Dinner 2021

[Shelby]

Thanks again to @pattifor introducing me to tea leaf salad.  I wanted to make this when I had good tomatoes-- so last night was the night.  

 

 

Ronnie grilled some chicken breasts--hard eggs and cheese toasties to go with.

 

 

 

[Dante]

On 10/12/2021 at 6:25 AM, ambra said:

Looks amazing! Do you have a recipe you can share? 

 

Thank you!

 

It's really easy

 

Saute up a diced onion, 2 diced stalks of celery, two diced poblanos, and a clove of minced garlic. Add a teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander, a teaspoon of oregano, and some cayenne to taste.

Add a pound of ground meat, cook until thoroughly browned.

Add two cans of white beans and a can of hominy

 

Let cook about ten minutes

 

Finish with a half cup Greek yoghurt

 

Garnish with lime wedges and fresh cilantro.

[Duvel]

A critical review of the content of my fridge yielded a (slightly too) small steak, that needed augmentation …

 

 

Sweetcorn with herb butter …

 

 

Oven potatoes …

 

 

And the slightly unusual side dish of Maultaschen with roasted onion. Because it was there …

 

[Dante]

Chopped Cheese sandwich with smashed potatoes on the side

[shain]

Cold sushi rice, stir fried champignons, wood ear, shiitake, marinated tofu, wakame, kombu, some cucumber. Sesame oil, a bit of soy sauce, some ginger juice, garlic, chili. Eggs.

Warm baked eggplants with a lightly sweet glaze of miso, ginger, a little garlic.

 

 

[Kim Shook]

@Duvel – I think you missed a question that I asked back a bit.  I was very interested in the Maultaschen that you posted on October 2 and I asked if you had a recipe that you liked.  You didn’t respond, but then on your latest post you made it😁!  Can I please have your recipe? 

 

@mgaretz – I'm glad to see that it looks like you are feeling better now.  That meatloaf looked fabulous – what a great crust.  But if you have to eat soft food, you make great looking tuna and egg salads! 

 

@liuzhou – I’m sorry to hear about your wrist.  A lot of trouble for someone living alone!  Hope it heals quickly and cleanly!

 

@RWood – caramelized onions, Gorgonzola, pear and arugula is probably my favorite pizza ever.  I was introduced to it (with the addition of hazelnuts) by California Pizza Kitchen many years ago and it was my go-to pizza there until they discontinued it.  I need to try making pizza again so I can make my own.  Thanks for stirring a wonderful memory!

 

@Shelby – oh, dear.  Those tomatoes.  We are not getting those lovelies right now.  Even if I go to the farmer’s market and get the heirlooms. I would seriously have whole meals of those if I could get them.  I always have to laugh at the people who don’t get the peeled tomatoes.  My Tennessee farm raised grandmother would have thought I’d turned into the most shiftless, lazy girl in the world if I stopped peeling tomatoes😄.  And I cook every meal with her over my shoulder gently, but firmly, guiding me❤️. 

 

@Ann_T – I’m now craving a turkey dinner.  Time to start haunting the grocery stores for turkey necks so I can make my stock/gravy.  Can you please give me a link to your dressing?  It looks perfect.

 

@Dante – “chopped cheese sandwich”?  I’m intrigued.  Can you elaborate, please?

 

Sorry for the long post.  I have been MIA preparing for house guests, working with Jessica to get her apartment move out ready and having said house guests.  We had some Florida friends here to stay from last Wednesday until Monday morning.  During their last visit in July, we took them to Beauvine, a fantastic burger place.  They asked if we minded going again!  Nice to know they really liked it!  We started with pickled vegetables and onion rings:

 

 

My burger:

The burgers are great, but look basically alike, so no more pictures.

 

On Thursday our friends’ niece and nephew came through town so they had dinner with them.  Mr. Kim, Jessica and I went to Jessica’s favorite Thai place, Chadar Thai.  We shared shrimp tempura:

 

Thai dumplings:

 

 

Crying Tiger:

 

I had the Shrimp-Pineapple fried rice:

 

Mr. Kim had the Red Curry:

 

Jessica had the Massamun curry:

 

 

We had a lovely dinner out at Shagbark, one of our top 3 favorite Richmond restaurants on Friday.  Bread service:

From the top: corn muffins w/ ancho chile, whole grain with olives and walnuts, and yeast rolls with Old Bay.

 

Appetizers included Crispy Chesapeake Bay CHICKEN-FRIED OYSTERS buttermilk johnny cake / grilled Swiss chard / Tasso ham / Tabasco butter:

 

Edwards Surryano Ham-Wrapped BLACK MISSION FIGS Meadow Creek Grayson / griddled brioche / frisée / roasted peppers / hazelnut / concord grape glacé:

Maybe the most unsettling dish in Richmond.  It seriously looked like a plate of testicles.  Really delicious, though. 

 

Beet and arugula salad:

 

One of our friends had the Up-South SHRIMP & Anson Mills Carolina Gold GRITS andouille sausage / aged white cheddar / heirloom tomatoes / Hanover okra crispy potato gaufrette / blackened tomato sauce:

 

The other had the Cast Iron-Seared DUCK BREAST * Wehani rice / amFOG shiitake mushrooms / oven-cured tomatoes / roasted fennel orange gastrique:

 

I had the Patio Thyme-Roasted ICELANDIC COD FILET Manakintowne Farms leeks / Florida rock shrimp / sweet corn baby spinach / parmesan risotto / champagne-citrus butter:

 

Mr. Kim had the Pan-Seared ATLANTIC SALMON sweet and spicy tomato marmalade / baby spinach / Silver King corn and bacon succotash herbed potato cake / lemon beurre blanc:

 

For dessert we had sticky toffee puddings (brown sugar toffee sauce / bourbon gelato / oat streusel) and pistachio crème brulee (roasted figs / cardamon & mascarpone mousse):

 

(Bad pictures – it was getting very dark, and we were sitting outside).  Everything was incredible.

 

On Saturday Jessica made dinner – fish/shrimp tacos with all the fixings:

It was just frozen fish and shrimp.  The fish is from Costco and surprisingly good (even Mr. Kim the former fishsticks on Friday RC kid likes them).  The shrimp was so bad that I’ve written a complaint to the company.

 

Napa with Jessica’s white sauce, limes, cotija, pickled shallots, and toasted dried ramen noodles:

 

Jessica’s white sauce (Tangy Southwest Slaw Sauce), sour cream, and cilantro:

 

Napa, cilantro, and tomato salad with Jessica’s Honey-Lime Salad dressing:

 

Jessica’s street corn:

 

Flautas made with Mr. Kim’s BBQ, pimento cheese, and pickled shallots:

 

Our table:

 

Sunday’s dinner was the picanha cook-off between Mr. Kim and me.  He smoked his and I SV’d mine.  His:

 

 

Mine:

 

129F for 4 hours, then seared in an iron skillet.

 

It was a draw.  No one had a preference.  They were both excellent and something we’ll do again.  I made horseradish sauce to go with mine, which was great, but I wish I’d done some beef gravy, too.  Served with Jessica’s street corn, Marlene’s Crispy Smashed Potatoes, IP pintos, and a crusty baguette:

 

 

 

 

Plate:

 

We ended up with a LOT of leftover food from our friend’s visit.  We noticed an odd thing last time they were here.  They acted really funny about my cooking.  Everything that I did they deemed “too much” or “too fancy”.  They’ve never done that before.  As a matter of fact, they are folks that I’ve always enjoyed cooking for because they love food like we do, and we’ve always enjoyed talking food and eating together.  Last time they objected to everything from the dishes I wanted to use (too fancy) to putting sauces in bowls for the table (unnecessary) to the number of vegetables in the Beef Chow Fun (too much).  So, this time I very much limited food prep done while they were here.  Before they got here, I did bacon, sausage, and IP eggs.  I made tuna salad and olive and cream cheese spread and had rolls, breads, cheeses, cold cuts, chips, and fruits on hand.  We had planned a couple of lunches out together (we got them to pick from a list) and let them know all of that prepared stuff was available and also offered it at the appropriate times.  Jess cooked one dinner and Mr. Kim and I shared responsibilities for the other dinner and that seemed not to bother them too much.  The SV was pretty much hands off, as were the IP pintos and the potatoes were mostly prepared ahead of time.  It WAS disappointing and kind of exhausting trying to figure out what would bother them and what wouldn’t – especially since this is such a new attitude. 

 

Edited October 13, 2021 by Kim Shook (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

50 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

this is such a new attitude.

Is it possible that they feel that they can't possibly reciprocate?

[Norm Matthews]

Last month,  a store here had whole briskets for sale @ 5.99/ lb.  I got one to cut it into 5 smaller roasts and put them in the freezer.  Today one of them was our dinner. It was braised in beer with root vegetables.  I forgot to take a picture of it before we ate.  These are leftovers.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

@Kim Shook   Is there a process for getting on your houseguest list?    I promise we will sit back and let you do everything your way.    It all looks fabulous to us.    I'll wash up if you're comfortable with that.    Or not...

[heidih]

@Kim Shooklovely meals. Your food and Jessica's as always appealing. The restaurant meals particularly inspiring n that "hhmm maybe I could try that" way. As for the different friend attitude - even though you have a longstanding relationship sometimes  people get this I can't equally reciprocate.  Pandemic has skewed some people's outlook. Thank you so much for sharing the details of your food.

[btbyrd]

Grilled Chilean sea bass with green curry sauce, coconut sesame rice, ginger green beans, spicy carrots, zucchini ribbons, and grilled tomatoes.

 

 

Could have been neater. Tasted good though.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

More print and frame art.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Wu's Special...   ground pork, bok choy, egg, oyster sauce, srirachi drizzle

[MaryIsobel]

3 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

@Duvel – I think you missed a question that I asked back a bit.  I was very interested in the Maultaschen that you posted on October 2 and I asked if you had a recipe that you liked.  You didn’t respond, but then on your latest post you made it😁!  Can I please have your recipe? 

 

@mgaretz – I'm glad to see that it looks like you are feeling better now.  That meatloaf looked fabulous – what a great crust.  But if you have to eat soft food, you make great looking tuna and egg salads! 

 

@liuzhou – I’m sorry to hear about your wrist.  A lot of trouble for someone living alone!  Hope it heals quickly and cleanly!

 

@RWood – caramelized onions, Gorgonzola, pear and arugula is probably my favorite pizza ever.  I was introduced to it (with the addition of hazelnuts) by California Pizza Kitchen many years ago and it was my go-to pizza there until they discontinued it.  I need to try making pizza again so I can make my own.  Thanks for stirring a wonderful memory!

 

@Shelby – oh, dear.  Those tomatoes.  We are not getting those lovelies right now.  Even if I go to the farmer’s market and get the heirlooms. I would seriously have whole meals of those if I could get them.  I always have to laugh at the people who don’t get the peeled tomatoes.  My Tennessee farm raised grandmother would have thought I’d turned into the most shiftless, lazy girl in the world if I stopped peeling tomatoes😄.  And I cook every meal with her over my shoulder gently, but firmly, guiding me❤️. 

 

@Ann_T – I’m now craving a turkey dinner.  Time to start haunting the grocery stores for turkey necks so I can make my stock/gravy.  Can you please give me a link to your dressing?  It looks perfect.

 

@Dante – “chopped cheese sandwich”?  I’m intrigued.  Can you elaborate, please?

 

Sorry for the long post.  I have been MIA preparing for house guests, working with Jessica to get her apartment move out ready and having said house guests.  We had some Florida friends here to stay from last Wednesday until Monday morning.  During their last visit in July, we took them to Beauvine, a fantastic burger place.  They asked if we minded going again!  Nice to know they really liked it!  We started with pickled vegetables and onion rings:

 

 

My burger:

The burgers are great, but look basically alike, so no more pictures.

 

On Thursday our friends’ niece and nephew came through town so they had dinner with them.  Mr. Kim, Jessica and I went to Jessica’s favorite Thai place, Chadar Thai.  We shared shrimp tempura:

 

Thai dumplings:

 

 

Crying Tiger:

 

I had the Shrimp-Pineapple fried rice:

 

Mr. Kim had the Red Curry:

 

Jessica had the Massamun curry:

 

 

We had a lovely dinner out at Shagbark, one of our top 3 favorite Richmond restaurants on Friday.  Bread service:

From the top: corn muffins w/ ancho chile, whole grain with olives and walnuts, and yeast rolls with Old Bay.

 

Appetizers included Crispy Chesapeake Bay CHICKEN-FRIED OYSTERS buttermilk johnny cake / grilled Swiss chard / Tasso ham / Tabasco butter:

 

Edwards Surryano Ham-Wrapped BLACK MISSION FIGS Meadow Creek Grayson / griddled brioche / frisée / roasted peppers / hazelnut / concord grape glacé:

Maybe the most unsettling dish in Richmond.  It seriously looked like a plate of testicles.  Really delicious, though. 

 

Beet and arugula salad:

 

One of our friends had the Up-South SHRIMP & Anson Mills Carolina Gold GRITS andouille sausage / aged white cheddar / heirloom tomatoes / Hanover okra crispy potato gaufrette / blackened tomato sauce:

 

The other had the Cast Iron-Seared DUCK BREAST * Wehani rice / amFOG shiitake mushrooms / oven-cured tomatoes / roasted fennel orange gastrique:

 

I had the Patio Thyme-Roasted ICELANDIC COD FILET Manakintowne Farms leeks / Florida rock shrimp / sweet corn baby spinach / parmesan risotto / champagne-citrus butter:

 

Mr. Kim had the Pan-Seared ATLANTIC SALMON sweet and spicy tomato marmalade / baby spinach / Silver King corn and bacon succotash herbed potato cake / lemon beurre blanc:

 

For dessert we had sticky toffee puddings (brown sugar toffee sauce / bourbon gelato / oat streusel) and pistachio crème brulee (roasted figs / cardamon & mascarpone mousse):

 

(Bad pictures – it was getting very dark, and we were sitting outside).  Everything was incredible.

 

On Saturday Jessica made dinner – fish/shrimp tacos with all the fixings:

It was just frozen fish and shrimp.  The fish is from Costco and surprisingly good (even Mr. Kim the former fishsticks on Friday RC kid likes them).  The shrimp was so bad that I’ve written a complaint to the company.

 

Napa with Jessica’s white sauce, limes, cotija, pickled shallots, and toasted dried ramen noodles:

 

Jessica’s white sauce (Tangy Southwest Slaw Sauce), sour cream, and cilantro:

 

Napa, cilantro, and tomato salad with Jessica’s Honey-Lime Salad dressing:

 

Jessica’s street corn:

 

Flautas made with Mr. Kim’s BBQ, pimento cheese, and pickled shallots:

 

Our table:

 

Sunday’s dinner was the picanha cook-off between Mr. Kim and me.  He smoked his and I SV’d mine.  His:

 

 

Mine:

 

129F for 4 hours, then seared in an iron skillet.

 

It was a draw.  No one had a preference.  They were both excellent and something we’ll do again.  I made horseradish sauce to go with mine, which was great, but I wish I’d done some beef gravy, too.  Served with Jessica’s street corn, Marlene’s Crispy Smashed Potatoes, IP pintos, and a crusty baguette:

 

 

 

 

Plate:

 

We ended up with a LOT of leftover food from our friend’s visit.  We noticed an odd thing last time they were here.  They acted really funny about my cooking.  Everything that I did they deemed “too much” or “too fancy”.  They’ve never done that before.  As a matter of fact, they are folks that I’ve always enjoyed cooking for because they love food like we do, and we’ve always enjoyed talking food and eating together.  Last time they objected to everything from the dishes I wanted to use (too fancy) to putting sauces in bowls for the table (unnecessary) to the number of vegetables in the Beef Chow Fun (too much).  So, this time I very much limited food prep done while they were here.  Before they got here, I did bacon, sausage, and IP eggs.  I made tuna salad and olive and cream cheese spread and had rolls, breads, cheeses, cold cuts, chips, and fruits on hand.  We had planned a couple of lunches out together (we got them to pick from a list) and let them know all of that prepared stuff was available and also offered it at the appropriate times.  Jess cooked one dinner and Mr. Kim and I shared responsibilities for the other dinner and that seemed not to bother them too much.  The SV was pretty much hands off, as were the IP pintos and the potatoes were mostly prepared ahead of time.  It WAS disappointing and kind of exhausting trying to figure out what would bother them and what wouldn’t – especially since this is such a new attitude. 

 

I understand your frustration. I am the family matriarch now, not due to just my age, but also the fact that I host all large family gatherings. One of my sisters is great and tells me "I am your servant for the night." The other never fails to make a "Martha Stewart" remark in regard to a table setting or a centerpiece or any other little extras that I do.

 

[Ann_T]

@Shelby, love your serving dish.

 

3 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

@Ann_T – I’m now craving a turkey dinner.  Time to start haunting the grocery stores for turkey necks so I can make my stock/gravy.  Can you please give me a link to your dressing?  It looks perfect.

 @Kim Shook, I just realized that I've never actually posted the dressing recipe on the blog.  It is just a traditional bread dressing with onions and celery sauted in butter,  then simmered in chicken broth, seasoned with salt, pepper and rubbed sage.  Tossed with bread cubes (I cut the bread up the day before and leave to dry overnight.  Add some chopped parsley and add a little more chicken broth if needed to make the dressing moist.  I bake in a casserole rather than in the turkey.  

 

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by Ann_T (log)

[heidih]

2 hours ago, btbyrd said:

Grilled Chilean sea bass with green curry sauce, coconut sesame rice, ginger green beans, spicy carrots, zucchini ribbons, and grilled tomatoes.

 

 

Could have been neater. Tasted good though.

Coconut rice via coconut milk is comfort food for me - but what form was the sesame in?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

 

NY Times crisp-braised duck leg with aromatic vegetables.  The stuff in the upper left is Massa Organics California brown rice -- fallout from the most recent Rancho Gordo Bean Club shipment.

 

For decades I've been saying I don't care for brown rice, but the Massa Organics was wonderful.  Truly good.  I might even call it nutty.  I am not too proud to admit when I am wrong.

 

The problem is my Zojirushi makes a minimum of two go of brown rice at a time, most of a pound bag.  Half a go would constitute a generous portion for my dinner.  What to do with a mountain of leftover brown rice?

 

[mgaretz]

14 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

What to do with a mountain of leftover brown rice?

 

I don't typically make brown rice but I frequently vacuum pack and freeze leftover rice.  Reheats easily in the microwave, boiling in the bag etc.

[mgaretz]

6 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

@mgaretz – I'm glad to see that it looks like you are feeling better now.  That meatloaf looked fabulous – what a great crust.  But if you have to eat soft food, you make great looking tuna and egg salads! 

 

Thanks Kim.  It's not that I was feeling bad, just following the dentist's orders.

[mgaretz]

Really loving the thick pork loin chops on the NFG.  I just put them on plain and they taste the best that way (salt and pepper after).  Also cooked some squash and for the first time, carrots.  Squash was in for about 1/2 the cook, carrots the whole time, but probably should have also been about half.  They were yummy though.  This thing cooks fast!  Around 17 minutes for this 1.5" thick chop including pre-heat time.

 

 

[liamsaunt]

Coconut curry haddock with spinach and cherry tomatoes

 

[Duvel]

14 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

 

@Duvel – I think you missed a question that I asked back a bit.  I was very interested in the Maultaschen that you posted on October 2 and I asked if you had a recipe that you liked.  You didn’t respond, but then on your latest post you made it😁!  Can I please have your recipe? 

 

Yes, my bad. So sorry !

 

It’s not really a recipe, more of a general description:

 

You’ll need fresh pasta dough. Traditionally, a mix of wheat flour and semolina is used, with only eggs, a pinch of salt and a dash of vinegar (god knows what that does). It should be a rather stiff dough. These days I usually use only wheat flour, or I just buy the fresh dough. Fresh lasagna sheets are completely fine as well. Roll out to be just a tad thicker than you would make for lasagna.

 

The filling is sausage meat or minced meat (veal traditionally, I use usually pork though). The latter I’d season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg, and maybe some oregano. The former should be fine as is. It should be well seasoned.
For 500 g of meat you add 1 onion (finely chopped and softened, but not colored in butter), 1 large egg, about 50 g of breadcrumbs, 2 Tbsp of milk and maybe 100 g of a boiled leafy green, finely chopped. Spinach most often, but swiss chard works great, too. Or whtever you have. Plus some finely chopped parsley. Mix all very well and adjust the seasoning, if necessary (more salt, pepper, nutmeg).

 

You cut your dough in rectangles, and place some filling on top of it in the form of a smaller rectangle. Moisten the edges that seal the Maultasche with egg or water. Then fold to have at least three layers (traditional) or roll the dough up and flatten at the end. Do not make them too thick …

 

 

The resulting Maultaschen will be cooked in barely simmering stock (I like beef) for 10-15 min. After that, you either serve in the stock as a kind of soup with Maultaschen, or you remove, briefly fry in butter and top with butter-caramelized onions (or if you are lazy like me put some roasted onions on top) …

 

 

Enjoy !

Edited October 14, 2021 by Duvel (log)

[Shelby]

15 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

My Tennessee farm raised grandmother would have thought I’d turned into the most shiftless, lazy girl in the world if I stopped peeling tomatoes😄.  And I cook every meal with her over my shoulder gently, but firmly, guiding me❤️. 

It must be a southern thing.  My very southern Texas raised Grammy--and her mother my Great Grandma Susie--ALWAYS peeled their tomatoes as does my Mother and then down to me.  I do not care for tomato skin.  It gets in the way of the delicious tomato meat!  It's good to have another person around here that is TEAM NO SKIN lol.

 

@DuvelThank you for the recipe for the Maultaschen.  It sounds so good.  I wish I could just pop out and get some fresh pasta dough.  I'm going to have to suck it up and just make some so I can make this!

 

Last trip to the lake this year happened yesterday.  It's now time to do the heavy duck blind work.  Lots of catfish were caught along with a couple of white bass.

 

 

😁  look!  More tomatoes

 

 

I fried the bass

 

 

 

 

[liuzhou]

Just for the record, in sauces or similar, I always peel the tomatoes. Even cherry tomatoes.

 

[Ann_T]

 

Made Moe a Spot Prawn salad for dinner.