What's for Dinner? ~ Sunday March 8th

[Lucinda]

It's looking like it will be ravioli and a big salad here.

I have fresh spinach, cream cheese, a little ham, and some black olives for the filling. With fresh shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.

I'll probably use the above yummies in the salad too, with some craisins, lettuces, and spring onions.


Inexpensive and yummy. :)


What's for dinner where ye be?

[hippywife]

1. Thawing out a big chicken.

It's going to have to be fried, of course. (I may save some of the meat for our crepes project, tho. Still haven't decided on the filling yet.)

Gonna try the greened mashed potato recipe I posted yesterday with it. Haven't decided on the veggie. Probably peas coz that's what Bill likes best.

(Just got my yogurt in to incubate and have dough rising for pecan rolls. Probably make brownies for the lunch cookie. Then it's ice cream later tonight.)

[Lucinda]

2. Sounds like a very busy day!

I'm planning on a lot of sitting around and maybe some crepe batter recipe surfing.
:D

[hippywife]

3. Welcome to my weekends.

If I wouldn't slack off so much on Saturdays lately it wouldn't be so bad. The brownies are in the oven. I finally decided to assuage my curiosity and made these:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/06/AR2007020600438.html

[Lucinda]

8. I love the name! "Man-Catcher Brownies"

:rofl:

What kind of cocoa powder are you using?

I've been playing with the Hersheys Special Dark cocoa. Love it.

Let me know what kind of texture you get with these?
I'm looking for a good base brownie recipe. I'm not a fan of the lighter cake-y ones.

[hippywife]

13. Here they are.

They are very thick, intense and fudgy. And nearly black. Before I started buying only fair trade cocoa and chocolate, I had bought a can of Hershey's Special Dark Blend of both natural and Dutched cocoa. I used it up in this recipe.

I cut them into smaller pieces because you don't need a whole lot. There are two layers here in my old Rubbermaid pie taker.







Bill's been doing laundry for me today so I can get everything done. :D

[Lucinda]

16. Yum. Thick, intense and fudgy sounds about perfect.

And you don't have to email them now! That's thinking ahead! :)

[troubleinwinter]

5. Is this a hint??!!!

"our crepes project" :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

I've been thinkin' up inspirations!!

[hippywife]

6. Nope.

Since it looks like it's going to be crepes, was just thinking either chicken or salmon as the base for the filling. I think people will come up with lots of yummy fillings.

[cbayer]

24. I made Trader Joes truffle brownies last night and ate them hot with ice cream.

What a fantastic treat!

[hippywife]

26. I make alot of this sweet stuff

but I don't eat much of it at all. Just a bite here and there.

[Vinca]

4. We're pretending it's summer. Pasta salad prepared and in the fridge,

spare ribs cooking in a slow oven.

[Lucinda]

9. It's 74 here today. Which is freaky after all the snow just a few days ago.

I've been craving the lighter stuff for about a month now. LOL


What do you out in your pasta salad?

[Vinca]

12. Our favorite salad combines rotini, good quality canned tuna,

diced cucumber, chopped celery, chopped red pepper, sliced black olives, either chopped scallions or onion and a few thinly sliced carrot bits for color. The sauce is a mixture of mayo, mustard, a little ketchup, sweet relish and a hefty shake of McCormack Salad Supreme seasoning. Sometimes I throw in a little Thousand Island dressing or cole slaw dressing if I'm trying to use it up. Combine, put into a serving bowl and top with either halved cherry tomatoes or chopped tomatoes or whatever happens to hit you.

[Lucinda]

14. Thats a great flavor combo! Bet it's really pretty too. I love Salad Supreme but

never used in on anything BUT salads.
I'll try it next time.

We actually have to drive to the next town when I run out. My grocery store doesn't carry it. :eyes:

[Vinca]

18. It's good to know I'm not the only one hooked on that seasoning.

I've used it for years in pasta salads and potato salad, too. (Oddly, I've never used it in tossed salads.) I refer to it as my "secret ingredient." If they ever stop making it I'll be in big trouble.

[Lucinda]

19. I thought I was the only addict. Can't believe I never used it on anything else!

I guess I'm not quite as brilliant as I think I am. :rofl:

How funny you've never used it in tossed salads! We're opposites. :)
When I realized I could eat salad again I even looked online for it when I realized my store doesn't stock it. So now I we travel for my prescriptions, enchilada sauce, and salad supreme.

[grasswire]

7. salmon patties, dilly rice, waldorf salad...

...that's prolly it.

My nephew LOVES salmon patties the old way like his grandmother made them. Cracker crumbs, eggs, diced onion, lemon juice, some milk, and picked-over canned pink salmon. And he will be here for supper. The teenagers don't like "patties" -- they want the stuff in a loaf the way THEIR grandmother made it. So I do part loaf, part patties sauteed in butter. Oh, and further sub-category: one of the teens doesn't want onion in hers, so the "loaf" is two parts; with onion and without.

We Americans are nuts.

I haven't been baking because of The Cold, and I'm getting itchy to get some pies done at the coffee house!

[Lucinda]

10. YUM . I think I may make some salmon patties soon too.

I was given some steaks and they are too muchy when they thaw, but seem fine otherwise.
Salmon patties may be the way to go. And Bill's never had them.
So if I don't screw it up, it could be fun.

Of course, if I do screw it up, it will be fun for Bill. So it's a win/win. :D

[Tesha]

11. Baked ham and cornbread and butternut squash and something green...

spinach or cabbage or green beans - whatever Mr T's little heart desires...

[Lucinda]

15. What time should we be there?

:D
Sounds delicious!

[bicentennial_baby]

17. Leftovers, which is good, because

I'm on my 2nd Ikea assemblage project of the day, a bookcase with glass doors. I'm not cooking anything today.

[Lucinda]

27. I :heart: Ikea. Fortunately for me, the closest is 4 hours away.

I save a lot of money that way. :)

[bicentennial_baby]

33. Mine is about 15 minutes away...

I spent $337 and change. But, I now have 2 new wood cutting boards, a cast iron dutch oven, a cast iron frying pan, numerous kitchen utensils and other stuff. Even new sheets! :D

:)

[Lucinda]

36. I was REALLY tempted to do IKEA cabinets when we built

and we still may the next time around. We big "modern" fans.

It's always a happy day when the catalogue arrives. :) Great stuff and great prices.

Sounds like you really scored!

[sazemisery]

20. Mr.sazemisery is makin teh lasagna

I requested he make his lasagna today so we can freeze the leftovers. I'm in charge of the salad.

[Lucinda]

28. Mmmmmm lasagne!

I just finished a king kong sized dinner salad. Twas yummy.
Bet yours will be delicious too!

[spindrifter]

21. Fish tacos

[Lucinda]

29. How do you make yours?

[spindrifter]

34. I use a white fish--

sometimes I bread it in flour and cornmeal. Cut the fish across the fillet. Fry it. Prior to beginning the fish I make a slaw with shredded cabbage and carrots. I vary the dressing. Sometimes it's mayo, vinegar and cumin with cayenne pepper. Sometimes it's Brianna's Chipotle Cheddar salad dressing. I generally use two corn tortillas per taco so the wrap is strong enough to hold the fish. Just fill the heated tortillas with fish and the slaw, and there you have it!

[Lucinda]

35. Thanks! The doubling of the tortillas is a great tip!

We were talking about making some earlier this evening and I have never made them before. :)

[japple]

22. Roasted chicken, roasted butternut squash, mashed potatoes,

cabbage and kale sauteed in EVOO with leeks and onions, fresh pineapple salsa, green salad with lots of tomatoes and homemade biscuits. I had a table full of family here today for Sunday dinner. Good thing I bought that carrot cake at the hospital bake sale on Friday. I wouldn't have had time to make a dessert. Oh, and fresh Florida strawberries!

[Lucinda]

30. That's great that you had a big family gathering today. Most of mine is a day away.

Your dinner sounds really wonderful.

I've been squash hungry for a couple of days now. So I have a little dinner envy. :)
And I'd kill for some fresh strawberries right now!
Or plums.
My last bite of salad tasted like fresh plums.
How weird is that? :D

[cbayer]

23. Chicken thighs with roasted veggies.

I am going to brown the chicken, roast it in the same pan, and make a gravy.

And the veggies will be asparagus, potatoes, onion, garlic and olives - roasted and tossed with fresh basil.

Good food to watch 60 minutes and Big Love by.

Enjoy your delicious ravioli!

:hi:

[Lucinda]

31. I love roasted vggies. I could do them every day and never get tired of them.

Enjoy your dinner and the tele!
Bill's watching scary things so I'm cleaning the kitchen and posting here. :)

[Phentex]

25. Nice enough to grill...

I did not pick up my veggie box this week so I went to the market for something to fix on the side and was very disappointed. I'll throw together a squash/onion mix and have salad and baked potatoes.

Did I mention chocolate cake? Just old fashioned chocolate cake. :)

[Lucinda]

32. Ohhhhhhh. CAKE!

I want some.
And some squash.
But mostly the cake.

:9

[eleny]

37. Broiled walleye pike, baked spuds and sliced zucchini in tomato sauce

Twas delish!

[Lucinda]

49. I've never had walleye pike. Is it a mild fish?

I just had smoked bluefish for the first time.

I've been such a creature of habit over the years that I've only had the same few types of fish, time after time.

[eleny]

52. The pike is mild and slightly meaty in texture

So it's not so delicate and flaky like fillet of sole. It has a little more body to it. I got a piece that looked to be like one half of a fish and it was filleted. Plenty for two people.

I seasoned it with some Sunny Spain seasoning from Penzy's and it was very good broiled. I think this fish would stand up to the outdoor grill.

I've never had smoked blue. My dad used to catch them off the coast of Long Island once in a while. A delicious fish. Now I'll have to look for some smoked!

[Lucinda]

53. I like the smoked blue a lot. A friend smoked it while in Florida

and brought us some when he came back home. I'm not a fan of oily fishes as a rule, but this was really great.

Thanks for the info on the walleye. Sounds like I'd probably like it! :hi:

[troubleinwinter]

38. Yeah, I was starting to make dinner,

the phone rang, it was Daddio. I turned off the stove fire for a few minutes.

We talked about some local goings-on, Western American history, the symphony, his childhood in the 1930s, the opera, Jimmy Cagney, Rod Steiger, his evenings with Peter Reinhart for dinner with Peter & his wife at the Culinary Institute where Peter was teaching then on to theater shows in SF, then Christopher Walken............ he tells me that Walken was a dancer on Broadway when he started out?! HUH? WUH?

I never did get any dinner after talking an hour and a half. I had bread and butter. But the conversation lead me to find THIS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnHLsDuleAs&eurl=http://www.fanpop.com/spots/christopher-walken/videos/5309&feature=player_embedded

Missing dinner in order to talk to 80 dad is priceless.

[pengillian101]

41. Wow!

That was fun, thanks for posting. Who would have envisioned Walken dancing like that?

Best to your Dad; sounds like he has alot of good stories. Please share more, anytime :hi:

[troubleinwinter]

42. Well since ya asked!

He also has been making the Artisan in 5 bread along with us. Today he tells me that he's been braggin' all over town about it, and all his pals now want to do it too!

He had to go buy more flour today. Hmmmm... I better get to the store quick before all the local elder folk clear the shelves of yeast powder.

[troubleinwinter]

43. I also told him I was having a conversation with a friend on DU

about Daylight Savings, that it is so hard to explain (He is an astronomer, as was my grandfather). He said, "Well, it's been hard to explain and understand for my whole life. It DID make sense at various times in the early last century, but not now."

It IS pretty confusing.

[Lucinda]

51. That's time VERY well spent!

As for Walken, I knew he was a dancer. I'll see your video (which was great) and raise you one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZwZiU0kKs

[AwakeAtLast]

39. Mr. AAL actually cooked tonight!

Being a midwestern farm gal, I am not one to say "Ooh, fish! I can cook that!" But Mr. AAL decided he wanted tilapia (he's an East Coaster). He pan seared it in olive oil w/ a small pat of butter and sprinkled on some Weber seafood seasoning. It was very good! He served it with garlic mashed potatoes and some California blend vegetables.

He can cook fish anytime he wants to! :9

[Lucinda]

47. Tilapia is one of the fishies that we can get around here that I like

It's pretty good stuff!
Red Snapper is my favorite, but we don't see it often.

[soleiri]

40. easy comfort food

potato medley (from Trader Joe's) mixed with tofu over rice.

[Lucinda]

46. What's in their potato medley?

I've never seen it...

[soleiri]

48. It's in the frozen food section

It has potato wedges, carrots, broccoli, snow peas, tomatoes and probably some other veggies. It's great either over rice, or wrapped up in a burrito for breakfast the next day.

[Lucinda]

50. Sounds yummy and very convienient.

I haven't had snow peas in a long time....May have to go looking for some this week!

[ginnyinWI]

44. Eggplant that wasn't soggy!

Here's how: take a medium eggplant and slice into circles--kind of thin, maybe a little more than 1/4 inches thick. put on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and let them sit 10 min to leach out some of the juice.

Meanwhile, take two small bowls. In one, mix 2 eggs and 2 T. milk or half and half. In the other mix 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, 1/2 c. wheat germ and 1 tsp. dried basil.

After the ten min. are up, blot the eggplant slices with paper towel. Put them in a pile, then grease or spray the same baking sheet. Dip each slice first into the egg mixture and then the cheese-wheat germ mixture. Spread out on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 400 deg. for 15-20 min. until tender and golden brown.

As a garnish, heat a cup or two of spaghetti sauce mixed with a pinch of cayenne pepper. Spoon over eggplant slices on your plate.

You can also top it with some feta or blue cheese.

[Lucinda]

45. Sounds easy and yummy!

I love eggplant! :)