The All-New What's For Dinner Thread!!(recipe index in OP)

[TigerKat]

He takes losing a crop personally so this has been stressful, he has some guys coming in tonight for one last ditch effort to save it. I was at the FSA registering the farm last week, and one of the gals told me she has a list of farmers who have to harrow their crops under already

That has to be very hard and stressful.

Liam told me on the way into the house, "Mom, I REALLY like pitching!" I was really happy for him because he felt so good, his teammates were all excited for him, and the coaches, who had no idea Liam could pitch, were impressed.

Okay, thanks for bearing with me, I'll talk about dinner now.

Sounds like you've got quite a pitcher on your hands now Mom! LOVED your story, personally I can never hear enough baseball talk. Please tell Liam "Good Job"!

WFD - Chicken sauteed with asparagus, red peppers and sherry, pasta and a salad.

 

[Nancyg56]

Lauren- please take it easy today. Your back is not going to heal if you overdo.

Kat- my DH is stressed for 6 months at least He would love to be a control freak but you just cannot control nature A few years ago, I was chatting with the folks at the FSA and they were chuckling over a man who came in becasue he was looking for a stressfree job, he was going into aquaculture. There is no such think as stressfree in any farm venture, there is risk and I honestly do not know how the big farms manage. My DH raises because he was raised on a farm and needs to work land but we do not depend on it. If my livelihood was dependent upon so many conditions outside of my control I'd explode! In our area there are very few family farms left operating and watching these folks is humbling.

 

[TigerKat]

My back is still bad but I need to do a few things today so hopefully I will be OK.

Please take it easy my friend.

If my livelihood was dependent upon so many conditions outside of my control I'd explode! In our area there are very few family farms left operating and watching these folks is humbling.

I can only imagine......

Kyle and his team finally made it to Cincinnati after a 17 hour bus ride, the driver took a wrong turn somewhere in Kentucky and it took them 3 hours to get back on track, can you believe that?

 

[cajunmommy]

I wanted to ask you professionals about cooking a Brisket.
I am going to cook brisket for 12 people.
The recipe I have put together includes a 10 - 12 lb brisket marinated with liquid smoke and cooked in a turkey bag at 250 degrees for 12 hours.

Does anyone have any advice before I tackle this (or change my mind and do burgers instead)

Luv u guys!!

Hope you don't mind my popping in for this one. It's almost exactly how I was taught to do my brisket! "Low & Slow" is the secret for keeping the brisket tender.

What I normally do is rub the outside of the brisket with LOTS of seasoning / spices - onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper, black pepper, paprika. I place it in the turkey bag and dump in a whole bottle of liquid smoke. If I have time, I try to marinate this in the fridge for a few hours. If not, into the low oven it goes, usually overnight. I'll typically scrape off the larger remaining portions of fat with the back of a spoon when the brisket is cool enough to handle, and slice or chop up the brisket.

Nancy - I can identify with the stress of farming. My paternal grandfather farmed, and my father is attempting to retire from his 1000+ acre sugarcane operation. Of course, as with most who have farming in their blood, he's not going away quietly - he's just trading cane for beef cattle. And yes, there's always something to stress about....too much rain, not enough rain, hurricanes & muddy fields @ harvest time, pests, early freezes, prices of chemicals, broken down equipment, labor shortage.....the litany is never ending. But I know my DDad wouldn't have it any other way. The pride in his eyes when he has a successful crop or great day at auction is priceless!

 

[nucpharm29]

Morning all! I think we're gonna have teriyaki chicken kabobs and grilled veggies for dinner. Need a starch is there, so have to think on that one.

Laura--Congrats to Liam on a great game!

Lauren--Take care of yourself!

 

[Nancyg56]

I love how you said "attempting" My DH was raising dairy replacements when we met and I enjoyed them so much. Well just before we were engaged he had the idea that I did not want him to farm so he sold his animals and was miserable for about six months. There he was, haying but no cows and missing them terribly. So back farming and eventually to the small piece of tobacco that he now raises. I really would prefer animals but in our area land is just to expensive to support that for now. In the meantime the processes used in broadleaf are basically the same as when his Grandpa raised this crop so his nostalgia is part of the draw. You are so right, the pride that comes from seeing something that started with a tiny seed to a healthy plant that survived wind, rain, hail, extreme cold and then extreme heat to is wonderful. Our crop has been hit with all of this except the hail. That was just a ways away but passed over us. The fertilizers and chemicals have washed out and have been replaced three times, Buddy has opened the ground up more times than I can count and he is now adding a supplement by hand to see if he can save these persnickety things. They are standing strong but their color is not right.

I admire your Dad. Raising animals is a commitment that cannot be turned on and off, so much more than money riding on them. Strong man, he must be

 

[cajunmommy]

There he was, haying but no cows and missing them terribly.

I admire your Dad. Raising animals is a commitment that cannot be turned on and off, so much more than money riding on them. Strong man, he must be

ha ha..missing the cows...Sometimes I wonder if it was easier for Dad to raise cattle than it was with us three girls.....

I am proud of my "old man". He's been very successful despite Mother Nature's best attempts. Of course, providing us with that half a calf for the freezer on a routine basis doesn't hurt, either!

Speaking of pride.....way to go Liam! Waiting to hear good news about Kyle, once the team had recuperated from their "3 hour tour" of Kentucky!

WFD - probably the Smokin' Mac & Cheese I listed on here a while back. The kids were asking for it a few days ago. Fresh cucumber & tomato salad and watermelon sides to help cut the heavy starchiness.

 

[Disney Ron]

Hi Ladies,

Liam, way to go little man!!!!!

Kathy, can't wait to hear how Kyle makes out. DN has been on a traveling team too, but I have not been able to get to any.
Seems like my DB is spending his weekends in other states all the time with her. But they have been doing great from what I hear.

Nancy- You mentioning the tobacco farming, is giving me childhood flash backs. My aunt lives in Windsor Locks, CT and my cousins used to work tobacco in the summers.

WFD- Pork Chops marinated in greek dressing, grilled squash and onions, apple sauce.

My DH is doing great watching what he is eating, he is gearing up for WDW in September. Needless to say I have been making very few starches these days. I tend to load up on them when I eat at my DP. I should be dieting right along with him, but it is so hard being home all day.

I promise to try to catch up on you all!

Ann

 

[liamsaunt]

Here are some photos from dinner last night. I grilled a chicken in a honey marinade. It is that funky shape because I cut out the backbone and the breastbone before grilling it so it would cook faster. You can see one area where the chicken stuck to the grill, but otherwise I thought it came out very nicely!

Here is it carved for serving, with some extra honey sauce:

we also had some summer squash

As well as some mac and cheese, but you all have seen my mac and cheese a bunch of times so I won't post that photo.

The chicken was very moist and I loved the flavor of the spice rub and the glaze. The recipe is in this month's Fine Cooking magazine.

Tonight I will be using the leftover chicken to make a cobb salad.

 

[OKWMom]

Hi everyone! I got back Sunday evening, but I feel like I haven't stopped since then. I would have tried for a quick check in on Sunday or last night (too busy catching up at work to do it here yesterday), but my darling girl wanted all of my attention.

We had a wonderful time, and I tried very hard to forget it was the last hoorah for me with my sister for a long while. She is moving the first week in August and I'm going to miss her terribly. I'm sure she'll be back on holidays, but it just isn't the same. You don't get much time to relax and enjoy each other on those whirlwind holiday trips. I'm hoping to convince her to join us on one of the annual Disney trips, but it's kind of hard to plan when she doesn't know where they will be permanently assigned until January.

Anyway, Kenny did really well feeding himself and the children. He followed all of the heating instructions for the casseroles I left and they didn't have to eat fast food one time. Much to the disappointment of the children.

He did so well I made one of his favorites last night - country style steak in cream gravy with rice and peas. Tonight is Amanda's request - chicken pilau with green beans.

 

[Piglet843]

Thanks for everyone's 2 cents on Brisket...
I'm still nervous about it - but its just cause I care right!

I made one years ago and used liquid smoke with it. I did not use the cooking bag but I would think it would work well. All I can add is that low and slow is the way. A woman I knew used to make them and she always let them cook and then cool day before she needed to use them. She sliced them the next day and reheated it then because she felt that it stayed juicy and tender that way.

I wish I did have time to cook the day before - I'll be lucky to let it marinate long enough. Thanks for the vote of confidence! I'm thinking I can do this...

Hope you don't mind my popping in for this one. It's almost exactly how I was taught to do my brisket! "Low & Slow" is the secret for keeping the brisket tender.

What I normally do is rub the outside of the brisket with LOTS of seasoning / spices - onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper, black pepper, paprika. I place it in the turkey bag and dump in a whole bottle of liquid smoke. If I have time, I try to marinate this in the fridge for a few hours. If not, into the low oven it goes, usually overnight. I'll typically scrape off the larger remaining portions of fat with the back of a spoon when the brisket is cool enough to handle, and slice or chop up the brisket.

Thanks a lot for replying!
You did use the whole bottle of liquid smoke? I was afraid that would be too much. Even though it gets dumped off before cooking.
Is an hour per pound reasonable in a 250 degree oven? I know it needs to be at a temp between 180 - 200 degrees when done - I'm just worried it will take a lot longer than I'm expecting...

Hope everyone is having a great day!
Toodles

 

[bigmerle1966]

Dinner tonight will be turkey meatloaf, roasted potatoes and green beans.

 

[Glynis]

Way to go, Liam!!!!! That's wonderful!

Kathy - tell Kyle we're rooting for him! I can't imagine a bus ride that long, and then having to play baseball after that!

Lauren - Please take care of your back! You are more important than anything else!

Nancy - I admire anyone who farms! What a thankless job! You are a gem for supporting him!

Dinner tonight will be Stephanie's curried chicken wraps. Yum!!!

Dinner last night was a beef ragu with cheese ravioli. Also, yum!

Today, my sister is bringing her kids over to play and visit. I think we'll take all the kids to the local candy store, the Peppermint Place for some candy and some gelato for the mommies!

 

[TigerKat]

Waiting to hear good news about Kyle, once the team had recuperated from their "3 hour tour" of Kentucky!

Kathy, can't wait to hear how Kyle makes out.

He just called me a little while ago. The coach let them sleep in this morning, then they had their first practice. They're attending a welcome banquet tonight and Kyle will be throwing the first game of the series vs. Arlington, TX(I think that's what he said) tomorrow at 11:30. Of course all he wanted to talk about was the Bengals stadium and the Reds field, ya know the stuff guys love that Mom really isn't interested in....

Hi everyone! I got back Sunday evening, but I feel like I haven't stopped since then. I would have tried for a quick check in on Sunday or last night (too busy catching up at work to do it here yesterday), but my darling girl wanted all of my attention.

I'll bet Hailey just wanted to cling to you when you got home, that's so sweet. So glad you had a great time and Kenny fared well with dinner!

 

[TigerKat]

Great pics Becky! I've always wanted to cook a chicken like that but I don't have kitchen shears, which I assume you need to cut it to remove the bone. Looks great!!

 

[Disney Ron]

I have an ADR for RR but am considering trying Tutto Italia. What do you ladies think? Opinions welcome, would you make the switch? And is TI kid friendly? We went to RR once and the service really turned us away, we were going to give it another try but I am cautious. I know alot of you have said great things about RR.

Thanks,
Ann

 

[Aimeedyan]

Just a drive by - VBS/Day Camp is less than 2 weeks away and I've lost my mind!!

Haven't been to the store in weeks, ran out of food last night, we're going out.

 

[TigerKat]

I have an ADR for RR but am considering trying Tutto Italia. What do you ladies think? Opinions welcome, would you make the switch? And is TI kid friendly? We went to RR once and the service really turned us away, we were going to give it another try but I am cautious. I know alot of you have said great things about RR.

Thanks,
Ann

Sorry Ann, I can't help. Haven't been to either one but we are trying RR next trip, Lauren LOVES RR!!!

 

[liamandcaili]

Thanks everyone for the congrats for Liam. He was pretty proud of himself, but when I mentioned today that all of you and Greg (he called earlier) said congratulations, he rolled his eyes as if to say, "Mom...that was SO yesterday!"

I was at the FSA registering the farm last week, and one of the gals told me she has a list of farmers who have to harrow their crops under already

I wish you and Buddy the best with the farm. I can't imagine putting in as much work as he has and having the crop fail.

Sounds like you've got quite a pitcher on your hands now Mom! LOVED your story, personally I can never hear enough baseball talk.

Me either, so keep your stories from Kyle coming. on the lost bus! How do you get THREE hours lost?? Good luck to Kyle tomorrow!

We had a wonderful time, and I tried very hard to forget it was the last hoorah for me with my sister for a long while. She is moving the first week in August and I'm going to miss her terribly.

I'm glad you had a good time. I can imagine how you feel about your sister moving...I don't know what I would do without Beck close by. My life would certainly be a lot emptier. That is sweet of Hailey to want lots of Mom time after your weekend away. Congratulations to Kenny on the cooking.

Glynis -- Sounds like a fun day!

Piglet -- Good luck with the brisket.

The kids picked sole out of the fish counter for dinner, so I am trying to figure out what I am going to do with it.

 

[FormrCastMbr]

I have an ADR for RR but am considering trying Tutto Italia. What do you ladies think? Opinions welcome, would you make the switch? And is TI kid friendly? We went to RR once and the service really turned us away, we were going to give it another try but I am cautious. I know alot of you have said great things about RR.

Thanks,
Ann

Raglan Road. I have not read too many great reviews of Tutto Italia but I have not been there...and you know me...the RR lover as Kat stated!

******
I am feeling a bit better!!! I took it easy and layed by the pool we belong to this afternoon...yeah, not much has been getting done here this summer!

Andrew has been such a big help and taking it a bit easy and the ice and heat helped big time. Thanks for all the well wishes!

******
Kat, Wishing Kyle lots of luck tomorrow!