Dinner 2020

[Ann_T]

On 1/9/2020 at 7:42 AM, Okanagancook said:

@Ann_T  Your pizza crust is just out of this world.  I have the recipe.

Do you make it quite thin before toppings go on?  I see the edges are nice and thick which is my favourite.  What temperature do you cook them at?  Now I am craving pizza.😍

 

@Okanagancook, yes the pizza is very thin, until you get to the rim.  Which is my favourite part of the pizza too.   I think you can see from the side of the cut piece that the pizza is probably between an 1/8th and a 1/4" thick.

 

I line my grill with stones and preheat.  Temperature gets up to about 700°F .  I turn the two burners directly under the pizza off when it goes on to the stone and the temperature maintains between 575 and 600°F. 

Edited January 13, 2020 by Ann_T (log)

[Okanagancook]

Thanks, sounds like I should use my Big Green Egg and the stone that it comes with. 

[liamsaunt]

My husband hates going to the grocery store for me also.  He claims he cannot find anything on the list.  He will happily accompany me if I ask him to, but then he wanders off and I have to go looking for him.  He usually turns up in the cheese section or the wine section 🙂  It's OK, he does all of the laundry, which I hate to do, so the chore breakdown works out perfectly. 

[TicTac]

46 minutes ago, liamsaunt said:

My husband hates going to the grocery store for me also.  He claims he cannot find anything on the list.  He will happily accompany me if I ask him to, but then he wanders off and I have to go looking for him.  He usually turns up in the cheese section or the wine section 🙂  It's OK, he does all of the laundry, which I hate to do, so the chore breakdown works out perfectly. 

It's funny how couples split things up...

 

Total opposite in my house - I do all of the cooking (and shopping - what cook would let someone else shop for them!?) and my wife handles all of the cleaning and laundry.

 

 

 

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

We mostly shop together.   I do all the cooking, washing up, laundry.    Most of the housecleaning.

He fixes stuff:   Washers, dryers, dishwashers, broken appliances, gardening, garbage in and out, his breakfasts and lunches (as long as I keep a supply of instant throw togethers in fridge and cupboard; leftovers a blessing.).   

 

ETA cell phones have probably saved more marriages than counselors as one spouse calls the other one who is "lost" in the supermarket or flea market or,..

Edited January 9, 2020 by Margaret Pilgrim (log)

[Kim Shook]

We had my FIL and his wife over to celebrate her birthday.  We started with spiced nuts, olives, crackers, and Boursin:

 

Mr. Kim smoked a couple of chickens with a very unusual method.  We love the flavor of smoked chicken, but not the skin – it ends up tough and flabby.  He found a recipe called “Hot and Fast Chicken”, which is essentially quickly smoked/grilled chicken.  It ends up juicy and tender with a subtle smokiness and delicious skin – not completely crisp, but not flabby either.  Off the smoker:

 

 

Served with a broccoli/orzo casserole:

 

And salad greens with a lemon vinaigrette and homemade croutons:

 

Black eyed peas:

 

Cheese rolls from Wegman’s:

 

And a cake-mix fix up chocolate bundt cake:

 

Which I thought was just ok – a little tough and heavy textured – but was a huge success at Jessica’s office the next day. 

 

Unfortunately, the chicken and the broccoli casserole where not eaten at their best.  We invited them for 6pm, intending to eat at 6:30.  When Mr. Kim called them at 6:15, they were still at home and had obviously forgotten completely.  When they finally got here and dinner was served, the casserole was a bit mushy (but tasted good) and the chicken had been reheated TWICE!  But the chicken was still incredibly good.  I can’t wait for him to do it again, so we can have it immediately!

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by Kim Shook
I have no idea why part of the text is blue and underlined. And I can't change it. (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

@Kim Shook   Lucky FIL's wife!    Want that dinner,    And love your "Moon and Stars" bowl.

[Kim Shook]

15 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

@Kim Shook   Lucky FIL's wife!    Want that dinner,    And love your "Moon and Stars" bowl.

Thank you!  She's a dear - the best MIL and grandma!  And Mr. Kim's chicken was fabulous.  I have both the regular bowl and the footed bowl of the "Moon and Stars" pattern.  They are family pieces and I seem to be the only one in the family that wants all that stuff.

[Ann_T]

6 hours ago, TicTac said:

It's funny how couples split things up...

 

Total opposite in my house - I do all of the cooking (and shopping - what cook would let someone else shop for them!?

@TicTac, that is how I feel.  I do the cooking so I want to do all the grocery shopping.  In fact, I love grocery shopping.  Almost as much

as I enjoy cooking.    I shop on a daily basis.   On the days I work, I stop at one or two grocery stores on my way to work.

I've always grocery shopped this way.  Back when i was young and we lived in Toronto and I worked downtown, I would get off the subway

along a certain stretch of Yonge Street where I had butchers and seafood shops, small vegetable shops and bakeries, etc...  and I'd decide what

I felt like cooking that night by what appealed to me.      

[Norm Matthews]

I got some ribeye steaks and invited my sister over for her birthday and she was going to get back to me  about time, but she didn't so I cooked them tonight for the two of us.  They were really thick so I cooked them sous vide first.  We also had potato pancakes and buttered steamed asparagus.  At the last minute, Charlie asked for Mac&Cheese so the steak got put in the oven to keep warm and sat there for ten minutes longer than I planned.  I should know by now that he will always want that when we have steak.  I will remember next time.

Edited January 10, 2020 by Norm Matthews (log)

[robirdstx]

 

Grilled Chicken Thigh, Steamed Potatoes and Green Beans

 

[scubadoo97]

Repurposing left overs.  Smoked fish made into cakes and  blueberries blended with yesterday’s salad dressing

 

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Broccoli and Momo

 

Mississippi Roast, smashed marble potatoes, jus

[Ann_T]

Tonight's dinner. I got home just after 5:20 and we were eating by 6:30.

I presalted a small Sterling Silver top sirloin yesterday and roasted it at 450°F for 20 minutes. Took it out of the oven at an internal temperature of 120°F. Left it to rest while the potatoes finished cooking and the Yorkshires baked.

 

I love my Yorkshire Pudding recipe. It never fails me.

Served with mashed potatoes and buttered peas and a little horseradish on the side.

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Broccoli and Momo

 

Momo?

[Margaret Pilgrim]

36 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

Momo?

Momofuku faux ranch dressing.

[Katie Meadow]

10 hours ago, TicTac said:

It's funny how couples split things up...

 

Total opposite in my house - I do all of the cooking (and shopping - what cook would let someone else shop for them!?) 

 

 

 

 

Oh, that would be me. I do all the cooking, except for bread baking, and my husband does basically all the shopping. I plan several days ahead, and give him a very carefully composed list. We have a standard pre-printed list that includes most of what we typically buy plus blanks for additions. The printed list is designed by him (always helpful to have a graphic designer around the house!) which is organized by how he moves through the store. Shopping didn't use to bother me, but in the last few years I've come to dread supermarket shopping. In theory I think Berkeley Bowl is one of the best food markets ever, but in reality I find it claustrophobic. In the summer we both go to the farmers' market; how to gauge the ripeness of  tomatoes and stone fruit is his achilles heel. This division of labor would be more problematic without cell phones of course--for all the inane decision-making when something is out of stock or I'm requesting a mysterious or unusual ingredient.

[liuzhou]

11 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Momofuku faux ranch dressing.

 

The only momo I know in a culinary context are the Himalayan dumplings and I couldn't see any of them!

 

I have no experience of ranch dressing, 'faux' or 'vrai'.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

A4Box Swedish meatballs, recipe mostly Joy of Cooking:

 

 

 

...along with store-bought pickled herring, prepared mustard, rye crisp.  Horseradish grated and prepared by me.  Washed down with Duvel.  I thought the meatballs were excellent.  Hoping they will be so for a long, long time.  Recipe made 38, dinner was about half a dozen.

 

Chopped dill still in the refrigerator, totally forgotten.

 

 

 

[liuzhou]

This is not the prettiest dish, but is one of the tastiest I make, if I say so myself. Spicy, sweet and sour pork ribs. Pork ribs (chopped to bite sized pieces) are marinated for 24 hours in equal parts of dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and Zhenjiang* black vinegar, lightly sweetened with honey, with garlic, ginger, chilli powder and salt.

 

After marinating, the whole lot (pork and marinade) is covered with water and simmered for around 45 minutes, until the pork is falling off the bones and the sauce is thick and sticky. Finished with chopped scallions.

 

I served it with rice and a side of snow peas which I neglected to picture.

 

 

 

*This is what America calls "Chinkiang", a term unknown anywhere else! 😆

 

Edited January 11, 2020 by liuzhou (log)

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

This is not the prettiest dish, but is one of the tastiest I make, if I  say so myself. Spicy sweet and sour pork ribs. Pork ribs are marinated for 24 hours.in equal parts of dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and Zhenjiang* black vinegar, lightly sweetened with honey, with garlic, ginger, chilli powder and salt.

 

After marinating, the whole lot (pork and marinade) is covered with water and simmered for around 45 minutes, until the pork is falling off the bones and the sauce is thick and sticky. Finished with chopped scallions.

 

I served it with rice and a side of snow peas which I neglected to picture.

 

 

 

*This is what America calls "Chinkiang", a term unknown anywhere else! 😆

 

 

Is sweet soy sauce (commonly used in Malay/Thai/etc cooking) used in China?  I think it could work well in this dish, replacing the dark soy and honey.

[liuzhou]

11 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Is sweet soy sauce (commonly used in Malay/Thai/etc cooking) used in China?  I think it could work well in this dish, replacing the dark soy and honey.

 

Not usually. I can find it, but only in specialist stores.

 

Anyway, I prefer to control the sweetness of the sauce myself. I like it more on the sour side and sweet soy is too sweet for the result I prefer.

Edited January 10, 2020 by liuzhou (log)

[shain]

Persimmon salad, dressed with butter, and spices (turmeric, anise, paprika, coriander, cumin), lemon. Yogurt with cumin, mint and cilantro. Mint, chili.

Lachuch flat bread with avocado and egg salad, with tomatoes, onion, coriander, cumin, pickled chilies.

I later had some with yogurt and honey.

 

 

I was really happy to find a store selling lachuch (and really good ones!). They are not hard to make (I did so a few times before), and still, I'm happy to know have it always available  

For the unfamiliar - It's an elastic, tender bread, made of a thin yeasted dough, flavored with fenugreek. It's then effectively steamed in a wide pan. As the similarity suggests, it resembles an injera, but is not acidic and being made if wheat, it's more tender and sweet. It's commonly eaten with stews.

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

10 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

The only momo I know in a culinary context are the Himalayan dumplings and I couldn't see any of them!

 

I have no experience of ranch dressing, 'faux' or 'vrai'.

 

Hidden Valley brand made ranch dressing a US household staple, now available from virtually every dressing maker. 

David Chang at his Momofuku restaurant served this "homemade" ranch dressing with grilled pork shoulder steaks.     It's a useful fresh dressing for meats and vegetables.    

 

Chang's recipe =

1 cup kewpie mayonnaise

1/4 cup buttermilk

Half cup pickled ramps or half pickled pearl onions and half scallion greens, finally chopped

Juice of half a lemon or to taste

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. 
 

One need not use Kewpie brand mayonnaise.    And as noted, pickled cocktail onions make an excellent substitute for hard to find and expensive pickled ramps.

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

 

One need not use Kewpie brand mayonnaise.    And as noted, pickled cocktail onions make an excellent substitute for hard to find and expensive pickled ramps.

 

Well, thank you. I wouldn't use Kewpie  if you tortured me and threatened World War III. I make make own mayo thank you very much.

 

I know what ranch dressing is. I've just never eaten it or wanted to.