So...whats for dinner?

Bedo - will you ship the limas 2nd day air?

Down here in the south- we do have farmer's markets and local farms with some limas, crowders, and black eyed peas. We have one farm about 15 miles away that has a market open Tues-Sat.  They sell what they grow but also truck in from the rest of the state.  Wish I could send y'all some good ole limas! I got enough at the end of the summer last year to freeze about 10 qts. AM hoping to do the same this year.

Making chicken and cheese quesadillas, corn and fresh green salad for supper tonight. 

Oh Special...are you sure abt eggplant? The secret is to salt it and allow at least 30 mins on paper towels to release the bitterness.  I actually lightly salt one side and let is sit at least 30 mins to release the bitters and the the other side- same way- if I have time. Even salting and letting sit on paper towels for 15 mins really makes a dif.  Then wipe it all off.  Makes ALL the difference in whatever recipe I make.

Heehee Special.... I had eggplant parmesan, my new way, tonight. Delicious!!!

*susan*

So Susan, what is your new way to make Eggplant Parm?

Lacey, I am pretty sure that I have posted this "new" method before but just in case.... So I triple dip the eggplant after they have been salted for a bit. Flour, egg, panko bread crumbs.I put them on a rack over a pan so they "age" just a bit. Large sauté pan with plain olive oil. Fry until done and golden brown. Select the slices for "this" meal, and place on a rack over sheet pan. Schemer the top of the eggplant with just a bit of sauce, sprinkle with some shredded mozzarella and then some parmesan cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbling. Serve. I froze the extra slices of eggplant, and the used the new foodsaver bags with a zipper lock to store them in the freezer. I imagine some eggplant parm sandwiches in my future.

Love eggplant, any way, shape or form: Parm., fried, ratatouille, caponata, but most of all grilled. I too salt and drain it on paper towels first, then brush with olive oil (sometimes a little balsamic too) and grill it over the gas grill or on a ribbed pan until it gets grill marks, then sprinkle with a little truffle salt and scarf it down. Add some good red wine (especially Sangiovese or Syrah) and I could make that my vegan main dish.

Oddly, I have one food aversion (well, to be fair, I've never encountered chitlins): raw banana. The aroma alone (to me, like wet oil-based house paint) makes me hurl. There's no symbolism--my mom told me that when she tried feeding me mashed bananas when I was a toddler, I threw them up. Don't like banana cream pie or banana bread, and I can taste bananas in a smoothie--they ruin it for me. Oddly, though, I like them broiled with a little vanilla and cinnamon....and then there's bananas Foster. Those I like--don't even need the vanilla ice cream, can eat them over plain Greek yogurt.

So tonight at the Christ Hospital fundraiser at Navy Pier, pass-around hors d'oeuvres were bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with chorizo, shrimp and veggie pot stickers, crab and diced red bell peppers on tortilla chips, and tuna poke with micro greens and gari (pickled sliced ginger) on rice wafers. Salad was mesclun with sliced apples, walnuts, and craisins. Entree was a surf & turf of sea bass in cream sauce (nicely done) and beef short rib in port wine gravy, accompanied by mashed potatoes, a carrot, green beans and asparagus. Left the spuds, couldn't cut the carrot--would've been very bad form to pick it up and eat it like Bugs Bunny. The invocation was longer than some sermons, and the keynote ran so long that we missed half the fireworks (they were supposed to announce them, and the only way we knew they were happening was the flashing lights of the police boats speeding past). Dessert was chocolate-raspberry mousse over chocolate cake--so intense I could get through only half of it. Really easy getting Ubers there and back--there are now three designated Uber/Lyft pickup stations on the pier (which is a mile long).

...making prickly pear jelly today....

I always make chicken parm in one layer but never did the eggplant that way for some reason but it makes sooo much sense to me now. From now on, that will be the way I do it cause the sogginess always bothered me when I made 3 layers (which is my norm) and freezing it was a disaster when I did it that way..way too much liquid. Thanks for the tip!

Today it poured rain already for about 15 mins so not sure grilling will be a good way to go. I think I will bake some beautiful haddock that I got at the Italian market this morning with lemon panko garlic topping that I make. I then drizzle with butter before baking it. It is in the oven for a short enough time that it won't be bad even though it is hot/humid. I will make some roasted cauliflower with it since I am turning on the oven and I love it so much and a nice salad of greens and tomatoes with some red onion and a vinaigrette made with balsamic and evoo or lemon and evoo, Not sure which. Hubby likes haddock with an aioli so may make him a lemon aioli although I like it just the way it is with the pan juices which are buttery and lemony.

Have a great day!

I guess I'll eat anything except fowl and red meat and sometimes fish or shellfish once or twice a month but that's mainly because I lost the enzymes to digest it a long time ago I think these days you can find beef and chicken that is humanely raised and killed and might have a better life than I but the last time I bought it at Whole Foods to make chicken soup for my sick daughter with the extreme quote on quote good life 3 pound was about $24

Also not thrilled about cauliflower it is wrong so wrong

Tonight A friend gave me a bunch of cod and I put it in a tin foil with zucchini and herbs and tomatoes which Susan told me is called a pappet or something and I will bring it to work tomorrow and the next day I still feel guilty about eating fish

I have been vegetarian since I was 16 and started eating fish about four years ago after I was diagnosed okay so I'm a PIA

I still like reading your recipes :-)

I took my friends two grandsons on a cruise in Newport to see the lighthouses the sailboats and all else it was such a nice day the 7 year old was really excited but the 6 year old fell asleep for the entire cruise he was tired

I still want to get my hands on my first grandbaby in April

En papillote is my favorite way to cook delicate fish. I use parchment, in the microwave.

Tonight we walked to B’way Cellars, which is celebrating its 10th anniv. all this month. We shared the julienne apple salad, and I had gorgonzola meat loaf with green beans and sweet potato fries (Bob had his with the standard-issue mashed Yukon Gold spuds). Walked to Whole Foods after to get celery (on sale for a buck a bunch for organic), double dark chocolate gelato, vodka & tortilla chips for Bob, and melatonin, fresh espresso & coffee beans for me. (I like that I can buy stuff roasted only a few days ago).

Eric....that jam is gorgeous!  Thank you for sharing!

Nancy, there was a study several decades ago that showed overweight and obese people had a much greater tendency & ability to notice and remember esthetic details, not just about food (taste, texture, appearance) but about everything else: color, pattern, shape, sound, aroma, tactile stimuli, etc. than people of normal or low BMI. Could explain why it is so hard for us to stick to diets that limit us to foods we don’t like (and why we look forward to every little “cheat” whether permitted or not--we are “savor-ers”). No secret that most famous chefs who are no longer active in kitchens (where they had no time or opportunity to eat and were constantly on their feet for hours) are overweight-to-obese: Paula Deen, Sunny Anderson, Jimmy Banos, Mario Batali, the late Paul Prudhomme, Jose Andres, Paul Bocuse (almost 90!), etc. The only reason Michael Symon was able to get back down to a normal weight was that he spends his off-air time actively supervising those of his restaurants that feature the low-carb foods he was prescribed. (Thank you, M Burger, for offering your burgers and grilled chicken breasts “salad-style:” using lettuce leaves instead of a bun and tightly wrapped in paper to hold the whole shebang together). You can tell the active chefs & cooks by their slenderness and more “weathered” faces from spending all those years around hot stoves & ovens.

Thanks to whoever suggested how to get the skin off tomatoes - which I think was someone on this thread. I cut an "X" on the bottom, then stuck them on a long fork one at a time and held it over the gas burner of the stove for a minute or two. Skin just skimmed off. Hooray!! The tomatoes were for a salad last night with the last avocado & red leaf lettuce. The salad was accompanied two small pieces of toast for open face tuna sangys.

Additional prep for the week was deviled eggs since I scored 18 eggs for $0.98. Thanks Special for the peeling tip. Worked much better this time. Also sliced cucumber & onion and set them to marinate with tarragon vinegar & dill. Today I drained & added sour cream. Both will be good for several days meals.

Nance - sorry to hear you're both sick. But good news about your Dad's pacemaker.

Susan - love the baby chewing story. My nephew's daughter seems inclined to chew the edge of tables. Of course her Mom had cleaned the table thoroughly when we sat down, but I can't imagine the restaurant will be too excited by the bite marks in the wooden table.

Think I’ll do Buffalo wings tonight--WF had organic celery for a buck apiece last night, and I have really good blue cheese dressing (so good I needn’t make my own). Besides, I have a mani appt. tomorrow, and don’t mind getting orange tips on my French manicure tonight.