Dinner for my vegetarian-teen daughter and some of her friends:

Caribbean collard greens stew with tomato, chayote, taro, smoked tofu and jerk spices
Black-eyed peas and Tilda basmati rice

Sugared strawberries and B&J's ice cream

I don't know...I am curious about it but maybe it's just the social scientist in me. If we limit it only to special stuff then it becomes a showoff thread and not all of us are special fabulous cooks. The dinner thread on eG has become just like that, and it's much less interesting as a result. There is some comfort in knowing that even on a board full of the food obsessed someone will admit to eating cold cereal for dinner.

Plus, I've occasionally gleaned ideas from some of the more mundane posts.

I agree, Heather. I enjoy reading about the special stuff, but reading about Al Dente's tuna melt and silent bob's sunnyside up eggs gives me hope!

I get an e-mail every time someone posts to this thread, and I've gotten in the habit of reading it when I'm checking my e-mail. I know that I can just delete and ignore. But I like to read about what people who think about food and care about it are cooking for dinner. And I do get ideas from simple things here, too--like Al Dente's tuna melt with Emmenthaler cheese on good bread--that was not what I was referring to. But do you guys really need reassurance by reading that other people can be lazy about meals and heat up frozen pizza for dinner, like we all do sometimes? Or have kung pao chicken delivered from the local joint? Taking up bandwidth and other people's time and attention to report this kind of meal seems to be a form of solipsism that assumes that other people will be interested to know about every single detail of one's life, no matter how mundane. Now, if ScotteeM or CJ Sadler were to write about making fried eggs for dinner, that would certainly pique my interest. Because, they were probably Moulard duck eggs sourced from someplace of real interest, gently stewed in organic goose fat and served with brioche toast rounds and duck bacon. This is not "showing off" -- it may inspire envy and resentment in others who interpret it that way-- it is reporting about one's creative efforts in the kitchen, in the same way that restaurant diners report on meals they have enjoyed, elsewhere in this site. If posters to this thread have found a delicious way to combine ordinary pantry items and turn them into a satisfying dish, I would certainly like to know about it. I would rather not hear that you are lazy, that's all. I know you are. I am too, sometimes.

[In all seriousness, I'd be happy to start a second thread for "Special Occasion Dinners" although I suspect the majority is happy with the way it is now. Please don't debate this here - PM amongst yourselves or send me your thoughts in a note (but please don't expect me to reply to all of them). Cheers! Rocks]

I got some more crabs at the Great Wall today. (I'm not even gonna tell you what they cost. ) Dh said, before I went, that he didn't want to crack or suck anything at dinner. I thought I would steam them, extract the meat and then have enough of the goodies for a couple of meals. No such luck. I didn't weigh the meat, but it didn't look like the amount you get with a pound in the plastic bucket.

So, what to do with it? Crab Newburg? Crab Imperial? I looked in my cookbooks and, lo and behold, there was a recipe for Crab Imperial in "The Commander's Palace New Orleans Cookbook" that seemed simple enough and didn't require anything I didn't already have on hand. (DH brought this home from a yard sale shortly after Katrina ruined everything.)

I combined everything and managed to fit it all into two small souffle dishes. It's been awhile since DH commented on the goodness of a dish he hadn't eaten before, but he did tonight. I can't compare and contrast with the Crab Imperial at the Prime Rib (too much time has passed). Except that mine cost a whole lot more. Although, I have to say, the crabmeat was without a doubt the freshest I have ever had. Which makes sense, since those bad boys where alive until this afternoon.

I needed to get some wine for tomorrow, because we have been invited to somebody's home (you know who you are), so I picked up a Sauvignon Blanc to go with the crab tonight. It cost twice as much, and wasn't nearly as good, as the SB we routinely buy at Whole Foods on P Street. There it is.

Pan-seared dry-aged ribeyes from WF in Clarendon, and Braised Fennel and Potatoes from the Gourmet that hit our mailbox yesterday.

Dinner was 'Palena' roasted chicken (see other thread). Sides of kale with bacon and onions and roasted potatoes.
Dessert was apple maple walnut cobbler.

I'm a big fan of the stuff for cooking. I think I cook with it more than I straight up drink it (I typically look to Campari for my aperitif needs), though in this case it was a great accompaniment with the sauce. I think it makes a great sauce for fish (and probably would chicken for that matter), and I did a Lillet vinagrette for a tomato salad at the eGullet DC chicken tasting that I think had potential with some tweaking (I would have tweaked more at the time but that batch killed off my supply! )

Dubonnet does well, too.

I finally found my usb cable for my camera, so I thought I'd post a few of the things I've cooked in the last couple weeks that have been sitting on my camera for a while. A few are pretty low-brow type grub but they tasted pretty damn good. Hopefully they measure up.

Last Sunday - Several Greek mezzes from Meze by Diane Kochilas. I've made a few recipes from this book that I've liked and some that I didn't. This batch was all winners. Shrimp sauteed with garlic, white wine and breadcrumbs, Ground lamb (I used beef) Kabobs, Warm Potato Salad, and Walnut-Garlic Yogurt sauce.



Earlier this week - Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup with grilled cheese made with English Cheddar, Fontina on Cheese Bread. This is a great recipe. The pureed tomatoes by themselves make a great pasta sauce, too.



Tonight - Smoked Brisket using a modified "Minion Method" finished in the oven, with my own KC Style Sauce and a simple creamy coleslaw. Finishing it in the oven made the process much more mangaeable and faster, but it still got a kick-ass pink smoke ring after about five hours in the smoker.

Bilrus, that all looked fabulous. Lucky you!

I had a good cooking night. Never did I think that I would enjoy and even look forward to cooking, but it's getting easier and more fun each time. Tonight I made the braised short rib ragu served over penne featured on the cover of Fine Cooking (March 2006 issue). It was delicious. My boyfriend, who is so generally complimentary about my new interest in cooking that I have begun to question his sincerity, raved enthusiastically and ate two bowls of the stuff. Score! Personally, I loved it.

Dessert was a simple apple-pear crisp with vanilla ice cream (Edy's Slow-Churned Light).

This is the first issue of Fine Cooking I have purchased and as a novice cook, I find it perfect for me. Definitely not for the more experienced in this crew, but I'm glad I bought it.

Crab Imperial, the O'Donnells restaurant recipe from the Maryland Seafood Cookbook II, and Corn Pudding from John Shields' Chesapeake cookbook.

Don't question his sincerity, girlfriend. Just keep on cooking. Food is love, and the more you love the process of cooking for the two of you, the more love he will feel for you. Trust me on this.

My boyfriend was mine, totally hooked after I prepared chicken marengo, rice pilaf and asparagus with hollandaise sauce for him on a two-burner electric hotplate. We are still together, 35 years later!

Had my first dinner party in a while on Saturday. Main dish of yassa (Senegalese chicken stew) served over rice with butternut squash and kale on the side. Well received, but the appetizer was an even bigger hit: endive with orange sections, goat cheese, and honeyed walnuts, drizzled with a balsamic/orange juice/honey reduction. Out of this world.

All Cooking Light recipes, if you can believe it.

Can you recommend me your smoker? I'm in the market, but have no idea what makes for a good/reliable/cost-effective smoker. Thanks!

It is a Weber Somkey Mountain Cooker, also known as the Weber Bullet. It is a "water smoker" meaning there is a pan of water between the meat and the fuel to help maintain a low temperature.

Lots of information at the Virtual Weber Bullet website.

There are cheaper versions out there (and more expensive ones) of this style, but I bought the Weber because A) I'm a sucker for brand names but, more importantly, it was by far the best reviewed.

There are other styles of smokers that looks like big grills with separate smoke boxes that some people swear by as well.

Bill

No self respecting Missourian would put cole slaw on barbeque.

I like it on my pork, maybe not so much on the beef. I left it off on my second round of sandwiches last night and liked those better naked.

Thanks for the encouragement. When he and I first met, he said "every woman - and man for that matter - should have at least three go-to dishes." I had moved to DC from NYC only a few months prior and was used to having virtually no kitchen. I also have a mother who hates cooking! The bottom line is that cooking, for me, meant dumping salad dressing on plain skinless chicken breasts and shoving it in the oven, or pasta with spaghetti sauce (made, grudgingly, by my mother).

Now I have a somewhat broader repertoire...and it's growing! I'm about to have my short rib ragu leftovers for lunch. Good times.

To keep this on-topic, I'm contemplating pork scallopine (also from Fine Cooking's March issue) tonight or tomorrow. I also would like to make chicken white bean chili again, however I have to head to Orlando on business Wednesday through Friday, limiting my free time.

Did you ever wind up scoring a Le Creuset braising pot?

Yes! For Christmas 2004. I love it and am always looking for recipes that use it.

Dinner last night was the last of my white bean chicken chili - good stuff! So easy to make. And tasty enough that I didn't mind the leftovers that provided 3+ dinners. Posole is the next adventure, but may have to wait until the weekend.

Dinner last night was a first for us...monkfish in soy-ginger broth from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, with snow peas and white rice as sides. I would probably increase the soy sauce in the dish since the +1 and I both noticed a lack of salt, but the broth was delicious spooned over the fish and the rice.

Endive salad with goat cheese and orange sections, made with leftovers from the dinner party. Pork chops with a sprinkling of cajun rub.

We are having a chili cook off for super bowl sunday and I wondered if anyone had a time tested receipe they'd like to share. I have a bunch of ideas, but I need direction. (I'll probably stay away from chicken, given the occassion).

There is also the issue of cupcakes. I'm going to make a batch for each team, and want to do some fun decorating. I'd love any input. Thanks!

OK, so I pan-seared some loin pork chops in olive oil flavored with garlic and sage. Then I made a sauce of heavy cream, mustard, sage and garlic. We ate that with reheated seared potatoes & fennel from the other night, and simmered frozen peas with tarragon.

LOL. That's almost exactly what I made on Monday. Except for veggies I had sauteed mushrooms, snap peas, scallions with some zapped frozen peas added at the end.

Last night was a small meal of larb and a cucumber salad with a thai-style dressing.

Pho Ga - Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup - from the linked recipe from Pho 75 that ran in the Washington Post last year:

Last night was the maple-rosemary glazed short ribs (braised in porter), and maple-balsamic glazed golden beets.

Tonight: Oyster-stuffed Porobello mushrooms (from the new WF), "Barbecued" sockeye salmon, and butternut squash creamy polenta.

SCORE!!!! Visiting cousins from Santa Cruz came to dinner last night and brought me a large shopping bag full of Meyer lemons from their tree. No carnauba wax! No pesticides! Really fresh!!

I added zest and juice to almost every dish I served...

Hors d'euvres: guacamole and chips (cousin's daughter's boyfriend from Oaxaca was along-- he heartily approved--which she reported has never before happened in a gringo's home--he really liked my roasted chile adobo salsa, too.)
Medjool dates stuffed with homemade lavender chevre, sprinkled with Maldon salt
Petit Basque sheepmilk cheese with homemade membrillo
Alfonso olives, roasted red peppers, Genoa pepper salami

First course: roasted squash, celeriac and quince bisque, 2005 Yalumba Y Viognier

Main: Charcoal roasted chicken, herb-brined and rubbed with garlic and smoked paprika
Mushroom-barley pilaf
Roasted fennel and fig slaw
2003 Torbreck Woodcutter's Shiraz

Salad: Mixed greens with EVOO, Meyer lemon juice and a splash of sherry vinegar

Dessert: Forelle pear upside-down cake with fresh blackberries, B&J's vanilla i.c. and whipped cream

I don't think they were just being polite when they said it was the best chicken they'd ever eaten-- the thirteen year-old said she usually didn't like chicken, because it was always dry, but she loved this. They didn't know about brining, obviously, though now they do. And they've never eaten chicken at Palena Cafe... Luckily, I made three large chickens, and I've got leftovers--it's really good cold.

nice. The rest of your menu sounds really good, too.

BTW, I love to stuff dates with blue cheese, like Stilton or gorgonzola dolce. The contrast is surprising and really nice. Have you had the mascarpone-stuffed dates at Komi?

Nope. But reading about them provided the inspiration for doing what I did. The visiting cousin was the one who got me turned on to the idea of making my own chevre--she makes chevre with fresh raw goat milk she gets from a neighbor in Aptos. She and her daughters all loved the added lavender flowers.

Tuscan-style white beans doused with olive oil brought back from Montepulciano, argula salad with lemon/olive oil, bread, and the last of the pecorino semi-stagionato stashed in the freezer that we had brought back from Pienza a few months ago. Tastes like Italy even if the scenery isn't quite as picturesque outside the window! Dessert = wine-poached pears.

Orrichiette (sp?) with ricotta, parmesan, peas & mint. Scott and I loved it. My children, who gobbled this the last THREE times I made it, turned up their noses. Kids and their perverse appetites....

I'm always having to figure out how to create two versions of dinner to satisfy my kid's vegetarian thing. Although, from the sound of it, she would love the oricchiete with ricotta, peas, parmesan and mint that you made. Can I send her to you the next time you make it? That way, you will have a kid who appreciates your culinary effort, and Jonathan and I can eat meat and I won't have to make a second main dish for her.

I had posole - inspired by the discussion of it around here - nice and spicy and filling! Lots of hominy, roasted poblanos, tomatillos, etc. Washed down with a cold beer and accompanied by some warm tortillas to wipe out the bowl

[thanks to zoramargolis for sharing the basics of the recipe!]

Next, I'm going to make a foray into the world of Meyer lemons (sorbet perhaps) - again, inspired by you guys - you're such great motivators!

Finally got the chance to make something from All About Braising -- Whole Chicken Braised With Pears and Rosemary.

It was fantastic.

I did cut a few corners -- I'm not at the point yet where I'm comfortable with opening up the giblet bag and browning the neck, heart, etc., and I didn't strain the sauce or make the carmelized pear garnish. It was much more rustic. I also made a 7-pound chicken instead of a 4-pound, and for the side, I just boiled some chunks of carrot in the vermouth/stock/leek liquid the chicken had braised in.

Praise for the braise: "I think this is the best chicken you've ever made."

I tried to make Waitman's Pork Stephanie again, but using a pork loin roast (bone in) this time due to a lack of available tenderloins in un-marinated form at the Giant on 9th Street NW.

Sadly it did not go well. No fault of that delicious recipt though. Just the chef being utterly flummoxed by this cut of pork.

Last night I braised some loin pork chops with apple slices and fresh sage. With that I had some (frozen) porcini mushroom ravioli in brown butter w/sage and pine nuts.

Here are a couple of things I made in the last few days.

Whole red snapper baked in salt. This is easy and delicious that I am always kicking myself for not making it more often. Anyone can make this dish.

All the talk of the roasted fish at TemptAsian got me to thinking about making a version of it at home. So I bought some cod fillets, seasoned them with salt, pepper, and a liberal covering of fresh ground cumin and cayenne. Then I dusted each with Wondra before putting in a saute pan with melted butter.

Simple supper: Turkey cutlets pounded flat, cut in half, and wrapped in turkey bacon. Frickin' awesome.

Sunday night I made whole Red Snapper in the Basque style from Anthony Bourdain's cookbook. I went to both the Safeway and Whole Foods in Georgetown looking for whole Red Snapper with no luck. Since I already had the other ingredients I ended up at the waterfront. Only one of the stalls had a red snapper.

Tuesday was aged ribeye with shallot and 'trumpet de mort' sauce with braised leeks.

Sunday night supper: another recipe from All About Braising: Soy-Glazed Chicken Thighs With Star Anise and Orange Peel.

Incredibly tasty, with a sweet sauce we licked off our fingers. Ginger, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, and scallions, with cornstarch at the end to thicken. And only about an hour from start to finish, with half an hour oven time.

Served up with stir-fried broccoli, water chestnuts, and straw mushrooms.

My dinner was fresh salad with vinaigrette, roasted chicken and baked blue potatoes with rosemary and EVOO. Wine was Two buck chuck sauvignon blanc.

I thoroughly enjoyed a couple of bratwursts from Whole Foods boiled in beer then seared off in a pan to give it a deep tan. I then caramelized some onions and stirred in a little horseradish when they were done. Took a baguette, cut it to size, and then ripped out some of the superfluous interior. A generous heap of onions was applied to the bread along with a slathering of good Dijon. Washed them down with some Czech beer. Just perfect.

Chicken kabobs (marinated in honey, soy sauce, and lemon juice) on brown rice, with a warm salad of portobello mushroom, grape tomato [surprisingly good for this time of year], sweet onion, and red bell pepper, drizzled with pomegranate molasses and sprinkled with little bits of fresh sheep milk cheese. With a glass of Ommegang Witte.

Dessert: sweetened mascarpone flavored with blood orange juice and mixed with fresh strawberries [also surprisingly good], tucked into crepes. And a heart-shaped chocolate from Kingsbury.

Merguez meatballs with minted yogurt sauce
Vegetable tagine (roasted eggplant, tomato, roasted red pepper, fennel, chickpeas and dried apricots, spiced with ras al hanout, spicy paprika, cumin, dried lemon and fenugreek)
Cous-cous
Roasted asparagus
2003 Altos de Luzon Jumilla

Dessert: the last of a Meyer lemon bundt cake I made a few days ago

My first meatloaf. Half turkey, half beef, and cooked freeform on a foil-covered baking sheet. Ugliest food EVER. About half a cup of fat drained off during baking. Basted and served with my +1's family's Piquant Sauce: ketchup, brown sugar, dry mustard, and a touch of nutmeg. Baked sweet potatoes on the side.

Sounds like the meatloaf recipe in the American Test Kitchen cookbook. Their's is similar. If you use a raised edge cookie sheet it works much better (that and ground beef that's 98% fat free). We generally add a bit of ground veal and ground pork. Makes a fine meatloaf.


Edited to remove stupid misspelling.