robirdstx

Thanks to this post by JAZ on the Chicken Skin - Do You or Don't You? thread, we had Turkey Thighs Braised in Sherry Vinegar Sauce, with Crispy Skin, for dinner last night. And following JAZ's suggestion to serve this dish with polenta, I used Sara Moulton's Creamy Baked Polenta recipe, which can be found here in RecipeGullet.

I agree with this.

Thanks for this! I'm going to do this with turkey thighs for dinner tonight.

Hi Kim, I hope you are feeling better real soon. When you are up to satisfying that craving for fish tacos, check out this eG thread - that's where I got the inspiration and tips for my white sauce.

The revival of this thread is very timely for me. I had just purchased some small red beans at last weekend's farmers market and was planning to cook some of them for adding to chili. I rinsed and brought to a boil 8 ounces of the beans, popped them into a 250F pre-heated oven and set the timer for 75 minutes. As I continued to read the posts in this thread, I came across the one about adding some aromatics, so about 30 minutes into the oven time, I added a couple of crushed garlic cloves, some fresh thyme stems and a bay leaf. At the one hour mark, I took the pot out of the oven and tested a few beans. Almost done! I then added a large pinch of kosher salt and put them back into the oven. When the timer dinged, I brought the beans out of the oven and transferred them to the stovetop. They are perfect! Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread!

Dinner last night was Fried Catfish Tacos. The white sauce was a combo of mayo, drained yogurt, lime juice, and pickled jalapeno juice. Very tasty!

Hi Kim, when I make Reinhart's Classic White Bread, whether as a loaf, burger bun, or roll, they do the final rise until nearly doubled in size. The only variation PR notes in his recipe is to bake the rolls & buns at a higher temp, for a shorter period of time, than when baking the loaves. HTH.

I wish I could find just one of those roasts in my freezer! Just looks delicious!

Exactly!

This is what I did to make my Porcupine Meatballs No Porcupines or Humans were harmed in the making of this recipe! Preheat oven to 350F Ingredients: 2/3 cup uncooked long-grain rice 1 1/2 cup beef broth (divided use) 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp dried thyme ¼ tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1 1/2 pound ground beef chuck 1 ½ cup marinara sauce 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce Procedure: Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Soak the rice in clean water for 10-15 minutes. Drain the rice and combine with ½ cup of the beef broth, the onion, garlic, thyme, cayenne, salt and black pepper in a large bowl. Add the ground beef and combine well. Form meat mixture into 1 ½ inch diameter meatballs - if the meatballs are too big the rice will not cook thoroughly. Place the meatballs in a shallow baking dish in a single layer. Mix together the remaining cup of beef broth, marinara and Worcestershire sauces and pour over the meatballs. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for one hour. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Yield: 25 meatballs

Thank you! I didn't have any leftover porcupine meat, so dinner tonight was spicy pork tamales, which I purchased from my local farmer's market today. I didn't really have to do much cooking - just steamed the tamales and served them with our usual Herdez Salsa Verde, sour cream and (new to us) Don Rogelio's Salsa de Piquin. Don Rogelio's salsa, combined with the sour cream, was a perfect fit with the tamales. We also had a salad similar to the one I posted upthread.

I got 25 but ymmv.

One dinner earlier in the week was Porcupine Meatballs, buttered Green Beans, and Cheesy Garlic Toast. I hadn't made these meatballs in years. Used to do them regularly in a pressure cooker. I think the recipe was in the booklet that came with the cooker. I got rid of the cooker about nine years ago and wasn't going to buy another just to make these, so I searched online and found a baked in the oven version. I was really pleased with result. Another dinner this week was Romano Pecorino Crusted Chicken Breast with a Creamy Garlic Dipping Sauce, and a tossed green salad with my favorite bottled honey mustard dressing.

Isn't it always better tasting and easier to work after an overnight slow rise in the fridge? Yes, I have found it is always better tasting after a long slow rise. I don't know about it being easier to work. When the dough doesn't want to stretch I give it a rest and come back later, but I'm still working on my stretching skills. I tend to get really thin dough, often with tears, in the center and thicker outer rims. But it always tastes good!

Interesting! He has the instructions for using the paddle and the dough hook for this dough in his American Pie book. In the book, he also includes instructions for making and using the dough on the same day. Looking forward to seeing how this works out for you.

Yeah, we are neighbors and I need to get back to your neighborhood; its been six years now since I visited New Orleans. And thanks, I had a lot of fun doing it.

Hey there Rhonda, we used to do the same thing when I was growing up in St. Louis. They lived along the edges of the creek that ran past one side of our subdivision. We'd bring them home, put them in open plastic containers and keep them as pets. Each one even had a name! I remember someone calling the biggest one "King". Almost forgot to tell you - I'm really enjoying your blog. Gonna hafta get me some crawfish tails real soon!

I have a glass top electric stove. The largest front burner is the one I use most with my non-stick pans. The medium-low setting is where I start with a dry pan. Once the pan has warmed, I add the oil and adjust the setting for whatever it is I will be cooking.

Roberta, hi!!! I soooooo very much enjoyed your blog, and your gumbo was amazing! It doesn't matter where you live, you are definitely a Louisiana Girl I'll try to do okay, but this isn't easy. It's 9pm now, and I still haven't fed anyone dinner! Oh, well. I'll get to it, and I'm sure glad you're here. Rhonda I'd like to take credit for her gumbo but it wasn't me. I did last week's blog on My Spring Break from Galveston and Mesilla.

Hey! Make room for me. My grandmother was born in and grew up in New Iberia and her family goes back in New Orleans to before the Purchase. Really looking forward to this week.

Thank you so much. We had some of the jalapeno salsa with chips today. Awesome! Have a great trip.

Those salsa's look great! As does Don Rogelio! How do you handle packing breakable food containers in your luggage for air travel? I love extending the fun of travel by cooking at home with an unusual ingredient I've brought back with me. Prior to the liquids ban, I used to love to bring home things like that, taking them carefully in my carry-on. I hate to check bags to begin with and they get so manhandled that I'm reluctant to pack breakables so I've been avoiding them. Any tips for doing that successfully? Thank you for blogging! Your photos are lovely and the Southwestern sunshine a treat to see on this very rainy weekend here in So Cal. Hi blue_dolphin, I was a little torn between leaving the salsas with my mother or trying to wrap them well enough to make it home in my luggage. I finally decided that I really wanted to bring them home, so this is what I did. First, I put each jar in a quart sized ziplock baggie. Second, I wrapped each one individually in some of my clothing - I had enough t-shirts for this. Third, the cloth wrapped jar went into a plastic bag. The luggage I had turned out to be the perfect piece for this. I was able to put a protective layer, using other clothing, between the wrapped jars and the front and back sides of the suitcase. I'll filled in the exterior edges around the jars with more clothing. Finally, I used the straps in the case to keep the jars securely in place and crossed my fingers. The first thing I did when getting home was to check on the jars - and they all made the flight just fine. I can't wait to start playing with them. And thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the blog. Hope you guys get some sunshine soon.

That sounds like a perfect outdoor surf & turf feast. How often do you do such combos? Hi Peter, its one of my favorites, especially the surf part. At the family gathering, we had a couple of people that don't do seafood, for different reasons, so the beef was mainly for them - which left more lobster for the rest of us! At home, when I have grilled lobster or even shrimp, my DH will grill a beef ribeye. We probably do the surf and turf once every month or so.

I am home again. It is so comforting to be back in my own home and kitchen. Even though I had a great time on my trip, I really missed cooking while away. Dinner tonight - Baked Potato Skins. Baked Russet cut into quarters. Most of the "meat" scooped out. Brushed with melted butter and seasoned with fresh ground black pepper. Shells topped with shredded cheddar. Shells baked for about eight minutes, at 400F, until skin is crispy and the cheese is melted. Topped with bacon crumbles and thin sliced green onion; served with sour cream. Comfort Food!

Yes, my sister thought they were very worthy! And you are welcome regarding the pottery. I just love bowls!