of pickles and stand clear. today i was craving tuna fish salad... 415 edt time for dinner break

used leftover haricot vert, chicken breast baked with garlic cloves, tarragon, carrots, noodles and thawed stock to throw together a soup from leftovers. up next is going to be a sweet potato and onion soup but it is too nice and sunny here today to do that - maybe friday when it is supposed to drop another couple of inches on us . what have y'all been making?

well had my first whack ever at padd thai friday night and johnnybird loved it. i got Cracking the Coconut by Su-Mei Yu from the library as well as a few other Thai cookbooks. eliminated the ones that used ketchup in the recipe and started with Padd Thai Bann Gog. i couldn't find dried baby shrimps or Tien Jing cabbage so left the shrimp out but did the substitution of salt-packed capers for the cabbage. grabbed the wrong package of nuts - thought they were dry-roasted unsalted peanuts BUT were dry-roasted unsalted mixed nuts. ate the walnut pieces but chopped the peanuts, cashews and macadamias. couldn't find fried tofu so made it myself with extra firm tofu. followed the author's recipe for roasted dried chile powder using a mix of chile de arbol and thai bird. didn't have a problem with the noodles falling apart on me and it was great to have prepped everything first so it took me the 10 minutes or so the noodles reconstituted in lukewarm water to get everything cooked. garnished with lime wedges that rounded out the sweet/salty/hot taste. the author also has a recipe for Padd Thai Ayuthiya which uses a sweet sour sauce made with tamarind, sugar, salt and fish sauce. i found frozen tamarind in the market so will try working with that. she also has a recipe for Woon Senn Padd Thai that she said "became the rage among Bangkokians, who found the soft and delicate texture of bean threads a refreshing change from the usual senn chan". found the noodles and will try my hand at baked tofu next. thank you, thank you, thank you for this cookoff. more interesting things i might not have tried by myself my husand will eat.

friday was vegetarian night at 31 croft so participated in the pad thai cook off by making padd thai bann gog from Cracking the Coconut by Su-Mei Yu. noodles, garrlic, fried tofu, salt-packed capers, bean sprouts and dry-roasted nuts(accidently grabbed the mixed nuts instead of peanuts). john inhaled it!!!!! last night was chicken with 40 cloves of garlic(ok - chicken breasts with 27 cloves), noodles and haricot verts. the leftovers will be turned into a soup once the stock thaws. today we are cleaning up from the rain yesterday that sent tons of gravel and silt down our street and into our driveway and back yard. macaroni and cheese from the newest saveur magazine and a salad. i can just pop the casserole in the oven and go out to shovel some more

except for the fact it is way up in sussex county Elias Cole is known for their pies - apple and their mile high lemon chiffon...

[Don will be 50 this year, and I think it's time for birthday dinner all his own. I don't think he wants a bowling party. ←

wow what beautiful food and chocolate cake has most of the food groups in it. right? yesterday was the day off and it hit 60 here - YEAH!!!! i wanted something lighter so sesame orange shrimp over jasmine rice. u9 shrimp, orange and yellow peppers, thinly sliced shallot, fresh orange juice, orange segments, toasted sesame seeds, oyster sauce. wonder what the combo would be like with chicken - or beef. will have to try. leftovers for the next two days since we both are working late.