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

[dgbg100106]

It's so windy here today! Alan had to leave at 3:00 to get to work this morning, and so the back door was unlocked. I woke up at 5:00 to the sound of the door blowing open, and crashing against the table! Nice, huh? Guess we're getting quite a storm blowing in. It should reach us by tomorrow and stay until Tuesday. Yikes!

Well, I'm off to get ready for bowling and to get the kids up for school. Have a great day, everyone!

Not a fun way to wake up in the morning....

Bowling should be fun! have a great day!

 

[TigerKat]

Aimee – I think you should do a mini Thanksgiving and try all those recipes! We’d all love some new ideas.

Lindsay – have a safe trip and a wonderful time!!!!

It's Friday and that means we're going out!

 

[bigmerle1966]

Morning. Off to the farm with my youngest GS. His mother had to take his brother to the ortho, he broke his hand.

It's not a good month til one of them has to go to the ER. To say my godsons are rough and tumble, accident prone, is an understatement. The oldest had to have stitches once because he jumped too high near a doorway and hit his head on the top of the door jam.

 

[dgbg100106]

Morning. Off to the farm with my youngest GS. His mother had to take his brother to the ortho, he broke his hand.

It's not a good month til one of them has to go to the ER. To say my godsons are rough and tumble, accident prone, is an understatement. The oldest had to have stitches once because he jumped too high near a doorway and hit his head on the top of the door jam.

I am so with you on that one...

I have a god son and he has two older brothers.....

 

[liamsaunt]

Lindsay, I don't usually get on here on the weekends, so I will say have a great trip today. I hope you have wonderful weather and low crowds!

Becky- I've just renewed Cooking Light and haven't started getting it yet. I think I'll have to go check out the libraries copy, those lettuce wraps look good. Do you think they would be good cold for a school lunch?

John ate them cold for lunch yesterday and said they were delicious. The recipes are already online on the Cooking Light site--just go to the current issue, then click on the recipe index and all of the links to the recipes are there.

Is it to early to talk Turkey??? Anyone have their Thanksgiving menu penciled in yet?

Not too early for me! My Mom and I both cook for Thanksgiving (hence the urgent need to replace my oven this week!) and then we combine our foods into one big meal. Here is the menu.

My Mom is making:
Roast turkey. She makes the same one every year--roasted at low temp, not flipped or rotated, not seasoned with herbs, just salted and basted with butter. (it is delicious)
Bread stuffing, some in the bird, some baked alongside
Two kinds of gravy: with giblets and without
Cape Cod cranberry sauce
Mashed potatoes
Pumpkin cheesecake
Apple pie
Horrible store-bought brown 'n' serve oven rolls that my brother insists be on the table every year and nobody else ever eats

I am making:
Another turkey. I try a different recipe every year and have not decided which to make this year. I am leaning towards the one in Fine Cooking, minus the garlic
Honey-glazed roasted butternut squash with sage
Roasted vegetable medley: brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, red onions, mushrooms--seasoned with rosemary
Pureed macomber turnips with crispy shallot topping
Cauliflower gratin
Green beans with browned butter and roasted almonds

Potential additions to my contributions:
a second type of stuffing (unlikely)
parker house rolls

WFD: something with chicken.

 

[HERSEY]

WFD is 2 new recipes. If it is good I will post. 1 is supposed to be a slow cooker recipe for San fran pork and the other is a saute for brocolli spigarello it is like rabe I have not had either before but it was in my organic box.

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Hey all! Quick fly by. I just had to go to the TJs opening this morning and my day is a bit off now. My neighbor just got back from surgery in Austria so I made her up a nice bag of goodies and a plant so I have to go visit.

Dinner tonight is Irish Rovers Shephards Pie. Tom has been away on business and was telling people that I make the best shep pie so I thought I would surprise him. He surprised me today and sent me flowers!

My Nola friends will be happy that I am going to my neighbors for the LSU game tomorrow. Alabama will be Tiger Bait!!!! I am bringing spinach artichoke dip and onion swiss dip. I love both. YUM!

Lindsay, have a great trip!

Kat, Celebration is not that far. How about renting a car for the day and sightsee a bit?

Robyn, It is so good to be back. I meant to say that I loved the Cape pics you posted a couple weeks ago.

Ellen, yay on the trip! How nice of the church to do that for you~

Becky, You must be so excited to have a stove!

Janice, I love broccoli rabe. Hope you enjoy the dishes you are making.

I really need to catch up with everyone else. We are spending Thanksgiving in NJ at my inlaws so not sure what we are having or what I am making.

Have a great day and an awesome weekend all!

 

[liamandcaili]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you all for checking up on me with Beck. Everything has been fine here, just really busy. Today was my first real day off in a while, and I spent most of it avoiding the computer as much as possible. Things are slowing down at work, so I should be able to get back here more often.

For now, I am just jumping back in. Dinner tonight was pizza. The kids approved, saying it was a perfect Friday meal. Yesterday, we had fajitas, much to Liam's delight, and the night before we just had pasta. Tuesday was a new menu item: wonton soup. Surprisingly, both kids really liked it. If I knew how, I would post a photo.

I haven't read back, but I read enough to see that Lindsay is vacationing soon. Have a great trip!

I hope everyone is well!

 

[Goofyluver]

Morning. Off to the farm with my youngest GS. His mother had to take his brother to the ortho, he broke his hand.

Ow! Hope he feels better quick!

Hey all! Quick fly by. I just had to go to the TJs opening this morning and my day is a bit off now. My neighbor just got back from surgery in Austria so I made her up a nice bag of goodies and a plant so I have to go visit.

Sooooo jealous of your Trader Joe's.

Why we don't have any in Texas is beyond me. But, I'm thinking of starting a protest.

Hi Everyone,

Thank you all for checking up on me with Beck. Everything has been fine here, just really busy. Today was my first real day off in a while, and I spent most of it avoiding the computer as much as possible. Things are slowing down at work, so I should be able to get back here more often.

For now, I am just jumping back in. Dinner tonight was pizza. The kids approved, saying it was a perfect Friday meal. Yesterday, we had fajitas, much to Liam's delight, and the night before we just had pasta. Tuesday was a new menu item: wonton soup. Surprisingly, both kids really liked it. If I knew how, I would post a photo.

I haven't read back, but I read enough to see that Lindsay is vacationing soon. Have a great trip!

I hope everyone is well!

Welcome back!

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

It's Friday!!!! 2 more weeks till I have Thanksgiving week off!

Work today was busy. Full of meetings and kids.

Tomorrow UncleR and I are going shopping down in Waco. We're going to Sam's and to a nice grocery store. I consider this a hot date!

Tonight's dinner was sour cream pancakes...another Pioneer Woman recipe. UncleR loved them. I don't much care for pancakes, and I didn't like them very much. They were eggy to me. But if you like pancakes (and my wife is an expert) these are apparently wonderful.

Sour Cream Pancakes

Ingredients


1 cup sour cream
7 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter
Maple syrup



Directions

Warm up your griddle, iron skillet or frying pan at a medium heat. Get it nice and hot but not smoking.

In a bowl combine sour cream with sifted dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, & salt).

In separate bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla together

Pour egg mixture into sour cream/flour mixture. Stir gently until all ingredients are mixed well.

Melt about a tablespoon of butter onto griddle. Using a ladle pour about 1/4 cup of pancake batter onto the pan, making about a 4 inch in diameter pancake

Cook each side of the pancake for about 1 to 2 minutes, flipping when the edges start to brown and cake begins to bubble.

Remove from heat and stack high, top with a pad of butter and drizzle with lots of maple syrup!

***I doubled the recipe and it made 16 pancakes.

 

[Rogue26]

Jen- When I was in Trader Joe's the cashier told me one would be opening soon in Austin.

Laura- I can't believe wonton soup is new to them. We sometimes make a big batch of dumplings and freeze them, then cook a few in chicken broth to make our own wonton soup.

Lauren- Glad you like the picture, I took some of the same beach during the nor'easter. It was really impresssive, I hope the pictures came out good.

Glynis- Hope you had a good time at your book club and bowling.

I'm stuffed, went over to my parents for dinner and we got fish and chips. I told my dad they would be huge portions but he thought we should get clam chowder too. I don't think I'll have to eat until lunch tomorrow.

 

[franandaj]

Lindsay - Have a great trip!

Glynis - That must have been quite an awakening! Hope your storm passes without events!

Marilyn - I hope your godson has a speedy recovery

I'm going to be making French Onion Soup tonight!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Quick check in. On my way out towards a family function today. The weather is absolutely gorgeous and sunny and 80's. I can only wish something similar in weather for you all.

TTFN and I'll check in later.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Morning. Off to the farm with my youngest GS. His mother had to take his brother to the ortho, he broke his hand.

It's not a good month til one of them has to go to the ER. To say my godsons are rough and tumble, accident prone, is an understatement. The oldest had to have stitches once because he jumped too high near a doorway and hit his head on the top of the door jam.

Hope she has good insurance!

Sooooo jealous of your Trader Joe's.

Why we don't have any in Texas is beyond me. But, I'm thinking of starting a protest.

They are opening one in Fort Worth



I had to be at the hospital early this morning (630) for a kid's surgery - glad I went, since mom was on her own for this one. Everything went fine.

Tonight I had a church thingy, which included dinner. DH ate leftovers.

So for my day off, I worked 7 hours

 

[Goofyluver]

They are opening one in Fort Worth

Where and when?

 

[bigmerle1966]

Thanks ladies. He'll heal quickly, he always does. He played tonight and did really well including sacking the QB.

Aimee- she does.

It was chilly but my pockets were toasty! I had Hot Hands in them and I didn't need to wear gloves.

 

[franandaj]

So tonight I made Alton Brown's French Onion Soup. I made half a recipe for the two of us and it was a great dinner portion and we have one leftover portion left. Fran was going to have a salad, but the soup filled her up, so the salad is for tomorrow.

Thanks Jen and UncleR for the 15 bean soup idea. I was at the grocery store tonight and saw the bag and picked one up. I figure that is a great way to use up some of that ham we had to cook last month! One bag will make at least 7-8 meals for us, but I figure we'll make half a bag at a time and we're good.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Howdy, all!

I'm enjoying my coffee just counting down the hours until we leave. I'm so excited I can't stand myself!

Ok, cooking folks. I have a cooking question for you. Ever since Scott's mom passed away (2009) I have been hosting Thanksgiving breakfast for his dad, Kevin and Amanda, and the kids. Everyone arrives at our house around 7:30-8ish. My spread usually consists of sausage and egg casserole (I prepare it the night before as it has to sit in the fridge overnight and you bake it the next morning), orange cranberry scones (I think I posted the recipe in the last WFD thread, if not, I will post a link below), maple roasted bacon (again, link below), cranberry chutney (again, make it the day before and reheat on the stove to get it warm), and I think I made some fried apples.

My problem is that my FIL has developed a sensitivity to eggs, so the sausage and egg casserole is out now. I am looking for an alternative "main" dish, like a big protein dish. Any ideas? On the other hand, this kind of menu is obviously a HUGE breakfast. I don't necessarily have to have a main dish like the casserole. What would you guys do? I'd like to get as much prep done the day before as possible, since breakfast is early. The morning of is mainly putting the casserole in the oven, putting the chutney on the stove on low, and popping the bacon in the oven. Not much, right? It takes longer to set the table.

Any and all opinions welcome!!!

Barefoot Contessa Cranberry Orange Scones
Barefoot Contessa Maple Roasted Bacon *I always have to cook mine a few minutes longer than the recipe suggests*

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Good Morning!

Lindsay, Not sure if you all like fish but lox and bagels would be nice. Also, you can do a crockpot of kicked up oatmeal or a yogurt and fixings option. If I come up with anything else, I will let you know. Have a good trip.

ETA: Individual fruit, yogurt and granola parfaits would be nice. You could make them in really pretty glasses.

This looks yummy:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sausage-and-Potato-Breakfast-Casserole-4387

 

[Goofyluver]

Thanks Jen and UncleR for the 15 bean soup idea. I was at the grocery store tonight and saw the bag and picked one up. I figure that is a great way to use up some of that ham we had to cook last month! One bag will make at least 7-8 meals for us, but I figure we'll make half a bag at a time and we're good.

Make sure to toss in some celery and onion! It is sooo yummy!

Ok, cooking folks. I have a cooking question for you. Ever since Scott's mom passed away (2009) I have been hosting Thanksgiving breakfast for his dad, Kevin and Amanda, and the kids. Everyone arrives at our house around 7:30-8ish. My spread usually consists of sausage and egg casserole (I prepare it the night before as it has to sit in the fridge overnight and you bake it the next morning), orange cranberry scones (I think I posted the recipe in the last WFD thread, if not, I will post a link below), maple roasted bacon (again, link below), cranberry chutney (again, make it the day before and reheat on the stove to get it warm), and I think I made some fried apples.

My problem is that my FIL has developed a sensitivity to eggs, so the sausage and egg casserole is out now. I am looking for an alternative "main" dish, like a big protein dish. Any ideas? On the other hand, this kind of menu is obviously a HUGE breakfast. I don't necessarily have to have a main dish like the casserole. What would you guys do? I'd like to get as much prep done the day before as possible, since breakfast is early. The morning of is mainly putting the casserole in the oven, putting the chutney on the stove on low, and popping the bacon in the oven. Not much, right? It takes longer to set the table.

Any and all opinions welcome!!!

Okay, we have a dish that we call "UncleR's Junk". Great name, isn't it?

I've made it for a work breakfast because it is breakfast-like without the eggs, specifically! (I'm not a huge egg fan or quiche fan, etc.)

It was a hit and the first thing to be eaten entirely. This dish is also something we eat for dinner.

UncleR's Junk:

Ingredients:

1 lb. mild italian sausage (I use the kind in the casing, remove the sausages from the casings and cut into small, approximately 1/2 inch pieces)
2 bell peppers, seeds removed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces as well
1 onion, cut into a large dice
Potatoes to fill the casserole dish, also cut into a large dice (You can use as many potatoes as look acceptable to you and depending how large your potatoes are, you may use anywhere from 6-10)
Italian dressing
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Throw everything above except the italian dressing into a 9x13 pan. Then coat the entire pan and all ingredients with italian dressing. We use anywhere from 1/2 a standard sized bottle to more. It's sort of a whatever floats your boat recipe. You should add enough italian dressing into the mix so that it forms a light sauce, but not enough so that it's drowning. Cover and cook until potatoes are cooked through, usually an hour to an hour and a half on 350-375. Then I usually uncover it and cook it for a few minutes if I want to crisp the top potatoes a bit. You don't have to do this.

I'm sorry, this is one of those do what you want recipes. I hope the above makes sense. And I hope if you don't make it now, that you'll try it in the future.

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

Good morning y'all. We're going on a shopping day down in Waco today. We're going to Sam's so that means that I get free samples for lunch.

Tonight's dinner is Church's Chicken. UncleR loves it, and it was her pick.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! all around. Miss you Nan!!!

 

[HERSEY]

Good morning!

Lindsay You can alway make sausage and gravy with some biscuits for him or have small ham sammies.

Last nights dinner was soo good I will have to post the recipe.

Not sure yet about tonight.

Have a good day