The What's For Dinner Thread - March '11 (recipe index in OP)

Morning, everyone! Well, I really thought we were over the "California Virus", but yesterday, Katie started complaining of not feeling well. This morning, she has a full-blown fever, cough in her chest, etc. The whole miserable package. So, I've gotten everyone else ready for church, and Katie and I will stay home. I know she could stay home by herself, but it's not often she begs me to stay with her, and I'll encourage that while I can.

Alpine Days was quite fun! The parade was small, but plenty of candy was thrown to satisfy my children. After that, we had lunch at the park, and left Jacob, Leslie, and Mary there for about 3 hours so they could bounce on all the wet, bouncy houses and slides. They hung out with friends and had a great time. I love that I live in a town where I don't have to worry about letting my kids hang out someplace without me! It's so awesome!

Alan took the little kids with him to retrieve his gold panning equipment from the mountain, and they all came back muddy, wet and had a great time! I threw them all in baths, had Katie make pancakes for dinner, and Alan and I went out on a date. Nowhere special, we ended up at Carl's Jr. for a taco salad (me) and a 6 dollar bacon guacamole burger (Alan). After that, we hit up the dollar theater to see Pirates 4. It was just meh, for me. I thought it was cute, but it's not a movie I'll rush out to buy to add to my collection. I just thought the story line was predictable, and parts of it were never really finished.

Dinner tonight will be whatever I can find from my freezer. I didn't get to the store, yesterday, so we'll take whatever I can find.
 
Jen – I really like your date night in idea!

Janice – I’ll have to tape Food Network Star tonight, I’m pulling for Jeff!:cool1: My DVR will be working overtime tonight. I'm taping 4 shows so that I can watch the country music fest special.

Glynis – I hope Katie gets well soon.:hug:
 
Here is the recipe I have been making today.

Eggplant spread

1 medium eggplant
2 red bell peppers
1 medium red onion
3-4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste or pureed oven-roasted tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400 and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside. Chop eggplant, peppers, and onion into 1″ cubes. Smash the garlic. Toss together the vegetables and then drizzle them in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat the vegetables and then spread them over the prepared baking sheet. Place the pan in the oven and roast the vegetables for 20 minutes. Flip/stir the vegetables with a spatula and then roast for another 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and browning. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Place the roasted vegetables along with the tomato paste or roasted tomatoes into a blender or food processor and pulse until the desired consistency is reached. Serve warm with slices of sourdough bread, pita chips, flatbread, or Rosemary Focaccia. You can also toss this sauce with hot pasta for a light vegetarian meal.
 

Good morning everyone!

Moonday moaning again....they just come round quicker and quicker these days.

Aimee - Glad you got some rain. It sounds like you got a good soaking. I'm glad. We're expecting showers and rain all week this week.

Kat - Thanks for asking. DH is still not 100% and still feels a little *bleh*. I'm trying to make sure he rests and takes things easy; but you know men. They know better.

Jen - the dinner looks good in the picture. Sorry it tasted so bad.

Glynis - Hope your family keeps well and that Katie gets better soon. :flower3:

Lauren - I'm definitely going to try that eggplant recipe. It looks YUM and exactly the sort of thing that my DH would love.


WFDT? No idea. It might well be so Peking Roast duck for DS and me; and something vegetarian for DH.
 
I've missed 2 days & I am so totally lost!!!

I've read through but can't process it all. If I try to quote, I'll just screw it up, plus it will take an hour.

I can see Janice's celery! ;)

Robin, Heaaay!!! :goodvibes

Vickie, :rotfl2::rotfl: I love ya! You're always spreading the fun! :hug:

Kat, Love those erysters! ;)

Princess, What a great market! :thumbsup2

My reason for going awol again. JUDE!!! :lovestruc We had him overnight Friday! Saturday we had the family over, an end of summer swim party/barbecue for the girls. I wish y'all could have seen Jude kicking in the water. My video didn't come out. :sad1: My 18 yo old niece Kaitlyn also came over, she's headed off to LSU tomorrow! How did that happen already?

Bob took me out this evening to a very nice French restaurant! Sunday evening out was pretty special! It was awesome. Sorry I don't have pics, phone battery died. It was duck night for me. Duck pate to start, followed by duck 2 ways-confit & duck breast! Banana crusted creme brulee for dessert!
 
So, last night's dinner was...an...ummmm...interesting experiment, if I do say so myself.

First, I'm so sorry you didn't get any rain! BOO!!!

Second, though the recipe was a flop, your food pic looks fantastic!!

I plan on parking my butt in front of the tv tonight. I am watching the Next Foodnetwork star. I am rooting for Vic.

I'm watching it now - but I actually didn't go in with a favorite :confused3



Super busy day, even busier week ahead. Tonight I helped host a big dinner - I made "my" roasted green chile cheese grits, which are always a huge hit. And super easy!
 
/
Peking Duck time! Such a typical oriental favourite and soooo easy to make.

This is the packaging it comes in.....I mean My Starting Ingredients. ;)

2011August15PekingDuck001.jpg





Heat oven to 200 C. Carefully separate everything from the packaging.

2011August15PekingDuck002.jpg





There is the duck legs that takes ages to prepare, spice and get just right. (Remove from the vacuum pack and place on a tray).

2011August15PekingDuck004.jpg





Heat in the hot oven for 15 - 20 minutes. (Follow the instructions on the pack).

2011August15PekingDuck005.jpg





Debone the cooked duck and slice moderately thinly.

2011August15PekingDuck008.jpg





Julienne some cucumber and about 3 spring onions.

2011August15PekingDuck010.jpg





Prepare the hoisin sauce. (Transfer the contents to a bowl).
Cook the pancakes. (Heat in the packaging for 1 minute in the microwave).




Take one pancake, smear some hoisin sauce over it. Place some cucumber, spring onions and a couple of slices of duck on the pancake.

2011August15PekingDuck015.jpg





Fold pancake and enjoy!

2011August15PekingDuck013.jpg





The pack contains sufficient ingredients for 10 pancakes like this. Yum! :lovestruc

2011August15PekingDuck017.jpg





DS and I enjoyed this for dinner tonight. DH had some rice and veg for his dinner.



I've asked and checked with another Dis-ser. I believe that this is something that is available in the Aussie Costco's but not something that has yet made it to the American Costco's. But then....I don't think we have Carne Asada in our Costco...:confused3.

It's a great stand-by meal to have. The company, LuvADuck makes and prepares the whole Peking ducks for the chinese restaurants here. The restaurants cook the ducks in their ovens but LuvADuck has pretty much cornered the market for this delicacy.

You can get the ducks separately and make your own pancakes. Hoisin sauce is something that I have in my stores all the time. But the convenience of the all-in-one packets that Costco stocks can't be beat. The cost? About $16 for the lot. Not cheap by US standards; but this is Australia we're talking about. And for my family, where only 2 of us are carnivores, this pack is perfect.




princess::upsidedow
 
Good Morning!

My computer is acting up so I am very spotty here. I have been able to read but until Donny comes to fix this mess :confused3

Dinner was baked pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy, squash casserole, cucumber and onion salad and peach crumb pie and Italian cookies for dessert. Yup- I jumped off of the diet train yesterday.


Glynis- how are you all feeling today? Glad that your date was fun!

Princess- your pics make my mouth water. I saw you were taking a tour yesterday...had fun?


Sheryl- Is A ready for school? I bet that she wants some more Nana/Jude/Alexis time :goodvibes

Janice- Were you caught in any of that wind? I saw your celery and now I want to grow some!

Ellen- I am so happy for Mathew! This is a great opportunity for him but it is also a win for the bank. I think that he brings as much as he receives!

Jen- how are you feeling?


I have food network star on my DVR and will watch it later this morning. I think I want Susie but I bet they all will have a show, no matter who wins!

So Buddy got most of our crop in this weekend. We started Friday and got all but one little block done on Sunday. That piece was not ready.IT was hectic!
 
Y'all are killing me with the duck talk and duck pics...I LOVE duck!!!!!:yay:

We'll be taking off work tomorrow so we can get up at 5:30 am to be ready to call & book our F&W events at 6. We have our landline and two cells ready on speed dial. We'll be on live chat with Sheryl & Bob on facebook since we're booking the same events, so whoever gets through first can start booking. It's crazy what we'll do for good food & booze!;)
 
No. And we're still bitter about it. :mad:

They *sounded* like a good idea when we were searching for something to eat last night. They tasted like broke-down sloppy joe's. It was pretty bad. I'm only including the link because I have to let you know what it was I made. :laughing:

Too bad we can't truck the rain waters to other parts of the country. Figure out a way to collect it as it falls and send it out. We got so much this weekend and it has rained again today. Some places here in MD got 7 inches on Saturday alone. :scared1:

The broken down sloppy joe's looked good to me. One of my favorite dishes when I was younger was Manwhich sloppy joes on spaghetti. :cloud9: Haven't had that in more than a decade.

Got my niece and went to my cousins house Saturday. Ended up eating our cookout on his tiny patio due to the rain. His GD and my DN played in the rain going from the pool, to the trampoline to making a fort under a tree in the yard.

Yesterday I took my DN and met up with her mom, dad and sis to have lunch for my BIL's birthday. After that I went grocery shopping.

Not sure what is for dinner tonight, going to my Aunts house to visit with the visiting family.
 
Good morning ladies,

Janice ~ That celery looks amazing. Thanks so much for the spread, I really need to try that. Sounds good for a tailgate party!!

Aimee ~ :yay:Yea for the rain. You guys needed a break, even if it was just a little bit. Every bit counts!!

Jen ~ I hope your first day of work goes smoothly and painfree. I will be thinking of you today.

Nan ~ Don't ya just hate it when you lose a post. Has happened to me also, now I copy and paste before I hit reply.
So glad the crop is in. Now I just pray all is good.
Thanks for the nice words about Matthew!! They mean so much.

Glynis ~ I hope Katie is feeling better today. Your date night sounded so nice.

Princess ~ Your Market pictures sure make my Farmers Market look just plain silly. We just drive up and sell from our trunks. I guess we could call it a "Redneck" Market. :lmao:
Your Duck pancakes look amazing.

Sheryl ~ Your weekend sounds heavenly to me. :cloud9: So gald you have gotten in your cuddle time with your boy.

Kat ~ SO?????? Did you all get the ADR that you wanted. I laughed at your technique. You are so connected!! :thumbsup2

Merle ~ enjoy your visit at your Aunt's tonight.


We had a really fun weekend. Saturday I cleaned house all day - it felt so good. Doug was in a golf tournament and there was a dinner at the Country Club after, so that was fun. But I must have overdone it, because around 9:00 I was fading fast. So we called it an early night.

Sunday the girls and I put 28 quarts of corn up. We had so much fun, but the total conversation was about babies - Imagine that. ;) I pretty much just listened - it was a blast. The guys got done golfing around 4 and fired up the gril. We ended up with everyone there except Matthew. :sad1: Oh the fun we had and the conversation never lulled. These are my absolute favorite times.

Guess what????? Doug is going to Zumba with me tonight!! :eek: I can't wait. He has said he would for months now and tonight is the night. I have a friend whos husband is going also, so since there will be another guy, Doug said he will go to. They both have decided tonight is the night. I will let you know how it goes.

WFDT ~ Something real light after class - I am thinking Chicken salad stuffed tomatoes, crackers and sun tea.

Make it a great day everyone.
 
Hello, Laura and I are back! We got in at 2:30 AM yesterday morning. It was a fantastic vacation. The kids told me they don't want to go to Disney anymore, they want to go back to the Caribbean again instead! :laughing:

I am just going to jump back in since we were gone for so long. We tried to check in here but our house's internet connection was horrible! We could not get on the DIS at all. Posting a photo to facebook took 14 hours to load! And I could see my newsfeed but not respond to anything on it unless I was using John's iphone (my iphone didn't work down there since I have Verizon).

I hope you all have been well! :)

WFD: oven bbq chicken, corn on the cob, and tomato salad.
 
Welcome back Becky!!!!! I'm so glad to hear everyone had such a great time. I don't blame the kiddos, I'd want to go to the Caribbean any day!:thumbsup2 Can't wait to see pics!

Ellen - Our Food & Wine bookings are tomorrow morning, keep your fingers crossed we get what we want!:goodvibes
 
You all need to try the eggplant recipe. Not only is it easy but really tasty.

I found the recipe on the link Glynis posted. http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/08/roasted-eggplant-spread/ If you click on the roasted tomato it will tell you how to make your own. Great idea if you have tons of tomatoes.

Ok I am going back to get more.

I'm glad you checked out the website! I really love it! So many of their recipes have become family favorites here! I was wondering how the eggplant spread is. My family are not huge eggplant lovers.
 
Glynis Give the spread a try. It does not taste like eggplant, it is a very mild taste mostly from the roasted garlic and tomatoes. I really like it.
 
Day 1 of back to school clothes shopping is done! Katie has enough clothes, now, to get through most of the fall. We'll have to do more in the winter, but I'm ok with waiting until then. We did have a hectic time, but it was nice. I'm exhausted, though!

Dinner tonight will be a recipe I found on Pinterest... cheesy chicken spaghetti.

Kat and Sheryl - Good luck with the booking tomorrow morning! I hope you get everything you want!

Jen - I hope your first day back went well!

Ellen - I can't wait to hear what Doug has to say about Zumba!

Laura and Becky - WELCOME BACK!!! I'm so glad the kids had a good time! I don't know about the Caribbean over Disney, though. Guess I'll have to check out the Caribbean sometime so I can make an accurate report!

Have a great evening everyone!
 
Guess what????? Doug is going to Zumba with me tonight!! :eek: I can't wait. .

Brilliant !!

I did Zumba for a while but it was the only class round here so it was packed and a wee but dangerous....we stopped going after my cousin got a smack in the mouth !! :eek:

Hello, Laura and I are back! We got in at 2:30 AM yesterday morning. It was a fantastic vacation. .

Welcome back,the pictures you did post were wonderful.
The bairns looked to be havin a blast. :thumbsup2

Day 1 of back to school clothes shopping is done! Katie has enough clothes, now, to get through most of the fall.

We are going tomorrow to get the boys school shoes.
He is going into P7 and he says they are allowed to wear training shoes ( sneakers)....:eek:....I dont think so.


The boy was at a big breakin comp this weekend, he wasnt competing because he had not trained for so long with his sore foot.
He did get to meet and spend some more time with his new crew.
I also got to know them better,its one thing knowing they are good dancers ,but to trust them with ma boy I had to make sure they were good lads.
I dont need to worry,they are great guys.
The guy we spent most time with is from Paris and he made the boy feel so welcome,he even gave him his crew sweatshirt....the boy was sooooo hyped.

Its the boys last week of holidays so Colin and I have taken the week off.
The boy is at a breakin summer school in the mornings but we have plans for the afternoons.

Hope the weather is good,it has rain lots this summer...fingers crossed.
 
I thought I would be posting from the beautiful Caribbean, but as Beck pointed out, our Internet connection was horrible.

Anyway, I am jumping back in and I hope you'll forgive me for being such a sporadic poster these days.

Our vacation was just wonderful. St. John is a beautiful place (except for the really scary roads. Beck and John handled them admirably well.) and it seemed like each beach was more stunning than the last. There is nothing like floating around in the ocean for 2.5 weeks to sooth the soul and relax the mind. Now I know why Beck and John love the place so much. The kids practically turned into fish, Liam especially. He loved the snorkeling. Caili finally tried it on our last day, and she loved it too. My kids were not great swimmers, but they gained so much confidence on this vacation. I was ready to check Liam for gills. :laughing:

Today was back to work -- sigh -- and lousy weather. Dinner was chicken stir-fry. No picture, as Becky still has my camera's memory card.

I hope you have all been well. I am working reduced hours this week, so I am hoping to have time to catch up.
 





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