So...whats for dinner?

Chicken and biscuits for me, too, Susan.  PLEASE!  Just remembered a can of Grand biscuits in the deli drawer.   Temptation....

Nance, have a safe flight to the Gulf Coast.  Looking forward to our lunch get-together on Monday at the Beau Rivage. 

SpecialK, you put me to shame with your 4 Christmas trees.  And all your home-made food gifts.  Love your Christmas dinner menu.  Sounds delicious!

Eric, what a Christmas present to have your brother home for Christmas!  Hope you get to enjoy his company and also hope you enjoy some time off from all that work travel.  I'm reading the Middle Eastern food book you recommended and I love it.  The pictures are great and the instructions very clear.  The emphasis is on three countries, Syria, Lebanon and Jordon.

Minus, sorry about the dental problems and the expense.  Two years ago I had two implants and a bone graft so I empathize.  You will get through this, too! 

I'm finally starting to feel a little better.  Wish I had a video of my first attempt last night to use a Neti Pot!!!  It would be a hit on U-Tube, for sure. 

Susan, what was that brand of tablet (computer, not OC!) you recommend? 

Not much cooking of interest here, but last night I made a roasted butternut squash (peeled and cubed) and brussel sprouts combo that was delicious even to my dulled taste buds.  I did the usual, s & p and olive oil on the veggies.  After 25 min in 425 oven I dribbled some cane syrup and cooked for additional 20 min.  Yum.  Like veggie candy.  I don't have any maple syrup on hand.

If I continue to feel ok, I may try making flat bread today but I will use a mixture of whole wheat and white flour.  It is supposed to be flat!  I expected traditional Arab bread to be made of whole wheat flour. 

Meanwhile... biscuits...

carole - Lol!  I am a crazy woman with the four trees - every year my DH rolls his eyes and says lets just put up one and every year I put them all up and he says how much he loves it.  Anyone who doesn't want to decorate should just come over to my house - I have enough for all!  My DH and his family always had beef tenderloin and shrimp for dinner (my MIL still does that dinner, which is the shrimp, tenderloin, green beans and swiss potatoes with a buche de noel for dessert)  - when the kids were little the dinner was on Christmas night, but as they got older they started to have the dinner on Christmas Eve and they had champagne and opened gifts, but saved the stockings for Christmas morning.  Once grandchildren entered the mix this continued - with the adults opening gifts after the little ones went to sleep on Christmas Eve - that way we could all watch the youngsters open their gifts on Christmas morning and focus on that - which was so fun!  This year DH and I will be by ourselves on Christmas Eve, DD has to work Christmas morning and will be home by the afternoon so I will do the dinner then.  DS won't be home until the first week of Jan, so I can't decide whether or not to leave the big tree up for him and do a special dinner - DD will come home again while he is visiting.

luv - I have long periods of busy punctuated by periods of nothing, lol!  I need to learn to pace myself I think.  I think the bourbon would be perfect - anything amber that can reduce and get syrupy will work.  I am not all that knowledgeable on spirits - there is scotch whiskey and bourbon whiskey - I prefer the bourbon for cooking.  I have a few bourbon recipes - another favorite is a bourbon, mustard with peach or apricot preserve sauce for pork.  I will find the recipe if you want it - super easy and so good.  I served it when I catered a friend's holiday work party last year and it was the most asked for recipe.  You sound like you will be busy cooking too!  Your menu sounds delish!  Everyone in my family loves enchiladas - really what is not to love about them - delicious cheesy goodness!  Yum!

luv - OMG - I am so glad you said something about tamales - I know how to make them but I am not going to - the local "authentic" Mexican restaurant does orders of them for Christmas - I am glad you mentioned it because that would be a good treat for DH and I to have on Christmas Eve since it will just be the two of us!  Yay!  Sounds like a scrumptious bash you will be cooking for and attending!

Here is the sauce recipe:  Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a skillet and cook a minced shallot (or onion if that is what is handy - just mince it finely) until tender.  Stir in 1/2 c. peach or apricot preserves, 1/3 c. bourbon (off the flame or heat), 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 1/4 teas. red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicier).  Cook over medium heat until of the desired consistency - I cooked mine until pretty thick since it was for a heavy hors d'oeuvres party and people would be walking around - the pork was sliced and placed on toasted baguette rounds and I didn't want the sauce too runny.  You can definitely multiply the ingredients to make any quantity of this sauce.

Getting hungry reading about all of the delicious recipes you are all making!

I'm about to get the pizzelles cooked in the iron...long process. Last evening we had store bought fresh ravs with eggplant filling, jarred tomato basil sauce, and a garden salad. I must have been really hungry since it seemed delectable! Not sure what we'll do tonight since when I get on a roll with the cookies, I hate to stop. So maybe DH will cook (ie, take out) or heat up our leftover chicken and some remaining kale soup. Would love some refrige room that that would create.

For Christmas Day we will be heading to our friends who usually have a large sit down dinner. This year she is changing it a bit, somwe will all bring appetizers and a main dish for a buffet, and it will be later in the day. I may make twomdifferent types of bruschetta and something else for apps, and most likely a festive looking salad, unless I hear she needs something different. To be determined.

At home, Dh, .dD2

Thanks to everyone for the dental wishes. Not pleasant but it's done & I'm home. The current plan is one implant for one broken tooth. If/when the next one breaks, we'll hope it's on the other side. That way I could get a 2nd implant and those two implants could eventually anchor a bridge when the middle teeth go. Radiation - the gift that keeps on giving.

Oh all the food sounds wonderful. Special - thanks for the bourbon pork sauce recipe. I can hardly wait to try it. And shimp & pasta, and Carole's squash concoction. Eric - looking forward to hearing more about Aunt Hattie's biscuits.

Mailed my Christmas cards on the way home from the dentist so now everything done but the baking.

Yay for passing these parts Eric. How are you DM and MIL these days?

What can I do with the upper portions of the cherished leek? And I also have the outer tough leaves of the bottom. I would guess I could certainly freeze those for some future stock. Think I will do that with the bottom parts for sure. Maybe add a few of the well washed upper ones. I can always throw them away if I thaw them later and decide they are not useful.

The black eyed pea stew from Nancy smells good. I chickened out and did not put in as much kale as it appeared to need. Mine came in a plastic box, already shredded. I had to reshred and de-stem. Nancy be forewarned - that 30 min prep time is laughable. I bet I worked at least 1.5 hours. Skinning the andouille, cutting up salt pork which was terrible, chopping couple slices of thick cut bacon plus all the vegies. I have it on one big burner and the chicken for the chicken enchiladas on the other and a glass of sangria at my side. Going to plant myself for a bit and rest. House does smell divine. DH will be impressed but not so much with mess. Thank goodness dishwasher is empty and most can go in there.

Still have to wrap presents for Christmas exchange tomorrow night. I found the cutest felt Christmas tree coasters at B,B and Beyond - $1.99. Adding them into one package. Other one is more manly type DH picked out. Our group usually has a good mix of gag gifts, pure trash and some treasures. I think last year DH or I traded and traded and I got a cheese tray. These are old friends the ones we go to Oklahoma with 2x/year. Our kids grew up together but we were the crazy ones to move to the country.

Just sneaked a taste. Sausage a bit spicy but tolerable for me. Kale is actually good - 1st time I think I've had it. It was a multicolored mix beautiful with red streaks. All I could think was healthy, healthy, healthy.

Wow, everyone is cooking up a delicious storm! I can just about smell all the wonderful aromas. Makes me wish I was doing some cooking too. This may be the only year I escape that.

Luv, thanks for the warning about the peas. I'm very eager to try it.

Carole, hope you feel better soon. I'm really looking forward to Monday!

Thanks Susan for the tip on the leeks. I will go wash the tops and freeze them. I now have enough boned chicken for probably 3 pans of chicken enchiladas. That extra will go back in freezer.

I think at the rate I am fading there will be no dessert from me at least certainly not tonight.

So Nancy when are you due to leave? If for some reason I have missed you leaving please have a safe and very enjoyable trip.

Safe travels nancy.

Interesting meal last night.  Started with l lb. pkg. of cubed beef.  Looked up a recipe in Classic Indian Cooking translated Beef in Fragrant Spinach Sauce (Saag Gosht) and downsized it since it called for 3 lbs. of beef.  Got out some of my so-far unused spices and some more familiar.  Omitted the spinach and put potatoes and carrots in the sauce, which turned out a dark brown but wasn't quite thick enough.  So thickened it with a little corn starch.  Served over brown rice.  DH and I agreed that we had never tasted a food with that same complex flavor and aroma but it was good. 

The ingredients in addition to the beef were onions, garlic, fresh ginger, oil, ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, finely diced fresh tomato, finely diced green chili, Greek yogurt, a cheesecloth bag with a cinnamon stick, green cardamom pods, whole cloves, bay leaves.  Also hot water.  A final addition to the finished dish was garam masala.  Cooking the dish was enjoyable and not difficult.  I measured out all the spices and prepped the veggies in advance. 

Tonight's dinner was grilled lamb chops, creamed spinach and a chopped salad with romaine, radicchio, cucumber and crumbled feta.  Dressing of white balsamic vinegar, mayo and Meyer lemon flavored olive oil.  Easy and delicious meal. 

Made a huge pot of marinara sauce this afternoon for use in a lasagna for tomorrow's noon dinner at my mother's house.  I'll put the lasagna together tomorrow morning. 

Luv, you skinned the Andouille sausage?  The recipe called for doing that?  We just slice it up and eat skin and all.  I eat black-eyed peas once a year, on New Year's Day.  DH cooks up a pot of them seasoned with ham or sausage. 

Okay.... if I were trying to make a short rib vegetable soup... I would start by salting the ribs and letting them "brine" for at least a few hours. I would then brown those ribs [after making sure they were dry with some towels] iin olive oil, taking whatever time needed to develop a nice brown crust. I would then add either some water or some homemade beef broth [water is better than boxed broth] and some pureed tomatoes. I might also add some aromatics like onions, bay leaves, a bit of carrot, perhaps some celery [or even better celery leaves.] Bring to a boil, skim, and then simmer for a nice braise. Once you are at the braise stage, you could throw it into the oven. When the meat is tender, you now have your broth and your cooked meat. I would probably chill this so I could defat.

Okay, so assuming this is the second day, I would prep my veggies. You have already added the tomatoes to the broth. While the broth with meat after defatting is warming on a low heat, I would brown my onions, carrots, celery.... salting at each addition. When the onions are just shy of browning, I would add the cubed potatoes. I like to have the potatoes sautéed, not just "boiled." When the broth has turned back into liquid, pull the ribs and place them in a bowl. When you are happy with these veggies browning, add the broth to the veggies. Let the vegetable soup cook until the carrots and potatoes are the texture that you want. At the end, and this is the end, add your cabbage, the meat that you have picked off the ribs, and your pasta. When the pasta is cooked, you have dine!

I would think about your veggies a lot. I would want to add some frozen spinach. Potatoes and pasta is too many carbs for me; I would always go for the pasta, but that is me. I might prefer white Cannellini beans to the potato, but this is your memory, not mine. Let's face it, this type of recipe is all about using what you have!

And you know, this sounds absolutely delicious! I might have to make this after the holiday rush is over. In fact, I might need to buy some short ribs on my next Costco run.

*susan*

p.s. After the beef broth is back to temp on day 2, I would strain it before adding it to the sautéed veggies. The veggies that made the broth delicious have given all their flavor have nothing left to give. And I would probably add some red wine to the broth deglazing after browning the meat, but that is me. Your MIL probably didn't do anything like that.

Eric - congrats to your DD. That's a real accomplishment for honors classes.

Hi all. Still having problems with my phone. The thing works great but having charging issues. Bought a new charger worked for about a month no problem. Now acting up again. Sigh.

Minus hope your teeth cooperate with your plan! Sorry you have to go through that.

Nancy enjoy life changing with Carole.

Red, I'm going with Susan on that one. If you don't defeat and cook the rest the 3rd day, it's always seemed pretty greasy to me.

Carol, That sounded like a great dinner you had that's a lot of spices! LOL

Lacey I hate losing posts

Special you've been busy with the traveling. I have a memory tree. Most of the ornaments on that one were made or bought for a reason. I'll post one of my favorite ones today. It just makes me smile every time I walk by. Ok. I'll sneak on a pic of my new DGD too. LOL

Eric, short Doctor visit I hate waiting so long. I forget what I want to ask. I have 3 Dr appointments before the end of the year. Then I have one first week of Jan. Yuck..

Christmas will be at my DBIL. So i don't have to cook for xmas. Our family gathering will be Sat the 27th. I'll cook for that one, traditional ham, mashed potatoes and corn. And for some godforsaken reason, brown and serve rolls. The kids don't think it's a holiday without them. LOL I tried biscuits once. Let's just say they won't ever float down a river. LOL

If my phone goes wonky, I want to wish everyone of you a Very Merry Christmas. Enjoy your families and friends.

Oh Monica, what a doll baby!

Just lost a long post. Argh! We made it, the hotel is beautiful and bedecked with a gazillion Christmas trees, the wood fired pizza wIth San Marzano tomato sauce we had for dinner was very good, the seasonal fresh flower arrangement lovely and very fragrant from

lilies, stock and roses. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow Carole!

Hand is driving me crazy.

Slow food days here. Schnitzel leftovers on Saturday, French toast for husband yesterday for lunch, and then last night we went out for dinner. My husband has become quite enamored with a new Legal Seafood outlet near our house. Different menu than the rest of the chain. Anyhow, it was nice to sit and have someone else bring food. Today we will do the big food shop for Christmas eve and day.

So the menu doesn't "feel" right, but I have to proceed. We have grilled rack of lamb chops, endive salad with pears and blue cheese, spanikopita, scallop potatoes, gravlax, a modest cheese plate, stuffed mushrooms, gravlax with mustard-dill sauce, cucumber salad, deviled eggs and butternut squash soup. Dessert should be cookies. The idea is a grazing kind of meal and I have to make sure that my lactose-intolerant, vegetarian sister has a balanced meal as well.

Breakfast I will make sticky buns from the Flour cookbook, a brioche loaf, granola, yogurt, bacon, sausage, some kind of egg [scrambled? poached?] and for some reason the boy has requested hash browns. We have never been a hash brown family, but maybe that is what we are becoming! I know we are missing fruit from that list, but last year I had a bowl of lovely fruit salad and it didn't get eaten.

Red, glad that you found your soup mojo. Never would have thought to add bouillon, since I always have some stock around. Hope it tastes like your [or your father's] food memories. And what is with people complaining when you make them something special? I just don't get it.

Nance, have a great time in NOLA and give Carole all of our best,

Moon, love the pictures!

Eric, congrats to DD!

Minus, hope you are recovering well from your mouth invasion.

Now, I must get coffee!

*susan*