What's Cooking This Weekend?

I'm in autumn comfort food mode... I started sauerbraten this morning. We'll rush the marinating just a bit and have it Sunday evening.

I also feel a flurry of pumpernickel bread baking coming on. It just goes so well with the sauerbraten!

What are you making this weekend?

Princess, you have just convinced me to make some cabbage with caraway and mustard this weekend. I'll probably make a loaf of rye or pumpernickel, too. Yum, I love autumn.

rwj

[Jenise]

Funny, I've been in a similar mood. Tuesday threw me off track with an atypical heat wave of mid-70's temps, but it's 32 degrees outside as I type so I'm once again dreaming of cabbage rolls. I have a ham in the fridge waiting to be ground for that.

Comfort food for sure! I've been thinking soups. Think I will try butternut squash/apple soup this week. Last week I made chef Suvir Saran's Creamy Cauliflower and Spinach soup from his recent book American Masala. (If you like fusion cuisine, I'd recommend a review of his book). Rather than water, I used chicken broth and I replaced the milk with half and half. (I just needed that velvety mouth feel). The soup left me wanting more. So, this weekend either Creamy Butternut Squash and Apple or Italian Wedding soup will be on the menu.

Celia's Sticky Ribs.

-Paul W.

A bit of a treat for me after a bit of a stressful work/hospital week. Ewie cooked one of his special veggie (aka quorn mince) chillies today - with mature beans from our home grown runner beans (large pink & black speckles - very carby ).

There's enough with fluffy basmati rice and wholemeal pittas to last all weekend - so it'll be easy living for me!

2006 Malbec from Valdiviesco of Chili just opened - definitely needs to breath a bit!

With the cold and wet (finally some rain!) weather, Cynthia, I think at last I'll be able to put a simply fondue together. I went to Cowgirl Creamery two weeks ago and got some cheeses I've never heard of before and tomorrow I'll be at a tasting during which I hope to find some new vino blanco to try. I can't wait as in my family fondue's a fall ritual right after the the humming birds leave for the winter.

We love fondue, Jon, and have it all year long. Yum!

On travel, so no chance to cook until next weekend.

I'm once again dreaming of cabbage rolls. I have a ham in the fridge waiting to be ground for that.

Jenise, what else do you put into your rolls besides ham? I grew up on my mom's cabbage rolls filled with what she referred to as "Spanish rice." Basically ground beef, crumbled bacon, white rice and Campbell's tomato soup. She topped them with cheddar cheese and sometimes bacon slices.

When I met my husband, he told me about his Polish mother's cabbage rolls, "Gwumpkies." Completely different from the ones my mom made.

I just can't eat fondue when it's 95 degrees in the shade and 95% humidity.

Hmmm...6.30am here on Saturday morning, and I'm up to start a couple of trays of focaccia. I was given a stack of cookbooks yesterday by a friend who's emigrating, so I might see what inspiration comes from those. Will post again if I come up with anything exciting. :)

Hope the ribs work well, Paul ! :)

a simple tea for us tonight, of buttered bread, a couple of interesting cheeses from the market (last week) in Cuneo, Piemonte and a little piece of spiced apple to add zest. Simple and light is getting to be regular for us on a friday night.

Saturday will probably be a chilli using home grown chilli peppers (I don't know the variety, but they go by the name of 'little b*stards'). Maybe a late breakfast of wild mushrooms if 'the brains of the operation' finds some on her morning walk.

I've got 40 people coming for dinner tomorrow night, to celebrate our eldest daughter's 30th birthday. She loves lamb, so there will be grilled boneless leg of lamb, marinated in red wine, garlic, parsley and rosemary, Saffron rice, a cucumber& yogurt salad, an Aleppian vegetable stew featuring cabbage, carrots, chickpeas and tomatoes, hummus and a variety of fresh breads and cheeses. And a gorgeus basket made of caramelized nuts and chocolate, filled with cake and custard and topped with berries and sliced fruit. and a mocha cake. (the sweets are not homemade). Besides a double magnum of Lungarotti Rubesco Riserva, I'm opening some Italian Pinot noir and I don't know yet what else, but for sure a magnum of 1977 (her birth year) Grahams vintage porto.
And yes, I've got help in the kitchen.
Ines

No plans yet other than a request to bring a vegetable tart (which has bell peppers and eggplant among other veggies, as well as plenty of herbs) to a dinner tomorrow night. I've had a hankering for chicken pot pie, so I'll probably do my favorite recipe of that.

Corned beef - cabbage - boiled potatoes - English mustard - semi-dry Vignoles. It's cold and wet here in West Virginia, and so am I. Been pressing grapes all day and am worn out. How's that for comfort food?

Tonight it is grilled turkey burgers on onion buns, with garden tomatoes and letuce from my garden.These turkey burgers have Panko bread crumbs, thyme and fresh lemon juice and zest. A round of goat cheese is tucked into the middle. Sweet potato fries with rosemary.

Tomorrow I am making an Ina Garten menu that looked good to me. Whole roasted lemon chicken, served over sourdough croutons. Caramelized whole shallots and green beans with red and yellow bell peppers.
Sunday....leftovers!

cabbage belongs in coleslaw and stir-fry, not much else for me.

We enjoyed a super garlicy Shrimp Scampi on linguini tonight, and will be putting together a Lasagne tomorrow.

Sunday we will be on the road.

Grilled salmon over mesquite or oak and mixed veggies I think.

Welcome to the Forum, Ron! It's a really great place with lots of wonderfully knowledgeable and fun people. Just ask us, and we'll tell you so!

Baby back ribs (dry, just sprinkled liberally with spices), baked yams and sweet white corn. Washed it down with Page Springs Winery 2005 Zinfandel.

Keep it coming, folks! I have to make something to bring to a Halloween party tomorrow night and I'm still looking for the right dish.

How about one of those dishes that's made up of finely chopped cabbage, chopped apples, crumbled bacon, all sauteed in a little bacon fat with maybe a small amount of vinegar and a little brown sugar. No doubt someone here has a more detailed recipe. It could be defined, very broadly, as coleslaw.