Dinner 2018

[ElsieD]

@HungryChris  Thanks for the link.  Interesting reading, especially the comments.

[David Ross]

20 hours ago, rotuts said:

@David Ross

 

Ive just re-read your fried oyster dish above.

 

i do confess Ive never had fried oysters , as i prefer them on the 1/2 shell

 

as the only cooked oysters ive had were in bisques etc and i did not care for them that way

 

perhaps poorly made or not.

 

give a choice , Ill go for 1/2 shell , one drop of green tabasco and 2 drops of lemon.

 

green T is so much better than red here , for me.

 

I ve changed my rating for this post to " chef's hat '

 

Id like to come over and try your oysters this way

 

any time.

 

hope you have a lot !

Thanks.  These happen to be the "extra-small" Yaquina Bay Oysters from the Oregon Coast.  I prefer the "petites" but they are hard to come by.  I also like the little Kumamoto's from Puget Sound.  I only fry them for maybe 2 minutes, just long enough to turn golden and set the crispy crust.  The interior is still moist and juicy.

[Duvel]

Comfort food was in order after a 12h intercontinental flight, so my son requested “Papa’s pizza” and I happily complied 😊

 

Mushrooms & Fuet (a Catalan cured sausage), baked Roman-style as I was too lazy to dish out individual pies ... 

 

Edited August 13, 2018 by Duvel (log)

[Ann_T]

On 8/10/2018 at 5:55 PM, FauxPas said:

 

Mmmm! All your meals look lovely. And so does this pie! 

 

Do you pick your own blueberries or do you have a fave source for purchasing them?  They say there is a big blueberry glut in BC this year and I am finding the berries aren't as good as other years. Is it just me? I have bought some in the grocery stores (because the price has just been so good) from both the Lower Mainland and from the Island. The taste has been a bit insipid, I like my blueberries to have a bit of tartness. We do have some local growers here (mid-Island), I'll be buying some of theirs tomorrow and hope to be happier with those. But I wonder about your experience. 

@FauxPas,   No, I never pick my own.   These were a good price. $10 for a 5 lb box at Great Green's Farm Market just south of Duncan.  The blueberries were from the Island, from Qualicum Beach.   Can't remember the name of the farm.  These were actually quite flavourful.  And they were quite ripe so that might have contributed to the flavour.   They were perfect for the pie. 

 

So you live on Vancouver Island too?

[Toliver]

On 8/11/2018 at 5:07 AM, dcarch said:

@dcarch Your bacon raft is the stuff of dreams! Well done. If I could find a golf clap emoji, you'd get it. 

[mgaretz]

I made carnitas in the IP again.  Some of it we ate just like it is, and some we shredded a bit more and wrapped in a soft corn tortilla with fresh avocado.  Served with salad and fresh cherries for dessert.

 

 

 

[Toliver]

17 hours ago, lindag said:

...How many things can go wrong in one day?

@lindag Best not to ask, so the Kitchen Gods don't hear you and try to test you!

I've learned not to manifest things in my life by saying some things aloud that shouldn't be said. 

[scubadoo97]

@liuzhou  I’ve purchased bitter melon once.   Could get past the level of bitterness.  Any method of taming the bitterness?

Edited August 13, 2018 by scubadoo97 (log)

[Kim Shook]

I guess this meal was a late lunch/early dinner.  It was certainly the last meal of our day, so I'm putting it here.  BLT’s two ways.  With regular tomatoes:

 

Or fried green tomatoes:

Both on my home made bread.  Served with sliced tomatoes:

 

Marinated cucumbers and yellow squash:

 

Fruit salad:

 

Corn:

 

And the best fried green tomatoes I’ve ever made:

I did a double dredge with all cornmeal (I usually mix it with flour) and gave them a buttermilk soak.  Really crisp.  I’ll be checking to see if the CSO reheats them well.

[Shelby]

1 minute ago, Kim Shook said:

I guess this meal was a late lunch/early dinner.  It was certainly the last meal of our day, so I'm putting it here.  BLT’s two ways.  With regular tomatoes:

 

Or fried green tomatoes:

Both on my home made bread.  Served with sliced tomatoes:

 

Marinated cucumbers and yellow squash:

 

Fruit salad:

 

Corn:

 

And the best fried green tomatoes I’ve ever made:

I did a double dredge with all cornmeal (I usually mix it with flour) and gave them a buttermilk soak.  Really crisp.  I’ll be checking to see if the CSO reheats them well.

Oh this whole meal looks heavenly.

 

Especially since you did it right and peeled the tomatoes  

[dcarch]

1 hour ago, Toliver said:

@dcarch Your bacon raft is the stuff of dreams! Well done. If I could find a golf clap emoji, you'd get it. 

Thanks!

Yes, the bacon was specially "engineered" for BLTs. High density crispy bacon without taking up a lot of thickness, and square in shape for the sandwich bread.

The tomato slices were also "engineered" for BLTs. They were 1/2 dehydrated to be twice as flavorful without dripping all over.

 

dcarch

[Constantin Peters]

First confit in my FatPot™ Red wine marinated Pork belly, then cut, slathered in "asian glace" and roasted in the oven. Salad of confit onion and garlic, the outer leaves of the romaine lettuce with mustard, chinkiang vinegar and some semame oil. With the hearts of the lettuce panroasted in some of the confit fat. With the rest of the glace watered down to a sauce.

Edited August 13, 2018 by Constantin Peters (log)

[TicTac]

Peeled the tomatoes!? LOL 😂

 

Those fried greenies look great.  Have you ever tried doing them without batter and letting the natural sugars caramelize? 

 

I am trying to limit my BLT consumption this year, not because I do not love them (I do, and I have 6 varieties of tomatoes asking to be part of one!), but simply because bacon, as darn delicious as it might be, is really bad for us and I am mindful to not eat too much of the stuff!

[Kim Shook]

2 minutes ago, TicTac said:

Peeled the tomatoes!? LOL 😂

 

Those fried greenies look great.  Have you ever tried doing them without batter and letting the natural sugars caramelize? 

 

I am trying to limit my BLT consumption this year, not because I do not love them (I do, and I have 6 varieties of tomatoes asking to be part of one!), but simply because bacon, as darn delicious as it might be, is really bad for us and I am mindful to not eat too much of the stuff!

Can't imagine green tomatoes without a good, crisp coating of cornmeal on it.  And we all detest fried ripe tomatoes (they were always left on our plates when we were in England).  

 

I generally fry 1 lb. of bacon every couple of weeks.  When it's gone, it's gone.  Of course, the other week I cook sausage. 😉

[TicTac]

33 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Can't imagine green tomatoes without a good, crisp coating of cornmeal on it.  And we all detest fried ripe tomatoes (they were always left on our plates when we were in England).  

 

I generally fry 1 lb. of bacon every couple of weeks.  When it's gone, it's gone.  Of course, the other week I cook sausage. 😉

 

They do not get crispy at all.  But they do caramelize gorgeously and take on a very sweet / tart flavour.  I also tend to cook garlic and onions with the greenies and the olive oil when all is said and is great with bread.

 

Put all those items on a nice hunk of crusty bread (zucchini flowers often find their way into this dish too) - happy times.

 

Edit - I have also added all those items to a blender and made a fantastic spread.

Edited August 13, 2018 by TicTac (log)

[mgaretz]

2 hours ago, dcarch said:

The tomato slices were also "engineered" for BLTs. They were 1/2 dehydrated to be twice as flavorful without dripping all over.

 

Can you please describe the method?  Thanks!

[ElsieD]

2 hours ago, TicTac said:

Peeled the tomatoes!? LOL 😂

 

Those fried greenies look great.  Have you ever tried doing them without batter and letting the natural sugars caramelize? 

 

I am trying to limit my BLT consumption this year, not because I do not love them (I do, and I have 6 varieties of tomatoes asking to be part of one!), but simply because bacon, as darn delicious as it might be, is really bad for us and I am mindful to not eat too much of the stuff!

 

I always peel tomatoes.

[robirdstx]

9 hours ago, ElsieD said:

 

How do you make your broccoli salad?  It looks delicious.

 

Thank you! We like it!

I do not remember the original source, but there are many similar versions all over the Internet. Here is the basic recipe I use, with my changes.

 

Broccoli Salad

 

Ingredients:

 

- 1/2 cup mayonnaise

- 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

- 1/4 cup sugar (I use stevia)

- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

- 2 cups broccoli florets, chopped

- 1/2 medium red onion, chopped

- 3 ounces shredded cheddar or mozzarella (I use a Mexican blend)

- 5 thin slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

- 1/4 cup raisins (I use Craisins, chopped)

- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

 

Directions:

 

1. Mix mayo, vinegar, sweetener and pepper together.

 

2. Add broccoli, onion, cheese, bacon and raisins to mayo mixture. Stir well.

 

3. Refrigerate for four or more hours to let flavors develop.

 

4. Stir in sunflower seeds just before serving.

 

[dcarch]

1 hour ago, mgaretz said:

 

Can you please describe the method?  Thanks!

First, you should get farmers market tomatoes, if you don't have your own garden tomatoes. Don't waste your time with store bought tomatoes.

 

I sliced tomatoes to about 3/8" thick slices, then into the dehydrator (depending on your brand) for about 2 hours. Turn the slices over for another 2 hours. By that time the slices should be about 1/2 the original thickness, soft, tender, but not drippy, with twice the goodness for amazing BLTs.  

 

dcarch

[FauxPas]

6 hours ago, Ann_T said:

@FauxPas,   No, I never pick my own.   These were a good price. $10 for a 5 lb box at Great Green's Farm Market just south of Duncan.  The blueberries were from the Island, from Qualicum Beach.   Can't remember the name of the farm.  These were actually quite flavourful.  And they were quite ripe so that might have contributed to the flavour.   They were perfect for the pie. 

 

So you live on Vancouver Island too?

Yes, another Island Girl here.  

 

Went to local farm today and bought some blueberries, I thought they were grown in Comox Valley as there are lots here but no, they were also from Qualicum. That's still local though! Have to decide between blueberry pie or blueberry pie bars. 

Edited August 14, 2018 by FauxPas (log)

[liuzhou]

5 hours ago, scubadoo97 said:

@liuzhou  I’ve purchased bitter melon once.   Could get past the level of bitterness.  Any method of taming the bitterness?

 

 

I have read that "it’s best to toss the bitter melon in some salt and let it sit for 30 to 45 minutes to help draw out some of the bitterness and excess liquid.” I've never done  that, though. I like the bitterness.

[chefmd]

I love my husband.  He is an awesome person.  But one little thing makes him even more awesome.  He likes chicken breast.  Which means he and I never fight over chicken legs,  guess who’s plate this is?

 

 

[HungryChris]

Dinner tonight was tacos. Even though the boxes have 12 shells in them, I have staged a mild revolt, and only cook the 8 that we will actually eat. We have taken to finely shredded cabbage instead of lettuce.

HC

Edited August 14, 2018 by HungryChris (log)

[Anna N]

Four digestive biscuits and a double scotch. No photograph. 

[Ann_T]

Baked bagels this morning for dinner.

 

 

Made them Cocktail size to have with smoked salmon and cream cheese

 

And some decadent chicken liver pate from Cure Artisan Meat and Cheese, a local speciality gourmet shop.