Looks great, Angelaid! I just finished what was probably the best ham I've had in 25 years!

I am terrible at photographing dinner meals (especially the ones that I make), but I did find a lot of inspiration here, especially from Neely, with whom I am not that familiar, but the food all looks great.

Here's my not so great looking (but very tasty) meal of pappardelle with tomato sauce and Asiago cheese.

Sorry that the food is partially eaten - I forgot to take a photo until after I had started eating!

The pappardelle looks amazing.

And what is this curious thing?...green and bean-ish...

We are still stuck in tomatoes (oh how suffering)...loving this years harvest.

This tomato deserved DH bread baking skills...and another BLT brunch....

...i toast under the broiler just the top side for crispy/crusty. So the un-toasted side is soft for soaking up juices and smmoshing. (we do that with all fresh baked bread toast)...

"green and bean-ish" LOL. Sleevendog....They are broad beans also known as fava beans. I haven't taken off their outer skin. We like them just like that.... childhood thing. Love your toasty tomatoes. Great bread.

Lars your pasta looks yummy and I must get with the trend of taking a photo after we start eating.

Also angelaid baked ham and au gratin potatoes...delicious.

neely, I plant way too many tomatoes, because I like different varieties for different applications. This year I planted 36 Rutgers for canning, then added 6 Great White, 6 Pineapple, 6 Garden Peach, 6 Big Rainbow, 6 SunGold, 6 Mortgage Lifter and 6 Taxi, because I like them all, they grow well in my Northern Michigan short growing season and because I always save the seeds of the heirlooms and then plant extra "in case". Sometimes I don't get 100% germination, sometimes I get a late frost, sometimes cutworms invade, sometimes a couple die after transplanting. And sometimes they don't, LOL, and I have too many.

Actually, this year I planted 78 and it's the fewest I've planted in several years, but I still have way too many tomatoes. We had a hot and wet summer and I have a tomato jungle in spite of the tomato worms, the voles, the shrews, the mice, TWO groundhogs (maybe more, but I've only managed to livetrap two) and the first time ever I've found slugs in the garden.

Everything looks delicious, but sleevendog's bread looks especially delicious.

Lars, welcome to the club, those of us who eat before remembering to take pictures.

As for Elery, he's healing but he was supposed to have the staples removed yesterday and the doc wouldn't do it. He's got a blistered rash which they think is an allergic reaction to the tape, and so they don't want to add Steri-strips to that problem. We go back to Grand Rapids next Monday to see if they can come out then. His first therapy appointment is Thursday, we'll see how that goes.

Annie

OK ... 78 Plants Annie. That's a lot.

I am aiming for about 20-24 and I think that's a lot.

Hope Elery's getting better. It will all be worth it.

Also I meant to answer party music. I read a couple of saltimbucca recipes on the net and just winged it for the chicken one. I will try to do a proper one, if and when I can find a paler veal.

We've been having lamb chops with orzo ( thanks Jasdip... your asparagus and orzo looked very good) two nights in a row and I forgot to take photos.

Annie, have you tried Stupice? It's my fav for an early red. They're small plants with small / salad-size tomatoes, and I always start picking them the same time as Sun Gold. I'm pretty sure you could find room for them. lol! But 78 tomato plants? wow.

PM, I tried it several years ago, but I don't remember why I didn't keep growing them, I think I remember that they were good flavored. I also tried Wisconsin 55 from Peppi, but it did not do well at all, which is odd, since it's grown in Wisconsin.

I have a really big garden, since I can pickles and beets, carrots and green beans. I've canned nearly 40 quarts of green beans this year, and I can salsa and stewed tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, tomato red pepper soup, chipotle catsup and tomato marmalade, enchilada sauce and pizza sauce, so I need LOTS of tomatoes. Plus I have an elderly aunt who still cans and my Mother takes all the Great Whites I can possibly give her. They seldom go to waste, even that many.

So, what did we have for dinner? Burritos, with sauce made from fresh tomatoes, melted cheddar on top and copious amounts of my tomato/peach salsa!

Annie

I need to make more salsa today! Dinner last night was a split effort: my BF made meatloaf and mashed potatoes, while I made buttercup squash, green beans & garlic, and a nice light and crispy fresh salad made with summer squash, tomato, red onion, & herbs. My BF thought he'd help by heating that fresh salad for me. lol!

Lars, your spinach pappardelle is wonderful. I love any kind of spinach pasta and am envious of your skills. I love getting a big wad of pasta and stuffing it in my mouth. One of life's true pleasures! And yours looks great!

I made a casserole of a favorite pasta -- manestra (also known as orzo). It loved it as a kid and still do. I usually make it with chicken, but this time I tried it with ground beef. Simmered in a tomato sauce seasoned with a touch of cinnamon and allspice.

Angela, we love ham, and seeing yours makes me want to make one again soon.

Homemade pasta Lars? Wow. Is it as easy as it looks on tv?

Sleevendog, your blt's look fantastic. Is that a no-knead bread, that your hubby made? It looks sour-doughish, too.

Annie, as usual, just reading what you do with your garden is exhausting. You must be in hog-heaven working in your new larger kitchen. I'm sure your pantry/fruit cellar is larger as well for all of your 'canned' goods.

Tonite I made Moroccan rice (it's yellow because of the turmeric and cumin) and using red and yellow peppers doesn't help. The tomatoes are grated.

Spiced chicken thighs with 5-spice, garlic powder, paprika and cumin.

Jasdip, your chicken looks yummy. I've been meaning to buy a package of thighs lately. It seems that all my local stores have them on sale.

Ha fresh warm salad party music, but it all sounds yummy.

Burritos Annie, delish. I must confess I do get lost with all the Mexican food names.

Shambo, I love orzo and yours looks very good.

Spiced chicken thighs look great as does the rice Jasdip.

We've been eating salads again which I like.

First dinner was salmon, boiled potatoes with a salad topped with marinated red onion and orange.

Another meal was a version of salad Nicoise with advacado

Cheese tortellini with sauteed mushrooms, asparagus and shrimp, in a sun
dried tomato cream sauce, with a crusty french roll. I could drown in
this cream sauce and die a happy woman!

Your salad Nicoise looks so nice and refreshing, Neely!

Angela was your tomato cream sauce made from scratch? It sure sounds good.

Tonite was well-done roast beef with carrots around the roast, mashed potatoes and sauteed broccoli.

Lemon bundt cake and ice cream for dessert

SUN DRIED TOMATO CREAM SAUCE

3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, minced (I get the jar packed in oil)
2 cups heavy cream
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup dill, chopped (optional)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking:

Melt
butter in large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion until soft and
lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and sauté about 1
minute. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and cream. Simmer until slightly
thickened.

Pour the sauce over the pasta, add salt and pepper.
Toss. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it with some of the
reserved pasta cooking water or a bit of milk. Top with Parmesan.

I don't use the dill. I whisk one cup of shredded Parmigiano Reggiano into the sauce and toss the finished pasta with another cup.

Thanks Angela!

Hubby's very favourite pork chops are the ones I make with rice and vegetables, baked together in the oven.

Jasdip our roasts look similar but I guess most roasts do and no wonder that's your hubby's favourite pork chops.

That tortellini looks delicious angelaid.

We also had a roast.

And... One of DH's tuna bakes with beans and corn.

Everyone's food looks great, as always! neely, your stripe and polka-dot motif is cute! Not sure what goes into a tuna bake, but I never cared for tuna noodle casserole made with peas -- the way my parents did it. When someone made me tuna casserole with celery instead, it was much better for me!

I think I like salads more than most people do. lol! I made one of my favorites for dinner late last night.... black beans -- and this time I used papaya -- with mixed sweet peppers and green onions from the garden, pickled jalapeno peppers, and lime juice. I'd have added cilantro but it was dark and I was digging onions with a flashlight ;^)

Too many squashes. Dehydrate them and make dehydrated squash soup.

Too many Black Cherries. Make Pizza

dcarch

Really interesting food and photos dcarch. Yummy too I'll bet.

Nice salad party music.

Our meals have been haphazard lately. I cooked beef spare ribs which were tasty but unphotographical ( if there is such a word)

Following is a brunch of quinoa and corn fritters.

I made BIG pasties.

Unphotographical. I like that, Neely...

Your Big Pastie looks good too, and dcarch's soup looks interesting. Do those dehydrated squash add crunch or do they rehydrate too quickly?

Here it's been crazy busy. Elery's recovering from that knee replacement, we had the catastrophic pond breach a couple of weeks ago, which turned our 2 acre pond into a swamp, basically, and I've been canning.

The pond in our front yard that looked like this:

Suddenly looked like this:

And all poor Elery could do was sit in his chair and watch his pond drain away. After some excavator rental and a week's worth of work, the dyke is repaired and the pond is refilling. Good thing, as it runs our geo-thermal heating system!

Dinners have been Jet's Pizza, cold cereal, sandwiches, eggs and pancakes, things that were definitely "unphotographical". And tonight we were ready to sit down to supper when my Aunt Donna called to tell me I had a cow out. It turned out to be a young bull, and not a huge problem because my cattle will all follow a bucket, sure they'll get a treat. So I get the beef right up by the gate, but will he go in? Noooooo. (sigh) Elery is using a walker and a cane, and he whacked the bull in the butt with the cane, startling him enough to jump forward and through the gate, LOL. Then we came home and warmed dinner in the microwave. It was still pretty good, and Peppi's Dad would be proud of me, it was almost like German food. (grin)

Chicken/apple sausage with sauerkraut from last year's batch, golden beets from the garden, mashed potatoes made with freshly dug Kennebec potatoes, shared by my lovely neighbor in exchange for some of my Adirondack Blue potatoes, and some leftover pinto beans from yesterday, just because:

It's the time of year for fried green tomatoes, too, now that we've eaten all the ripe ones we want. These were eaten with homegrown pork steak and some spinach and kale tortellini with a grating of fresh Asiago over top:

Can you tell that what I really wanted was the tomatoes? (grin)

The Princess and her Brother were over last weekend, so she made crepes for breakfast. His were filled with peanut butter and jelly, and hers with Nutella...

I made some refrigerator pickled jalapenos, three plants gave me a pretty big bucket full...

Today I canned tomatoes, including this huge "Pineapple"..

Yesterday I canned 12 quarts of green beans and pulled the vines, the garden is winding down...

Annie

Wow, Annie! Glad you got the pond situation under control! and good on Elery and the bull. ;^) With all you freeze and can, I can't imagine you ever needing to dig very far into your stock for a dinner. Tell the Princess to try making blintzes, if she hasn't already. yum!!! I'm excited to see you mention a refrigerator pickled jalapeno!!! My gardens are shutting down too, and I have several different varieties of hot peppers that I should deal with. Would you mind sharing the recipe you like?

Fall brings so many activities in our community and we've sure been partaking of them but I made some good meals too.

Ham, asparagus, a potato puff and last tomatoes of summer.

Leftover ham turned into ham loaf with Brussels sprout leaves.

We are still following our retirement eating plan of three full meals a day, no snacks, and a cup of tea and sweet treat in the evening. A few of these were:

Fresh peach mousse

Zucchini cake with orange frosting and a delicious cherry crumb pie made at a local dairy store.

Unphotographical is definitely a word Neely! At least it is now! LOL.

I love reading your stories Annie. You and Elery work so well together, a real team. I also love seeing pics of your kitchen. Remembering your old kitchen, and seeing this one is remarkable. We bought a small bag of beautiful, plump jalapenos at the market and I've been trying to use them up. I tried giving some away to some neighbours but no one likes jalapenos!

Ruthanna, your meals look wonderful, especially your peach mousse!

I bought 10-lb bag of Paula Red apples from the apple farm, but they aren't as crisp as I'd like, so they'll be used for baking. Although I did cut one up on my corn flakes this morning with cinnamon.

Yesterday I made cookies and an apple crostata.

Neely, the fritters and pasties look so good. What was in the filling? Annie, I'm with Jasdip. Your adventures are always fun to read about. I'm glad your pond situation is fixed. I'm another one who loves fried green tomatoes. I'd be happy with a meal of those and a couple of Neely's fritters. Ruthanna, your potato puff and ham loaf look good too. I had ham loaf for the 1st and last time many years ago when visiting my husband's family in Iowa. I really liked it, but have never made it myself. Jasdip, your apple dessert looks mighty tasty. I'd love a piece right now.

Flatbread pizza- the flatbread is Bred-excellent, with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, Parmesan and cotto ham.

Desert-Mexican Chocolate Tart

Mimi, that tart looks amazing, yum, and so does the cherry pie, Ruthanna's zucchini cake and Jasdip's crostada. I must be having a sugar craving!

I'm not crazy for jalapenos either, hence only three plants, but they just keep producing and producing, and Elery tasted one, told me they were hotter than the habaneros I grew last year, so I'm not eating them, I'm scared! He loves 'em, though, and I dehydrated a bunch, canned some tomatoes with jalapenos, kind of a Rotel knockoff, and there are still more in the garden!

PM, I don't know if I like that recipe or not, it's the first time I've used it and Elery has been letting them "set". It sounded like the best of the recipes I've found, though, and has the magic 50/50 vinegar-to-water ratio, so I used it, from The Yummy Life, an online blog. It has pretty pictures and everything, LOL.

Pickled Jalapeno Peppers

By Monica Servings: makes 4 pint jars

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. jalapenos
• 2-1/4 cups vinegar (white distilled, apple cider, or a combination of the two)
• 2-1/4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons sugar or honey (optional)
• ADD TO EACH PINT JAR:
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black pepper corns
• 1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 whole garlic clove, peeled
• 1/8 teaspoon Pickle Crisp granules (optional)

Directions

Thinly slice jalapenos in 1/8" rounds, discarding stem ends.

Wash 4 pint jars & lids in hot sudsy water according to standard canning procedures. Keep jars warm until it's time to fill them.

In 2 quart pan, combine vinegar, water, & sugar (or honey); heat until just before it starts to boil. Add salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, bay leaf, garlic, (and Pickle Crisp, if using) to each jar.

Add jalapeno slices to jars, pressing down and packing them in compactly until jars are filled. For more attractive appearance, use a chopstick or your finger to position some slices vertically along sides of jar.

Pour hot vinegar mixture into each jar, leaving 1/2" head space. Insert bubble remover tool (or chopstick) down side of jar and press in toward center to release any bubbles. Clean jar rims with wet paper towel. Add jar lids and rings, making them "finger tight."

FOR REFRIGERATOR PICKLED PEPPERS: Allow jars to cool to room temperature and then store in fridge. Allow to marinate at least 3 days before eating. Good for several months.

FOR CANNED PICKLED PEPPERS: Process using standard USDA water process canning procedures.
--Fill water process canner or large pot with enough water to cover jars with 1" of water. Bring water to boil.
--Place hot, filled jars inside pot, return water to a boil, and process 12 minutes.
--Turn off heat, remove cover, and leave jars in water for 5 minutes.
--Remove jars and cool, undisturbed for at least 12 hours.
--Store in cool, dark place. May be eaten within a few days, but best if allowed to cure for 4-6 weeks.
--Good for at least 1 year.
--If any jars don't seal, cool and move to refrigerator where they will be good for several months.

TO ADJUST INGREDIENTS FOR DIFFERENT QUANTITIES, for each jar of pickled jalapeno slices:
--1/2 pound jalapenos
--1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vinegar
--1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
--1-1/2 teaspoons sugar or honey (optional)
--add seasoning to jars according to the ingredient list

The Princess has never made a blintz, I'm definitely going to have to get her to do that!

I did take inventory of the pantry yesterday and I'm up to 727 jars and I currently have leeks dehydrating and garlic to do next! These shelves are 8 high and 4 deep, so they're filling up nicely.

That episode with Elery smacking a bull in the butt with his cane is a lot funnier when you know that the bull actually weighs about 1,000 pounds, a Hereford/Highland cross and general pain in the rear. He's the orphan son of my old Bossy Cow that I cried over last year, and I babied him a lot. He is now spoiled and pushy, unattractive traits for an animal that size, so I didn't feel badly for him at all!

So, what's for supper? Leftovers. They were pretty good, though!

Annie

OMG! I love, LOVE your pantry. The only thing I would have in there that I can is my relish, but I'd love the shelves for my regular pantry stuff. Gorgeous, Annie!

I remember your baby calf last year. He's a big boy! I guess you won't be spoiling any more calves in the future. :-)

Mimi, I love your pizza, that looks perfectly delicious. Did you make the crust?

Annie-WOW! I am envious of your talents!

Jasdip- The flatbread was store bought, called "Bred". I bought it at Wegmans-2 flatbreads to a package. Boy, it made making the tart a breeze. I also got the cotto ham at Wegmans. They have an amazing selection of meats.

Thanks for posting the recipes, Annie! I looked at many different ones and was also leaning toward those that used a 50/50 ratio of vinegar and water.

And, OMG, your panty has a bigger and better selection than the grocery stores around here!!! lol!

Roasted
salmon, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus, and hollandaise
sauce. No sweet potatoes on my plate, please. Thank you!

party_music50

"----- And, OMG, your panty has a bigger and better selection than the grocery stores around here!!! lol!--"

Hahahaaaaaa!!! thanks for the information. Now we know.

dcarch

And don't you forget it, dcarch. I have thongs of admirers, um, I mean throngs. (grin)

elery is sitting here cracking jokes now, and I was sure someone was going to notice that typo.....

Supper was eggs, but I made homemade bread and a pear custard, but I don't have the pictures on the computer yet.

Annie

Sorry about the typo. :p

LOL, party-music, that one's going down in history, along with crap cakes (I think that was AnnT) and puppy seed muffins!

Annie

I am pretty sure "carp" cakes was Wendy .....how I miss the fun of those days!

I didn't notice the typo! Usually I'm good at that sort of thing. The 'puppy seed muffins' are cracking me up!

I made a Mexican Couscous side dish with minor changes. I used quinoa instead of couscous, and I used mixed veg instead of corn because that's the first thing I grabbed out of the freezer. I also added a jalapeno pepper.

Speaking of quinoa, I made a batch of veggie burgers last night and used red quinoa, rather than the regular stuff. According to the packages, the red is nutritionally identical. The color definitely made the v. burgers look more like a regular hamburger.

Very windy day here! I'm making pea soup for dinner tonight.

Wow lots of good food being cooked.

I loved dcarch bringing my attention to the bigger and better panty selection. Still chuckling.

It's a while ago now, however to reply... the pastie was filled with savoury mince, potato, carrot, swede,(rutabaga), turnip and peas. The quinoa fritters were with spring onion, corn, table spoon gluten free flour and one egg plus chilli.

I live in a country town and there is a bull down the road that sometimes gets out. It is exciting for whimps like me who watch behind the window, that is, watch people getting him to go where they want him to go, sometimes with a pitch fork. You are amazing Annie...leading the 1000lb beef with a bucket.

So dinners.

Pork chop, orzo and apple.

Baked chicken thighs, nuked potato and salad curtesy DH

I bought some prawns. Even though we are someway from the coast, the local fishmonger goes to the market and is able to have fresh seafood locally by about 11 am. Served with red cabbage Cole slaw and creamy dressing.

Finally, I baked apple slab pie. Homemade pastry. It's so big I intend to freeze half for another time. Pink lady apples... no sugar required.

Jasdip, love your "minor changes": just the grain itself and the vegetables :) Neely, that pie is gorgeous! Is it really sugar free--just use the Pink Lady apples and seasonings?

Annie, I forget to check in at this thread. But just wanted to wish Elery a speedy recovery from that surgery. I kn ow it's a long haul, but we were hiking in Jackson Wy with a friend who couldn't walk it last year. After having knee replacement last Oct this year's trip he did an admirable job of keeping up with us! He does aqua aerobics at the local community college as continuing therapy. Might Elery have an opportunity after he's done with PT?

Slowlane... Yes just the pink lady apples, no sugar and (blush) no seasonings. I wanted to taste just the apple.

Thank you! I'll be looking for pink ladies tomorrow, although I have to have some cinnamon in mine.

I like your slab apple pie Neely. My favourite pie style is the crostata, it's a free-form crust. But I must try yours. Pastry is my favourite part of a pie :-)

Tonite's dinner was a stir-fry, chicken spiced with 5-spice seasoning and leftover quinoa and vegetables.

I made a pot full of hearty cabbage soup and wanted cornbread to go with it.

Since I'm still making kefir, but don't like drinking it on it's own, I'm always looking for ways to use it up. I came across a recipe using it in cornbread. It's too dry and crumbly, but the flavour is great. I'm going to look at other cornbread (or Johnny cake, as is the name I grew up with) and just use kefir in it.

Yum, Jasdip, that looks good to me. I always bake my cornbread in a cast iron skillet too, it makes great crunchy crust. We had lentil soup, not very pretty, and now I'm wishing I'd have made some cornbread.

Annie

I made cornbread to go with my pea soup last week.... it's that time of year! I've been cooking/baking and eating too much!!! Didn't take a pic of the apple-blackberry crisp I made... should have -- it was good! lol! One night I wanted rice, so thought of that Korean Beef recipe. Loved it! don't know why the photo is rotated. :p

The next night I wanted chicken enchiladas... my BF makes the best e. sauce!

And last night I wanted a western egg sandwich for dinner... it really hit the spot! no pic though. :)