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I made chili. First steak I've eaten in about six months (we've been a little beef-leery in recent times, given conflicting reports about E.coli, BSE, and the like.) My chili has black and kidney beans, yams and sweet potatoes, corn, two colors of peppers, tomatoes...
It was terrific. Made good lunch today, too.
What do people have for dinner? Anything interesting? Recipes to share, thoughts for big or small family cuisine, favorite seasonal produce?
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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Last night I made Mummy Dogs for the kids. I took some nice Hebrew National hot dogs, to start with, then some pillsbury breadstick refrigerated dough. Cut each breadstick into fourths and stretch it around the hotdogs, using about one breadstick per dog - but you have to make the strips kind of thin, and be sure to wrap them in opposite directions. Then you bake them at 400 degrees for about 20-30 min (until the bread is lightly browned).
When you wrap the dogs you have to leave a place for the face. The faces look better if you use mustartd, but my kids don't like mustard. One used ketchup and the other preferred a plain mummy.
They were fun and cheap. They made horror movie sets out of the broccoli. Here comes the Mummy, throughh the trees!
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I had Alfredo sauce pizza with mushrooms. Take out, actually sitting in the car with my mom between grocery stores. This is one of the most real seeming dinners on a week night since school started, she's been very busy, and I try, but not well.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Lat night I made Italian Pork, and cut it up and put it in Rice-a-Roni.
I took italian dressing and cooked the boneless pork chops in it on med-high heat in a pan, browning them, then I lowered the heat and covered it, and cooked it for about 15 more min until the pork was white all the way through....then I cut the pork up, and put it back into the pan for 5 more min. This lets the italian dressing cover all the sides of the cubed pork.
I made chicken Rice-a-Roni, then combigned the two.
I had it for lunch today as well. It is easy to make, works with chicken, and has a lot of flavor.
Posts: 325 | Registered: Aug 2002
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Thai chicken and broccoli. You have to love cafeteria food. Especially since they had chocolate cake, which is a rarity for them. Mmm mmm good.
Posts: 1789 | Registered: Jul 2003
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Thai makes the best leftovers. Something about that coconut milk, I think. Indian's good, too, though. I learned to make saag paneer (spinach and cheese) a while back, but I haven't had a lot of opportunities to make it since.
I need to learn to cook more Indian in general. Love it, hard to find where I live, and usually kind of on the expensive side.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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I thought that's palak paneer? Palak paneer is one of my favorites.
TJ's sells some pretty decent prepared Indian dishes. Not the same, but good for those nights you don't want to cook it yourself and don't want to fork over $40 for dinner.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: Aha! I was right. Spinach and cheese is palak paneer. Saag paneer is mixed greens and paneer. Saag = mixed greens.
Well, son of a gun! My Joy of Cooking, it done do me wrong.
Their recipe is good, though.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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I had coq a vin and risotto with whole wheat walnut bread. I really made it very slapdash and onle stirred the risotto once, as opposed to the constant stirring you are supposed to do, but it was surprisingly good.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Last night was Shabbos Dinner. We started with wine, then Challah, which we ate with honey (and margarine, cause it is yummy that way). Then came gefilte fish, baked in a tasty sauce. We were eating outside in the Sukkah, and it was cool and drizzly, so we were glad for the next course -- hot Turkey Pea soup -- thick with peas and barley and beans and smoked turkey. After the soup came a roasted chicken and two kinds of kugel -- potato and butternut squash.
Dessert was a hot chocolate cherry almond cobbler.
Nothing wrong with that!
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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KQ - I agree. Palak paneer is my all time favourite (and is always ordered, every time we get Indian).
I made a nice dinner last night: I kinda poached chicken thighs in a mushroom, garlic and (home-made)chicken stock sauce in a covered tray in the oven. The sauce thickened up really nicely as it cooked, and I put in a little butter at the end to bring it all together, plus some more mushrooms to serve (the ones in the sauce had cooked right down).
And I served it with globe artichokes cooked with lemon thyme from the garden and a fresh asparagus puree (made with a little chicken stock).
All the flavours came together really nicely. Posts: 4393 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Sounds lovely. Sadly, I've had whole artichokes (as opposed to hearts) about twice my entire life, and both times I had artichoke threads stuck in my throat for days after. Bleck.
KQ, Joy claims "saag" is spinach. Given that it's not an indian cookbook, I'm inclined to trust your version rather than theirs.
quote:Sadly, I've had whole artichokes (as opposed to hearts) about twice my entire life, and both times I had artichoke threads stuck in my throat for days after. Bleck.
How sad! Didn't someone scrape the threads out for you? You come to my house, I'll cook you artichokes and after you've eaten the leaves, I'll clean your heart for you. *has been eating artichokes since age 5 months* *even has a song, which she will refrain from singing here*
quote:KQ, Joy claims "saag" is spinach. Given that it's not an indian cookbook, I'm inclined to trust your version rather than theirs.
Oh. Well, they're definitely wrong there (even though I'm not Indian, either, I eat an awful lot of Indian food.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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KQ, they are not definitely wrong at all. My step father-in-law is in India at the moment, but I will ask him when he returns.
What this might be, more than you being right and The Joy of Cooking being wrong, is a case of language translation-interpretation. All could be a little bit right and wrong. Spinach is, in fact, a green. I have seen the definition listed as "spinach or other greens."
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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While at OU, I had Mazzio's Pizza for lunch yesterday, which is like the awesomest thing ever. I wish there were more Mazzio's in Texas so I could go more than once a year around here. I love that pizza so much.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
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Of course spinach is a green, Elizabeth. But I found a recipe for Aloo Saag which had no greens whatsoever in it-- Saag seemed to be a seasoning thing. So I'm at a loss-- most of the recipes I saw seemed to use "Saag" for greens or mixed greens, but that one might just have had an omitted ingredient or been wrong? Palak is definitely spinach, though, anyway!
Anyway, tonight's dinner is on the stove and is making me drool. People interested in the "Being Poor and Eating Healthy" thread, please note what we're having for our Sunday dinner: a two-dish meal (which could be one dish, but I chose to steam rice.) We're having a curry over rice tonight. I started by browning, then poaching in a small amount of lightly salted water, one half chicken breast (which had previously been on sale, been de-skinned, and been frozen. I just had KPC pull one out and defrost it.) When it was poached, I shredded the meat off. To this chicken/broth mixture I added some red lentils (which means that the chicken is not the only source of protein-- I am stretching one half chicken breast to feed a whole family! ), onion, garlic, curry powder, garam masala, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and carrots. Then I dumped in a can of tomatoes, chopped up 1/2 a head of cauliflower, and let it simmer a while. (Because I only used 1/2 a head, I have another 1/2 a head left to cook with other veggies or add to another mixed dish on another day-- another way to stretch the vegetable budget, by mixing cheaper veggies in with the more expensive ones.) Near the end, after I started the rice, I dumped in some frozen peas. It's finishing up now, and we'll get lots of cheap protein, a meat "fix"-- curries with a little meat mixed into lentils always taste like you're eating a very satisfying meat dish, but it's mostly other protein, a rainbow of vegetables, and most of all, a very tasty meal! Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Saag and Palak both generally mean spinach, but depending on the area, Saag can also mean "greens" which can include green onions. Does that fit, kq?
Fahim and I had dinner at his parent's. String hoppers, dahl, mutton curry and chicken curry. It was good!
And his parents like me! Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I had KFC at 5 or so and microwave quesadillas at 12:45. For the quesadillas I just put shredded cheese on top of a tortilla and microwaved it and then dipped in salsa. I also ate candy throughout the evening.
The healthy diet of a college student.
Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2004
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quote:How intelligent of them. Does that mean Fahim's back in the will?
Or at least the family?
quote:but depending on the area, Saag can also mean "greens" which can include green onions. Does that fit, kq?
Green onions! That's gotta be it! I didn't specifically notice them in that recipe, but now I'm pretty sure they were in there. What else could he have meant? Thank you, quid! You're a marvel of all knowledge (at least relating to Indian food)! Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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rivka - Fahim's so completely back. And I like his parent's, too. They're kind, nice, and completely comfortable to be around.
Two problems. Sort of.
1. Fahim's mom wants me to wear a shalwaar kameez to the wedding. I've never worn one, so I don't know if I'll like it or not. Bought material and will sew one this week to find out.
2. His mother doesn't speak English, although she understands most of it, and conversations flip - constantly - between English & Sinhalese, and also Tamil. Guess I'd better get back to learning Sinhalese. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Shalwaar kameez are very comfortable. I had one when I was 10 that was a gift from someone who went to Pakistan. I wore it absolutely until it would not fit any more. I hope you like them when you try them. And they like you. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:rivka - Fahim's so completely back. And I like his parent's, too. They're kind, nice, and completely comfortable to be around.
quote: Fahim's mom wants me to wear a shalwaar kameez to the wedding. I've never worn one, so I don't know if I'll like it or not. Bought material and will sew one this week to find out.
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I think I may have found the answer, or the blurring of the answer.
In a recipe book Ganesh brought me from India, it says what KQ says. Sort of.
It seems that palak paneer is definitely spinach and the cheese.
Then saag paneer was listed as greens and cheese, but when I read the recpe, it was spinach with spices.
So, maybe palak paneer is straight spinach, and saag paneer is spinach with greens. So, basically what Quid said.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Uh, the ones in that link are pretty fancy and, oh, ornate, and not entirely true to the standard.
The general idea is a tunic to the knees, but side slits at about the waist. I'll be wearing comfortable cotton, not that ornate stuff.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I didn't even look at the link until you mentioned it. Gorgeous! Those are like, high-fashion saalwar kameez! The saalwar kameez I had was just a pretty, light, pale blue cotton with braid trim around the neck and sleeves and hems, though. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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There was a lady in my last ward who wore saalwar kameez to church every week-- she was from Pakistan.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Back to dinner, I went to a fancy dinner last night and we had a Moroccan feast. Yum. Except that there is so much lamb, and I hate lamb.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Dunno 'bout last night (Shabbos lunch lasted so long we didn't have that much for supper). But tonight we are having kq's Tater Tot Casserole. Well, a variation anyway.
Ground meat --> soy "ground beef" 1/2 c. - 1 c. peas --> 2 c. (an entire 16 oz. package) Tater tots --> frozen potato latkes (easy to use to cover the top, since they are right triangles)
Hopefully my thermostat-impaired oven won't burn it . . . (I have got to find a chance to go look at the range I want to convince my landlord to (at least partly) pay for, and call her already!)
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Yeah, I guess it is kinda like shepherd's pie! There you go, that's how I'll excuse it to my mom. And I'm glad you like it!
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Hmm. I should post my recipe for "Gobbler's Pie" to Recipezaar some time. I've been procrastinating since it's an original and I don't tend to measure spices very precisely when I'm not cooking from a recipe, so I'd either have to go back and see how much of things I'm actually using, or risk leading people astray.
Gobbler's Pie is like Shepherd's Pie, except made with ground turkey and dried cranberries instead of ground beef or lamb.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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How sad! Didn't someone scrape the threads out for you? You come to my house, I'll cook you artichokes and after you've eaten the leaves, I'll clean your heart for you. ![[Kiss]](graemlins/kiss.gif)
*has been eating artichokes since age 5 months* *even has a song, which she will refrain from singing here*![[Cool]](cool.gif)
), onion, garlic, curry powder, garam masala, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and carrots. Then I dumped in a can of tomatoes, chopped up 1/2 a head of cauliflower, and let it simmer a while. (Because I only used 1/2 a head, I have another 1/2 a head left to cook with other veggies or add to another mixed dish on another day-- another way to stretch the vegetable budget, by mixing cheaper veggies in with the more expensive ones.) Near the end, after I started the rice, I dumped in some frozen peas. It's finishing up now, and we'll get lots of cheap protein, a meat "fix"-- curries with a little meat mixed into lentils always taste like you're eating a very satisfying meat dish, but it's mostly other protein, a rainbow of vegetables, and most of all, a very tasty meal! ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
It's not Shabbos. 
