Dinner 2025

[Honkman]

New Orleans Red Beans and Rice from “The Bean Book” by Steve Sando - using his Lila beans, andouille sausage, onions, garlic, celery, green bell peppers, bay leaves, thyme, ancho chili, cayenne pepper, mustard, parsley and scallions. Served over rice - it’s always great to taste how much more flavorful these heirloom beans are compared to “regular” ones and really transform a dish

[Smithy]

Thanks for that recommendation, @Honkman. I have all the ingredients, have never made red beans and rice from scratch, much less using RG beans. I'll have to remedy that!

[blue_dolphin]

I pick up my weekly fish share at a local brewery taproom. This week, I got ahi tuna so I perused their offerings and decided to try this Sticky Note Origami Hazy IPA which promised notes of mango, pineapple and tangerine.  It’s a collab between Topa Topa Brewery here in Ventura county and Monkish brewery down in Torrance.
Then I stopped by Trader Joe’s and picked up this Mango Pineapple Pico de Gallo Salsa.

 

I doctored up the salsa with avocado, cilantro, lime juice, tossed in some cubed ahi tuna, scooped it up with chips and washed it down with the IPA.

 

 

This was going to be a snack but I ate enough to call it dinner.

[Neely]

Chilli mince beef with black beans plus my simple accompaniments. 
 

 

 

Edited Saturday at 09:22 PM by Neely (log)

[gulfporter]

Gnocchi with charred tomatoes and bacon in a white wine reduction.  Topped with parm and basil.  FYI, I no longer boil the shelf gnocchi as directed; I simply add it to skillet making sure there's enough sauce/broth,  put a lid on it and wait a few minutes. 

 

 

[rotuts]

over here 

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/155098-instant-pot-multi-function-cooker-part-5/page/80/

 

I made roasted smoked chicken stock

 

then I made dinner 

 

mise

 

 

 

no added salt Campbells cream of Ck soup.   had not used this is quite a while.  its quite chicken-ey   two scoops of jelled roastred Ck stock

 

Diner peas , drained and ready for the Micro , top R

 

 

Jell from one of the SV bags w the SV'd ChDrums .  used one drum

 

 

 

Chicken added to the creak of mizture .    standard base

 

 

I micro'd for starters  3 Idaho's

 

 

then CSO'd them until very  crispy .  425   40 - 45 minutes  

 

I chop them up while very hot , as they are easier to eat this way , vs cutting throuhg the skins w a knife later on the plate

 

 

plate w peas and potato  ( very hot ) 

 

 

added the micro's chicken mixture

 

 

note the sauce along the rim of the plate .  a House Specialty !

 

 

I knew this would be good .  It was much better than good .  the roasted creamed chicken was outstanding

 

a real keeper for me , and most of the work is done in advance , and each dinner is very easy to assemble.

Edited Sunday at 05:17 PM by rotuts (log)

[sartoric]

I’ve been absent from this community for several years, a combination of slow internet speeds and low patience levels. But, we’ve moved and I’m back ! 
 

I’m still cooking Indian food. Last nights dinner was vegetarian - cumin rice, sesame beans, potatoes with black pepper and peanuts plus dal with spinach. A blob of South Indian tomato chutney added colour and considerable heat. 
 

[Honkman]

Greek-inspired Lamb Stew with Kritharaki/Orzo - stew was cooked in the oven with cubed leg of lamb, carrots, celery, red onion, oregano, thyme, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cumin seeds, red wine, diced tomatoes and beef broth. For the last 20 minutes you add orzo and cherry tomatoes and finish with feta.

[pastameshugana]

3 hours ago, sartoric said:

I’ve been absent from this community for several years, a combination of slow internet speeds and low patience levels. But, we’ve moved and I’m back !

 

Welcome back!

[weinoo]

Last three dinners:

 

 

Pan-roasted pork chop with pan sauce of mushrooms, shallots, white wine, chicken stock.  Brussels sprouts.

 

 

Maryland-style crab cake. Kenji's oven-roasted potatoes.  House cocktail sauce.

 

 

Baked rigationi w/four cheeses (Mozzarella, Muenster, Parmesan, Pecorino) and tomato sauce with sausage.  Big salad.

[sartoric]

Our new place has a really old electric stove which is slow to adjust temperature, I end up having one hot plate on simmer, one on high heat and one medium. It’s painful. Recently we bought an induction single burner and I love it. These type of noodle bowls are in regular rotation. I can boil two eggs and while they cool, cook noodles in the same pan. Separately on the induction burner I make the vegetables and broth. This one had Napa cabbage, mushrooms, baby bok choy, tomato and leftover cooked chicken. Chilli crisp and spring onions on top.

 

[Owtahear]

When I make shrimp or crap or lobster or have some leftover seafood I always throw it into a bag and into the freezer.   When its time or I need the space, then I make seafood stock.   With the upcoming holidays I did that, then any leftover seafood I had in the freezers, I made seafood gumbo.   I was really pleased with how the roux turned out as you can see the stages.   

[Honkman]

Asparagus Frittata with Ricotta and Chives from “Dinner” by Melissa Clark - started on the stove and finished in the oven. Made with cut up green asparagus and eggs until bottom lightly set and added some ricotta and chives before putting it in the oven. Afterwards, finished with olive oil, lemon juice and parmesan

[Maison Rustique]

Frozen Momo with the runny but good chutney that comes with it. I discovered a cuke in the back of the crisper so threw together a last minute raita to cool it down a bit. Leftovers for another meal.

 

[Pete Fred]

I can't believe I only today learned of Ferran Adria's "La tortilla de patatas chips"...

 

 

 

I thought it might be a bit gimmicky, but was pleasantly surprised. Obviously it doesn't compare to the real deal, but as a quick 'hack' I thought it delivered. (The late, great Anna N, however, was not impressed).

[sartoric]

What does one make for dinner on a 35°C day after listening to duelling power tools for 6 hours ?
Ricotta and spinach lasagna is not the most obvious choice.

 

[Smithy]

17 hours ago, sartoric said:

What does one make for dinner on a 35°C day after listening to duelling power tools for 6 hours ?
Ricotta and spinach lasagna is not the most obvious choice.

 

...and at opposite ends of the world and the climate swings, I spent hours getting ready for the first winter storm of the season. By the time I was finished, I needed something warm but easy. I decided to try a quesadilla, more or less following @Shelby's instructions elsewhere. I was going to make it on my panini press, but then thought: the A4 box is stacked atop it. Why not try the quesadilla on that? See whether it's still worth the space it's taking in my cupboard.

 

Step 1: start cooking vegetables first. I tossed the broccoli and cauliflower in oil and salt, loaded them onto the griddle, and slapped the lid on while I prepped the tortilla.

 

 

Step 2: prep the tortilla. In this case it meant cutting open the bag in the wrong spot (WHEN will I remember that these are easy-open bags, with a zipper closure?) and then loading up some stray cheeses that needed to go.

 

 

Step 3: load as much veg as possible into the quesadilla, fold it over, and make room for it on the griddle. Let the rest of the vegetables stay there and continue cooking.

 

 

It was pretty good, and dead easy. The broccoli and cauliflower, by the way, steamed as much as cooked while that lid was on, so they turned soft. Not at all the same as roasting them. But those that didn't make it into the quesadilla and continue to cook developed a delicious crust.

 

 

Yes, I'll keep the A4 box. And use it more. 

 

 

[gulfporter]

Asian grilled shrimp salad.

 

 

[C. sapidus]

Seared shrimp with mushrooms and mashed sweet potatoes: Boiled sweet potato cubes and mashed with butter and heavy cream. Sautéed mushrooms with butter, S&P, and a sprig of rosemary, then added the shrimp. Discarded the rosemary and deglazed the pan with bourbon and heavy cream. I thought I made a lot but I had forgotten just how much food the boys eat.

 

Peas with butter, thyme, and sage.

 

[Smithy]

I've been roasting vegetables today: red bell peppers, carrots, red onion and eggplant. They're nice to have on hand as easy additions to other dishes. 

 

 

Today I excavated a smoked duck breast from the freezer and allowed it to thaw. Looked like a good accompaniment to the vegetables.

 

 

The final result: linguini that I'd forgotten I had, put together with a sauce of butter, olive oil, cheese and half-and-half (not really up to Alfredo standards) and the ingredients in question. The duck breast had been seared first.

 

 

Pretty good. Is it worth trying to reproduce? I dunno. Will I be able to finish the remains? Easily.

[sartoric]

12 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

...and at opposite ends of the world and the climate swings, I spent hours getting ready for the first winter storm of the season. By the time I was finished, I needed something warm but easy. I decided to try a quesadilla, more or less following @Shelby's instructions elsewhere. I was going to make it on my panini press, but then thought: the A4 box is stacked atop it. Why not try the quesadilla on that? See whether it's still worth the space it's taking in my cupboard.

 

Step 1: start cooking vegetables first. I tossed the broccoli and cauliflower in oil and salt, loaded them onto the griddle, and slapped the lid on while I prepped the tortilla.

 

 

Step 2: prep the tortilla. In this case it meant cutting open the bag in the wrong spot (WHEN will I remember that these are easy-open bags, with a zipper closure?) and then loading up some stray cheeses that needed to go.

 

 

Step 3: load as much veg as possible into the quesadilla, fold it over, and make room for it on the griddle. Let the rest of the vegetables stay there and continue cooking.

 

 

It was pretty good, and dead easy. The broccoli and cauliflower, by the way, steamed as much as cooked while that lid was on, so they turned soft. Not at all the same as roasting them. But those that didn't make it into the quesadilla and continue to cook developed a delicious crust.

 

 

Yes, I'll keep the A4 box. And use it more. 

 

 

What is this miracle box ? It’s not the cardboard kind carrying sheets of A4 paper, that’s for sure 🤣

[sartoric]

Dinner last night was spicy baked chicken wings, using a Nagi Maehashi recipe. I bolstered the chilli and reduced the sugar, as I usually do. 
Served with leftover rice, sesame green beans and her smashed cucumber salad (with the addition of chilli flakes).

[Smithy]

15 minutes ago, sartoric said:

What is this miracle box ? It’s not the cardboard kind carrying sheets of A4 paper, that’s for sure 🤣

 

Back in 2019, someone marketed the A4 Box Induction Cooker, and our champion eGullet members/enablers tried it out. You can read the initial discussions here. It's an interesting and fun gizmo: lightweight, heats by induction, small enough to fit into one's travel kit if traveling by car or trailer; easily suitable for a dormitory (unlike the electric skillets my best friend and I used, that nearly scorched the furniture and carpeting). What was especially wonderful about it was the variety of inserts available. It came with a flat plate and ridged griddle; there were also 3 inserts: for deep dish (as in, soups) and a couple of different inserts with indentations for pancakes or ball-shaped stuff or whatever. @Kerry Beal brought our attention to it here and Anna N, may she rest in peace, ignited the rage with her experimentations here.

 

Trouble is, the darned thing was charming but cost as my as my full-sized kitchen stove. I couldn't imagine buying one for my purposes. I think a lot of people must have felt the same way. Then it went on sale! Cheap!! And I bought one, and several other people did as well. Without going into a lot of detail, I noted that mine was on the way here when it was on sale, and a lot of other people enjoyed the same bonus.

 

Good news: my original package, in the blue I preferred (there was much discussion about color choices, back in the day) became available for $40 instead of the original $250 or whatever. Maybe it was more. Bad news: the extra inserts (pancakes, deep dish, aepleskiver or octopus balls, take your pick) were not available. They haven't been available for well over a year. So the company was probably blowing out inventory while they circled the drain. 

 

Upshot: this magic A4 box, which is quite definitely not related to a printer, is a fun toy that doesn't live up to its original promise. But I have one, and I'll keep it around. It is gratifyingly compact and easy to clean.

[sartoric]

3 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

Back in 2019, someone marketed the A4 Box Induction Cooker, and our champion eGullet members/enablers tried it out. You can read the initial discussions here. It's an interesting and fun gizmo: lightweight, heats by induction, small enough to fit into one's travel kit if traveling by car or trailer; easily suitable for a dormitory (unlike the electric skillets my best friend and I used, that nearly scorched the furniture and carpeting). What was especially wonderful about it was the variety of inserts available. It came with a flat plate and ridged griddle; there were also 3 inserts: for deep dish (as in, soups) and a couple of different inserts with indentations for pancakes or ball-shaped stuff or whatever. @Kerry Beal brought our attention to it here and Anna N, may she rest in peace, ignited the rage with her experimentations here.

 

Trouble is, the darned thing was charming but cost as my as my full-sized kitchen stove. I couldn't imagine buying one for my purposes. I think a lot of people must have felt the same way. Then it went on sale! Cheap!! And I bought one, and several other people did as well. Without going into a lot of detail, I noted that mine was on the way here when it was on sale, and a lot of other people enjoyed the same bonus.

 

Good news: my original package, in the blue I preferred (there was much discussion about color choices, back in the day) became available for $40 instead of the original $250 or whatever. Maybe it was more. Bad news: the extra inserts (pancakes, deep dish, aepleskiver or octopus balls, take your pick) were not available. They haven't been available for well over a year. So the company was probably blowing out inventory while they circled the drain. 

 

Upshot: this magic A4 box, which is quite definitely not related to a printer, is a fun toy that doesn't live up to its original promise. But I have one, and I'll keep it around. It is gratifyingly compact and easy to clean.

I just see more rabbit holes here 🤣

[Paul Bacino]

twas the night before thanksgiving ,,no caps as i  got a lap cat

 

stuffed ricotta shells--basil pesto left 6--spinach right 6

 

 

 

flourless lemon pistachio cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

finished with wild red raspberries, pistachio ice cream  drk  chocolate tweel

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving All  ( no cat )

Edited 1 hour ago by Paul Bacino (log)