So...whats for dinner?
Comments
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Red, the ravioli sounds delish.
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Nancy, love your baking center!!! Yes, I would be a serial user of that too!
So off I went to my treadmill, and proceeded to drop my iPad on the cement cellar floor. Oy! Am hoping that duct tape will secure the splintered corner of glass until DH does the same to his and we bite the bullet for new ones. No All Clad pot for me......
I have in the past made the mistake of getting a too big pot, then hardly use it. So I agree to go with the three quart if you think that will work. Need to look at the link to see the other one.
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Nance - your baking center is gorgeous. How fun to have a dedicated area. It really turned out well. Thanks for sharing.
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I found a leek! So tonight's dinner was leek and potato soup with some sausage. As much as I would have enjoyed someone else doing the cooking, this was a really satisfying meal.
I have recently purchased a replacement blade for my x-slicer and it made short work of the tomatoes and onions for the relish. The mixture started as 7 quarts and it is now down to 6. Tomorrow I will cook it with the vinegar and brown sugar for a few hours and then do some canning. The Asian chicken stock is done, all strained. The Western stock is still simmering away. Won't be ready to strain until about 10pm. Will be another late night.
I love the baking station! I don't bake enough to allocate that much space. Well, I don't know that I have enough room to allocate any room to anything! I am forever re-setting up areas to accommodate that day's tasks.
With such a big cooking day, I am behind on the coding. So off I go.
*susan*
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When I bought the hot chili powder at my spice shop I also got some smoky chili powder. I used half and half in the chili. Wow, good stuff! The smoky flavor really came through. I'll be using more of this stuff. Chili powder sometimes tastes "dusty" to me, but this has none of that.
My next spice frolic is going to be with harissa.
Susan, you must have had a lot of raw (chicken) material for all that stock.
Lacey, ouch on the ipad, Yike!
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Minus, how was the new cafe?
Monica, DH loves stovetop. I'm not much of a stuffing person so it's easy to make him happy with a box lol!
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The new restaurant was excellent. Basically Mediterranean food - definite Persian leanings. Everything on the menu was way too much food - especially for lunch. I ended up w/a mushroom swiss burger on a cross between Ciabatta & flatabread w/special spices added to the meat and fresh fruit on the side. Excellent but too big to finish. My SIL had a beef tenderloin salad and it would have served 3 people. We'll have to figure out how to be more hungry - New Zealand lamb chops, Cornish Hens, mango stuffed chicken, Kufta kabobs, Shish Tawook, amazing appetizers, and on & on.
Then we went to a Mercury Baroque concert. A little Handel, a little Vivaldi, a little Telemann and a lovely Geminiani to wrap it up. The last was new to me. Apparently 30 years younger than Corelli. I SO love this small group. I'm never sure if the conductor is going to dance or cry or both as he leads, but I love to watch him & all the other players who are on the same fresh page w/period instruments.
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Minus, what a lovely afternoon! And while it sounded like (maybe) too much food....how delicious!
Okay, the iPad has some special thin duct tape holding it together, and so far I will manage. Now I will get to the computer.....
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My complaint with Stovetop is the sodium. Even the reduced sodium is salty. I think if you added an equal amount of bread cubes and increased the liquid, there would be plenty of salt and herbs for flavoring.
Tonight's dinner was a perfectly cooked ribeye and a perfectly baked russet potato. An abundance of perfection! And so simple and satisfying. DH and I shared the steak and one potato so there's a leftover potato for home-fries.
I also cooked a lb of pinto beans that had soaked overnight and made a pot of chili for noon dinner tomorrow at my mother's house. I used ground chuck. Two lbs. cost $10. But there's no inflation, we're told. I did find the wieners on sale and the buns.
Lacey, I would have had to study that menu at TK for a couple of hours! Hope you're feeling good by now.
The scallion pancakes look like little pizzas. Very appetizing in the photo.
I ordered some plastic freezer containers tonight from Amazon. Some in 8 oz. capacity and some in 16 oz. When they arrive, I'll be ready to make chicken stock. In the past I've frozen my stock in larger containers and not wanted to thaw it when I needed a smaller amount.
I also ordered some saffron. I've never cooked with it before because I thought it was too pricey.
Nance, I'm glad you mentioned the preserved lemons. That's on my to-do list
A few herbs survived the summer in the pots on the patio. One leggy basil, oregano, mint, one chive plant and a sage plant. The rosemary shrub that has survived 8 to 10 years nearly expired but it has some green tendrils. I pruned it and am hoping it revives.
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Oh...dinner...so DH got home from the football game around 7pm and I thought he might have had his fill of food, but as Mercury Retrograde would have it, the fellow alum of DS2 who was bringing the grill, showed up later than was workable (they have a baby!), so DS2s turkey tips never got grilled, and DH subsisted on dip and chips and the store bought macaroon cookies he brought. So he was hungry...and willing to pick up take out from our favorite local Greek place. I love restaurant consistency, and this place has it!
We had two separate kebab dishes...a shrimp one, and a combo chicken and lamb one (much better value). Both come with Greek salad and two vegetable sides...we always order a double portion of winter squash...delish. I was actually pretty hungry after yesterday, so it tasted extra good...and hopefully all will be fine.
Off to the computer....seriously!
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The iPad's injuries are very sad... very sad indeed.
Yes. We had a lot of chicken parts.... my poultry store sells bags of backs and necks. But Mr. 02143 went this week and they had WINGS!!! He didn't reduce the number of backs and necks, but did buy bags of the wings. We have 5 litres of Western stock and 3 of the Asian. Soup will be enjoyed! Can't let it languish in the freezer since the lamb will arrive any day now.
*susan*
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I've never had much need for a saucier. So far I've always been able to manage with a sauce pan and a smaller than normal whisk to reach into the corner of the pan. For what it's worth, my sauce pans (have 3 or 4 different sizes) are midway between "junk" and "do I really want to pay that much". The have the stainless, aluminum, stainless sandwich only on the bottom and plain stainless steel on the sides. Using it on my electric stove I've never noticed any "it got overdone" on the sides. I bought them more because of the *EXCELLENT* handle than anything else.
I love the baking center. What material is the work area? If I ever get a house where I'm either remodeling it, or getting one "built from scratch", I'd have a nice baking area as I love to do all sorts of baking....and I'd probably weight 300 pounds.
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Eric -- it's granite. I also have a marble pastry slab.
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... continued on Oct 18th
So here I am finally…have this little problem with my
computer..... when I finally pay attention to it, it does this passive aggressive
thing with needing to update all sorts of stuff so I have to wait a very long
time to use it. DH always reminds me to keep it updated, but after all I am not
a techie and have a special relationship with my poor injured iPad, so tend to
ignore the big guy.
But actually I do love having a real keyboard to work
with…readers beware!So my last installment did not include a funny
happening at our Rome hotel. When we arrived there I was incredibly parched and
the kind lady at the desk offered to get me some water. She kept asking me “gas”? “Gas”? “Gas”? I had no idea what she was talking about, then, but in our house now, we consistently use that term when
offering each other either flat tap water or seltzer. Very funny happening! Once
again, I should have looked at the tourist books!So, Monday was the day for our cooking course…
We travelled down the hill, made our way by highway to an area on Lucca's outskirts, (as you will see later, we should have dropped pieces of bread:). Here is what we made:
Chef Monti was an affable and talented guy who ran a
good class. Anyone who gets DH cooking happily and confidently gets lots of
credit!
DH starting to cook his fresh cherry tomato sauce 
DH helping me by stripping some herbs for my sauce
Mixing bruschetta ingredientsIn the course, we met some lovely young couples, two from
Australia, one from UK, and amazingly, a duo of female friends who live in NJ
and FL, but were raised at Newfound Lake! They both have houses there, near our
lake house. What were the chances of that??!! So hopefully we can rendezvous
next summer and make a great Italian meal. They were taking a week of Chef
Monti’s classes, so they should be quite the Italian cooks by now!After cooking, we enjoyed all of our sauces on pasta and meat creations, and
I thought that the food was some of the best we had during our trip…lots of
pasta…but also, chicken cacciatore and a lemon sauced pork tenderloin. I have to say that my favorite part of the meal (aside from learning about olive oil and pasta flour) was the delectable Tiramisu
we made. I will never be satisfied with a restaurant version again.We left Chef Monti’s feeling like stuffed pigs! Cannot
see how my next door neighbors here ever did a whole week of cooking classes in Umbria.
They said it was almost unbearable. Another note to self…no whole week cooking courses…anywhere!To close out this little missive, I have to let you know
that if you are ever driving in Tuscany (or probably anywhere in Italy) DO NOT
USE Garmin to guide you (even with the European program which we arranged before
we left)!! We were taken over two mountains on the most obscure, almost
non-existent roads to get back to our remote village. Oy! Not sure why we could
not be taken back the way we came on the highway! Have to say it was at once stunningly beautiful,
(observing all the villages in the valleys), and terrifying since I had no idea where
we would end up, and DH got to enjoy the views as I was trying to make sure we
didn’t drive off a cliff...a distinct possibility.
The highway was clearly somewhere down below! This was a lower part of the mountain.
Home again, home again jiggity jig! (Pariana)
Amazingly enough we landed in Pescia, two towns away from Pariana, which was a relief since we were trying to get back in time
to meet our friend from Paris who we’d hoped to shepherd up our own treacherous
hill. Well, he didn't show and then we made it back to our villa and he was nowhere to be found, with no cell contact. A few hours later, he slowly drove into the village. It made me almost
believe in divine providence since this man has terrible vision and often enjoys his wine after a flight. He later told us he had no idea how to drive the car he had rented!!!. Lordy! I have never felt so relieved to see someone!Travelogue to be continued another day....
It has been quite the feat to get these photos included...I will not worry about their size. But at least now I know how to do it thanks to in-house tech support!
Tomorrow we are headed to the Head of the Charles (River) Crew
Races with DH’s niece from Cali who now attends college nearby. Her mom is here
from San Diego for Parents’ Weekend so it will be fun to see both of them. We’ll
most likely take them to lunch in Harvard Sq. before her mom leaves. Feeling
good since dinner, so expect my stomach to hold up…:)0 -
Just lovely Lacey and sounds like so much fun and adventure! And by the way dahling, you look mahvelous!
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granite...thanks....
Lacey...great pictures.....more stories, more pictures...more, more, more.. :-)
Susan, when I have a bunch of stock to store and no freezer space, I drag out the pressure canner and the kerosene stove. Even though it's a bit of a hassle, it beats throwing out the carcass and having to use the chicken flavored salt from the store.
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Good cookware is essential in cooking! I'm glad I have the Emeril cookware, I love it!
Anywho, I'm making chili in the crockpot!
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Lacey, you do look pretty and slim in those pictures! I might have to start buying kale! I enjoyed the chapter of the travelogue. Did you learn anything in the cooking class that you'll be putting to use in your own kitchen? You didn't seem overly impressed. But you eat at the best restaurants in the Boston area so you're used to great food.
We've had our problems with Garmin here in the states. One year when we were towing our big camper, Garmin wanted us to turn into a corn field!
Eric, I went through a canning phase years ago. DH even built me a very nice shelf unit in the laundry room of the house in which we were living at the time. There's nothing prettier than jars of canned food lined up. I made different kinds of pickles with veggies, some hot and vinegary and some sweet. Always loved my mother's canned tomatoes. We would eat them right out of the jar with sprinkled salt.
Nance, do you have a link for your preserved lemons recipe? And there was a chicken recipe that you or maybe Susan recommended. I need to go back and find it.
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I looked in Documents and found the chicken recipe! Smart me, I had saved it.
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Here's the basic recipe for lemons
http://www.npr.org/2013/04/08/176577903/preserved-lemons-older-wiser-and-full-of-flavor#lemons
But this is the one I used
http://zesterdaily.com/world/preserved-lemons-for-the-holidays-spice-up-gift-giving
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Well the chili won't be made in the crockpot, its gonna be made on the stove because I got a bit busy with finally getting to changing out my seasonal clothing!
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Lacey - great travelogue & wonderful pictures. I know you were glad to at least be driving in the daylight. Eeek. It was such a treat this Sunday to experience some of your journey vicariously. We'll all look forward to the next installment.
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Carole, my apologies -- this is the recipe I use:
Preserved Lemons
Yield: varies
Lemons (see note)
Salt, preferably coarse
1 bay leaf, optional
½ teaspoon coriander seeds, optional
1 dried chili, optional
1 cinnamon stick, optional
Note: Smaller lemons are best for this recipe, and Meyer lemons, in season,
are ideal. I fit 10 Meyer lemons into a 38-ounce jar.1. Wash lemons. Cut off the stem, if attached. Slice lengthwise from the
other end of the lemon, stopping about 1-inch from the bottom; then make another
downward slice, so you’ve incised the lemon with an X shape.2. Pack coarse salt into the lemon where you made the incisions. Don’t be
skimpy with the salt: use about 1 tablespoon per lemon.3. Put the salt-filled lemons in a clean, large glass jar with a
tight-fitting lid. Add a few coriander seeds, a bay leaf, a dried chili and a
cinnamon stick if you want, or a combination of any of them. Press the lemons
very firmly in the jar to get the juices flowing. Cover and let stand
overnight.4. The next day do the same, pressing the lemons down, encouraging them to
release more juice as they start to soften. Repeat for 2 to 3 days until the
lemons are completely covered with liquid. If necessary, add freshly squeezed
lemon juice to cover them completely.5. Store for 1 month, until the preserved lemons are soft. At this point
they are ready to be used. Use or keep preserved lemons in the refrigerator for
at least 6 months. Rinse before using to remove excess salt.6. To use, remove lemons from the liquid and rinse. Split in half and scrape
out the pulp. Slice the lemon peels into thin strips or cut into small dices.
You may wish to press the pulp through a sieve to obtain the juice, which can
be used for flavoring as well. Discard the pulp.Recipe from David Lebovitz
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The best part about the baking center is what's inside: It's the first time I've been able to have everything in one place.
I read that Julia Child kept a lipstick and a small mirror in her kitchen drawer. I keep a fan in mine lol! I'm doing this to encourage Susan to show us pictures of her pantry. Sort of like "You show me yours and I'll show you mine" ;-D
Tonight is ham steaks with stewed tomatoes, red and gold baby beets from the garden and some leftover green beans.
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Yikes, I didn't realize (had forgotten?) that it takes 4 wks for the lemons to "preserve." I think I will try the basic recipe first.
Nance, your baking station is very nifty. And no one is better suited to use it than you!
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Wow Nance - gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.
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Nancy, what a dream baking center! And it is so beautifully organized. Love your negotiation with our other "from scratch" queen.
Show it! Show it! Show it! Went to the Head of the Charles River crew regatta today with DH's niece and sister-in -law. The weather was pretty cool compared to recent temps and breezy (not in a warm way). So I bundeled up like mad, and was glad I did. We walked way up the river to find her former team from San Diego...which we finally did after a few hours, then walked back to the Square. Niece kept track of her (and our!) steps which were over 13,000. I don't even know if it's a lot, but it felt like it....maybe because the moving crowds were so huge that walking and avoiding crashing into oncoming energetic foot traffic, dogs and baby carriages was a challenge. No treadmill for me tonight!
I had eaten nothing before our mid-morning start, and was totally ready to chow down in Harvard Square. We stopped at a little restaurant, The Red House, and had a lovely lunch....and warmth and a seat!
We all shared a delicious phyllo mushroom appetizer with a warm scallion vermouth cream. DH had an angus burger which had carmelized onion, gruyere, and bacon and garlic aoili with really tasty waffle fries (I tried one:) Our relatives shared a roasted tuscan kale salad which they loved, and a house-made linguini dish that they raved over. I had a "breadless chicken club" which was just that....looked like bread quarters but it was pounded chicken quarters cut in club style with layers of spinach, bacon, cheese, and a paprika mayo drizzled over. It was very tasty.
I quickly conked out on the couch when we returned home a few hours ago. No dinner necessary.
Tomorrow I'm walking up town to have lunch with a friend.....a rarity to have two consecutive lunches out, but today was a spontaneous happening.
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Nancy. I like the slide out shelving. I'm going to look around for that to see if I can update the cabinets here. Believe it or not, I keep a small flashlight on the kitchen counter so Sharon and I can see into our kitchen cabinets.
The kitchen knife sharpening class was great today. The teacher went over a couple of techniques and then showed us all the things to look at and watch for as we are sharpening our knives. This way we can go slowly and correct our techniques as we are sharpening a knife. The class was supposed to be for four hours, but the teacher stayed around for more than six hours and made sure we were doing things correctly.
The only disappointment was that the store's shipment of new stones didn't arrive in time for the class, so we were not able to get a stone to bring home. So, next week, when I pick up the water stone, I can continue practicing on the (I'm glad I kept them) cheap knives.
My favorite knife was getting a bit dull and it is now back to "factory sharp".
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Nance,
WOW! That is gorgeous! Interesting that I have the same pull out shelves that I retrofitted to my ancient cabinets in the pantries. Took so much time and effort to create the measurements, and then find the perfect option. The amount of room that I gained was worth the expense and time. I am so under-the-weeds right now, I am not sure when I will have time to take pictures. My pantries are two small rooms so it is hard to take a picture that tells the story.
Dinner was grilled pork chops. 1 1/2" chops from this year's pig. I did a dry brine and it was even better than the wet brine I love so much! Served with a decadent potato gratin and peas sautéed with shallots. I am fighting to keep up here. I am going to have to let people help.... like make me some of these meals. My own fault. Making so many stocks and the relish this weekend clearly was too much.
*susan*
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Eric - the knife sharpening sounds like fun. I LOVE my slide out cabinets. Wish I'd done more but at least I have two.
Oh Lacey - you tell such great food stories.
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