 |
|
|
|
|
| |
DinnerTime Web Archive 2009 July
| Veggie and feta pasties by Donna July 29, 2009 | Only me and the toddler tonight so quick and light...
Some Chinese kale plus sauted onion and mushrooms, some fresh rosemary and crumbled feta in some shortcrust pastry. Quick and easy for a lazy meal. | | | | Spicy parsnip soup by Donna July 27, 2009 |
Source: Vegie Food
| | | | Patrick's choice - Pasta by Donna July 27, 2009 | | Spaghetti with lemon and rocket | | | | PB&J Wrap by Teri Jo July 27, 2009 | Forgot to make new bread....so I had this for lunch today.
Ingredients:
Flour tortilla
Peanut butter
Jelly
Directions:
Spread peanut butter on tortilla. Spread jelly on top of peanut butter. Roll up. Eat.
YummmmmmyyyyyyYY! | | | | Beefy Ramen by Teri Jo July 26, 2009 | Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
Garlic Garlic from Tastefully Simple, to taste (or any garlic powder)
Onion powder, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Soy sauce, to taste
Vinegar, to taste
1-1 /2 c frozen veggies (peas & carrots, corn, mixed veggies...whatever you have)
5 pkgs ramen noodles
2 beef bouillon cubes
Directions:
Brown ground beef, drain. Add in Garlic Garlic, onion powder, black pepper....all to your family's tastebuds. Also add in about a tablespoon of vinegar (more if you like more sour) and soy sauce....also to your family's tastebuds. Mix in veggies. Heat thru.
While waiting for meat & veggies to heat up, boil water for ramen noodles. Discard seasoning packets or put away to save for something else later. Add bouillon cubes. After cubes have dissolved, add noodles. Cook until just soft....not soggy or mushy. Drain.
Combine meat & veggies into noodles. Eat! | | | | Judo night Pizza! by Donna July 23, 2009 | Pizza base in the bread maker
http://www.recipezaar.com/My-Best-Ever-Breadmaker-Pizza-Dough-50101 | | | | Comfort Food 1 by Tish July 21, 2009 | Meatloaf
Oven Fried Potatoes
Sweet Peas | | | | No Fuss Taco Salad by Lara July 21, 2009 | easy recipe - one of my husband's all time faves. when he came home he did a 'noooooo way - we're having taco salad?!?!?! sweeet!!!'
regular ol hamburger meat - this happened to be 93%, so sort of drier... but the pkg taco seasonings made up for it. whatever brand, this happened to be old el paso taco seasonings.
whatever salad you like... i used my farmer's box 'leaf lettuce' with some costco spinach and carrot shreds mixed in. low key effort here, people.
canned kidney beans drained and rinsed thoroughly.
smooooshed up doritos... come to think of it, if i smooshed up doritos on dirt with worms i'm pretty sure my husband would eat it and ask for seconds.
as much catalina salad dressing as you like. add a little and toss before adding too much.
served up with no fuss quesadillas... had to use up some OLD tortillas... so i improvised these, but they were tasty with just regular ol shredded cheese. i'm sure you guys would be much more fancy! :D
kids weren't too keen on this - but hubb and i chowed! | | | | Mum's Macaroni Cheese! by Donna July 20, 2009 | Request by Patrick and Hanna
This meal is a request every other day.
Tonight's variation: zucchini, sesame seeds, fresh rosemary, nutritional yeast, lots of freshly ground pepper. | | | | Coconut Bundt Cake with Snow White Glaze by Becky July 20, 2009 | In my mind, baking takes faith. You have to believe in the unseen magic happening inside the cake as it is in the oven for it to turn out properly. Baking requires confidence in the supernatural power of leaveners and trust in the unexplained mystery of gluten. Yet it demands the exacting measurements of a seamstress or master carpenter (two other pursuits I at which will never excel). Successful baking also calls for a large amount of intuition and some good old fashioned educated guesswork.
I am a self-professed non-baker. I can barely make cookies. I flunked brownies in cooking school and had to stay after class and make batch after batch until they turned out. Yet I persist, and insist on making semi-fancy baked goods whenever the occasion calls for them. I do not, however, believe that practice makes perfect. Unlike those in my childhood who tried their best to encourage me in my talents and scholarly pursuits, I have come to believe that each person reaches an inevitable performance plateau. Either you are born a virtuoso or you are not. I have come to accept that I will never be a Haydn or an Einstein, nor a Julia Child.
When making this cake I came to several forks - pardon the pun - in the road where I was presented with a choice to make. The first came in examining the recipe and reading the accompanying online reviews. Several reviewers noted that the recipe, when prepared as written, resulted in a cake that was dense and eggy, and suggested adding up to 3 teaspoons baking powder and/or soda. I settled on 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder only - one commenter said baking soda would make the crust too soft - and used smaller eggs than called for.
The next crossroads came when filling my brand new pan with batter. Having not made a bundt cake for approximately 20 years, and never from scratch, I did not consider at first that my pan may be too small for the recipe. As I filled it nearly to the brim, the idea crossed my mind that that may be the case, but I dismissed it and popped the overly full pan in the oven. I then went to check on the size of my pan and learned that it holds 10, not 12, cups of batter. The cake domed considerably and eventually spilled over in my oven. Yes, in this case that little voice faraway in my head was right - it was too much batter for the pan. However, I have absorbed enough baking knowledge to know how to trim a cake that is uneven. As it turns out, bundt cakes are particularly forgiving since the top becomes the bottom. My friends would never know about my error had I not told.
In the end, I do believe that my best - whatever that is - is good enough, and it certainly looks like this cake will be good enough for seconds!
Coconut Bundt Cake with Snow White Glaze
Adapted from Bon Appetit October 2000 / October 2007
Yield: Makes 12 to 16 servings
3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs (I used 6 medium eggs)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups (packed) sweetened flaked coconut (about 7 ounces), toasted
Preheat oven to 350F. Generously butter 12-cup Bundt pan; dust pan with flour. Stir 3 cups cake flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl to blend. Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 2 1/2 cups sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then both extracts. Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with 1 cup coconut milk in 3 additions. Fold in 2 cups flaked coconut. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top.
Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; cool completely.
Snow White Glaze
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
Scant pinch of salt
2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
2 to 3 tablespoons coconut milk, or as needed
Additional toasted flaked coconut (optional)
Whisk together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Add a drop more of milk if necessary. The glaze should have a soft, just slightly runny (but not liquefied) consistency. Use the glaze as soon as it is prepared.
Spread the glaze on the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. While the glaze is still soft, sprinkle on the coconut, if desired. The glaze hardens as it dries.
| | | | Dilled Salmon by Lara July 20, 2009 | | excellent dinner! i broiled up the regular ol' salmon and plated with buttery dill sauce over steamed rice with looooots of garden fresh green onions... SO yummy! garden box fresh snow peas with some other steamed veggies - DELISH! | | | | Hanna's choice - Sunday Roast! by Donna July 19, 2009 | Rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes
Source: Vegie food, p 340
1.5 kg peeled potatoes, cut into chunks and boiled for about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander.
Oven at 200C, put roasting dish in containing 1/3 C olive oil.
Get 12 cloves garlic and chop off root end. Once roasting dish hot, put boiled spuds in dish with unpeeled garlic and 2T fresh rosemary. Season liberally.
Bake for about 1 hour, turning occasionally.
+ Salad - mixed greens
Kids enjoyed the spuds. Good comfort food. | | | | Hanna's choice - Sunday Roast! by Donna July 19, 2009 | Rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes
Source: Vegie food, p 340
1.5 kg peeled potatoes, cut into chunks and boiled for about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander.
Oven at 200C, put roasting dish in containing 1/3 C olive oil.
Get 12 cloves garlic and chop off root end. Once roasting dish hot, put boiled spuds in dish with unpeeled garlic and 2T fresh rosemary. Season liberally.
Bake for about 1 hour, turning occasionally.
+ Salad - mixed greens
Kids enjoyed the spuds. Good comfort food. | | | | Burgers with Local Cheese by Monica July 19, 2009 | | Grilled burgers with Ancho Chile Cheese from our local farm: Superstition Farm. | | | | Spinach & Pine Nut Ravioli with fresh veggie salad by Judy July 18, 2009 | Wow! The flavors and colors were fantastic!!
We bought some frozen Spinach and Pine Nut Ravioli from our local Italian market (Zanotto's in San Jose).
Cooked that up and dressed it only with olive oil.
Served it with a salad of fresh veggies I picked from our garden: Tomatoes, green bell pepper, purple bell pepper, cucumber. Added kalamata olives and some grated Mozzarella, but using those little balls of fresh mozzarella would have been great too. Dressed it with a house-made Balsamic dressing I get from our favorite cafe - City Lights.
Flavors were so intense!! It was a great dinner!
Only made enough for 2 - kids out of town.
What to serve for dessert to top that???
PS: For dessert I made a shortcake from a recipe I found online: It's called "Fruity Oat Shortcakes" - but I used fresh strawberries and low-fat ice cream instead of the fruit called for in the recipe, and instead of whipped cream.
The shortcake calls for Bisquick (I used the low fat kind), brown sugar and oats - very different from the kind I've made before, but very good. Leftovers will be good with coffee or tea tomorrow morning! | | | | Chicken in Bacon Cream Sauce over Linguine by Alyssa July 17, 2009 | This was another terrific meal. I LOVED it, but we shall see what hubby says when he comes home...not so sure he will be on board.
The girls--well--once again the younger one chomped it down bel lpeppers and all and the older one moaned and protested her way through as few bites as she could get away with. But that goes without saying for every meal!
Health: I rated it 'neither here nor there' but maybe it's more on the unhealthy side with the cream, butter & bacon. | | | | Basil BLT by Rebecca July 17, 2009 | No, you can't really go wrong with the meaty magic of a BLT, but this one was made even more delicious with the addition of super-juicy and flavorful organic Cherokee Purple tomatoes from Happy Boy Farms. Also, I pinched a few pieces off the basil in the kitchen window.
Juicy. Tasty. Porky. | | | | Cheeseburgers! by Lara July 17, 2009 | i'm learning... costco ground beef is very deceiving. i divvied up the hugemongous portion i bought, but not well enough, i spose. these burgers were huge!!!!!!!!!
beans and more veggies from the farmer's box - this time 'patty pans'! :D | | | | Chinese Chicken "stir fry" by Lara July 16, 2009 | i bought some 'chinese noodles' at costco special for this. they were meh.
snow peas and bok choy courtesy of my fabulous organic farm home delivery box! :D | | | | Asian Chicken Salad by Alyssa July 15, 2009 | with Sushi (Kroger's) and three cheese biscuits. This was outstanding! I have never made Asian Chicken Salad and was very impressed at how easy it was.
I did set aside some chicken that I had breaded and fried from Monday's Chicken Parm meal, so tonight's actual prep time was ridiculously small. | | | | Chicken Legs and Veggies by Bill July 15, 2009 | Baked Seasoned Chicken legs
Fresh sweet corn
Fresh Sweet peas
Broccoli
Mashed potatoes | | | | Culture by Chris July 14, 2009 | Some recipes require a commitment. I'm not talking 15min in the kitchen, this is no rip-open-a-bag recipe. This is the kind of recipe where the longer you've had the culture, the better it is. I'm talking yoghurt.
The 90s, for me, were all about sourdough. Nurturing the starter culture - for days. Using each batch of dough to inoculate the next. The heady scents of baking dough, and the rich, chewy bread that it made.
Then I had children.
This week is reminiscent of those heady, childfree baking days. I'm not sure where to even start looking for sour-dough culture. Do I put a plea out on facebook? Do I tweet it out there: wanted, starter culture, must be able to perform under hot and sweaty conditions? Yoghurt is all together more accessible.
for home-made yoghurt:
600ml whole milk (1 pint)
1 tablespoon live culture. I use a commercial culture.
Heat the milk gently, to almost boiling, to sterilise. cool to blood temperature.
Add the culture, pour into a thermos. Leave overnight to set.
Tonight, I baked a rack of lamb, with a medley of vegetables - caps, zucchini, red onion, banana chili. Roasted an eggplant, and mashed it with feta and home made yohurt. Delish.
Tomorrow, I'll have honeyed yoghurt on my porridge... and I'll tuck another culture into its milky bed. | | | | Red Enchiladas and Spanish Rice by Alyssa July 14, 2009 | Yum! This is the second time I've tried enchiladas and the first time with this recipe and I really enjoyed it. The Spanish rice was from a box and I deviated from my menu suggestion and chose the Kroger brand instead of Zatarans, and I'm not sure if that made a difference, but it wasn't the best.
The enchiladas get a five from me and the rice gets a 3...so the whole meal gets an average of 4.
Naturally, my 2 year old devoured it and my 5 year old cried and whined through the whole meal. She is probably still sitting at the table trying to get through one bite (even if you are reading this 4 years from now)! | | | | Chicken and Tomato Risotto by Monica July 14, 2009 | | Creamy, low fat comfort food! | | | | Chicken Sausage by Lara July 14, 2009 | costco has done it again. the spinach and chicken sausage looked iffy for the kids - but they ate it up and asked for second!
served up with cheesy julienne potatoes (shhh, box) and steamed mixed veggies (a little mushy, but good mixed into the pots!)
very tasty - probably way over the sodium intake for the week - but very good! | | | | Mmmmm by Monica July 13, 2009 | | Dinner or dessert?! LOL! Sorry, I just couldn't resist! | | | | Simple Fare by Michele July 13, 2009 | | I had grilled duck with plain green beans and it was wonderful! | | | | Chicken Parmesan by Alyssa July 13, 2009 | with soft garlic bread and salad. It was sooooo delicious...probably the best chicken parm I've tried.
THEN, I had it for lunch the next day and after soaking all night in the sauce, it was DEFINITELY the best chicken parm I've ever made. | | | | Ginger Garlic Chicken by Michele July 12, 2009 | | I had chicken marinated in a ginger sesame sauce with minced garlic. The side was noodles with a soy sauce and sesame seeds. Next time I'll add some snow peas or something green. But it was DELICIOUS! | | | | Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes and Summer Squash Casserole by Monica July 12, 2009 | | Two brand new recipes that I liked so much, I'm going to make them for a party! | | | | Petite Sirloin Steaks with Hobo Potatoes and Green Beans by Becky July 10, 2009 | I idolized my childhood best friend. She lived just down the road from me, and although she was a year ahead of me in school, we were very close. In fact, because she was older, I looked up to her and often envied the rites of passage that she went through. She was first to pierce her ears, first to get a stereo for her bedroom, first to be kissed by a boy, and first to get a job.
Her first job was at a local restaurant called Wagon Masters. (Not to be confused with the Wagon Wheel restaurant next door. Totally different, though I couldn't tell you how. In fact, I hope I'm not confusing the two now.) It's the kind of place simple folk go for simple food. It was part diner, part steakhouse. (I should say "is" because I just looked it up on the web and it appears to still be in existence. Unfortunately, there is no website to show you its full glory.)
When she was hired on as a server, she was given a few rules: 1) She would have to wear a brown polyester skirt and western-style polyester blouse to work. (I assume the servers - well, let's call 'em waitresses, that's what they are - still wear this ridiculous garb.) 2) She had to memorize the menu and its many options.
For the latter task, she enlisted my help. It was a somewhat confusing menu, with certain dishes coming with a choice of fries, baked potato, or mashed potatoes and gravy AND a choice of salad or cooked vegetables while others gave the diner the choice between soup, salad, or Texas toast. Sorting these options out was one thing. The other were the names.
It wasn't good enough to call a steak a steak and chicken chicken. No, someone, somewhere, in Wagon Masters past, had decided that the Wagon Masters dining experience could only be enhanced by giving the menu items western themed names. I'm not sure what you got when you ordered the "Ramrod", but I do recall laughing uproariously at it. How could anyone ask for a plate of food called the Ramrod with a straight face? I knew that I could never do my friend's job. Surely the first time anyone ordered the Ramrod I would have laughed until I cried and been fired on the spot.
I'm not sure what they would have called a petite sirloin - maybe the "Li'l Missus"?? But that's what we had tonight. With Hobo Potatoes (diced and tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs, wrapped in foil and tossed on the grill) and green beans. Would you like Texas toast with that? | | | | Chicken Paprikash by Stacey July 10, 2009 | | Hungarian paprika gives this dish its red color. The chicken thighs are browned in butter and then cooked in a sauce thickened with a paprika roux until tender and juicy. Lastly, sour cream is added to the sauce to add zip. Yum yum. | | | | Herb Crusted Pork Loin with Corn and Zucchini Custard Gratin and Sauteed Kale by Becky July 10, 2009 | I admit it, I am tired of hearing about locavore cuisine and seasonal dining. Yes, yes, I know that local, organic, seasonal cuisine is good for all of us and that going green is all the rage, but I wish people would stop shoving it down my throat. If I see one more article about the 100-mile diet or another documentary about the industrial food pipeline, I am going to throw up. Seriously, around Thanksgiving someone asked me if I was going to have a local organic Thanksgiving dinner and I felt like stabbing her with a non-biodegradable plastic spork. (That could have something to do with my issues around the winter holidays, but that's another story. For a therapist.)
So while this meal is quite lovely and seasonal, I'll admit I don't know the provenance of the corn let alone the pig the roast came from (although the eggs are from my friend Karen's chickens so I get a point there for local). In my opinion, getting people to eat fresh, home cooked food is a huge enough step in this culture.
Tonight's delicious, fresh, homemade meal:
Herb Crusted Pork Loin
Corn and Zucchini Custard Gratin
Sauteed Kale (okay, also local I realize - bought it right from the farmer)
Corn and Zucchini Custard Gratin
I saw a corn custard on the Today Show this morning and got inspired, but could not decide between a silky custard and a cheesy gratin, so I created this hybrid. Definitely a keeper.
2 medium zucchini (a little over a pound), sliced into thin rounds
1 shallot, minced
Kernels from 2 ears fresh corn
1 tablespoon bacon fat or butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons mixed chopped fresh herbs - I used 2 tablespoons parsley, 2 teaspoons dill and 1 teaspoon lemon thyme (it was the perfect combination, I thought)
Salt and pepper
1 cup grated fontina
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
Blanch zucchini in a large pot of boiling water for 2 minutes, or until just wilted. Drain and set aside. Saute shallot and corn kernels in bacon fat or butter until shallot is translucent. Set aside. In a large bowl, gently beat together eggs, milk, and fresh herbs. Stir in zucchini and corn mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in 1/2 of cheese. Transfer to a buttered 8x8-inch baking dish or casserole. Top with remainder of cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 35-45 minutes, or until bubbly and set. | | | | Grilled Curry Tofu with Beet-Cucumber-Snap Pea Salad, Jasmine Rice, Beet Greens by Becky July 9, 2009 | I'm not an especially spontaneous person. My life consists mostly of comfortable routine and few surprises, just the way I like it. So this morning when I came online to find a message from my friend Omid asking if I wanted to meet today for "tea, dinner, vodka, whatever" I had to think about it. Hmmm, what were my plans for the day? I replied that I was sure I could squeeze in tea somewhere, but then thought better of it, realizing that Scott would be out for the evening, and invited Omid over to cook dinner with me.
Omid and I met sometime around the year 2001 when he was teaching a cooking class at the local co-op. I was an eager student, taking the course once then later assisting him in the same course. Omid was (and still is, I am sure) the kind of teacher every student falls in love with. His passion and devotion to the subject are infectious, and everyone in the classroom feels the same love for beets and millet that he does. I had been considering a career in the culinary arts, but knowing I didn't want to work in a restaurant kitchen, I had no idea what opportunities were available to me. Seeing Omid make a career out of teaching and working as a personal chef was inspiring. So inspiring I decided to follow in his footsteps and attend the School of Natural Cookery in Boulder, Colorado, for personal chef training.
I enrolled for the course and spent the winter/spring of 2002 in Boulder, miles away from my home and husband in Seattle. When Omid came to teach the baking portion of the curriculum, it was a welcome sight to have a familiar face around. I returned to Seattle and gained a roster of clients and eventually began teaching, at the very co-op where I had begun with Omid.
As it turned out, my life took another path (as did his - he has since trained as a yoga teacher as well as completed graduate school and begun a counseling practice), but our friendship remains, and grows. Cooking with him this evening was pure bliss - his style is improvisational, spontaneous, and joyful. The perfect antidote to me, with my head forever stuck in books.
The entire meal was made by improv, with ingredients on hand in my kitchen. Aside from the rice and the sauteed greens, neither of us had ever made these dishes before.
- Grilled Curry Tofu - marinated in soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, toasted sesame oil, coconut milk, and curry paste. Grilled then returned to the remaining marinade to soak a little more.
- Served over a bed of Garlic Sauteed Beet Greens
- Jasmine Rice - with curry sauce
- Cucumber-Beet-Snap Pea Salad with red onion, dressed in coconut milk, soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar
As I used to say when I sat down to eat with my students, "Thanks for cooking!" | | | | Same ol... same ol... by Lara July 9, 2009 | but this time - my daughter's plate! mollie was VERY excited to be chosen for the photo.
regular ol salmon dinner in our house... but healthy and delish!
dessert was special because i needed to use up some older strawberries and blueberries so we could break into the new ones i just bought! gotta love summer fruit and produce! :D | | | | Grilled pizza by Monica July 8, 2009 | Caramelized pears, mozarella, gorganzola, and chicken grilled pizza and a
Pesto Margarita grilled pizza. | | | | Breakfast for dinner by Lara July 7, 2009 | dinner for two... tots. i had a large lunch, dad is out late... kiddos dined on scrambled eggs, hearty wheat toast with strawberry jam, sausage patties and oven hash browns.
a meal they both devoured and had seconds on! | | | | Spicy Lime Grilled Shrimp by Monica July 6, 2009 | | These big guys looked great but they did NOT peel well. Any ideas why not? They were nice and tender, not overcooked. I won't make them with shell on again unless if get this figured out. BIG MESS! | | | | Surprise! It's not a squash, it's a cucumber! by Monica July 6, 2009 | We recently joined a farm co-op program and last week was our first delivery. In one bag we had some normal looking cukes and a few round yellow things that looked like squash. I had fully planned for squash for dinner until I cut into one. So, I hollowed out the seeds, cut up some homegrown heirloom tomatoes with some mint and olive oil and VIOLA! Very nice! I love surprises! PS- they're called lemon cucumbers. They look like a lemon without the lemon flavor.
| | | | General's Chicken by Katherine July 5, 2009 | | General Tso's Chicken, White Rice, Boiled Yellow Corn. | | | | BBQ Chicken, Red Pots with Dill, Cornie Cob by Lara July 5, 2009 | | pretty self explanatory. | | | | Horseradish Potato Salad with Grilled Flank Steak and Honeymoon Salad by Becky July 3, 2009 | In my family, for special occasions and family gatherings, each member had a special dish that she (and we are talking only "she's" here - no man in my family has ever cooked anything beyond Kraft macaroni and cheese or maybe something on the grill) would bring to share. My mom's specialty was baked beans, which I recall were "doctored up" with lots of ketchup, mustard, and molasses. Her sister, Ione, besides being a pie-maker supreme, was the official potato salad chef of the clan.
I stayed with my Aunt Ione and her family for some time when my mom was ill, and became privy to her kitchen secrets. I saw her make her famous pie crust, learning that the secret was just the right amount of ice water. I also helped her make potato salad, which I regarded as the gold standard of potato salads everywhere. She showed me how, without measuring anything, to combine just the right amounts of mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, and sugar for the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
My tastes have grown beyond the homey food of the prairie, but not so much that I don't still enjoy a good potato salad. This version is a little more sophisticated, but just as comforting, with a nice undertone of horseradish and a pleasant crunch.
The "honeymoon salad"? Adapted from a recipe from a homemaker's cookbook: iceberg lettuce, bottled dressing. I guess it's supposed to be a joke, that you don't have enough time to make a real salad...
Creamy Horseradish Potato Salad Adapted from Gourmet | June 2007
3 pounds diced red potatoes
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons bottled white horseradish (not drained)
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
1 large stalk celery, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
4 hard-cooked eggs, cut in large pieces
Place potatoes in a pot of salted water and bring to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and spread in an even layer in a shallow dish. Sprinkle with vinegar. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or until cooled to room temperature.
Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Add potatoes, dill, celery and onion. Stir to coat. Gently fold in hard-cooked eggs. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
| | | | Blueberry Scones by Monica July 3, 2009 | | Plump blueberries were just calling to be surrounded by a buttery pastry! | | | | Lamb for One with Saffron Basmati by Rebecca July 2, 2009 | My husband's out of town so I've been cooking for one.
I simmered some freshly chopped garlic with the juices and marinade of last night's lamb then mixed up a simple curry of Fage yogurt, curry powder, ginger, tumeric and fresh cilantro. I simmered it with the cubed meat and a huge fistful of spinach (I pretty much add tons of spinach to any one-bowl type of meal).
Tossed it in a bowl with some basmati cooked with saffron. Delicious. Took about 10 minutes. Drank it with a big glass of organic cabernet sauvignon. | | | | Tea Smoked Chicken with Korean Spices by Becky July 2, 2009 | I got flamed on Usenet for posting a recipe for "Couscous Tabouli" about 12 years ago. I had just discovered the internet, and was excited to see that there was a newsgroup for virtually any interest, be it vampirism, dog shows, or food. I enthusiastically jumped in to rec.food.cooking (yes, I will name names), eager to share notes and recipes with other foodies. There was a strong contingent there already, a community of regulars who knew each other by culinary specialty, real-life location, and online persona. I was a newbie, what did I know?
Maybe I should have lurked for longer. Had I, I may have picked up the subtleties of newsgroup etiquette and the overall tone of the conversation I was entering. But no, I leapt in, head first, and posted the recipe for my riff on tabouli before knowing what I was getting myself into. I had no idea that the self-proclaimed "Princess of Middle Eastern Food" was a regular reader, nor that many others had such disdain for Mollie Katzen, author of the Moosewood Cookbook, who had inspired my version. 50 cruel and scathing comments later, I left rec.food.cooking, never to return.
Since then I have largely been an online lurker, reading but never posting to forums and blogs. Even my neighborhood news blog, which hosts a very popular forum, is too scary for me - I've seen the work of some of the trolls who hang out there. On the rare occasions when I have posted, I am always half expecting to be reamed by someone.
So you can understand it was with trepidation that I posted my recipe for jambalaya some time back, but I am comfortable now, knowing that none of you will care that I substituted agave nectar for Korean malt syrup or "rooster sauce" for Korean red pepper in my chicken tonight.
Screw you, Usenet! And thanks, DinnerTime!
Ingredients:
2-1/2 lb chicken thighs and legs
for the marinade:
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 shallot, grated
1 inch ginger, grated
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Korean malt syrup (I used agave nectar; barley malt, rice syrup, or even maple syrup or honey would probably work too)
1 tablespoon coarse-ground Korean red pepper (kochukaru) (another ingredient I did not have on hand, so I added a little rooster sauce, which I'm sure is missing some subtle aroma)
1 tablespoon sugar
for the tea-chile packet:
3 tablespoons loose white tea
8 dried red chiles
1/2 teaspoon water
Directions:
Place the chicken in a nonreactive container. In a small bowl, whisk together the marinade directions. Pour over the chicken. Seal and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Place the chiles and tea in the middle of a medium-sized rectangle of foil. Sprinkle with the water. Fold the sides up to form a packet. Poke holes in the packet with a fork. Place on the hot coals. Arrange the chicken on a greased grill. Cook covered and vented until the chicken is thoroughly cooked through, turning halfway through the cooking time.
From http://coconutlime.blogspot.com/2009/06/tea-chile-smoked-grilled-chicken-with.html | | | | Spagetti Bolognese (Super Tasty) by Khym July 1, 2009 | Brown the Mince with 1 Onion, then add a dash of Garlic Granules and 2 x Oxo Cubes. Add the Bolognese Sauce, and a squeeze of Tomato Puree and a dash of Sugar and a dash of Oregano...cook all together.
Put the Spagetti on to boil, when boiled, strain, then place back in its pan, add a dollop of butter and a dash of Oregano and Garlic Granules, mix all together.
Place the Spagetti onto the plate, in a ring formation, decorate with Grated Cheese, then put the Bolognese Sauce into the centre, decorate also with a little Grated Cheese...enjoy...yum yum. | | | | Tortellini with home made tomato salsa by Meredith July 1, 2009 | Tortellini with home made tomato salsa
saute`d Asparagus & Squash
Home grown tomato slices with feta cheese, Genoa Salami, Grilled pita bread and Olive Oil with fresh herbs | | | | Bacon and Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo Pasta by Brenda July 1, 2009 | Used the Barrilla Plus Penne with Botini Light Alfredo Sauce.
Added some sun dried tomatoes.
Garnished with black pepper, basil and crumbled bacon. | | | | Summertime! by Lara July 1, 2009 | BBQ Chix on the grill.
Salad comprised of everything from our farmer's box delivery this afternoon... cucumber, tomato, green onions, carrots and greens.
Corn (in the husk) on the grill as well!
Followed immediately by ice cream fresh off the street cart outside our house! :D
SCRUMPTIOUS! | | | | Summer Pizza Night by Judianne July 1, 2009 | So last night I decided to make some pizza with some of the items from our CSA basket. I used Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza dough for all three, and spread them out on a cookie sheet that had been sprayed with canola oil and dusted with corn meal. Assembly went as follows:
Pizza one:
Trader Joe's pizza sauce (I only use enough for a thin coating)
Sauteed minced torpedo onions and chopped chard (used the whole bunch for this one pizza -- it really cooks down!)
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/8 cup parmesan reggiano
Pizza two:
pizza sauce, as above
quartered then thinly sliced topedo onions
sliced crimini mushrooms
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 cup mozzarella
Pizza three:
Sauce and mozzarella, the obligatory plain cheese for the kids!
Cooked all at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes (cheese a couple minutes less). The only complaint from the kids was that there was no pepperoni. In the future, I would probably add sliced garlic to #1 and/or #2. Gotta love easy and tasty summer meals! | | | | Zucchini with Quinoa Stuffing by Monica July 1, 2009 | | From RealSimple magazine. Love this, even though I forgot the beans. Fresh grated parm is the key! | | |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
