What's for Dinner, #184 - the BRRRRRR edition (for most of us)

oops, i didn't mean for all that to be in the title! ah well. Mods, can you then please put an [Old] sign on the last thread? thanks.

by the way, the Fire Tacos, as i'm now calling them, were simple but good. Gr. beef, minced onions, garlic, chili powder, s&p;, oregano. shredded jack cheese, red cabbage, avocado slices, charred corn tortillas, habanero sauce for me, Tapatio for him.

oh, and when i got to my dad's house yesterday afternoon, made myself a sammie from the meatloaf i'd made for him on Sunday. heated, on a nice big white bun, buttered and toasted, mayo, ketchup, and avocado. yum.

You can edit the title yourself now. I did it yesterday. But just tried to re-edit the title and couldn't. Maybe it only let's you for a short amount of time.

So sorry about your situation! At least you and your stuff didn't get burned up!! There always seem to be more fires in winter. Here anyway.

I just want to say thanks to everyone for posting what they are cooking. It's really inspirational to me to see what the rest of the world does. I have such a limited scope and sometimes I get frustrated with myself.

So, thank you and keep on cooking! I'm getting to be a better cook as a result of all your posts.

Hi mc,
Glad you're safe. Fire tacos sound great.

Pulled pork bbq sammich with slaw and a side of mac salad for me...baked pork chops, rice & gravy and leftover green beans for the bf.

[whoopsie-doozie, reposting here 'cause I missed Maria's link in the old thread...]

Last night was marinated roast chicken thighs with a citrus aleppo sauce, on top of bulgur tossed with mint and fresh orange juice (somehow the garden mint is still kicking). Side salad of avocado and pickled red onion and some more mint, just because I didn't want to throw out the avocado and it wasn't gonna last more than another day or so.

Tonight is an herbed skillet souffle with some sort of super simple side salad involving dandelion greens---maybe crumbled blue cheese, buttermilk dressing, and some more pickled onion.

Couple of the uncooked thighs leftover from yesterday's dinner are currently sitting in an orange, cinnamon, and rosemary brine for tomorrow's eats. Not sure what we'll end up doing with them.

Nice jumbo shrimp at the market, so tonight tried a new Martha Stewart recipe: "Shitakes, Shrimp, & Snow Pea Stir-Fry". Served on a bed of Jasmine rice, & it was quite nice. Although I AM glad I tweaked it, as I seem to do with nearly every "Martha" recipe. I rarely find her recipe test kitchen up to snuff.

Reposting from me too. Glad to hear you're ok MC!

I've got some cheat's ricotta (made from milk not whey) doing it's thing right now. Dinner will be cold lentils tossed with some very finely chopped red onion, baby spinach leaves and a vinegar (or lemon) & mustard dressing. It will be topped with the fresh cheat's ricotta and drizzled with olive oil.

I should be thinking ahead to tomorrow night and doing prep today as it's forecast to be another absolute scorcher but I'm feeling incredibly lazy plus I have a fridge full of things I'm not sure how to combine. They lend themselves to be a salad that would go well with BBQ meat, but with the weather supposed to switch from scorching hot to thunderstorms I'm not sure tending a BBQ in wind, rain and lightning strikes is very sensible.

I'm not sure I should be posting on this thread. Currently no BRRR and hopefully not on the horizon.

I posted this on the old thread but dinner was very simple. Used the left over meat from making gyro to make gyro kabobs. Fancy hamburgers

MariaCarmen I am glad to hear that your home is intact and you and your loved ones are safe. I hope it is not that dreadful flu that you are suffering from.Get well quick. Your meatloaf sandwich sounded heavenly....it is one of my top ten comfort foods.No avocado for me (and I have a 65 year old avocado tree in my back yard that produces like crazy) and a bit of mustard with the other condiments you mentioned and I feel like I have won the delicious food jack pot:).It really releases my "inner glutton" so I only made a large savory meatloaf maybe every six months. I am glad you are ok because I enjoy your posts immensely.

MC- What a bummer! If the weather doesn't get you these days you start thinking you're safe from disaster! At least you have a good excuse to go out for breakfast, my favorite restaurant meal of the day.
Thanks to someone in the Ides thread we are having meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner- yippee! Don't know about the peas- I think I am low to out on peas.. but there is a surplus of zuke and broccoli as usual.

Glad you are ok mariacarmen! What a scare.

I cooked a really nice dinner for friends yesterday. Savory carrot cake with dill and feta, served with fennel/apple slaw with buttermilk caraway dressing. Then baked butternut and porcini risotto with lots of sage, served with grilled belgian endive and crispy fried strips of chicken. Dessert was vanilla pudding with a layer of quince gelee, served with freshly baked madeleines (which were a little dry, don't know why, it's a recipe I've made many times, but they were still great for dunking in the pudding.)

Had leftovers of the carrot cake with the tangy slaw for lunch, that really was a great flavor combination.

Tonight will be very simple: pasta with fried zucchini cubes and loads of parmesan. After that, venturing out into the bitter cold again, for beers with a friend. Brrrr, indeed.

Concur w/ the others mariacarmen, glad you're OK! I definitely wouldn't be toughing it out in the apartment either... I did that once when the whole neighborhood power was out for a few days in the summer and... never again!

Tonight's dinner is very easy (and green!)... boneless chicken breasts that I'll cut in strips and slather with pesto and top with mozzarella, and bake. Side of broccoli and orzo. I'm sure SO will love it, he always loves and raves over the stuff that takes me no effort at all.

If I'm not too exhausted when I get home tonight, it'll be homemade baked mac & ham & cheese with a garlic & herb Panko topping. I'll make a small casserole dish for myself, and a few small foil pans to wrap up and freeze for my Mom. Maybe a salad if I get ambitious.

Wow - that's not the kind of thing you want to have happen. Hope they restore your power soon.

Dinner for us tonight will be leftover Italian Wedding Soup. Sorry I can't share a bowl or two with you.

First off, I'm so glad to hear you are OK, mariacarmen. What a mess to go through, especially being sick! I hope you get your power back soon.

Well, we had roast chicken the other day, so yesterday, I made chicken stock. Lots of stock. Slow simmered the bones of that (along with a couple of other bags of bones I had in the freezer) for about 8 hours. Strained and chilled overnight. Today I took it out and skimmed off any additional fat. Put up several quarts and using the rest to make some chicken noodle soup for dinner. (After all, Thursday's are soup night during the winter at our house). To go with, we are having some toasted tuna sandwiches. Just a simple, warm and cozy dinner.

Geez - we lost power throughout the whole neighborhood for about three minutes last nite and it totally freaked us out! You have such a good attitude!

Dinner last nite was leftover pulled pork sandwiches with ranch beans and polished off the rest of the Ghardelli brownies. A warm and brown meal.

Dinner tonite is DS's birthday treat at a restaurant we've been wanting to try. I'm looking forward to it and am hungry already. Dessert will be ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery as he doesn't like cake. No cooking for me!

It is truly BRRRR here at -26. Snow on the ground since October 11 so we have REAL winter. ;)

Anyway, tonight is Columbia Chicken Pepian; Roasted Butternut Squash with Sweet Spices, Lime and Green Chile ("Plenty"). Perfect day to stay indoors and cook my little heart out as I do most days.

What a difficult thing to hapen, mariacarmen! I hope your power comes on very soon.

Wow, what a crappy week for you, mariacarmen! But you have a great attitiude. Hope everything works out soon. Last time we lost power, the mr. just never paid the bill--it just started going to his junk mail. It went from about 8am-6pm, and I wanted to strangle him! Luckily, my battery is great in this comp. and I could borrow wifi from a neighbor, hehe...
Tonight is pizza Thursday here. A local place with fantatic neopolitan pies has a mobile oven that come to the neighborhood, so we always grab a pie. Usually it's of the meaty variety, but I'm feeling a bit veggie-ish today and will probably go with that.

Looks like the snow is going to stay south of us so while chilly, not a snow emergency as forecast by the semi-hysterical weather people.

Dinner. I left chicken thighs out to defrost so probably them cooked with artichokes and olives in the oven or stovetop. Roasted potatoes and something with cabbage. Hopefully the muses will visit me on my drive home from work.

Well, mariacarmen, I guess you could call it an adventure. Hope it all gets repaired soon!

It's actually snowing a bit here in Georgia tonight. It's been rainy and gloomy for days, so I felt like making something with the ham stock I cooked up a few weeks ago.
Found a bag of dried mayocoba beans in the pantry. I'd never had them or heard of them before I bought this bag, but if I see an unknown bean at the store, I'm all over it. I soaked them all day, then put them in a pot with some of the ham stock and water, cooked that for a couple hours. Meanwhile, I sauteed some red and yellow onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano and jalepeno and let that sit. When the beans were done, I added them to the skillet and mashed about 2/3 of them with the potato masher. DH and I had the beans on steamed corn tortillas with a little shredded chedddar and sour cream.
Perfect dreary day comfort food.

Herbed split pea soup (La Soupe de Pois Casses aux Herbes) is on the menu. The recipe is courtesy of Patricia Wells', Bistro Cooking. Crusty bread on the side, modest red to wash it down. Maybe some olives for nibbles before the fact. There is cheesecake if a sweet is required after the fact.

I know it's heresy to those living in the frosty regions, but it's been 80 degrees during the day here in January in Orlando and it's driving me insane. UGH. I want soup weather, dangit!

Anyway, it's an egg salad sandwich for me on toasted country white. BF is eating a leftover pork chop, as he doesn't do mayo (just about his only fault).

Aí carámba, mc, fires are no fun! Hope your apt. has electricity again soon!!!

It's pretty damn chilly here, too (32°F), so tonight will be a comforting dinner of pork tenderloin medallions tossed in seasoned flour (paprika & cayenne, mostly, and s&p; of course) and seared to medium, a sauté of baby bellas & shredded Brussels sprouts with a mustard cream sauce, and shaved fennel salad with toasted walnuts, grapefruit sections, and blue cheese crumbles in a walnut-mustard-vinaigrette.

I'm on a bit of a fennel trip lately, and could eat this salad every. freaking. day.

Fire tacos - great story to go with the new recipe name, and glad it has a (reasonably) happy ending.

Dinner here was Baked Ham and Swiss Poppy Seed sandwiches and a fresh fruit salad of diced pear, strawberries and diced/sliced kiwi.

6-8 Buns filled with 8 oz thin-sliced ham and 4 oz shredded Swiss Cheese, placed close together in greased 8 x 8 pan and this (microwaved to melt together) mixture spooned over the top:
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
4 teaspoons brown sugar

Today, I made these in the morning and refrigerated until dinner time, which allows flavors to blend more. But I've also made & baked right away. Bake 350 degrees 10 minutes (25 minutes if refrigerated) covered with foil, then 10 minutes uncovered.

Wow, and I thought I was having a shitty week! Glad to hear no one was hurt in the fire, and you have somewhere to stay, Mariacarmen! So funny what the BF said, why is it that men always think it's so cool to "rough it"?!

So this week has been a leftover/takeout/drive through kind of week so far, hard to be psyched to make dinner when we rushing around to activities after school and the kids are starving and not up to waiting to be fed! I've got to get more slow cooker recipes up my sleeve!

Anyway, tonight is American chop suey, the ground beef/macaroni skillet supper. Didn't have elbows so using whole wheat egg noodles, we'll see how that flies.... Tomorrow I'm planning on cooking Parmesan gnocchi that have been in my fridge, with a butter-Parm sauce, and pan grilling some chicken and cheese sausages, along with a spinach-arugula salad on the side. I also thawed out some pork tenderloins for the weekend, going to marinate in the Indonesian marinade I have and pan roast. Maybe some braised cabbage on the side. And definitely seeing some bahn mis in the future for lunches.....

It's sweltering here in Sydney. 110 and climbing. After a trip to the pools this morning we're now in lockdown mode with blinds shut and the air con doing its best. Dinner has to be scrounged from the fridge and pantry.

What's appealing to me is trying to make dosa for the first time. I have a Jamie Oliver recipe that doesn't need to ferment. Obviously it will lack the lovely sour flavour you get in proper dosa but I'm hoping a coconut chutney will be so tasty I won't notice the missing flavour too much. I will do a quick kachumber salad to go with it. If the bloke says he's going to be home in time for dinner I'll also do some potatoes so he can have a more substantial masala dosa and get him to pick up a mango on the way home to finish the meal.

MC, my husband laughed out loud when I read your OP to him, at the part about the BF being a MAN. (He's one of those MEN, too, and totally gets it. )

Homemade pizza tonight: red sauce & cheddar/mozz blend; the bf got venison sausage & pepperoni on his....mine had added smoked gouda, caramelized onions and pepperoni. Garden salad to go with

Tonight was a gorgeous lamb steak pan seared and then oven roasted. Paired with a relish of Greek feta and sliced olives. Simple roasted vegetables on the side. Have made this dish with tbone chops. This was made with a boneless beautiful chop marinated aggressively in fresh garlic and olive oil -- well salted and peppered. Yum.

Phew! after that terrible fire on capp st. just recently, i've been so nervous about one in my building. just a year ago, my building benefited from my nocturnal hours when i heard a smoke alarm going off in the building that wouldn't stop beeping at 5 in the morning. i found the apartment and banged on the door until the tenant woke up. he had passed out drunk with a pot of instant ramen on the stove, which was shooting flames towards the ceiling. i put it out in time, but i think my lungs are still black from smoke inhalation. apartment fires are no joke.

anyways i'm glad no one got hurt. as for what i've been cooking in this chill: yukgaejang, korean spicy shredded beef soup loaded with chili powder, garlic, bean sprouts, fern shoots, green onions, and egg. with rice and kimchi, of course.

What a story, mariacarmen! I can only echo the others in saying I'm glad you and BF are safe. Hopefully power will be restored very soon.

Last night was low-carb fish tacos: cod in a coconut-flour batter (with a bit of dried grated coconut added), more or less per this recipe: http://lusciouslowcarb.blogspot.com/2...

We rolled the fish in trimmed savoy cabbage leaves and topped 'em with avocado, sliced serrano, cilantro, and an agave-lime-chipotle crema. Lime wedges for squeezing. On the side was a salad of mixed greens with jicama, cucumber, and goat cheese in a spicy honey-chipotle-lime red wine vinaigrette.

It worked, although I won't say that either the coconut or the cabbage leaves were perfect substitutes for their carbier brethren.

Another late night last night for hubby, so we enjoyed another "quickie". (Uh - that's a food-related "quickie" - lol!!)

"Turkey Chili Turkey Dogs", with all the usual trimmings (cheese, chopped sweet onion, etc., etc.).