The Official What's For Dinner thread:Thursday 1-24-08? Recipe finder in OP. Enjoy! Part 3

[liamsaunt]

Sheryl, the mermaid was from a restaurant DH and I like to go to...for anyone around here, the East Coast Grill in Cambridge. They always hang trinkets off the drinks, even glasses of wine. We've gotten mermaids, monkeys, donkeys (no elephants ), swordfish, and a couple of other charms. I have a bunch of them in a kitchen drawer, and break them out when the drink seems worthy.

So, here are some photos from tonight. You've already seen the clams and striped bass, so I only photoed the sides.

Asparagus:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1163/1020725271_b152a373ae.jpg

Creamed corn:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1034/1021589612_1655fd3589.jpg

Eggplant gratin (not so tasty):

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1342/1020724579_8e18a89547.jpg

And then, because I was TOTALLY stressed out this afternoon by bizarre neighbor drama (I thought about telling you guys the whole thing, but decided that will give my wacko neighbors too much power), I made this dessert for my DH, who was admirably restrained during the entire evil encounter.

It's a brioche muffin, griddled in butter, filled with the leftover peaches from the other night topped with vanilla ice cream and hot butterscotch sauce, surrounded by fresh raspberries. I did not eat any of it but DH said it was awesome:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1025/1020722775_0435fde3cf.jpg

 

[zipuzee]

Kathy - we get Mahi Mahi from Sams frozen. I don't eat fish, but DH & DD love it. You might want to try that since Dorignac's is not exactly convenient for you.

 

[liamandcaili]

Me too! DH didn't want to stop for dinner on our way back from the game last night so I had a fast food burger for the first time in over two years.

Now that would definitely kill my stomach for a week. I haven't been able to eat fast food since college...well, a couple times when I was pregnant with Liam, but that was out of desperation. I couldn't make the 20 minutes home without food

Laura - The Mahi-Mahi ended up in the trash. Whoever cleaned and packaged this fish had no idea what they were doing, it smelled awful and was FULL of bones. I had already prepared the mango salsa, which was excellent, so I grilled some chicken and topped it with the salsa.

I'm sorry you had to throw out the fish. In general, I try to avoid frozen fish. Becky has had some good luck with frozen sushi grade tuna, but other than that, we usually can get fresh stuff around here, so I go with that. At least the salsa was good!

I hope you are feeling better.

Thanks! I'll pick up the clam juice instead of the stock! I'd be sick if I would have to throw a whole seafood meal out because of the stock!

Believe me, I wasn't happy. Not only did I have to throw the chowder out, but it stunk up my house for a week.

We did end up having hamburgers and hotdogs yesterday, and I survived. Today was linner with Becky, BIL and my parents. It was good (see the pics above) but the fish was slightly overdone...my fault. I was in charge of the grill today. It still tasted good. Becky and I didn't like the eggplant dish, but our parents seemed to enjoy it.

The only problem is that we didn't make a starch. I am already starting to feel hungry.

 

[zipuzee]

It's a brioche muffin, griddled in butter, filled with the leftover peaches from the other night topped with vanilla ice cream and hot butterscotch sauce, surrounded by fresh raspberries. I did not eat any of it but DH said it was awesome:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1025/1020722775_0435fde3cf.jpg

This looks absolutely wicked. Yum.

 

[TigerKat]

Kathy - we get Mahi Mahi from Sams frozen. I don't eat fish, but DH & DD love it. You might want to try that since Dorignac's is not exactly convenient for you.

Thanks, I'll be sure and add that to my Sam's list!

This looks absolutely wicked. Yum.

I agree! YUMMOOOOO!!!!



By the way, it's official baseball is OVER for the season!!!! Now we get to watch our Saints on TV tonight!!!!!

 

[TigerKat]

And then, because I was TOTALLY stressed out this afternoon by bizarre neighbor drama (I thought about telling you guys the whole thing, but decided that will give my wacko neighbors too much power), I made this dessert for my DH, who was admirably restrained during the entire evil encounter.

Now you can't tease us with a evil wacko neighbor story, you know we love that kinda stuff! Especially since it produced such an incredible dessert!!

 

[Glynis]

Hey Glynis!! I have an interesting muffin question for you.

I made your blueberry muffins yesterday for my husband to take to work. I was thinking of other ways to make them and an idea occured to me. How would it be if you add 1 cup of a chocolate chip of some kind in place of the frozen/fresh blueberries, and a half cup of Hershey's chocolate syrup for the pie filling? Toss in a tablespoon of espresso powder and voila!!!

Chocolate espresso muffins!

Do you think it's a good idea? Would you mess with any measurements; use something besides chocolate syrup? What are your thoughts?

Sorry I'm late on this, Lindsay! It sounds incredible to me! I don't really know about the measurements. I would try a batch and see how they turn out. That's pretty much what I have to do when I want to mess around. Lots of times they end up in the garbage, but that's how you learn, right?

Oooooo, I just had a thought. Cherry pie filling with chocolate chunks or chips for a chocolate cherry muffin. Hmmmmm, looks like I may have to try it out!

 

[Glynis]

Lindsay, first of all, this sounds like a great combination. I would be interested in hearing Glynis's thoughts, but as someone who substitutes freely in baking recipes, I am not sure you are going to get the desired result with what you suggested. Regular chocolate chips are heavier than blueberries and I think they would sink. Maybe mini chips would work though. I think the chocolate syrup would be more liquid than the pie filling, especially when heated. Maybe if you melted chocolate chips or used hot fudge sauce, that would be more similar in consistency.

Good luck experimenting! It sounds like a muffin worth the effort.

Dinner tonight was pasta. I made a fresh cherry tomato and basil sauce for mine, salad and garlic bread. My MIL called and blabbed for a while (not in a bad way) but it cut my cooking time short, so I went with an easy and quick favorite.

Good suggestions! I think you're right about the consistency. Perhaps a thicker chocolate syrup, or use less and add some cocoa powder. Trial and error!

 

[TigerKat]

Oooooo, I just had a thought. Cherry pie filling with chocolate chunks or chips for a chocolate cherry muffin. Hmmmmm, looks like I may have to try it out!

With all the muffin talk I went back and printed off the blueberry muffin recipe. Please let me know if you try the chocolate cherry combo, that sounds very good!

Welcome back, did you have a nice time?

 

[Glynis]

As for me being an accomplished baker, believe me, I have had my fair share of disasters. Becky, I'm sure, won't ever forget the chocolate almond torte that tasted like scrambled eggs. The reason I know the chocolate chips will sink is because I tried to make chocolate chip cupcakes once. All the chips were firmly attached to the bottom of the cupcake liner.

Here's a little trick I've learned: place your chocolate chips (or blueberries, or whatever) in a baggie with a little bit of flour and shake to coat. This helps the heavier items stay afloat in the batter and not sink to the bottom.

 

[Glynis]

With all the muffin talk I went back and printed off the blueberry muffin recipe. Please let me know if you try the chocolate cherry combo, that sounds very good!

Welcome back, did you have a nice time?

Thanks, Kathy! We had a great time! 2 ten year old girls with me, a 40 year old fuddy duddy! Just kidding. They did tell me they thought I was "cool."

We saw productions of Twelfth Night, Lend Me A Tenor: the Musical, and The Matchmaker. All 3 plays were beautifully done, and the girl's enjoyed them all.

 

[Glynis]

Dinner tonight was simple. We had grilled chicken breasts with grilled summer squash. A simple raspberry cobbler for dessert, and now I get to plan my menus for the week.

It's nice to be back. Seems like I missed a bunch of MIL talk. I could tell y'all stories that would make your hair curl. My MIL is a real piece of work! I'll save them up for another time!

 

[liamsaunt]

Hoo-kay, I am so tempted to spill the beans! I started typing it out, but decided to sleep on it. Look for huge post regarding neighbor drama tomorrow!

To keep this post food related, I have to say that Laura is right...I am HUNGRY! Not enough carbs with dinner. I might have another food photo before the end of the day.

 

[TigerKat]

Hoo-kay, I am so tempted to spill the beans! I started typing it out, but decided to sleep on it. Look for huge post regarding neighbor drama tomorrow!

 

[shovan]

liamsaunt,

Okay, That dessert made my jaw drop!!!! Amazing! Your DH is one lucky guy!

 

[HERSEY]

Tonght's dinner turned out different than orginally planned. Just as I was going to go out to start the grill it started to pour. We had rice, chicken wings and green beans. So not the steak on the grill I wanted

 

[HERSEY]

I forgot to mention we did eat at Pf Changs yesterday WOW was that good
I had singapore street noodles and DS had beef and brocolli. We were kind of full so not dessert there was some good sounding stuff though, another time.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Hello friends! Have I mentioned on this thread how much I hate VBS? It starts tomorrow morning and I have worked my poor feet off today. Still have more to do but I'm taking a breather before I have a meltdown and email a resignation letter to the pastor. =)

Tonight we had the buffalo chicken lasagna I was going to make last time. It seems that when I finally got home last night at 6pm, I fell asleep until 730 and it takes forever to bake so we ran errands for VBS and ate bbq out. Yummy brisket sandwich and fries for me.

This was a new recipe; good, spicy, nice change from traditional lasagna. Next time I'll cut the chicken pretty small. I also used the entire tub of ricotta cheese because it doesn't spread so I had to lump it on each layer, thus using it much faster!

You can never have too much ricotta, imo.

Buffalo chicken lasagna

12 Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles, uncooked
1 lb. Skinless Chicken Breast, cubed
3 Cups Hunt’s Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce
1 Cup Very Mild Buffalo Wing Sauce
1 1/2 Cups Water
15 oz. Nonfat Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup Egg Substitute
9 Slices 2% Pepperjack Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Cook chicken over medium high heat for 4 minutes or until almost done. Stir in sauces and water. In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese and egg substitute. Spray a 9X13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1 Cup of sauce in the bottom of pan. Arrange 4 noodles over the sauce. Spread more sauce, then a layer of ricotta mixture. Add another layer of sauce, and repeat the whole process until you end with a layer of sauce. Cover and bake 70 minutes. Uncover and place cheese slices on top, then bake for another 15 minutes uncovered. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Today I am making black bean chili and cornbread, per my husband's request.

WFD at your house?

 

[OKWMom]

Sorry I didn't post this weekend. Wayyyyy too much drama with my parents not making it back from their vacation. Emergency landing in a different city, etc., trying to find where their dog was (supposed to be with my brother). Anyway, Kenny and I are exhausted.

The etouffee was good, but I think next time I'll make it with fresh shrimp. We liked the crawfish, but I'm sure like other seafood, they would have been better if they were fresher. We are so spoiled living on the coast.

Tonight I am making Lindsay's Sloppy Joe Demaggios and steak fries for the kids.