Dinner 2025

[Norm Matthews]

16 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Norm Matthews

 

I do spinach like that all the time.  easy and tasty .

 

that chicken looks delicious.

Thanks. It was good. Charlie suggested having it often.  I am going to start doing spinach that way from now on.  A little fat and garlic:  how could it not taste better?

[MaryIsobel]

I find that a bit of fat or dairy in spinach takes away the weird coating on your teeth.

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, MaryIsobel said:

I find that a bit of fat or dairy in spinach takes away the weird coating on your teeth.

 

I don't know about weird coating, but I always quickly fry spinach in home rendered lard (pig fat) but then that is the standard treatment for most greenery in China.

 

 

[Honkman]

Cod, Bacon and Beans Stew - red onion, garlic, bacon, cannellini beans, zucchini, thyme are braised in vegetable broth before cod is added for the last few minutes (was originally planned with monkfish but that seems impossible to get in the moment). Finished with some parsley

[liamsaunt]

Linguini with clams

 

[Norm Matthews]

Tonight was the night Charlie's friend came over for a crab boil.  Charlie and him have been friends since high school.  Charlie explained that the trash talking was not serious, it was just the way they kid around with each other.  He came over with his girlfriend and about noon he called to tell Charlie that his brother had flown in to Nebraska from Philly, bought a car and drove down to see him and he was coming with them.  He and a friend came but the friend was Muslim and could not eat any of the food because it was cooked with pork.  He ate some of my sourdough bread and some coleslaw. HIs brother didn't eat anything either.

[MaryIsobel]

1 hour ago, Norm Matthews said:

Tonight was the night Charlie's friend came over for a crab boil.  Charlie and him have been friends since high school.  Charlie explained that the trash talking was not serious, it was just the way they kid around with each other.  He came over with his girlfriend and about noon he called to tell Charlie that his brother had flown in to Nebraska from Philly, bought a car and drove down to see him and he was coming with them.  He and a friend came but the friend was Muslim and could not eat any of the food because it was cooked with pork.  He ate some of my sourdough bread and some coleslaw. HIs brother didn't eat anything either.

Wow - everthing looks amazing - well done Norm!

[Smithy]

Yes, Norm - it all looks wonderful! Too bad about the Muslim friends who couldn't partake.

[Honkman]

 

Pasta with Parsnip and Sausage - parsnip, onions, garlic and crumbled Italian sausages get sautéed before mixed with spaghetti, parsley, plenty of parmesan and pasta water to make a creamy sauce. Finished with more parmesan

 

[Norm Matthews]

13 hours ago, Smithy said:

Yes, Norm - it all looks wonderful! Too bad about the Muslim friends who couldn't partake.

I gave them some sourdough bread and butter and  coleslaw.  The guy that Charlie invited ate enough crab for three people but there would still have been enough ribs to feed the extra people if it hadn't been pork ribs.  I could easily have adjusted for them if it hadn't been at the last minute. I could have cooked the sausage separately. But I didn't know until they were there. 

Edited Saturday at 05:39 PM by Norm Matthews (log)

[Tan Can Cook]

6 hours ago, Norm Matthews said:

I gave them some sourdough bread and butter and  coleslaw.  The guy that Charlie invited ate enough crab for three people but there would still have been enough ribs to feed the extra people if it hadn't been pork ribs.  I could easily have adjusted for them if it hadn't been at the last minute. I could have cooked the sausage separately. But I didn't know until they were there. 

 

Mr. @Norm Matthews sir. You were a wonderful and accommodating host. Situation (an extra Muslim guest) was beyond the scope of your control. It is fully understandable.

 

I do want to bring up something and this is an interesting perspective on "proper etiquette."

 

In my Burmese culture, we were taught to "eat little bit here and there" even if we don't like or normally consume. With the exception to the Muslim guest, the brother who flown in should have eaten a little bit, considering the amount of effort you went through.

 

Well done to your cooking efforts!

[Tan Can Cook]

My dinner tonight is humble Punjabi chana (chole) masala with rice. Completely vegan.

[Tempest63]

No pictures I’m afraid, but tonight I cooked the Dishoom Dhal Makhani, but instead of bubbling for hours on the stove I made it in the slowcooker.

The wife had a generous portion poured over a jacket potato with some petit pois to accompany.

I’m currently on an elemental diet, doctors orders, so could only watch with envy as she savoured every mouthful whilst I drank my prescription “milk shake”. The diet ends Wednesday after four weeks and I am looking forward to trialing some new curries for a night in mid March when we are having friends over.

 

Slow cooker dhal recipe was from here https://www.happyveggiekitchen.com/dishoom-dal-in-the-slow-cooker/

[Tan Can Cook]

1 minute ago, Tempest63 said:

No pictures I’m afraid, but tonight I cooked the Dishoom Dhal Makhani, but instead of bubbling for hours on the stove I made it in the slowcooker.

The wife had a generous portion poured over a jacket potato with some petit pois to accompany.

I’m currently on an elemental diet, doctors orders, so could only watch with envy as she savoured every mouthful whilst I drank my prescription “milk shake”. The diet ends Wednesday after four weeks and I am looking forward to trialing some new curries for a night in mid March when we are having friends over.

 

Slow cooker dhal recipe was from here https://www.happyveggiekitchen.com/dishoom-dal-in-the-slow-cooker/

 

People like us (you and I) who are completed used to or knows about chole, dal makhani, etc, don't requires pictures. Hehe.

 

My chole (even though soaked overnight) still needs to be cooked to me softer. I had to add more water and slow cook further. It is 20 minutes until 5 PM for dinner time here from across the pond.

 

Well done to you @Tempest63. I remember your feast of cooking is forthcoming. The wait will be worthwhile! 🙂

[Tempest63]

13 minutes ago, Tan Can Cook said:

 

People like us (you and I) who are completed used to or knows about chole, dal makhani, etc, don't requires pictures. Hehe.

 

My chole (even though soaked overnight) still needs to be cooked to me softer. I had to add more water and slow cook further. It is 20 minutes until 5 PM for dinner time here from across the pond.

 

Well done to you @Tempest63. I remember your feast of cooking is forthcoming. The wait will be worthwhile! 🙂

I will post the results of the Curryfest as well as the trial dishes leading up to it.

[Neely]

Sunday evening dinner was Duck Confit with balsamic braised cabbage and an orange salad . It was very good. The duck was a bought package of the confit duck legs from a local producer and they are good value and very easy to do … tasty as well. The sauce was in the package with the legs, and I added fresh orange juice. 
 

[Maison Rustique]

12 hours ago, Tan Can Cook said:

 

Mr. @Norm Matthews sir. You were a wonderful and accommodating host. Situation (an extra Muslim guest) was beyond the scope of your control. It is fully understandable.

 

I do want to bring up something and this is an interesting perspective on "proper etiquette."

 

In my Burmese culture, we were taught to "eat little bit here and there" even if we don't like or normally consume. With the exception to the Muslim guest, the brother who flown in should have eaten a little bit, considering the amount of effort you went through.

 

Well done to your cooking efforts!

 

I concur! First, I wouldn't even think of inviting extra people to a dinner at someone else's home. And if the host said it was OK to bring them, I'd have immediately said they were Muslim and that I would bring some food for them since it was late notice and there were special considerations.

 

You were very gracious to accommodate everyone.

[Ann_T]

Last night's dinner.

One I have been making for almost 25 years. Lucy Waverman's Chicken Perigord.

 

Boneless chicken breasts with mushroom duxelles stuffed under the skin. Served with a wine sauce.

[Tan Can Cook]

2 hours ago, Ann_T said:

Last night's dinner.

One I have been making for almost 25 years. Lucy Waverman's Chicken Perigord.

 

Boneless chicken breasts with mushroom duxelles stuffed under the skin. Served with a wine sauce.

 

Curious, Ms. @Ann_T, is the chicken breast brined at all to impart (infuse) some flavor and/or seasoning into it? If it meant to be consumed as it with flavor boosts from the stuffing underneath the skin?

[gulfporter]

Grilled Salmon Nicoise Salad.   Unfortunately most of the good stuff is hidden by the salmon.  Lots of creamy little white potatoes, locally grown green beans, excellent cured black olives from Spain. 

 

 

[liamsaunt]

Crunchy haddock with mango salsa and curried rice with carrots and raisins in it.

 

[Ann_T]

11 hours ago, Tan Can Cook said:

Curious, Ms. @Ann_T, is the chicken breast brined at all to impart (infuse) some flavor and/or seasoning into it? If it meant to be consumed as it with flavor boosts from the stuffing underneath the skin?

 

Normally, I would have presalted the chicken breasts.  But in this instance, I actually made the Duxelles and stuffed under the skin the night before,

and didn't cook until after I got home from work yesterday.  So the chicken was quite flavourful.  This is actually a good dinner party dish

as it can be made up to the point of stuffing early in the day or the night before.

 

 

Tonight's dinner was probably not the best meal to decide to make on a worknight, but it was worth the wait.

 

Chateaubriand with homemade Béarnaise Sauce. Roasted potatoes, green beans and cauliflower.
Thanks to farm fresh free range eggs from a friend's chickens, the sauce was very yellow.

[Honkman]

Goan Potato Chops based on a recipe from Season by Nik Sharma - mashed russet potato chops/patties are filled with a mixture of ground lamb, red onions, garlic, ginger, apple cider vinegar, sambal oelek and cilantro. After an egg wash and coating with bread crumbs, they get pan-fried. Served with some simple stir-fried bok choy (which also included some leftover patty filling)

[liamsaunt]

Spinach risotto two ways.  Sister and I had ours topped with roasted mushrooms

 

 

Niece, nephew and husband had theirs topped with sear roasted cowboy ribeye steak

 

[rotuts]

 

I decided to see if my creamy mushroom // ground turkey iPot'd concoction would be improved by splitting the cooking into two steps:

 

 

the ground turkey would be HP's w the reduced wine , the canned cream of mushroom soup and the thyme , then stick blended to smooth

 

out the turkey .  after all , its supposed to be a creamy sauce // toping.   I save you viewing the pics .  ' a work in progress '

 

then I finished the HP cooking w the finely minced mushrooms , that had be saute's as before , 

 

I did try some Mayo's red bliss poratoes :

 

 

 

and they were very good :  a creamer center vs the russets , as posted before .  both good , in different ways.

 

however , the dish was a bust texture wise , and overly rich .  I guess is one is looking for creamy , it better be creamy.

 

I did learn one thing that had been on my mind :  an early fine book on the iPot suggested that milk based items would scorch.

 

the canned CofM soup did not scorch   .  how much actual cream is in those cans might have something to do with it.

 

the flavor of the concoction was quite nice , but the result was not.

 

back to my previous Ragu's    ground turkey and pork country ribs 

 

those two were outstanding .  this was far from it.