Baby, it's cold outside

[suzilightning]

johnnybird had to call in to a meeting this morning but before that i made blueberry pancakes with some locally produced bacon and real maple syrup.

lunch was a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich and a vegetable soup of onion, carrot, butternut squash, homemade chicken stock, thyme and pepe.

i have to work the next three days while himself is off. will use up some tomato gravy with sausages and meatballs and some marmalade turkey cutlets with dressing. i do have a nice beef roast that i'm thinking of pulling out.

[purplechick]

The high today here in NYC was 18F and it's going down to single digits tonight.

I just put a big piece of top round in to marinate and on Sunday we're having sauerbraten. I'm using the recipe from "The Cooking of Germany" in the Time Life Foods of the World series. I love these old recipes, they have you brown the meat in lard .

Stay warm everyone.

[Susan in FL]

It's even cold here. I cannot imagine how bad it is for you all.

I baked cookies the night before last and took them to work yesterday! I use these rare opportunities to simmer pots of stuff on the stove or slow roast something in the oven. I'm getting ready to make some pasta e fagioli now.

[Marlene]

It is -14C with a windchill of -24 here. Only we would be out grilling flank steak for fajitas in this.

On the other hand, my veal stock cooled on the deck in about 5 minutes today.

[scubadoo97]

It's currently 54* F and we have been roasting a lot of vegetables. Anything to use the oven. Have soup planned for tomorrow. It's all relative. To us Floridians it's freezing. Must go south!

[Jujubee]

On the other hand, my veal stock cooled on the deck in about 5 minutes today.

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That's such a great idea, and so simple too. Thanks!

[suzilightning]

only about an hour and a quarter left at work today...

when i got home from work yesterday i seared off the pot roast i had pulled on friday then it braised in a concoction of beef broth, newcastle brown ale, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and juniper berries for 3 hours at 300F.

i took the meat out, strained the braising liquid and popped them into the fridge to chill. when i get home i will remove the fat from the liquid and either reheat the meat for an hour in the liquid or slice the meat and reheat in the reduced liquid.

serve with honey dill carrots and spaetzle.

[MattyC]

Got a bunch of pork from a farmer friend of mine. Straight from farm to me after it was butchered. Good thing about getting it from her is that the piggies are fed all of our restaurant scraps, so we know what goes into them.

Anyway, got a lot of nice stuff, so I decided to make some rillettes! Pretty simple, some nice pork belly and shoulder seasoned and cooked down for hours with a bouquet garni (it's been on the stove for about 5 hours now, probably another 2 more). Once it's nice and tender and cool enough, shred with a fork and fold in some pork fat. You're pretty much looking for a hideous pork paste, but once you mix that together and let it sit for a few days, you have the most delicious paste to smear on bread or whatever. I'll probably pick up some baguette, and dig in with a nice beer once it's ready.

Also have some hocks, probably going to braise those tomorrow, and in non-pork cookery, made some nice gnocchi and did a roasted chicken with some gravy. Breakfast was an omelet with pancetta, kale, and caramalized onions, topped it with a little homemade cheese.

Need to make some veg stock for soup later, but after just digging my car out of a ton of snow, I might put that off till tomorrow too.

Yeah, i've been busy lol Just felt like being active, being cooped up at home all day with all the snow.

[Tri2Cook]

On the other hand, my veal stock cooled on the deck in about 5 minutes today.

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That's such a great idea, and so simple too. Thanks!

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Yep, it works great. I have a locking metal box with shelves I keep on the deck in the winter for quick cooling/freezing. It's usually much colder than my freezers from mid november until late march. It's cold enough to serve as a "normal" freezer from late october until late april most years (global warming my arse ). Just last week I baked a couple cakes as a test run for an idea and sat them out on the deck to quick cool without bothering with the box since it was just a test run. Went back out less than 10 minutes later and the ravens had already had their feast. I knew better.

[Marlene]

It does work great. I try to replenish all my stocks in late winter before the cold snaps and it starts to get warmer. I can have two or three different pots of stock out on the back deck, chilling.

[maggiethecat]

A pot pie with potato pastry. Better than ordinary pastry, better than potato-top, potato pastry is IT for winter comfort!

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Helen; I love pastry and I love spuds. Care to share your recipe?

[project]

Made a casserole of ground beef, cheese, beef ravioli, and tomato sauce and ate some of it with some decently good Chianti. Good for a cold weather dinner.

Started with a 2 quart Pyrex casserole dish. Added

1 C of loosely frozen 80% lean ground beef sauteed with onions, garlic, and black pepper and drained.

1 C of whole milk Mozzarella cheese.

2 cans, 15 ounces per can, of Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli.

2 C of my own relatively flavorful tomato sauce.

Covered and heated in Microwave.

Added

1 C of freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

Ate about half of it with about 12 ounces of Italian Chianti.

Ate some more for an early lunch today.

The casserole is good and has been getting better as I refine how I prepare the ground beef and tomato sauce.

[Chris Hennes]

This topic needs a revival given the current cold spell in the US- I currently have frost on the INSIDE of my windows! I apparently did not move far enough south . What are you all making during this spate of chilly weather? I had chicken and dumplings last night, and I think I've got a braise in the works for tomorrow night.

[suzilightning]

last night was spaghetti with meatballs in a red sauce.

i'm single tonight and i am craving cauliflower cheese and braised kale with garlic.

right now i'm defrosting the freezer and unearthed some duck maigrets. i'm thinking about some sort of an etouffee for dinner tomorrow night when i get home from work...though reservations would be nice, too.

[ncorrigbl]

Probably a pulled pork. I'm thinking I need the oven on all day (even so, I will still be feeling the single degree weather)!! I am thinking today may NOT be the day to try homemade yogurt, as nowhere in my house will be warm enough! (No pilot light) Crock pot? Maybe......

[Katie Meadow]

This week we made a large pot of posole verde and a big batch of calabacitas with queso fresco. I used Rancho Gordo posole and Hatch green chile that friends had brought back from NM and frozen. This was my first time using the RG posole. Delicious.

[Doodad]

It is wrongfully cold here in Georgia I don't care that month is on the calendar.

I am making steak frites with carmelized onions, sauteed mushrooms and brocolli for dinner tonight.

Making broiche dough now for sausage filled brioche (from the Bouchon cookbook) app tomorrow with our roast chicken.

[emilyr]

I've made several of the dishes listed here and others: spaghetti and meatballs, pulled pork (in the crockpot - but that didn't warm up the house! should've done it in the oven), waffles, chicken soup (with curry, chick peas and lots of ginger and carrots), and mashed potatoes. I'm debating dinner tonight. Short ribs are on sale at my grocery store, so I'll probably do a braise. Mom's making country-fried tenderloin and gravy tomorrow!

I was thinking of baking a loaf of bread, but I think my kitchen is too cold for the rise. I may put the dough in the living room!

Edited January 9, 2010 by emilyr (log)

[merstar]

Last night I made an Apple Cider Chicken with reduced apple cider and a little cognac, sauteed garlic and shallots, and some sliced Pink Lady Apples. Served with rice. Delicious.

[Lapin d'Argent]

Last night was Diana Kennedy's Mexican Rice pumped up with roasted tomatillos and a roasted ancho pepper, Mayacoba beans from Rancho Gordo, some leftover Thanksgiving turkey defrosted earlier, and dollops of homemade yogurt. Hearty and tasty. Tonight it gets dolled up with some cilantro and lime, and a side of sauteed dandelion (escarole) greens.

Right now there's a batch of Potato & Leek soup from Canal House Cooking on the stove, and a batch of pate fermentee on the counter for Peter Reinhart's Pain de Campagne for tomorrow night's dinner.

I'll be lighting a fire in the fireplace shortly, now that most of our chores are done, and we can settle down to read for a bit. The best thing about cold weather like this is 1) coming in from outside and 2) cooking!

[nakji]

It's doing that horrible it's snow!/it's rain!/No, it's snow again! thing in my neighborhood. Not cool, since we don't have central heating. I'm making a big pot of chili, I think, to deal with this, and some rice with millet on the side. Maybe some brownies, to. It's a good day to run the oven.

What is it about eating chili in the cold? It's just the perfect food for warming up.

[CDRFloppingham]

For those of you in the mid-Atlatnic, we're expecting a major snowstorm this weekend.

I'm going grocery shopping tonight.

Any ideas?

I'm thinking about making some burgers...maybe something braised...maybe some risotto (I have some great chicken broth).

[Darienne]

Real, old-fashioned macaroni and cheese.

[CDRFloppingham]

Over the weekend I'll make cheeseburgers on foccacia, mushroom risotto, chicken cutlet schnitzel, pasta carbonara and I'm not sure what else but the fridge is stocked.

[LBNoble]

Right now, I'm eating mac & cheese w/ crumbled bacon & Marie Sharp hot sauce. I've been to the grocery store twice in the last 2 days, tanked up the car, & don't plan on leaving the house for the next 48 hrs.-just hope we don't lose power! Got some black beans cooking for tonight...