Dinner 2025

[zend]

3 hours ago, Ddanno said:

they still came out stinking of the farmyard

with any innards / trotters, we boil them (rolling boil) for 5-7 minutes in vinegar+salt+water first. It removes most of the stench. About 2 Tbsp of vinegar (5% acidity) to a liter of water. I am sorry I cannot define this in the US system.

 

Then drain, rinse, use as new.

Edited Sunday at 08:24 PM by zend (log)

[rotuts]

Dinner # 4 :

 

 

and checking on the TB :

 

 

This was 4 dinners , as I cut the TB ( 20.4 oz ) into 4 portions .  The carrots were on bag of ' babies '  Broccoli  2 large heads.

 

as an aside 

 

 

the carrots ( re-heated ) and broccoli -first time around.

 

the broccoli for me was fine 2 1/2 min  micro , trimmed a little , cold from the refig.  the carrots did fine @ 2  minutes .

 

but there were still a little wet .  not as much as dinner # 1.

 

I also pan sauted the TB 3:30 min each side , 30 seconds more .  still a tinge rare , but not vey very rare .  and improvement .

 

I learned a lot , and once i get the carrots under control, a tasty winner for me.

 

I thought i iPot'd them , pressure steam HP , from the refrigerator , 4 min.  but 

 

I didnt keep track in The Red Book ( engineering lined ) , my Bad.  the ref's I pulled up suggested 2 min HP seam , quick release .

the outer 1/2 was cooked , a little wet , and the inner still a bit firm, , at what ever time I used.

 

next bag :  Ill pull the carrots out , quickly rinse in cold water , then pat dry and put under a preheated CSO broiler

 

to both dry out a bit , get a little color , and finish cooking the core.

 

tasty each dinner was , w significant improvement over the 4.

 

 

Edited Sunday at 08:49 PM by rotuts (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

I used to make menudo for my husband all the time. I wouldn't touch it with a 10-ft pole but he loved it. I used the pig's feet in that. A Puerto Rican friend suggested that I soak both the pig's feet and tripe in one to one lemon juice and water for several hours. It made a big difference in the flavor and especially in the smell while it was cooking.

[Ddanno]

45 minutes ago, zend said:

with any innards / trotters, we boil them (rolling boil) for 5-7 minutes in vinegar+salt+water first. It removes most of the stench. About 2 Tbsp of vinegar (5% acidity) to a liter of water. I am sorry I cannot define this in the US system.

 

Then drain, rinse, use as new.

 

I'm a metric lad as well!

[gulfporter]

An oldie but a goodie.  Brie en Croute with Cherry Preserves and 5 Spice Powder.  

 

 

[Honkman]

Nadan Khozi - Kerala-Style Chicken Curry based on a Milk Street recipe - boldly flavored curry with chicken thighs marinated in a mix of coriander, garam masala, turmeric and sirarakhong chili and afterwards cooked with red onions, serrano chili, garlic and ginger in chicken broth and coconut milk. Later you add potatoes and cherry tomatoes and finish with some cilantro and lime juice. Served over rice

[Neely]

 

Roast chicken for Sunday dinner. The slices of roast pumpkin were so sweet and delicious. Stuffing/dressing? was with tarragon. DH made the gravy. He cooks the butter and flour roux till it’s quite brown and uses the chicken juices with the fat skimmed off. It’s thicker than I like it but it doesn’t bother me enough to complain plus I like him helping in the kitchen. 

[Maison Rustique]

Roasted some tomatoes and then crisped some pepperoni to use on the end of the vintage penne that I found in the back of the cupboard a while back--oh, tossed in a bit of arugula that needed to go. It was quite tasty but I'll be having it again--made too much for just me.

 

[Shelby]

On 10/19/2025 at 6:05 AM, weinoo said:

Pasta setup:

 

 

Linguini (250 g) in about 2.5 L water. Sauce components are olive oil, butter, onion, garlic, white wine, clam juice and clams (canned from Basque country).

 

 

 

Linguini with clam sauce.  Added lemon zest, parsley and a splash of lemon juice.  Note how much sauce the Setaro pasta absorbed, along with over 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water.

 

Brussels sprouts with bacon alongside.

CRAVING linguini and clam sauce.  I even have decent canned clams......

On 10/19/2025 at 2:21 PM, Duvel said:

With DW (quite successfully) doing low carb at the moment, little one and me opted to forego pizza &

movie night for some hot dogs (and a movie) …

 

We got this Feuerwurst from the supermarket, a rather spicy beef sausage native to the state of Hessia, bordering to our community in the north.

 

 

Of course there are no suitable sized brioche buns available, so we had to make our own (including the egg wash, masterfully applied by LO) …

 

 

Nice result !

 

 

Filled with the works and a self made, mustard forward sauce …

 

 

 

One happy camper 🥳

 

 

And DW didn’t starve either with a cauliflower bake and some bacon/cheese add-ons … plus a Duvel for yours truly …

 

 

All enjoyed while watching Venom. Can you tell little one had a great afternoon !? 🤗

Now THAT is a hot dog.  And those buns look amazing.  Good on your wife for doing great on the low carb thing!  I've found it....challenging and I cheat too much.  Ronnie is doing good, though, still.  I have cauliflower on hand at all times it really comes in handy.  I make a bake like that frequently.  If you haven't tried it already, cauliflower "potato" salad is really good too.

On 10/19/2025 at 10:23 PM, Smithy said:

So many beautiful dinners and spreads show up on this topic! But then, here I am: I needed to use the herbs before they went off, and by the time I'd finished making tabbouli I wasn't very hungry. I post this to show that non-fancy dinners are also welcome here.

 

 

Tabbouli in Tostitos Scoops, sometimes supplemented with hummus (yesterday's culinary achievement). Not fancy, but delicious and filling. And the dishwasher is now taking care of yesterday's and today's dishes.

That looks so fresh and delicious.  

 

I think (fingers crossed) things are finally slowing down around here--I don't want to jinx myself.  The last few days have been very rainy and coldish.  I'm loving it.  I guess one upside of a hailed out garden is that I'm not worried about cold and when it's going to freeze.

 

We've made the trip twice now to buy tomatoes from the Amish farm.....I'm thinking about trying one more time but I better hurry up because it's supposed to frost/freeze later this week possibly.  So, big salad night still has decent tomatoes.

 

 

My mom came to see us!  We were talking and having too much fun so I forgot to take a ton of pictures but here's a few:

 

Welcome mom snack board

 

 

We try to make two salads that we both love but our spouses don't--this time mom made the delicious ramen salad first and we didn't get the second salad done sigh.  

 

Platter of SV'd pork chops, deviled eggs and cheesy squash (did I mention a squash plant bounced back and is producing???  Those things are hardy I'm tellin' ya)

 

 

Mom sent birthday cupcakes  With sparklers!

 

 

She also had a Skyline Chili kit sent that included hotdogs so Ronnie could have a low carb version.  Super fun!!!!

 

 

Another snack board

 

 

As always her visit was too short but as always glad it happened

 

Last night yellow squash pizza boats and a galette to use up a lot of the fruits that she and I had snacked on during her visit.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Monday at 09:25 PM by Shelby (log)

[Honkman]

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup - diced eggplant gets roasted under the broiler. Half of the eggplant is cooked with diced tomatoes, red onions, garlic, ras el hanout, cumin, raisins, bay leaves in vegetable broth. After pureeing everything you add the other half of the roasted eggplants and finish with toasted slivered almonds, cilantro and lemon juice

[Smithy]

Okay, time for a bit of culinary levity again. Some treasures from the last of the local farmers and their markets have been languishing in my baskets or refrigerator drawers. Tonight I decided that they had to be dealt with: Asian eggplants; a red (ripe) bell pepper; a bunch of broccoli; a no-longer green tomato and another not-quite-ripe yellow tomato. 

 

I sliced them, tossed them with olive oil and salt, and let the oven do its magic. 

 

 

When I'd decided that it was done enough, I served it over reheated Rancho Gordo Domingo Rojo beans and added lemon vinaigrette and tahini.

 

 

It tasted a lot better than it looks, but it's a dinner that will keep on inspiring good dinners.

Edited Tuesday at 05:39 PM by Smithy
spelling; also corrected bean variety name (log)

[Maison Rustique]

@Smithy, you're cooking like I cook these days. Take everything that is at use it or lose it stage, roast it and put it on rice/pasta/beans/bread. Ha!

 

@Shelby, yummy stuff! I'd love to know about the ramen salad and that yummy-looking thing with the cheese and pepperoni!!

[Smithy]

I noted over here that my darling's daughter recently gave me a bunch of twice-baked potatoes, frozen and vacuum sealed. Tonight's dinner was one potato half, with her special cream cheese / potato filling, and some of last night's roasted vegetables. One half strip of bacon over the top added a nice bit of salty goodness. This has to be one of the easiest and most filling microwave dinners I've made in a long time!

 

[Honkman]

Chicken and Green Bean Stir-Fry - in the wok with chicken breast, green beans, scallions, fresno chili, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and finished with some arugula microgreens. Served over rice and topped with a fried egg

[Maison Rustique]

This was pretty tasty for fast food. I bought another of the Momo in a chicken curry flavor that I'll have another time.

 

[Honkman]

Shiitake Mushroom Frittata with Pecorino Romano based on a CI recipe - frittata started on the stove and finished in the oven and made with eggs, shiitake, milk, scallions, sherry vinegar and pecorino

[Paul Bacino]

On 10/26/2025 at 4:01 PM, Tropicalsenior said:

I used to make menudo for my husband all the time. I wouldn't touch it with a 10-ft pole but he loved it. I used the pig's feet in that. A Puerto Rican friend suggested that I soak both the pig's feet and tripe in one to one lemon juice and water for several hours. It made a big difference in the flavor and especially in the smell while it was cooking.

Do this 3 times..  or just water

[C. sapidus]

Grilled beef salad (yam neua): Marinated strip steaks with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar, and then grilled over charcoal. Rested, sliced against the grain, and served with Boston lettuce, sliced cucumber, sliced shallots, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and crushed dry-roasted peanuts. Dressing was cilantro, serrano chile, garlic, lemon juice, palm sugar, white pepper, and fish sauce, whizzed up in the blender.

 

No pictures of the final product and no leftovers.

 

[zend]

Had some cauliflower left around, so I wok-ed it with smoked bacon, red peppers, green onions, soy sauce, ZheJiang vinegar and fermented black beans. The taste reminded me of HuNan food, but I would not dare call it HuNanese. Bacon was cooked first to release the fat, cauliflower went in second with the black beans, and the rest afterwards.

 

 

Edited 5 hours ago by zend (log)

[C. sapidus]

House guest cooked dinner the other night - this was leftovers for breakfast. Pork loin on a bed of onions and home-grown sorrel, and a delicious cranberry chutney with apple and pineapple. The actual dinner also included bulgur wheat, plus roasted chickpeas and chopped walnuts for crunch.

 

Edited 2 hours ago by C. sapidus
Expound (log)

[liamsaunt]

Some recent dinners.  Broccoli pasta

 

 

Chicken tacos

 

 

Noodle bowl with napa cabbage, bok choy, spinach, cilantro, and jammy egg

 

 

Tomato braised cauliflower with raisins, feta, and mint