The Official What's For Dinner thread:Thursday 1-24-08? Recipe finder in OP. Enjoy! Part 2

[liamandcaili]

Nancy, here's one for Kady (you'll notice almost all the recipes I have are for desserts. Those are the hardest things to find that are egg and dairy-free though.) I still haven't found my cupcake recipe...we've moved since the last time I made them...but this can be made into cupcakes, and I've heard it is pretty near impossible to screw this up. I haven't made it, but it is one of the recipes I received from other moms with kids with allergies.

Wacky Cake

1.5 cups flour
3 TBSP cocoa powder (can be left out if vanilla is preferred)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP vinegar
5 TBSP canola or vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla (2 if leaving out the cocoa)
1 c water

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour an 8" square or 9" round cake pan. Or line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

Combine dry ingredients.

Mix together wet ingredients in separate bowl.

Combine wet and dry ingredients until batter is smooth (do not beat).

Bake in oven until it tests done...about 35 mins for cake or 20 for cupcakes.

For frosting, Duncan Hines makes dairy-free frosting, or you can make your own by substituting dairy-free margarine for butter in a regular frosting recipe.

 

[Dislifer]

Hi All,

We got the delivery from Omaha Steaks so tonight will be filet mignon, potatoes au gratin, broccoli. OMG, so much stuff for such a great price.

I think we will have some shrimp cocktail too...Rosa Regale is chilling...we had a bottle last night too!!!

Have a great day all! It's starting to rain here.

Happy Anniversary Mermaid!!!

Please tell me more about this Rosa Regale that so many of you have been drinking! Is it sweet-I don't like too sweet. How do I get my hands on a bottle...just go into a liquor store and ask for a bottle of Rosa Regale??? Anything else I need to know?
TIA!!!

 

[Zandy595]

Good afternoon everyone. Again, I don't have a clue what's for dinner as I haven't made it to the store yet. We went out to lunch with DH's parents and now they're here watching the hockey game with us (let's go Buffalo!).

 

[FormrCastMbr]

I just got my e-mail yesterday that mine has been shipped!! Let me know details about everything. Are you using th Omaha potatoes?

Well, my plans changed. DF wants to take me out...who am I to argue? We are going to the new restaurant that we love. They specialize in ribs but their seafood is great too Gotta go take my carb blockers!!!

We will be eating Omaha steaks tomorrow. Yes, I will be eating the omaha potatoes...but I heard someone else say they didn't like them. I eat anything but I will let you know how it all is. The other person who mentioned they did not like them was another baseball mom. She said if we do not like them, they will ship something else or put something in its place the next time.

ETA: I am very happy with the way the omaha stuff was shipped. Check you delivery though...ours was missing the free gift...they are sending it out asap...

Please tell me more about this Rosa Regale that so many of you have been drinking! Is it sweet-I don't like too sweet. How do I get my hands on a bottle...just go into a liquor store and ask for a bottle of Rosa Regale??? Anything else I need to know?
TIA!!!

It is on the sweeter side. I may not be the right one to answer your question since I am a Rosa newbie but I would say its like a bubbly rose wine...it is sweet but not too sweet. Yes, just go to your liquor store and see if they carry it. It runs 19.99 here. I would say pick up a bottle and try it with a few other people, this way if you do not like it, chances are someone will and finish the bottle...no waste!!!

Have a good evening all! DF will be happy...I put on my new sugar sugar lip stuff...xoxoxo

 

[Nancyg56]

Mermaid- Happy Anniversary!

liamandcailli- thanks for the recipe. I have started a new folder just for Kady. I am going to try to make this tomorrow. Did you find that you needed to bake breads or could you easily find them?

 

[TigerKat]

ETA: I am very happy with the way the omaha stuff was shipped. Check you delivery though...ours was missing the free gift...they are sending it out asap...

Did you call them about the order not being correct?

 

[Aimeedyan]

Well, it's official. I HATE baking. I mean hate.

Every once in awhile I get a bee in my bonnet to bake something for someone. I don't personally care much for baked goods and sweets so I don't do it for myself. I tried those lemon cookies and finished them up today.

They didn't really turn out and I'm not sure what I did wrong. I made a huge mess in the kitchen, spent a lot of $ on ingredients, and it took way too long. Not to mention the entire dishwasher full of dishes it too to do them!

Just not worth it. I don't enjoy it and it ticks me off when things don't taste even as good as the Costco bakery.

I'm sticking to the professionals now - so remind me that the next time I decide to bake something!

=)

 

[liamandcaili]

liamandcailli- thanks for the recipe. I have started a new folder just for Kady. I am going to try to make this tomorrow. Did you find that you needed to bake breads or could you easily find them?

Most commercial sliced breads don't have egg. Liam doesn't have the dairy allergy, though. I just checked the breads I had in my freezer and the sliced bread we use has milk, but the rolls and bagels don't. I am sure your daughter can find a sliced bread that doesn't have dairy...if not in the regular bread aisle then in the organic/natural food aisle. There are a lot of foods in that aisle in our grocery store that specifically cater to kids with allergies, so there are plenty of eggless, dairy-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, etc. products.

Let me know how the wacky cake turns out, and I am definitely on a mission to find that cupcake recipe! I've looked in a bunch of unopened boxes, and I've searched online, but I haven't found it yet. Liam says they are really good.

As for dinner tonight, I was trying to think of something creative to do with asparagus and eggplant. I couldn't come up with anything, and it was getting late, so I just made spaghetti and meatballs, salad and rolls.

Tomorrow is Caili's ballet recital --she did look cute in her "Haute Couture" costume, and she was the only girl not itching herself before the dance began today at the rehearsal -- so my mom is bringing dinner for after the show. We're having fried chicken, cornbread, potato salad and coleslaw. (The kids will only eat the chicken though, so I will have to do a little cooking and maybe make some macaroni and cheese or something.)

 

[Nancyg56]

I'm sticking to the professionals now - so remind me that the next time I decide to bake something!

I think that you can't beat Costco......and they take anything back that you don't like. We just polished off cheesecake and Tiramisu from their freezer case becaue I have scored a complete zero on tiramisu and my cheesecake does not taste as good and costs more to make.

 

[liamandcaili]

Well, it's official. I HATE baking. I mean hate.

Every once in awhile I get a bee in my bonnet to bake something for someone. I don't personally care much for baked goods and sweets so I don't do it for myself. I tried those lemon cookies and finished them up today.

They didn't really turn out and I'm not sure what I did wrong.

You sound like my sister. She loves cooking, but hates baking. She leaves that to me. I love making cookies, but even after years of doing it, rolled and filled cookies can be tricky. However, here's a recipe that has never turned out wrong...it's from the All American Cookie Book. Some tips: use good quality vanilla...not fake. Make sure the butter is the right consistency -- best scenario is take it out of the fridge the night before...if you forget, it's okay to microwave, but it shouldn't be melted, just soft. Be patient beating the butter and sugar. It should look like whipped butter.

Note for Nancy: I've made these egg-free by substituting 1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil for the egg. You could substitute dairy-free margarine for the butter, and subtract the milk.

Lemon Sugar Cookie Dough

3 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks) --slightly softened
Scant 1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp milk
2 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
1/4 lemon extract

In large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.

In separate large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, milk, vanilla and lemon until well-blended and smooth.

Gradually stir in the flour mixture (if you have a standing mixer, you can beat it in on the stir option) to form a smooth, stiff dough. (IF the dough is too soft, you can add extra flour, but I have never needed to do this.)

Divide the dough in half. Roll out each half between sheets of wax paper until a scant 1/4 inch thick. (It's okay if it's not precise. I don't measure.) Stack the dough, still in the paper, on a baking sheet and refrigerate 45 minutes...or freeze for 25.

Preheat the oven to 375. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Once chilled, take one sheet of dough and remove top layer of wax paper. Replace, then flip over and remove the other side. Discard. Cut the dough into shapes and place cut cookies on prepared baking sheet. Reroll the scraps once and cut out additional cookies. Repeat for remaining dough. (I put the cut-out cookies on the baking sheet back into the refrigerator until I am ready to bake them.)

Bake 8-11 minutes, until slightly colored on top. Remove from sheets to wire racks (or paper bags, which is what I use) to cool.

Once completely cooled, you can frost them with:

Lemon Powdered Sugar Icing (this should be halved for cookies)

1 16 ounce box powdered sugar
3 Tbsps warm water
2 tsps light corn syrup
1/8 tsp lemon extract

With electric mixer, beat together all ingredients until smooth. This usually turns out too stiff for cookies, so add water as needed.

The nice thing about this icing is that it hardens once cooled. I've used Betty Crocker writing pens (found in the baking aisle) to turn these cookies into everything from birthday greetings to desserts at sporting events.

I should also note that you can leave out the lemon, and make these regular sugar cookies. In the frosting, use vanilla instead of lemon. You could also substitute almond extract for the lemon. Or chocoholics could substitute some cocoa powder for the flour (1/4 cup or so) in the cookies, and do the same for some of the sugar in the frosting. It's a pretty versatile recipe.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Tonight I am trying out a new Rachael Ray recipe. It was on 30 Minute Meals this week. I've seen it before and always thought it looked yummy. It is Renaissance of Tuna Casserole. We will have a salad with it. If it's good I will post a recipe

WFD at your house?

ETA: *sigh* It is a very sad time in our house right now. Our sweet PJ, our hamster, died yesterday. We got adopted him in 2004, so he was a bit elderly. We are really going to miss him.

 

[HERSEY]

LindsayDunn228 You haven't had the best of weeks. Sorry to hear about PJ.

 

[HERSEY]

Last night I went to a Tastefully Simple Party and snacked.

Not sure what is on the menu for tonight. I'll have to wait and see if it's a grill night, we might have rain.

 

[shovan]

Morning Y'all,

I didn't get to Dis yesterday because on Friday night DH fell out of his WC! We were going to eat our takeout food on the patio, because the weather was so nice.

I get all our dinner together & open the door to the patio. My DH goes to the door & no sooner did I ask if he needed the ramp & he replied " No, I've got it", then blam, his wheelchair hangs up on the threshold & throws him out onto the concrete aggregate patio. He's face down flat out on the patio moaning & I've got to back up the WC just to get to him. There's blood all over the ground around his face & then I realize he's really out of it, when he asked why he was out on the patio!

Well trying to make a long story shorter, my Son-IL (nurse) gets here, checks him out really well & decides we might be able to avoid the hospital & get him checked at an Urgent Care clinic. Which we do, because he has lots of cuts in his mouth, around his eyes & cheekbones & maybe a concussion. So we get him checked out. The Dr. said nothing was broken or needs stitches but there going to pain & lots of swelling. The typical warnings for concussions & we were done in a little over an hour.

He looks really bad, black eye, lots of swelling & bruising on half of his face. But Thank God it could have been much worse.

Sheryl

 

[marlasmom]

Thank heavens he's ok.

 

[TigerKat]

Lindsay - to you, sweetiee! You surely have had a rough week, things will get better.

Sheryl - As I said on the NOLA thread - Thank God Bob is OK, but the man does have his priorities in order - the fried chicken had to be eaten first!

Yesterday's pot roast never got eaten - DS had a group of friends over for a playstation tournament and I wasn't going to give my Paula Deen pot roast to six ravenous teenagers. We ordered pizza, so we'll have the pot roast today with mashed potatoes, smothered cabbage and liamandcaili's eggplant sticks! Can't wait for the eggplant!!!

I'm getting worried about Gretchen, has anyone heard from her or seen her post anywhere?

 

[Glynis]

Well, it's official. I HATE baking. I mean hate.

Every once in awhile I get a bee in my bonnet to bake something for someone. I don't personally care much for baked goods and sweets so I don't do it for myself. I tried those lemon cookies and finished them up today.

They didn't really turn out and I'm not sure what I did wrong. I made a huge mess in the kitchen, spent a lot of $ on ingredients, and it took way too long. Not to mention the entire dishwasher full of dishes it too to do them!

Just not worth it. I don't enjoy it and it ticks me off when things don't taste even as good as the Costco bakery.

I'm sticking to the professionals now - so remind me that the next time I decide to bake something!

=)

I'm so sorry that this didn't turn out well for you! Don't give up on baking. Just try something that's a little easier. I've got a couple of recipes for cookie bars that use store-bought tubes of cookie dough. It cuts down on the time spent in the kitchen, and it also cuts down on the mess. If you're interested, let me know. Truthfully, they are very easy, but they taste as if you've spent hours slaving.

I'm kind of the Queen of fast cooking. I really don't enjoy doing something that takes more than 20-30 minutes. I feel like I just have better things to do. Most of my dessert recipes are that way! I have a great recipe for baked apples that are done in the microwave, and my kids just beg for them! Let me know if you want some easier, more "user friendly" baking recipes!

 

[Glynis]

Tonight I am trying out a new Rachael Ray recipe. It was on 30 Minute Meals this week. I've seen it before and always thought it looked yummy. It is Renaissance of Tuna Casserole. We will have a salad with it. If it's good I will post a recipe

WFD at your house?

ETA: *sigh* It is a very sad time in our house right now. Our sweet PJ, our hamster, died yesterday. We got adopted him in 2004, so he was a bit elderly. We are really going to miss him.

to you Lindsay. It's never easy to lose a pet.

 

[Glynis]

Morning Y'all,

I didn't get to Dis yesterday because on Friday night DH fell out of his WC! We were going to eat our takeout food on the patio, because the weather was so nice.

I get all our dinner together & open the door to the patio. My DH goes to the door & no sooner did I ask if he needed the ramp & he replied " No, I've got it", then blam, his wheelchair hangs up on the threshold & throws him out onto the concrete aggregate patio. He's face down flat out on the patio moaning & I've got to back up the WC just to get to him. There's blood all over the ground around his face & then I realize he's really out of it, when he asked why he was out on the patio!

Well trying to make a long story shorter, my Son-IL (nurse) gets here, checks him out really well & decides we might be able to avoid the hospital & get him checked at an Urgent Care clinic. Which we do, because he has lots of cuts in his mouth, around his eyes & cheekbones & maybe a concussion. So we get him checked out. The Dr. said nothing was broken or needs stitches but there going to pain & lots of swelling. The typical warnings for concussions & we were done in a little over an hour.

He looks really bad, black eye, lots of swelling & bruising on half of his face. But Thank God it could have been much worse.

Sheryl

Oh, Sheryl! I'm so sorry!!! I'm so glad that he's ok!!! What a scary thing!

I'd say order in!

 

[Glynis]

I'm getting worried about Gretchen, has anyone heard from her or seen her post anywhere?

I haven't seen her. I hope she's ok!