So...whats for dinner?
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Luv - what SpecialK said about the charcoal - that's how we do indirect heat, like you we just have a regular size charcoal weber - used to have two of them. I love 'em. I have no idea how I'll ever adapt to a gas grill (if we ever get one... )
OK. questions what is sofrito and what is culantro - never heard of either before this thread...
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GG- Sofrito is a jarred tomato sauce by Goya. "Tomato Cooking Base - Green Pepper, Onions, Cilantro, and Garlic in Olive Oil for Rice, Beans, Soups, Chili and Stews" right from the the label. Not particularly spicy. Much more like a very thick, chunky mild salsa. I will put it in just about anything that would have tomato sauce, ketchup or salsa. Label says Spanish but I thought it was more Puerto Rican and they make it homemade. Culantro I had not heard of, similar to cilantro and evidently harder to find. Recaito is another Goya sauce, cilantro based, very green. I used the one jar I had or at least part of it and did not replace it. I'm on 3rd jar of Sofrito and this time bought 2 jars - they are only 12 oz. I have found at WalMart but the Mexican Market had it. My local grocery does not. Maybe Albertsons or Krogers. It should not be that hard to find in the Mexican section esp. with your ethnic population. In fact the culantro is used in Asian cooking with many diff. names per that lovely resource Wikipedia LOL my fav. for non-critical stuff. I only found out about these because the chicken chili called for both. I am a wimp for hot stuff and assumed they were; the Recaito is def. spicier though.
SpecialK and GG - There wouldn't be much room on that Weber for chicken. How do you do it? I found a jar of apple butter in the cabinet looking for stashed away coffee this morning. Now I have to try the recipe. DH has bought a charcoal chimney which starts it with newspaper. Great thing. I don't think we even have lighter fluid any more. I detest that smell.
Moon - yes points for not being in the hospital on your birthday. That has got to be the pits unless LOL for something fun like a baby. Happy you had a much better day.
Deb - looks like a peaceful time with your DD.
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Susan is much more knowledgeable about these things than I, but sofrito (or some version of it) is used in many different carribean cuisines. The Goya sofrito product is tomato based, although all sofritos are not. I have read that the Spanish version is more often tomato based, but I have seen Puerto Rican sofrito recipes also call for tomato. Recaito is sometimes called sofrito to further confuse things. Culantro is an herb that tastes very similar to cilantro, but much stronger. It looks very different from cilantro (I think the goya jar has a picture of the leaf on it -- long and narrow.) I found the Goya products at a small mexican grocery store, but I plan to make and freeze my own sofito this week. Here is a recipe that I plan to try. It's based on Daisy Martinez's
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/04/sofrito-puerto-rican-how-to-make-recipe.html
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Sofrito and Recaitro are actually generally made at home. Goya has simply bottled a very common cooking base, which is always cooked:
http://www.chefdaisymartinez.com/post/49202218643/sofrito
http://www.theingredientstore.com/joesplace/swap1.pl?noframes;read=6751 [scroll to the bottom for recaito]
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Thank-you ladies!! I will give those a try!
Luv, we place the charcoal on either side of the weber and put the meat in the middle. When it's pieces (like chicken wings....) well, then some of 'em get a little more scorched, but I squeeze down the air flow more and let 'em cook pretty slowly. We tried one of those newspaper thingies, but hubby got impatient. Niether of us can stand the taste/smell of the starter, so he got a propane tank and torches the charcoal until it's nice and rosey!! The flame is pretty spectacular to watch and it's also got the upside of getting the charcoal ready in a hot minute! (We haven't done that while living in the townhouse, though - we didn't want anyone to get scared we were going to set the place on fire!)
I'm not doing any canning this year - what with fixing up the house, moving and all - but normally I can salsa and dill relish at least, and then whatever I've got a hankering for - or whatever looks like it might be fun. After I try making sofrito and recaitro - maybe I'll try canning that as well. My taste buds have turned to fall, as I'm hungry for soups and stews. This weekend I think I'm going to make a chicken, ginger and leek soup.
Oh - one more question. What is a cubanelle pepper? Is that similar to a poblano pepper?
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Happy Birthday, Monica! What a good memory Debbie has. She jogged my memory that you were in the hospital for your bday last year.
DH is scheduled for a stress test on the 26th. His cardio dr.'s office had the medical records from the testing at St. Luke's Hospital in Diluth.
Nancy, your garden sounds wonderful. And you make such good use of your bounty.
I watched part of a Food Channel program with Ina Garten today. She looked very pretty. To my surprise she was cooking "healthy," and everything she made looked really good. I think the title of this series of cooking shows is Feel Good Cooking. She actually used yogurt and light sour cream.
Dinner tonight is leftover brown rice from last night and blackeyed peas out of the freezer. DH cooked a batch of black-eyed peas with ham for our traditional New Year's Day dinner and this is a bag of the leftovers. Salad will be cucumbers and onions for dh and minus the onions for me.
Will be starting WW meetings again on Mon. My weight is up 6 or 7 lbs. I had intentions of attending meetings in Park Rapids but didn't.
My cooking challenge is to do more in incorporating whole grains into our menus and in general to emphasize vegetables and de-emphasize meat. I've bought quinoa and bulgur. Now I have to learn to cook some tasty dishes with them!
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GG - cubanelle are similar to poblano - not very hot.
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Thanks, SpecialK.
Carole - you can use quinoa just about anywhere you'd use rice or couscous. I use quinoa for tabouleh. I also will simply cook quinoa in chicken stock for a quick side dish. I can't do bulgur, though as it is wheat. I want to try buckwheat.
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Nancy - did you find the culantro? Yes, I wondered if that wasn't culantro - and not cilantro - on the Recaito label though no mention of culantro on Goya's site. What do you plan on doing with the sofrito? So what are "frying peppers"? I noticed one comment to not mix up ajices dulces with Scotch bonnets. Yowya. Do you have them? They sound very interesting. Don't have a clue what "ajices" means but do know dulces means sweet. Thanks Susan for the cooking lesson. So much more than enchiladas and refried beans.
Oh I did buy a bottle of dill relish. Yum. I read about onion relish and would love to find some. I've never canned. My DM did. They had quite a garden when we lived in Albuquerque - of all places. I've got the jars somewhere and little ones. I think I was going to make freezer jam.
GG - looks like a longish sweet red or green pepper at least online. I have one plant that produces those I think. My garden is the pits, tiny and in the wrong place. DH has his utility trailer where garden used to be but in his defense I had pretty much abandoned it. The peppers are coming back to life some. That's all I have a couple wimpy, sorry tomatoes and a few pepper plants. I'm growing a much better crop of grasshoppers.
Me, too about fall. I have a hankering for fall things. Yahoo story about pumpkin spiced M&Ms.
Thanks I'll give the indirect method a try. GG - funny about your DH. Mine has little patience for the actual cooking. I've tried to get several things done at one time to freeze and he is just ready to get'er done.
Carole - don't know if couscous qualifies as "healthy" but I get my rice eating DH to eat it. Tonight is going to be clean out night. Leftover taco dip from last night - not healthy. Can of soup needing used up. Hope DH does not laugh me out of the kitchen.
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Been a whirlwind last few weeks here! DD graduated with her Master's in Education in May and had been applying for jobs since Spring and interviews were few and far between. Suddenly mid-August there were a ton of calls for interviews (not that we're complaining)!
We spent a couple of weeks traveling all over and in the end she got 2 job offers, 1 in a very rural district and another closer to NYC. She chose the more urban area. She accepted the job, we found an apartment and moved her there all in the space of a week! I stayed with her the first week to help her get set up and comfortable with the area but, this was her first week on her own.
She went away to school so I thought I would be fine with this transition... I cried like a baby....lol
So much has happened on this thread that, even skimming, it will take awhile to get caught up!
Michelle and family,
I am sad to hear the news that further treatments will not help to beat back this hideous disease but happy that you all are able to be together to enjoy the sunshine and, what I believe to be, the restorative properties of the ocean (or gulf).
Debbie,
Glad that you were able to spread your Dad's and Sister's ashes in such a peaceful and beautiful place. A "Celebration of Life"... I like that idea. As for your Dad's wife... Seems like every family has to have the 'witch'... In ours it's my Aunt's MIL who, when she flys in, we joke that she's coming in on the 10 o'clock (or whatever time) broom...lol!!!
To all that need a hug... (((((())))))))!
Carole,
Just bookmarked this recipe for Quinoa this AM http://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/2012/09/04/asiago-quinoa-veggie-bites/ . Haven't tried it yet but, plan to!
For those looking for Laurie's Salsa Chicken, I think it's on the very first page of this thread! Hard to believe so much time has passed since we all began 'sharing our kitchens'!0 -
Nance and Susan (will you name your cooking show Sunance?
, thanks for the sofrito and recaito links. I will definitely try making them both....and probably use with chicken and in soups since we tend to stay away from rice.
Susan, I'm glad that your daughter is happy with her placement. Is she assigned exclusively to testing students, or will she get to counsel the kids as part of her program?Wow! She does have a lot on her plate. Best of luck to her.
Seaside, best of luck to your DD in her new job, too! You may already know this, but it is common for school systems to try to fill positions in August, for a variety of reasons.....glad she benefitted from this. It does make for a long summer tho.
Maybe you will feel better about her move if you plan a visit to look forward to that includes some time in NYC together. I enjoyed hearing about Carrie's NYC visits with her DD...and look forward to hearing about yours! We loved visiting DS1 and his wife when they were doing their residencies in NYC, and even now that they are in NJ, we manage to get to the city when we visit them. But yes, such moves remind you that they are grown up and establishing their adult professional lives.....not next door. Enjoy your bittersweet pride in her accomplishment.
Tonight we had the last of the ratatouille (had obviously made a lot) with poached eggs on top, some leftover chicken, and a nice big salad. I will now have to figure out what to cook since that ratatouille came out in some form almost every day this week. Now that the mini heat wave has passed, the cool air has me thinking Fall type foods, too.
By the way, not sure if I ever mentioned that I got a reprieve on that big dinner I was going to make in the Berkshires. Turns out the Hospital Board decided to have a retreat that weekend with some large dinners included...not prepared by me. I'm kind of relieved, but will keep my offer open for a later date.0 -
Carole, glad that you guys are back home and DH is in the good care of his cardiologist.
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Luv, I'm going to the international market next week. Maybe I'll get lucky and find ajices dulces as well as culantro. If not, I'll make do with what I can find. One of the peppers I'm growing are giant Marconi Italian peppers. They are long and turn beautiful colors as they ripen. I don't know what a frying pepper is either.
I'm not a particularly creative cook but I do collect recipes and love to try different cuisines. I have been interested in Caribbean dishes for a while and really want to try more Puerto Rican cooking, which is why I want the sofrito.0 -
Tonight was ramen noodles topped with cabbage, carrot and onion sauteed in soy and pepper sauce, with potstickers and soy/honey dipping sauce. I don't eat soy products very often, but this meal is an occasional treat.
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WOW you guys are bizzzzy! Must be the cooler temps has everyone cooking up a storm. Except you southern and southwest gals that are still having the high temps. I hope to join that group someday when we finally get moved to NC
Temps here yesterday were only in the low 60's and rainy. I did up 8 quarts of tomatos. Got them at famers roadside stand. She said that they also let people pick their own but yesterday was too muddy and I was not dressed for picking, but got two large baskets full, that she gave me at the price if I had picked them.
Heading over to different lake today where friends are camping and boating. Gonna explore this lake by boat....meaning....boating to new wineries lol ..... and maybe a new restaurant. Really hope DH is up to the task, I will take his pillow to cushion his seating.
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Lacey, I have to admit I'm a little disappointed we won't be hearing your description of the fabulous Berkshire meal you were planning.
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Carrie, keep telling us about your boating. I enjoy your outings vicariously! It sounds so ideal to go to a restaurant by boat. Lucky you to buy all those home-grown tomatoes at a reasonable price. When we stopped overnight at dh's sister's house in Decatur, GA, on this past Mon., she was canning tomatoes her daughter gave her from the garden. The canned tomatoes looked so pretty in the jars. I like to open the jars and eat the tomatoes with a little s & p.
Seaside, that recipe for quinoa asiago bites looks delicious. But with all those good ingredients, you could hardly miss. Good luck to your daughter in her new job. I could really enjoy visiting someone near NYC. I visited the city only once when I attended a writing conference. The hotel window overlooked Times Square. I didn't attend any sessions. Just did sight-seeing and had a wonderful time. NY is such an alive city. You can feel the energy. I'd love to go back, but I doubt there are rv parks nearby!
Lacey, I've been looking forward to the details of that big dinner you offered to cook. I was also a little nervous on your behalf!
The August issue of Cooking Light has recipes of sides using bulgar. Also a recipe for shrimp tacos with corn/avocado salsa that I intend to try.
Have a great Saturday!
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Carol, here is a tomato bulgar soup recipe I make all the time, Fall to Spring. Cheap, easy and good. I buy the bulgar out of a bin, but you can get it boxed, it lasts forever and puffs up to make tons of what you're cooking
http://www.veggie101.com/2010/12/tomato-bulgur-soup.html
Gotta go, beautiful outside!
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I didn't get the kayak trailer built last weekend (rain), so I took Friday off and took care of it yesterday. I didn't have any shade to work in and it was probably 105F with clouds (high humidity) and then I had to go help at a football game where Sharon teaches.
This morning I noticed that my bending and stooping worked some apparently unused muscles. Not sore...just a bit tight and stiff....
While at the store this morning, I got some baking pumpkins. I figured the nice crisp (105F degree) weather would go well with pumpkin pie.
Eric
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Here's a pic of my peppers. Not pickled and not included are the purple and yellow ones (we ate them
It's a beautiful 73 degrees here today. To celebrate, I'm making english muffin bread in the actual oven. For dinner we're having pizzas on the grill. I have some hot capicola and calabrese, olive tapendade, some very nice fontina and mozzarella cheeses and of course, an assortment of vegetables. I'll also use the last of the garlic confit and some fresh basil from the garden. I used to grow oregano until it tried to take over the bed it was planted in. The oregano itself has now has been taken over by garlic chives, which I don't even remember planting. Oh well, the honey bees love the flowers.
If it stays cool I think pho will be in order.
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Bedo, the soup looks good. I saved the recipe and will try it when the weather gets a little cooler.
Nancy, it must be your influence causing me to buy a little box of mini poblano peppers at the farmers mkt today!
Also bought some fresh okra, which is cooking in a skillet with garlic and tomatoes.
The popularity of grass fed beef has made its way to Louisiana. There were two farmers at the farmers' mkt with signs for beef. One also raises pigs, lambs and range chickens. Grass fed or not, I like the idea of buying from local farmers.
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Carol, you must have been sending grass fed beef thoughts to me.... :-)
The local market had "free range" beef and I couldn't resist....One, that I studded with garlic and rubbed with a bit of salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce is in the oven.
I'll be adding corn, green beans, a salad and rolls.
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Oh drat!! Another post lost as I was getting ready to put the finger on submit.
Letting the rest go, I will just say that we really enjoyed a kale pesto tonight in a "brown rice pasta" toss with shrimp and kalamata olives. Also had a caprese salad over a bed of lettuce. Had been meanijng to make kale pesto for a while. Was definitely worth it.
Eager to see what the Farmer's Market brings tomorrow.
Enjoyed hearing about your tomato score, Carrie.
Carole, thanks for sharing my "nerves" about the dinner. I may have escaped disaster!0 -
Tonight was actually a planned dinner. I had bought 2 lbs of tomatillos at the farmer's market and some cilantro from the Hmong farmers. Today I found some beautiful serranos at the farm. So, I roasted the tomatillos, chiles, garlic, and some onions. Throw it in the blender with some salt, water, and cilantro and presto! Roasted tomatillo salsa. Only 4 cups though, so I need to make some more.... but tonight it served as the salsa for chicken enchilladas. Everyone else got suiza versions. I marinated some onions and chicken and then threw it on a blazing hot pan. You know... this worked.
The kid was so tired when she got home from work. I know that glazed look anywhere. I had enough food for the both of them, and they took the offer. Sometimes, she just needs Mom to make her some supper.
Lacey, the kid absolutely gets to counsel and work with the kids this year! That will be the focus, though assessment is a component.I guess she was able to get this "best" placement since she has a masters degree while some of her classmates don't. I am learning quickly about this world.
*susan*
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Susan what a good mom you are! Lacey, I hate losing posts. Eric, sounds like a wonderful supper. Nsnce, I teally liked your POSTED PICS OF PURPLE PEPPERS! LOL
Carole, we buy from local fsrmers around here a lot. Good stuff.
Went out to c ay to celebrate my bday with 3 of my kids and my DDIL, (her DH, my oldest son had to work) . Went to the new restaurant in town. local food prepared right. It was delicious. I had Curried butternut squash soup. 3 mushroom and kale strogonof with noodles(ive been told this is a midwest or Wisconsin thing!) And for dessert we got the tabletop smores. With REESES PB CUPS as well as chocolate bars with the fixins and a small grill. Fun. And good! My younger don started work st midnight so the had to leave early so he could get back, but I was happy to see everyone. My DH had to go up to his parents house to get the gravestones finalized for his folks and do the yard work and repairs on the houses so he couldnt be there either. But he sent flowers so I forgave him. Also, they started me on the abx so I am at least on the way to keeping this reconstruction detour from being a long one. Sorry for this huge post!LOL Much love.0 -
Monica, sounds like a lovely party!
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Monica that sounds like a great night out with your kids. I love seeing how the kids interact with each other as adults now. Happy Belated birthday and I hope this "last" surgery is your last! and that you heal quickly. And the dinner you had sounds fabulous. Curried butternut squash soup? mmmm
Nance those peppers are beautiful....what will you do with them?
Yesterday was fun-filled...wineries in anew town by land, along with an art museum (my favorite thing to do) then boat cruise on lake with apps, a stop at a winery where they had to come get us by kabota (long way up side of lake) then a campfire dinner of steak, chicken, and burgers with all the extra fixins. This cabin our friends rented was so quaint with a large table in middle (seating 8 of us) and huge fireplace kinda reminded me of a colonial home where the fireplace is in the kitchen. so much fun with all of us girls cooking and the men grilling, lots of wine and silliness.
Thanks Carole...I love reading of everyone elses adventures and how their lives are run coming from different parts of the country. Also love hearing about everyones families and jobs and all of the little things that have made us who we are.
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Carrie, I roasted a bunch for the pizza. Some will go into sofrito, more will be roasted and served with olive oil and parmesan, some will be eaten raw and a few of the last ones will be stuffed. I'm going to miss them when they're gone. We eat a lot of peppers.
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You are all making me crazy with this Latin American pepper and cooking talk!!
I'm going to Tortilla Flats for dinner.
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Bedo, one more to make you crazy.
I puree an onion, a habanero pepper, 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, a few green onions, a tablespoon or so of olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, a bit of allspice, mace, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, curry powder and black pepper, plus enough soy sauce and orange juice to make it liquid enough to be a marinade ..and marinade chicken in it over night before grilling.
The spice-heat level is medium by my standards...but is certainly enough to make a good excuse to have your favorite island beer "on standby"....
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