Woodie, I'll have Mike bring a loaf when we meet at Marie's!

Nancy, would you post that recipe? or is it somewhere? I would like to make those. That and a salad would be a good winter meal..

Ohiomom, you are brave walking to the store in 4 deg...

LOL,very romantic, Kathleen, right up until we watched "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry!"

Woodie, I plated the food for the picture, he was waiting patiently! I don't plan things well, LOL! Was in a rush to take the picture!

It was good, we'd have it again! I'd like the sauce on string beans, it was like hollandaise.

Wow, these meals...amazing..

I do cheesesteaks a bit odd..but hubby loves them. He remembers them a certain way from spending his summers as a kid in Philly..
So this is the best I can come up with.

Sliced to order roastbeef from the deli counter. Bring it home, a drizzle round the pan of EVOO, cut the meet into strips. Toss in the hot pan sprinkle some italian seasonings on top and toss until brown. In a seperate pan I brown peppers and onions. If I'm making them for him, I put in slice after slice of American cheese over the meat and stir it until melted through. (I pull some out for me, because I like mine "dry" with provolone melted on top in the oven.)
He says there is no roll on the market out here that comes close to a cheesesteak roll..so we use an outdoor roll (Costco serves their hotdogs on them.)

Anyway...
I'm way behind on posting dinners..

Here's my wings from Friday night.
{{gwi:1480253}}

Here's all three with the potato gratin.
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Lastnights dinner was Beans and Weanies and Cornbread muffins.

I wish I had the time to acknowledge everyone on this thread. ALL of your meals, recipes and pictures are outstanding. It's like browsing through a cookbook but BETTER!

Friday was leftover homemade beef vegetable soup that I had made along with grilled gruyere cheese sandwiches. Saturday was cheating a bit (but since I liked it so much will find a way to make myself which should be easy as I found some recipes to accomplish it) - Boneless, skinless chicken breasts with Barefoot Contessa Balsamic Onions and New England Cranberry Relish, Rice Pilaf and steamed broccoli. It was REALLY good.

Today is football watching along w/hiding inside since it is blistering cold here. Chili, Texas Toast and salad.

Between Stacy and Terri I'm going to be jonesing for wings until I make some. They all look mighty fine.

Annie, meatballs, bread and marmalade, I'll bet the house smelled great. Good thing to do on a cold day.

Woodie, I make a special gravy for the pasties. I like the moisture. I explain how to make it as part of the recipe.

Here ya go Kathleen. The pasty recipe. It includes the recipe for the dough that I have always used in the past. But this time I used the Vodka Pie crust recipe (I cut back on the sugar).

PASTIES

Dough

4½ C unbleached all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1 C shortening
1 C unsalted butter, cold, cut in pieces
½ C water
1 lg egg
1Tabsp vinegar

In large bowl or food processor, combine dry ingredients, cut in shortening and butter,
to the size of small peas. Combine in a small bowl, water egg and vinegar, gradually add to flour mixture
tossing to combine. Do not overwork. If it seems dry, gradually add more cold water, Tablespoon at a time.
You need a firm dough, that is not sticky. If I am going to double the recipe, I make the dough in my food processor
up thru cutting in the butter, in single batches, then empty the processor into a lg bowl, doubling the
egg mixture and tossing it all together at once.
Form dough into a disk shape and refrigerate until ready to use.

Filling

2 Lbs coarsely ground beef
1 Lb coarsely ground pork
Note: I have used different cuts of lean beef and pork, grinding it myself using the grinder of my KA.
If you use a knife, mince it well, no larger than ½ inch pieces, smaller is better.

3 C finely chopped potatoes
2 C finely chopped rutabaga
1 C finely chopped carrots
2 med cooking onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
butter, approx ½ C

Combine all, EXCEPT butter, in a large bowl. I use a food processor on the vegetables,
but be careful not to grind them too much. You want chunks.

Preheat oven to 400°

Roll out dough , leaving it a little thicker than you would for pie crust. Cut into 6-8 inch
circles.
HINT: I use the lid from an older 3 qt saucepan. It has a sharp enough edge to use
like a giant cookie cutter. If you have to, use a lid and cut around it with a knife.

Fill with about 1 cup of filling and dot with a teaspoon of butter. Fold in half and use a fork to
press the cut edge to seal. You might want to moisten the cut edge with a pastry brush dipped in water
to insure a good seal. You can also roll the edge a bit before using the fork if your pastry is uneven.
Combine 1 egg and 1 Tbsp of water, brush top of pastie and with a small sharp knife, slash the top about 1 inch.

Place on parchment lined cookie sheet,
Bake 1 hour, or until a fork inserted through the slash meets no resistance, and pastry is golden.

Special Gravy

Brown 2 C of filling, in rendered fat or butter. You can use more or less depending on what you have left over, but I always save at least 2 C. When browned add 2 cups of water and simmer until vegetables are well cooked, about 15 min. Mash with a potato masher or transfer to food processor bowl and pulse to smooth slightly.
Return to pan, if you like lots of gravy, you can add extra beef stock or water at this point. Bring to a boil and thicken if needed with ¼ C of flour mixed with ¾ C of water. Add gradually to meat mixture, to desired gravy consistency. Ladle over hot pastie or serve on the side. Salt and pepper to taste.

You should get about 6-8 pasties from this recipe, depending on size and amount of filling you put in each one. I like to double or triple the recipe as they freeze very well, I freeze the gravy also, in small amounts.

Nancy

Michelle had generously offered to share a jar of her homemade Habanero jelly with me ... OMG, I wish I hadn't told the food critic how good it was !

Imagine my surprise when a large box was delivered ... and contained a Tagine. I didn't even know what one was, but Michelle explained that she thought I would enjoy it.

OMG ... this is going to get so much use in my kitchen. Slow cooking at it's best.

Thanks Michelle

What a nice surprise, Ohiomom! Way to go, Michelle. I only saw one of those things for the first time on the Food Network, one of Emeril's shows. I wasn't paying that much attention, so I didn't know what it was or what he was doing with it. Now I know. There's so many cool kitchen gadgets and tools, one needs a warehouse to store them all. lol

Yesterday was my "Friday", and no one felt like cooking, so I just threw a can of Rotel Chile Fixins (one of the best inventions since canned tomatoes) and a can of black beans together, with some chopped onions and cilantro, and called it dinner.

Today we drove halfway to Houston to meet my brother and pick up my "new" car. He and his wife are moving to Perth, Australia, leaving tomorrow, so rhey were going to have to sell their cars, and we needed a new one. I'm now the proud owner of a 2002 Camry. He's a perfectionist, and the car is in immaculate condition. I'm just sorry he's moving so far away. But, I'm worn out. So, to carry the bean theme a bit further, and since I had a partially used can of beans in the fridge, we had home made burritos, with the beans, some pepperjack cheese and cheddar cheese, cilantro, onions, salsa and sour cream. We also shared an avocado. Sorry, I didn't think of taking a picture until after I had eaten it all. I was very hungry. (By the way, when I was growing up, and we ate a very late lunch or very early dinner, in effect combining the two meals into one, we called it "lumper." I don't know where the "m" came from, but it's a word my mother coined. She had all kinds of made up words like that.)

Pasties remind me of empanadas. I guess pretty much every culture has a similar portable savory pie or turnover type thing. I wrote about DH making empanadas on one of the other threads. His mom used to make them, and he's carried on the tradition.

Those pizzas look so good, Stacy, and so does that bread, Kathleen.

Sally

Thank you, Nancy, I appreciate you taking the time to post that!

Sally, I like that, lumper, and good luck with your new car!

Terri, that's a lot of meat, looks good and the potatoes are calling me!

Michelle, you are very generous, Ohio, that is a great gift!

I typed a big long reply before, but lost it!!Stacy the pizza looks excellent!! You must be ready for the virtual!!

We had roast chicken, stuffing, cranberries and vegetables, and I made a little tart for dessert..

Crafy, Thanks so much for posting the White Onion Soup, I might make this tomorrow! Love your brown edged square plates...very cool!!

Woodie, Greek ribs and wild sockeye salmon..WOW!
Ann, I am still amazed by the photography with your new camera. Your food always looks so perfect but this new camera is really something!

Annie, Hmmmmm.Ive never thought about makinig meatballs and freezing them.
Ill have to consider that in the futurewhen we empty out the freezer that is!

Stacy, your pizza is perfection and the wings look good too. Perfect food to watch todays playoff games.

Terri, my goodness your wings are so juicy. I bet they were delicious!

Nancy, the pasties look so warm and filling.Ill take 2 please!

Linda, thanks so much for the Spinach Loaf recipe, I will for sure be making it! So glad the tagine worked out and your tagine chicken looks fabulous!

Kathleen.YOURE KILLING ME! With all your mealsthe breads and pasta and now a perfect tart!! So glad Declan is doing better! Love the lacey cake plate!

Saturday night Joe made Grouper, broccoli and some kind of creamed noodle side. I was not in a fish mood and so dinner was just okay.

I made the best Hot Chocolate today! I was watching TFN and Giada made an Italian Hot Chocolate and I just had to try it. In fact I think I might make myself another cup before I go to bed tonight!

Just a peek at some of our woodwork that my carpenter installed last week and our living room fireplace which just needs the mirror!

Michelle

Michelle, making and freezing meatballs is the only way my girls are ever going to get them, LOL, I just hate to make them, so I bite the bullet and make a LOT, just to get it over with. Amanda was tickled, she went snowmobiling today with Dave and a couple of their friends and I watched the kids for a couple of hours. When she got back she put a couple dozen meatballs in the oven with a bottle of BBQ sauce and they had meatball "subs" on hot dog buns. Makayla said "I LOVE Dramma's cooking". Amanda and Dave both grinned and said in unison "So do we". So, it was a good cooking day for me!

Ohiomom, I'm looking forward to seeing what you make with that tagine. Michelle brought me a covered cake plate this summer that I use a lot, I just leave it on my dining room table.

Carol, it's bone chilling, foot numbing, way past cold, cold here. I'm still freezing from fixing fence this afternoon, so I'm going to take a hint from Michelle and have some hot chocolate for supper.

Annie

Michelle

DH is still raving about dinner, the tangine will get a workout here.

Kathleen the tart looks so good, we still had banana muffins left from yesterday so I didn't bake today ... now I want pie :)

Linda, I love my tagine but Joe hates it. He says the tagine smells funny when it's in the oven.

Annie what recipe did you use for the meatballs? Or did you just poof them? As soon as I cook up some of frozen chickens, I'm going to make up some meatballs.

I'm sipping on my 2nd jumbo cup of Hot Chocolate and it is still just as yummy as when I first tasted it. I'm going to post the recipe as you guys have got to try this!

Spicy Mocha

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

4 1/2 cups whole milk
4 small dried red chilies (such as chilies de arbol)
3 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
3 cups espresso
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whipping cream

Combine the milk, chilies, and cinnamon sticks in a heavy large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Remove from the heat. Cover and steep for 15 minutes. Whisk in the espresso, sugar, and 1 cup of cocoa powder. Bring the hot chocolate to a simmer, whisking often. Discard the chilies and cinnamon sticks.

Meanwhile, whisk the powdered sugar and remaining 1/4 cup cocoa powder in a large bowl to blend. Add the cream and whisk until the mixture is thick.

Ladle the hot chocolate into 8 mugs. Spoon the chocolate whipped cream atop and serve immediately.

NOTES: I used 3 c. of chocolate milk, 1 heavy t. Penzy's Cinnamon, a light 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper and 1 heaping T. Instant Expresso Powder.

I would have loved the chocolate whipped cream but I could not stand on my foot any longer. The flamingo pose is starting to get very old!!

Michelle

Michelle, I watched the episode too..it did look really tasty! The chocolate whipped cream was calling me!
And I see your pups have been at play...leaving their toys laying about! LOL

Kathleen, that tart is amazing!!!!

We had chicken fingers, baked mac n cheese, homemade BBQ sauce for dipping and micro steamed broccoli.

Whew! I am tired just reading about all the cooking & baking that has been going on this weekend! It's bone-chilling cold here, (-20 the past couple of mornings), looks like a few more days of bitter cold and then a bit warmer (if you can call 20F warm...).

Nancy, those pasties look amazing! I had them years ago when we took a trip to Mackinac Island, but haven't had one since. I may have to try making them.

Terri, your pizzas look awesome! I can hardly wait for the virtual pizza party!

Ann, I am so glad that Moe loves the chicken cakes that I don't care who you credit with the recipe! LOL They are good, aren't they?

Michelle, the picture of that groouper would put me "in a fish mood" in an instant! Looks divine!

We had an early dinner of Kung Pao Chicken today. I took a pic, but am too tired to download it right now. After we ate we headed out to help my son and daughter-in-law move some furniture from storage to their new house. It wasn't a huge job, but in these temps everything is a major undertaking! Got home around 8pm and made a couple of grilled ham & cheese sammies to fill the void.

I am heading off to bed...nighty night, all!

Linda

Kathleen, DH's knows how to bake. Great looking loaf of bread. Lovely tart. Wouldn't mind a small piece of that for dessert tonight.

Michelle, I'm not sure I've seen a better looking mug of hot chocolate.

Stacy, thanks to you I had a craving for both pizza and wings. I didn't feel like stopping on the way home from work to pick up wings so I made pizza with what I had on hand. Italian Sausage, green pepper and black olives.

And I see your pups have been at play...leaving their toys laying about! LOL

Yep and you should see it when I don't pick up...LOL! But I don't mind, how could I with this sweet face looking at me!

Kathleen, what crust recipe did you use?

Annie, I knew you would use the heck out of the domed cake plate. I have 2 that are in constant use in my kitchen. The domed footed cake plates are just so convenient to display baked goods! All you need is a paper doily and just about anything looks yummy!

Michelle

Michelle, your woodwork is beautiful and so is the chocolate! (I don't eat salmon and Ken doesn't care for ribs so that was a perfect meal for us - my ribs were $3.99/lb and his salmon was $24.99/lb BTW)

I could eat wings and pizza every day of my life, Ann there's nothing better for breakfast than leftover pizza and I'm craving just one little piece of yours!

I tried a new recipe for a simple balsamic chicken last night and it was a real keeper, had some red onions in the sauce. Quick and delicious always calls out to me :)

Woodie, it was a good pizza too. I wish we liked leftover pizza for breakfast. But since we don't, the leftover is already in the garbage. Now if it was leftover Chinese, it would be a different story.

Michelle, I love it when you share pics of your pups.

Ann

oh noo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANn, not in the garbage!!!!!!! That loooks too good for the trash - and I love leftover pizza.

Michelle, your woodwork is beautiful!

kkathleen, your tart is gorgeous.

Terri those wings look great - nice and crispy. Did you fry?

I have a 3 lb turkey breast for tonight. With stuffing and I"m not sure what else.

Stacy

Ann, if you were closer I'd buy your leftovers. I could do with a pizza slice ANY am.

Dinner last night? (are you listening Sally???) was two hot dogs at Ikea. It got me thru the coooold drive home w/o fainting on the Beltway. ;-) I fed the wailing cat, made a pot of tea, and got the walnut bread on its way.

The bread ended up being overproofed, overbaked but still a tasty treat this am with another pot of tea. (Pics are over on the "Annie" thread.) My day in DC was over the top good with more art than the mind could hold. Hours at a museum AND shopping at Ikea are too much for this old cook.

Maureen, Moe would be happy with a couple of hot dogs from Ikea, or even Costco. He considers them a treat. LOL!

Stacy, turkey and stuffing sound good. And mashed potatoes and gravy of course.

Moe and I are still fighting this nasty cold bug that we have had since the beginning of December. It has now gone from the the chest to a full blown head cold. I'm just going to stay in today, take it easy and play in the kitchen. I have bread rising and I have a duck defrosting. Going to roast it using the Contessa's method. Makes the best crispy duck. Still thinking about sides. Leaning towards red cabbage.

Ann

Cindy, I don't know how the hell I missed your post entirely. I hope your Lab pup is recovering nicely from surgery. I hope you'll start to hang around here again.

Everyone's meals have turned this thread into a food porn fest. Terri and Stacy, great use of chicken wings.
Ann, I'll have to try Linda's Chicken Cakes, using turkey.
Kathleen, very nice rustic tart. That's my favorite to make a tart.
Nancy, I'd forgotten all about the pasties you posted years ago. I.must.remember.to.make.this.
I'll take one of Michelle's hot chocolate drinks and a puppy ... to go.

Maureen, how did you overbake your bread?
I seem to have a similar tendency when it comes to broiling food. Anything I put under the broiler, I will walk away and forget about ... until the smell of smoke takes over my kitchen. I'm learning to use a timer, but sometimes, I forget that too. Well, I'm glad to hear your bread tasted good.

I've been slacking in the photo department lately. The last thing I've made last week, was Torta Rustica. And never posted a picture. Let me say, Torta Rustica was absolutely delicious, filled with ricotta, prosciutto, genoa salami, and other cured meats. Unfortunately, this Torta Rustica is also a little too involved, so it's not something I'll be making often.

Last night, Sam brought home a few Sushi dishes and Miso Soup, which she shared with all of us. Thumper was particularly intrigued by Sam's Miso Soup with Toe Food in it.

Tonight, I'll probably make Lemon Garlic Chicken or Chicken Cacciatore.
Have you noticed I've been on an Italian kick lately?
I think it may be Luigi's fault. He's been a bad influence, and I mean that in a good way.[G]

Sol

Wow, just so many great looking and sounding meals. Was going to respond to each post, but would've ended up writing a small novel, so decided not to. If you don't respond every day, this thread just gets away from you.
The hot chocolate, pizzas, fish, tart, pasties, chicken etc just look sooo scrummy. I really appreciate all the recipes that get posted. I am constantly copying and pasting and adding to my ever growing list of must trys.Lots of instpiration for dinners on this thread. Tonight I am going to try the spicy chicken cakes, as I have heard nothing but good things about them. Am planning on making some pita's with Duqqa seasoning, (has anyone tried this stuff, any comments on it)? and maybe a spinach salad and some type of grain or rice for sides. Bought some bamboo rice so maybe I will try that.
Dinner last night was Osso bucco, creamy parmesan orzo, butternust squash rounds brushed with garlic oil and chopped sage and sea salt, broccoli with brown butter sauce, and a spinach and arugula salad with caramelized shallots, feta and a dijon, oregano vinaigrette. Very tasty!

Shelley

Oh Sol, that is making my mouth water...however, I guess I"ll be happy to drool over your photo, cuz if you say it's "involved" then it's not anything I'd even attempt. Gosh, it looks good, though.

hee hee hee - toe food. That's about how I feel about it, too.

yeah, Ann. I guess, potatoes - but I won't eat em - grin. But you can't have turkey and gravy without them, can you?

Shelley, your dinner sounds elegant!

Stacy, I could mostly live my life w/o potatoes too. Mostly.

Sol, I put the bread in for the 45 min and was taking a shower ~37-40 when I could smell the ...uh oh ...stage. By the time I got down, and took it out, the timer had not gone off. Oh well, if it were any better I'd have eaten both loaves by now. It was dessert after lunch topped with cream cheese and Nancy's gift of AmerSpoon's Cherry Salsa. Lunch finished the quinoa - finally.

Sorry for the quick post. There's SO MUCH wonderful stuff here and I regret I don't have time to comment.

Nancy . . the pasties look great. My Father is from the Keewenau peninsula of Michigan and my grandmother made the best pasties. I like them with ketchup. I have written up what I think is her recipe in a PDF file (linked below).

Last evening I made maki sushi rolls and a mushroom and lettuce soup. For dessert . . Tart aux Poires en Cage! My first try. I think it turned out well.

{{gwi:1480264}}

No thinking about it greginnd. It turned out perfect.

Ann

Sol: Don't blame me for your vices. I hate all you woman.
Damn pictures . I think I've gained 2 pounds this week.
Mostly Sol's fault. She eggs me on.

Now that I'm done complaining ! Here's what I done did.

I tryed the " Tiella " thing as in WFD #260 .
" Tiella of Gaeta, Italy "

I used my Pizza Dough, rolled it out thin( but not enough )
Laid it in a 10 inch oiled pan. Went over the edge about 1 inch.
I had some Calamare Marina Sauce made, so I chopped the Calamare small and
added about 15 Shrimp cut in half. The Sauce was thick.

I spooned this on the dough.

Then I placed another thin dough on top,inside to the edge.
I folded the 1 inch overhanging bottom Dough over, into the pan and made a wavey edge like a Pie Crust.

This is supposed to be a Mariners dish. The Crust is to represent Ocean Waves.
It is then brushed with EVOO , ready for the oven.

Out of the oven, Fini !!! It came out a little thicker,than I planned.
But, I think it will go fast, this weekend.

I didn't time it but it took about 1/2 hour or more, to bake.
Rotated and brushed with oil 2 times. Finished baking on a stone, to cook the bottom.

Lou

Sol, I am new to the cooking forum and would love to have your recipe for the Torta Rustica if it's not to much trouble. It looks delicious....

Thanks, Patti

My, oh my, oh my, what beautiful food everyone prepares!

Greginnd, when I saw your photo, I said to myself, "Oh, wow!"

I pack leftover pizza (If there is any leftover pizza) for my lunch the next day. It's so convenient.

Kathleen, what a beautiful tart! DH would love that, as apple pie is his favorite food of all time.

Michelle, I didn't even notice the toys cause I was looking at the woodwork. It's beautiful, and so is the puppy.

DH got a hot cocoa mix called Xocolatl, by Dagoba Organic Chocolate, that sounds very similar to the cocoa you posted about. It's really good. The package he got was much smaller than what's in their on-line catalogue. I don't know where DD got it, but it's what she gave him for Christmas.

I don't know what I'm going to do for dinner tonight, yet, but I know it'll involve onions. We've got a surplus of onions right now. I may do a soup, or a gratin.

I feel for all of you living through that extreme cold. I must have been in cold that bad at some point, cause I lived in Casper Wyoming for a year when I was a child, and was born in Colorado. I don't remember it ever getting that cold, though. I just can't imagine it being that seriously cold. I watched the Greenbay game, yesterday, and almost felt sorry for those guys playing in that bitter weather. Well, I actually did kinda feel sorry for them, but it's hard to feel sorry for anyone making their kind of money. Poor Bret Farve. (But that's another subject - sorry for bringing it up.)

Sally

Welcome Patricia!

Nothing short of GORGEOUS Lou! And you did use your pizza dough too....oh goody! I was going to try your dough recipe for the Pizza Party!

Greg, thanks so much for posting the link to your Pastie recipe! I made pasties about 4 months ago and Joe did not like the crust and I did not like the filling. Your recipe is a bit different so I will try it hopefully soon!

Maureen, thanks for the American Art Museum tour, I watched it twice! Love the art nouveau stair railing and the tile work is fabulous. Glad you went to the Spy Museum too!

Ann, you trashed your leftover pizza...OH MY! I know my pizza is not as good as yours and we never have any leftovers! Boy you've both been hanging on to your colds far too long...time for a road trip to the Islands and bake it out in the sun!

Woodie, could you post the balsamic chicken recipe. We dearly love chicken and balsamic any which way!

Terri, I completely missed your potato gratin which looks fabulous. Also love that dish!! I've been trying to find pie plates like that with the wavy edge for some time now...dang their hard to find!

The Torta Rustica...OH MY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so darn hungry, I can hear my stomach growling!

Michelle

oh Lou! That looks great!

Yes, W elcome Patricia.

And Greg, that is a thing of beauty. Just incredible. I will be checking out your blog.

I roasted a turkey breast with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and of course broccoli. Our veggie of choice, it seems. :-)

{{gwi:1480265}}

I was trying to decide on a pic. I liked this one, but the turkey looked a little pale and "shriveled - lol.

{{gwi:1480267}}

And this one, the turkey looked good, but the stuffing, I don't know... LOL!!

{{gwi:1480269}}

Stacy (whose dinner was cold...after all these pics)

Sol..that photo of your torta is no longer accurate.
I took a bite.

I could not resist!

Just wanted to say everything looks good here..Food..Woodwork..fireplace:)

Stacy and Maureen..your photos are exquisite! Better and better everytime I visit!I know what you mean about cold Stacy:) But worth it!

Maureen your last photo is blog/ magazine worthy! Too cute..I once took painting lessons from a wise artist who said:"Always add a touch of red:) " You did it so beautifully!

Kathleen..Carol and Greg..You already know I think everything you do is special:)

Oh Monique, what a compliment from one of our forum gurus of photography. I was telling one of the women on the Art museum tour that I need northern light for my food!!

Michelle, I'm adding a link to Maggie's pics. Same place, more professional eye. btw, we only used the facilities at the Spy Cafe. Not friendly enough so the consensus was brick lined Starbucks. I don't need a spy museum...if you get my drift. ;-)

Maggie captured me at the Art Museum with a great picture called Stoned, but she isn't allowing the kind of link we do here.

Ellen, I think you had asked for the Salmon chowder recipe?? It's from Redbook and I sub'd a can of creamed corn for the fresh corn and the cream. No jalapenos, so I used powdered NM green chiles.

Lou, I can't even consider that pie...but lord it looks good. I love the waves, and how food DID once have meaning like that.

Tonight? The NY Times Lentil Soup from RE; I added two tsp of cooked bulgar as I thought it was still too thin for my taste. Really good and filling with a second helping! No dessert!! (tho the bread calls to me, I didn't answer that phone...)

Michelle-- your woodwork is stunning !
Greginnd-- that is the most lucious looking pear I've ever seen !
Welcome Patricia--

Darn this slow loading dial up !!!!
I'm not going to comment on everyone's dishes-- (no room haha) but love this thread!

Tried a new recipe tonight-- one of Giada DeLauerntis -- made 1/2 a recipe & did go off the diet a bit with the flour(used ww flour).
Served it with oven roasted potato wedges, mixed sweet peppers & our own lean italian sausage. Really, really liked the cauliflower fixed this way.
tho had no pancetta so used Wegman's Applewood smoked lower salt bacon & 1 % milk.

I'll post the recipe over on the Recipe Forum to save some space here

Greg, thanks for sharing the recipe for pasties. I have saved it...your pear looks wonderful.

Lou, your "Tiella" looks yummy, you do good work!
And whadda sense of humor...

Michelle, I think your woodworker is a real artist. It all looks so nice.

You must have picked the right pic Stacy....it made me want to eat my screen. Very nice...

I thought I posted last night but I guess I didn't. Must be the cold weather is giving me brain freeze. Anyway, last nights dinner was just a small loin roast which I marinated in a apple cider reduction, braised red cabbage and mixed baby potatoes.

{{gwi:1480272}}

Tonight's dinner was leftovers.
Nancy

Oooh, that pear tart looks sinful!

Ann, I can't believe you threw away some of that gorgeous pizza! Your leftovers are better than my dinners any day of the week!

Aw, Michelle, don't you wish they could stay puppies forever? Darn, those little guys are cute!

Tried a new recipe tonight and it's a keeper-"Chili Maple Glazed Pork Medallions". Such a nice flavor combination, and I usually don't care for sweet with meat. Served with baked potatoes and Sharon's Braised Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage...another keeper! (Sharon I went and bought apple juice just for this recipe! LOL) I did take pictures, but they are not very good, so I won't subject you all to them!

Looks like the cold will be with us another day or two and then a heat wave is on it's way! LOL Temps will "skyrocket" into the upper 20's by the weekend! YAY!

Linda

Oh Stacy, there is nothing shriveled looking in any of those pictures. Incredible.

Lou, that looks delicious.

Nancy, one of my favourite dinners. Roast pork loin. And i like your sides.

Ann

I hardly ever hang here because it is just so depressing, I think I gain 5 lbs. vicariously. But it is nice to watch what everyone is up to. I don't have a camera, and my meals are almost always leftovers or poofs. I only cook on weekends. This weekend it was a corn casserole which was good but too rich for my taste. And the already mentioned apple turnovers.

Gregg, that pear tart is a thing of beauty. I have never in my life seen such a fabulous culinary creation. And I love pears and love tarts, that would be so romantic to have some time.

Lots of romantic food here. Or at least my idea of romantic, which is sensual and something out of the ordinary, which for me is most of the food here.

Michelle I love your house! I'm dreaming of buying a craftsman bungalow some day. I don't know if my dream will ever come true.

That spinach loaf sounds good OHM, I've got to give it a try soon.

Well I couldn't taste much of it, but Moe loved dinner. I had been promising him roast duck for about two weeks and finally made it tonight. Served it with roasted potatoes, roasted rutabaga, zucchini and an orange sauce.

Ann how did you make the orange sauce? I made your duck recipe for Christmas and made an orange sauce that I think was mostly just marmelade thinned with orange juice. The original recipe called for marsala wine but I didn't have any wine at my folk's place.

I also stuffed the duck with an orange for the final high heat roasting, which gave it a very nice light orange flavor. I'm so glad you gave me that duck recipe, it's going to be our Christmas recipe from now on. My dad loves duck at the holidays.

LPink, I found a recipe for an orange sauce. Retro recipes. I just simmered a couple of ounces of red wine, with chicken broth, freshed squeezed orange juice, fresh orange segments and a little honey. Simmer until sauce is thickened. Next time I'll add a splash of Grand Marnier. It was quite good.

Ann

Ann, did you pre-salt the duck? I never made duck at home - always worried about how the fat renders. Yours has a beautiful skin. DH loves duck and would be thrilled if I put something like that in front of him.

Ohiomom, a tagine does seem perfect for your style. I know you will use it well. So nice of Michelle and the habanero gold!

Greg, wow! I would be happy to set your pear free - LOL. Beautiful!

Stacy, I was also thinking your photos have been excellent!

Teri, I got such a laugh about Sixteen Candles - I only saw it 1,000 times back then! (married...?? and Jake! - Long Duck Dong - keeping it food related). I saw Molly Ringwald at a restaurant once - you have to be an 80's girl to get how I felt - LOL!

Maureen, that red lentil soup is on my list to try. Yours looks great.

Dishes, pretty table and I spy the crate and barrel steak knives you recommended - I love them.

Nancy, the pasties look really good.
Annie, All I can think of is that old commercial "that's a spicy a meataball".

Sharoncb, you mentioned Majorca. I had to go dig out my photos from my trip there and of course I came home with majorcan pearls. Paradise on earth. Your patio is lovely.

Recent meals - thinly sliced potatoes and onions layered scalloped style in 9 x 13. Skim plus milk added and seasoning. Top with pork chops coated in oven fry. One of dh's favorites and I am going for easy these days.

We had chicken francaise Friday night. I doubled the sauce and used that over a pound of linguine.

Tonight was Linda's chicken cakes served with garlic fries from TJ's. Thanks Linda and Ann for posting - we loved it. I didn't have horseradish so made a lemon aioli with parsley that went really well with the fries too which are Belgian style.

I am really looking for shortcuts these days and simplicity. Baby's fussy time is from 6-10pm! I keep moving up the dinner hour. Before you know it we will be having dinner when we wake up! LOL Boy is sick again with a double ear infection and pink eye. Sigh.

Stay warm all!

Forgot to add:

GO GIANTS!!!!!!!

Just one word for all the dinners here - WOW! The bar just keeps getting higher and higher.

No cooking at our house yesterday. In the morning Max asked if I wanted him to go the little Peruvian restaurant near us and get breakfast burritos. Of course I said yes and last night we took DMIL to the dinner theatre so no cooking! It was fun, a spoof on a 1940's radio show. DMIL could relate to all the music. We all had prime rib which they do quite nicely (meaning it is tender and RARE if you order it that way - we did) and I had leftovers for today that I sliced and stirfried with some baby choy and seasoned with Oyster sauce.

Lee

Stacy that would be me trying to take pictures,(which is probably why I never remember) and not being able to decide and then ending up with cold food. I thought all three looked great by the way!

Greg your dessert looks fantastic (would never know it was a first try). Your plating is wonderful!

Lou, I would love a piece of that Pie! How was it? You never showed a piece of it cooked and cut. (probably didn't want to tease us anymore than you already had).

Nancy great looking pork dinner.

Ann, I absolutely love duck and yours looks pretty spectaculor. I would also be interested in your technique for cooking it.

Maggie we also had linda's chicken cakes for dinner last night. We all really enjoyed them. I stuck with the horseradish sauce as I really like horseradish. Based on Ann's comments I did reduce the horseradish to 1 1/2 tsps and found it to be just right with the cakes. Is the texture of the cakes supposed to be spongey like? I used those prefrozen chicken breasts and am thinking that because of the high water content it contributed to a more spongey like texture. Just wondering what the texture is like using "normal chicken breasts". I even managed to get a picture of dinner..can you believe it? Sides were bamboo rice with mushrooms (we really enjoyed this rice and will be buying it again), green beans with lemon and garlic, tomato/cucumber/parsley salad with duqqa seasoning and some ranch dressing, pita breads and store bought baba ganoush.

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I made the pitas using Monique Barbeau's recipe (from in Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs). The instructions said to not let the pitas brown or get crispy, so they don't look to appealing in the photo, but they sure were good. They were brushed with melted butter and Duqqa seasoning before baking. We loved the texture of them. Softer and not quite as chewy as the last ones I made, (those ones I had added olive oil to the dough). The ones I made today are little three inch ones. The photos go from baked to unbaked.

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Shelley

GO GIANTS!!!!!!!

Absolutely!!!

Ann your duck looks wonderfully crispy. Joe makes a fabulous duck and we usually have it for Christmas Eve dinner.

Shelley's pitas....OMG they look wonderful and so much fun to make. Is this the recipe you used?

Pita Bread (Julia Child)

1 teaspoon dry active yeast
2 1/2 cups tepid water (80 to 90 degrees)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Stir the yeast and water together in a large bowl.

Using a wooden spoon and stirring in one direction, stir in the whole wheat flour about a cup at a time; then stir 100 times or until the mixture look smooth and silky. This is the sponge and it needs to rest, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 30 minutes, although it is best if it can rest for as long as 8 hours in a cool place, a rest that will give fuller flavor.

Sprinkle the slat over the sponge and then stir in the olive oil, mixing well, again stirring in the same direction.

Add the flour about a cup at a time, mixing until the dough is too stiff to stir with a spoon.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it mixing until it is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will be moderately firm and have a slight sheen.

Clean the mixing bowl, dry it, and coat it lightly with oil.

Transfer the dough to the bowl, turn the dough around to oil its surface, and cover tightly with plastic wrap.

Let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, or until it doubles in bulk.

Turn the dough onto the work surface. Divide it in half and keep one half under plastic or cloth while you work with the other.

Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and, with lightly floured cupped hands, form the pieces into tight balls; keep the balls under plastic as you work on the other.

On a well-floured surface, flatten the balls of dough with you fingertips and then, using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4-inch thick.

Cover but do stack the rolled out breads.

Preheat the griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and lightly oil the griddle.

Bake 1 rolled-out circle at a time on the griddle, putting the pita top side down on the griddle and cooking for 15 to 20 seconds before turning the bread over gently.

Cook for another minute or until big bubbles appear.

I'm taking out turkey wings for tonight's dinner. They make the best gravy and I need some potatoes and gravy today!

Michelle

Hi Michelle,

No this is the recipe I used. The recipe is from Julia's book, In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs (but it is not her recipe).

Monique Barbeau's Pita bread

(note her recipe claims that you can make the dough and bake it immediately without letting it rise. Letting it rise will alter the taste slightly as well as the texture and will allow you to keep it longer).

I let mine rise as I had the time. Next time I will try it without the rise.

1 tbsp dry yeast
1/2 c warm water
3 c flour
1/2 tsp salt (I used gray sea salt)
3/4 c water
melted usnalted butter
Dukka ( I used a prebought blend, but she does give a recipe if anyone wants it).

Mix yeast and warm water, stir and let sit til yeast dissolves. Mix flour and salt in food processor fitted with dough blade. Mix remaining water and yeast water together then add through feed tube, pulsing till ball forms. Let rest a few min, then pulse a few more times. Take dough out and knead by hand on floured board til dough is smooth and elastic)
(If letting dough rest put in covered container and let sit until almost trippled in volume, then proceed with recipe). If not letting dough rise, then roll dough out on lightly floured board til 1/4 inch thick. If dough shrinks back, cover loosely with towel and let relax for five min, then continue. Cut dough into three inch circles. Place on a cookie sheet (I used parchment and then a pizza paddle and put the parchment directly on a baking stone), brush the circles lightly with melted butter and sprinkle liberally with the dukka seasoning. (Formed unbaked pita may be frozen and baked fresh as needed). Place the pan in the lower middle level of a preheated 500F oven and bake for two min in all, (I found I needed to bake about 4-5 min in all). They are not to brown or crisp, some of the breads will not puff up as dramatically but you will still be able to cut and peel them apart while warm. Makes about two dozen 3 inch pitas.

Shelley

Just so you know Shelley, Michelle, you can use just about any bread dough to make Pita. I have often just taken a little dough from whatever bread I'm making and made a couple of pitas for lunch.

Ann

I didn't want to start a new "What's for Dinner" since I haven't even eaten recently, much less had dinner. School is a bummer!

Sol-Keegan kitty is not camera shy, just hard to get a shot without evil eyes. Here's a "fixed" photo (UGH!) where he's not even looking my direciton, but still has huge green lights staring down.

Maggie-I try not disturb him (he's really old and arthritic), but he's jus so doggone soft, I hafta pet and snuggle him.