Dinner! 2005

[M. Lucia]

Sauerkraut is the same word we use in English, and choucroute is recognized as well.

It's cold, and I was out at the Syrian food place where I picked up some dried favas, so I made a big bowl of foul. Had with a Montepullciano, a side of broccoli and some lavash. Coconut cupcake to finish.

[Mooshmouse]

Another improvised "what's in the pantry" Sunday night dinner with all members of the family pitching in. Dear husband and 3 1/2-year-old son handled most of the mise en place as well as a good chunk of the washing up. Our son especially loved "bashing", buttering, and rolling up the stuffed chicken breasts. Gotta love in-home sous chefs!

End result: chicken breasts stuffed with a simple bread crumb and herb dressing, jasmine rice, and diced tomatoes and cukes tossed in a honey dijon vinegarette.

[Ling]

I had roast lamb, steamed brocolli, and roast potatoes and onions.

[Daddy-A]

Yum!!  Amazing what you can accomplish with a good kitchen crew!!

I'm still full from last night ... and from my only meal today: Carne Asada Taco, Chicken Quesdilla and a Prawn Buritto at The Habanero Grill with my son.  Best meal I've ever had in Ridge-Meadows.

A.

Edited January 17, 2005 by Daddy-A (log)

[SeaGal]

Last night:

Rib-eye steak rubbed with garlic, olive oil, pepper and salt; seared in cast iron and finished in the oven to juicy, red medium rare. Served with sour-cream horseradish sauce laced with Chinese hot mustard.

Baked potatoes w/ butter, sour cream and chives

Salad of frisee and red-leaf lettuce, thinly sliced red onion and crumbled Maytag blue cheese dressed with sherry vinagrette

Wine: 2003 Waterbrook Columbia Valley Melange (mix of cab, syrah and something else)

Tonight: (simple comfort food)

Stewed chicken and homemade dumplings (the light, puffy, gravy absorbing kind)

peas and pearl onions w/ butter

Wine: Gruner veltiner

[Toliver]

Last night: Pork roast and sauerkraut. Didn't turn out very well.

The cut of pork I used didn't have a bone in it and I think that may have made a difference.

Also, I had purchased jars of home-canned saurkraut from a vendor at the Farmer's Market and while it was good, I am used to sauerkraut having more tartness to it. I think you need the tartness to help cut the richness of the pork roast. Also, it was quite crunchy which was very different than the store-bought kind. But more time in the oven would have taken care of that.

Live and learn...

[hathor]

We were still on the soft food diet over the weekend due to our son getting his 4 wisdom teeth out...poor boy!

Friday night: classic osso bucco (when our son was little he would ask me to make 'that soft meat" . I couldn't find any orzo at the market, so I wound up with 'fegola' a Sardian pasta. It looks like big bread crumbles, but its a pasta. Anyone know anything about this pasta? Can't say we loved it...

Saturday night: full table of family and friends

Aperitif: Caiparinia's...mmmmm!!! Way too good!

Saffron risotto with asparagus (speaking of at home sous chef...I spent years training my son's girlfriend to sous...now they are just friends..all that training..but she was there on Sat night and was in charge of stirring the risotto and did a fine job! )

Gigantic platter of chicken in garlic sauce with garlic, onions, vinegar peppers and sauteed spinach. We tried to take photos but my camera is just a piece of junk!!

Mixed green salad with blood orange dressing.

Lots of Spanish wines...although we had a really young Sangiovese with the risotto that was just perfect.

[legourmet]

We had yesterday my wife's friend for dinner. I offered the following menu.

Entrance: Arugula salad with pumpkin seed oil vinaigrette and quail eggs sunny side up. Roasted rye bread by the side.

Pasta: Homemade tagliatelle in buttersauce with black truffles

Soup: Beetroot cream soup with herbed dumplings and whipped cream

Maincourse: Loin of lamb wrapped in blanched spinach, turkey stuffing and homemade lasagne noodle on lamb sauce.

Dessert: Crème brûlée

[Luckylies]

last night (sunday) my boyfriend and i had a dinner part for some friends. We cooked together, and it was absolutly lovely. We made some things i had been practicing for a few weeks.

cute little puff pastry bacon spinich quiche and other puff lovelies must admit..store bought.

short ribs over sage brown butter sauced spinich ravioli (finally perfect!)

green salad

tarte tatin and haagen daaz vanilla ice cream

*the vegetarian got his own special pink sauce for the ravioli.

[hathor]

Heinz: what a lovely meal! And very generous with the truffles!!

[tanabutler]

My experience with soups is that, if you purée them fine enough, they will be creamy even without adding dairy. I make a carrot soup and throw in a potato or two (yellow Yukons or small white potatoes: never Russets).  It adds body without adding fats.

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I also do the potato thing or, sometimes, I will break pasta (usually spaghettini) into the pot. The starch from the pasta will add body too.

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I reluctantly would use pasta instead, as it will have eggs in it, and gets me gummed up. Since I often turn to soups to clear out the sniffles, pasta is a bad addition. Eggs/wheat = glue in the nasal passages.

And I've got a fairly bad cold (for me) today. I'm thinking some spicy soup with lots of broth. And lemon and garlic. Oh, hell, I might throw a box of Kleenex in there, too.

[binkyboots]

tonight we're having soup, made from the leftovers of our honey/spicey lamb braise with added lentils, beans and chopped tomatoes, with that we're having snowshoe flatbreads from "home baking" love that book, love it so much.... sadly do not know how to make an egullet amazon link.

[Behemoth]

At some point I really need to take pics of my better looking meals, but then I usually have an audence and get kind of shy about running around the kitchen with a camera. Anyway, inspired by Elie's meatloaf mac n cheese, but feeling lazy, I split the difference with Marcella's baked rigatoni with bolognese meat sauce and bechamel. (The lazy man's lasagne. )

Homely but good. Photo for practice:

I am envying the saurkraut eaters. My husband won't touch the stuff.

[Ling]

Tonight I'm having chicken and avocado salad, with mayo and sour cream and a squeeze of lime.

[reesek]

this weekend i made my own pasta.

saturday night we had oysters and prosecco

followed by papardelle with prawns and tomato sauce put up this summer.

last night i served mint and pea ravioli (a la chufi & moby) in (my first homemade) "brodo" (a la therese)

followed by roasted swordfish and root vegetables (carrots, celeriac, jerusalem artichoke & onion) and fennel and blood orange salad.

no pics of that...i get shy when we have company.

[SeaGal]

Continuing on the winter comfort food jag, tonight is:

Sauteed chicken livers w/ red wine, shallot reduction

Mashed yukon golds w/ garlic

Frisee, red leaf lettuce, red onion, maytag blue and sherry vinagrette

Wine: 2002 Carabella Pinot Noir

[suzilightning]

cold and i was craving gravy so...

pasta bolognese made with ground buffalo, yellow and red peppers and Bully Hill Ives

a simple salad with a vinaigrette

stay warm and happy cooking all

edited to add that my (almost) 18 year old cat really enjoyed the ground buffalo. glad i can give her some fun

Edited January 18, 2005 by suzilightning (log)

[Jensen]

I reluctantly would use pasta instead, as it will have eggs in it, and gets me gummed up. Since I often turn to soups to clear out the sniffles, pasta is a bad addition. Eggs/wheat = glue in the nasal passages.

And I've got a fairly bad cold (for me) today. I'm thinking some spicy soup with lots of broth. And lemon and garlic. Oh, hell, I might throw a box of Kleenex in there, too.

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Definitely, if one is fighting a cold, no pasta. No dairy for me for the same reasons!

There's nothing quite like a big bowl of ramen or udon when you're a little under the weather. Hope you're feeling better soon, Tana.

There must be a sauerkraut synchronicity thing going on. Last night's dinner was sauerkraut, cooked all day in my slow cooker with juniper berries, bay leaves, and cloves, kielbasa, roasted potatoes, and roasted Brussel sprouts.

No pictures. Too hungry

[bakezoid]

Dry-aged prime strip steaks (from Wegmans) pan-seared and finished with a red wine mushroom, shallot & garlic demi-glace pan sauce, potatoes fondant, and roasted asparagus. On the recommendation of my daughter and her boyfriend , opened a bottle of Covey Run Syrah and my husband and I each enjoyed a glass. Now I'm making Chili for tomorrow night.

It's my week to cook and I'm into it.

[M. Lucia]

Sweet potatoes stuffed with cumin sauteed pears, cranberries, and pecans.

Mache salad.

Coconut cupcake.

last night of freedom before classes start again...

[percyn]

Wow, what great meals from everyone...especially Heinz !! Susan, looks like you are becoming an accomplished Thai chef

I have some catching up to do...

Saturday - Wife had Broccoli cheese soup in a sourdough bread bowl

I had been to a favorite Sichuan restaurant for a late lunch/early dinner. I ordered a lot of goodies, and leftovers will be my dinner for this week

Chao Shou - Spicy dumplings in hot oil

Pork with small green peppers

Spicy Crabs

Sunday and Monday I had some of these as leftovers (and I still have more left).

Edited to Say:

And washed it down with "33 export"

Edited January 18, 2005 by percyn (log)

[Brite14]

I couldn't find any orzo at the market, so I wound up with 'fegola' a Sardian pasta. It looks like big bread crumbles, but its a pasta.  Anyone know anything about this pasta?  Can't say we loved it...

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I saw Lidia make fegola on tv a couple of weeks ago. She spread semolina on a sheet pan and sprinkled it with water, then she sieved out the crumbles, sprinkled some more water, sieved more crumbles, etc...then she dried them and cooked them like pasta. Looked interesting and good to me, what about them didn't you like?

[percyn]

Brisket and Yams

I know of a small catering place that smokes these for me. The brisket was marinated for 2 days and smoked for 1 day. Great southern dishes...

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Looks delicious Percyn. How did you prepare your yams?

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These particular yams were bought at the catering place I got the brisket from, though I make them in a very similar fashion. Dice some yams into 1 inch cubes, making a loose paste with brown sugar and orange juice and pouring it over the yams places in a buttered dish. Bake in the oven at 350 until yams are tender (basting the yams in the sugar syrup if you have a chance). When yams are just about done, combine some cold butter with some brown sugar and sprinkle over the yams and place it under the broiler until the sugar just starts to caramelize. You can optionally add some marshmallows too.

[little ms foodie]

Everyone's meals are looking and reading sooooo good!!

I'm catching up as we have had family in town over the weekend.

Friday Dayne and I made roast chicken that we rubbed with salt, pepper and thyme the day before and let it "dry brine" overnight. Turned out so extra juicy and crispy! Sauteed some carrots in herb butter with a splash of balsamic and roasted some potatoes tossed with onion confit. And I took the best picture which somehow my computer has eaten! but the dinner was fab!

Last night we cooked for my in-laws, husbands aunt and uncle and my aunt and uncle. No pictures, no time!

Started with foie gras on toasted brioche served with bubbles...Chateau St Michelle 1999 Luxe

Garlic soup with gruyere croutons which many of you have seen in my blog

Mixed greens with champagne vineaigrette with goat cheese salad

Both served with a 2003 Lange reserve chardonnay

Rack of lamb crusted with mustard, corn meal and rosemary

Stuffed onions in tomato sauce

Potato gratin

Served with 1999 Erath Melrose Pinot Noir (awesome!)

Cheese plate of Bouchon, Pet't Basque and morbier

Molten chocolate cake (thanks Percy!) with an orange cranberry biscuit served with Witness Tree Sweet Signe

Tonight was pantry cooking as guests have gone but didn't feel like grocery shopping

boneless pork chops pan seared, finished in the oven. Sauteed apples, onions and garlic deglazed with hard cidre. (great minds SeaGal!...)

Sauteed mushrooms and shallots with green beans.

Merlot

Edited January 18, 2005 by little ms foodie (log)

[Basilgirl]

Sunday night: Ina Garten's French onion soup with fennel and a ton of booze (brandy, sherry and white wine - I didn't have any Pernod so I left it out) - good, but almost too sweet; red leaf lettuce salad with crispy prosciutto bits, red onion and blue cheese crumbles, "Sauce for Salade" Swiss type dressing

Monday night: "Italian Beef" sandwiches from the Crock Pot, made extra juicy using my Mom's old "Pot Roast Dip Sandwiches" dipping gravy (the only use I have ever had for dried onions from a jar), served on buttered toasty rolls with melted provolone; classic Lay's.

Tonight, with subzero wind chills in D.C., will be chili made yesterday in the Crock Pot topped with pickled jalapenos, cheddar, scallions & sour cream, with either flour tortillas, corn tortillas or tortilla chips, or maybe cornbread if I can get it together, and lots of beer