Dinner! 2011

[Norm Matthews]

I thought I'd try some chicken apple sausage. I really didn't expect much but they were pretty good. As I looked in the refrigerator for something else to cook with it, I found 1 1/2 eggplants, an opened package of kraut and 3/4 package of fresh mozzarella. I thought eggplant parma and kraut with sausage might be a weird combination but I made it anyway.

[nikkib]

The eggplant parmigiana looks great and i could eat saurkraut with anything!

[robirdstx]

Tonight we used up the rest of the crawfish tails for a batch of Crawfish Etouffee.

[mgaretz]

Robirdstix that crawfish looks yummy! Is that potato in the center?

[robirdstx]

Robirdstix that crawfish looks yummy! Is that potato in the center?

Hi Mark, yes it was even better than the crwafish monica from the night before. I had made the etouffee up at the same time I was making the monica, so it got to spend a night in the fridge and developed more flavor. And no, not potato, that is basmati rice sprinkled with a little bit of the cajun/creole seasoning. I don't know why I don't make these two dishes more often! And they freeze well too.

[robirdstx]

Pork Tacos

[threestars]

That looks great robirdstx! I love tacos! But I also like crunchy tacos sometimes compare to the soft tacos.

[brucesw]

Those do look great robirdstx. Do you make your own tortillas? Those look better than the usual store-bought.

[robirdstx]

That looks great robirdstx! I love tacos! But I also like crunchy tacos sometimes compare to the soft tacos.

Thank you! I fried these corn tortillas in peanut oil, for just a few seconds on each side, just enough to make them flexible, and then blotted them with paper toweling.

Those do look great robirdstx. Do you make your own tortillas? Those look better than the usual store-bought.

Hi Bruce. Thanks! I have made my own, but I got these at Mi Tienda on the Spencer Hwy. I only have a few left so will be going back soon. I got the 36 count bag, froze them, and just thaw as many as I need at a time. They really are a step above the usual grocery store offerings. Mi Tienda also has really good flour tortillas.

Edited August 13, 2011 by robirdstx (log)

[percyn]

Nice meals all.

Sometime last week, I made Brown Sugar BBQ Salmon on Israeli Couscous Blend

Yesterday I made Tomato Water Risotto w/Jumbo Lump Crab Meat

[brucesw]

Those do look great robirdstx. Do you make your own tortillas? Those look better than the usual store-bought.

Hi Bruce. Thanks! I have made my own, but I got these at Mi Tienda on the Spencer Hwy. I only have a few left so will be going back soon. I got the 36 count bag, froze them, and just thaw as many as I need at a time. They really are a step above the usual grocery store offerings. Mi Tienda also has really good flour tortillas.

Ah yes. I forgot about Mi Tienda. I've been a couple of times and it's very impressive but a long way from me. I usually just get mine at a tortilleria near me. Buy a whole pollo rostizado you get the usual rice and charros plus salsas and a pound of their fresh tortillas. Better than store bought but they don't look as good as those.

[Dianne]

Yesterday we made the bacon jam which was talked about up thread and it is awesome. I stirred some into corn off the cob and it was terrriffic. Now I am thinking any thing corn like fritters or cornbread.

Sorry about no pictures, but blind people don't do that well.

[nikkib]

The words bacon jam and corn fritters have me drooling at the mere sound of them mmmmm!

[Kim Shook]

I've been MIA recently. Mr. Kim was in Ireland this past week with his mom and sibs (the blog of THIS trip is NOT for public consumption - suffice to say it's been was strained ) and I was in NC visiting my grandmother. Jessica decided to assuage my loneliness by allowing me to take her out to dinner Tuesday and Wednesday, so I've been doing no cooking at all. Mr. Kim’s birthday is Sunday, so I'll be cooking for that - if I can still remember how!

Toliver – great idea about using the cinnamon and sugar Ritz crackers. I can get them here, too – I’ll be trying that. People at work are still talking about that pie!

rotuts – I remember that dessert with the cookies and whipped cream. It was delicious – I loved how the chocolate wafers got soft and tender! Those cookies are made by Nabisco and are called Famous Chocolate Wafers. They are usually with the ice cream toppings and not with the cookies around here, oddly enough.

percyn – I am intrigued by that addition of balsamic vinegar to the bacon jam. We just got a shipment of Benton’s bacon and I’m going to use one package to make bacon jam. I’ll be adding balsamic to that one!

RRO – that snapper is gorgeous! I love whole fish.

Prawn – sorry about the finger – we have a dear friend who suffers from gout and I know how debilitating it can be. Nice that you got past it in time to produce all of that lovely pork! When I’m finally ready to start my sausage experimenting (I have everything I need but the time), I’ll know who to go to for advice! And those rinds are swoonworthy! Your Tea made me a little sad – that was the one thing that we didn’t get to experience on that trip. But you inspired me – a ‘tea’ dinner is something I can surely make and I will do that soon.

Paul – that pork belly BLT looks fantastic.

Rhonda – the deviled eggs and shrimp are a perfect pairing and I adore the serving dish!

A couple of meals before Mr. Kim went on his trip:

Open faced chicken sandwiches with gravy. Probably my very favorite chicken application!

Chicken tacos, marinated cukes and rice and beans.

With the tacos, I made some pate with some leftover fried chicken livers from a recent restaurant meal:

odd combination, I know, but I didn’t want those livers to go to waste and that’s the only way that Mr. Kim will eat liver. The recipe worked surprisingly well with the already cooked livers.

The welcome back from Ireland dinner last night was BLT’s with a fried egg and tomato consommé:

[nikkib]

Oooh - what do you have planned for the chillis i can see hiding just out of shot there Kim?

[Kim Shook]

Oooh - what do you have planned for the chillis i can see hiding just out of shot there Kim?

Those will go into various things this week for Mr. Kim - he's the chilihead in the house. There are actually less of them that it looks like - lots of little bell peppers there too. A patient brought them into the office from her garden and we all shared them out. Mr. Kim's breakfast was a chile filled omelet!

[SobaAddict70]

Guess who was in tomato heaven today.

You don't need to do anything to them to bring out their best.

At all.

Fusilli with cow's milk ricotta cheese and uncooked heirloom tomato sauce.

Life is good.

[ScottyBoy]

Oh excellent! Mine are coming in at full force now!

[Shelby]

Soba and Scotty--I'm SO jealous. The heat kept our 'maters from setting until now. I hope and pray that we have enough summer left to get the true "Kansas" tomatoes that we love. I wish I could pluck one of those off my computer screen!

Kim--That open-faced chicken with the gravy looks divine. I should make that--I never think of doing it at home. Oh and that yummy BLT with the egg. I want.

Everyone's meals look lovely --as usual.

The heat seems to have finally broken with some pretty wicked storms. It's still in the upper 90's, but not those 112 temps that we had for so long.

Here's a pic of the storm that interrupted my cooking night before last:

We came home and dove into this peanut butter pie. First time I've ever made one--and it won't be the last. I didn't know these were so good. Tastes like a Snicker's Bar.

Also, I got out the pasta machine:

Edited August 14, 2011 by Shelby (log)

[percyn]

Nice Carbonara Shelby!

RRO, look what you made me do

Garlic Steamed Shrimp - Simple, delicious clean flavors. Next time I will add a touch more soy and fish sauce for some of that excellent sauce. Unfortunately, it is hard to get shrimp with the heads on in the US (unless you are near an Asian grocery).

Also picked up 1/2 Rotisserie Chicken w/ Potatoes and Carrots roasted under the chicken so they absorb all the juices.

[ScottyBoy]

Finally made the bacon jam, good god is it tasty! Thank you Kayb and Kim!

[ScottyBoy]

And I put some on these chicken crackers last night. I ate too many...........

[Norm Matthews]

Our dinner was grilled ribeye steak. This one got a little too charred on this side but it was OK. Potatoes were twice baked with butter, cream, milk, bacon, cheese, salt, pepper and green onion. Salad was garden fresh tomato- but not my garden, mine is done, grated carrots and green peppers. The bread was French bread brushed with olive oil infused with garlic and salt, then topped with spinach, tomato, mozzarella and romano cheeses then broiled briefly. Next time I'll add mushrooms, I think.

[eldereno]

And I put some on these chicken crackers last night. I ate too many...........

Wow! Those look good! How did you do them? I could eat too many,too.

[ScottyBoy]

Layered between sil-pads and sheet trays in a 275 oven for 2 hours, flipped halfway through. Patted dry on towels and salted.