Dinner 2014 (Part 7)

[FauxPas]

Temperature was in single digits for the last few days. Yesterday the cold water line in the kitchen froze up and the car wouldn't start.  Water line thawed OK. No damage.  Let it drip last night and it didn't freeze again. The pipes I have are designed to expand with frozen water.  Car started later too.  I made chili for dinner tonight.

 

So glad your pipes were OK! I've lived in some cold places and burst pipes are no fun at all. Chili is a perfect meal for that kind of weather! Looks very tasty. Do you have a special ingredient? 

[gfweb]

Temperature was in single digits for the last few days. Yesterday the cold water line in the kitchen froze up and the car wouldn't start.  Water line thawed OK. No damage.  Let it drip last night and it didn't freeze again. The pipes I have are designed to expand with frozen water.  Car started later too.  I made chili for dinner tonight.

 

 

We weren't so lucky. Plumbers at work right now. The wellhead piping froze 4 ft underground. Winter is a PITA.

 

I managed to save a few pots of water for cooking though.

[FauxPas]

We weren't so lucky. Plumbers at work right now. The wellhead piping froze 4 ft underground. Winter is a PITA.

 

I managed to save a few pots of water for cooking though.

Oh no! So sorry to hear that! I hope things can be repaired w/o too much cost/inconvenience. Will they be able to do repairs tonight??? 

[patrickamory]

Norm, that chili looks delicious. I'm an aficionado of chili recipes. Care to share your Rx (at rotuts might say) ?

[gfweb]

Oh no! So sorry to hear that! I hope things can be repaired w/o too much cost/inconvenience. Will they be able to do repairs tonight??? 

 

God bless them they are down in the hole right now, just finishing up in the freezing cold.

 

Cost? Gulp.

[FauxPas]

God bless them they are down in the hole right now, just finishing up in the freezing cold.

 

Cost? Gulp.

 gfweb, I have always thought of you as someone with a fabulous sense of humour, but there is nothing funny about this. I hope for the best!!!   

[dcarch]

God bless them they are down in the hole right now, just finishing up in the freezing cold.

 

Cost? Gulp.

 

For those of you who are in extreme cold, have your water dripping to avoid frozen pipes and bursted pipes. Can be very expensive.

 

dcarch

[Norm Matthews]

gfweb, Sorry to hear about that.  I know it isn't any fun.

 

Faux Pas, I suppose my special ingredients are beer and cocoa though lots of people use either or both.

 

Pactrickamory, here is the recipe I used today. It is one that I have used for years but make small changes from time to time.

 

Norm's Chili 

 

1 lb hamburger 

1 lb. ground pork (or leave out the pork and use two pounds ground chuck) 

1 onion, finely chopped 

2 cloves garlic, mashed into a pulp.

8 oz tomato sauce 

1 Tbs. sugar 

2 Tbs. chili powder 

1 ounce red wine vinegar 

1 1/4 C. picante sauce 

1 bay leaf 

1/2 to 1 tsp. salt 

1 T. paprika 

1 can red beans

1/2 tsp. pepper 

1/4 tsp. cumin 

1/4 tsp. cayenne 

1 bottle beer 

1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder 

dash or two Tabasco 

 

Saute meat, when almost done, add onions and garlic. When onions are tender, add rest or ingredients. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Remove lid and let cook down if necessary. Optional:  Refrigerate overnight and remove fat and reheat. 

 

Note: For company, I leave out the beans and serve them on the side along with grated raw onion and other sides for toppings.

 

Toppings

 

 

thinly sliced green onions

sliced jalapeño

green olives, halved

sour cream 

grated monterey jack

saltines

Edited January 10, 2015 by Norm Matthews (log)

[Dejah]

It's been in the -25 - 30 Celcius here with high winds = windchill of - 40s. When it's a west wind, we make sure all sink cabinets doors are open, heat tapes on any pipes that are questionable in terms of insulation...Oh to live on the prairies...

 

Been invited to our local casino to guest chef on Chinese New Year. Request was for 4 dishes most requested from when we had the family restaurant. So I made sesame chicken tonight to see if I still "got it".   It's all chicken breast strips, tender, crunchy coating, sweet, sour, spicy, smokey with sesame oil, fragrant with 5-spice powder. Gai lan was blanched, and drizzled with hot oil and ginger.

 

[Dave W]

Frittatta or tortilla? What's the difference?

[huiray]

A couple of recent meals.

 

 

Skinny wonton noodles tossed w/ a pan sauce (scallions, cincalok, fish sauce, this-and-that) & fried shallots.  Soup (Savoy + green cabbage, chicken legs, garlic, ginger, galangal, chicken stock).

 

 

Ayam Sioh w/ rice & celery.

Harm Choy Tong.

 

[Shelby]

Dejah--I have been CRAVING fried fish for weeks and weeks and yours looks SO good.  I've got some lovely fish from last summer that we caught and I froze.  I just hate the mess I make frying.  I'm a messy fryer lol.  AND, I hope we get to see a lot of pictures from your Chinese New Year.

 

Gfweb--When I was a kid living high up in the Rocky Mountains, frozen pipes were scary and a PITA.  If there wasn't enough snow cover to insulate, pipes burst all over town.  I feel your pain.

 

Norm--Your chili looks so inviting.  I just made chili last week and now I want it again after looking at yours!

 

Dave W-Beautiful frittata!

 

Huiray--As usual, your dishes are lovely and you always make me crave noodles.

 

 

I had some venison tenderloin left over from the other night so I made quesadillas.  Burned the hell out of one and had to start over sigh.

 

 

 

[rotuts]

S: what's in that chile, second picture ?

[Shelby]

S: what's in that chile, second picture ?

It's just a roasted poblano stuffed with a sharp cheddar.

[Dave W]

Huiray you post so good.

Dejah that sesame chicken looks perfect!

[robirdstx]

A recent meal that warmed us up on a chilly evening - Smothered Pork Steak and Crash Hot Potatoes

[ninagluck]

goulash soup today, warming and filling

[patrickamory]

All you people making heartwarming dishes during this cold snap that has struck most of North America - they all look so good!

[patrickamory]

Fuschia's vegetarian dry-fried green beans, served with red-braised pork.

 

 

[Anna N]

When blood oranges were spotted in MaryLu's market, a couple of meyer lemons were languishing in my crisper, and kumquats showed up at Longo's supermarket, I felt compelled to make this recipe.

http://www.thekitchn.com/caramelized-citrus-and-roasted-chicken-a-famous-painting-or-dinner-tonight-delicious-links-214591

Mine looks less than painterly but it was tasty.

The "french fries" can be blamed on my impatience to start spiralizing vegetables! I had to try out a couple of existing gadgets. They were not very satisfactory. Hoping my spiralizer ships tonight!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

When blood oranges were spotted in MaryLu's market, a couple of meyer lemons were languishing in my crisper, and kumquats showed up at Longo's supermarket, I felt compelled to make this recipe.

http://www.thekitchn.com/caramelized-citrus-and-roasted-chicken-a-famous-painting-or-dinner-tonight-delicious-links-214591

image.jpg

Mine looks less than painterly but it was tasty.

The "french fries" can be blamed on my impatience to start spiralizing vegetables! I had to try out a couple of existing gadgets. They were not very satisfactory. Hoping my spiralizer ships tonight!

[Norm Matthews]

Charlie was putting in new exhaust fans in the bathrooms and a return air vent in the ceiling in the room under the kitchen so the pipes can get warm air and keep from freezing in this cold weather. Since the electricity was off and on all morning, I went to the store. Before I left, I asked Charlie if he had any ideas for dinner and he said Lasagna. When he doesn't say he doesn't know, he usually comes up with something that is a lot of work. At least I used this occasion to get a regular lasagna pan. The casserole dish I have been using all this time is not deep enough. Anyway here is the lasagna we had for dinner. I should have let it cool a little more before I cut it.

 

 

[Kim Shook]

Ashen – thank you for the spezzatino explanation.  Google did say stew, but your description is much more vivid.  Also thanks for the polenta directions.  I love that it is your Nona’s recipe!  I always envy folks with real Italian grandmas.  My grandmother was 3/4 Italian and her ‘marinara’ was tomato paste thinned out with water.  Her father was 100% (his mother was pregnant with him when they left Genoa) and his favorite sauce was Chef Boyardee!

 

CP – thank you for the sauce directions.  That sounds really good – and pretty easy.

 

Shelby – your oyster stew sounds perfect. 

 

Norm – that looks like the perfect lasagna pan!  I despise making lasagna in a too-shallow pan.

 

Post oral surgery meal for Mr. Kim tonight:

Split pea soup.  He had the surgery on Friday.  This and a whey, spinach & blueberry smoothie are the first things he’s had besides protein shakes and Jello since then!

[rotuts]

nice pan, Norm

 

deep lasagna pans are harder to find than they should be.

[Norm Matthews]

nice pan, Norm

 

deep lasagna pans are harder to find than they should be.