Dinner 2020

[Shelby]

It's been tumultuous around here.  My iPhone 6 stopped holding any kind of charge so I decided it was time for an upgrade.  O M G.  Either I am getting really old and stupid or they are making it like joining the FBI hard to switch to a new phone.  Anyway, I think I've finally got everything squared with this new phone (one of the cats already put a nice scratch on the screen for me 🙄).  

 

I haven't gotten the hang of the new camera on the phone so excuse the shadows.

 

Chicken quesadillas

 

 

Last night more Wellfleet oysters, catfish and peppers

 

 

 

[Dejah]

5 hours ago, CantCookStillTry said:

I will bite. Can you explain? I'm intrigued and a little scared by this. My brief google said it was inspired by the classic pairing of a piece of cheddar on a slice of apple pie - this is a new classic pairing for me. Is it a Canadian Tradition? Local? Looks delicious in any case! 

It's called apple crisp, but not made with the usual suspects of oat meal, brown sugar, etc
Here's the recipe. I used apples from a neighbor's tree. They had a bumper crop, so I was the happy recipient .

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Apple Crisp - from E.D. Smith Pie Filling Recipe

Basic Recipe: 6 portions

1 - 19 oz. E.D. Smith apple pie filling or your own pie filling

1 - cup all purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

1 ½ tsp. baking POWDER

½ tsp. salt

1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese ( I use old cheddar)

1/3 cup melted butter

¼ cup milk

 

1. Combine and sift all dry ingredients

2. Mix in cheese

3. Mix together the melted butter and milk. Add to the above mixture

4. Mix gently with a fork until all the flour is incorporated

5. Spoon apple pie filling into a shallow 1 quart / 1 litre baking dish

6. Drop flour/cheese mixture by forkful to evenly cover the entire dish. Don’t press down! Use the fork to spread the dough if lumpy

7. Bake in pre-heated oven at 375F for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown

 

The recipe calls for a shallow 1quart dish. I used an 8” x 11” Pyrex glass dish.

I made 1.5 times the topping recipe but 2 cans filling

 

Great with ice cream or by itself.

[shain]

A recent light supper. Thai style coconut sticky rice with mango and pineapple - both garden grown

 

[patti]

Leftover ribs with a freshly made side of spinach Madeleine. 

 

 

 

 

[BeeZee]

@patti, yum on that spinach...I'm a creamed spinach lover so adding a crust for texture sounds great!

[robirdstx]

 

Sous Vide Petit Filet Mignon (finished in butter in a cast iron skillet) and Creamed Spinach

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Down and dirty tonight!    Prawns and fries with no apologies!

[gulfporter]

Made a stack of crepes (first time in years).  Filled with ham, cheese and peas in a bechamel. 

 

 

[liuzhou]

Spicy, buttery, lemony, fried wild shrimp with morels. Served over orzo with Chinese chives.

 

 

[weinoo]

When you cook a pound of garbanzos, you can end up with a fair amount of cooked chick peas, even after making hummus. So...

 

 

Penne e ceci. Broccoli raab alongside.

[liamsaunt]

Kale caesar salad with chicken

 

[heidih]

@liuzhou  I keep seeing your orzo and think I need to re-visit the pasta. I used to use it alot but now can't recall if i boiled it in salted water, or used an absorption method, or even first sauteed like a pilaf before adding liquid. How do you prep your orzo?

[KennethT]

5 minutes ago, heidih said:

@liuzhou  I keep seeing your orzo and think I need to re-visit the pasta. I used to use it alot but now can't recall if i boiled it in salted water, or used an absorption method, or even first sauteed like a pilaf before adding liquid. How do you prep your orzo?

I'm not @liuzhou but I used to make orzo quite often. I would always cook in boiling salted water - usually about a minute less than the package recommends for al dente.  Then I'd cook for about a minute in the sauce and plate - so basically I treat it like any other pasta.

[heidih]

Thanks @KennethT. I was curious bout Liuzhou's as he seems to have it alongside like rice. I am not a big sauce person.

[KennethT]

21 minutes ago, heidih said:

Thanks @KennethT. I was curious bout Liuzhou's as he seems to have it alongside like rice. I am not a big sauce person.

My typical sauce for orzo was garlic simmered in olive oil with a splash of white wine, and some of the pasta cooking water.. not very saucy, but it kept the orzo from sticking together into a giant block. The texture was more like a risotto than a pasta with sauce

Edited October 23, 2020 by KennethT (log)

[Kim Shook]

@mgaretz – I love the deep, rich look of the sauce on your beef dish. 

 

@Ann_T – I have never stuffed ribs in my life and every time I see you do it, I think its one of the best ideas I’ve ever seen.

 

@patti – your spinach Madeleine looks delicious.  What is that fantastic looking topping?

 

I had a monstrous chicken from Aldi – 6.75 pounds.  I almost never roast my own whole chickens anymore – I just buy rotisseries from Costco.  But this was $.95 per pound and I couldn’t resist its lovely fatness.  Done:

I call BS on all those TV cooks who nimbly tuck those wingtips under the chicken.  No matter how far back I get them, they still spring back into that position.  I am deficient at carving:

I couldn’t find my roasting rack (I suspect it has fallen down behind the washing machine in the pantry), so the thighs were a little pale.

 

Plated with green beans, parsley potatoes, cornbread dressing:

 

…and gravy:

Felt like Sunday dinner from long ago.

[mgaretz]

20 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

@mgaretz – I love the deep, rich look of the sauce on your beef dish. 

 

Thanks.  I owe it all to my secret weapon:  Caramel food coloring (aka Kitchen Bouquet).  That, and I finally figured out how to make a good cornstarch slurry.

[heidih]

32 minutes ago, mgaretz said:

 

Thanks.  I owe it all to my secret weapon:  Caramel food coloring (aka Kitchen Bouquet).  That, and I finally figured out how to make a good cornstarch slurry.

 

And your slurry secret? I don;t do it much anymore and at one point went the arrowroot direction.

[shain]

Another light supper. Crostini with warm beans (flavored with bay leaves and rosemary), Grana padano, toasted hazelnuts, olive oil, a bit of garlic, fresh thyme, pepper.

Served with salad, dry Syrah, pickles and Tzfat cheese.

Only plated those for the picture, the rest was assembled on the table so that the beans stay warm and the bread crisp.

 

[gfweb]

On 10/22/2020 at 5:35 AM, CantCookStillTry said:

I will bite. Can you explain? I'm intrigued and a little scared by this. My brief google said it was inspired by the classic pairing of a piece of cheddar on a slice of apple pie - this is a new classic pairing for me. Is it a Canadian Tradition? Local? Looks delicious in any case! 

Time honored pairing. Probably British origin

[gfweb]

Prosciutto and basil wrapped halibut in a tomato/ butter sauce, sprouts and potatoes

 

[mgaretz]

1 hour ago, heidih said:

 

And your slurry secret? I don;t do it much anymore and at one point went the arrowroot direction.

 

Not much of a secret, but I finally learned to do it right.  I always thought that the amount of liquid didn't matter as long as it was cool.  But I always got lumps.  I learned that if you use equal parts by volume of liquid (still has to be cool) and cornstarch and mix that together I don't get any lumps.  So I start with that and then add the rest of liquid and other ingredients.

[mgaretz]

Light dinner of tuna salad, red bell pepper, celery, carrots and avocado.

 

 

 

[heidih]

36 minutes ago, mgaretz said:

 

Not much of a secret, but I finally learned to do it right.  I always thought that the amount of liquid didn't matter as long as it was cool.  But I always got lumps.  I learned that if you use equal parts by volume of liquid (still has to be cool) and cornstarch and mix that together I don't get any lumps.  So I start with that and then add the rest of liquid and other ingredients.

Oh yes no "dumping" allowed". I pre slurry it with a touch of water and then proceed. No lumps but  friend had your issues. I no longer have to zoom over to her house before husband makes sharp comments. 

[patti]

4 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

@patti – your spinach Madeleine looks delicious.  What is that fantastic looking topping?

Thank you! The recipe called for bread crumbs, but I used some homemade croutons. Should’ve “crumbed” them in a consistent manner. (Rolling pin used to bash them in a ziplock. Needed more muscle power from me.)

 

Gorgonzola cheeseburger, crispy crowns.