The What's for Dinner Thread - August 2014 (recipe index in OP)

[EJ4Disney]

Foggy Tuesday here,

Brandi ~ Thanks. I went and got the tickets yesterday and they are pretty good tickets. We are in the lower bowl (just right of the stage), 10 rows up, seat 5 & 6. WooHoo!!!

I can't even see across the street it is SO foggy. We did get almost an inch of rain yesterday though. The farmers are celebrating - well at least the ones that busted their fannys last week and have their crops in. Corn is at 75% in and soybeans are at 80%. It really sucks for the ones not in yet as it will be awhile before this dries out properly to get the machinery back in the fields. But my lawn, trees and flowers are loving it.

I am so sad girls. I was getting ready for my zumba class yesterday and was notified that they have dropped it for the summer.

There is another one on Wednesday's but it is from 6:30 - 7:30pm. That is just to late for me to come back into town. I am so bummed.

Last night Doug had to go to Kearney to pick a part up, so I rode along and we stopped to cuddle and play with the girls. We had so much fun. Harper is getting to be so much fun. She just "talks" and tells you all about it. Lilly and Papa marched all night. I wish you could have seen him. It was priceless. Lilly kept saying, "Hands on your hips and get those knees up". And he did.......Stephanie video taped it but he would kill me if I posted it. DARLING!!!

WFDT ~ Ham & scalloped potatoes , roasted brussel sprouts, and pear salad.

Make it a great day.

 

[EJ4Disney]

Another day of no sun............but lots and lots of rain.

Brandi ~ I am SO jealous!! Say hi to Mickey for me.

Alison ~ I hope all is well with you and Fran and you are just recouping from the weekend. I can't wait to hear how it all went.

PIO & Kimmar ~ Hi {waves}

Well I somehow completely forgot about Cinco de Mayo yesterday. But Doug didn't - so we had homemade taco salads last night. We made our own tortilla shells. Man they came out great.

It is raining again today. We are even forecasted for sever storms tonight. Oh joy!! We have had over 4 1/2 inches of rain in the last 5 days. We really really needed it as the fields, roads and lawns is taking it. But gee I need to see the sun soon. This is to last till next Tuesday.

WFDT ~ since I swamped the taco salads last night - tonight will be the ham and scalloped potatoes.

Make it a great day!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Ellen - YAY for winning tickets. That's fantastic luck. I hope you enjoy the concert. Thanks for the pizza crust recipe. I'm going to have to work out a cheese substitute if DH is to enjoy it.

Brandi - Say hello to Mickey from me too. Tell him he's allowed to cheat on me with you.

Alison - Looks like you had a great birthday celebration. Looking forward to watching it unfold through the TR.




It's Thursday here and I'm just exhausted. I think I had a bit of food poisoning on Tuesday and what with work and everything, I come home and then just crash in bed.
I didn't eat dinner on Tuesday and picked at mum's food last night.
About all I've managed to eat is toast and vegemite.

The good news is I'm starting to feel a bit better today. Hopefully, I'll feel like eating something substantial at dinner.

 

[franandaj]

So I've been wiped out. We need to post our leftovers recipes but what are we going to do for May? I'm thinking soup. I have multiple things I can post for leftover month.

 

[PrincessInOz]

So I've been wiped out. We need to post our leftovers recipes but what are we going to do for May? I'm thinking soup. I have multiple things I can post for leftover month.

I also need to post my leftover recipe, which coincidentally is a soup.

I could definitely do soup for May. It's cold enough and I've been making chicken broth from scratch, so it would be a good one for me.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Leftover Cook-Off: Hot and Sour Soup



It was the monthly Diner's Cook-off a couple of weekends ago and I'm finally getting round to posting my recipe for Leftover-converts-into-Soup.


I'm aware that most Chinese restaurants will have a different version of Hot and Sour soup; one thickened by flour and with egg and other things in it. This hot and sour soup is straight out of my grandmother and mother's kitchen. It's the one that I grew up with....before I even started to eat at Chinese restaurants.



My starting ingredients includes a bunch of leftover meat frozen from at least Christmas (there is turkey in that pile), chicken and BBQ pork. I also had some frozen chicken stock that I figured was time to use up. The 'new' stuff included mustard greens (2 bunches), tamarind skins (about 8 - 12 pieces) and dried chillies (about 10 or so, depending on your taste).







After the meat has thawed, cut to bite size pieces and fry in your stock pot with a little oil for 3 or 4 minutes.






Add the stock, the tamarind skins and chilli and allow to heat up.






Once hot, add the mustard greens to the pot.






Let it all come to the boil and then turn the heat down to medium/low.







Cook for about 30 - 40 minutes. By this stage, the tamarind would have released its sourness into the soup and the chillies would have spiced it up. If the soup isn't sour enough, add a little vinegar.







My soup!

 

[franandaj]

That is the most unique recipe for Hot and Sour Soup I have ever seen. What are tamarind skins?

We went out for dinner last night for German Night at Rick and Brian's cafe. I had Rouladen while Fran had Pork Schnitzel. We both got the hash browns and split a side of spaetzle..

Tonight I'm making a recipe that Fran found, its pork chops braised in a raspberry vinegar broth. We'll have a salad and zucchini with it.

 

[EJ4Disney]

Afternoon ladies,

I had a dentist appointment this morning - just a cleaning. No problems - YEA!!

OH.MY.GOODNESS last night was just plain scary. Really scary. There were over 25 tornadoes in the state. It was just a boiling mess. We got minimal damage but nothing to bad. Thank goodness. I HATE tornadoes, they scare the beegeebers out of me. At least they hit last night when it was still light out so we could at least see them coming. Parts of the state just to the East of us got substantial damage. Bless them!!

PIO ~ I have to agree that is a very different Hot and Sour soup. But man it looks delicious. Hope you get to feeling better real soon.

Alison ~ I can't wait to hear/read about your party.

Soup sounds good to me. I could do this one.

I have a massage right after work. Then home to eat dinner real quick as Ethan has his last elementary Band concert tonight. Then I have to come home and pack as Doug and I are leaving at noon tomorrow for Omaha. The concert starts at 7pm. Busy day.

WFDT ~ Grilled hamburgers, sweet potato fries and peach salad.

Make it a great day!

 

[franandaj]

Ethan has his last elementary Band concert tonight.

What does Ethan play?

 

[franandaj]

That is so scary about the tornadoes. I'm so glad we don't have them here. I heard about all the damage on the news and thought of you. I'm glad you and your town are OK.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Ellen - Hope you stay safe! I've seem some pictures of the the tornadoes. I didn't realise you were that close to them. YIKES!

Alison - Tamarind? Do you not know that produce??? They sell them as a paste or dried with the skins on. If you don't know, then next time I'm in LB, we can head to that chinese grocery store again. I can cook a sour Indian curry with the paste for you.

 

[EJ4Disney]

WooHoo.........I am going to see my boy today!!! Oh yea, Matthew too.

Today is Garth Brooks day - I can't wait. We are leaving work at noon and hopefully on the road by 1. We will stop in Lincoln to drop our bags off at the "Cunningham Inn" , pick up some sandwiches and head to Omaha. It has sort of become tradition to get to the Arena early to get a good parking spot, eat our picnic in the car and people watch until the doors open. Ladies, I can't tell you how excited I am for this concert. This is a dream come true for me - sort of a bucket list event.

Alison ~ He plays the trumpet. Actually he is playing Matthew's trumpet. Matthew played in the band/Pep band till the 10th grade, then sports won out. The program was wonderful. They played 7 songs and they were really impressive for 5th graders.

PIO ~ I am so glad that Alison asked what Tamarind was, as I had no idea either, but was to embarrassed to ask. A lot of things you all talk about goes right over my head. If I didn't love you girls so much I probably would have quit this site awhile ago. I cook so different from all of you. But I also love the fact that I learn from all of you!!

We live right in Tornado alley, so it is just part of life around here. This is the time of the year for them!! Thanks for the good thoughts - there are times we really need them.

Make it a great day and a wonderful weekend!!

 

[franandaj]

Leftover Cook off: Chicken croquettes

My starting ingredients



4 tbl butter
3 tbl Flour
½ cup Chicken Broth
½ cup Milk
¾ cup Bread crumbs
1 tbl Parsley
1 Egg (not pictured above)
2 cups cooked Chicken

¼ cup Bread crumbs
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 tbl Butter

Heat butter in a saucepan.



Add flour and stir to make a roux.






Add chicken broth and milk to make a creamy sauce.

Meanwhile in an pie pan, blend chicken, bread crumbs, parsley and egg.





Add creamy broth mixture and mix until combined. Spread out in pan, cover and refrigerate for several hours.



In another dish, combine Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.



When mixture is chilled, scoop our about ½ to ¾ cups of the mixture.



Form into Chicken balls and coat with bread crumb/Parmesan cheese mixture.





Melt butter and brush chicken balls with melted butter. Bake for 20 minutes at 350F.



Serve with dipping sauces for flavor. I chose peanut sauce while Fran went with ranch dressing. We each had an artichoke for our vegetable that night.

 

[PrincessInOz]

WooHoo.........I am going to see my boy today!!! Oh yea, Matthew too.

Today is Garth Brooks day - I can't wait. We are leaving work at noon and hopefully on the road by 1. We will stop in Lincoln to drop our bags off at the "Cunningham Inn" , pick up some sandwiches and head to Omaha. It has sort of become tradition to get to the Arena early to get a good parking spot, eat our picnic in the car and people watch until the doors open. Ladies, I can't tell you how excited I am for this concert. This is a dream come true for me - sort of a bucket list event.

Alison ~ He plays the trumpet. Actually he is playing Matthew's trumpet. Matthew played in the band/Pep band till the 10th grade, then sports won out. The program was wonderful. They played 7 songs and they were really impressive for 5th graders.

PIO ~ I am so glad that Alison asked what Tamarind was, as I had no idea either, but was to embarrassed to ask. A lot of things you all talk about goes right over my head. If I didn't love you girls so much I probably would have quit this site awhile ago. I cook so different from all of you. But I also love the fact that I learn from all of you!!

We live right in Tornado alley, so it is just part of life around here. This is the time of the year for them!! Thanks for the good thoughts - there are times we really need them.

Make it a great day and a wonderful weekend!!

Woo Hoo for Garth Brooks day! And for seeing your family. I bet it was a great day. How was the concert and did you like your seats?

And feel free to ask about anything I use in my cooking. I am aware that my style of cooking is not common in mid-west USA so I hope you will ask me about it. When I first came to Australia, it was pretty foreign as well. But with our proximity to Asia and with Australians just travelling everywhere, the last 10 - 20 years, all the Asian ingredients have become commonplace and we can even find some of them in the supermarket chains (e.g., Safeway).

So.....tamarind is a tree that originated in Africa and it made its way to India and South East Asia. It grows in tropical conditions and puts out a fruit that is long like a bean only fatter (a lot fatter). The fruit has a sour and sweet taste to it. Commercially, it comes as dried skins where the fruit is sliced vertically (skin, flesh and seeds) and dried; or as pulp where the flesh and seeds are removed and pulped. The pulp is sold 'wet'. The recipes I use it in are designed to have that sour taste. You could use vinegar; but there is an underlying sweetness when tamarind is used compared to vinegar. And there is a heap of good dietary trace elements and vitamins that come with the tamarind compared to vinegar.

I suspect that you may have tasted it without knowing it. Tamarind is used in Worchestershire sauce.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Leftover Cook off: Chicken croquettes

YUM!

I'm going to try this recipe. I think those croquettes would make a great school lunch for DS. I assume they are good to eat cold as well?

 

[franandaj]

YUM!

I'm going to try this recipe. I think those croquettes would make a great school lunch for DS. I assume they are good to eat cold as well?

I'm guessing they would be good cold with a dressing they're just protein and binding. The uh would probably taste good hot as cold..

 

[PrincessInOz]

Happy Mother's Day




Hope everyone that celebrated had a great mother's day!

We ended up hosting both mothers for a afternoon high tea. As we had less guests attending this year than last, we significantly cut back on the food.
My table setting was a lot less formal this year as well. I went with a sea of blue and green grass colour theme (because that's what I have in my cupboards!!! ) and added the splash of cyclamen pink to the table.






But it's all about the food, right?







Homemade egg sandwiches and some savoury pastries at the bottom. I grated some hardboiled eggs, added some mayonnaise and salt and pepper. I would normally also add a dab of butter to the warm grated eggs; but with DH being lactose intolerant, I left that out. The pastries were store-bought from a place that we used to love. Standards have slipped a lot at this place so I think I'm going back to making my own next year.







Homemade scones for the middle layer. We served these warm from the oven with jam and cream. Perfect with English Breakfast Tea!






I did try to get some sweet petit fours for the top layer. But I left my run too late as I had severely underestimated the Mother's Day factor. The shop I normally frequent was completely sold out by the time 11 am came round! So, I got some fresh strawberries and some mini meringues. I think I might stick to this selection next year as well. It worked well and was a lighter sweet layer than the lemon tarts or chocolate eclairs I was going to get.







Everyone had a great time and we all voted for a re-do next year!

 

[franandaj]

That looks like a great spread for Mothers day PIO! I called my mom, but that was the extent of my celebration. We were basically slugs all day yesterday. I did get caught up on all the TRs that I'm following!

WFD? Joan Bergner's sausage casserole.

 

[EJ4Disney]

Good morning ladies,

I KNOW I posted in here yesterday, because I responded to all of you. But this morning it isn't here. So sorry. So I will try to remember everything I said. LOL

Alison ~ Your croquettes look amazing!! That is something Doug would love. I am saving those!! Have you and Fran recouped from the party yet?

PIO ~ I love that you do a high tea for your Mothers. What a nice thing to do. My Momma just loved going to tea. There was not a trip to Disney that we didn't have a time for tea. Doug and Matthew also went and really looked forward to it. Whenever we cruise we try to go to tea every day. There is just something about it that is so nice. I am sure your Mother's loved it. Your food looked wonderful!

OH.MY.GOODNESS girls Garth Brooks was the BEST concert I have ever gone to. And I have been to some very big name artists. Doug and I are kind of concert junkies. We love going to them and probably have seen 150+. But Garth Brooks was the best!!! He played for 2 1/2 hours. Trisha Yearwood came out for 2 songs and then they sang together. It was amazing. We thoroughly enjoyed it!!

We did some shopping on Saturday. Finally was able to get some new clothes. I have lost almost 20 pounds, so I really really needed some new things that actually fit. We took Matthew and Katlin out for dinner. We sat and talked for almost 2 hours. We were back in a corner, and yes, they were busy but we were out of the way and just sat and enjoyed each other. Nice nite. Then after church yesterday they took me out to lunch at a quaint little place call the Engine House. Best eggs benedict I have ever eaten. YUM! Mother's Day was so nice.

What a difference a day makes. We didn't get out of the 50's yesterday and the wind made it feel down right fridged. Today the sun is shining and to be in the 70's. There were parts of Nebraska - in the panhandle - that got up to 18"of snow over the weekend. Crazy!! I debated about going out and covering my flowers last night as we even had a freeze warning. I did bring in my planters that the kids gave me for Mother's day though.

WFDT ~ butternut squash ragout with grilled sirloin.

Make it a great day!

 

[dgbg100106]

Foggy Tuesday here,

Brandi ~ Thanks. I went and got the tickets yesterday and they are pretty good tickets. We are in the lower bowl (just right of the stage), 10 rows up, seat 5 & 6. WooHoo!!!

I can't even see across the street it is SO foggy. We did get almost an inch of rain yesterday though. The farmers are celebrating - well at least the ones that busted their fannys last week and have their crops in. Corn is at 75% in and soybeans are at 80%. It really sucks for the ones not in yet as it will be awhile before this dries out properly to get the machinery back in the fields. But my lawn, trees and flowers are loving it.

I am so sad girls. I was getting ready for my zumba class yesterday and was notified that they have dropped it for the summer.

There is another one on Wednesday's but it is from 6:30 - 7:30pm. That is just to late for me to come back into town. I am so bummed.

Last night Doug had to go to Kearney to pick a part up, so I rode along and we stopped to cuddle and play with the girls. We had so much fun. Harper is getting to be so much fun. She just "talks" and tells you all about it. Lilly and Papa marched all night. I wish you could have seen him. It was priceless. Lilly kept saying, "Hands on your hips and get those knees up". And he did.......Stephanie video taped it but he would kill me if I posted it. DARLING!!!

WFDT ~ Ham & scalloped potatoes , roasted brussel sprouts, and pear salad.

Make it a great day.

The tickets sound perfect! I know you had a great time.

I am glad to hear the crops are almost in. Was it your neighbors that put in the walnuts?

Oh so sorry to hear about the zumba class. I know when you are having a good time and exercising there is nothing better for you! Hopefully they will offer something else that will fit your schedule. I little variety might be good.

I wished I could have seen them marching together it sounds so darn cute!

Last night for dinner was taco salad, and I got David to eat the tofu scrambled up like meat, and he told me that he could not tell the difference, so he is stuck with it from now on! LOL I browned it in the skillet, with onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, dark chili powder, Braggs Amino, and liquid smoke.