| Cheeseburger in Paradise by Colleen December 30, 2008 |
Cheeseburgers
Curly Fries
Pickle
Lemonade |
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| Christmas lunch - summertime by Chris December 30, 2008 |
A beautiful Christmas feast, all served cold so we could relax in the summer heat:
melon and prosciutto wraps
Duck terrine with cherry-relish (cooked by me: recipe is available
http://www.recipezaar.com/Festive-Terrine-345944 )
Portuguese-style chicken cooked with chorizo sausage and an aromatic lemon/garlic/herb combo (prepared by Rae)
A hand of roast pork (Marcel and Rae)
huge Caesar-style salad with lemony home-made dressing (Gareth)
A fantastic chickpea, capsicum and mint-dressed salad (Gareth - I'll be stealing this recipe)
followed by
Trifle (Marcel)
Tiramisu (Rae)
Mango topped cheesecake (me)
Enjoyed with family with a view to the bush, and followed by many laughs with an old slide show. Great Christmas, thanks to all |
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| the eve of new year's eve dinner - Litse lounge by Chris December 30, 2008 |
We've a friendly little cafe close to home who has a fantastic chef, and a creative evening menu. Any excuse to pop out for a meal.
I had crispy-skin chicken, tarted up with thai-style spices, and sitting on a julienned salad of mango, sprouts, carrot, and herbs. light and delish.
Sean had linguine with chili, lemon and prawns
Liam enjoyed a mushroom rissotto |
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| Brinner by Colleen December 30, 2008 |
Pancakes
Bacon
Eggs
My kids favorite! |
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| Chicken Italiano by Colleen December 28, 2008 |
Chicken Italiano
Rice Pilaf
Salad |
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| Boneless Buffalo Chicken by Laura December 27, 2008 |
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| 08-12-26 Stuffed Bell Peppers by Huggi December 27, 2008 |
Stuffed Bell Pepper
Sweet Potato Fluff
Macaroni & Cheese |
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| green curry by Chris December 26, 2008 |
I once swapped cooking lessons with a visiting scholar from Thailand. I taught her how to cook banana cake, she taught me the secret behind this fragrant curry.
Finely sliced beef strips, pounded with lemon grass and garlic, and some arrowroot flour - guaranteed tenderness
Quick paste of lemon grass, coriander roots, galangal (all from the garden), garlic, chili
caramelized onion strips first, adding the curry paste with fish sauce, soy sauce and some brown sugar, and fried until eyes watering.
Then into the pot goes beef, coconut milk and some water.
I added home-grown green beans at the end of cooking, and of course some fresh coriander leaves, as well as some spicy basil.
served with boiled rice.
Finished the meal with cubes of ice-cold watermelon and fresh lychees |
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| 08-12-25 Roast Beef Loin by Huggi December 26, 2008 |
Green Leafy Mixed Salad
Roast Beef Loin (cooked to perfection)
Green Beans
Mashed Potatoes
Dinner Rolls
Soda
Banana Pudding
Delicious! |
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| 08-12-22 Beef Stew by Huggi December 26, 2008 |
Beef Stew made of:
Stew Meat
Packet of Beef Stew seasoning
Potatoes
Carrots
Onions
Celery
Yu m! |
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| 08-12-24 Pizza by Huggi December 26, 2008 |
| 08-12-24 Pizza |
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| 08-12-23 Fried Chicken Wings by Huggi December 26, 2008 |
| 08-12-23 Fried Chicken Wings |
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| My Favorite Cassoulet by Chad December 24, 2008 |
I realize this is a flashback dinner, but it is my favorite dish and I'm so happy I learned how to make it (and have fun with it, too) that I want to share.
Several years ago in Paris, I was introduced to La Table Aude, a hole-in-the-wall place just off the Latin Quarter that specialized in cassoulet. I went there with friends and we ordered the "safe" cassoulet (goose) and the owner refused to serve it to us -- other tourists were having it, but it appeared as if the locals were having the duck. Now, we had mentioned that the recommendation to try the place had come from one of our faculty, so maybe that had something to do with the owner's response. Anyway, we had no choice but to have duck cassoulet (while others had goose -- and the goose cost more). One bite and OMG -- I was blown away. At that point, I had discovered the Platonic cassoulet -- everything afterwards would be compared to my mental impression of that delectable meal and I would be on a mythical quest for perfection.
I've tried many a cassoulet and well, they've been average at best -- nothing great, many things really bad. Then on my last trip to Paris I discovered that the place was gone. Platonic cassoulet had slipped into the shadows! Whatever would I do? A few quick Google searches with crazy keywords turned up this recipe:
http://tinyurl.com/PlatonicCassoulet
Now I've made this a number of times and it is by far the closest to the cassoulet I remember. I've never had the luxury to have all of the ingredients at the same moment, so for this particular Christmas Eve meal in North Dakota I substituted the duck for smoked game hen (no duck to be found in three supermarkets) and I picked up some locally smoked bacon as well. It was wonderful and even though it was a dinner for three, we still had leftovers. |
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| spiced chicken by Chris December 23, 2008 |
A quick, one pot meal with loads of flavour:
Flash roasted chicken breasts dusted with spice mix- coriander, cumin, paprika and S/P.
accompanied by cubes of sweet potato and red onion, also roasted
green beans from Dad's garden
roasted cherry tomatoes
Clare Valley riesling |
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| Sunday Night by Colleen December 22, 2008 |
| Baked Ziti and a salad |
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| Chilli Salad with Tuna by Shani December 22, 2008 |
| I really don't know what was in it, I bought the salad from a shop and added the tuna. |
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| smoked salmon pasta by Chris December 22, 2008 |
No leisurely lead up to Christmas here - so how lovely to arrive home late from a big day at work to a fragrant, silky, savory and comforting pasta ~ made by Sean, and accompanied by a cold glass of a big oaky Chardonnay.
He made a sauce from smoked salmon, green onion, caper, green peas, cream and topped with more green onions and a sprinkling of Pecorino. 4 stars. |
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| Tacos by Chris December 18, 2008 |
| Mr Teen's turn to cook - easy stuff your own tacos. He cut up a great selection of salads, made an avocado salsa, a tomato salsa, and a nicely seasoned beef filling. Not many left overs for this one. |
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| Bratt Burgers by Monica December 17, 2008 |
| Our local butcher makes Beer Bratt Burgers. I just threw them on the grill. OMG! They were incredible! I don't know if I'll ever have one in sausage form again! |
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| polenta and stuff by Chris December 16, 2008 |
The main stuff was an almost vegetarian stew -
I sweated an onion and garlic until transparent, added sweet potato cubes simmered in the chicken broth left over from last nights roast. cooked down with chickpeas, red pepper and green peas.
Served with cheesy polenta, and topped with a coriander and cashew pesto. |
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| Makeshift Salsbury Steak by Lara December 15, 2008 |
regular ol' ground beef (maybe a pound and a half), 2 large eggs, maybe 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs, splash of S&P, 1/2 a large onion, diced super small mixed VERY well in my kitchen aid stand mixer. patted into large patties and put in a baking dish. baked at 400 for 45 minutes. (half of that time, covered with foil)
on the stovetop, made a large batch of onion gravy. poured onto the 'steaks' and let sit for maybe 10 minutes.
yummy basmati rice (a house fav) and sauteed some green beans in olive oil and white pepper. sliced the rest of the onion and sauteed that with a can of sliced mushrooms with a little more S&P.
heated up the 'steaks' with the gravy on broil in the oven. plated with the rice and drizzled the onions and mushrooms on top! my almost 4 yr old asked for seconds - eating ALL of his onions and mushrooms! hubb went for thirds! |
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| easy Monday roast by Chris December 15, 2008 |
Chicken roasted in stock spiked with whole coriander seeds, mustard seeds, bay, and pepper. Hasslebacked potatoes cooked half-submerged in the savoury broth. These are nice - creamy texture on the bottom, crispy texture on the top.
Served with new peas and asparagus. |
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| It's Saturday! by Colleen December 14, 2008 |
| Turkey Tetrazini w/ hidden peas and carrots |
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| Crispy (sort of) Chicken w/ Broccoli and Cous Cous by Lara December 14, 2008 |
dipped boneless chicken breasts in melted butter, coated with french fried onions (the kind you use for the traditional green bean casserole) and breadcrumbs. baked at 400 for 35 minutes.
served up with boxed parmesan cous cous and mic'd steam broccoli. |
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| dumpling, Dumpling? by Chris December 14, 2008 |
Had a play with Ms 11 and ended up making asian-style steamed dumplings.
We had pre-bought the dumpling wrap/dough.
Mixed chicken mince, freshly grated ginger, water chesnuts for crunch, lemongrass, garlic, sesame oil and soy (just a couple of drops of each).
folded a teaspoon of the mix into the dumpling wrapper, and pinched into a half-moon shape to resemble a gyoza.
Steamed until cooked - they were small, it only took a couple of minutes.
Served with Gyoza dipping sauce (sweetened vinegar, soy and chili).
Delicious! |
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| Where's the beef? by Colleen December 14, 2008 |
| Beef Wellington's...kids hated it! |
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| Morocaan lamb with lemon and pomegranate couscous by Rachel December 13, 2008 |
Simmer onions, garlic, ginger and coriander for 10 mins on stove top.
Add diced lamb, tomato paste, diced tomatoes and lemon juice.
Put the whole pot into the oven (with lid) at 325 F for 45 mins.
Remove lid and cook for a further 45 mins to let the 'juice' thicken.
To make the couscous: Pour hot stock or water over couscous. Scoop seeds from pomegranate, chop some mint, juice a lemon. Mix all together.
Serve lamb over couscous with a dollop of yogurt on the top! |
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| Il Bambolino by Deirdre December 13, 2008 |
| Spinach and ricotta ravioli with an arrabiata sauce |
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| garlic and lemon combo by Chris December 13, 2008 |
A quick meal tonight - too hot to spend long at the stove.
Started with a crisp bitter salad - finely chopped radish, bitter greens and cucumber.
topped with Haloumi - grilled till melted brown, tossed in olive oil, garlic and lemon.
as well as grilled fresh asparagus spears - again tossed with olive oil, garlic and lemon,
served with flash-grilled steak, also kept moist with olive oil, garlic and lemon.
chocolate paddle pop for dessert :) |
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| Major DT Upgrades! by Chris December 12, 2008 |
Hello there - DT went through another stage of evolution in the last few weeks.
A 'stats' page has been added that displays your DT activity, rating, and 'Chef Points' tally.
What's a Chef Point? Well, it's a fun little anonymous way of rewarding each other with DT Karma!
You'll see little Chef's hats scattered around the system - a click to the Hat increases the points' value for that dinner by one and also increases the member's tally.
Please feel free to click the chefs hat all you want..you can even award yourself a point - but can only reward one dinner with one point. The click is non-evasive and preserves page state in ajax goodness. May take a second or two or forever, feel free to hammer on it.
A 'help' page has finally arrived. It explains how to use the app and also displays the rating system. (I am happy to say that I am not a "Dishwasher" anymore).
If you spot any bugs, please let me know, Happy Holidays Everyone and Happy DTing!
Chris |
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| soup by Chris December 12, 2008 |
| ham and vegetable soup, thickened with red lentils and pungent with garlic and thyme. |
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| by Colleen December 11, 2008 |
| Beef Wellington and a salad, kids chose to eat Ravioli |
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| Faux Stir Fry by Lara December 9, 2008 |
i parboiled 2 chix breasts in the pineapple juice from a can of pineapple chunks. cut that into bite size pieces and set aside.
heated up some teriyaki sauce/marinade and tossed in some cut up broccoli, the chicken, snap peas, can of water chestnuts and said pineapple. heated through and plated over some yummy basmati rice - paired with some delish egg rolls. sprinkled on some sesame seeds and chowed down! :D |
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| Panzanella and grilled tuna by Deirdre December 9, 2008 |
Italian tomato and bread salad
grilled tuna |
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| Spaghetti by Chris December 8, 2008 |
Spaghetti topped with a vegetable and lentil sauce. Thick with tomatoes and rich and delicious.
Cooked by Ms 11 - probably the most adventurous meal she has attempted so far - a definite success and we will be requesting it again.
Followed by a stolen gingerbread - from the pile made for class teachers :) |
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| Sunny 95 Ladies Night Out by Colleen December 8, 2008 |
Mark made the kids fish sticks, peas and a mystery fruit
I had a glass of vino, chocolate and appetizers at Saks 5th Avenue and got to watch a fashion show. Thanks Barbie! |
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| center cut ribs by Chris December 7, 2008 |
| mmm ribs, just baked with a little secret Santala sauce (um..whcih would be bbq), with a few beers. |
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| Indian Food by Caitlin December 6, 2008 |
Basmati Rice
Masala Chicken (cheat: Trader Joe's Simmer Sauce - so good)
Naan
Spinach salad
Magic Bars for dessert
Baby had chicken noodle soup. |
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| Dirty rice by Heather December 5, 2008 |
| Straight from the box. Warm, spicy, comfort food. Mmmm... |
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| Tortilla Espaņola by Deirdre December 4, 2008 |
Tortilla Espaņola
Sauteed zucchini |
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| Brinner by Colleen December 4, 2008 |
Only my kids favorite dinner
Pumpkin Pie Pancakes w/ Pumpkin, whey Protein and whole grain flour and spices
Bacon
Eggs medium
OJ
***Mom had salsa, chips, margartia, chimichanga rice and beans out w/ the Bad Moms Board |
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| any old snag in a storm by Chris December 3, 2008 |
Fennel and pork sausages, served with new potatoes, dry slaw (cabbage, carrot, radish - no dressing) and onion gravy.
OK the entire meal was an excuse for onion gravy.......but the snags were pretty good anyway. |
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| test dinner with newsfeeds by Chris December 2, 2008 |
alrighty then, so I finally figured out how to do the new facebook newsfeeds properly. only took half a year.
there are three types of newsfeeds - two with pictures. (edit the DT feed in your newsfeeds for different views)
so hopefully this works and doesn't melt the internet.. test test one two delta meatloaf.. |
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| sirloin tip roast by Chris December 2, 2008 |
found a nice compact roast at the grocery store on the weekend. it was only about 1.2 kilograms and was prepared nicely with several cloves of minced garlic, potatoes, carrots, and onion. oh delicious!
made a nice gravy too..but it was a little thin (ran out of flour) but flavourful. |
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| We are sick by Colleen December 2, 2008 |
| Homemade Turkey Noodle soup w/ a soda on the side. |
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