So...whats for dinner?

If it doesn’t rain tonight when I get home from my support group, I’ll grill too. (Probably defrost some salmon, and soak a cedar plank before I leave for the meeting). Got an e-mail from Williams-Sonoma about a hydroponic indoor herb-garden system (including light) and might buy it if it’s not too pricey. Been growing the basil and rosemary we dug up from the yard last fall--but the basil’s getting leggy & pale and I may supplement it with some new plants. Never had any luck getting packaged fresh-cut basil to root in water, only soil. Used some basil on a frozen cauliflower-crust mini-pizza: a disaster, as it stuck to the greased toaster-oven pan and was mushy on top--but even mushy cauliflower parmigiana was tasty. And I used my panini press to make a panino with prosciutto, lomo Americano, aged provolone and freshly-picked rosemary on low-carb whole-wheat bread. That was a success.

On the fence about having the gardeners plant tomatoes in my yard this year. Had far better luck with the ones I started in containers on my deck from plants bought at the grocery (Whole Foods & Fresh Farms). Will probably concentrate on squash, herbs and raspberries (red & black--this time wearing long sleeves, a heavy glove on my right hand, and picking them with my left) for my yard. And of course, my Concords, which are perennial. I can’t stand their taste unless I turn them into jam, but I get lots of leaves to stuff. May see if any nurseries around here have any Riesling or hardy hybrid budwood I can graft--would take 3 yrs. for them to yield fruit, though.

Though I was prepared to find something to eat from our magic freezer tonight, Mr. 02143 really wanted a taco, so off to Rincon Mexicano we went. He ordered three of those marvelous braised pork tacos. I have no idea what the spices are, but this stuff is addictive! The taco is topped with some pickled onions and cilantro. So perfect! I tried a sausage and egg torta. I won't order this again. It was HUGE! And I didn't care for the sausage or the cheese or the size. It arrived with a large side of fries, which was a total surprise. We didn't eat any of those. My appetite is on the decline, so I could only manage eating half the sandwich most of it without the bread. I love this place. I decided to try something new. Turns out, I don't like this dish, so I will continue to investigate the menu to find more gems that I love.

I love grape leaves stuffed, but not when the leaves have become too mature. Those baby leaves are really special. The Greek guy who grew grapes down the street has sold, and the buyer tore out all of his grape plants and removed the arbor. The cost of gentrification.

*susan*

Nance, with temps in the 70's [!!!!!] we need to start grilling more regularly again. Girls were wearing tank tops and short today in East Somerville. Unheard of in Boston. This time of year we should still be wearing three layers plus a down coat. Maybe I should grill some Asian lemongrass chicken for a variation. Or some swordfish. You are right, the best thing about any meal that doesn't satisfy is that tomorrow, there will be more meals! That is one of the lessons I have tried to teach the kid's husband-- so what if something you make isn't great, you get to try again. Such a hard lesson if you fear failure.

*susan*

My brother lives in Arlington and he and his family had dinner outside this evening. Here in south central Texas that's normal for this time of year but even by our standards this has been a really warm winter

Speaking of herbs . .

Here's a picture of my winter herb pot. It's done so much better this year than in previous winters, probably because of more sunny days and I actually gave them some fertilizer this year. The pot has served me well this winter with lemon and globe basils, thyme, oregano and Italian parsley. My poor 5 year old rosemary plant didn't fare as well. It finally died. I can only seem to get them to live for 5 years in a pot. They get pretty woody by that time so it's just as well, except now I don't have any rosemary! I think next time I'll plant some Thai basil instead of the lemon (although mine doesn't really taste or smell like lemon but it's a good grower). It would be nice to have the Thai during the winter for pho. I'll move the pot outside when it gets a little warmer and it will be useful until the big herb bed gets going. Plus it will be right outside my door instead of having to go down the stairs to the big bed every time I want a sprig of thyme.

I have some leeks languishing in the refrigerator and it's a rainy chilly (relatively) day so I think I'll make potato leek soup and serve it in some small sourdough bread bowls. I didn't make the sourdough but Panera has started selling some of their breads frozen so I picked these up at the grocery. I'll try not to eat the whole bowl or else it will be a carb heavy meal. I'll probably add a salad to lighten the carb temptation.

Minus -- your trip and food sounded lovely. And what a beautiful place to walk!

Carole - did you get your birthday Pacific salmon?

After today our 70 degree weather is supposed to return albeit with clouds and showers. Things are popping up all over and a couple of days ago the spring peepers started their evening chorus. I love that sound. It seems early to me for all of this but the hummingbirds have arrived on the gulf coast right on schedule. I better start stocking up on sugar.

WF had a sale on fresh wild-caught mahi-mahi, so I stopped in and bought some plus jicama-red bell pepper “slaw.” Brushed the fish with some teriyaki marinade and placed it on an oiled piece of foil. Placed it on the grill with the lid closed (but the foil open) for 15 min. Turned out perfect! Sauteed some snap peas, and had some of that jicama salad on the side. Bonus: the kitchen didn’t smell of fish.

Hello to all - Sorry to have been awol but the hard drive on our computer frazzled (not a technical term...) and we just got a new one installed, and things back up to speed. Fortunately did not lose all our photos. Too many pages to backtrack so I will start from here! Tonight was sole with tomatoes and capers, quinoa with diced carrots and a romaine salad with scallions and a creamy sriracha dressing

Haven’t decided yet whether to make non-breaded eggplant Parm + sauteed broccolini, or “zoodles” cacio e pepe (grated pecorino Romano and fresh black pepper with butter) plus tomato-basil salad. I want so much to use real pasta, but I don’t dare!!!

Lovely bountiful herbs Nance! I was just not able to keep any basil plants from being over or under watered in our sunroom this winter, so am left with a small rosemary and a small bay leave plant....both still happy.

Your dinner sounds delish, Special, and glad to hear that your computer woes are resolved. So welcome back! No tests will be given on previous pages!

I was dragging all day and really did not want to cook dinner...even to the degree that I am leaving a chicken to roast until tomorrow. However, as I was lazily perusing Yummly, I came across a recipe for a kale and gnocchi toss. So, creativity trumped (apologies) fatigue and I cooked up the gnocchi that was on the shelf and then tossed it with sauteed shallots, garlic, sundried tomatoes, walnuts, fresh baby spinach, and some crumbled bacon. No kale in the fridge. Added a bit of balsamic and topped with some parmesan. I placed the skillet under the broiler briefly at the end. A tasty experiment that we ate with a large mixed greens salad. This gnocchi dish is certainly not an approved recipe for WW!

At our tour and dinner at Jack's Abby craft lager brewery on Tuesday, we discovered that they make a wonderful thin crust, chewy pizza, with some interesting toppings. They kept bringing different ones to our tables. We totally overindulged.....in pizza that is. I am not a big beer fan, and tho I tried tastes of several in the flight that was brought to our table, I have not changed my opinion....even after trying the blood orange lager. So my biggest problem with eating that night was that I would have loved a great big diet coke or glass of red wine to accompany my pizza. We really loved their pizza, but knowing what my drink options are, I'm not sure I'd head back there real soon.

Minus it is so good to continue reading about your "food travels". And I too wish that you had a "dinner thread member" to visit while out there....especially becauseyou are a fun person with whom to visit!

quinnofrmn, Paxton, hello if I didn't say it before.

Minus, your food sounds so good.

Susan, you are right about failing a meal. There's always another meal on the horizon. LOL. There were some memorable failures of mine that I'm glad ot to repeat. LOL.

Nancy I love your plants. My sage plant and lemon thyme are the only ones that survived the winter in the house and they are really leggy. But they smell great.

Welcome back Specialk.

Chisandy, sometimes only pasta will do. Hope you enjoyed it!

Carol. Maybe you can use the salmon soon.

Much love

and here is the chicken dish. I did ot show the boxed ingredients as they are very similar to the last box. This one was not as good as leftovers. LOL edible, just not great..next time if it's for me alone, I'll just ok it twice. I think that's probably better. LOL I also think i prefer my cauliflower steamed. Roasted did not thrill me top view is cut open chicken showing stuffing of spinach and tomatoes.

Moon, I've always been curious about those types of meal services. Those tacos look scrumptious. I lover roasted cauliflower, as in, can eat a whole head by myself love!

Sure--I'm sure I probably first learned this method from Ina Garten's;she does so many good roasted vegetables. I just separate the cauliflower into florets (not too big, about crudités size), then toss with olive oil, salt and pepper on a sheet pan and put in a 400 degree oven. I take out the pan after about 15 minutes and turn them over, then roast another 10-15 minutes, until they're tender and brown (not burnt or mushy--I keep a pretty close eye on it here). They shouldn't be crunchy. You don't have to use much oil--I don't measure it but I'm conservative with it, maybe using a tablespoon for a small head. If I want to add minced garlic I do that only in the last few minutes to avoid burning the garlic. Your oven may be faster or slower than mine; I find some batches take less time than others. If you try it let me know how it turns out.

Thanks, Paxton and SK. I may give the roasted cauliflower a try on Sat. night and will report back. Tonight will be fajitas, with or without tortillas. Ripe avocados need to become guacamole.

The talk of grape leaves awhile back sparked my taste for Dolmas, which I enjoyed last night. I purchaced the Dolmas but made yogurt tzatziki sauce and it was just the taste I craved. The stuffed grape leaves were from a local mid eastern market that makes them.

I am recovering from a broken right shoulder and wrist so limited chopping and no lifting. I need a tshirt that says "fall risk" yikes but I am moving on. Thanks for the pictures Moon, let us know what the desert is. Enjoying the warm sun today