So...whats for dinner?

A food thread, yay!

I made a stew with pork tenderloin, white beans and smoked paprika today, from Cook's Country. It was delicious, very easy and should be pretty low-cal. I have a whole chicken marinating in buttermilk to roast tomorrow; it's a Nigella Lawson recipe I saw in the New York Times. Next time I will have the butcher do the nasty work of cutting out the backbone for me.

So fun to hear about dominoes! My husband and I play with my parents--we start with straight dominoes then play 42. My parents are nutty, though--my mother forgets what trump is half the time, which makes my husband crazy lol. We play bridge too, but I'm relatively new to that so still struggle with the bidding.

Lacey: http://us10.campaign-archive2.com/?u=fc462c1bad8d56aba131d6ed3&id=bae1117b2e&e=bbcea1cdb4 Rain == Meyer lemons.

Fun to see that pic, Deb! As I recall we all took a turn with that fascinator... a new experience for me.

We had our share of football hours in this house this weekend, too. Then tonight, I heated up a few of our Mexican style chicken roll ups which were actually better on day two. Also made a huge spinach salad which I really enjoyed and needed since I have been feeling "greens deprived" the last few days. Tomorrow when we return from the gym, we'll need to hit the grocery store for some staples since the fridge is uncharacteristically "airy".

So, yes, the snow is falling here and I cannot get DH to stop trying to figure out when our consecutive record breaking snowstorms storms started last year. I think that he is starting to experience the effects of PTSD as we enter snow season, after falling from the ladder and breaking his hip last February while trying to deal with so many feet of snow on our roof. I guess it is still with us. He has been working really hard in his most recent PT sessions marking a year's worth of effort to gain strength in that side of his body. All that said, this weather sure beats tornadoes! On tonight's news it was reported that many of the people impacted by Florida's tornadoes today were snowbirds...a sad irony for those trying to escape the harshness of northern winter weather.

Thermometer is showing -1F. Sitting here in fleece-lined jeans, and a hoodie over a flannel shirt over PJ top. Wearing fleece-lined booties. My tastebuds are hankering for gelato. My fat cells are saying “no-sugar, low-carb frozen dessert." But my shivering body is craving real hot chocolate....with sugar. Think I'll have hot jasmine tea with a square of dark chocolate on the side.

But first, turning on the faucets to keep the pipes from bursting.....

Sandy - guess i'd better stop complaining since the low here was only 40. But my feet are freezing. Dinner was Triscuits with more salmon/cream cheese spread, some pear sauce that my brother sent (too thin to do much but drink it) and a big bowl of popcorn for my bedtime snack. I'm hungry for greens too Lacey, but tonight was not the night. Welcome Paxton. Where in Texas are you?

It's 0° right now here too. Was supposed to be -2 overnight. I didn't stay up to watch. At least the sun is shining but we're due for 4 more inches of snow tomorrow. CRAP. We just got rid of the last batch. Have I said I hate winter? I agree though that tornadoes in January suck!

Beautiful lemons. I wish the ones in the store here looked as good. They were pitiful.

I ordered the Amish pasture raised chickens this week. He'll start butchering in May. I hope I ordered enough to get through the winter this time. The Berkshire pig comes in March. I need to start thinking about how I want it cut up. This is the first time I've gotten half a hog so I'll need to figure out what I can have. Like you Carole, I'm sure I'll get lots of chops. Thick, bone-in chops. But I'm not sure what I'll have to give up for that. I'm more familiar with beef anatomy.

We used the last of the buns the other day, so I need to make some to restock. It's too cold for my taste to venture out today, so I might as well heat up the kitchen by baking. I need to make baguettes too, so I'll start those as well.

And to make certain I'm covered in flour completely, I have pie crust in the fridge waiting to be rolled out, so tonight is quiche and a salad.

Susan, how's the house coming along? No report in a while.

Pull up a chair and grab a cup Pax!

Dinner is starting to take shape. I will roast the marinating [dry rub] leg of lamb, and serve with steamed haricots Verts [capitalized to stop the autocorrect], roasted fingerling potatoes, green salad, and some rustic bread. Up for debate is a soup. If I do this, it would be a leek-spinach soup, put through a food mill to make it smooth, perhaps topped with some goat cheese. I wish I had the energy to make dessert, but this group is hard. Most of us enjoy lemon desserts, but one doesn't. Some of us enjoy chocolate, but three of us are neutral on that. And this is where I just sigh and say "no one really needs dessert."

Ah the house. It is still a dusty, allergen-filled space. But there has been progress. The heat is on, and all the plumbing has been done, and after one misstep, has passed the town inspection. Electric work, phase 1, has been completed as well, and also passed inspection. Wednesday the closed cell insulation will be done and we have to stay away for one day due to off-fumes. Final electric inspection by the end of the week and then they can start to "close it up." Yea!!!! The Great Sergio says 6 more weeks and we can have the kids move in.

*susan*

Great idea! No fruit in the house besides one aging apple and some cut pineapple. I don't think this makes a clafoutis. I need to replenish my dried fruit supply, since that would actually work if rehydrated with an alcoholic beverage!

*susan*

Nancy, the only pork I buy any more is Berkshire/Mangalitsa or another heritage breed. It’s almost always pasture-raised, humanely slaughtered, and far more flavorful than that pale supermarket stuff that’s bred to be (and taste) leaner and drier than chicken breast. And I always keep sour cherries in the freezer. Their season is so short and the harvest so small that the fresh ones never make it down here southwest of “the Mitten.” (Heck, even in Traverse City in June, most restaurants serve frozen or canned). Only time I ever got to taste them fresh was in the Nahe region of Germany in early June 25 yrs ago, when we were invited to dinner at the home of a vintner who had trees on his property. WOW.

Tonight will be grilled salmon (indoors, since it’s too dang cold out to fire up the grill--wind-chills of -25, and last night the air temp got down to -4 here at the lakefront, which is the warmest part of Chicagoland). Will brush with a miso-teriyaki glaze, make a shaved-fennel salad with citrus vinaigrette, and saute some sugar-snap peas; for Gordy, I’ll add some brown rice. Dessert will probably be Greek yogurt with berries, walnuts and paleo “granola” (e.g., grain-free). Or maybe I’ll bake an apple with cinnamon & stevia.

It was so cold today that the UPS driver (not our regular guy) lied--he claimed he’d tried to deliver a package that required a signature, but we have a brass door-knocker (with a sign that says “no bell-use knocker” that can be heard all the way upstairs and in the back of the house. Three of us heard nothing. I think he just figured. “hell, it’s too damn cold to get out of the truck for one stinkin’ little package, so I’ll let the regular guy do it when he comes back tomorrow.” (Said package contained argon capsules for the Coravin). I meant to go out to Luna Medical to get my LE glove (sadly, it looks like despite doing MLD, my cording has definitely become LE, because my skin hurts to touch in places and when I stretch), but they never answered my phone message asking if they were open despite the holiday, so I said the heck with it. I have an LE therapy session early tomorrow morning, so I’ll ask if I need to start wearing compression on a regular basis. (Hope not--but if it’ll help....).

Thanks for the welcome, all! MinusTwo, we're in the slow process of moving from Corpus Christi to San Antonio, so I sort of live both places for now. Out Meyer lemon tree is currently producing what seems like thousands of lemons--they're wonderful but we can't give them away fast enough! My husband says the neighbors don't answer their doors when they see him with lemons.

Second the remarks about Berkshire pork--it's wonderful, so much more flavorful, and definitelyjuicier. I fixed pork chops recently that were so tender even though they were only cooked on the stove top. For years it seemed my only option was smothered pork chops because otherwise they were dry, tough and tasteless.

My roast chicken is in the oven, and I roasted white sweet potatoes yesterday (I thought they were the garnet ones, which I prefer--oops, but these are still good). Can't wait!

Cannot imagine cold that is that cold. We'll get down to almost freezing tonight. It stayed in the 50's today or maybe climbed up to 60. DH opens the big front doors on his workshop and lets the sun provide some warmth. The rays are slanted that way in the winter. It would be good sunny cool golf weather if we didn't stay so darned wet. Every time the golf courses dry out a little it pours down rain again.

I did kitchen stuff today. Blackened some red and yellow bell peppers under the broiler. Sliced up some leeks and have them in a container ready to wash and use in some dish. Boiled a batch of eggs. Hmm. Must have done more before my feet gave out.

Dinner tonight was pizza. It was very good and there are two slices left. But I am taking a former neighbor out to lunch tomorrow to express sympathy. Her father died about a week ago. Now both her parents are deceased and I know she's feeling the loss.

Susan, your lamb meal sounds most appetizing. The only lamb that's affordable here is ground lamb when it's available. I looked at lamb chops today at the supermarket and they were $21 a lb. I looked but did not buy.

Red, your pot roast failure is surprising. Usually beef roast with fat gets tender.

Bedo, this was a bit "fly by the seat of pants" soup, but it is reproducible. I used chicken stock, but it works with vegetable stock as well. I use two pots, which is not required, but I like to warm my stock in a separate pot with some dried or fresh thyme and a chunk of parmesan rind. Meanwhile, I wash my leeks having cut them into smaller pieces. I cut up some shallots or onion. In a second pan, I melt some butter with olive oil and add the leeks and onion. At this point, I add some salt, but I use non-salted homemade stock. If you are using bought stock, I might skip it on the vegetables. I then throw in some frozen spinach and cook until the spinach is thawed and has dried out. I then "deglaze" the veggie pan with some Vermouth or white wine and reduce by half. Throw in the stock and let it simmer until you like the flavor. I put the soup through a food mill though you could certainly whizz it in a blender or serve it chunky. I serve in a wide bowl, and float the goat cheese. If I have chives thriving, I top the goat cheese coin with some finely cut chives.

Personally, I think you can do some much to personalize this soup. You could melt some anchovy fillets in the butter/olive oil to add some depth to the flavor. You could add some potatoes to make it an entree soup. And, I think you could add cauliflower or broccoli or anything else that you have aging in your fridge bin. I love soup..... all soup!

*susan*

red, i keep hearing "Like a Red Rubber Roast" playing in my head....

Nance I so admire you getting a half hog. Heck I can't even get through a half chicken most days! LOL

Do you guys remember right before I went on my Colorado trip i was so sick with the flu? I just noticed my nails have a line on them just like during my chemo. Guess I really was sick. LOL

What brought that up was that I tried the other sausage I bought. Definitely NOT as good as the first fresh polish. The first one was so good, like my uncle used to make. The second one made me ill. I was up all night and no, I wasn't partying..... yuck. Guess I know where to get the good ones. I threw out the 2nd sausage batch. I don't eat a lot of sausage but sometimes you just gotta. LOL

Much ove to all.

We’ll be in San Antonio first week in April (I get back from Europe and have just enough time to unpack, do laundry & re-pack). First time, back in 1991, we stayed at Mansion del RIo during Fiesta del Rio weekend. This time we’ll be at the Marriott (echocardiography course). Loved Boudro’s back in ’91--still there? Also had really good rustic Mexican food (cabrito al horno, posole, etc.) at a little hole-in-the-wall near the Mercado. Any suggestions for stuff to do (besides the Alamo, the IMAX film about the Alamo, strolling the Paseo and the local historical museum)? Yeah, I know. a Spurs game.....

Gotta take my night meds, lay out my morning ones, and shower before hitting the sack--got a 9:15 LE therapy session tomorrow.

Sandy - you will not recognize the river walk or the town. I haven't been myself in 6 or 8 years but I was astounded. You can actually walk quite a ways south beside the river to the Pioneer Flour Mill (1859) and the family original house is now a museum. Interesting food history site. Also one of my favorite art museums is there - the McNay. Marion Koogler McNay start collecting in 1926. The core of the museum is her Spanish style house & 23 acres of grounds. She hand painted the tiles in the courtyard. The San Antonio Botanical Garden is lovely and the azaleas should be in bloom. And there is a Japanese Tea Garden that I haven't seen yet.