Dinner 2022

[rotuts]

@Dante  

 

i did have to look up your soup :

 

chicken and almond ?

[liamsaunt]

We got too much haddock in Thursday's delivery to use up in the fish fry, so last night we finished it, roasted with olives, lemon zest and cherry tomatoes over angel hair pasta.

 

[heidih]

10 hours ago, Honkman said:

Pan seared cod with sauerkraut (cooked in apple juice with bay leafs, cloves, juniper and grated apples and finished with a little bit of cream) and mashed potatoes

That is a new combo to me. Imagine the cod holds up to the Kraut.

[Dejah]

Been trying to do spring cleaning, so slacking on posts but not on eating !

IP always a great help with coconut curry lamb shanks          

                                                                        

 

First time using prepared garlic sourdough pizza dough from a local bakery. Hubby had pepperoni and mushrooms on his half, and mine was vegetarian topped off with fresh radish sprouts from  same bakery. They also stock local beef and some unusual veg grown locally.         

 

                                                                      
 

Along with the sprouts, I also picked up a mix of 3 kinds of mushrooms: Lion 's Mane, Shitaki, and Black Pearl King.

 

                                                                      

 

Picked them up because the Lion's Mane looked interesting. Have never seen them before. I didn't know how to cook it even after googling, so I just tossed them all into a pan with butter. I think the Lion 's Mane was too small to do much with by itself.  Even tho' I trimmed most of the stalk, what was  left was still fibrous. Fresh was pretty - cooked looked like cauliflower. LOL! Would appreciate any in sight on how to use the  Lion 's Mane.

 

A friend's s-i-l just return ed  from Algeria, and brought back some amazing ground cumin. Did a stir-fry beef and the kitchen smelled delicious! Had the mushroom  medley as side.

                                                                     

Last night, stuffed chicken thighs  with ground pork, shrimp, shitaki mushrooms, and waterchestnut. Left the skin on, coated with Panko crumbs, and drizzled with olive oil. Air fryer for 20 minutes. This was easier than stuffing chicken wings after a day of shampooing carpets !

                                                                   

                                                                           

[Kim Shook]

@Shelby - Thank you for being kind about my mostly purchased meal! 😁

 

@Margaret Pilgrim – I think if I had access to that store, Stouffers wouldn’t be selling me meatloaf any longer.  Also, your cheese steak looks amazing.

 

Jessica has suggested that we (I 😄) try at least one new recipe a week.  I have hundreds of books and magazines around the house, and she suggested that we (I 😄) start working through them.  Last night, I did our main course and dessert from an old Taste of Home magazine (December 1999).  I was thinking of @David Ross the whole time I was cooking.  He liked TOH and was so pleased when he was published in the magazine.  Both recipes were successful!  The main was a creamy seafood pasta dish that included shrimp, bay scallops, and surimi:

 

 

It was really good and easy and definitely a keeper.  Served with some roasted pencil thin asparagus that Mr. Kim and Jessica enjoyed very much:

 

 

Dessert was a creamy layered chocolate thing:

 

Quite good, too. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

@Kim Shook  "I think if I had access to that store, Stouffers wouldn’t be selling me meatloaf any longer."

 

Husband phrased it this way after my final meatloaf, some decade ago, "Don't quit your day job.   Go to Bryan's"

 

[Duvel]

I never had meatloaf - what is the problem with homemade versions, that everyone seem to favour the commercial ones ?

[Margaret Pilgrim]

29 minutes ago, Duvel said:

...what is the problem with homemade versions, that everyone seem to favour the commercial ones ?

Everything from texture to flavor.    You should use a  blend of meat (beef, pork and veal), use panade, herbs and other seasoning judiciously.     It's not that anyone's homemade meatloaf is bad, but rather that various commercial/butcher blends hit all the right notes for various people.

 

(I actually quite like mine, but I'm not the final judge.)

Edited March 19, 2022 by Margaret Pilgrim (log)

[Honkman]

2 hours ago, heidih said:

Imagine the cod holds up to the Kraut.

I see it as seafood often needs some acidity - sauerkraut can give the acidity but as it is cooked in apple juice it isn’t overly sour and doesn’t overwhelms the fish

[Annie_H]

2 hours ago, Duvel said:

I never had meatloaf - what is the problem with homemade versions, that everyone seem to favour the commercial ones ?

I don't make meatloaf often---maybe every other year. I more often make meatballs. Seems globally minced meat is in so many forms. So I'm guessing you have had 'meatloaf' but in a patty or kafta...I think of it as a seasoned loaf or patty mince with egg, spices, veg, I use lots of reconstituted dried mushrooms...bread crumbs. Spiced. 

It is a southern next day sandwich on bread, sliced meat patty from a loaf. Mostly comfort food. 

If a fantastic commercially made meatloaf is 'in the neighborhood'...it is worth a 'take-out'. I prefer my own. I like a heavy veg and mushroom meatloaf. 

Canada has a holiday mince pie very similar. 

My last small pan I used shiratcha when baking. Instead of ketchup that I do not stock. 

So no, not all go for commercial. I like my own. 

In mini loaf pans. 

[kayb]

22 hours ago, Duvel said:

I never had meatloaf - what is the problem with homemade versions, that everyone seem to favour the commercial ones ?

I can give you a quick primer:

 

Equal portions ground beef, pork, veal.

Panade. My preference is four slices white grocery store loaf bread, crusts removed, torn into pieces, put in a bowl and covered with just enough milk you can see it; push bread down into milk and let it sit a bit.  Squeeze excess milk out of bread, and add bread to meat in a big bowl. 
Two eggs. Just crack them into the bowl.

Seasonings. Here folks differ. I go with a seasoned salt blend, freshly ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika (the Hungarian variety) and a shot of Worcestershire, and a good dose of ketchup. Many people prefer minced garlic, chopped onion, and even the dreaded Green Bell Peppers. I don’t. Add the seasonings you prefer.

Mix. Here, again, people differ. I dive into it with clean hands, sans rings, and massage everything together well, about five minutes’ worth. This will result in a fairly dense loaf, the best kind for sandwiches, which is the highest and best use of meat loaf. Others prefer a looser loaf, so they may just combine ingredients gently with a couple of forks.

Put into a loaf pan — I pack mine in, because again, I want a dense loaf. YMMV. Top with a thin coat of ketchup.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, then crank up to 450 for the final 15 minutes. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.

A variation I like a lot involves going up to the putting in the pan step. Then, on a sheet of parchment paper, line up strips of raw bacon side by side to the length of your loaf pan. Cut the rest of the bacon up and brown and drain it. Dump the ground beef mix onto the bacon, and pat it out into a rectangle the size of the bacon. Coat it thinly with your favorite barbecue sauce, and sprinkle the browned bacon over. Using the parchment, roll it up into a loaf shape and ease it into your pan. Top with more bbq sauce. Either bake as above, or, preferably, chill it for two or three hours and then turn it out onto a foil-lined grate on your grill or smoker. Ahhhh!

 

The meat loaf sandwich involves a hefty slab or yesterday’s meat loaf, a thick spread of mayo on sturdy bread, and some sort of good melty cheese (Brie is wonderful). Toast the meat and bread on one slice, slather the other slice with more mayo, and gather half a roll of paper towels.

Edited March 20, 2022 by kayb (log)

[chromedome]

4 hours ago, Duvel said:

I never had meatloaf - what is the problem with homemade versions, that everyone seem to favour the commercial ones ?

My GF's version, God love her, is lean ground beef mixed with dry onion soup (and nothing else!) and then topped with ketchup as a sauce. It bakes to a dry brick.

I made her a more conventional meatloaf the first year we were together, following the classic pattern, and she only ate a few bites. She likes hers better.

[Kim Shook]

4 hours ago, Duvel said:

I never had meatloaf - what is the problem with homemade versions, that everyone seem to favour the commercial ones ?

I can't speak for others, but mine (no matter what recipe/method I use) tends to make a really good base for Bolognese.  It just refuses to hold together.  

[Shelby]

4 hours ago, Duvel said:

I never had meatloaf - what is the problem with homemade versions, that everyone seem to favour the commercial ones ?

Mine is similar to Kay's.

 

Venison burger...at times I used some venison burger mixed with ground pork.

Panade =same as Kay's 

2 eggs

Lawry's salt, lots of black pepper, package of Lipton's Onion Soup mix (it's a dry soup mix, garlic powder, healthy dose of Worcestershire, couple squirts of ketchup

Mix with my hands

Squish into a bread pan that's been sprayed with Pam

Top with a mixture of ketchup, mustard and brown sugar

Bake at 350F for about 30 mins then broil until the top gets a little more done.

 

At times I'll separate the meat in half and put a layer of shredded cheddar in.  

[Margaret Pilgrim]

We seldom have meatloaf at home, but sending a pound of Bryan's raw mix to the country with husband when he is doing a solo trip insures him a fool-proof first dinner, leftovers for lunch.  Easy-peasy, everybody happy.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

4 hours ago, Honkman said:

I see it as seafood often needs some acidity - sauerkraut can give the acidity but as it is cooked in apple juice it isn’t overly sour and doesn’t overwhelms the fish

 

Seafood choucroute is a classic.   Like yours, shellfish added, served with beurre blanc. 

[Kerala]

Fish molly.

[Tropicalsenior]

3 hours ago, kayb said:

can give you a quick primer:

This is pretty much how I make my meatloaf and I agree, mix it well and pack it tight for a good solid loaf. About the only thing that I do differently is add homemade Italian seasoning. I can't use onions or garlic so I have to go a little heavier on other seasonings. This is my favorite way to use leftover meatloaf. You have to have good thick slice of homemade bread and plenty of good homemade gravy. Served it with broccoli

and a green salad with homemade cottage cheese, tomato, and cucumber with homemade Russian dressing.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I have been craving coleslaw.  I thought to patronize Shoprite tonight on my way home from work, but when it came time I was not feeling up to the adventure.  Surprisingly amazon was still offering same day delivery when I checked with them on line.  Plus, amazon had arctic char on offer!  Dinner plans were broiled arctic char and coleslaw.  Perhaps with a lovely baked potato.  And a lemon wedge or two.

 

I worried when I was notified one or more of my items were unavailable.  When the order arrived there was no cabbage.  But that's OK, there was no arctic char as well.  I respect anyone who gets food to me in the middle of a thunderstorm.

 

Dinner is shaping up as canned tuna, anova air fried Alexia Yukon gold potatoes, plus a spot of organic greenery.  Or, dinner could simply be more rum and almonds.  I don't have to get up tomorrow.

 

 

[MetsFan5]

When my mom served meatloaf which was not often my dog got all of mine. 
 

Has anyone seen “The Wedding Crashers”? MA MEATLOAF NOW. 

Edited March 20, 2022 by MetsFan5 (log)

[weinoo]

I've never bought a commercial meatloaf mix, and when I do make the occasional meatloaf, it's free form, not in a loaf pan. Get more crusty stuff that way.

[rotuts]

freeform

 

ground turkey

 

bacon on the top

 

turkey gravy 

 

mashed potatoes

Edited March 20, 2022 by rotuts (log)

[Ann_T]

Never cared for meatloaf until many years ago when I had it in the Magnolia restaurant in Charlotte SC.  

 

Up until then I wouldn't eat any meatloaf because they were always either coated in ketchup, tomato sauce or bbq sauce, none of which appealed to me. 

 

Magnolias was a veal based meatloaf  served with a gravy and the meatloaf was grilled before serving.

I came home from that vacation and recreated their meatloaf.  Haven't made it recently.  Need to do that soon. 

 

I would be happy to try  Kim's meatloaf  since it is smothered in gravy. No ketchup in sight. 

[liamsaunt]

Last night was pizza and a movie night.  Carbonara at my niece's request

 

 

Everyone else wanted plain.  

 

 

Movie: Avengers Endgame.  We are supposed to be watching all of the Oscar nominated films, but have now seen everything except a couple of the documentaries and one of the international nominees, and it was my niece's pick.  She rebelled at the idea of watching a documentary on a Saturday night 🤣

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Fireplace lamb