What's for dinner?

[Menolly]

mmm, yum
then y'all can cook for me anytime I head down under.

No probs! (he says, assuming Menolly won't be in Oz any time soon, and plenty of time to brush up on skills if the occasion arises.... )

LOL!
that's a pretty accurate assumption
...and I'll admit
if I do ever head down under
I'll probably hit the south island of New Zealand first
the pictures I've seen are simply breathtaking...

[StevieG]

LOL!
that's a pretty accurate assumption
...and I'll admit
if I do ever head down under
I'll probably hit the south island of New Zealand first
the pictures I've seen are simply breathtaking...

Well, if you get to Christchurch - go north for a bit (say 200km), then turn left across the Tasman Sea for about 2000km, and you'll be just about at my house - I'll wave so you see me.

[Menolly]

Today is one of the coolest mid-May days I can remember here in Gator Town in a long time. And we seem to have gotten the week's worth of rain that was affecting aliantha, dlb, and other Watchers.

...time for a brat fry.

Good thing I cook them in my Showtime.

[stonemaybe]

*no IDEA what a brat fry is!* (unless Beorn is being a pain...)

My brain is cooked after work today. Which normally means a sandwich for dinner but I have a hankering for potatoes, so I'm gonna boil some up and do a sort of stir fry with peppers and onion and mushroom and chorizo and have it over the top of the spuds. No brain food, but hopefully tasty.

[Vader]

• Spring onions cut to matchstick length and then in half length wise
• White asparagus cut to matchstick length and quartererd
• a handful of fresh sage leaves (chopped)
• olive oil
• butter
• salt, pepper, sugar

Heat the olive oil (don't be greedy with it) in a pan. Saute the spring onions and chopped sgae and let fry for a moment. Add the aspargus and fry until it browns. Add a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper to taste and a knob of butter.

Serve with spaghetti and parmesan cheese.

[Menolly]

My supply of home made meat pasta sauce has been devoured, so although it is hot and humid (rain for over a week straight, highly unusual for us) today will be spent making long simmered gravy. I fill my 20 quart stock pot with 2 1/2 lbs. of ground chuck, 1 lb. of ground pork, at least a pound of fresh mushrooms, a nice Spanish onion of at least a pound and a quarter, a third to a half a pound each of carrots, celery, and green pepper, and a whole bulb of garlic. Two number 10 cans of whole peeled tomatoes in juice with basil, and several cans of paste. Add Cabernet, herbs and spices, and simmer for hours...

I'll also pick up some Italian sausage links to brown and serve on top of a plate of pasta with that sauce. Tossed salad, some garlic bread, and we'll be good to go tonight, with plenty of sauce to bag up and freeze for future meals.

[stonemaybe]

oh wow that sounds good!

[stonemaybe]

Oh I am looking forward to dinner tonight

I think I'll be going for the fish caldine, with maybe a Goan Mackerel Masala Dahl for a late supper!
www.goanseafood.com/menus.htm

Hopefully (!!!) the fishing's been good last night....

[Menolly]

Fish, fish, fish...

You really are Undine.
Have a good time, Stone!

[stonemaybe]

The curry was every bit as good as I remember from last year (and the plan went to plan! )

But the music was better.....

Oojami (once my pc stops playing up)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK_p_TyJ_Pc
(though this was their previous incarnation, the MC is different now and they've added a girl singer. Same DJ and same Hannah the belly dancer though!)

[Menolly]

Tonight was quick and easy...

brown pork chops in some melted butter and olive oil
layer in a baking dish
cover with a mushroom bechamel
sprinkle on granulated garlic, fresh cracked black pepper, and hot Hungarian paprika
bake for an hour in a moderate oven

serve with green peas tossed with butter and dill weed
and some unsweetened apple sauce

I'm finishing it out with an individual serving of Fage strained greek-style yogurt and honey

...bliss...

[StevieG]

Sounds delicious! ~drool~ - ugh, 2 hours til lunch time....

[Wyldewode]

Tonight it will be thai peanut noodles with pork, and I think it's time to make a key lime pie.

[drew]

Made Chinese take-out style dinner tongiht.
(ie: NOT authentic)

THe Chicken balls and cherry sause came out of a box and a jar respefuly.

THe rice was white basmadi, fired up with mixed mushrooms, onins garlis and an egg. With Tamari and oyster sause.

The egg rolls, I made by cooking up ground pork with celery (salks and leaves) and baboo shoots and mushrooms and green onions.
Then I rolled that up in philo pastry sheets,a dn pan fried them.
A couple got a little burned, but it as my first attmp not using store boughten wonton wrappers; they turned out pretty good, but got a little soggy.

[aliantha]

Planning ahead here.

Next weekend, Batty, Magickmaker, and Shara_Lunison will be here. For Saturday night, I've invited a few folks over who weren't able to make it to Batty's commencement. I'm thinking I will make fajitas (steak and chicken), corn & black bean salad (recipe below) accompanied by those Tostito scoop chips, a green salad, a layered dip, sangria, and iced tea (for the faint of heart).

I'm debating on the dessert, tho. I have a recipe for sauteed strawberries (cook brown sugar, butter, lime juice and cinnamon over low heat 'til bubbly, add quartered strawberries, toss for a couple of minutes, and serve), which would be divine alone or with ice cream. But it would pull me away from guests while I cook the strawberries -- and could I cut the strawberries earlier or would they turn funky? Other options would be just ice cream, or watermelon, or a fruit salad (ho-hum). Comments?

Oh, the corn & black bean salad:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. whole kernal corn
1 medium red onion, diced
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp. lemon or lime juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix it all together and serve. It's really chunky so the scoop chips are perfect.

[Wyldewode]

Nummy, Ali! I say that you could quarter your strawberries ahead and chill them, and get your ingredients together mis en place so that you can look like a professional chef and whip up the amazing desert in minutes. Good luck!

[Menolly]

Or perhaps the sauce could be made in a small crockpot or fondue pot ahead of time, and you serve the quartered strawberries with fondue forks for dipping?

Any way it is served, it sounds luscious!

[aliantha]

Or perhaps the sauce could be made in a small crockpot or fondue pot ahead of time, and you serve the quartered strawberries with fondue forks for dipping?

Any way it is served, it sounds luscious!

Thanks! It's not a ton of sauce -- 2 tbsp of brown sugar, a tbsp each of the butter and lime juice, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon per pint of strawberries. It's just enough to glaze the berries as you saute them. I think Lyr's right -- if I cut up the strawberries ahead of time, I'll be able to whip them up pretty quickly. Folks probably won't even miss me. Thanks, you guys!

[Menolly]

wow...
Add a shot of rum to flambé, and it sounds nearly like a bananas foster sauce.

[aliantha]

wow...
Add a shot of rum to flambé, and it sounds nearly like a bananas foster sauce.

Saaaaaay....