Dinner 2017 (Part 1)

[quiet1]

I'm not sure it competes with those potatoes, but meatloaf and mashed potatoes and lightly minted peas made by my housemate and his son after consulting the various cookbooks they got for Christmas, plus one from Homeroom in SF that I gave them a while back when they'd just moved from SF.

 

Really quite respectable for as inexperienced as they are in the kitchen. (I really recommend the peas, too - they are from the Homeroom Mac n Cheese cookbook and the mint is basically just enough to make the peas taste fresh without making them taste minty as such. Definitely improves frozen peas.)

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

31 minutes ago, quiet1 said:

I'm not sure it competes with those potatoes, but meatloaf and mashed potatoes and lightly minted peas made by my housemate and his son after consulting the various cookbooks they got for Christmas, plus one from Homeroom in SF that I gave them a while back when they'd just moved from SF.

 

Really quite respectable for as inexperienced as they are in the kitchen. (I really recommend the peas, too - they are from the Homeroom Mac n Cheese cookbook and the mint is basically just enough to make the peas taste fresh without making them taste minty as such. Definitely improves frozen peas.)

 

 

As much as I grow mint in my dining room -- frozen store bought tiny peas, thawed under running water with eight minutes steam in the CSO put all other legumes to shame.  Your mileage may vary.

 

[quiet1]

43 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

As much as I grow mint in my dining room -- frozen store bought tiny peas, thawed under running water with eight minutes steam in the CSO put all other legumes to shame.  Your mileage may vary.

 

 

No CSO. (Yet. I feel like it is just a matter of time...)

 

(ETA: The biggest delay other than cost is finding a place to put it. The best location is currently occupied with spice drawer things that contain the house's extensive spice and herb collection and I'm stumped as to where to relocate the spices to that doesn't put them annoyingly far from the main cooking area. I want to keep at least the stuff that gets used all the time where it is easy to grab-and-go instead of needing to get it out and bring it over to the work area. It's driving me nuts.)

Edited January 8, 2017 by quiet1 (log)

[gfweb]

@JoNorvelleWalker

Not a pea-eater. Nor limas.

But they are green aren't they.

Legumes in general are suspect. Except soy, after fermentation etc.

I prefer my greenness in the form of brassicas or leafy greens.

Or grass on a baseball field.

Which is the best green of all.

Edited January 8, 2017 by gfweb (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 minutes ago, gfweb said:

@JoNorvelleWalker

Not a pea-eater. Nor limas.

But they are green aren't they.

Legumes in general are suspect. Except soy, after fermentation etc.

I prefer my greenness in the form of brassicas or leafy greens.

Or grass on a baseball field.

Which is the best green of all.

 

 

I can deal with brassicas.

 

[quiet1]

3 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I can deal with brassicas.

 

 

The peas were part of an attempt to have a vegetable like object for dinner that wasn't broccoli. We default to broccoli far too often.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

That's okay, @gfweb. I'll eat your share of limas (one of my favorites), peas and other legumes, and you can have all the baseball fields. 

 

I like brassicas too, except collards, which is not too socially acceptable down here in the Southland. I do wish I liked them. They are such a beautiful green raw.

 

I just had leftovers, repeating last night's dinner. I still have a half a Cornish hen left, but I finished off the other half of the veggie stuffed pepper tonight. I love this recipe, and it includes limas, which I realize many don't like (for some unfathomable reason?) but I do my share to eat them all up so you will not be offended by them.

 

[gfweb]

9 minutes ago, quiet1 said:

 

The peas were part of an attempt to have a vegetable like object for dinner that wasn't broccoli. We default to broccoli far too often.

 

Consider the B. sprout. Or braised cabbage.

[suzilightning]

3 minutes ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

it includes limas, which I realize many don't like (for some unfathomable reason?) but I do my share to eat them all up so you will not be offended by them.

 

I soooooo understand this thought.  It wasn't until I fed Johnnybird good, FRESH limas grown in proper soil that he understood why I loved them enough to want them as part of my birthday dinner every year.

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, quiet1 said:

We default to broccoli far too often.

 

 A few years ago there was, believe it or not, a Dutch bar/restaurant here (operated by a Dutch man and his Chinese girlfriend, neither of whom were in any way from a catering background. He was plumber and I don't think she had ever worked before).

 

They were a very friendly, fun loving couple but their food was truly awful. But then, I've never been impressed by Dutch cuisine (other than the Indonesian stuff).

 

The only vegetable they ever, ever served was boiled-to-death broccoli. The place stank of broccoli.

I go to the market and see table after table covered in all sorts of green vegetables, half of which I can't identify, but they only bought and served the broccoli.

 

They didn't last long. Either as restaurateurs or as a couple. He is back plumbing in Dutchland and she is in Shanghai working in some multi-national company.

Edited January 8, 2017 by liuzhou (log)

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Well broccoli is good (when cooked right, I like mine at four minutes). It's also very nutritious, but there are so many good things out there, and I hate to resort to a cliche, but variety is the spice of life. 

[quiet1]

55 minutes ago, gfweb said:

 

Consider the B. sprout. Or braised cabbage.

 

Plain steamed Brussels sprouts are not popular, but the ones I did recently where I browned them on the stove went over okay even though I held them too long so they got a bit over-done. (I browned then steamed to cook through, and so holding too long made them get a little more mushy than I'd like.)

 

Cabbage gets a 'meh' - people will eat it but not enthusiastically.

 

7 minutes ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

Well broccoli is good (when cooked right, I like mine at four minutes). It's also very nutritious, but there are so many good things out there, and I hate to resort to a cliche, but variety is the spice of life. 

 

We have a running debate as to the best level of cooked for broccoli (I like mine more 'al dente' than everyone else) but it is something that we fairly reliably can make fast and not have it be gross, even from frozen, which is why we default to it so much. (I HATE the texture of many frozen vegetables.)

 

But yes, variety is a good thing, especially from a nutritional perspective as different vegetables have varying levels of the trace bits and pieces the body needs. I don't worry about that kind of thing overly much, but eating the same thing day in and day out seems a bad plan, nutritionally. Plus it does get boring.

 

We've had fairly tasty Swiss chard, but that seems hard to get around here if you are picky about freshness. And most of us aren't keen on spinach unless it is mixed with other stuff, like in an Indian dish or with garlic and cream.

[Dejah]

Speaking of green stuff, grabbed a bag of pea shoots at the small Chinese grocery yesterday. It was perfect with steamed black bean garlic pork ribs and jasmine rice. Winter melon soup made it complete..

                           

                      
Tonight's meal was citrus marinated roast chicken with more green stuff (asparagus, and green beans sauteed in fermented tofu - fuyu) and coconut rice.
This is the only way I can get hubby to eat green beans.
                          
 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

10 minutes ago, Dejah said:

grabbed a bag of pea shoots at the small Chinese grocery yesterday.

 

Very nice-looking dinner Dejah!

 

Oh, I wish I could grab a bag of pea shoots. I love 'em. We have a couple of Chinese restaurants that offer them cooked up at a premium pretty much year round. The only time I have ever seen them for purchase is springtime at Fresh Market. It would be great to hook into the Chinese restaurant supply. My Korean-owned Pan Asian market never has them on offer even in spring.

[HungryChris]

Rock Cornish Game hens Korean BBQ style with scalloped potatoes, and peas.

HC

 

Edited January 8, 2017 by HungryChris (log)

[MetsFan5]

Oh @HungryChris those scalloped potatoes look perfect on a cold and snowy night!!

  

  Anticipating this storm and having been somewhat eaten out of house and home during the holidays (and accidentally leaving my second refrigerator door open for TWO DAYS) we have little to eat until our grocery delivery arrives tomorrow. So last night we ordered a pizza to eat tonight. Pizza reheated in a pan on a gas stove is better than pizza delivered. The bottom gets crispy, the cheese hot and oozy and it takes mere minutes from fridge to pan to plate. It was an easy and fast dinner while watching the adbomination that is "Neighbors Two". Maisey enjoyed the pizza crust fairy visiting her.  

[helenjp]

We ate our dinner instead of photographing it, silly of me...

* Kwati soup (Nepali bean mix from the Nepali shop that opened up nearby). It's a little bit hot and spicy, and the combination of different beans gives it more depth than some bean soups. We've had it most weekends this winter - I'm addicted.
* Coconut rice
* Fresh sardines butterflied and soaked in salt water, then sprinkled with turmeric, fried crisp, and served with lemon and fresh coriander herb.
* Japanese naga-negi (leek-like dividing onions) sauteed with bok choy and steamed, served with little ado.

Broccoli - been thinking of broccoli and potato all week, so yesterday's dinner was cubed potato sloooow-fried till crispy in a bit of olive oil with garlic, then allowed to cook through with broccoli florets and chunks of grilled salt yellowtail (instead of bacon). It was good!

Edited January 8, 2017 by helenjp
typo (log)

[rustwood]

Gluten-free vegan night:  General Tso's Cauliflower

 

We used a measure for measure gluten free flour and it worked surprisingly well.  I just had to add a little extra flour to the batter.  It was at least as crunchy as the best takeout I've had (w/ chicken) and the cauliflower's texture fits well.  I really didn't miss the chicken - probably in part because the chicken in takeout is usually rather flavorless.  I'd consider making this every week if it wasn't for the fried food mess and health consequences.

 

Edited January 8, 2017 by rustwood (log)

[scubadoo97]

Rustwood, you dish looks so appealing.  At first I that it was chicken but I'm a fan of cauliflower so even better

[rotuts]

I was looking forward to a nice dinner of Soup and Sandwich .  I had Mortadella !  what could go wrong ?

 

I hadn't had this sort of bread in a long while.  it made for an interesting sort of sandwich I recall :

 

 

so  : 

 

 

nice looking  , with some potential ?  nope.

 

either this loaf was stale , or its no longer made as I remember  :  a bit on a soft side  , but moist , a little sweet :

 

it was dry as a bone.  had to say what to do with the rest of the loaf !

[IowaDee]

The turkeys will love the bread.  Later, if they end up on your table, they will come pre-stuffed.

[scubadoo97]

It's a brand we buy.   The best thing is it doesn't mold <sarcastic and scary tone>.  It is a bit sweet but so are other similar sandwich breads on the grocery shelf 

[gfweb]

9 hours ago, quiet1 said:

 

@quiet1 Try frying halved sprouts face down in butter till well-browned. then mix pinch of salt, maple syrup:water 1 to 5 and add enough to be 3mm deep (in a small crowded pan).Boil it off to a glaze and slosh the sprouts around in it.

[rotuts]

Ive liked the sandwich this bread makes , but not this loaf I guess.  even liberal doses of  Mayo didn't help

Edited January 8, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[Anna N]

4 minutes ago, rotuts said:

Ive like the sandwich this bread makes , but not this loaf I guess.  even library Mayo didn't help

I have bought bread that looked equally inviting and been equally disappointed.