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What's for Dinner #153 - July 4th Edition [Old]
- roxlet Jul 3, 2012 09:12 AM
Barbecue, grilling, cook out -- What's your July 4th tradition?
Here at Casa Roxlet, it will be pork barbecue, slaw, tater salad and corn bread. I'm still working on the dessert, but it will likely be a blueberry pie from the new Alice Medrich book, and my own spin on the fabulous peach cream pie from Briermere Farms in NY where the cream is actually a mix of whipped cream and cream cheese.
What's for dinner tonight, and for the 4th?
Tonight is boy's night so I'm serving my husband and his friend grilled steaks, grilled corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes. I'm not bothering with a green veg bc they will just ignore it.
Tomorrow we are BBQing on the beach. So far we have burgers, hot dogs, chicken skewers, shrimp skewers, macaroni and cheese, tortellini salad, pasta salad, baked beans and fruit salad on the menu. Dinner tomorrow night may be chicken francese or it may be an order for pizza. Depends how tired I am when I get home from the beach.
Tonight, roasted chicken breasts, rice and spinach.
For the Fourth, cheeseburgers on the gas grill, toasted onion rolls, tomato, onion and, for him, lettuce. None on my burger, thank you. Probably French fries. Don't need anything else, except Old Glory flying.
Being American in name only, I wasn't really planning on celebrating the 4th until my boyfriend asked me this morning if I had any ideas for dinner tomorrow... So it sounds like it's going to be burgers on the grill, probably with cheese and a variety of other standard toppings. Potato salad on the side and perhaps a veggie of some sort. Maybe some beer, if everything else doesn't cost too much. Until he finds a job here, we're relying on my incredibly modest income and are having to be rather thrifty when it comes to food, especially since almost everything except for my spices and my home cured olives was left behind in the move.
Last night I made a smoky pha lad na with bok choy and the rest of the grilled chicken from the night before. Tonight, I have no idea what we're having. I'll have to hit the store and see what I see.
Going out for a German take on pulled pork today at a new resto in our hood tonight (http://www.katzorange.com/menu/).
Tomorrow we're invited over to our friends' place -- they live in Brooklyn but are in town for 2 weeks with their young daughter. We'll be bringing German beer, and I hear there's burgers & corn on the cob (!!!) on the menu! Alas, no fireworks here.
Shame, as I go a little apeshit over fireworks :-)
re: linguafood
it will be interesting to hear how the pulled pork is...
and it's super cute that you go apeshit over fireworks!
re: linguafood
Machaca is definitely not something I would've expected to see on a German menu. The matjes herring with raspberries and avocado, however, are an intriguing twist on a classic and oh how they are calling me!
re: linguafood
Wow, looking forward to a report on German pulled pork - as well as how the German corn on the cob is - that's a tough one to pull off well up there!
Would be happy to have your apeshit-ness replace me for the fireworks portion of tomorrow evening. Like the rockets red glare, but not the noise! I am just outside of SEA city limits (like, a block), and they have a fireworks ban - but not HERE. in my neighborhood and all south of me, all the teenagers are going crazy with huge booming stuff from the indian reservations... sigh.
re: linguafood
The pork was lovely -- it came in a big hunk that fell apart just digging at it with forks: marinated for 48 hours, then cooked sous vide, then finished in the oven. A bunch of accoutrements such as lemon-creme fraiche (totally unnecessary), the oven jus, seasonal veggies and an apple/cucumber salad. Did I mention they serve goose fat fries? :-)
No burgers the next day, but pizza instead at the best pizza joint in town. Fine with me.
re: linguafood
goose fat fries..... ack ack ack!
re: twodales
Yum! I tend to go the Mediterranean route as well in this 90+ degree weather! Do you make your own Greek dressing for your salad? I'm always on the lookout for a delicious dressing.
re: tiffeecanoe
I like this Greek dressing, in case you're looking for one: http://greek.food.com/recipe/kittenca...
re: ChristinaMason
thank you!
re: tiffeecanoe
Hi tiffeecanoe.....Greek Dressing. I generally sprinkle fresh or dried oregano over the salad and then drizzle some nice evoo and a bit of wine vinegar over the top. A few grinds of pepper and that is it. I figure all of the bits: the kalamatas, feta, cukes, tomatoes and whatnot should shine, so I keep it simple.
I will have to try Christinas's recipe some time.
re: twodales
definitely! While we're sharing - mine is basically 3T of lemon juice (or mix of lemon juice and basic white wine vinegar) poured into 2 mashed w/ salt garlic cloves, then 4T of Olive oil - sometimes a mild tasting one actually! Little oregano or fresh dill and pepper. YUM! I've been trying to recreate the dressing from my favorite sandwich/salad shop in Greektown in Chicago and I think I've finally come close with this one!
Tonight will be out at a new-to-me restaurant in Boston with several friends. My friend termed it "Italian tapas" as she knows how much I love tapas. :-) So we'll see how it is. I trust her taste in food and drink, so I'm sure it'll be good. Good company and conversation is a guarantee. :-)
And I'll be celebrating Independence Day (every country has a July 4th, but not everyone has an Independence Day as we Americans do!) on my own. But I'm OK with that. Menu TBD, but I've got a good idea of what I'll be making.
phooey. my sister's sick, so probably not doing anything foodwise (it would have been minimal anyway) tomorrow, though I'll be over at the Oldster's... need to keep her away from him. too bad, because i was actually craving grilled burgers, reading all your luscious plans.... we'll see, maybe i'll plan for it anyway - make sure the tank is full this time! - just in case she feels better....
tonight... not sure, probably take out mexican. we're finally out of tapas.
Dinner tonight will be whatever we find on our way up to Lake George, where we'll be celebrating with a long weekend at a friend's house. Tomorrow we've been invited to a BBQ, where the main dish is BBQ pork loin, so we're providing baked beans, German potato salad and some kahlua-chocolate dessert that my friend is making. I imagine there might be burgers for lunch, though - what's Independence Day without a fat juicy burger?
Tonight will be a lazy hot day dinner of a little leftover sausage and whatever veggies look good in the crisper drawer with some pasta. Maybe even just pasta with fresh tomatoes and basil and some balsamic--the lazy cook's go-to in the summer. Man, am I glad that tomato season is getting into swing in our neck of the woods! My favorites that i can get around these parts (western NC) are Cherokee Purples. They are the tomato-iest tomatoes I have ever eaten. Good lord. I could live off them for the next couple of months, and once it's over, I'll have a hard time remembering what on earth we ate before tomato season.....
For the Fourth, we're having the simple classics with a few updates: Hot dogs (but they're homemade hot dogs from The Chop Shop in Asheville, NC), some sort of good local beer, and the old standbyes of corn on the cob, sweet vinegary boiled-dressing slaw, chips and dip, maybe a green salad and watermelon or something. And leftover lemon ice box pie from my husband's birthday. There's only two of us so, seriously, that should do it! ;)
re: ChristinaMason
Well, really I just wing it. I pre-bake a pie crust completely and let it cool. I whip up about a 50-50 mix of cream cheese and whipped cream, sweetened to taste. Add fruit. Here's what an actual Briermere Peach Fantasy (as we call it) looks like. They use all kinds of fresh fruits -- whatever is good in the market. It is really delicious.
re: roxlet
re: steve h.
Ditto on the stunning comment. Just gorgeous, roxlet!
re: roxlet
I had to double click on photo to get a close of that beauty! Wow, fresh-fruit petal-pie!
How do they ever keep the top fresh fruit from turning brown and icky before service?
It's a small miracle in a crust!
re: roxlet
Gorgeous. I think I will steal this and make a version of this for my son's 3rd b-day party since it is essentially fruit--healthy and beautiful!
re: roxlet
Ro...looks outstanding...is the fruit cooked in any manner? do you par-boile to remove teh skins/...have you tried this with anyother fruit?...
re: roxlet
The peaches are not cooked, but I believe they are dipped in hot water to remove the skins, then tossed with lemon (to prevent browning) and as much sugar as you like -- particularly if the peaches are not sweet. They make this pie with peaches, raspberries, apricots, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, whatever is fresh and in season. Since it's a farm, and they grow their own fruit, they also preserve it (they make the absolute BEST strawberry jam I have ever had), and in the off season, they will use the preserved fruits to top the cream pies. They're not as fabulous as the fresh fruit ones in the summer, though. Here is their web site:
re: roxlet
I will make the trek this summer.
re: PHREDDY
Their blueberry muffins are amazing. They are at least 50% blueberries. Whenever we go, we buy a bunch of those, and the corn muffins, and freeze them. I have a friend who has been all over Manhattan looking for a corn muffin to rival those of Briermere Farms. They have peach muffins too, but I don't like them as well. Their egg bread is justifiable famous. In the summer, the line goes out the door. One summer, I was there in the morning, and a man was picking up 50 pies. His daughter was getting married, and she wanted to have pies instead of wedding cake!
re: roxlet
I LOVE the ideas of pies instead of wedding cake - my kind of wedding!
re: roxlet
I will get there is summer...we ususally are aout at leat twice a year...
re: roxlet
re: ChristinaMason
Here's my version of the peach fantasy. My peaches might have been a hair too ripe, and the fact that they were clingstone hampered cutting them prettily. I also made a tart from Alice Medrich's new book, and I am interested to see how it tastes because it was extremely simple!
For the peach cream, I used about 1 oz. of cream cheese, softened at room temperature, and whipped in the mixer. Then I whipped about 11/2 cups of heavy cream until quite stiff, adding about 1/3 cup of sugar. Put the bowl with the cream cheese back on the mixer, and gradually added the whipped cream until it was all combined. Taste for sugar, heave it into the pie shell, and add the fruit. SInce I was making a blueberry tart, I used raspberries as my decoration.
re: roxlet
LOVE the look of both of them, roxlet!
re: roxlet
I'm with LW. Looks delish. Lucky you. If this is the first time you made it, I'd say it is a total success! Nice pix too.
re: roxlet
Ooh that blueberry one looks fabulous... how did it taste??
re: roxlet
beautiful! did you like the blueberry tart?
re: ChristinaMason
The blueberry tart was fabulous. Not a crumb left. I served it with a dollop of whipped cream and people were scraping the plate!
re: roxlet
Both gorgeous!!
re: roxlet
Wow, delish! Both look beautiful and tasty. Don't you love that long tart pan? I got one last fall, and it my favorite shape now.
Can you paraphrase the blueberry tart recipe for us?
Well, we grilled last night with family, mostly because no one wants to leave their own hood tomorrow. My parents brought New York steaks and I made a corn and arugula (from the garden!) salad and a big plate of heirlooms sliced and sprinkled with salt, basil and cilantro and agrumato and Minus 8. -I'm pretending the heirlooms are good right now, truthfully we probably should wait a couple more weeks.
Roasted potatoes with rosemary helped fill in the tummies and my mom brought a blackberry upside down cake, which was delicious.
We opened a magnum of Imagery cab and watched the two year old go from smiley and flirty to complete melt down mode. Fun!
I think we are all relieved to spend the holiday tomorrow close to home. We have a bike ride planned for the morning, the Larkspur parade to follow and something on the grill for dinner.
I'm craving ribs, but I won't be surprised if burgers win out. More corn, more tomatoes because we have 'em, and for sure, an afternoon Heradura with lime.
Of course, the Hubs is having sinus/eye issues right now, so I may be flying solo...
Whatever you all do, stay safe tomorrow people, and remember to bring in your animals before the bombs burst through the air!
re: rabaja
That all sounds great - except the meltdown part - Rabaja! Happy BOOM day!
re: rabaja
Sounds like a great day with the family...until the meltdown part. :-)
I've been playing the use up everything before we go shopping again game!
I'm marinading some chicken breasts in a beer/italian dressing based marinade - still trying to use up that darn Olive Garden Italian dressing I was gifted! It's proved to be quite a decent marinade, but not a star on salads - at all! Think I will grill up some zucchini and throw together a pasta salad.
Tonight is leftovers to empty some space in the fridge. Lots to choose from. We'll wing it as we go.
Well, it's just the two of us for the 4th, so we are doing everything on the grill (it's "supposed" to be nice - but this is Oregon). First off will be Beer Can Chicken. Other sides will be BBQ Potatoes Gratin and sweet corn-on-the-cob. Yum!
We have some serious tree cutting/removal to tend to in the AM so easy dinner: Grilled burgers (blue cheese and sauteed mushrooms for me), grilled potatoes and zucchini, caesar salad (kids love it), and soda cracker/peach pie for dessert. Then walk down to the river to see the DC fireworks.
Fried chicken thighs (best part of the bird), potato salad, fresh corn was on tonight's menu. Wine for Deb, beer for me. Deb's signature raspberry cake for dessert (she did all of tonight's heavy lifting). I launched season three of Burn Notice on the plasma. It's good to be back home but I sort of wish I was still on the road.
re: steve h.
steve h.....do you remember July 4th double headers?....my cousins and I would go to see the Yanks , buy tickets for the first game and then during the break look for people who did not want to stay for the second game and buy their tickets for perhaps a buck....Well today, I will meet some of them for a barbe...I was told to bring roast beef, lettuce , tomato with mayo and ketchup on Wonder bread..(that is what I always brought to the games...don't ask me why, just did)....everyone was asked to bring something from that part of our lives...it should be interesting, and I will let you know what develops....Does anyone know how to prepare a roast beef sandwhich on the grill?,,..I was thing of making that traditional as above and then maybe a twist on a CHer version.
re: PHREDDY
Hi PHREDDY,
We kids slept, ate and drank baseball. Come to think of it, we still do.
re: PHREDDY
Phreddy, you could get a big round of foccacia, maybe with rosemary or herbs in it (or garlic!), brush with OO, fill with thinly sliced roast beef, sharp cheddar, and maybe red onions? Grill that baby for a few minutes, wrap in foil on the cool side of a grill to finish warming the inside.
Cut in wedges with sliced toms, horseradish sauce, etc. on the side - grillicious and beefy cheesy!
re: gingershelley
Ok, now I want that.
re: gingershelley
Very good call.
Deb makes a similar sammich. She starts with a baguette sliced lengthwise, generously slathers one side with Saga Blue Cheese, piles on the roast beef, liberally paints with horseradish sauce (Gold's), tops with arugula. No need to grill it but once wrapped in aluminum foil, a minute or two on the grill couldn't hurt, might even add an extra level of interest.
re: steve h.
re: steve h.
One of the Gold's and I went to college together, and we still are in contact...so when i can...i love their horsey sauces.....
By the way...barbe with cousins, had all of the fourth goodies; someone brought home made pirogies, baked in the oven with EVOO, red and yellow onions , with a spash of cider vinegar, Barley baked in the oven with mushrooms and a velvety white sauce including Asiago and Blue, which I thought would be too strong, but since the shrooms and barley are only vehichles for the sauce, it was close to what I remember, two bowls, one with Jello and canned fruit cocktail, the other half green and half orange Jello with Cool whip....I tried this and it shook my memory why some things should stay in the past and never be revived!!!
Great 4th, great family, great food......Perfection!!!!!!
re: gingershelley
GS.....why ....not??? sounds delish!....I just might add some grilled onions as well..thanx!
re: PHREDDY
Yes to the baked barley - sounds awesome - and YES to grilled onions on the bbq RB sandwich!
re: gingershelley
Here you go:
Melt 10 tablespoons of butter, and stir in 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix 11/4 cups of flour with 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, then stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. It will be very soft, but will firm up after a few minutes. I also added a couple of tablespoons of flour to the mixture to speed the process. Press this into a tart pan evenly. The recipe calls for 91/2 inch fluted tart pan, but I used the rectangular one. Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. I pricked it with a fork, and opened the oven a couple of times to prick it again. Cook until it's golden brown. Measure 4 cups of blueberries and wash. Take two cups and put them in a pot with 3/4 cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the grated zest of a small lemon. Cook this until thickened and translucent, and pour into the tart shell. Dry the rest of the berries, and cover the cooked blueberries with the fresh berries. Refrigerate for an hour until set. I had a little too many berries because the rectangular pan is smaller than the round one. I served with softly whipped cream.
Tonight I gave LindaWhit's maple-dijon dressing a spin, and it was a hit! I played with the proportions a little bit, reducing the (Grade B) maple syrup by 1 tbsp., doubling the mustard, and adding a dash each of hot paprika and Maggi. It was the perfect blend of sweet and tangy. Thanks, LW! Next time I will try it with sherry vinegar.
We enjoyed the dressing on a salad of baby spinach and Romaine, navel orange supremes, balcony tomatoes, cucumber, red grapes, shredded carrot, and toasted pecans. Thinly sliced seared NY Strip on top, and I crumbled some cornbread-jalapeno crackers over mine for "croutons". Steamed green beans with browned butter and fresh rosemary on the side.
re: ChristinaMason
Glad you like it with your twists, CM!
Well, tonight is some slapped together mexican, as I need a heat fix (always helps the healing heart here!). So the left over super crispy thigh meat tossed in a small saucepan with some fine diced onion, 1/2 halepeno pepper, cumin, etc. with some stock to simmer. A bit of spicy non-fat canned (it is true!) refried beans on warm. Put that nice chix-mix into a crispy corn tortilla with some grated cheddar, chopped tom's, green onion, crema and avo - like I was back at mom's knee in the 70's. Sometimes, you need to eat old-school!. Tasty.
For tomorrow; I am heading to the parents place - very posh house, with a total view and huge deck that is location-central over Edmonds, WA (1/2 hour N of SEA), where they do a nice local fireworks. View over the water from head swivel left, to the right.... They always have a party on the 4th - and I was, since they built the house - never around on this holiday. Last year - Yellowstone. Year before, headed for Hawaii in the morning, so crab and fireworks DT on Frenchmans balcony. Year before that, our first big trip together to Crater Lake. I kind of tend to skip fireworks in leiu of a trip.... prefer adventure over noise!
But this year, I am here re-grouping, and looking forward to their posh party. It is a BBQ, so should be pretty low key, yet fun. Very good cooks both, and they have fine friends, so tomorrow should bring scintillating conversation, an amazing view, and grand food.
I am making in the morning this nifty-looking triple-berry bundt cake (all red, white and blue on you!) to take. http://smittenkitchen.com/2012/06/tri... Of course, learned about on the 'what are baking these days thread".
A mini loaf of the pate from last week will come along, and some marinated eggplant that needs to be eaten. A bottle of rose to contribute... Should be a great night!
Happy Independence to you all!
(There are very loud "BOOM!" noises going off in the neighborhood about every 3 minutes as I write this.... ha, ha, ha)
re: gingershelley
sounds wonderful gs.... all of it.
and didn't i see a post of yours earlier wherein you were planning on using your wonderful pate in banh mi sandwiches? yum!
re: mariacarmen
Yes - that worked really well - should have taken a pic... I will make that pate a keeper just for this purpose. Would make excellent picnic item for a potluck especially if I could figure out how to make mini-bahn-mi's!
re: gingershelley
Enjoy yourself, gs!
re: gingershelley
Enjoy being among the swells!
re: gingershelley
Enjoy the party today, gs! The cake looks great (although smittenkitten's website seems to be having problems - had to use The Google to see a pic)
re: LindaWhit
Thanks nmc, roxlet, LW . Step mom says there will be fried chicken and root beer floats - yippee!
Hope you all have a fabu 4th!
re: gingershelley
Oh man. I LOVE fried chicken and root beer floats - ENJOY!
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... i really wanted to go out for dinner tonight - had a hankering for a rib-eye steak (i know, i talked about mexican above, but i had talked myself into the steak!) - and we've found a good, nearby, reasonable, middle-eastern (of all things) place to get one.... and i'd communicated that to the BF last night..... but he cooked. he said we still had leftovers, and of course he's right. and of course it was delicious! he made a sort of soup from the avocado crema (don't think he realizes how much olive oil was in that!) and cucumber, garnished with the pickled veg, and then made a pork steak with some of the chorizo sauce and olives (and toms, peppers and onions), a salad, and a rice tortilla which got me all excited because i thought it was my tortilla de patatas. but it was really really tasty, served with my sherry vinegar/smoked paprika mayo.
so, despite SOUNDING like an ingrate, i am grateful for a man who cooks for me, and one who uses our food wisely, and deliciously...and he said he'd take me out for steak later this week!
(dammit i hate that some pics turn on their sides. and i can't fix them!)
re: mariacarmen
Looks good, mc, even sideways!
re: mariacarmen
Hold onto this bf! It's great to have a guy who cooks!!!!
re: mariacarmen
SERIOUSLY good looking dinner, mc! Keeper, that guy.
re: mariacarmen
Looks and sounds very delish MC! Great to have a guy who cooks - and one who thinks to use up the leftovers, and still wants to take you out as well.... all good:)
Lots of yum around here the past couple nights. Last night I made "chicken-fried" fish (black drum) from COTM--basically fish marinated in a a spicy buttermilk marinade, dredged in flour, and fried in a little peanut oil--which we loved. That was served witha baked stuffed poblano (filling was pureed corn, FM chevre, pecorino romano, white cheddar, chives, and it was good--DH raved; I was pleased as punch since previous attempts at baking stuffed poblanos have not yielded great results), which I topped w/some crema, chopped tomato, chopped onion, and cilantro. We also had yet another salad of avocado, tomato, and onion.
I spent the afternoon prepping for tomorrow's gathering; we'll have a small gang here. Nothing makes me happier than a free day to futz about in the kitchen.
But we still had to eat tonight, and that turned out to be a good dinner of stuff from the freezer--chopped clams that became white clam sauce for linguini--and stuff in the crisper: remaining asparagus and a lingeing head of radicchio got grilled; baby greens got tossed w/garlicky dressing, white anchovies, and croutons. Starter was bruschetta--grilled ww baguette slices topped w/ tomatoes, vidalia onions, basil.
re: nomadchowwoman
holy moly,, NCW, you're not kidding about lots of yum! it looks and sounds fabulous. i'm going to have to try your prep at poblanos... they sound to die for with all that cheese!
re: nomadchowwoman
I love that idea of cff! My husband loves to make cfs, but his would be a great change!
re: nomadchowwoman
Lord, look at all of that good food!
re: nomadchowwoman
I want to eat ALL of that today! Esp. the stuffed poblano and the clam pasta..... Nice job:)
re: nomadchowwoman
That's some serious food porn.
Well done!
Breaking with tradition I am NOT spending 14 hours smoking a brisket. Will do ribs with a rub, smoked on apple wood, potato salad, baked beans, peach cobbler with home made vanilla ice cream, assorted beers and other beverages, and for those who want them, sliders or hot dogs. But right now I am thinking breakfast, egg white breakfast tacos with Cotija, avocado, and a roasted salsa.
re: tim irvine
I do believe that peeps will still be eating very well, Tim, even without a smoked brisket! Enjoy.
Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn with cream cheese, coleslaw, hot rolls, and strawberry/banana pie and ice cream for dessert.
We've been out car hunting this morning (dammit, I hate it when there's choices to be made). Went for a very civilised pub lunch afterwards.
Hence a light dinner - an Angela Hartnett recipe for chicken with mushrooms and a garlic/thyme/tarragon/cream sauce. There'll be a handful of salad leaves on the side to mop up the sauce.
re: Harters
Liking the sound of that sauce, Harters!
re: Harters
Any change of seeing that recipe? Cheers!
re: lrostron
Here you go: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyl...
re: Harters
Yum, seriously drooling here and I've just finished lunch! Thanks so much, that's a plan for tomorrow night!
re: Harters
Saving this Harters for when it's not 103f/31c. Thanks.
re: twodales
Oh, I yearn for even British summery weather.
Last evening, my garden disappeared under a lake of water, it was raining so much. Today, the forecast is for more rain in the afternoon - perhaps 40mm
Going to be a relatively easy dinner for tonight - making enough for work lunch tomorrow since I get to go back to work after a couple of days off.
Will take out some pulled pork from the freezer and reheat it slowly with some additional Bullseye BBQ sauce. Will make a couple of soft dinner rolls in the convection toaster oven, let them cool, and use them for pulled pork slider buns.
Coleslaw - to be made. Shredded red and green cabbage, grated carrots, to be tossed with a dressing combo of mayo, sour cream, a little sploosh of vinegar, a bit of Dijon mustard, a healthy pinch of sugar, salt, pepper, and a wee bit of celery seed. Small spoonful to go on top of pulled pork sliders.
Potato salad - to be made. Yukon Gold potatoes will be boiled, drained, cooled. Bacon will be cooked, cooled, and crumbled. Celery and green onions will be chopped. Fresh thyme will be minced. Mayo and mustard will be combined with some lemon juice. Will mix taters, bacon, celery, and green onions (sprinkled with thyme) with mayo dressing.
Deviled eggs - to be made. Keeping it simple - mayo, a *smidge* of pickle relish, and some salt in the egg yolk mash, spooned back in to the egg cups, and sprinkled with paprika on top.
Yeah. I know. A lot of mayo-based things. So shoot me. I'm not using mayo in what else I'm making below. :-P
Fruit salad - to be made. Mangoes, black plums, kiwis, and strawberries, to be tossed with a mix of fresh lime juice, honey, and freshly grated ginger.
Libations - VERY easily made - vodka and lemonade will go nicely with the meal.
And kitties to keep calm during my town's Independence Day festivities held at the ballfields about a mile or so away this evening - the BOOMS! will be loud.
ETA: And a very HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to those in the States!
re: LindaWhit
UP with Mayo Linda!
It's your holiday, so cook what you want to:) And pass the deviled eggs, please.
re: LindaWhit
The whole menu sounds delicious. Nothin' wrong with a bit of mayo. And good luck with your kitties. I made the mistake of taking my dog for a walk on the 4th last year. The noise freaked her out so much that she spent the rest of the evening hiding behind the toilet!
re: BananaBirkLarsen
Well, I closed the windows as it began to get rather oppressively humid here a couple of hours ago. If the humidity stays up, the windows will stay closed. So that should help a little bit, although the concussions from the BOOM!s will still be felt in our bodies. I'm sure we'll muddle through. I guess we'll see! A friend recommended "Rescue Remedy", but I'm not leaving the house to go and try and find it at a health food store or Whole Foods.
And gingershel, I like the "UP WITH MAYO!" - although it makes me think of that cheesy group from the 80s "Up With People!" ;-) (No offense to any Hound who was an UWP member or liked them!)
re: LindaWhit
Good call on the deviled eggs: a tasty treat often overlooked.
re: steve h.
I had a wicked craving a few days ago and was out of eggs. (How the hell do I NOT have eggs in the house?) So I picked some up at the market earlier this week and thought of them again this morning. They promptly got added to the menu. Just finished them. They look good - but I'm waiting until later. :-) Now - on to the potato salad.
re: LindaWhit
I agree with gs and bbl - sounds fantastic. I usually add a little mustard in my deviled eggs, though. Might have to make some today to go with the rest of the meal I posted above. Keep the kitties calm. Our dog Rustie has been known to hide in the bathtub! Now I'm putting pulled pork on my future menu with some coleslaw. Drool, drool.
And I hope you enjoyed your day off!
re: boyzoma
I usually do some dry mustard, but went with the pickle relish this time, as that's how I remember my Mom making deviled eggs when I was growing up.
And this is the lightly gingery pulled pork I made in May - cannot wait to taste it again!
re: LindaWhit
Sounds wonderful. We're having our house re-plumed next week (Waaahhhhh - where is my PHREDDY). So next week will be a lot of take-out. But I've got the pulled pork on my radar for the following week! Oh, and did a few deviled eggs for tonight too! :)
re: boyzoma
BOYZ>>>>>>HERE I IS! ..seriously if you need help or have any questions....I will be happy to help....
re: LindaWhit
OK, I don't have plating skills as so many others do. But here are a couple of pics of my meal tonight. The first with everything still in their serving bowls except the pulled pork sliders, and the second with everything on my plate. And yes. I ate everything on that plate. :::Woof:::
re: LindaWhit
Nice meal, excellent photo. I could swear that deviled egg winked at me.
re: steve h.
Taunting you, perhaps? I've trained them well.
re: LindaWhit
A jaundiced eye, perhaps? ;-)
re: LindaWhit
OMG that looks so good. You'll be eating like a Queen all week!
re: boyzoma
The pulled pork should be enough for 2 more sandwiches, which takes me through the week at work. I will probably have more coleslaw, potato salad, and fruit salad left over, but I can snack on the fruit salad at work and mix it in with some Greek yogurt as an "in-between" nosh.
re: LindaWhit
those sliders and their slaw look amazing. glad you have leftovers!
re: LindaWhit
Whoaaaaaaa! love that "Mayo" theme!
re: LindaWhit
looks tasty - and there clearly is not ENOUGH mayo on your plate ':}
re: gingershelley
It was tasty. And I had 3 people ask "What smells so GOOD in here?" in the kitchen at work today after heating up the pulled pork for a work slider. ;-)
I do have to say I disappointed myself on the potato salad. Didn't really float my boat and the rest will probably be trashed.
re: LindaWhit
Looks amazing, Linda. You're not alone as far as the potato salad goes, though. Every once in a while I get it right, but more often than not I'm not thrilled with the results. It is probably my most inconsistent dish.
I made the America's Test Kitchen pickle juice salad last time, and it was pretty good. I'll give it another try and see if I like it the second time around. Have you tried it?
re: bear
hope i'm not too late, but my sister's potato salad for 4th of july, while decent, wasn't spectacular, in either of our opinions, but at the end of the evening we added the leftover bruschetta fixings - tiny quartered toms, minced raw garlic, basil, olive oil - an immense improvement!
re: LindaWhit
Mayo is a wonderful thing.
I also like the sound of that fruit salad--I'll bet it was pretty.
We decided to stick close to home today since things have been rather hectic around here and we needed some down time. My husband had a big craving for a simple grilled hot dog, so to make that more intersting, Jasper White's recipe for Boston baked beans (both a vegetarian version and his recipe from Fine Cooking) are baking slowly in the oven and making the house smell great. His Boston brown bread recipe is steaming away in a couple of old Irish oatmeal cans in my crockpot.
A classic New England Saturday night supper for our 4th celebration.
BF and I are back from Cozumel. Had a lovely time, felt safe. Resort food for breakfast and lunch was buffet style. It was okay, but I hate buffets in general. I just can't get around the "slop shoot all you can eat" mentality. Dinners were good. I snapped some photos. One night at the resort was lamb chops--very good, and great eggrolls. The best dinner was our lobster dinner on the beach: a crab appetizer, lobster bisque, lobster tail and filet mignon, and some chocolate mousse dessert. All to the backdrop of the Gulf and a jazz band. I experienced a bunch of firsts--parasailing, massage on the beach, the beach!, ATV'ing, spelunking, zip-lining, snorkeling. And seeing ruins. Great trip, ended way to quickly. My biggest annoyances included not being able to drink the water and the bottled water too had a funny taste and the resort was a pepsi seller. Only now can I see how great my addiction to coca cola is. Got back Sunday night. Was thankful for this being a laid-back holiday week: I need another break!
Monday had dinner with some extended out-of-town family. Dinner was a really delicious grilled pork chop, garlic potatoes, candied carrots. Last night, being that everyone I know is off today, I decided to have a late movie night and kick off the holiday with burgers. I added onion soup mix, some other seasoning mix, worcestershire, and water to my 75/25 ground beef. They were some of the best tasting burgers I've grilled. Put some corn on the grill and some awful canned baked beans. Dessert was a smores bar. Good if you like smores but I think I'm not too thrilled with the flavor combo. The movie: Funny Girl. Omar Sharif is so yummy.
Today so far has been a very un-patriotic Mexican lunch. Tonight will probably be more burgers and/or hotdogs and then going to watch some fireworks and maybe launch some of our own. Tomorrow is my sister's birthday and I am treating her to a fun day and making a family dinner. Have a happy and healthy fourth!
re: bblonde
Glad you had a good vacation, bblonde, with lots of fun firsts!
re: bblonde
Sounds like a great vacay bblonde! Love all the activities! Resort food can be pretty meh, so glad at least some dinners were memorable.
Sounds like you have been dining great since returning. Enjoy the holiday!
re: bblonde
oh your mexican lobster dinner sounds wonderful... i used to love getting lobster in Ensenada (nothing like Cozumel, of course but as a youngster, it sufficed!)
re: bblonde
Sounds like a great trip, bblonde, esp. lobster on the beach.
Just had the hubby grill some sliders for my sons' lunch and bacon wrapped, cheddar stuffed bratwurst for our lunch.
A lone chicken breast rubbed with BBQ seasonings was grilled also, to be added to a tex-mex pasta salad that was prepped this morning, some drained black beans and roastedcorn kernels will be added, along with some diced red pepper, black olives & red onion, some cilantro and more fresh lime juice, if it's needed. And that diced bbq'd breast, and some cubed cheddar cheese. Alongside that, I made a good friend's retro clam dip for starters. It's so yummy, with smoked clams, bacon, garlic & onion, some scallions & a cream cheese/mayo base. Perfect with salty potato chips. One of my boys is hinting around about crab cakes, so I may make those as well. If not, a crab salad for sandwiches, which are easier for a picnic. Maybe some fresh shucked corn on the cob too, all packed up with some drinks & cocktails to take down to the beach to watch the fireworks tonight. Hoping the weather cooperates, though it's been partly cloudy here and even drizzled this morning. Happy Fourth, Everybody!
Rib steak was the featured protein.
Deb seared the thick cut (close to two inches) in a cast iron skillet and finished it in the oven.
Baked potato and a lemon-dressed salad were on the side, grilled artichoke, too. House red to wash it all down. Deb's signature raspberry cake topped with whipped cream for dessert.
Yanks won. Maybe there's a porto in my future to help wash down the cake.
re: steve h.
Hope you went for the Porto.
Tonight was chicken liver, potato and egg salad from Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume, the book that has been calling my name now that the weather has hotted up. Chicken livers were dredged in season flour and chilli powder (an ad-lib, not sure it was an improvement) and then stirred into boiled new potatoes, lemon juice and zest, parsley, green onions, olive oil, and topped with hard boiled egg. It was pretty awesome, I always forget how much I love chicken livers. Though I'm not sure why I thought standing at the stove frying a pound of them was a good idea in 37C heat... These livers were even better as they were free from the butcher - one day past their sell-by date!
re: gembellina
I love potato salad, egg salad and definitely chicken livers. Mixing them all up sounds intensely good.
re: JungMann
oh my that does sound ridiculously good!
re: mariacarmen
it really was. i might try adding tomatoes and reducing the lemon next time (or i might just leave well alone!)
re: gembellina
That sounds really good! I might have to try a riff on this idea....
Just absolutely stunning food everyone
For the 4th I made burgers with tomato and onion jam for fixings and potato salad as a side
my sister was all better so we pigged out after all. chips and dip to start - made the dip with fage yogurt, granulated garlic & onion, dill, s&p (taste just like the old Lipton's onion dip!); grilled beef & lamb burgers (separate, not mixed) with leftover aioli, freshened up with some sweet Spanish paprika; also, avocado and colby cheese on the burgers; bruschetta of basil, cherry toms, minced garlic, olive oil; my sister's potato salad with capers; butter sauteed radishes with dill (my new most favorite thing!); sadly unsuccessful zucchini fritters (my sister's - zucchini from her garden-very dry, no flavor, and frittering them and dolloping them with a feta aioli, even, didn't help); and her VERY successful peanut butter pie with pretzel crust and homemade whipped cream - to die for! and as i've said many a time, i don't even care about desserts. Champers to go with. Fresh watermelon for afters. The Oldster seemed to enjoy most, if not all.
(sorry for fuzzy picture)
re: mariacarmen
Looks amazing, mc! And I'm glad your sister is feeling better, *and* that the Oldster enjoyed the dinner as well!
re: mariacarmen
All looks great, mc; sorry about those fritters. I always love the sound of zucchini fritters, but the one time I attempted them, I failed miserably. I'm glad your oldster enjoyed.
re: mariacarmen
Hope more good news comes your way, and glad sis is ok....I usually salt my zucchini first to get the moisture out, (soaking in a collander)....then I infuse my herbs and spices....it soaks it up because now their water content...which has no flavor , has dropped significantly....then eggs and a bit of corn flour as a binder and fry in oil at 375....dropping off to a minimum of 350....if they are savory...a sprinkle of kosher salt when they get out of the fry bath....try some grated garlic or a dash of curry powder...it works...
re: PHREDDY
Phreddy, the zukes were dry to begin with - straight outta the ground - they were hard and dry inside - no moisture at all. she's not sure what went wrong - this is her first real try at gardening, and she's not sure if she watered too much or not enough or what....
re: mariacarmen
MC....good question...do you know the variety?....what comes out the ground is what we have to work with......and again your climate is somewhat different from ours..I have never had a problem of too dry, always too wet.....perhaps she can reverse and hydrate with a little lemon juice diluted in some warm water., prior to grating them..the proceed accordingly...A cooking course I took some years ago in Florence Italy , concentrated on veggies and fruits...but then again it was only one course...I am curious as to the results...
re: PHREDDY
thank you phreddy - interesting about your cooking course! i love that and am extremely envious!
im not sure of the variety, but they were HUGE. like, nothing i've seen tho i know this size is not uncommon elsewhere. our local stores normally carry cucumber (or smaller) sized zucchinis. These were easily as big as a butternut squash. i'll have to ask her the variety. all we know about the ground is that the previous owner of the property said he could never make grass grow.... maybe not a good sign!
re: mariacarmen
Have not see zukes that large, like you , seen the same size....she might want to garden in a freshly made vege patch...but that is a conversation for another board...
Courses abroad are costly, but we picked one for 3 days , for 10 hours a day...it focused on kitchen skills, selecting and purchase produce , cheeses and meats, along with simple preparations....lots of fun, and real useful knowledge for any CHDER..hope to do another next spring in Barcelona, Spain
re: mariacarmen
mariacarmen, she just left the zucchini on the vine too long. They need picking when they are much smaller.
If you leave zucchini on the vine, it will eventually get to be about the size of a VW. By then, it's so hard and dry, you could put wheels on it and drive away.
re: jmcarthur8
really? they weren't even growing that long.... i think maybe it was hidden (??? so big??) and she didn't see it... but thanks for this information, jm!
re: mariacarmen
Hubby says that they reach a certain development stage where they gain a cloak of invisibility.
We have cukes like that, too. Picked a huge one the other day that was on the fence right in front of our faces, and we never saw it till it was turning yellow.
re: jmcarthur8
so my sister picked another humongous one and it was totally moist! ain't no rhyme nor reason with these guys...
re: mariacarmen
All looks and sounds fantastic - can we get the lowdown on the peanut butter pie? Love the pretzel crust idea....
re: gingershelley
i'll ask her for the link to the recipe. it was really pretty frickin' good.
re: gingershelley
this is sort of it:
tho my sister didn't add any vanilla. and for the topping, we kept it simple since my dad doesn't like chocolate - just made a whipped cream topping. but the filling looks right. as does the crust.
oh, and we did NOT use reduced fat anything.
Along with many of my fellow Americans, we pigged out today--tomato bruschetta to start; vodka lemonade; oven-"BBQ'd" ribs and citrus broiled shrimp (from COTM); standard American potato salad; baked beans; the ubiquitous avocado-tomato-onion salad. (Tomatoes are almost done here so I'm trying to eat as many as possible.) Two desserts: peach cobbler per request of my sister and cherry-chocolate chunk ice cream for DH. Having just finished the dishes, I'm exhausted; must get some sleep as I am off to Houston at 6 in the morning. Aaargh.
So, when I looked in the freezer last night, I spotted this lump of chestnut puree that had been lurking there as leftovers from the chestnut stuffing I made at Christmas. Next to it, there was a pack of Cumberland sausages.
They spotted me looking at them and squeaked "Pick me, John. Please pick me. It's so cold in here and we want to get out. " Then I heard this faint voice from the drawer below. With some trepidation, I opened the drawer and the noise, from under all the little bags of sauce and frozen chilli peppers we keep there grew louder. It was a gruff northern voice and it was saying, with some determination (like northerners do). "Make a pie. Make a freaking pie, John". Only, cos it's northern, it wasnt actually saying "freaking". It was a pack of ready rolled puff pastry. "Come on pick me, if you think you're hard enough, Harters", it continued with some menace.
So I picked them all.
The sausage and chestnut will get squidged together. With some chopped sage. That'll teach 'em. This'll be spread out in the middle of the pastry, and topped with thin slices of apple.. The corners will then be pinched in towards the middle, so it forms a semi-open pie sort of thingy, with the pinched edges forming a cross, Eggwash on top and around 40 minutes in the oven. Probably just need a tin of butter beans or similar alongside.
Any leftovers (HAH! - don't forget I am a northern man - eating pies are in my genes) will be good cold for lunch.
re: Harters
ROFL! I *LOVED* reading this post this morning, Harters! Food that threatens you to pick them. I hope it turns out as well!
re: Harters
I think for even us non-Northern folk, there is something in each of us that pie speaks to. Certainly it's speaking to me.
re: Harters
it sounds like your food knows what it's doing. what a way to get inspired!
re: Harters
Too funny Harters! I am afraid I will begin hearing voices from my freezer after reading this! LMAO....
That squiggy pie sounds delicious!
All day long I had wanted to make burgers to celebrate the summer, but with 95 degree heat and what felt like 100% humidity blocking my exit to the grocery store I had to source dinner a little more locally. So it was corn dogs with corn relish (courtesy of Shake Shack), cucumber and yogurt salad, baba ghannouj with even more yogurt and a dark and stormy to wash it all down.
re: JungMann
I like the combo JM - corn dogs and middle eastern food - with a side of rum n ginger beer. Now that's a meal I could get down with:)
Last night's dinner was simple but great -- one of the best I've had in a while. Grilled burgers with melted swiss, mayo, mustard, ketchup and a tough of sambal for a bit of heat, plus the usual tomato, pickles and red onion, all on TJ's honey wheat hamburger buns. Corn on the cob was also done of the grill, slathered in butter and wrapped in foil -- cooked perfectly, with just a touch of smoke taste. And my boyfriend's excellent potato salad (I just had a big bowl of leftovers for breakfast!) Plus a six pack of local IPA. And a citrus-sour cream pie with a semolina-cinnamon crust for dessert. It was one of those meals where everything just came out perfectly, although my boyfriend deserves most of the credit, as he did the grilling and made the potato salad.
re: BananaBirkLarsen
I SO need a burger after all these awesome burger posts. Sounds great BBL - and the pie too!
So I must say - the 4th-fest was excellent. Some some great family friends at the 'folks place.... many foodie's amongst the crowd, so the spread was great. I homed in on the potato salad, fried chicken, corn salad, deviled eggs (yes!), and a very nice asian slaw someone brought. There were brat's and grilled onions, but I skipped that.
The cake turned out fabulous - and I will certainly make it again. Brimming with berries, a nice note of lemon peel and vanilla, great thick lemon glaze, and moist, moist, moist!
Some pic's...
re: gingershelley
An AMAZING feasting table, gingershel! Pretty sunset behind the feasting table. And love the bundt cake. I love saying "bundt cake" the way they do in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". :-)
re: LindaWhit
Well chaps and chapesses...for the last two nights I was planning a copy cat of the Cheeeacake Factory's Santa Fe Chicken Salad. 2 nights ago we got a last minute phone call from some old friends, precipitated by the two hubbies meeting up on the train. "C'mon over for burgers and then we will go 'round to see the fireworks." And so we did. Sangria, some dijon and worcestershire in the burgers , condiment bottles on the table and lots of chat. Never made it to the fireworks display.
Yesterday: a nice afternoon on our little waterbug (got her up to 14.5 knotts Steve h., Our record being 16) Some nibbles, Peach ice tea and a little doze on one of the trampolines as she sat on the mooring. Great day.
After a quick rinse off we met friends at an Indian resto. That Taj Mahal didn't touch the sides! Blueberry pie at their house later.90 degrees at ten p.m. :-P
OK, so tonight FINALLY the Santa Fe chicken salad. Something limey and rummy to go with it. Might mix lime and mint and make a mojhinja.
Bought a new grill on clearance...life is good.
re: twodales
I can't wait to hear more about this Santa Fe Chicken Salad! I just made 20 lbs of boring chicken salad for kid's sandwiches, so now I am dying to make a gourmet chicken salad for the two of us- something fork worthy and if it needs a mojito to wash it down, all the better!
re: Berheenia
+2 on the SF chicken salad. I just made a tex-mex pasta salad w grilled chicken so I'm curious as to how you dress it, thanks.
re: twodales
Apologies for hitchiking on this post. It wasn't my intention. I'll blame it on the 104 degree weather we are having. I'll post the Santa Fe salad copycat below. :-)
re: LindaWhit
re: LindaWhit
Can you believe it LW, never seen that movie. Will have to rent, and look for 'bundt cake' expression, sure to be hilarious, with the greek accents I know around here....
re: gingershelley
Oh, you can't MISS the bundt cake reference. Believe me.
It's a very cute movie.
re: gingershelley
Look at that cake! It's beautiful!
re: gembellina
Thank you, Gem, it was really, really nice. I don't bake a lot, more savory ambitions here. So simple, flavorful, filled with BERRIES!
re: gingershelley
That looks great, gs. Where was the recipe for the cake from?
re: roxlet
Roxlet, that is the berry bundt cake from smittenkitchen.... got it off of the fabu what are you baking thread. Really an excellent cake - I am making another one to take to a picnic this weekend. The glaze sets up firm, so it will be easy to transport. I used 4 cups of berries which she suggests you might try. I did blue, rasp, and cut up strawberries, since I am not fond of seeds in black berries. A keeper!
re: gingershelley
Isn't that cake delicious? I made two last week, one for just us with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries and another for my niece with blues, raspb's and boysenberries. We liked them both, (only the second, bday cake got the icing) but something about the strawberry addition made it the better version.
I feared the cut berries created too much steam, as my first cake collapsed a little, and stuck to the pan, but I think it may have been my pan/baking/resting times.
I am now armed with a new bunDt pan (love the MBFGW movie reference LW, I do that too!) and itching to make a third cake.
I offered to bring one to friends outdoor movie party tomorrow night, but was turned down. I may have to just make another for us, although my pants will not thank me for it.
re: rabaja
Here's a Bundt cake.
A Boondt cake?
No. Bundt. :::pronouncing slowly::: Bundt.
Bundt...oh, never mind, it's a cake.
It's a cake! I know! Thank you! Thank you very, very much.
:::whispering to Aunt Frieda:::: There's a hole in this cake!
re: LindaWhit
Giggling as I go off to make my boondt...
re: rabaja
Now I want cake.
re: LindaWhit
"you don't eat meat? Okay I make lamb"
re: scubadoo97
I snort-giggle at that line *every* time. :-)
re: scubadoo97
EXACTLY! I agree. No meat for you? Eat the lamb.. haahaa. Clearly not a vegetarian here!
re: LindaWhit
hahaha... still have to see it, but thanks for putting it up!
I will make another BOONDT! cake of same iteration tomorrow:)! With a hole in it!
re: rabaja
rabaja, Oh! So glad you know the cake. It is really quite perfect for summer. I didn't even eat any on the 4th, but after staying over at the folks, ingested a HUGE slice for breakfast with coffee - now that's my kind of morning sweet. Enough berries to induce no guilt, and it's not over-sweet.
Agree on strawberries being a great choice. I had just a smidge of sticking (in my non-stick BOONDT pan), and there did seem to be alot of moisture at the bottom of the pan (techinically the top) when I went to unmold - perhaps your idea of the cut edges is why...
I am making another tomorrow, and shall dutifully report on any changes. I already added more lemon to the glaze, and upped the vanilla to a tsp.
Me thinks this is my 2012 summer cake!
re: gingershelley
I made the SK cahe this past weekend and had no sticking problems at all, but I followed her advice and used both butter and shortening, then flour, and then put the pan in the fridge for the coating to set. That really seemed to make a difference.
re: gingershelley
wooooow gs.... that view of that amazing spread is only slightly dwarfed by the beautiful view beyond it! spectacular! and love the fireworks shot.
i watched, on t.v., the NYC fireworks hosted by Macy's, with the sound down, and our windows open, so i could see really a pretty display that sounded like it was our San Francisco show - without braving any crowds! aging-folk-solutions!
re: mariacarmen
Trust me - not a crowd braver for anything like fireworks.... if I hadn't had the parents deck to watch them from - would have skipped it:) I can relate!
re: tiffeecanoe
Can't wait to hear how that goes, tiffee - I LOVE beer can chicken. First time I made it, a good friend was over for dinner, and we ate THE WHOLE CHICKEN it was so tasty.
re: ChristinaMason
Damn. That salad sounds wonderful, Christina! I just went with a baked potato with butter, salt, pepper, and sour cream. I just wasn't in the mood to cook, despite having beets to roast from my CSA and plenty of salad makings. I'll deal with that tomorrow, said Scarlett. :-)
re: ChristinaMason
Sounds great. I'll have to add bacon to my grocery list, next week is supposed to be VERY hot so I'm sure we'll be having more dinner salads.
Salad here as well.... spring mix with garden herbs chopped and mixed in, roasted red pepper, avocado, cukes, still warm from the sun cherry tomatoes, and thinly sliced leftover london broil. Crumbled gorgonzola and a generous dose of black pepper will top it.
I'm undecided on dressing at the moment...
Tonight with the left over ground meat from yesterday I made ground meat tacos. Made a seasoning with ancho and guajillo peppers, garlic and onion powder, cumin, salt and pepper and a dash of sugar. Sauteed the meat with a diced onion and garlic. Served on corn tortillas with shredded cabbage, radishes and cilantro.
Made a Columbia restaurant 1905 salad to go with it.
re: scubadoo97
Please share scubadoo - what is a 'Columbia resto 1905 salad" ?
re: gingershelley
Dang. Now I need to make one of those salads!
There is a Cuban resto (several, really) in Florida ----they serve a 1905 salad. Kind of a chefs salad, quite garlicky, served with Cuban bread.
You can easily find other versions online but they are all pretty similar.
Nice close=ups in this one. http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/201...
re: twodales
Thanks for the pick up on the salad info.
Tonight is a relaxing solo evening....and just as predicted every year in SEA, summer arrived on schedule on July 5th! Sunny, a nice warm 76 degrees. I shall grill up a small ribeye, an ear of corn and a handful of asparagus. Leftover potato salad I took home from last night (doctored up with some more HB egg and minced shallot n dill pickle).
Think I will grill a couple of nectarines for afters. A movie later, me thinks.
Tonight's meal was mostly preserved. Mutton curry from the freezer revived with haleem masala and fenugreek leaves for mains. Egglant escabeche dressed with garlic and chili pickle for a side and the last bit of cucumber salad for a palate cleanser (read: heat reducer). Rosewater lemonade to wash it all down.
Upcoming....braised ox cheeks.
Nope, never cooked them before. Never even come across them before until I saw them in a farm shop a week or so back. Recipes say they need a good trimming as you need to remove the skin. Then they say basically treat them as a stew or braise.
So, they get chopped into bits and browned. As do carrots, swede, onion and celery. Liquid comes as a mix of stock and beer - suggests a full bodied ale or stout but we've only got the lager style that herself drinks - and a large glug of Worcestershire sauce. Then it's into the oven for 3 hours or so - I'm going to make it now (I'm posting mid-morning UK time) and then just warm it up again for dinner, so I can guarantee tenderness.
It's stew weather. Not very warm and extremely wet. Forecast is for a month's rain today. Deep joy.
Didn't want to go to the store yesterday, so I resorted to using the limited contents of my fridge and cupboard for dinner last night. I did sort of a Moroccan-spiced chicken stew (I would like to call it a tagine, but I am sadly lacking the proper cookware). Chicken leg quarters rubbed with one website's version of harissa (coriander seed, cumin, caraway, fennel seed, tons of cayenne, cinnamon, salt, olive oil), browned in a skillet, then braised slowly in chicken stock along with preserved lemon, the near-last of my homemade lemon-orange green olives, fresh apricots, carrot, onion, garlic and red bell pepper. Served over a TJ's grain mix that was predominantly Israeli couscous. Spinach/chard/kale salad with tomatoes, feta, supremed orange segments and a tahini-preserved lemon dressing on the side. Sort of an eclectic mix, but everything tasted good together, so I'm not complaining. More of that citrus-sour cream pie for dessert.
re: BananaBirkLarsen
As long as it tasted good to you, BBL, <--- that's what matters. :-)
re: LindaWhit
Damn right! :D
re: BananaBirkLarsen
Ah BBL, I used to tell my moroccan cooking class students that you can call it a tagine even if not cooked in one - after all, we are not steaming couscous over a charcoal brazier even if we cook our braises IN a tagine. If the flavors are authentic, then you are good to go:)
Sounds very tasty, and the salad sure does too!
re: gingershelley
You make an excellent point! Here's a question, though -- can you do it the other way around? Say I cook a bunch of things in a tagine that have all the wrong flavours. Swedish meatballs cooked in a tagine, for example. Or chili. Can I still refer to it as a tagine?
re: BananaBirkLarsen
In the same way that stuff cooked in a paella or a casserole is a paella or a casserole.
But, when I come to dinner, please don't be offended if I congratulate you on the great Swedish meatballs and not the great meatball tagine. Although pass them off as kefta and I'll no doubt congratulate you on the great kefta tagine.
re: Harters
re: Harters
Kefta tagine... this is brilliant. Although if I served my Swedish meatballs in one of those fancy serving tagines I've seen around, I would fully expect everyone to refer to them as "Swedish meatball tagine"!
re: BananaBirkLarsen
Excellent point BBL - believe it or not, no one ever has asked me that before. I would say - yes, you could call it a swedish meatball tagine:). The point of the tagine pot shape originally was it was designed to fit on a small round charcoal brazier (normal home cooking stove in Moroccan households). The conical shape allowed moisture to gather in the top, drip back down onto the mixture below, and, a small amount of steam exit through the top to steam old-school couscous grains - which were not instant, as the kind we get here in the states is. They took about 30 minutes to steam, and had to be carefully fluffed while cooking. A woman was judged as a good cook by the lightness of her couscous!
re: gingershelley
Wow, ya learn something new every day. You people are really making me wish I had a tagine.
re: BananaBirkLarsen
Really BBL, if you don't have a charcoal brazier, and arn't cooking those Morro/Moorish-flavored dishes every day - I say no need for one. Use a great heavy bottomed glazed earthenware dish, and mind your ingredients more than the vessel; all will be grand! I don't even own a tagine - since I understand exactly their purpose.... I used to have one, at the beginning of my Moroccan fever, but it broke over a charcoal bbq.... Once I learned our couscous treatment in the west is nearly impossible to be like as in the 'homeland' I gave up on the tagine pan, and rely on my awesome Le Cruset casserole with the spikes in the top (which mimick's the drippy-top part of a tagine. SSSSHHHhhhh DON'T tell, our little secret:)
re: gingershelley
I recently bought a vintage knockoff LC Dutch oven from a consignment store, but I don't think it does the drippy top thing. Nevertheless, it shall be the home of all future tagine-like dishes (although not quite yet -- I'm so short on cash post-move that I had to buy it on layaway, but come my next paycheck...)
re: BananaBirkLarsen
Nah, not me. I havnt got a tagine. Let's face it, these are stews by another name. And my stews get cooked on the stove top in a pan or in a casserole in the oven.
re: Harters
Agree with Harters. While I'm sure it *is* used for many purposes in the places they're used frequently, this would be a one-use item in my kitchen. A Dutch oven does the trick - stove top or in the oven.
re: LindaWhit
They're just so cool-looking though! And I had to drastically thin out all the useless and one-use items from my kitchen when we moved, so there are a few extra spots in the cupboards (although in spite of my best efforts, a full half of the boxes were still marked "kitchen").
re: BananaBirkLarsen
They are, BBL, and mine looks great on its shelf. I got one as a gift, and I've used it exactly . . . once. The next time I made tagine, I went back to my trusty old LCDO, which I found I actually preferred cooking it in.
re: Harters
I usually use my cast iron skillet for stews, or my casserole if it needs to go in the oven. And will soon use my Dutch oven, as explained above!
re: BananaBirkLarsen
BBL, I usually use a dutch oven for tagine, as my tagine cover broke a few years back, and I have vowed not to replace it until I can get one in Morocco myself! I am sure your dutch oven will work great for all kinds of yummy stews/braises.....:)
With hideously hot weather, we are avoiding turning on the stove or oven, so last night's meal was Scorned Woman shrimp and chorizo cooked on the grill, and eaten as tacos with leftover guacamole, shredded lettuce, cheese and sliced jalepenos. The strategy will likely be the same for tonight and tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe, the heat will break by Sunday...
re: roxlet
Love the name of that dish!!
re: roxlet
Ah ..yes...Scorned woman...but have you had scorned man?...thin sliced rib eye and hot italian sausage in tacos..
re: PHREDDY
hahaha can't be too scorned then! Unless they were just some tacos you just picked up somewhere....
re: PHREDDY
Ah, Scorned Woman hot sauce. I haven't seen Scorned Man...
I'm moving four hours away in a week, so I've been seeing what I can use up from the freezer. Last night I had chili made with chicken thighs, a few different kinds of beans, and a load of different veggies. It was definitely better than anything I could've scrounged up with takeout!
re: writergeek313
It was definitely better than anything I could've scrounged up with takeout!
Ain't that the truth!
re: writergeek313
Of course it is better....that is what we are all about...what kind of veggies, what kind of beans?
One day I should try simplifying this but for now, it is what it is. It is helpful if you prep beforehand and assemble shortly before serving. I think it's well worth the effort.
Don't know how fattening this is but it is really good and I'm sure it could be slimmed down with low-fat cheese, no chicken etc. It's a meal in itself and sooooo gooood. Perfect for a luncheon.
Cheesecake Factory Santa Fe Chicken Salad Copycat
Serves 12
16 cups romaine and leaf lettuce
1 cup cilantro (yum)
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed
3 cups grated Jack cheese
1/2 cup teriyaki marinade
6 chicken breast halves
3 cups toasted corn tortilla strips (make cutting strips and frying in oil until crisp or you can buy them ready-made)
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained (I cut the corn off the cob or use frozen)
3 cups diced, seeded tomatoes
Marinate chicken one hour in teriyaki marinade. Broil and baste chicken aprox. 15 minutes, cool, cut into bite size pieces or shred. Tear greens, add cilantro, one cup each of beans and corn. Dress with lime dressing (see below). Fill 12 plates with greens, top each with chicken, 1/4 c. cheese, tomatoes, 1/2 cup bean relish (see below) 2 T corn. Drizzle with peanut butter dressing (see below). Top with tortilla strips.
Lime Dressing
1/2 t lime zest
2 T lime juice
1 T snipped cilantro
1/4 t salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 c olive oil
Process until thick
Black Bean Relish
1/2 c each chopped-red pepper, green pepper, and red onion
3 T white wine vinegar
1 1/4 T oil
1/4 t salt
Peanut Butter dressing
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T brown sugar
2 T soy sauce
2 t Hot chili oil
1 1/2 T red wine vinegar
3T chunky peanut butter
3T sesame oil
Process until well blended
Let me know if you like it. Enjoy
Tonight's dinner will be Thai chicken wings with hot and sour sauce served with salted mango and rice. The recipe calls for the wings to be fried, but we ain't doing no frying in this here kitchen till it cools down some. These here wings are being grilled. Outside. This recipe comes from The Asian Flavors of Jean Georges, which really should be called the Spice Market Cookbook, since most of the recipes are from that restaurant in NY's Meatpacking district. It was one of the courses my husband made for my birthday dinner, and it was so wonderful, I suggested he do them tonight when he said he was defrosting some wings.
re: roxlet
Just looked up the cookbook on Amazon....sounds interesting!! Wings sound delicious...
re: jenscats5
The wings were great. Everything we've made from the book has been excellent. It's mainly SE Asian influenced food.
re: roxlet
glad it was delish, - intriguing cookbook - will have to check it out!
We had a couple of lamb shoulder chops sauteed with garlic and fresh rosemary from the garden. Made a quick Arrabbiata sauce to serve with the Mushroom ravioli from the CSA store. Steamed some green beans from DH's vegetable garden.
The green beans were the best I've ever tasted.
Seriously did NOT want to cook anything tonight. Picked up veggies to make a Thai Pasta Salad for a party I'm attending tomorrow, so I picked up a market-roasted chicken and sliced some up for a chicken sandwich. Schmeared a small baguette with some sriracha mayo, layered on some sliced chicken, sprinkled on crumbled goat cheese, some arugula, smooshed it down, and ate it down. Potato chips alongside. Oh - and a glass of wine. Simples. :-)
re: LindaWhit
yum. your sandwich sounds good. i didn't want to cook either, and i thought the boy was going to do it, but he took me out for the promised dinner instead! nice.
re: LindaWhit
Simple is often the best--particularly on a Friday, and even more particularly when it's hot!
re: roxlet
and it is hot where we are...
re: LindaWhit
Sandwich and potato chips is one of my favourite all time dinners -- perfect for the summer.
re: LindaWhit
Thai Pasta Salad sounds intriguing.....how did you make it Linda?
re: jenscats5
Here you go, jenscat!
Make-Ahead Thai Pasta Salad
8 oz spaghetti, uncooked -- broken in 3" pieces
4 cups assorted chopped vegetables -- such as red bell pepper, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, thinly sliced carrots, and broccoli
3 green onions -- sliced
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. brown sugar -- packed
1-1/2 Tbsp. fresh ginger root -- grated
2 Tbsp. hot water -- or more as needed
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1/2 tsp. chili paste or hot sauce (sriracha) -- up to 1 tsp. (more to taste)
1/3 cup fresh coriander -- chopped (or 1T. dry) (I OMIT)
Cook and drain the pasta. Rinse well with cold water. Once cooled and fully drained, combine the pasta, veggies and green onion.
Carefully whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the pasta and veggies, toss well to coat. (NOTE: I whisk together everything *but* the hot sauce, and then added the sriracha slowly to get it the way I wanted for the group I was making this salad for...they are not heat lovers, so I think I used about 8 drops of sriracha max...I'd definitely use more for myself.)
Chill for up to 24 hours before serving.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NOTES : LLW Notes: I doubled the dressing ingredients noted in this recipe (quantities already adjusted to double amounts in the recipe above so don't do it again!) because I found the original recipe wasn't enough to fully coat the cooked pasta and raw veggies.
re: LindaWhit
Where does that recipe come from, LindaWhit? Or is it your creation? Sounds fabulous, may have to try that next week, as I will be in fridge clean out mode before packing up for vacation. Thanks!
re: Dirtywextraolives
I got it in an Email recipe exchange a long time ago that went nowhere...only the first round of Emails ended up being sent by those who participated. But this was a good one to get! I've made a few changes (not just increasing the dressing ingredient quantities but also adding the water to thin out the dressing and changing up the originally suggested chopped veggies). This would a good fridge clean out meal!
re: LindaWhit
How fortuitous!! Thanks for sharing, I'm looking forward to trying it!!
re: LindaWhit
Does sound great Linda. Thanks for posting your
re: LindaWhit
Thank you Linda!! Sounds delicious!!
re: LindaWhit
That sounds so nice and summery. Mmmm.
So, there's going to be a nice simple starter at Harters Hall tonight. A handful of salad leaves, topped with a scattering of brown shrimps and a squeeze of lemon.
Main course will see a shoulder of lamb braised with onion, carrot, garlic, tin of chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and stock. Later a tin of butter beans get added along with peas and a chopped courgette.
Dessert comes from our "cooking the books" exercise - in this case from "Book of English Food", Arabella Boxer, 1991 which, by co-incidence, is republished in the UK this week. Interesting subject with the recipes coming from the 1920s and 1930s. It was a time when we Brits rediscovered something of our national cuisine, after decades if not centuries, of fascination with all foody things French. It was also a brief period in time when we looked not across the English Channel (or La Manche) for tips on "style" but across the Atlantic and became fascinated with things American and some dishes in the book reflect that. It was only a brief period in our food history which ended with the rationing of the 1940s and 1950s due to WW2. And then, middle class society again became fascinated with French food following the works of Elizabeth David. it was really only towards the end of the 1970s and into the 80s that we regained a love for our own food and ways of cooking.
Anyway, enough of the food history already.
Dessert is "Two-tier lemon pudding". Butter and sugar are creamed together; egg yolks added, as is milk, lenon juice and flour. Beaten egg whites are added and everything goes into a baking dish. It cooks in a bain marie for about 45 minutes. The "two tier" comes from the fact that it separates out with a cakey top and the lemon sauce underneath. She suggests serving it with raspberries and cream which is absolutely fine in my book.
re: Harters
That dessert sounds wonderful, Harters! (The dinner sounds great too!) I hope it (dessert) works out and tastes as good as it sounds.
And I liked reading about the food history. :-)
re: Harters
That dinner sounds great and the book sounds fascinating. Nothin' wrong with a little food history on a Saturday morning (or afternoon for you)!
re: Harters
that sounds luscious, actually.....
re: Harters
where do you get these receipes?..I am just amazed...tried some and they are great!
re: PHREDDY
Starter isn't really a recipe. Lamb dish is a magazine recipe (probably BBC Good Food magazine). Dessert, as mentioned, is from the Boxer book.
re: Harters
Sounds very much like what is often referred to as "lemon pudding cake" here. "Two-tier Lemon Pudding" sounds so much more elegant--especially when gilded by raspberries and cream.
We did burgers again last night, although I used the broiler instead of the grill, as we were out of charcoal. Topped with red onion, pickles, tomato, chopped green chilis and avocado. A mix of sweet potato and regular potato fries on the side. Not sure WFD tonight, but I'm heading to the farmers market this morning so I'm hoping to be inspired.
Last night was very simple - salad! Kale and romaine Caesar-ish dressing, with extra anchovy and lemon, some chilled grilled chicken breast, chopped bing cherries, sliced radish and avocado. Hit the spot.
Got my Jenni's splendid ice cream book from Amazon yesterday also. Had all the ingredients on hand so I scratched the imediate itch and made the roasted strawberry-buttermilk ice cream. Layered in the extra strawberry sauce as I packed it up after churning. A few hours later, a small bowl of that sure hit the spot. Very nice. I think I am going to make a bunch of these ( to take to other's houses to keep things reasonable at my waist). I like the lighter cream base with no eggs very much. The flavors of ingredients really come through.
I have my eye on the peanut butter, coconut, ginger, cayenne ice cream next - served over bananas! YUM! Inspired by phad thai she says. Brilliant idea...
Today, I am making a cold basil pesto salad, very simple, with grilled zuchinni matchsticks, julienne'd red pepper, and peas. Lots of toasted pine nuts on top, and another triple-berry cake to take to a birthday party/bbq at a friends. Perfect weather here - just around 80 degrees.
Stay cool y'all!
re: gingershelley
Glad you like Jenni's Ice Cream, and that pest salad sounds great. Pasta in that or not?
re: roxlet
Ummm....pest salad? ;-)
re: LindaWhit
Pest - a major destination in Hungary separated from Buda by the Danube. Together (Buda and Pest) they form Hungary's leading city. They understand meats, wines, fruits, coffee, pastries and vegetables there.
re: steve h.
I wish My salad was of a PEST variety.... sigh. On the list for travel!
re: LindaWhit
LW, This salad was a PEST! I hadn't made basil pesto in, oh, probably 10 years.... so it was not so interesting after I made it to put on the bow-tie. Wanted a 'tuxedo salad' for the crew gathering tonight, so ended up adding much lemon zest, extra EVOO (no reference to that damned RR lady (disgust!). Roasted red peppers, grilled zuch's, some poached fava beans - peeled twice!.
Seems to be tasty, but it is absorbing EVERYTHING I fling at it. Guessing at friend's house, I may have to add stock and OO to make it not be dry. Kind of a wild experience. Tiny pasta farfalle sponges? Anyone else go through this?
Well, the salad is a pest, but kind of like a non-biting insect, or a yappy dog you love that sticks around your heels and you say ok, I guess that's what I got!
re: gingershelley
LOL! Sorry it was such trouble for you, gingershel. Hopefully it works out today at your friend's house with your adjustments.
re: roxlet
Yes, Roxlet, I guess I should have pointed out it was a pasta-based salad to begin with... in the end, after an afternoon of relaxin' (when I should have been doing yard work - acck!), I roasted a red pepper, made the basil-pesto like mixture, grated some lemon peel on my farfalle, added more cheese (romano), grilled Zuchinni, a tad bit of chopped Kalamata, 1/2 of a preserved lemon... that's about it. Here you go...
And here is the result of last nights amazing ice cream. the Roasted Strawberry (really, just a simple pan sauce of straw slices and sugar, in the oven rather than in a saucepan - don't see alot of difference, other than distribution of heat on the berries to be gentle...). Really - I think the buttermilk and NO eggs makes it...
re: gingershelley
I'm glad the roasted strawberry ice cream came out for you. I had purchased an ice cream maker years ago, and it just never seemed to work out for me. I think I gave it away or sold it in a yard sale.
re: gingershelley
I keep meaning to make a roasted strawberry-buttermilk ice cream I bookmarked a while ago. Good to hear the combination is as good as it sounds! That peanut butter one sounds interesting too.
re: BananaBirkLarsen
Well, here is the Roasted Straw Ice Cream, in stages... super awesome!
re: gingershelley
I've got a bit of that ice cream left and planning on making some more soon. I really like the texture.
re: gingershelley
That looks great! I may just have to make this really soon.
re: gingershelley
Glad to hear you like the Jeni's, gs. I've never used my ice cream maker so much. Thankfully, DH devours most of the results.
We just had egg salad sandwiches made with hb eggs (duh) minced onion, Hellmans and s & p - perfect fuel for a trip in the humidity to Whole Foods and WFD stuff. Looks like rain. The damned Yankees are down the street wrecking a nice July weekend. Double header - hope it pours!
Edit: I actually don't hate the Yankees half as much as I hate the stupid Red Sox owners who are ruining the team. We used to have a level playing field with the Boys from the Bronx and this used to be a fun weekend if you live near the park, which we do.
re: Berheenia
Yeah, not happy with the first half of the double-header today OR last night's game. :::Sigh::: I can't imagine living near Fenway on game day!
re: jenscats5
I was doing 'something with shrimp tonite'...but got vetoed at the grocery store so it's back to cheeseburgers and salad ... sigh
At least we're going out for a drink before we eat.
Tonight we are doing our "Fourth of July" celebration. My first experience with trying to grill a turkey went badly. I was distracted by my cake baking and when I returned to my turkey I found it black. I peeled off the skin (flavor :( ) and I think the rest will be ok. We are having chips, salsa and guacamole, white sangria, smoked turkey sandwiches, honey chipotle baked beans, a vinegar slaw, roasted potato salad from the kitchen of one of the guests, and for dessert Ina Garten's flag cake. I'd made it this long without making a gimmicky flag cake, but I could hold out no longer.
re: bblonde
Hope your turkey was okay bb. Should be if you removed the skin. Every thing shounds great
You know what's nice when you like to cook? When you bring a side dish to a cookout, and when you leave, your container is practically empty. And many others are still half full. (Is that mean? Prideful? OK, definitely the latter. But I'm still pretty pleased! LOL)
I thought I might be hungry after the party this afternoon, but I ate more there than I thought I would! Burger, dog, and some of the Thai Pasta Salad that I posted above for jenscat, as well as some deviled eggs and a bit of fruit salad. There was plenty of sweet stuff, but I left those.
So if I get a bit rumbly in my tumbly later, I have some fruit salad here at home that I can dig into. Tomorrow, I cook.
re: LindaWhit
LW, I am about to head out to my tonight's bbq/birthday.... and well, I can say that I do, selfishily ) or shelfishly?) want to be the most well-recieved cook in the room. Of course, if i go to a great party, with lot's of peers, that is no conversation, we just all enjoy our 'brings' and sharing of knowledge.
But, there are times, oh, like maybe tonight, that I wish I brought the BEST pasta salad in the world, amd maybe, sometimes that is just too damn much ego. But I like awesome food - and most around do to, so it seems to work out.
If I am at a party where there are foody scrums happening, and all want things to go that way? I guess, long story short, if I want an outcome of grand taste, with a minimum of assholes, and snobishness (please forgive this if not your experience!). then, well, I hope for current interesting ideas of how to present what-of-the-moment, with - JOY!
Damn, if it isn't Z'aatar, or next, pressed M.E olives.... or, what have you - smoked white fish with dill in a cream reduction compressed with 'good bread' and dill, and olives.... no speaking to it. It is just WHAT.
I am off to my friends house, and it will be the same there., I brought what I brought, and so will all my peeps. If something is
exciting", I will tell you all.....
re: LindaWhit
Well I'd have been returning to the buffet table for that salad, LW.
House-ground chuck to be pan fried in a cast-iron skillet, Land O'Lakes deli sliced, white American cheese for a topper. Fresh tomatoes and sliced red onion as condiment. Lightly toasted potato roll will be the delivery mechanism. Green salad on the side. Chips? Raspberry cake for dessert. Wine for Deb (Italian), beer for me.
Serena Williams is Wimbledon champ for the fifth time, Yanks took the top half of a day/night doubleheader against the Sawx, Miami STOLE a player from the Celtics. All is well in the sports world.
I found lots of nice (but expensive!) stuff at the farmers market today. Dinner is going to be squash blossoms stuffed with goat sausage and roasted sweet potato, brushed with oil and baked (I made fries last night and don't want to deal with the mess from frying two nights in a row). Chard sauteed in butter and garlic, with a bit of preserved lemon tossed in for good measure. Tomato and red onion salad, marinaded in olive oil and black vinegar. Simple potatoes, quartered and boiled and tossed with butter and salt. Perhaps some wine, if we can get up the energy to walk to the store, but we'll probably make do with sparkling water and lime.
re: BananaBirkLarsen
I was really curious about what you would find at a Farmers Market in NM but didn't want to sound too parochial about it so didn't ask. I guess squash is the national summer vegetable no matter where you live in the US. I've only seen the blossoms on menus here because (I think) they get snapped up by the restaurants. I'll have to try harder to find them.
re: BananaBirkLarsen
Your squash blossoms sound amazing.
re: nomadchowwoman
Thanks -- they were quite good! Although it turned out that "goat sausage" actually meant unseasoned, ground goat meat and fatty pieces, a bit of curry powder, cayenne and lime juice fixed it right up.
Dry rubbed four chicken breasts with some barbecue seasonings earlier today, Sautéed some onions, red & yellow peppers plus jalapeños and garlic, so will make some fajitas for dinner. Just cannot decide if we're lighting the grill, heating up the grill pan, which is a major PITA to clean, or just pan fry them. Tortillas, avocados, rice and beans to go with it all.
We're off out for dinner to a nearby city. For BBQ which, I predict, is going to be the next BIG THING in Britain. There aren't many restaurants in the country (I only know of this one and another in our own metro area in the north west of England) but there's been t he occasional review of others in the country in the national newspapers.
I'm looking forward to it - the one nearer home is pretty enjoyable and its pulled pork comes from free range rare breed piggies. Posh Q.
re: Harters
Hope it's good, Harters. When BBQ is good, with the burnt end bits and all, it's very good. But it can also be meh. I hope you get more Posh Q at this new place.
re: Harters
Is this American type BBQ? How cool! We are finally ahead of you on something?! Lol!
Last night was a fantastic bone-in rib-eye on the grill, along with grilled baked potatoes and button mushrooms on the side burner. Yummy. Had bacon bits, sour cream, butter and chives for the potatoes.
Tonight will be pizza's on the grill. DH and I can each make our own. Have condiments of home made pizza sauce, salami, pepperoni, canadian bacon, fresh mushrooms, sliced olives, onions, green peppers and shredded mozzarella cheese.
Tomorrow will probably be dinner out due to the re-plumbing. Who knows what the rest of the week brings??????
re: boyzoma
I love making pizza on the grill..... Sigh, haven't done so yet this season, maybe next weekend as we're cleaning out the fridge..
re: ChristinaMason
I recently discovered Chinese broccoli. Good stuff.
re: twodales
It is! Definitely a bit bitter a la broccoli rabe, but we like it. I ended up making a kind of stir fry with mushrooms, tofu, and the broccoli, thickened with a little bit of cornstarch and served over the cauliflower rice. An "Asian" slaw alongside (soy sauce, minced ginger, Korean red pepper threads, rice wine vinegar, maggi, agave nectar, sesame oil and black sesame seeds). Good stuff.
Even though it's rather warm out today, and I spent a good few hours digging up the garden area in my new yard (it's full of rocks! :() I have a horrible craving for Doukhobor-style borscht for dinner tonight. So borscht it will be, with cabbage and potatoes and beets and dill and plenty of butter, and a healthy dollop of sour cream on top. TJ's rosemary demi-batard on the side. And some chilled IPA to counteract the fact that we're eating soup on a hot summer day. We'll probably have the last of the citrus-sour cream pie with sliced fresh strawberries for dessert.
re: BananaBirkLarsen
BBL, please tell about the citrus sour cream pie. That sounds very interesting!
re: jmcarthur8
It was one of those things I made with very few ingredients in the house that happened to turn out great. It was based on this recipe: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/So...
only I used a mix of orange and lime juice and zest, tapioca flour instead of corn starch, 2 whole eggs instead of egg yolks and half-and-half instead of milk, and I strained the mixture (which had a few scrambled egg whites floating around in it) before cooling and adding the sour cream. Also, no whipped cream on top.
Also, I had no flour in the house whatsoever, so I made a crumb-style crust out of semolina. Just found a recipe for a graham cracker crust, replaced the crumbs with semolina, browned the melted butter, added a touch of cinnamon and upped the sugar. A crumb crust works really well with this pie (I think I'd like it better than a standard pastry crust), and the semolina turned out surprisingly well (although I should've used more butter). I think it would be even better with a ginger snap crumb crust, though.
re: BananaBirkLarsen
Thank you! I think this sounds deliciously cool and tangy. I just may make one for a potluck we're going to this week.
I do like the orange and lime combo - very different!
re: jmcarthur8
The orange and lime combo (and many of the other substitutions I made) were borne of necessity and a bare cupboard, but it turned out to be a keeper! My boyfriend actually said that it was the best pie I'd ever made (although I wouldn't go that far).
re: BananaBirkLarsen
your borscht sounds wonderful....
re: mariacarmen
Borscht is almost always wonderful! I grew up in a town with a large Doukhobor community and even though I'm not remotely Russian, this type of borscht just tastes like home to me. So much better than any vegetarian cabbage soup has the right to be! I think it's all the butter. In spite of the fact that I used only 3/4 cup butter and most recipes call for a whole pound, it was very rich. And there was lots extra for the freezer -- I always forget that borscht recipes make enough for a roomful of people.
re: BananaBirkLarsen
it's the dill and sour cream (well, of course, the beets too!) that make it for me, tho actually the only one i've ever made myself had meat in it, many years ago...
re: mariacarmen
Yep, dill and sour cream is pretty much always a winning combination! The Doukhobor version is actually fairly different from most Russian borschts. Fewer (sometimes no) beets, never any meat (Doukhobors are traditionally vegetarian for religious reasons, although most of my friends' families growing up were carnivores). I can type up the recipe, if you want.
Roast veg with couscous, griddled halloumi and "harissa" as it's called in the recipe book (Delia) though it's not - it's cumin, cayenne, tomato paste, olive oil and lime juice. Nice and summery. Even better than usual since I finally looked at the recipe properly and realised I was supposed to roast the vegetables at 240 to get them nice and crisp.
Looking forward to the last of the supernatural brownies for dessert - succumbed to buttertart's repeated insistence that they're the best! and they were wonderful, took them on a work kayaking trip and they went down very well. some strawbs and cherries on the side. mmm maybe it's time for pudding now...
re: gembellina
Love halloumi.... Your whole Greek inspired meal sounds really good, filing away for next week, perhaps....
re: gembellina
Ah...Delia's Summer collection?
re: twodales
the very one.
re: gembellina
Gembellina, that griddled halloumi sounds SO good - have been craving it since reading recent posts on D Leibovitz' blog re: trip to Isreal. There is a photo of haloumi that had me drooling.... really, all the pics had me craving that sort of food. Must reprise your menu... although probably would make a Charmoula sauce for alongside...
Last night we had Sea Island Red Pea Gravy over brown basmati rice. It was a 2 day operation, because I made the stock the day before, that the recipe for the red peas specified.
It would have been really wonderful over Carolina Gold rice (as the recipe suggested), but I didn't have any in the pantry. It was pretty darn wonderful anyway over the brown basmati. The older I get, the more I like interesting bean dishes. I think this was my favorite bean dish ever.
Time to use up the CSA kale. So....
Out came 2 sweet Italian sausage from the freezer for defrosting.
Out came 1 cup of roasted tomatoes from the freezer for defrosting.
Out came some roasted garlic from the freezer for defrosting.
Out came a half cup of homemade chicken stock from the freezer for defrosting.
Out came some red and yellow bell peppers from the fridge for chopping.
Out came the kale from the fridge's crisper drawer for chopping.
I sure was hoping the out came was going to be good! ;-)
The sausage was squoze out of the casings and browned. Removed from skillet. Some olive oil into the skillet and heated, and into the pan went the chopped red and yellow peppers, roasted garlic, and the kale. After the kale began to be cooked down, I added the chicken stock. Put a cover on the skillet and cooked it down until the chicken stock was 2/3 gone.
Meanwhile, I boiled some water and penne was cooked and drained.
Back to the skillet - added the roasted and pureed tomatoes to the pan and brought to a high simmer. Added about 1/2 Tbsp. of dried basil, a healthy pinch of salt and some Aleppo pepper. Added the cooked sausage, and about 1/3 cup of heavy cream. Let that simmer away until it was well blended.
Penne back into the cookpot and poured the sausage/kale/tomato cream sauce over top. Stirred it all together, made sure it was hot, put some into a bowl, topped it with some grated Romano cheese, and it was dinner....with some crusty rolls alongside. Oh yes - and some wine. :-)
Used up the kale. And gives me several work lunches. Works for me!
re: LindaWhit
Sounds really tasty, LindaWhit!
re: Dirtywextraolives
It was very good, Dirty! Although the more I attempt to cook kale as a sauté, the more I realize it *really* needs to be cooked in soup. For a MUCH longer time than sautéing or steaming.
I just couldn't get into making soup last night. :-)
re: LindaWhit
I know what you mean, I love it braised. Lately I have been eating it raw as a salad too, for dating reasons, it it stands up to sturdy dressings and to being leftover.
re: LindaWhit
I love the heavy cream part ..mmmm.
re: Berheenia
Shhhh......I'm still trying to convince myself that it was relatively healthy. I supposed if I had added vodka to the tomato-cream sauce, then I could have said it wasn't healthy.
But the vodka was in my lemonade. :-)

subset: commoncrawl


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Our use of the Single Visit Approach combines Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) with Cryotherapy to create an effective screening and treatment tandem. Using simple vinegar, cotton swabs and a good light, VIA is as effective as the Pap smear(1) in detecting pre-cancerous cell changes. Upon a positive result, a woman can be treated with Cryotherapy the same day. The main advantages of the Single Visit Approach are that it requires few resources, uses low-tech equipment, and provides immediate results.
Single Visit Approach
- Developed by Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University
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Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University and a worldwide leader in public health, developed the Single Visit Approach to VIA and Cryotherapy. Studies have repeatedly shown that providing all services in a single visit is essential to success in combating cervical cancer in low-resource communities. Grounds for Health focuses on training local health care experts in the Single Visit Approach. Through education, rather than direct service, we can potentially reach tens of thousands of women, as opposed to just a few hundred. Grounds of Health empowers local leaders to own responsibility for the health and well-being of their communities.
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Reference: (1) PATH: Preventing cervical cancer (2007)


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