Dinner - What Are You Having? - Page 4

[nald1]

Originally Posted by kitchensqueen 

I got the bacon and whiskey chili with cornbread last night! Plenty of leftovers, so I had a bowl for lunch too.

Tonight I'm making cioppino with toasted sourdough. I'm big into soup right now. 

I love cioppino- is  it really time-consuming to prepare?

[kitchensqueen]

Originally Posted by nald1 

I love cioppino- is  it really time-consuming to prepare?

I don't think so - it's actually fairly quick. Saute some onions and celery, throw in some tomatoes, wine, seasonings - let it simmer for about 15 minutes, throw in your seafood and simmer until it's done - I usually have it on the table in 30-40 minutes, depending upon how leisurely I am in the kitchen. :-)

[Chicky2]

MMMM, cioppino sounds fantastic.  I'll have to try that next week.  KQ, what kinds of /seasonings do you like best?

Last night I used the rest of that uncured smoked ham in a big ole sandwich.  I took a whole loaf of a multigrain nut and seed bread and added the ham and condiments and lots of baby swiss chard and lettuce, yellow bell pepper, smoked cheddar, swiss, and pickles.  We ate the whole thing sitting on the ground next to where the kids were busy digging a huge hole/tunnel/cave thing, and where dh was working on electric fencing. 

Tonight I'm making a baked ziti, I think, and cooking *something* with the last package of deer stew meat we have...I think I'll make chili to put over baked potatoes or sweet potatoes the next night...

[kitchensqueen]

I like to keep the seasoning in my cioppino really simple - a little basil, oregano, hot pepper flakes and a bay leaf. Plus salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. 

For tonight, I've got an apricot glazed pork loin in the crockpot. It was pretty easy to put together with the baby hanging out in his bouncy seat for a few minutes. I can see the crockpot getting a lot of use at our house over the coming months! When my husband gets home I'll do up some egg noodles and maybe quick roast some brussels sprouts to serve alongside.

I'm so jealous you have venison to work with! When I can even find it at the specialty markets, it's way beyond our budget these days. I need to make friends with a hunter...  

[Imakcerka]

alright it's pasta and garlic bread per small people and their pushiness at the Grocery store... oh well

[Chicky2]

Well, I did make the chili to serve over potatoes tonight.  Riding horses after supper so it has to be quick tonight.

Venison....We got a whole deer for free!  Guy went hunting w/his dad and had no desire to keep the meat (but went knowing someone would!), so he gave us his deer.  Awesome.  I have no problem at all processing it, and do it w/pleasure knowing it was free!  We are very fortunate to have all the meat we could possibly eat.  It's the other stuff I wish we had more of, but this year's foraging possibilities stunk out loud.  Only grapes and cactus survived this horrible drought.  And the cactus is getting awful brown now.  We'll have no nuts this year, either, and maybe not any persimmons, either.  ***sigh***  I despise buying these foods that I normally can get just for the work involved (berries, plums, pecans, etc.).  We are quickly running out of red meats and fish (oh yeah, the ponds/lake where we go to fish dried completely up--so sad!) and are now waiting til we can start breeding our rabbits, and we lost all but 2 ducks to predators-and almost all our chickens too, because the drought is so bad it's forcing the wildlife to our porch (literally--we had a coyote under the front porch).

Speaking of free meat--I even offered free wild pig bones on the finding your tribe section and had NO takers!

apricot pork loin sounds awesome.  Simple and yummy!

[kitchensqueen]

A whole deer for free!? I am so jealous of you! I had no idea the drought was so bad out there; we've had the opposite problem this year. Sucks about the lack of foraging; I didn't get out at all this summer, what with the pregnancy and a broken ankle for half of it. We're in the same boat with the persimmons - the lady I usually buy from at the farmers market says there will be next to none... after the non-existent morel harvest in the spring, I missed out on my two favorite wild foods this year.

Tonight I've got another crockpot dinner in - Morrocan-style chicken thighs. But we're out of couscous, so I'll have to serve it with rice. 

[nald1]

Originally Posted by kitchensqueen 

I don't think so - it's actually fairly quick. Saute some onions and celery, throw in some tomatoes, wine, seasonings - let it simmer for about 15 minutes, throw in your seafood and simmer until it's done - I usually have it on the table in 30-40 minutes, depending upon how leisurely I am in the kitchen. :-)

sounds pretty doable!  What seafood do  you typically use - and how much wine/what kind?

[kitchensqueen]

I usually use cod, shrimp, canned crab and canned smoked mussels. And whatever dry white wine I have on hand - typically a couple of cups of chardonnay. Plus clam juice. 

[Ragana]

Mmmmm, everything sounds so good! Being a total city girl, I'm amazed by all the foraging and meat raising!

Last night I made curried pinto beans, potato parathas (just learned how - easy!) and salad with lettuce, napa cabbage and spinach. Tonight was rice, edamame, lemongrass tofu (using a jar of sauce) and cabbage soup. Tomorrow I have school, so it's pasta night - spaghetti, jar of sauce and homemade meatballs. Friday will involve chicken drumsticks, but the rest will be scrounged from the cupboards because we have been overspending on groceries, so I am avoiding grocery shopping until Saturday. Also, I have three omnivores in the family and one vegetarian who will eat the occasional fish. One DD loves everything mixed together and the other likes everything plain & separate and veggies raw, not cooked. Plus DH is having trouble with dairy, so I am really scraping around to find things with meat/cheese as a separate option, some veggies and starch I can leave plain, etc. I should really just make tacos every night! LOL The dairy issue is requiring some adjustment since I have to drop some of my standbys like pasta bakes and Mexican tortilla casserole. I'll be subbing to look for ideas!

[kitchensqueen]

Last night's dinner was sub-par... I didn't defrost anything or have anything for the crockpot, so I ended up making pasta salad. Though I didn't have the usual assortment of veg we like, so it was just bowties with kale, onion, tapenade and pepperoncino. Lackluster, but edible. 

Tonight we're breaking into the freezer stash for Norwegian meatballs. I'll do up a quick dill gravy for them and hopefully mashed potatoes... if they baby has me occupied, it'll just be egg noodles on the side. But I'm hoping for mashed potatoes!

[kitchensqueen]

Tonight I'm improvising in the crockpot - a bean soup - white beans, an onion, a few carrots, tomatoes with chiles and leftover chicken thighs in chicken stock, seasoned with cumin and Mexican oregano. And if the baby will have a nap somewhere other than on me, or will chill in his bouncy seat for 15 minutes, I'm going to whip up some herbed quick bread to go with it. But if that doesn't happen by 5:30, we're out of luck since it takes an hour to bake.

[Imakcerka]

I got so lazy... okay I love trying food and theres a place called Jerusalem Grille here.  So we went, just me and the girls since DH didn't want to go.  DD1 didn't like it but DD2 was in heaven.  Her thing is to try everything.  Even if it looks gross you never know it might be AWESOME!  Their beef kabob was a lot like civapi  I was impressed.  Going back soon.  Now we have left overs and I'm digging in again.  Tomorrow DH wants to make some veggie thing he found.  I'll let you all know what the heck it is after I eat it. 

[Ragana]

Mmm, that sounds great!

Tonight will be French bread pizzas - it has to be quick since we will be out all day, and I have some work to do when we get home.

[kitchensqueen]

Tonight I'm trying out crockpot jambalaya. I checked out a book called Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever With More Than 400 Easy-to-Make Recipes by Diane Phillips from the library yesterday and it's amazing! I've flagged at least fifty recipes in there; I'm going to have to just break down and buy it. It's got actual recipes - no cream of whatever soup slathered onto protein and woefully overcooked. I highly recommend it! 

[Imakcerka]

Lentils and corn bread, sliced pears and cheese. Oh and I think DH is making a spinach salad. Or he's just eating spinach. Tomorrow it's flatbread pizza... red onions, yellow/red peppers, spinach, feta and some dressing. I think he's making it.

[kitchensqueen]

Originally Posted by Imakcerka 

Lentils and corn bread, sliced pears and cheese. Oh and I think DH is making a spinach salad. Or he's just eating spinach. Tomorrow it's flatbread pizza... red onions, yellow/red peppers, spinach, feta and some dressing. I think he's making it.

I've been thinking about lentils lately - it's been ages since we had any. My husband isn't a big fan, but I love lentil soup. How did you prepare yours for dinner?

[Imakcerka]

1 cup lentils (Soak over night)
2 thin leeks, whites only, chopped
1 cup cilantro
2 tsp fresh mint, chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary (or 1/4 tsp dried)
pinch of fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Soak the lentils in plenty of cold water overnight.

Rinse and drain the lentils. Place in a large saucepan and cover with just enough fresh water to cover them. Bring to a boil. Skim any foam from the water and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add the chopped leeks and cilantro to the lentils and stir. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer until tender-about 30 minutes.

Serve it hot hot hot. I found this recipe years ago. Pretty decent. Sometimes I add tomatoes and take out the fish sauce/ vinegar and mint.

[Chicky2]

We love honey baked lentils here! I usually turn the leftovers into soup.

Tonight we are having something w/2 tiny pork shoulders I have. I'm thinking Asian, so I'll probably just do a quick stir-fry (not so quick after I spend time deboning it). I dunno....I also have lots of mushrooms and a big stick of pepperoni and lots of cheese so maybe I'll just do pepperoni stuffed mushrooms, a raw veggie plate, and cheese and crackers and pears. Crap. I forgot the pork shoulders. Maybe I'll just stick 'em in a pot and simmer, debone and save for soup tomorrow. Hmmm, I think I have a plan.

Sat. night we had pizza for an impromtu bday party for dh. Last night we went to a friend's house and had grilled bbq chicken, grilled cheesy potatoes, pasta salad w/lots of raw veggies, and jalapenos stuffed w/cream cheese and topped w/bacon.

[kitchensqueen]

I've got to try that lentil recipe; it sounds great!

Tonight I'm doing a Milwaukee Iron meatloaf from our freezer stash. And I think I'll do some baked potatoes in the crockpot and either sweet corn or braised Swiss chard on the side - not sure which yet.