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

[franandaj]

Thanks Everyone for such a warm welcome!

Good morning! I see we have a new friend, Hi Allison.

I am Janice with a 16 yr old turkey aka Mr A. Mr are meat lovers here, big meat little meat any meat. Of course we eat most anything though.

WFD is beef stew I think I am going to splurge and dig up my recipe from Tyler Florence's beef stew. It calls for Cabernet and I don't have cheap taste when it comes to wine.

Nice to meet you! I don't have cheap taste either, but since I don't like to spend money, I buy it cheap and young and age it for a while.

And...ummm...swing band????

Welcome to our thread!!!

I'm Kathy, married to Johnny, mother of Kyle and food & wine junkie!

Nice to meet you too Kathy! I see you are heading to F&W about a week or so before me!

Allison - Hi!! Welcome to our family! I'm Glynis, a SAHM mom to 5 kids ranging in age from 14 to almost 3. Looking forward to getting to know you!

Sorry about the rain and change of plans, but at least you got a nice dinner out of it! Nice to meet you too Glynis

Welcome!


Tonight we're going out for sushi.

Thank you! Sushi sounds wonderul!


Jen - your pictures of the snacks looked great!

Here's my dinner last night, just a roasted turkey, but I think it came out rather nice.

Because of my diet, I don't eat the mashed potatoes and stuffing, but I did make some gravy and green beans.

Tonight we're having Egg Fu Young!

 

[Goofyluver]

We are heading out today to the Taste of Melbourne festival. Just waiting to see how DH goes through customs before deciding whether to meet him there or to wait for him to come home.
I have no idea if I'll have any porn worthy shots today....we'll have to see how it goes.

We had tix for last year's event; but I was real sick with the cough and cold and couldn't go. Looking forward to making up for the lost experience today!


Have a great day all.

Y'all have fun!

Man, your goodies sound delicious! I have tried to remove them to serve but they are super sticky and messy. So, now I just make them for people that will dig them straight out of the pan and lick their fingers clean




I refused to spend my whole birthday at home so we ventured out to see The Help, finally - oh man, I loved it. So glad I caught it before it left the theaters. May have to reread it now! We ate lunch there at the movie theater and then hit Costco. I'm beat and now resting a bit.

Tonight we're going out for sushi.

Well, we all picked 'em out of the pan. But there are lots of people at work, and I don't lick after strangers.

UncleR says to tell ya' you better be taking care of yourself! We want you better. But we're glad you're feeling up to getting out!

It's about to rain here. It is thundering and lightning.

 

[Goofyluver]

How cool!!!

I'm sorry, but I don't know which one is you. What instrument do you play?

I play flute, piano, some guitar, and I sing. I so admire musicians!

And your dinner looked divine!

 

[franandaj]

How cool!!!

I'm sorry, but I don't know which one is you. What instrument do you play?

I play flute, piano, some guitar, and I sing. I so admire musicians!

And your dinner looked divine!

I'm the one in the middle of the front row. I play lead alto in the band. I also play flute and I started on piano. I am sometimes required to pick up and blow the clarinet, but I would never claim that I can play it! I can't sing to save my life!

Glad you liked the dinner. It was tasty and tomorrow I will be reheating it (along with some stuffing, mashed potatoes and zuccini boats that I have to make) to serve to the musicians after rehearsal tomorrow.

 

[Goofyluver]

I'm the one in the middle of the front row. I play lead alto in the band. I also play flute and I started on piano. I am sometimes required to pick up and blow the clarinet, but I would never claim that I can play it! I can't sing to save my life!

Glad you liked the dinner. It was tasty and tomorrow I will be reheating it (along with some stuffing, mashed potatoes and zuccini boats that I have to make) to serve to the musicians after rehearsal tomorrow.

My brother played alto.

Hope everything goes good tomorrow as well.

Also, that wine collection is amazing.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Taste of Melbourne


Today, I headed out to attend yet another one of those festivals that Melbourne regularly hosts…..The Taste of Melbourne.

(It’s made out of CAKE! and fondant.)


The festival was held at the Royal Exhibition Building.

If this building looks familiar, perhaps this will make it clearer for you.

The dome that sits atop the building was the backdrop for the Winter Festival, only weeks ago!



This time, we get to go inside. Lots of stands from the front of the building….

…and I did eventually make my way to the back of the building! Yes, the stands go all the way around the sides of the building and upstairs.

That dome? Looks like this from the inside….

….and my artsy shot of it was a matter of luck and being around at the right time.

The stands? The list was endless….another wine maker, another foodie….and everyone of them eager for me to take pictures. Seems like I either looked like an official press photographer or a foodie blogger today…..because I was asked numerous time who I was working for! And yes, there were free samples to taste and try!

I thought that I’d taken a broad cross-section of the food; but when I got home and unpacked my pictures, the major focus was definitely bent….well……see for yourself….and feel free to pick the anomaly in the set!

(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)



There was definitely a second sub-theme to my pictures today….

And there was definitely absinth in this cascade.

Free tastings of Ginger Wine! (Come to think of it, there were a lot of free tastings of alcohol....)

There were quite a few show-and-tells and masterclasses. I spotted this place prep-ing for a class….

…..remember what I said about being mistaken for a foodie blogger or a press member? Well, ask and they shall let you in…..

Isn’t he great?



Mai Tai punch. And quite a punch it was!

And just in case you thought it was all wine and spirits, beer also featured predominantly.

As did mineral water….this place offered an endless stream of samples. It was hard to even get to the front of the stand as people just kept drinking two or eight samples at a time!

(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


But the Taste of Melbourne is all about food….particularly food offered from the various restaurants around town choosing to brag about their tasting menus. I’ll just say that this is what I….er……WE………ate.


From the Libertine and Le Traiteur restaurant, this was a Terrine du porc. Pressed terrine of free range port and veal, toasted brioche and Dijon mustard.

Also from the same restaurant, the Toulouse cassoulet. Confit of duck, garlic sausage and white beans, oven baked.

From the Mahjong Black kitchen, Peking Duck wraps.

Mezzo and Mister Bianco tempted “us” with the Pizza lunga. Smoked mozzarella, cured oceantrout, rocket and candied walnuts.

And from the Stokehouse, the selection was the seared scallops, green chilli aioli, almonds and celeriac remoulade.

I…er…we had room for only two desserts.

The Stokehouse put together an Eton Mess. Rhubarb, meringue, Turkish delight and a violet and rose geranium flavoured sorbet.

And finished with Sarti’s offering of Pistachio panna cotta with caramel salted popcorn.

All in all, we had a great time at the Taste of Melbourne. The food was good and at times great. And there is no denying that it was a very pleasant way to have lunch.
The bonus for me was that this sort of food was available for prime time shooting during daytime hours! And never were people so willing for me to take pictures....especially when, in the end, I gave up on the No's and said that I was taking pictures for a blog.

Well......the Dis sort of qualifies!


Just wake me up in a week or so. I definitely need to hibernate for a bit!

 

[PrincessInOz]

My goodies!

That briefcase. I love it.

My new camera lens. I just need to figure out how to shoot with it!

Unexpected presents!

post script. That lens.....here are my first ever attempts at using it! Can't wait to really learn how to use it properly!

 

[Goofyluver]

Ohhhhh, Princess. Those are amazing photos!

I love your theme of sweets and booze!

And your goodies are nice too! Love the bee pic you took with your new lens!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's Sunday. I slept late and I needed it.

Today's dinner is chicken empanadas with sweet potato empanadas for dessert.

Y'all have a wonderful end to your weekend!

 

[TigerKat]

Princess - The Taste of Melbourne is so right up my alley! Thanks for sharing your awesome pics with us.

It's game day....Who Dat! If our defense plays the way they did last week we'll be 0-2.

WFD - Grilled baby back ribs, Mediterranean beef skewers, baked mac & cheese and sauteed asparagus.

 

[HERSEY]

Princess I think I gained some poundage just looking at your pic's. Thanks to you I can live and breath your country through your lens.

I woke this morning to unexpected rain. I had put some rugs outside yesterday to air out. Now I have to wash them

No idea WFD I better get working on that.

 

[Nancyg56]

Princess I think I gained some poundage just looking at your pic's. Thanks to you I can live and breath your country through your lens.


.

Me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

I am recuperating from the wedding but it was awesome. Marisa has my phone, we took some pics on it to post but my clutch was too small to carry it, she ended up taking it home.

Donny loves everything Celtic and so the entrance music for the wedding was bagpipes. It was not planned but Anna's hair and dress, accompanied by that lovely music............well it could have been set to Braveheart, in a very good way

I will share more later but his Mother Son dance was "You raise me up by Celtic Woman and about 2/3 the way through Gail cut in and danced and then his Auntie Janice stepped in and then he gathered us all to finish the dance. He had also requested "He didn't Have to" for Buddy and my kids and Kady joined us. Buddy did not know the song but everyone else did. They love him so much Right after that Brian told me that at work Buddy is the man they all strive to be.

Dinner is leftovers or whatever else we can find in the fridge. I am tired and Buddy is asleep in front of the TV.

 

[HERSEY]

Me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

I am recuperating from the wedding but it was awesome. Marisa has my phone, we took some pics on it to post but my clutch was too small to carry it, she ended up taking it home.

Donny loves everything Celtic and so the entrance music for the wedding was bagpipes. It was not planned but Anna's hair and dress, accompanied by that lovely music............well it could have been set to Braveheart, in a very good way

I will share more later but his Mother Son dance was "You raise me up by Celtic Woman and about 2/3 the way through Gail cut in and danced and then his Auntie Janice stepped in and then he gathered us all to finish the dance. He had also requested "He didn't Have to" for Buddy and my kids and Kady joined us. Buddy did not know the song but everyone else did. They love him so much Right after that Brian told me that at work Buddy is the man they all strive to be.

Dinner is leftovers or whatever else we can find in the fridge. I am tired and Buddy is asleep in front of the TV.

Nancy You are very lucky to have such a special family You have me shedding happy tears for you. I am glad Donny and Anna's wedding was wonderful. Enjoy relaxing.

 

[Aimeedyan]

All in all, we had a great time at the Taste of Melbourne. The food was good and at times great. And there is no denying that it was a very pleasant way to have lunch.
The bonus for me was that this sort of food was available for prime time shooting during daytime hours! And never were people so willing for me to take pictures....especially when, in the end, I gave up on the No's and said that I was taking pictures for a blog.

AMAZING pics. Is there an admission fee to the festival? Are samples included or do you have to pay per sample, like Food and Wine Fest at Epcot?

Your DH did good on the souveniers!! Can't wait to see what you come up with once you master that lens. I have had my eye on a DSLR for a few years but sadly still just have a P&S. I keep thinking that once we have a baby we'll upgrade...

Me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

I am recuperating from the wedding but it was awesome. Marisa has my phone, we took some pics on it to post but my clutch was too small to carry it, she ended up taking it home.

Donny loves everything Celtic and so the entrance music for the wedding was bagpipes. It was not planned but Anna's hair and dress, accompanied by that lovely music............well it could have been set to Braveheart, in a very good way

I will share more later but his Mother Son dance was "You raise me up by Celtic Woman and about 2/3 the way through Gail cut in and danced and then his Auntie Janice stepped in and then he gathered us all to finish the dance. He had also requested "He didn't Have to" for Buddy and my kids and Kady joined us. Buddy did not know the song but everyone else did. They love him so much Right after that Brian told me that at work Buddy is the man they all strive to be.

Dinner is leftovers or whatever else we can find in the fridge. I am tired and Buddy is asleep in front of the TV.

Oh Nancy, it all sounds so lovely! I can't wait to see more pics on FB. You both deserve a few days of rest after such a busy few weeks!



I went to work this morning - good to be out, now exhausted. A friend was trying to pull together an impromptu get together tonight to celebrate my bday but most people already had plans. Would have been nice but I'm pretty tired.

We will probably pick up something tonight, though I do hope to cook some this week.

 

[Goofyluver]

Me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

I am recuperating from the wedding but it was awesome. Marisa has my phone, we took some pics on it to post but my clutch was too small to carry it, she ended up taking it home.

Donny loves everything Celtic and so the entrance music for the wedding was bagpipes. It was not planned but Anna's hair and dress, accompanied by that lovely music............well it could have been set to Braveheart, in a very good way

I will share more later but his Mother Son dance was "You raise me up by Celtic Woman and about 2/3 the way through Gail cut in and danced and then his Auntie Janice stepped in and then he gathered us all to finish the dance. He had also requested "He didn't Have to" for Buddy and my kids and Kady joined us. Buddy did not know the song but everyone else did. They love him so much Right after that Brian told me that at work Buddy is the man they all strive to be.

Dinner is leftovers or whatever else we can find in the fridge. I am tired and Buddy is asleep in front of the TV.

Sounds like a wonderful time was had by everyone. How lovely!

I went to work this morning - good to be out, now exhausted. A friend was trying to pull together an impromptu get together tonight to celebrate my bday but most people already had plans. Would have been nice but I'm pretty tired.

We will probably pick up something tonight, though I do hope to cook some this week.

Rest up!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner is done. It was empanada day in the house.

First I made dessert empanadas. They are sweet potato/pineapple pastries. My dad taught me how to make these, so there's no set recipe. But the filling is sweet potatoes, pineapple, brown sugar, butter, milk, cinnamon and vanilla.

I usually make my own dough, but I cheated and used pie crust.

The main course was cheesy chicken empanadas. This was a Neely's recipe. This was the first time I've made these and they were DELICIOUS! And easy.

Cheesy Chicken Empanadas

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely diced, seeded and ribs removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded then diced cooked chicken breasts (from leftover chicken)
1 cup shredded Monterey and Cheddar cheese blend
4 ounces cream cheese, diced
Dash of hot sauce
1 egg
Flour, for rolling
1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough
1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
Chili Lime Dipping Sauce, recipe follows


Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.


Place a large saute pan over medium heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, jalapeno, garlic, green onions and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.


In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cheese, cream cheese, sauteed mixture and hot sauce together.


Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Set aside. Sprinkle flour on your work surface and unroll the pie dough.


Roll out each round to a 13-inch circle. Cut each crust into 8 (4-inch) circles with a biscuit cutter. You can knead the scraps and then roll out, if necessary. Spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon of the chicken mixture into the center of each round. Brush the edges with the egg wash and fold each circle in half. Gently press on the top of the empanada to release any air. Seal the edges with a fork and brush the top with the remaining egg wash. Sprinkle with chile powder. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

***I did have some extra filling, so I rolled it up in some flour tortillas and made chicken roll-ups in the oven as well. I baked them for about 15 minutes until the tortillas got slightly crunchy.

 

[TigerKat]

Donny loves everything Celtic and so the entrance music for the wedding was bagpipes. It was not planned but Anna's hair and dress, accompanied by that lovely music............well it could have been set to Braveheart, in a very good way

I will share more later but his Mother Son dance was "You raise me up by Celtic Woman and about 2/3 the way through Gail cut in and danced and then his Auntie Janice stepped in and then he gathered us all to finish the dance. He had also requested "He didn't Have to" for Buddy and my kids and Kady joined us. Buddy did not know the song but everyone else did. They love him so much Right after that Brian told me that at work Buddy is the man they all strive to be.

Dinner is leftovers or whatever else we can find in the fridge. I am tired and Buddy is asleep in front of the TV.

As I said on facebook, you looked AMAZING my friend. You truly have a special family and I'm so happy everything turned out well for all.

I went to work this morning - good to be out, now exhausted. A friend was trying to pull together an impromptu get together tonight to celebrate my bday but most people already had plans. Would have been nice but I'm pretty tired.

We will probably pick up something tonight, though I do hope to cook some this week.

Please take it easy and don't overdo it.

Jen - Your empanadas look and sound great!


Well our Saints looked great today, that's more like the team I know!

 

[TheBeadPirate]

Well friends, I know it's been a VERY long time since I posted over here, but I finally found a recipe worthy of my WFD friends. I'm going to read back and try to catch up on what hasn't translated to Facebook, but give me time- I'm sure there's alot.

This was dinner tonight- it was really good, but I'd use a little less jerk- I was sniffling about halfway through..... and it's slow cooker-easy peasy.

Caribbean Jerk Pork

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
6 green onions, white and green parts separated and chopped
1 tsp finely shredded orange peel (I zested a bunch)
3 Tbsps orange juice
1 Tbsp brown mustard
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp grated fresh ginger (about 1 inch piece)
3 Tbsp Jamaican Jerk seasoning (I'd drop this to 2 next time)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 20oz can pineapple chunks (juice pack)
3-4lbs pork shoulder roast or bone in country style ribs
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 sweet potatoes(about 1 lb total), peeled and cubed
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
Hot Cooked Rice

1. In a 5-6qt slow cooker stir together brown sugar, white part of green onions, orange peel, orange juice, mustard, cider vinegar, ginger, jerk seasoning and cumin. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add the juice to the slow cooker, stir to combine. Place pineapple in small bowl; cover and chill until serving time.

2. Season pork with salt and pepper. Add oil to skillet and brown pork on all sides.

3. Stir sweet potatoes into mixture in slow cooker. Place pork on top. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8-10 hrs or high heat setting for 4.5-5 hrs. Remove pork to a platter and keep warm. Add beans to mixture in cooker. Let stand 10 mins to heat through. Cut pork into serving size pieces. Serve pork and bean mixture over rice- drizzle with cooking liquid. Garnish with remaining green onions and chilled pineapple.

Ok, off to read back some.

 

[franandaj]

Hi There everyone!

I just got home from rehearsal and dinner and I'm pooped!

Jen - The Empanadas sound great! I've had great success with the Neely's recipes (LOVE their Chicken Fried Steak!), so I'm sure they were great!

Nancy - Sounds like a wonderful wedding

PIO - Since we post on so many similar threads I've seen your pictures on then and they're still good! However, this is the only one you posted your goodies on. Nice score!

So as you know I cooked a turkey the other niight. Last night I made up some side dishes for easy reheating.

I couldn't believe how popular this was because this is just Stove Top Stuffing and Idahoan Buttery Select "just add water potatoes" Normally I don't like to just "out of the box" it, but since I'm not supposed to be eating any carbs, I just did it easy, no peelling potatoes. I do have to admit I do like Stove Top stuffing, but after I add mushrooms, onions and sausage.

So I also cleaned and sliced the turkey from the other night and filled a tray like the one above to the brim with turkey. Then I made 2 pans of these "Zuccini Boats"

Here's how I did it.

These are essentially my ingredients (sort of like 5 indgredient fix, I don't count butter, salt and pepper).

Cut the end off the zucchini and slice lengthwise and then par poil in salted water.

Now I don't have portions, but I usually try to imagine how much onion I need to fill the zucchini and chop and sautee that much. It's different every time since normally I make one squash worth for two of us and multiple for more people. This time I cut up a whole onoin.

Then I sauteed it

Once the Zucchini were par boiled, I sliced them in half and hollowed out each piece.

Then I cooked up the zucchini interiors with the onions, I added some parmesan and black pepper and cooked it to melting.

Then I just stuffed the zucchini boats with the filling, topped with a bit more parmesan and then put it all the in the fridge until tonight. I served all this with the leftover gravy that I supplemented with a can of canned gravy. For dessert we picked up a Lattice Apple Pie from Costco and some whipped cream at the grocery store. Now there were 11 people and there was pretty much nothing left. I always feel bad when the serving bowls are completely empty. I feel as though I didn't put enough food out, but Fran tells me that it's OK and everyone just likes my food so much that they keep going back for seconds until it's gone.

The sad part is that we ate around 6:30PM and now it's 9:30 and I'm starting to feel hungry again. Normally we eat between 7:30-9:00PM. We're up watching the Emmy's and I can't last another hour and a half without some more food!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Jen - Love the empanadas.

Kat - I'm hoping you'll have major food porn to share from the F&W festival. That's right up my alley too. If not, no worries...I KNOW Alison will.

Janice - I've gained enough poundage this weekend to go round (literally) for everyone!

Nancy - I'm glad the wedding went well and it sounds like you had a great time. I'm not on FB so I'm hoping that when things settle down, you'll share some on here.

Aimee - Happy Belated birthday. I keep meaning to wish you; but never get round to doing it when I've previously jumped on this thread. And I hope you're feeling better and RESTING! Are you improving?
NOTE: Bear in mind that our cost of living is running about 30 - 40% higher than yours; and that minimum wage here is around $15 per hour.
Admission fee was about $20 for adults and $11 for kids. Most of the restaurant plates ranged from $8 - $12.
The samples that were at the stands were either free or charged at $2 or $4. The cupcakes were cut into slices and shared round for free....otherwise about $4 each (or 3 for $10). Macaroons were 3 for $10.
There was a LOT of alcohol freely handed out; usually in the portion sizes like that of the ginger wine or mineral water shots. Otherwise I think they were charging about $10 or $12 for cocktails. I know that Rum laced Mai Tai was $8.
Hope this helps.

BeadPirate - hello. Don't think I've seen you post before; but then I'm still on 'P' plates on this thread.

Alison - I know how you feel. I think I'm on first name basis with your turkey!! Maybe we should restrict the food porn to this thread......... But then again, maybe not. As you said, the food STILL looks good.