Dinner! 2004

[Susan in FL]

I don't know why it never occurred to me to look at this thread until now, or why it never quite occurred to me that it would turn out to be about... well, exactly what it sounds like. (Sometimes, Anna, a banana is just a banana.) I also don't know why it didn't occur to me to photograph the other night's special late supper - that's the last time I let that happen. Until the next time I forget, at any rate. It wasn't dinner because we were both running around until late and getting distracted (this happens all too often), and had each grabbed something forgettable somewhere along the line (this too happens all too often). So it wasn't until about 10:30 or so that we feasted on blinchiki a la mode de chez nous, which is to say accompanied by beef bouillon, and filled with the beef which at an earlier stage of the process was a by-product thereof. This made up for the tantalizing smells of stock in the making, which smells had so filled the house earlier in the week that it was all I could do to avoid just plunging face-first in to the pot. And it was (by my peculiar standards anyway) a most decadent way to end an evening. Well... almost end an evening.

My only regret is running out of sour cream....

Good to see you here! Hope you check in regularly, and post some dinners. It's a great source of ideas and inspiration.

But alas, for now, I am just too tired to download the photos and see how they turned out and post tonight's dinner... We're having a couple of days of hard core gardening, 'tis the season. See you tomorrow or Monday.

[bloviatrix]

Thursday night

Pan-fried curried whitefish

Left-over mac and cheese

Friday night

Mushroom-barley soup

Yemenite chicken stew with a tomato-garlic sauce

Roasted cauliflower (the classic )

Grapes and remaining hamentashen

Seltzer and Chenin Blanc to drink

Tonight/saturday

Ice Cream!!!

[dumpling]

Friday

In morning, made beignets and fritatta for my uncle who was visiting.

Dinner was crab cake po' boys, rice pilaf, creamed spinach and some sweet carrots and broccoli.

[geekdoc]

I just found this thread in the forum and MAN are ya'll eating well. What time's supper?

Therefore I'm trepidacious about posting any recent meals, since I have to cook to the tastes of my young kids and New England wife whose idea of spicy is corned beef (sorry honey), but here goes.

Yesterday was a pretty standard daube of beef shanks which had been marinated ovenight in wine, herbs and aromatics (cooked off the EtOH first), and then browned and braised about 4 hours, after which, the meat was removed, the braising liquid strained and reduced, and served with a mix of root veggies (carrots, parnips, pearl onions) which were steamed until tender in my pressure cooker) . Served with a simple pommes anna (my favorite starch dish). I have to serve the meat and vegs separated for the kids - for some reason when mixed they are not appealing to 4 & 6 year olds. The beef turned out the consistency of butter (a good thing), and the little one said it was "really chewy, like bubblegum" - thanks.

Tonight we smoked some dry rubbed baby back ribs with pecan wood (ice storm brought some limbs down off my trees), and served with lemon water steamed brocolli and glazed carrots, and strained lentil soup (the lentils broke down to an unpleasant mush (oops), but the flavor was good so I ran it though the strainer a few times, with very decent results). This time the little one made the bones look like army ants had gotten to it, and was disappointed when there weren't any more left. Go figure.

[geekdoc]

Sometimes I feel like I am eating on a different planet from everyone else...

Daughter Mia (age 8) insisted that I make her favorite meal since I spent the day shopping with daughter Julia (age 6)

black bean and ground beef burritos

with cheddar cheese, salsa, guacamole, lettuce and hot sauce

I was going to make a chocolate pudding cake for dessert, but I discovered my children had eaten all of my (fairly expensive) bittersweet chocolate.

Boy can I relate to that.

AND I have a 6yo named Julia as well

[markk]

Last night I made pan-roasted Moulard duck magret with truffled duck stock, duck leg “confit”, and organic mesclun salad with shallots, aged Sherry vinegar, walnut oil, horseradish, and apricot dressing.

With it we drank the Bodegas Weinert "Cavas de Weinert" 1994, which was its usual delicious self.

[binkyboots]

tonight's dinner...

spinach, garlic and potato soup

herb salad

leftover bread (one honey wheat & the left over feta walnut - need to clear the bread bin for tommorow's baking)

and pudding (hehe, weekend treat!) home made lemon meringue pie.

[Dana]

Grilled chicken with garden fresh meyer lemon juice and oregano.

Roasted cauliflower

green salad with homemade cilantro dressing

deviled eggs

Albarnio to drink

Edited March 14, 2004 by Dana (log)

[hildi]

Saturday.

An afternoon of baking and cooking a family meal with my 7 year old brother. Hence the choice of tagliatelle with meatballs,very suitable for a 7 year old,both in making and eating. Accompanied by a mixed salad,garlic bread and Australian shiraz/soda. For dessert we had chocolate fudge cake,whipped cream and coffee. I was especially grateful for my dishwasher at the end of the night.

[geekdoc]

Last night I made pan-roasted Moulard duck magret with truffled duck stock, duck leg “confit”, and organic mesclun salad with shallots, aged Sherry vinegar, walnut oil, horseradish, and apricot dressing.

Gorgeous!

Did you have the confit made well in advance or was it a "quick confit"?

Really nice photography as well. Made my mouth water!

[helenjp]

Deep fried flounder (very small ones, fried whole) with lemon and soy sauce.

Potatoes and corn, scallions, gratineed with a little bechamel (Kids' favorite).

Spinach. Should have been a spring cabbage and spinach salad, but it was a looong day.

[Susan in FL]

Last night's dinner was disappointing, except for the raw clams as an appetizer/snack while we were cooking... we used fresh clams for clam juice, for the roasted red snapper dish. The crab and asparagus custards was a test recipe for Leite's Culinaria. It tasted good and looked pretty, but was nothing special. It was sort of the same for the roasted snapper with crab meat and roasted garlic and sun-dried tomato butter. That was inspired by a recipe from "Great Chefs Magazine"... good, but tasted like a dish from a mediocre seafood restaurant. The snapper was great -- tasty and fresh. I wish we had fixed it more simply. I can't even remember what wine we drank (white).

Good is OK, but I much prefer very, very good.

Tonight after a long day working in the yard, planting vegetable and flower gardens, we played "Ready, Set, Cook" [anybody remember that show on Food Network?] and used only what we had in the house. I came up with bruschetta followed by crab cakes, asparagus (using up left-over stuff from yesterday), and roasted feta with olives and red peppers. The wine was Sangiovese.

Edited March 15, 2004 by Susan in FL (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Belly Bombs

[Dana]

grilled bread with fresh herb butter

broiled salmon with balsamic glaze

cheezy red potatoes

green beans

blue bell ice cream

[redfox]

Inspired by the paprika thread, I made vegetarian goulash (very successful!), served over braised cabbage, accompanied by a salad of romaine lettuce, basil leaves, radishes, carrots, olives, and currants. Oatmeal cookies for dessert.

[dumpling]

Sunday

Chicken Gyoza

Tandoori Chicken

Pad Thai

Allu Gobi(Potato and Cauliflower Dry Curry)

Key Lime Pie with whipped cream

[balmagowry]

blue bell ice cream

Is that the ice cream you're not supposed to put on top of your head?

[curlywurlyfi]

Also inspired by the paprika thread, I marinated some chunks of chicken breast in olive oil, paprika, lemon juice and honey. Fried up and served with

- okra fried with tomato chunks, cumin + garlic, then chopped coriander over

- spinach wilted in olive oil + garlic with a squeeze of lemon

- plain steamed carrots

The okra was (were?) a wow, but the chicken was disappointing. Got nice crusty caramelization from the honey, but just tasted like barbecue sauce.

[phaelon56]

Tonight I have one guest (wow - a nearly full house by my standards!). I will serve:

- chicken liver moussse with homeomade pumpernickel bread and cornichons

- small bit of the garlic/star anise roasted chicken from the other day with bit of white rice

- baby arugula mix greens with poached Asian pear slices and a red cider /maple vinegarette

- sauteed string beans with toasted almond slices, tofu and some kind of citrus sauce

- roasted cauliflower (I just can't help myself)

I hope she brings dessert - this is already more than enough cooking for me.

[pcarpen]

wednesday: grilled chicken marinated in lemon, garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper. grilled onions and fennel. hearts of palm and parmesan salad.

[Suzanne F]

Veal schnitzel with paprikash sauce (sorry, NOT inspired by the paprika thread; I had it in the freezer from an earlier veal paprikash overrun)

Broad noodles

Roasted . . . broccoli (Ha! Gotcha! -- I knew that HWOE would bitch and moan if I overcooked it yet again by steaming; THIS he liked, even though the stems were soft [well, it was a bit overage ])

Salad of leaves only with olive oil and oregano vinegar

Paumonok Chenin Blanc

[hathor]

Saturday night: grilled whole red snapper, crammed with fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, chives) and slices of orange and lemon, served with a citrus butter. It was delicate and delicious. Served with parsley potatoes.

Then a 'molten gorgonzola salad': roasted pear cored and stuffed with gorgonzola, which roasted while we ate the fish. Served on top of baby arugula with carmelized walnuts. I don't know where these pears came from, in March, in NY, but they were superb. We had a lovely 1996 burgundy to drink. yum.....

[Susan in FL]

Saturday night: grilled whole red snapper, crammed with fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, chives) and slices of orange and lemon, served with a citrus butter. It was delicate and delicious.  Served with parsley potatoes.

Then a 'molten gorgonzola salad': roasted pear cored and stuffed with gorgonzola, which roasted while we ate the fish. Served on top of baby arugula with carmelized walnuts. I don't know where these pears came from, in March, in NY, but they were superb.  We had a lovely 1996 burgundy to drink. yum.....

Hathor, that dinner sounds delicious. It's tempting especially now, two days after I was dissatisfied with my preparation of some fine red snapper fillets. Next time I'm in the seafood market, I'm going to buy a whole one and do that! The "molten gorgonzola salad" sounds luscious, too. Did you half the pears lengthwise?

[hathor]

The "molten gorgonzola salad" sounds luscious, too. Did you half the pears lengthwise?

No, I cut the tip off, cored it with a small spoon and then filled the core with the gorgonzola. The trick is to find good pears. Enjoy!

[arjay]

Last night I made pan-roasted Moulard duck magret with truffled duck stock, duck leg “confit”, and organic mesclun salad with shallots, aged Sherry vinegar, walnut oil, horseradish, and apricot dressing.

With it we drank the Bodegas Weinert "Cavas de Weinert" 1994, which was its usual delicious self.

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markk, did you forget to cook your duck?