Dinner! 2008

[hungrykoala]

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After the sad store-bought sushi I just had, this heaping plate looks that much more vibrant and gorgeous. I really need to stop making excuses for not trying my hand at Vietnamese recipes!

[Village Idiot]

Hi all.

This was from about a month ago, but I figured I'd share it anyways. I'm a photographer first, then a cook.

So I fixed stuffed chicken breast with a side of asparagus and mushrooms.

Asapargus, mushrooms, garlic, and olive oil.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cokronk/2608814697/

Cooked until tender.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cokronk/2608814951/

My workspace. I have a pretty small kitchen, but it holds everything with some maneuvering.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cokronk/2608814771/

I started with the chicken breast, laid out some spinach leaves, topped with two slices of bacon running length wise, several pieces of whole asparagus, and a couple slices of mozzarella cheese. I didn't have any tooth picks, so I used wodden shish-ka-bob poles to hold it together. Cooked it at about 350 for an hour and a half(they were thick), then ate.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cokronk/2608814597/

The finished products. Very tender and moist. The spinach leaves where a little crunchy, but they didn't taste burnt at all.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cokronk/2609646520/

Edited August 27, 2008 by Village Idiot (log)

[suzilightning]

no pics now - hours of freakin' errands and then a restful 2 hours with my godkitties(neighbor's cats i take care of when they are away).

a chicken shepherd's pie made with some roasted dark and light meat from a Snope

Winkle Farm chick of 8 weeks old. the leftover white meat will become sandwiches and the dark left is about to become soup for the freezer(and my mil) with the leftover stock i made over the weekend. had to rebalance the freezers before hawkwatch time.

tomorrow will be leftovers and then friday i will do some prep work for saturday's dinner. no freakin' clue what i will make for dinner friday. hopefully something johnnybird will be intrigued to eat. i'm thinking a deconstructed blt since i have wonderful tomatoes right now, some great arugula, some bacon from Pittinger's and i plan on making a set of Portugese Sweet Bread that John can enjoy with some toast dope for a week or two(hopefully we will have a bit of rain) and I can use for some croutons.

Saturday I'm planning on pork loin with a plum sauce, green rice and yellow and green squash with garlic and shallot. maybe a cheese plate to follow. and the wines leftover from making the sauce to go with the dinner(pinot gris and a cote du rhone). maybe a light salad to begin.

Edited August 28, 2008 by suzilightning (log)

[Kim Shook]

Village Idiot - lovely meals and welcome! Hope to see a lot more from you!

Mr. Kim's fantasy football draft party was Wednesday night and I catered it for the third year in a row. The menu included:

chili dog casserole:

When they used to go to a restaurant, it was at a local place that has the best chili dogs in town, so this was an homage - not nearly as good at Melito's, but enjoyed by everyone, it seemed.

Vegetables and dips:

The dips were a bleu cheese & caramelized shallot and Bloody Mary Dip. Mr. Kim requested the veg, but I think he was the only one that indulged - the dips were very popular on chips, though!

Caramelized almonds & Cashews and spicy oyster crackers:

the nuts were sensational - just gobbled up! The oyster crackers are just those ubiquitous 1980's snack that are so out of style, but we like them and I thought that if I spiced them up they might seem a little 'new'. I left out the lemon pepper and dill from the original recipe and added chili powder and cayenne. Very nice.

Chicken sate:

Mini reubens:

These were very good and popular, but I think that next time instead of mixing all the topping stuff together, I will mix the dressing, corned beef and sauerkraut and then sprinkle the cheese on top. I think that the cheese would have more impact that way. They were good with a little splot of deli mustard!

Salsa canapes:

I've made these a lot and they are always scarfed up. The cheese is cojito and that's some chopped, sauteed chorizo on top

The dessert buffet:

Big, chewy molassas spice cookies w/ Sugar Babies, Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch cereal treats and ice cream sandwiches made with toasted and smoked marshmallow ice cream and those Nabisco chocolate wafers, rolled in graham crackers and served with hot fudge. For the test run of these ice cream sandwiches, I made the cooky sheets for the sandwich and it worked great - this time they just fell to pieces and I was out of time, so I just got the wafers. The gentlemen didn't seem to mind and these disappeared - the were the only dessert item that I had to replenish!

close up of the sandwiches:

Sorry about some of the pictures being so crappy! Some of them were taking in my dining room which has terrible lighting: no flash - yellow, flash - white out!

I somehow missed getting pictures of them, but we also had Marlene's onion rings and corn on the cob. The rings were fantastic, as always, Marlene! I cooked them the night before and reheated in the oven and they were still the best I've ever made and better than most I've ever had out! Mr. Kim and I had to really control ourselves the night before as they came out of the fryer!

[suzilightning]

Mr. Kim's fantasy football draft party was Wednesday night and I catered it for the third year in a row.  The menu included:

chili dog casserole:

When they used to go to a restaurant, it was at a local place that has the best chili dogs in town, so this was an homage - not nearly as good at Melito's, but enjoyed by everyone, it seemed.

Vegetables and dips:

The dips were a bleu cheese & caramelized shallot and Bloody Mary Dip.  Mr. Kim requested the veg, but I think he was the only one that indulged - the dips were very popular on chips, though!

Caramelized almonds & Cashews and spicy oyster crackers:

the nuts were sensational - just gobbled up!  The oyster crackers are just those ubiquitous 1980's snack that are so out of style, but we like them and I thought that if I spiced them up they might seem a little 'new'.  I left out the lemon pepper and dill from the original recipe and added chili powder and cayenne.  Very nice.

Chicken sate:

Mini reubens:

These were very good and popular, but I think that next time instead of mixing all the topping stuff together, I will mix the dressing, corned beef and sauerkraut and then sprinkle the cheese on top.  I think that the cheese would have more impact that way.  They were good with a little splot of deli mustard!

Salsa canapes:

I've made these a lot and they are always scarfed up.  The cheese is cojito and that's some chopped, sauteed chorizo on top

I somehow missed getting pictures of them, but we also had Marlene's onion rings and corn on the cob.  The rings were fantastic, as always, Marlene!  I cooked them the night before and reheated in the oven and they were still the best I've ever made and better than most I've ever had out!  Mr. Kim and I had to really control ourselves the night before as they came out of the fryer!

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uh, kim

could you please come and cook for me - except the dessert things of course? i have the same oyster cracker/ hidden valley ranch dressing recipe in my file and johnnybird likes it every once in a while though the canapes and reubens are what i would want.

just gave john some chicken rice soup. picked up some fluke to make for later with leftovers for fish filet sandwiches.

[Prawncrackers]

Here's a another Chinese comfort dinner tonight that should get the seal of approval from my fellow Chinese gulleteers: Kau Yuk, Fried Bream and Green Beans:

Kau Yuk is a home-style Hakka dish of tender pork belly layered with taro that is steamed for a long time - one of my wife's favourite ever dishes.

Still going through that pig - that's four pork dishes posted in a row. I've just noticed that it's four different parts too: loin, neck, leg and now belly. Just goes to show how versatile the meat is. Now, i still have the ears in the freezer somewhere!!

[menuinprogress]

Kau Yuk is a home-style Hakka dish of tender pork belly layered with taro that is steamed for a long time - one of my wife's favourite ever dishes.

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That looks great! Given that anything involving pork belly is fantastic, I bet it tastes great, too...

[purplewiz]

chili dog casserole:

When they used to go to a restaurant, it was at a local place that has the best chili dogs in town, so this was an homage - not nearly as good at Melito's, but enjoyed by everyone, it seemed.

Oh, that looks SO good. What a GREAT idea! I'll have to try that on a smaller scale!

Marcia.

Edited August 30, 2008 by purplewiz (log)

[purplewiz]

A couple of dinners over the past couple of weeks. See if you can guess what we are getting inundated with:

Grilled pork chops with a fast cherry tomato and basil sauce, topped with parmesan, grilled zucchini on the side.

A modification of the recipe in this month's food and wine for Pork with arugula and tomatoes. I substituted bacon for the prosciutto, and cherry tomatoes for the chopped plum tomatoes. A saute of zucchini and peas on the side.

Grilled chicken breast with a side of ratatouille with cherry tomatoes. I posted pictures from the making of the ratatouille here.

(If you guessed cherry tomatoes, you're right. My plants have been very generous this year, starting early and keeping right on going.)

Marcia.

[Ce'nedra]

Kau Yuk is a home-style Hakka dish of tender pork belly layered with taro that is steamed for a long time - one of my wife's favourite ever dishes.

Gosh that's a thing of beauty right there

I haven't been on eG lately as I've been cursed with food poisoning and have been throwing up on just about anything except for congee.

And now THIS pops up on my screen to taunt me some more!

Edited August 30, 2008 by Ce'nedra (log)

[judiu]

Village Idiot - lovely meals and welcome!  Hope to see a lot more from you!

Mr. Kim's fantasy football draft party was Wednesday night and I catered it for the third year in a row.  The menu included:

chili dog casserole:

When they used to go to a restaurant, it was at a local place that has the best chili dogs in town, so this was an homage - not nearly as good at Melito's, but enjoyed by everyone, it seemed.

←

I'm getting to sound repetitive here, but where's the recipe for that? I cook for a bunch of folks that would go NUTS for something like that casserole, but I don't see it in the 'Casserole' chapter, not in the master list on your cookbook site. Give, girl! PLEASE?!

[Shelby]

KIM KIM KIM---I play fantasy football, how's come I wasn't invited?? Looks SO SO good!!

[percyn]

The other day we made Lettuce Wraps

with an assortment of dipping sauces and pickled cucumber

Yesterday it was Bruschetta w/Manzanillo Olive Oil

followed by Essence of corn with lobster, crab, avocado, avocado oil and smoked salt

Dessert was Vanilla Ice Cream drizzled w/Black Fig Vinegar

Edited September 2, 2008 by percyn (log)

[Kim Shook]

Village Idiot - lovely meals and welcome!  Hope to see a lot more from you!

Mr. Kim's fantasy football draft party was Wednesday night and I catered it for the third year in a row.  The menu included:

chili dog casserole:

When they used to go to a restaurant, it was at a local place that has the best chili dogs in town, so this was an homage - not nearly as good at Melito's, but enjoyed by everyone, it seemed.

←

I'm getting to sound repetitive here, but where's the recipe for that? I cook for a bunch of folks that would go NUTS for something like that casserole, but I don't see it in the 'Casserole' chapter, not in the master list on your cookbook site. Give, girl! PLEASE?!

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What I did was to use this recipe (minus the beans) and add a TON of sliced, sauteed beef hot dogs and top with cheese. I made it a week ahead of time and froze it (without the cheese) - that worked just fine.

Percyn - gorgeous meals! I love lettuce wraps, but most people overload them with ingredients - I really like the simplicity of yours - it looks like you can actually taste the contrast of that lovely beef and the crisp, cold lettuce. Nice sauce bowl, too! Do you know where that came from?

Thanks, everyone, for all the kind comments! I am cooking so little 'fun' stuff lately that I had a blast just diving in and cooking up a storm!

[percyn]

Percyn - gorgeous meals!  I love lettuce wraps, but most people overload them with ingredients - I really like the simplicity of yours - it looks like you can actually taste the contrast of that lovely beef and the crisp, cold lettuce.  Nice sauce bowl, too!  Do you know where that came from? 

Thanks Kim...that bowl came from Crate & Barrel

Today's dinner consisted of

Crab Salad - crab, lime juice, shallots, cucumber and avocado

My take on Shrimp & Grits (Polenta) w/maple ham

[Ce'nedra]

Easy, quick spaghetti -added some fresh tomatoes (I'm so glad I no longer have food poising! I can now eat to my heart's content!)

[Dr. J]

Nice looking meals Percyn.

I wish my football draft was at the kim's too.

Good to hear you are feeling better Ce'nedra.

For those of you who dont remember I think around page 730 of the post is Prawncrakers recipe for Duck breast. I made it last week and it was amazing. The sauce was really tasty and definately a must make for you guys. I also made it twice and even used the sauce a third time for a simple chicken breast dinner later. The sauce can really be used in a lot of different settings. You guys have to try this dish. Thanks again Prawn!!!!!!!

(Didnt take any pictures because i was so hungry and it was soooo good, will definately take pictures when I make it next time).

A couple of dishes from last week.

Fried egg and hollandaise sauce on puff pastry with bacon. I really like the use of puff pastry, basically takes the same time to cook as the bacon so works out well.

This dish is a white fish on a champagne sauce from Thomas Keller's French Laundry. I made a couple of changes to the recipe where the reduction was made with champagne not wine and I used white wine vinegar rather than champagne vinegar. Also used Goat butter which I had never tried before, came out very nice. Topped with star fruit.

[Prawncrackers]

For those of you who dont remember I think around page 730 of the post is Prawncrakers recipe for Duck breast.  I made it last week and it was amazing.  The sauce was really tasty and definately a must make for you guys.  I also made it twice and even used the sauce a third time for a simple chicken breast dinner later.  The sauce can really be used in a lot of different settings.  You guys have to try this dish.  Thanks again Prawn!!!!!!!

(Didnt take any pictures because i was so hungry and it was soooo good, will definately take pictures when I make it next time).

Thanks Dr J, was it the Tea Smoked Duck with the sesame soy dressing in this post here <click>? Glad you liked it because i loved it and should get round to cooking it again now you've reminded me.

Keep up the good work, fish looks lovely and interesting use of fruit in your meals this week

[AlexusF]

Hi Everyone! First post here, love the photos!

I made shrimp scampi tonight and love to take photos of my food! Unfortunately only had previously frozen shrimp but they were still pretty good!

Alex

Edited September 3, 2008 by AlexusF (log)

[AlexusF]

Nice looking meals Percyn.

This dish is a white fish on a champagne sauce from Thomas Keller's French Laundry.  I made a couple of changes to the recipe where the reduction was made with champagne not wine and I used white wine vinegar rather than champagne vinegar.  Also used Goat butter which I had never tried before, came out very nice.  Topped with star fruit.

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Hi DrJ!

What else is in the champagne sauce? Ive got some fresh sea bass Id like to use it with!

[AlexusF]

Anyone make anything good last night? I had Friday off so did some pork ribs that I marinated in coffee first and then slow grilled. YUMMMMMM...

What did you eat?

Edited September 6, 2008 by AlexusF (log)

[rooftop1000]

nice looking ribs....last night was Gourmet Night, hotdogs and Kraft you know what

for tonight I started a nice pork and sauerkraut stew

tracey

[C. sapidus]

Nice meals, AlexusF.

Chicken curry, made with tomatoes, yogurt, and an abundance of herbs and spices, and sprinkled with garam masala just before serving. Green basmati rice with pureed spinach and watercress. Eternal cucumbers.

[AlexusF]

Nice meals, AlexusF.

Chicken curry, made with tomatoes, yogurt, and an abundance of herbs and spices, and sprinkled with garam masala just before serving. Green basmati rice with pureed spinach and watercress. Eternal cucumbers.

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OK... THAT LOOKS GOOOOOOOOOD!! Now Im hungry again!! LOL

[petite tête de chou]

Anyone make anything good last night? I had Friday off so did some pork ribs that I marinated in coffee first and then slow grilled. YUMMMMMM...

What did you eat?

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Ribs n- coffee. Love both! What did you serve with those delicious ribs? Did you add anything to the coffee marinade or was it straight joe? Gas grill? Charcoal? I use my gas grill quite a bit but I miss the down-to-earthiness of my Weber kettle. Poor thing sits in my garage waiting...