pastameshugana

This looks fantastic, care to share a recipe or a guide?

Sounds and looks delicious. And what a great photograph as well!

As for books, I can’t recommend Secrets of a Jewish baker highly enough. A wide variety of recipes, a fair amount of technique, and a love for bread!

Touché. However, as messy as my cooking adventures can be, I am drawn to techniques that cut the clean up a bit.

This looks so good.

That looks and sounds crazy good! I spent a few days in Ho Chi Minh in February, and one morning was devoted entirely to Banh mi. I went vendor to vendor, cash in hand, and only ate a few bites of each until I couldn't eat any more. @heidih that was also the trip where I discovered Pho for breakfast. Truly delightful. Even on a hot day.

Too funny. And frightening.

Paul - looks amazing! Tonight is night #2 with most of the family gone, just me and #3 (my oldest daughter) at home. She's cooking for me. Tonight was a mediterranean-style rice pilaf with chicken, so I decided it was high time to teach her how to make challah. Any good Jewish girl should know this (even if she's only 1/8th or so, unless she's recently skinned her knee). I assumed (incorrectly) that the 15yo fashonista could to a better 6-stranded braid than I could. So now it looks like I'll be hairstyle assistant for the foreseeable future. The bread turned out fantastic, great crust and flavor.

Mrs M and most of the kids are out of town for a few days, I’m home with my oldest daughter (3rd oldest child) and she’s made it her mission to feed me, so I’m not allowed to cook. She’s 15 and I think yesterday spent nearly $200 on groceries to feed the two of us for four days....there will be leftovers. Tonight she made pizza: Half is Margherita, the other half features red onion and salami. She also made a honey balsamic reduction drizzled on top.

Tonight I grilled steaks (in the rain!) and Mrs Meshugana made a purée of cauliflower and broccoli with garlic, and a red chard side with baby bella and onion.

Looks incredible! We got hooked on zaatar on a long ago visit to Jerusalem.

At least locally, they also retired the green sauce. For shame.

Very cool. Now I've got some reading to go and do! I was going to say: 65 years is a serious achievement!

Do I spy an anniversary celebration?

LOL

Tonight for guests I made a traditional Alfredo. The plan was for fresh fettuccine but I lost so much time on the dessert I had to settle for dried pasta. It was still amazing and so good we never got around to getting a picture. For dessert, blueberry balsamic ravioli with mint and ricotta, with a lemon glaze. The leftover filling Mrs Meshugana made into a crumble. Both were absolutely incredible. Next time I think I will try deep frying the ravioli and making a lemon dipping sauce.

Can you elaborate on the cherry dumplings?

Butter, sage and pancetta sounds incredible! I’m planning some fresh pasta for tomorrow for guests, and that sounds like a lovely option.

That BA video was incredible. The anolini looked divine.

Welcome!

Greetings and welcome! I manage to get to Russia about once a year, usually Vologda, and @eugenep is right, there isn't enough information stateside about Russian cuisine.

Mrs Meshugana made her well-loved Korean Beef with Ramen Eggs. Home made quick-pickled cabbage, green onion and cilantro as garnish.

When we lived in India, it was easy to buy garlic & ginger paste if you were a cheater, but no dish seemed to start without it. My office was the floor above a great restaurant, and you could always smell the start up: Hot oil, then the blast of sautéing garlic & ginger paste. Glory.

Must've gotten lost in the mail. Although, NJ is a long ways away, even in 'pre-pandemic' travel hours...

Mrs Meshugana was making meatloaf a couple nights ago, so I offered to smoke it. Truly loving my Green Mountain Grills pellet smoker with WiFi control... Dinner was outstanding. She made gravy with the drippings. For lunch the next day, sliced and fried the meatloaf in butter and made open faced sandwiches. Btw - it feels good to be back!