393 replies to this topic

[Tooozday]

Broke out the roller and made whole wheat lasagne noodles, so veggie lasagne is in the over now. Extra green pepper and onions!

[Karen]

Made black bean burgers... JP loved them, I liked them. Will probably have to tweak the recipe some next time.

Making these again tonight with spanish rice and salad

[sure-ur-rightdancer]

been home a bit more and been doing some crazy cooking - mostly all hearty comfort food since winter is almost over and it will be time to head back to salads and grilling soon...

not too much has made it to the blog yet (though I couldn't sleep last night and did like 3 posts at 2 am!)

wine and herb *** roast - so good and no ketchup! haha about 1 c of red, can of tomato and tons of french herbs... in the oven for like 3+ hrs

made a ragu w some left over short ribs and turned that into a lasagna... OMG I don't know how people can be a vegetarian when meat is just so freakin good (not to say I don't love veggies just wow a little meat makes a HUGE difference)

did some coconut shrimp and then flash froze them and have been eating them as a little appetizer during the week (since he gets home from work pretty late and usually I have the girls over for some w(h)ine right after work)

also did a 3 type of proscuitto tasting - parma, san danielle and la quercia (american) .... yum love them all (didn't make these - but buying them made me very happy)

[kramer]

Last nite was our first nite of grillin! Got a nice, fresh, thin swordfish steak from the fish market. As it was the first time since winter started that we fired up the grill, it was no surprise that the propane ran out within minutes... luckily the fish was thin enough that it cooked perfectly through before the gas kicked it... phew! Big caesar salad on the side... yummmm

Tonite we had friends over for grillin an chillin before survivor.. it was a real team effort.. we made thick sweet potato "chips", yellow squash and zucchini marinated in some ginger/garlic/sesame vinaigrette, some dank ass brussel sprouts... dr praegers veggie burgers, hot dogs, chicken on the bone.... fresh fruit and dippin sawces... mmmmm grillin fiesta!

[Lazy Lightning]

Made chipotle-garlic kale chips this afternoon and BBQing some portobello-swiss veggie burgers tonight.

[Karen]

Made artichoke dip

[deadheadskier]

I just had some Brie and Apples on water crackers with a bit of honey drizzled over the top. Nice snack

[kramer]

Chicken fajitas made fresh with real spices (cumin, chili powder, fresh garlic, onion powder, salt n pepp) instead of the super salty artifical flavor packet we usually get. Worlds of difference in the freshness... cooked the chicken and bell peppers, jalapeno and onion in on cast iron..... corn tortillas with fresh avocado, cilantro, taco sauce and sharp cheddar... perfection!!

[sure-ur-rightdancer]

posted the p0t roast and shrimp

tonight is going to be irish night p.2 - I never made a corned beef before so I got the smallest one I could find last week and we kinda loved it but it was just WAY to salty

so I got a low sodium one and re-did it yesterday so that I could make a soup w it tonight....kinda warm but I love soups no matter what!

yesterday I cooked up a really great one though -- shrimp and haddock marinaded in cilantro, garlic & lime then grilled and served with a warm tomatillo salsa (tomatillos. tomato. onions. yellow pepper. cilantro, lime, chili) and a fresh guac

[Lazy Lightning]

Love reading about what everyone's got cookin' - we have some really talented foodies in this bunch!

Tonight I'm preparing Vietnamese Bo Bun - vermicelli and stir-fried marinated sirloin tip with a plethora of fresh veggies and roasted chopped peanuts.

The extra-special bonus is that we were tipped off to a local "world foods" Vietnamese market and found we could get nearly everything we need for making Asian cuisine from that place - after living in Toronto, I was bummed to not be able to find the ingredients I am used to being able to pick up to make awesome authentic dishes... Tran's World market to the rescue, HUZZAH!

There's a "latino foods" market just down the way from Tran's, too - such a score to have found these!

Okay, off to go get the beef sliced and this meal underway - happy Sunday night dinners, all!

[kramer]

Made a whole bunch of Chai concentrate... my house smells amazing!!! That was a very theraputic process, even after a looonnnng day at work.

[Karen]

Spicy Szechuan stir fry with chicken, zuch, onion and bell pepper over jasmine rice

[Lazy Lightning]

Tonight's Sunday Night Supper was inspired by what I could harvest from our herb garden - roast pork loin stuffed with granny smith apples and fresh sage, roasted rosemary red-skin 'taters, honey-glazed carrots with lemon thyme, and fresh green beans - wish I had some mint to add to the green beans, I'll have to get some to add to the garden sometime next week.

[kramer]

Yum!!

We put out a huge lunch spread for some friends who came from out of town.. I gotta say, nothin beats entertaining friends in our new house

Bought a rotisserie chicken and made chicken salad using some bangin curry sauce I brought home from the local biergarten the other night. Also made egg salad, bacon, italian sausages, grilled some shrimp w lemon and dill, put out some roast beef, tortillas, onion rolls, bagels, hummus, cheese, lettuce/tomato/cucumber/onion/pickles and had ourselves a MEAL!!

Our guests brought dessert- brownies, vanilla ice cream and hot fudge! *swoon*

[Lazy Lightning]

Sounds super! We haven't had anyone over for a meal yet - I want to change that this weekend - thinking of making a paella.

[Kashmir]

I made a bbq chicken pizza on a tortilla. I spread cream cheese on the tortilla and top with honey bbq sauce. I ripped up pieces of chicken.breast from a rotisserie chicken I bought out of pure laziness and topped that with shredded sharp cheddar and mozzerella. Then broil in the oven till chesse is melty. I like the cheese a wee bit crispy. Yum! Its my new favorite easy pizza

[JBetty]

Sounds super! We haven't had anyone over for a meal yet - I want to change that this weekend - thinking of making a paella.

You must not have sent the invites out yet, cuz I didn't get mine. I LOVE paella.

[Karen]

Tonight's Sunday Night Supper was inspired by what I could harvest from our herb garden - roast pork loin stuffed with granny smith apples and fresh sage, roasted rosemary red-skin 'taters, honey-glazed carrots with lemon thyme, and fresh green beans - wish I had some mint to add to the green beans, I'll have to get some to add to the garden sometime next week.

THis sounds amazing! I've been putting apples in so many dishes lately Sandwiches, salads, oatmeal, etc. This inspired me to incorporate it into a protein dish.

[kramer]

ever since they had that funny Haiitian dude on Top Chef a few years ago, whenever someone says PAELLA, diddy and i crack up

[Karen]

Today I am making baked falafel. I tried this recipe two weeks ago and JP and I both loved it! The parsley and the cilantro really make it pop with flavor.
I also throw together a some white sauce by combining greek yogurt, tahini and cumin

http://chowvegan.com.../baked-falafel/

[Lazy Lightning]

I made a bbq chicken pizza on a tortilla. I spread cream cheese on the tortilla and top with honey bbq sauce. I ripped up pieces of chicken.breast from a rotisserie chicken I bought out of pure laziness and topped that with shredded sharp cheddar and mozzerella. Then broil in the oven till chesse is melty. I like the cheese a wee bit crispy. Yum! Its my new favorite easy pizza

Oh, that sounds GOOD!

You must not have sent the invites out yet, cuz I didn't get mine. I LOVE paella.

I'll keep that in mind for the next time you are up this way - looks like we're not doing it this weekend as there's a cool bluegrass BBQ happening Saturday, so we're gonna go to that instead of hosting a dinner - maybe next weekend!

I love paella, too!

THis sounds amazing! I've been putting apples in so many dishes lately Sandwiches, salads, oatmeal, etc. This inspired me to incorporate it into a protein dish.

The are so versatile and go awesome with meats!

I've never seen that chef dude before today...

Never made falafel, maybe I will give it a try with your recipe!

Tonight I am making lentil stew - it's cold and rainy here, so I want something warming... That and some fresh bread and a green salad, yum!

[JBetty]

I love paella, too!

We have this Portuguese restaurant in Hartford that makes a KILLER paella.
Be happy to join you if you ever want to dine there!

[Lazy Lightning]

I'd like that very much. Paella is always at it's best when somebody else makes it for you!

Next time we are down that way, you've got yerself a dinner date!

[Kashmir]

We have this Portuguese restaurant in Hartford that makes a KILLER paella.  
Be happy to join you if you ever want to dine there!

What's the name of the restaurant? I live near hartford and want check out some new and interesting places to eat.

[JBetty]

O'Porto. It's right across the street from Sully's.
http://www.oportohartford.com/


Also try Costa Del Sol in the South End.
http://www.costadelsolrestaurant.net/


What town do you live in?

[JBetty]

This place was recently recommended to me, but I have yet to try it.


http://www.fireboxre.../?q=dinner-menu

[Kashmir]

Nice! That's very close to where I work. I'm in Bristol

[Kashmir]

There's is this great Peruvian place in hartford that my coworkers order from. I think its on Park too. So good, reasonably priced and HUGE portions!!

[JBetty]

Name or link?

[Kashmir]

And today I'm bringing a salad wrap to work for dinner. A mix of organic greens, avocado, tomatoes, red and orange peppers, sweet vidalia onions and provolone cheese with honey mustard dessing in a Cedar's wrap. Its my new favorite way to eat salad.....with my hands

[Kashmir]

Name or link?

I was wrong, its on New Britain Ave And I am unable to hyperlink from my phone http://www.piolinrestaurant.com/

[Kashmir]

Oh hey!! It link'd itself.
((((((technology))))))

[Lazy Lightning]

A friend got me in the mood for French onion soup... Since I have life drawing tonight - and since it takes almost a full hour to properly caramelize onions - I've got the onions with some butter in a sautee pan caramelizing on the stove, and will finish the rest of it tomorrow.

I'm thinking I may even bake up some homemade bread to go with this!

[Kashmir]

I have a RonCo rotisserie so I'm setting it and forgetting a whole chicken. I rubbed it down with olive oil, lemon pepper seasoning and bitter orange adobo. That baby's gonna be something different to bring to work for dinner every night

[Karen]

Marinated chicken breasts overnight in white wine, oregano, thyme, rosemary and a dash of lemon juice
Going to grill them and serve them with roasted potatoes and a string bean and bell pepper mix

[Karen]

Just cooked up some turkey burgers on the grill. Mixed ground turkey with organic no salt seasoning, garlic, minced onion and ground pepper. Served them up on toasted onion rolls with ketchup, mustard, siracha and bread n butter pickle slices. They were awesome! JP even liked them and believe me, when I offered him a turkey burger for lunch, he was a bit skeptical

[Lazy Lightning]

JP is expanding beyond the usual midwest red meat 'n' taters diet, eh?

Last night I made a KILLER paella! It was my first time making it - fresh wild-caught pollock (so fresh it smelled sweet!) shrimp, mussels, chicken, and chorizo with the traditional sweet red pepper, tomatoes, green peas, garlic, onions, white wine, fish stock, and saffron-infused rice. Fucking incredible if I do say so myself!

It was our first dinner party at this house - served up six folks, with a fresh green salad, and a homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie that one of our guests brought over.

I'm all for making paella again!

[Karen]

Sounds wonderful! I'll have to give making paella a try one of these days

[Lazy Lightning]

It's pretty straightforward - just make sure you have a big enough pan, prep everything beforehand, and then add in sequence. Totally worth the effort!

[jme]

I made my folks some omelettes yesterday morning. spinach, tomato, basil, mozzarella.

they looked great.. I didn't eat any because we were on our way out to brunch while they did some babysitting. I've got plenty of spinach left, so perhaps we'll have breakfast for dinner this week.

[kramer]

i made this recipe up last night. it is un-focking-believably tasty!!!!!! something about those tart dried cherries and just a touch of vinegar really makes the whole thing pop... and the sweetness of the beets and onion and sweet potato... the nuttiness of the rice... it's just so hearty and good! a meal in a bowl!

Ingredients:
1 c forbidden black rice
2 c water
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2" cubes
1 bunch baby beets (that's what I had left from my farm share but you could use 1 or 2 regular beets too), cleaned and prepared for roasting (cut off greens and the long skinny tip)
Fresh basil
1/4 c dried cherries, chopped
1/4 c slivered almonds
Olive oil
Sesame oil
Tarragon vinegar (or red wine vinegar or apple cider vinergar, whatever u got)
Toasted sesame seeds
Salt, pepper

Place whole beets, diced sweet potatoes, and several leaves of basil on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt to lightly coat the vegetables. Broil for 20 - 30 minutes, turning sweet potatoes once, until the potatoes are soft and the beet skin peels off easily. Discard roasted basil leaves.

Cover the rice with 2 c water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover; simmer for ~20 minutes.

Sautee onion in olive oil until golden brown. Once cool, peel beets and chop coarsely. Put the beets in a separate bowl and drizzle about 2 tsp vinegar over beets. Let them marinate for a few minutes, and then add the beets, sweet potato, onion, cherries, almonds, and some chopped fresh basil (about 3 large leaves) to the rice. Lightly drizzle sesame oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Can also add extra vinegar or some chili oil if you prefer. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and mix well.

Enjoy!

[kramer]

last night we had our friends over for dinner who are on the Paleo diet (no caffeine, dairy, refined sugar, grains, legumes.... intense!)

i have a ton of fresh, local produce from the farm truck that we need to plow through... plus a nice grass-fed steak from the co-op (damn this is already making me hungry) so we decided to make stir-fry.

while in the grocery store i thought to myself, "hmm... i should get tamari to use instead of soy sauce, because i know it's gluten free..."
not Paleo-friendly, though, upon closer inspection. it isn't made with wheat, like soy sauce is, which makes it gluten free, but it's stil made from soy beans which is a Paleo no-no.

so, i grabbed a bottle of fish sauce and decided to wing it...

ended up making two separate stir-frys:

1. traditional chinese stir-fry: mashed up some garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, scallions and wild mushrooms...

2. thai-inspired stir-fry: mashed up garlic, ginger, a LOT of scallions, some mint, coconut milk, red curry paste, fish sauce, scallions and wild mushrooms...

let those marinate for a while... then sauteed some red pepper and onion in an olive oil/sesame oil mix in two separate woks. added the scallion/mushroom/sauce mixtures, cooked down a bit and then tossed in bok choy and water chestnuts.

Diddy grilled up the meat and we sliced it thin and added to the stir-fry pans... sprinkled some toasted sesame seeds on the chinese one and some fresh scallions on the thai one and BAM! amaze-balls dinner

i was happy with both versions, and it was really fun to make!! also learned that a little bok choy will go a LONNNNG way.

[Smiles]

^^ dayummmnnn

[Kashmir]

I made a bangin' Sunday dinner!! I put a filet of beef in the rostisarie, baked sweet potatoes, saffron rice and tomato, mozzarella and basil salad. Yum!

[Lazy Lightning]

Local grass-fed beef burgers on the grill, sauteed cremini mushrooms and cheddar to top 'em with and all the other good stuff, and baked taters with all the fixin's.

Yum!

[Kashmir]

I made coconut shrimp breaded with panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut. And a salad of red leaf lettuce, baby spinach, roma tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, dried cranberries and feta. With fresh pineapple. Delicious.

[Lazy Lightning]

Yum, that sounds tasty! I love seafood and a green salad.

This was a real bitchin' kitchen weekend for us - Friday we made homemade sushi and started some kimchi (takes about a week to be really good), Saturday we made pasta with pesto and fresh 'matos, and this morning was sour-cream blueberry pancakes made from scratch for breakfast!

Just put a tray of sour-cream coconut/date/pecan bran muffins in the oven for grab-and-go morning eats during the week - we picked up a bunch of kitchen essentials we we missing (measuring cup, measuring spoons, etc...) and a whole bunch of fresh, organic ingredients, so it's been a real pleasure to be cookin' this weekend!

Yay for good times in the kitchen!

[Kashmir]

YaaaaaY!!! That's an epic kitchen weekend

Saturday we grilled steak and corn in the cob. We dunked the corn, husks and all in water and grilled it for about an hour. It was just right and so good!!! It was my first corn on the cob season and it was spectacular.
Tonight was shrimp scampi night. I have to have good cooking on the weekends cuz I work 2:15-11:45 monday-thursday. I LOVE tp cook. It relaxes me. I enjoy recipes that have many steps and lots of prep work. Love it!!!!

[deadandgrateful]

[Lazy Lightning]

I hear ya - I find cooking to be a great outlet for creativity and relaxation as well!

We're BBQing tonight, of course!

Grilled fresh local corn-on-the-cob, grilled leeks (they get soooo sweet when you grill 'em!) and a dry-rubbed swordfish steak. Then for dessert, pear halves marinated in white wine, grilled, topped with crumbled bleu cheese till it melts, then sprinkled with toasted pecans and drizzled with honey from a friend's beehive. All enjoyed with a growler of Opa-Opa Amber Ale.

Ah, yes - summertime is sweet!!!!