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

[Glynis]

Becky - Now you know we want to see the kitchen after all of that awesome food was made. Seriously the asparagus bundles and the fritters have me drooling. Everything looked amazing and love the commentary!! Tell Laura great job.

Nancy - I'm not going to post the cheesecake recipe, it's flawed. The center didn't set and the chocolate chips all went down to the bottom. I'm not a baker but I think the recipe was to fault this time, so I tore it up and it's in the trash.

Glynis - Glad to hear Jacob is better and woke up with a huge appetite!!

I'm agreeing with everything that Kathy said! Becky, I'd love the recipe for the fritters and the frittata if you haven't already posted them!

Kathy - baking with chocolate chips is tricky. I've learned to coat them with a little flour, and that keeps them from sinking to the bottom. I wonder if it would work with the cheesecake recipe?

 

[THE HAT]

Afternoon all.......

Kathy- glad to hear that Kyle is enjoying senior year.....my db first job was at the small local grocery store as a stock boy....actually just about the whole basketball team worked at it, so when there was a game the old man who ran it closed early so he could go watch "his" boys play.
My first job was at a local pizza place, I worked there for all 4 years of high school...had to get a starter work permit as you had to be 16 to have a job at the time. There was about 5 of us from the same grade...what a blast it was!

Lauren--It is the same here at our fairs with about 85% being "WT"....that is why we go to the small country one as it doesn't get as many people at it. Glad you had nice family time...bummer on A's lemonade though!

Glynis--What a sad sad outcome for the families...hard for closure I am sure. I do hope that some good comes from this, and the other mills become more aware of safety issues.
Glad to hear that Jacob is feeling better this morning....I too passed my migraines onto Ross.....the Dr said that boys have a better chance of outgrowing them then girls, due to hormones issues, so I keep my fingers crossed.

Becky--I want to see the kitchen photo!!! Your porn is awesome as always....(now that is a sentence you don't write every day is it?!!?)
I love asparagus, so I am drooling over that photo!!

Ross asked for pizza out tonight so I am all for that. Kris is working today on the last few things on the spec house, it will be done this weekend, and the inspection is on Tuesday, and we will close escrow on Thursday!! It is really hard to finish a house with the people in it, well their stuff anyway...they had to be in before it was done, and now they aren't even around....they left 3 weeks ago and we haven't seen them, or any idea where they went..Kris said there is still dishes in the sink, and milk with a date of Aug. 15th in the fridge?

Ross and I are going down to visit my grandmother this afternoon, and take her some groceries, and I will call my mothers rehab number for her so she can chat with her for a moment. When my mother is released (in the next week or so we think) she is going to go stay with my brother and wife, and my dad might come here for a week to rest up. I look hope he does come, as my grandmother would like to see him..he is her only, and she is 93 and hasn't seen him in 5 years.

***here is the big news from our home.....we are going to go to Disney for Christmas!!!!
We were going to do a cruise, but Kris did not fair so well on a Whale Watch we did this past weekend, even with all of the otc drugs and sea bands. I talked with my brother who has done over 20 cruises, he said a western carribean was better then eastern, due to not crossing the gulf stream. The Christmas one for that was booked up for the suite rooms, so we rebooked it for March of 2009, I think my brother(and family) might go with us too.
SOOOO we knew after Christmas last year, that we wanted to be away this year. (long story)
Disney crowded and busy at Christmas, is better then cold and snowy here with my inlaws all day!!
So I am in turbo planning mode, as I usually am one to plan a year out on these things, lol. We are going to road trip it down, as we want to stop at my brothers in NC on the way back for a few days!
We will stay at Pop as Ross (and us too) love it there....we don't spend enough time at the hotel to pay for anything more, we use our expensive hotel $ for Boston and Bar Harbor, as that is where we spend more time in our rooms etc.

If any of you have been at Christmas time, and have any good tips...please share!!! (except for telling us to get to the parks early...we are all night owls and early emh is not for us, lol)
We are leaving here on Dec. 20th EARLY, and will arrive sometime on the 21st...we will do the parks from the 22-27th and head out late morning on the 28th to NC, and then head home late afternoon on the 30th....we want to be home by early evening on the 31st to miss out on the new years eve traffic, that will give us the 1st to regroup b4 school and work start on the 2nd. (we will buffer in a day or two on the end just in case we stay longer at my db or traffice etc).

Now I must go get a ticker!!!
Have a great day friends!

 

[Glynis]

***here is the big news from our home.....we are going to go to Disney for Christmas!!!!
We were going to do a cruise, but Kris did not fair so well on a Whale Watch we did this past weekend, even with all of the otc drugs and sea bands. I talked with my brother who has done over 20 cruises, he said a western carribean was better then eastern, due to not crossing the gulf stream. The Christmas one for that was booked up for the suite rooms, so we rebooked it for March of 2009, I think my brother(and family) might go with us too.
SOOOO we knew after Christmas last year, that we wanted to be away this year. (long story)
Disney crowded and busy at Christmas, is better then cold and snowy here with my inlaws all day!!
So I am in turbo planning mode, as I usually am one to plan a year out on these things, lol. We are going to road trip it down, as we want to stop at my brothers in NC on the way back for a few days!
We will stay at Pop as Ross (and us too) love it there....we don't spend enough time at the hotel to pay for anything more, we use our expensive hotel $ for Boston and Bar Harbor, as that is where we spend more time in our rooms etc.

If any of you have been at Christmas time, and have any good tips...please share!!! We are leaving here on Dec. 20th EARLY, and will arrive sometime on the 21st...we will do the parks from the 22-27th and head out late morning on the 28th to NC, and then head home late afternoon on the 30th....we want to be home by early evening on the 31st to miss out on the new years eve traffic, that will give us the 1st to regroup b4 school and work start on the 2nd. (we will buffer in a day or two on the end just in case we stay longer at my db or traffice etc).

Now I must go get a ticker!!!
Have a great day friends!

Congrats on a Christmas trip!!!! What fun!!! I hear you about the in-laws at Christmas. I'm dreading this year. It's the first year in about 4 years that my MIL will be around. I know she'll want to come to our place. I'm ok with that, as long as Alan will be around. However, I'm thinking he has to work, and I am NOT spending the day with my MIL!!!

 

[TigerKat]

Kathy - baking with chocolate chips is tricky. I've learned to coat them with a little flour, and that keeps them from sinking to the bottom. I wonder if it would work with the cheesecake recipe?

DUH! I totally forgot about that and we were just talking about it not too long ago. Oh well, the recipe is history, hopefully I'll remember the flour tip next time I bake with the chips.

I look hope he does come, as my grandmother would like to see him..he is her only, and she is 93 and hasn't seen him in 5 years.

***here is the big news from our home.....we are going to go to Disney for Christmas!!!!

Hopefully things will work out so your Dad can come stay with you and be able to see his Mom. I'm sure after not seeing each other for 5 years that will be a wonderful reunion.

Christmas in Disney!!!!! Have fun planning. I've never been there for Christmas so I have no tips to offer but we have been there during the holidays and if you haven't been during that time you are going to want to see as many of the resorts as possible. The decorations are beautiful!!

 

[OKWMom]

Hi everyone! I've been MIA for the last couple of days, I know, but I've been busy completing the corporate tax return for my Dad's business. The co. is on a fiscal year and the return is due 9/15. I finished it about 30 minutes ago. Now, I just need to catch up on all the posts I missed.

DH is outside lighting the grill. He is doing steaks and he put the potatoes in the oven. I'll add a salad now that I'm done.

Talk to you all later.

 

[Mermaid02]

Wendie I'm so jealous!! What a great time to go to WDW (as if there is EVER a bad time)

Spaghetti tonight..... been a frantic afternoon around here- I don't have the brain power for anything complicated!

 

[liamsaunt]

Hi Glynis, I think I posted the eggplant fritter recipe already, check the index. As far as the fritatta, I did not use a recipe, really, just sauteed some onions in butter, then added the artichokes (pre-cooked, from a jar) and some herbs, covered with beaten eggs whipped with some parmesean, threw on some diced mozzarella and baked it in a 400 degree oven until done. You can put pretty much anything in a fritatta.

Here are some photos from today.

You know it is going to be a Caribbean meal when you find such a pile of peppers:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1213/1306136891_9cfd9de60e.jpg

Here is the salsa for the swordfish:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1070/1307019982_2ef971298d.jpg

And the swordfish:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1015/1306178323_4482345384.jpg

A coconut-corn spoonbread:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1339/1307017916_22fe0805b6.jpg

Butternut squash I made for my brother, which he did not even eat :

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1273/1306135343_3ef3e9abe7.jpg

The banana wrapped rice bundles, off the grill:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1095/1306136177_5dc8b5468f.jpg

And, here is what they look like inside:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1107/1306135657_88705904e1.jpg

A spinach-cheese dish, for some reason we had this served often on St. John--it does not seem very Caribbean to me but oh well:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1149/1307020890_8491157271.jpg

Some rummy, carmelized plantains:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1243/1306137697_27fdd63e71.jpg

I am also making dessert tonight. Laura made the first step:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1084/1307021264_9909bdea7b.jpg

Here is the sauce. Can anyone guess what I am making? Hint: the toffee in a go-with, not part of the dish:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1427/1306136555_2615c4ec88.jpg

 

[liamandcaili]

Glynis -- I am glad Jacob is feeling better.

Wendie -- How exciting -- a Christmas Disney trip! My parents surprised us with a Christmas trip when I was a junior in high school. Of course, then it was just MK and Epcot. It was crowded, but we had so much fun (except for New Year's Eve when I got super-sick and went to bed instead of going out to the parks with Becky. She was pretty mad.) Since it was so long ago, I don't have any current "Top Tips," as DH likes to say. However, I do highly recommend MVMCP. Even if Ross isn't really into the parades, the park seemed much less crowded, and we were able to walk right on to almost every ride. Also, since you're nightowls, the park stays open 2 hours (at least) after they show Holiday Wishes (AWESOME!) and a lot of people, like me, leave then.

Dinner today was really good, although very filling. I am still so stuffed -- I think I gained five pounds this weekend. My favorite parts of the meal were the swordfish with the spicy pineapple salsa and the corn pudding. Beck has pics to post...if she hasn't posted already.

A couple of small complaints: I made toffee and forgot to bring some home; Becky reclaimed her vanilla so I can't do any baking this week -- and I need to make some cupcakes for Caili to bring to school Friday because it is her birthday; and I wanted to stay over at Beck's again tonight, but we couldn't get consensus from the parental units, so we left. Oh well...Becky and her DH are probably glad they don't have to sit through another karaoke night.

 

[Glynis]

Hi Glynis, I think I posted the eggplant fritter recipe already, check the index. As far as the fritatta, I did not use a recipe, really, just sauteed some onions in butter, then added the artichokes (pre-cooked, from a jar) and some herbs, covered with beaten eggs whipped with some parmesean, threw on some diced mozzarella and baked it in a 400 degree oven until done. You can put pretty much anything in a fritatta.

Are the artichokes marinated or packed in water?

 

[Nancyg56]

Today we are going to a cookout with family. The little family I have left, we now fit around one table. It will be fun though.

I need to get myself moving and do some housework that I don't feel like doing.Hope everyone has a great day

I know how that a lot of family seems to be so much better than a small family gathering, but twice in the past 5 years or so we only had my immediate family and my DH brother for dinner and honestly, those were two of my favorite Holiday meals. I really love big family dinners and we host them most of the time but there is something to be said for intimate family dinners......Now as to the housework.....don't sweat it Sweetie. My first husbands Mom told me once that if I just made it look like I cleaned I would be all set, and I never forgot her word. Wipe down what matters adn let the rest go, it is a Holiday Weekend

We are having pizza for dinner, but I rather go to Lindsay's instead.

Good morning everyone!

Glynis - How is Jacob feeling today, I hope he's better.

Janice - I know the feeling about the small family, it's just me Johnny & Kyle. But small is OK as long as there's a lot of love going on.

What you said!

Here are some photos from yesterday's antipasto. Laura told me that she likes my photos but she thinks I should tell you whether I liked the taste of the things I make, so from here on out I'll add commentary.
\
I took a picture of the kitchen once we were done cooking but Laura said it was too scary and I should not post it!

I really enjoyed the commentary, but tell Laura it made me hungry! Like Kathy said, I am drooling for some of that good food!

I gotta tell you I would be your Kitchen Slave if you cooked that meal for me

Kathy - baking with chocolate chips is tricky. I've learned to coat them with a little flour, and that keeps them from sinking to the bottom. I wonder if it would work with the cheesecake recipe?

I made a wedding cake with mini chocolate cake once and I will never do it again Chips are worse than blueberries IMO. Don't worry about the recipe Kathy..I will end up making the Winter Lemon Cake the next time I bake or that apple cake we got yesterday.

 

[liamsaunt]

Glynis, water packed. Then drained well and pressed between paper towels, halved, and there you go. I like the ones in the jars, I think the ones i cans taste, well, tinny!

L, you know we wanted you to stay, even if there had to be more karaoke (gack!! I can cook, but I can't sing, and that's a fact!!)

 

[Nancyg56]

Wendie- A Christmas in Disney! You are going to have so much fun! I don't have any tips we arrived New Years Day. I think that if you can see the resorts you wil enjoy the decorations. We tried to see as many as we couls, they really are beautiful.

The parks, especially Mk are decorated as well so you are in for a treat!

LiamsLadies- Your meals are fabulous!

Today I did not cook. I ran errands and then shopped. When I got home I scrubbed the patio furniture, which is on it's last year....and scrubbed the farm coolers etc. After that I was bleachy so I washed teh front porch and the furniture there as well.

Buddy got in late, he was helping at a friends farm so we had eggplant caponata on multigrain crackers, reisling wine for me, Red Truck for him, roast beef and provolone on crostada rolls for me and Genoa and tomato on potato bread for Bud. Fresh corn on the cob as well.

Tomorrow we are having a picnic at Daniels. My assignment is baked beans, potato salad and macaroni salad.

 

[HERSEY]

We had a great time with my Aunt and Uncle and cousins. My cousin who had a stroke just about 3 years ago is not looking to good. He really can't talk where you can make out words unless he sings which by the way uses a different part of the brain. Unfortunitely you can make out the swear words he lets loose every once in a while.

Tomorrow I'll finish cleaning the down stairs and the rest of the yardwork.Alex did a great job helping out, he will make a good husband some day.

Sounds like everyone had a great day. Liamsisters as usual your meals are part of what we all come back for.

Wendie Christmas in Disney what can be better. Next year we were thinking about going around Thankgiving. I check around with my Chicago bud's I remember one or two of them might have gone at that time.

 

[liamsaunt]

Dessert:

white chocolate tarragon souffle with vanilla bean cream anglaise suace and laura's toffee. I swear, when I took it out of the oven, it was four inches over the rim. Now, photo wise, not so much. It still tasted good though!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1127/1307083459_d7d650f820.jpg

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Blech, just what I didn't want to hear.

I was all set to make Jambasta yesterday. FIL called and invited us to a cookout today. So instead of making jambasta, which was going to be dinner last night and today, I made sandwiches. So it's off to the ILs I go for overcooked, dried out meat.*sigh*

WFD at your house?

 

[HERSEY]

Lindsay Call in sick Maybe offer to bring the meat.


Today I plan on making ribs, root beer baked beans, some other side and dessert some pound cake s'mores. Yes I'm not dieting today. But I plan on working around the house most of the day so I'm burning calories.

I tackled my junk drawer, I found enough soy sauce to open my own restaurant. I also found a lemon reamer that I don't know when I bought it. Here I've been squeezing them by hand

Ok enough playing I'm off to discover other new treasures.

 

[OKWMom]

Good Morning everyone!

Nancy - just the description of washing the porch and all the furniture has worn me out this morning. I don't know why, but I always find the outdoor cleaning to be much more gross than anything inside.

Wendie - I think a Christmas trip sounds wonderful. I have been in December for the last four years, but have always left before Christmas week. So, I can't give you any crowd tips, but I can reiterate what everyone else has said - the resorts and parks are absolutely beautiful decorated. Don't miss the life sized gingerbread house in the Grand Floridian lobby. We also enjoy the Osborne lights at the Studios and the evening light display at Epcot.

The weather is completely unpredictable that time of year. Some trips I have worn shorts and t-shirts, some trips I have worn capris and 3/4 length sleeves, and some trips I have worn jeans, sweatshirts, jacket, and gloves. Sometimes I have worn all three on a single week-long trip. One particularly cold windy day caught us by surprise and we ended up buying the cheap stretchy gloves you can get at the discount stores at 2 pairs for $1 for the lovely Disney price of $8 per pair. As one of the therapists said "For that price they should at least have Mickey on them". Now I don't leave without the gloves in the suitcase. Not a big deal for someone from your neck of the woods, but I just wanted you to be prepared.

Tonight's dinner is Lauren's braised pork chops by request of the two men in my house. I'll serve it with rice and steamed veggies.

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Wendie, How exciting about your trip!!! We were there this past Xmas...12/23 - 12/31. I will let you know other tips via PM...is that OK? Like Gretchen said, the weather is unpredictable. What I did was bring jeans, capris and shorts and wear cardigan sets or Ts and a hoodie. Wrapped the sweater around my waist when not needed.

Another thing, try not to bring a bag/purse into the parks. The security lines are very very long. I thought this was going to be hard to do but I just took minimal things and put them in my pockets.

And I am sure you know to make ADRs asap... The Candlelight Processional was beautiful...and don't try to see it all in the parks...my thought was, see what we could see and save the rest for another trip!!!

Oh and we took the DVC tour and they were giving away instant fast pass cards which worked the whole trip!!!! This was well work going for a quick tour. The card worked almost all week.

Oh, and we never got to the parks early...we like to relax & sleep on vacation...

Janice, how do you make rootbeer baked beans? Sounds good!

Becky, the pics are great!

Gretchen, I am glad your family loves that pork recipe!

********************

Tonight I am grilling some Omaha steaks for the guys and I am making king crab legs for myself. Not sure of the sides yet.

Have a great day all!

 

[TigerKat]

We had a great time with my Aunt and Uncle and cousins. My cousin who had a stroke just about 3 years ago is not looking to good. He really can't talk where you can make out words unless he sings which by the way uses a different part of the brain. Unfortunitely you can make out the swear words he lets loose every once in a while.


Wendie Christmas in Disney what can be better. Next year we were thinking about going around Thankgiving. I check around with my Chicago bud's I remember one or two of them might have gone at that time.

I'm sorry about your cousin. I had no idea singing uses a different part of the brain.

We went Thanksgiving week last year and it was very crowded, but we enjoyed it anyway. We're going the week after Thanksgiving this year. I love WDW during the holidays.

Can't wait to hear what other hidden treasures you discover.

Becky & Laura - You two just simply amaze me!

Today we're grilling burgers and ribs, baked beans and potato salad for sides.

HAPPY LABOR DAY !!!

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Janice, I, too, am sorry about your cousin...