robirdstx

Dinner tonight was Steelhead Trout with a Creamy Dill Sauce, Sweet Potato Puree and Sauteed Baby Swiss Chard (from my garden) This was the first time we have had this fish. Milder than salmon. The fresh dill in the sauce was also from my garden. DH cleaned his plate!

Dejah, dcarch, and Ann_T - thank you all for the comments on the duck breast. High praise indeed! I think I've finally got it.

Thanks for sharing your holidays with us. Wonderful resource for future reference.

We did! No crocs, just ducks and border collies! Silly dogs kept trying to herd the ducks. Wish I could have brought home some of the leftovers - I was offered the pig's tail but would have preferred the cheeks.

Saturday we had lunch on the castle grounds at Newman's Castle in Bellville, Texas. DH and his blacksmithing club held their annual knife making workshop here, so when he told me they were having a roasted whole pig for lunch and that we could tour the castle, I said I would like to come along. After the knife making demonstration I went to check out the castle's kitchen and the dining room. Time for lunch. Poor piggy. He was delicious!

Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Black Cherry Sauce.

Thank you. This time I baked it for 27 minutes at 450 degrees F in a buttered, shallow baking dish. Half of the fillets lined the bottom (lightly seasoned with salt and pepper) with the shrimp stuffing in the middle. The top portion of fish was sprinkled with panko, paprika, salt and pepper, then drizzled with melted butter. The shrimp stuffing, which was cooked and then cooled, consisted of olive oil, minced onion, minced celery tops and leaves, minced roasted red bell peppers, salt, cayenne pepper, chopped garlic, diced shrimp, chicken stock, panko, and finely chopped parsley.

Thanks Ann_T. I learn something new almost every day here on eG. And this topic justs keeps adding to my must make soon list - now I'm craving tacos al pastor, chickpeas, and steak and gravy! Dinner last night was Panko Crusted Baked Flounder with Shrimp Stuffing and a Big Salad, with choice of dressings. DH chose a Balsamic Vinaigrette and I had Dijon Honey Mustard.

The leftover rice from last night's dinner went into this fried rice using Ming Tsai's recipe for Traditional Mandarin Fried Rice. I didn't have the Chinese sausage so used his recommended sub of crumbled bacon.

Oh, the food you guys post here! I just finished eating and now I'm hungry all over again! Tonight I did a chicken and vegetable stir-fry with sichuan peppercorns. This was my first attempt to velvet the chicken prior to stir frying and I am so happy with the result. No more clumped chicken! And DH declared the dish a keeper.

While antiquing today at Granny's Korner in Tomball, TX I saw one of these Sunbeam toasters. I would have bought it if I hadn't already purchased my "new" old Toastmaster just a few months back. If anyone is interested, the price tag was $39.99 and on sale with a 20 percent discount. The dealer initials are PH. I can't comment on the working condition of the toaster but it looked to be in good condition. A link to the shop's web site is here.

Kim - I am so glad you liked it! Your tacos look yummy! dcarch Thank you. I was really pleased with how well the pasta looked in that photo. I used Barilla brand spaghetti and just followed the directions on the box.

Kim - found it here. And I printed it out and put it at the front of my to-do binder. Thanks Katie!

There is no shame in that (pitted or not)! I eat the whole can by myself - hate to share. Fortunately, I married a guy that does not like olives (silly man), so I get them all!

Thanks, Ann_T! Next time I think I'll do a combo of onions and mushrooms. Your halibut has been calling to me and I have some in the freezer. Soon, but tonight I used up the meatballs that were also in the freezer for Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Thank You! Whenever I have been with my sister, when she orders this dish, she has always asked for a bit of pork to be added if it was not already to be included.

This is one of my sister's favorite dishes and I am planning on making it for her when she comes to visit next month. I recently acquired Dunlop's Land Of Plenty and was going to use her recipe but I noticed that she uses ground beef rather than ground pork. Would it be wrong to use pork instead of beef?

I started in southern California, spent some time in Charlotte, North Carolina, did most of my growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, did a couple of years in Richmond, Virginia, back to St. Louis, down to southern Illinois for half a decade, back to St. Louis, over to Kansas City, Kansas and finally down to Texas - first Austin for 16 years and now the Houston/Galveston area for nine. To me, the word barbeque has multiple meanings - from a friend's and/or family backyard cook out to meat from a championship cook off competition, but to make barbeque means low and slow, with smoke. And it also includes chicken! Friends of ours were on the winning team (Rotten Wood Cookers) for the Champion Chicken Award at the 2011 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo World Championship Bar B Que Contest.

I don't breed my dogs anymore, but I have the canine raw food diet to thank for my second freezer (for storing 20 lb bags of chicken necks), my meat grinder (to grind chicken wings and backs for puppies), and my KA stand mixer (for mixing up their meat and veggie mix - my carpal tunnel was giving me fits!) Haresfur - great start to your blog! Now I know why you commented on the pottery I posted about on my eG foodblog. One of my brothers-in-law is also a potter and when I first saw your mug it made me think of him. Very similar to a coffee mug he made for one of his brothers.

So, how are everyone's plans coming along? I use the pictured raised bed for my vegetable and herb gardening (and for a few hostas and ferns). I've tried to grow tomatoes and peppers in it the last two years but not again. The bed just does not get enough hours of direct sun to support them. This year I've picked up a few different plants and am anxious to see how they do. Yesterday, I picked up two swiss chard, a sage, and a stevia plant at my Saturday farmer's market. A couple of weeks ago, I put in some dill and arugula, also purchased at the market. The arugula I've done before and it, along with leaf lettuce do well until it stays warm. I also put in parsley, a boxwood basil and lemon thyme. All of them have done well before and usually make it through the summer. I started some cilantro from seed and have transplanted them into the bed. As soon as it stays warm the cilantro will bolt though. I have also stuck a half dozen garlic cloves in the bed. My carry-overs from last year are the garlic chives and a creeping rosemary.

Eggs didn't appeal to me this morning, so I just had the sides! Fried Ham and Hash Brown Potatoes

Everyone's food is looking so amazing! Great inspiration! Tonight we shared a grilled beef rib eye. I had mushrooms on my half. ETA: almost forgot the salad! Some of the greens (leaf lettuce, spinach, and arugula) are from my garden.

Dejah - Thank you! How I got that colour: Step 1 - preheat cast iron skillet to medium heat on my electric stovetop. Step 2 - add safflower oil to skillet. Step 3 - add chops to smoking skillet. Step 4 - have DH disable smoke alarm! Step 5 - open windows on multiple sides of house to allow smoke to dissipate (lame exhaust fan that sends exhaust back into kitchen!)

Dinner last night was Lamb Chops with a Spicy Rub, Chana Punjabi, and Afghan Home-Style Naan The lamb chop recipe I used is from a link posted by djyee100 here on the Indian-Style Lamb Dishes thread. The chickpea stew recipe is from the NYTs here. And the bread recipe is from Alford and Duguid's Flatbreads & Flavors.

Thanks for the link to this recipe. My DH has been asking for Indian food and I think this will fit the bill. I already had the chops in the freezer and all of the other ingredients on hand and this lets me play work with my newest toy tool, too.