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

[HERSEY]

So we're finally on our way. Several hours late, but what else is new? I wanted to check in by noon. We were almost going to leave at noon, when for some reason I decided to take a sack of soda cans for recycling back to the garage. What do I see? A puddle emanating from my freezer! To my horror everything has thawed.

Luckily we have a second refrigerator that was full of only soda. I removed those and literally moved about 100 lbs of meat and poultry. I threw away any frozen entrees, and when I get back I have my cooking cut out for me. Three turkeys, two hams, three standing rib roasts, two corned beef briskets, about a dozen pieces of chicken in a mix of bone in and out, two whole chickens, a tritip roast, four porterhouse steaks and a seven-bone roast.

I double that . That happened to me a while back, I felt sick.

 

[Goofyluver]

Busy day today! Bowling this morning, setting up for a birthday party this afternoon, and then the party tonight. It's Alan's step-dad's 80th birthday party. Siblings are coming in from all over, and it's going to be quite the shindig! My BIL is serving Texas-style barbecue (he dragged his smoker down here yesterday morning, and has been smoking brisket and ribs for the last 24 hours!). I'm excited about that, and about seeing relatives we haven't seen for years!!! I probably won't get back on until tomorrow, so I hope everyone has a great day!

Hope y'all have fun tonight.

We are heading to Vermont tonight to see Debbie. I am really excited, but not half as excited as Kady. She packed last week, was up at 6:30 to pack the car and was chatty all morning about going She loves Debbie more than anything

I am going to bring my camera because Debbie said it is in the middle of the most beautiful fall foliage right now. I will try to post pictures here and on facebook.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Glad you guys are having fun! And can't wait for the pics!

Jen ~ How is our Tooter doing this morning? Back to normal?
Thanks for the hugs for Elizabeth, she needs all she can get right now.
Your Chicken Lo Mein is on the menu for this weekend. That looks SO good.

Our BIG Church Auction is this Sunday. We always have so much fun but it is so much work to get ready for. Last year we made over $15,000, so it is a great money maker for us. But to tell you the truth I will be glad when it is over.

Doug & I are having Ethan for the weekend. Poor little scoot hasn't been out to the farm in over a month. We have missed him, so this is the weekend for some Nanny & Poppy time. We can't wait.

Tooter's doing better now. Last night was rough for her, and she didn't eat, drink or go potty until this morning. As soon as I saw her drink and use her litter box, I could rest. But I didn't sleep all night because I was watching her.

I hope you enjoy the lo mein and I hope you have fun with Ethan!

This morning when I can get Fran out of bed, I'm all packed for our weekend at Disneyland! I'll probably be lurking over the weekend, but not checking in until we're back home!

Y'all have fun...especially after the day you had today!

I'm sure that's added to it - even non asthmatics can't breathe right now! We got a little rain last night and a really great thunderstorm - y'all get anything?

I'm off today and tomorrow so I'm resting some. We do have major housecleaing to get done, and maybe buying DH a car if he'll ever make a decision... he's reached the point of "I want something new now so I'll settle" which I'm trying to steer him away from. i want him to wait another week if it means getting the exact one he wants; he just wants something NOW.

Sadly, my instant gratification self married another instant gratification person...

It POURED here. And it was so cool this morning. It was lovely!

Rest this weekend. And good luck with the car hunt.

So we're finally on our way. Several hours late, but what else is new? I wanted to check in by noon. We were almost going to leave at noon, when for some reason I decided to take a sack of soda cans for recycling back to the garage. What do I see? A puddle emanating from my freezer! To my horror everything has thawed.

Luckily we have a second refrigerator that was full of only soda. I removed those and literally moved about 100 lbs of meat and poultry. I threw away any frozen entrees, and when I get back I have my cooking cut out for me. Three turkeys, two hams, three standing rib roasts, two corned beef briskets, about a dozen pieces of chicken in a mix of bone in and out, two whole chickens, a tritip roast, four porterhouse steaks and a seven-bone roast.

Oh noooo.

I hope you guys are able to relax and enjoy the weekend.

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

I was driving home, looking forward to getting home after a loooong week, and I got stuck behind a homecoming parade in the tiny town that is 15 miles away from us. I was stuck on the highway for 30 minutes. The people in front of me kept jumping out of their car to collect the candy that had been thrown from the floats. It may have been more amusing to me had I not been so irritated.

Tooter is doing better. Thank goodness. Now I can sleep tonight.

Tonight's dinner is green chile cheese grits (ala Aimee) and fried eggs. Yummy.

Hope everyone has a great start to their weekend!

 

[Goofyluver]

Dinner was wondahful! Aimee...we've taken up a household collection to adopt you. Your green chile cheese grits were a HIT!!! Yummy. Only thing is, I didn't double the recipe, so there wasn't nearly enough.

Then, for dessert I made one of the Homesick Texan's recipes.

Oh. my. word.

Make this now.

It's dark outside, so my pic didn't turn out as "pink" as it is in real life. My cake looks identical to the one in the blog.

Strawberry Sheet Cake

Ingredients:

12 oz .fresh strawberries, stems removed and chopped (about 3 cups)
2 cups of sugar plus 2 teaspoons
2 cups of flour
2 sticks of butter (1 cup)
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Method:

Over the chopped strawberries, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Let them sit for an hour at room temperature so they can release some of their juices. The berries should reduce to about 1 1/2 cups. In a blender of food processor, crush the berries on a low speed for a few seconds—you want them juicy but still with some texture. Take 1/2 cup of the strawberry mixture for the frosting and leave the remaining crushed strawberries for the cake.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift the sugar and flour together in a bowl.

Melt the butter on low in a saucepan and then whisk it with the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and baking soda. Add the liquid to the flour and then stir in one cup of the crushed strawberries.

Pour batter into greased 9x13 inch pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cake is done when a knife comes out clean from the center. Let it cool and then frost with the strawberry cream cheese frosting (recipe below).

Note: The cake will be a little brown. This, I hear, is because of the alkaline reaction of the ingredients. Do not be alarmed!

Strawberry cream cheese frosting

Ingredients:

1/4 pound of butter (1 stick) at room temperature
8 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
3 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 cup crushed strawberries
2 teaspoons of lime juice (about half a lime)
1/4 teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Whip together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar until blended. Add the strawberries, lime juice, lime zest and vanilla. Spread over cooled cake.

Note: Depending on how juicy your berries are, your icing may be runnier than usual. If this is the case, I'd add more cream cheese to thicken it up.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Luckily we have a second refrigerator that was full of only soda. I removed those and literally moved about 100 lbs of meat and poultry. I threw away any frozen entrees, and when I get back I have my cooking cut out for me. Three turkeys, two hams, three standing rib roasts, two corned beef briskets, about a dozen pieces of chicken in a mix of bone in and out, two whole chickens, a tritip roast, four porterhouse steaks and a seven-bone roast.

and


Jen, glad you liked those grits - they are from Bonnell's restaurant here in Fort Worth and I adore them. Sinful! That strawberry cakes looks absolutely delicious. I added her DP ribs and gingerbread pancakes to this week's rotation

We did find a car Sadly, due to the financing end we have to jump through hoops before we take it home. I posted a pic on FB of it. I'm slightly jealous... even though I love my car.

We ate at Carino's on the way home from the dealership. After bread, salad, and the italian nachos neither one of us wanted our entree so, we have lunch tomorrow.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I am so horribly behind!

Good Morning Everyone!!
My name is Marisa, and I live in CT with my DH Jeff, DD9 Kady and NancyG56 is my Mom. I dont cook much lately since DH has been out of work on workmans comp since June 30th.

Nice to meet you and sorry about your DH. Is he recovering or is it going to be a slow progress thing? Glad that Nancy is having a great time.

I am going to bring my camera because Debbie said it is in the middle of the most beautiful fall foliage right now. I will try to post pictures here and on facebook.

I hope you'll post the pictures of fall foliage. I've been wanting to go leaf peeping for about 16 years now. Just haven't managed to work it into the timetable and any of our previous trips YET!

Well Elizabeth's test yesterday showed she was a bit elevated. So now (of course she does) has to go in for a more indepth 3 hour fasting test. I swear this girl has had it - I will be so happy when this baby comes and this is over for her. She has NOT had a good pregnancy. I so worry about both of them. But on the other hand Stephanie is feeling great and sailing along. Her next appt. is October 7.

I have had the last 3 days from He**. I so hope the rest of the week calms down and I can get some work finished. I am so glad I don't have weeks like this very often. I am just way too old for it anymore.

Ellen, I hope that Elizabeth is resting and keeping as well as possible. You too! You've got two grandkids coming along and I'm sure you're going to want to help both Elizabeth and Stephanie!!! Make sure you look after yourself as well.

I'm going to try to jump back in, I can't even imagine how many pages I'm behind!

Pio- Love the fair pictures, my kiddo is already planning her entries for next July's fair!

Robin - there are times when I'm about 6 pages behind. Anything over 4 pages, I just jump right in!

Which category does you kiddo want to submit entries for?

I am grumpy today. Stupid Red Sox Plus it is a really blah and dreary day outside.

So, I bought a crock pot yesterday. I have never owned one before.

As a relative newbie to this thread and a non-US resident, can I ignore comments about football???

All this talk about crock pots - I think I'm going to be getting one for myself real soon. Noticed they were on sale the other day.

Tooter's home. She's moving rather slow and she's still pretty groggy, but she saw me and got up and came to me purred a little. Hopefully she'll feel even better tomorrow.

Glad that Tooter is home and feeling better.....how's she coping without the eye?

Busy day today! Bowling this morning, setting up for a birthday party this afternoon, and then the party tonight. It's Alan's step-dad's 80th birthday party. Siblings are coming in from all over, and it's going to be quite the shindig! My BIL is serving Texas-style barbecue (he dragged his smoker down here yesterday morning, and has been smoking brisket and ribs for the last 24 hours!). I'm excited about that, and about seeing relatives we haven't seen for years!!! I probably won't get back on until tomorrow, so I hope everyone has a great day!

Glynis - I'm going bowling on Monday night. First time in about 10 months! I hope I can still knock down pins!

How did the birthday party go? It sounds delicious!

I started this post Thursday night but had to go to a meeting about our band's website where we had pizza. This morning when I can get Fran out of bed, I'm all packed for our weekend at Disneyland! I'll probably be lurking over the weekend, but not checking in until we're back home!

Have a great time! Don't just lurk - the occasional post would be nice.

I'm off today and tomorrow so I'm resting some.

REST REST REST!

We did find a car Sadly, due to the financing end we have to jump through hoops before we take it home. I posted a pic on FB of it. I'm slightly jealous... even though I love my car.

What did your DH get?

This week Caili had to write an essay on someone who is a positive influence on her. She wrote about her Auntie Becky.

AWW! That's super sweet. Did Becky get to read the essay too?

Strawberry Sheet Cake

Sounds like something I'm going to want to try.





It's Saturday here and I went to the market this morning. I got some chicken involtini for DS and me for dinner. DH will be getting cannelloni for dinner.

Have a good day everyone!

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Hi, all! Quick flyby here. Today we are going out to eat, not sure where yet. To those who asked, I have never made the Kinky Spaghetti and Meatball Stoup in a crockpot. Please let me know if it works for you!

Have a great day!

 

[Goofyluver]

Jen, glad you liked those grits - they are from Bonnell's restaurant here in Fort Worth and I adore them. Sinful! That strawberry cakes looks absolutely delicious. I added her DP ribs and gingerbread pancakes to this week's rotation

We did find a car Sadly, due to the financing end we have to jump through hoops before we take it home. I posted a pic on FB of it. I'm slightly jealous... even though I love my car.

We ate at Carino's on the way home from the dealership. After bread, salad, and the italian nachos neither one of us wanted our entree so, we have lunch tomorrow.

Let me know how the ribs turn out. Those are on my must-try list!

I saw the car. That's the car I want!!!! Let me know how it is.

Glad that Tooter is home and feeling better.....how's she coping without the eye?


It's Saturday here and I went to the market this morning. I got some chicken involtini for DS and me for dinner. DH will be getting cannelloni for dinner.

Have a good day everyone!

She's fine without the eye because it was nonfunctional before. I think it's an adjustment to it not being "there", kwim? But her vision isn't any different. She can still pounce on a flea.

Yum! Cannelloni.

Hi, all! Quick flyby here. Today we are going out to eat, not sure where yet. To those who asked, I have never made the Kinky Spaghetti and Meatball Stoup in a crockpot. Please let me know if it works for you!

Have a great day!

You too!

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

We'll be busy today so not sure what's for dinner. Probably something we pick up. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

[dgbg100106]

Morning everyone.....

just because I want to...

Five years ago today I married the man of my dreams, the man who makes me laugh, the man who smiles at me and makes my heart skip a beat, the man who looks at me with love in his eyes, and my breath catches in my throat, the man who is my best friend. I love you more than anything David.


Last night we went to Moneyball, and it was a good movie, I could not believe who old Brad Pitt looked....

After that we just vegged on the couch and snuggled with a glass of wine, and it was perfect for me...

Today we are celebrating and packing, we leave tomorrow for WDW and F&WF....

So I did not cook last night, we ate some of the pork that was left over, and tonight, neither one of us is cooking... ha-ha...

PIO - just so you know the Red Sox are a baseball team; and no you don't have to comment...

Have a wonderful day everyone....

 

[Goofyluver]

Happy Anniversary, Brandi. Make sure you tell 'em at Disney!

 

[TigerKat]

Laura – That is so sweet that Caili chose Becky.

Alison – Sorry about the freezer. Sounds like you’ll be feeding the neighborhood for a month!

Jen – That strawberry cake looks great!

Aimee – Good luck with the financing on the car, it’s so nice!

Brandi – Happy Anniversary!

WFD - Bangin good shrimp tacos and margarita slaw.

 

[dgbg100106]

Happy Anniversary, Brandi. Make sure you tell 'em at Disney!

Thanks so much! I plan on tell the anyone that will listen!

 

[dgbg100106]

Brandi – Happy Anniversary!

WFD - Bangin good shrimp tacos and margarita slaw.

thanks and that sounds wonderful! What is Margarita slaw?

 

[franandaj]

As a relative newbie to this thread and a non-US resident, can I ignore comments about football???

I don't really follow sports either, but this one made me laugh. Being from Boston, I do know the Red Sox are a ball team!

I double that . That happened to me a while back, I felt sick.

wow good luck with all that that is an awful lot of cooking

Oh noooo.

and

Alison – Sorry about the freezer. Sounds like you’ll be feeding the neighborhood for a month!

Thanks everyone! I had forgotten all about until we were watching the news this morning and a grocery chain advertised Top Sirloin roasts for $2.77 a lb. I thought, "Hey! That's a good price, I should get some and freeze it" And then it all came back!

Morning everyone.....

just because I want to...

Five years ago today I married the man of my dreams, the man who makes me laugh, the man who smiles at me and makes my heart skip a beat, the man who looks at me with love in his eyes, and my breath catches in my throat, the man who is my best friend. I love you more than anything David.


Last night we went to Moneyball, and it was a good movie, I could not believe who old Brad Pitt looked....

After that we just vegged on the couch and snuggled with a glass of wine, and it was perfect for me...

Today we are celebrating and packing, we leave tomorrow for WDW and F&WF....

How sweet! Have a wonderful Anniversary and a great time at F&W!

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

WFD? We're going out fancy!

 

[dgbg100106]

How sweet! Have a wonderful Anniversary and a great time at F&W!

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

WFD? We're going out fancy!

Thanks....

Have a wonderful dinner....

 

[Aimeedyan]

Happy anniversary, Brandi! Hope y'all have a great day together.

DH won't be able to pick up his car until Wed or Thurs, which seems to bother me more than him It's got a rear entertainment system so I told him I'm going to sit in the back all the time watching movies and he can just drive me.

He has a bachelor party tonight that's a cookout so I'll be on my own.

Last night, at midnight, I decided to make dog treats that I saw on Pinterest. Does anyone else bake in the middle of the night? Anyways, I finished everything up around 2am. They were super easy and cute - I need to get a pic so I can post them!

 

[dgbg100106]

Happy anniversary, Brandi! Hope y'all have a great day together.

DH won't be able to pick up his car until Wed or Thurs, which seems to bother me more than him It's got a rear entertainment system so I told him I'm going to sit in the back all the time watching movies and he can just drive me.

He has a bachelor party tonight that's a cookout so I'll be on my own.

Last night, at midnight, I decided to make dog treats that I saw on Pinterest. Does anyone else bake in the middle of the night? Anyways, I finished everything up around 2am. They were super easy and cute - I need to get a pic so I can post them!

Thanks !!!

We are watching the Aggies and Arkansas on tv....pretty touch and go right now... Hopefully they will pull out a win and DH will be happier...

My game starts at 3:00 I think, Bama vs Florida... Hopefully Bama will win then is will be a great day all around....

 

[TigerKat]

thanks and that sounds wonderful! What is Margarita slaw?

It's my first time trying it...

Margarita Slaw

A fresh, crunchy slaw with a margarita-inspired dressing - the perfect topping for tacos and burgers.
Ingredients

12 oz (about 7 cups) shredded cabbage (or rainbow salad or coleslaw mix)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Dash of sesame oil
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 Tbsp fresh-squeezed OJ
1 shot Tequila
Dash of Tabasco
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Place cabbage and cilantro in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the oils, lime and orange juices, lime zest, tequila, and Tobasco.
Pour over cabbage and toss to coat completely. Season with salt and pepper. Serve cold.

DH won't be able to pick up his car until Wed or Thurs, which seems to bother me more than him It's got a rear entertainment system so I told him I'm going to sit in the back all the time watching movies and he can just drive me.

Driving Miss Aimee!!!

 

[dgbg100106]

It's my first time trying it...

Margarita Slaw

A fresh, crunchy slaw with a margarita-inspired dressing - the perfect topping for tacos and burgers.
Ingredients

12 oz (about 7 cups) shredded cabbage (or rainbow salad or coleslaw mix)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Dash of sesame oil
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 Tbsp fresh-squeezed OJ
1 shot Tequila
Dash of Tabasco
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Place cabbage and cilantro in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the oils, lime and orange juices, lime zest, tequila, and Tobasco.
Pour over cabbage and toss to coat completely. Season with salt and pepper. Serve cold.





Driving Miss Aimee!!!

ohhhh that sounds good.... I will have to try that.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Just a fly-by and I'll have to catch up later.

Daylight saving has commenced down under and it is currently just about 8.30 am on Sunday. I lost an hour's sleep and will not be claiming it back til March next year. Gosh that sounds like a long time away.


Brandi - Happy Anniversary!

I'll have to catch up on the rest of everyone's news later. I'm having a friend come over for dinner tonight. Dinner is Steam Boat - a lot like Shabu Shabu. I'm going to be doing a seafood version tonight.

 

[Goofyluver]

We've been in Grapevine all day and now we're back.

I hit the mother load at the farmer's market and we found an olive oil specialty store where we dropped enough money to fund a college education for someone. I'll post pics, but I need to link you to this place first:

Grapevine Olive Oil Company

We left with:

Strawberry, fig, pomegranate, and chocolate aged balsamic
Coconut vinegar
Bread dipping spice
Fresh tomatoes
A fresh french baguette
Raspberry wasabi mustard
Pumpkin butter



Jen is happy.

Tonight's dinner is going to be a bread spread with dips and fresh tomatoes.

This was from a french bakery where we stopped:

I had to have a napoleon. UncleR needed go-go juice/coffee.

I found this shirt, but I didn't get it.

Hope you all had a wonderful Saturday. I got to spend the day with my lovely wife, and we had a blast.