What Did We Eat Today?

[biakbiak]

Ina's spatchcocked lemon chicken with roasted potatoes and a salad of sousvide carrots with dill dressing with homemade yogurt I made.

[JTMacc99]

Made this spicy pork and cucumber salad for lunch. The boy liked it too. I had to julienne the cucumbers since I don’t have a spiral thing. I think it needs more dressing and will up the amount next time. 

[ariel]

Tonight is take-out Korean Fried Chicken wings with sweet/spicy sauce. Sides will be leftover rice & a bagged salad with maple vinaigrette. Dessert will be pineapple slices.  It's a purge the fridge kind of night.

[MargeGunderson]

Homemade sloppy joe mixture with cornbread topping, guacamole and chips. I also made a ton of Chex Mix.

[annzeepark914]

Red bean & sausage soup and it was good on a rainy night.  One thing I'm not going to buy any more is chicken broth with no salt added.  I find I need to keep adding seasonings upon seasonings and who knows how much sodium I end up putting in the soup??  Even the low sodium broth seems to require lots of extra seasonings.  I may return to regular chicken broth.

[EllieH]

My father-in-law was visiting today, so tonight we had cowboy caviar to snack on, my husband grilled steaks and I made brown butter- soy sauce sweet potatoes*, green beans and bread in the breadmaker.

*New recipe for me from The Art of Flavor cookbook, I'd make it again but adjust the proportions, we found it a bit heavy on soy sauce.

[Lovecat]

I am not ashamed to report that last night for dinner I had chips and salsa and a plateful of pigs in a blanket.  My own little Super Bowl party, and I cried a few happy tears when the Eagles won :)  I don't really like football, and most of my knowledge of the game results from being required to sit through 4 years of high school football as a member of the marching band...but there's something about seeing the home team win the big one!

[Qoass]

I'm going through the single servings of soup from my freezer and I think by the end of the week I'm going to be "accidentally" spilling them down the drain.

[JTMacc99]

14 hours ago, forumfish said:

Baked potatoes plus leftovers from last night - sausage-cheese balls, ham rollups, and little BBQ sausages. At least I used reduced-fat ingredients for the party food, so it wasn't a total fat fest. ;)

I did the same thing here. Reduced fat crescent rolls and turkey hot dogs made the Pigs in a Blanket, lean ground turkey for the meatballs, baked chips for the guacamole. I mean, it still all added up, but I did the best I could to take the edge off so that everybody could eat what they wanted.

[biakbiak]

A new restaurant opened around the corner so crab cakes amd a casear salad.

[DeLurker]

9 hours ago, forumfish said:

Baked potato soup, but I cheated -- I started with two pouches of the Idahoan Baby Red potatoes and added extra butter and milk.

Sounds like something I need to try!

I made spaghetti last night and, with the help of some kind hearted souls who answered a question about how to make the sauce in the I need a Recipe thread, it turned out quite tasty!

[Zola]

Something simple and basic this evening - sweet chilli chicken stir fry

Soy Sauce

Sweet Chilli Sauce

rice vinegar

chicken breasts, thinly sliced

hokkien noodles

sunflower oil

garlic cloves, sliced

grated ginger

onion, thinly sliced

red capsicum, thinly sliced

[biakbiak]

Ina's pasta, pesto and peas with some cherry tomatoes.

[JTMacc99]

Does anybody regularly purchase just pizza dough from you local pizza place to make at home?  I've done it like two times in the last five years, and both times the pizza came out better than when I use any of my own homemade or store bought dough.

I'm sitting here wondering why I don't do that more often, and it seems like it's just convenience. I can get a pretty good frozen dough, two pizzas for $2.99 at the supermarket, so I tend to throw one of those in the cart and that satisfies my pizza requirement.

[chessiegal]

6 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

Does anybody regularly purchase just pizza dough from you local pizza place to make at home?  I've done it like two times in the last five years, and both times the pizza came out better than when I use any of my own homemade or store bought dough.

I'm sitting here wondering why I don't do that more often, and it seems like it's just convenience. I can get a pretty good frozen dough, two pizzas for $2.99 at the supermarket, so I tend to throw one of those in the cart and that satisfies my pizza requirement.

My Whole Foods sells pizza dough - I need to think about buying it and try my hand at homemade pizza. I'm volunteering at the Visitors Center Thursday afternoons this month. I don't feel like cooking when I come home. I thought about ordering pizza or Chinese before I left. I didn't, so made a clean the freezer and fridge potato frittata.

[DeLurker]

I've only done the Whole Foods pizza dough.  I've bought Trader Joe's a few times too.

[Zola]

Still early days yet, but I suspect my friends and I will be heading off to an Indian restaurant later tonight. A Chicken bhuna is probably on the cards, but I just hope I don't get too drunk from the clubbing scene beforehand

[Quof]

The secret to homemade pizza is heat.  Commercial pizza ovens are set at 625 degrees. Set yours as high as it can go.  Also, a pizza stone.

[JTMacc99]

17 minutes ago, Quof said:

The secret to homemade pizza is heat.  Commercial pizza ovens are set at 625 degrees. Set yours as high as it can go.  Also, a pizza stone.

I like using the stone. I've also figured out a way to cook them on my grill when it gets warmer out. That sucker gets way up near 600, and the pizza is great when I do it that way. 

The most recent Calphalon pizza pan I bought is excellent. It's large, has the little holes in it, and the pizzas slide right off of it. 

[MargeGunderson]

Slow cooker chicken & dumplings. It smells good!

[chessiegal]

Crab cake Friday!

[biakbiak]

Leftover chicken turned into a pasta salad with avocados, jalapenos, red onions, tomatoes and cilantro.

Edited February 10, 2018 by biakbiak

[harrie]

On 2/8/2018 at 3:35 PM, JTMacc99 said:

Does anybody regularly purchase just pizza dough from you local pizza place to make at home?  I've done it like two times in the last five years, and both times the pizza came out better than when I use any of my own homemade or store bought dough.

I'm sitting here wondering why I don't do that more often, and it seems like it's just convenience. I can get a pretty good frozen dough, two pizzas for $2.99 at the supermarket, so I tend to throw one of those in the cart and that satisfies my pizza requirement.

Not from our pizza place, but from a bakery. It's fresh, cheap, and works better than the stuff in stores around here. (Plus I always seem to find something else there to bring home -- right now, it's paczki season.)

20 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

Slow cooker chicken & dumplings. It smells good!

That sounds wonderful. 

We're having Yankee pot roast, even if we're having a semi-warm spell.

[MargeGunderson]

The chicken and dumplings was good. The dumplings were so light they basically melt in your mouth. 

Tonight I made biscuits and sausage gravy. I worked all afternoon - work work, not work around the house - so I thought I would treat myself.

[biakbiak]

Brats, onions, peppers, cooked in beer with sauerkraut amd oven fries.

Edited February 11, 2018 by biakbiak

[biakbiak]

Turned leftover roast chicken into individual chicken pot pies and a simple salad.

[chessiegal]

Grilled hamburgers on toasted pretzel buns.

[Mindthinkr]

Guarenchelli and tomatoes made into a sauce over homemade pasta. Simple yet so satisfying. 

[biakbiak]

6 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Guarenchelli and tomatoes made into a sauce over homemade pasta. Simple yet so satisfying. 

Wait you cooked Alex?

Ground beef chili with tons of peppers in the InstantPot, super spicy and cheddar cheese cornbread. 

[Mindthinkr]

7 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Wait you cooked Alex?

Ground beef chili with tons of peppers in the InstantPot, super spicy and cheddar cheese cornbread. 

Alex?.

[biakbiak]

1 minute ago, Mindthinkr said:

Alex?.

Guarenchelli. Never heard of it as an ingredient.

[Mindthinkr]

2 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Guarenchelli. Never heard of it as an ingredient.

It’s the meat from a pigs jowl. It sounds disgusting but looks like bacon and has a wonderful flavor. 

Edited February 13, 2018 by Mindthinkr
Lol...I’m not Italian and probably spelled it wrong!,

[biakbiak]

1 minute ago, Mindthinkr said:

It’s the meat from a pigs jowl. It sounds disgusting but looks like bacon and has a wonderful flavor. 

That's guanciale, perhaps it was an autocorrect issue.

[Mindthinkr]

Just now, biakbiak said:

That's guanciale, perhaps it was an autocorrect issue.

Thank you for sharing the correct spelling. Sorry that I got it wrong but my belly is full and I’m exhausted (I know. No real excuse). It tastes so good and the smell is when it is cooking is intoxicating. Also add some perperonchini (spelling from the Italian man who brings it back from Italy. Crushed red pepper from America isn’t good enough in his opinion). 

[annzeepark914]

Grilled brats on toasted buns (and baked beans w/ a little Famous Dave's bbq sauce mixed in + a few onions, the way they make it there).

[Bastet]

LOL - the chef Alex's last name is Guarnaschelli and guanciale is the ingredient, so the "You cooked Alex?" conversation spurred by "guarenchelli" gave me a good-natured chuckle after a somewhat crappy day -- thanks to you two for that.

As for dinner, a local butcher had rib-eye steaks (bone-in, as nature intended) on special last week (ending today), which percolated in my mind, apparently, as today I had one of my sporadic beef cravings, so I stopped off for a beautiful steak on the way home.  I have some broccoli and cauliflower roasting (just the right number of leftover pieces from what I prepped for the Super Bowl veggie/dip platter), and have enjoyed a mixed-green salad while waiting, and am getting ready to put the steak on the grill.

[BW Manilowe]

10 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Alex?.

Guarnaschelli. Alex (Alexandra) Guarnaschelli. She is/has been a staple, pretty much, on the Food Network & is an Iron Chef.

[PRgal]

Since it's Shrove/Pancake/Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), I'm going to make savoury pancakes (a tradition in our house)! 

[ariel]

2 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

Guarnaschelli. Alex (Alexandra) Guarnaschelli. She is/has been a staple, pretty much, on the Food Network & is an Iron Chef.

I wish she still had a cooking on FN.  It seems like the talented chefs are judges on the contest shows & the untalented hacks get their own cooking shows on FN.

[PRgal]

3 hours ago, ariel said:

I wish she still had a cooking on FN.  It seems like the talented chefs are judges on the contest shows & the untalented hacks get their own cooking shows on FN.

I think many have moved on to the Cooking Channel. 

[Qoass]

A smoothie made with the last of the yogurt and the last of the blackberries. Purple mustache, here I come.

[annzeepark914]

Dave Lieberman's Bubbie's meatloaf (love it); roasted potatoes w/ aioli on the side, baked tomatoes parmesan, and reheated green beans.  I so miss the good cooks and chefs that used to be on FN ;>(

[JTMacc99]

15 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Dave Lieberman's Bubbie's meatloaf (love it); roasted potatoes w/ aioli on the side, baked tomatoes parmesan, and reheated green beans.  I so miss the good cooks and chefs that used to be on FN ;>(

The really talented people are around; it's just that they only cook on the competition shows. You can see how creative and talented they are, but at the same time, you're not getting any useful recipes out of them.

What I would propose over at the Cooking Channel is to just do Netflix style 3 episode runs of some really talented chef in the kitchen with him or her showcasing whatever it is that make them special, and then moving on to a new chef. Call the series Chefs Showcase or something like that, and instead of trying to find the next TV star, just let the concept and the food be the star. 

I say 3 each, because that's enough to get a feel for what that chef brings to the table, and not enough to get put off by the fact that most people aren't good on TV. The show might require some really talented producers/directors.

[Mindthinkr]

I thank all of you or helping me in my mix up between Guarnaschelli and guanciale! Where was my head last night? I think all of my blood left my brain and went down into my digestive track lol. I’m laughing at myself this am. For the record I like Alex and next time I go to NYC would like to try her restaurant Butter and would never consider cooking her. 

Oops. Wrote that and forgot to put the submit reply button. Sorry folks.

Tonight either split pea soup with ham, celery, onions, carrots and potatoes or just throwing a steak on the grill. I’m home alone so it’s not going to be a special day here.  

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

What I would propose over at the Cooking Channel is to just do Netflix style 3 episode runs of some really talented chef in the kitchen with him or her showcasing whatever it is that make them special, and then moving on to a new chef. Call the series Chefs Showcase or something like that, and instead of trying to find the next TV star, just let the concept and the food be the star. 

I say 3 each, because that's enough to get a feel for what that chef brings to the table, and not enough to get put off by the fact that most people aren't good on TV. The show might require some really talented producers/directors.

@JTMACC99:  Send an email to the Cooking Channel and make that suggestion.  I think it's a great idea.  

[Zola]

Since it's Valentines, my partner and I will be eating out tonight. She doesn't know it yet though: it's my surprise gift!

I was thinking of going Italian but she prefers Thai or Japanese. So we will probably have something like Chicken Satay for starter, Sweet & Sour Chicken and/or green or red Thai Curries. (we are not very adventurous with Thai unfortunately).

Eating out is always an expensive business, more so on special occasions. But I guess you can't put a price on love

 

(thank god for credit cards, lol)

[Mindthinkr]

@Zola Lucky her. I’m impressed with how much thought and effort that you put into your relationship. Have a wonderful dinner and evening. 

[biakbiak]

My boyfriend has a cheese addiction so we always have a ton small pieces of various cheeses so I did a purge and made a gazillion cheese mac and cheese with a salad.

[Zola]

We don't plan to go out tonight, but since it's a Friday we will either order a takeaway (Indian or Chinese), or I might pop round to the local chippy and order some good old fish (cod) and chips! Yummy

[chessiegal]

We haven't had much snow this winter, but it started snowing this afternoon, so no grilling. I'm sautéing parmesan crusted chicken cutlets, and serving them with steamed broccoli and baked potato.