Weekend Cooking?

It's getting to be really nice here, so I am thinking of lighter fare, although I will of course be making pizza tomorrow night.

I think lunch Sunday might be a chilled garbanzo bean salad with homemade whole wheat cheddar cheese rolls and fruit salad. And obviously I have to make something with which to have chocolate ganache (thanks, Celia!), maybe a coconut macadamia pound cake.

What are you making this weekend?

It's getting to be really nice here, so I am thinking of lighter fare, although I will of course be making pizza tomorrow night.

I think lunch Sunday might be a chilled garbanzo bean salad with homemade whole wheat cheddar cheese rolls and fruit salad. And obviously I have to make something with which to have chocolate ganache (thanks, Celia!), maybe a coconut macadamia pound cake.

What are you making this weekend?

I note that many folks here change their menus considerably with the change in seasons. I pretty much cook the same way year round. If I want black bean soup in the middle of July, I make it. And pizza is always 4 seasons here. Since I live in the South, we grill year round, too. I'm not a huge salad fan, but will fix it sometimes for a "green" to go with dinner. The seasons may change, but my appetite doesn't and salads usually don't satisfy me.

Back on topic, I am planning to grill steak tomorrow and make chicken burgers Sunday. As always, subject to change depending on what our weekend has in store for us. All the talk about anchovys in another post got me thinking I'd like anchovy sauce with my steak tomorrow.

I don't know yet. It's my last weekend before leaving on a trip (full of bad steam-table food), so I want to treat myself to something good. I wonder what the mushroom selection at Berkeley Bowl is like today...?

Maybe bagels...

I note that many folks here change their menus considerably with the change in seasons.

Yes, I do. I always eat pizza. In fact, almost every Saturday night all year. I love hot soups year round. But I do try to take advantage of what seasonal produce may be available inexpensively. And I tend not to make as many heavy comfort food dishes in the warmer weather.

We are entertaining a seven year old grandson this weekend. It is the first time we have had him alone, without his younger sister (she came alone two weeks ago ) so we plan on spoiling him. Whatever he wants to eat is what we will eat, as long as it is reasonably healthy. I do have a roasted chicken planned, a red pasta sauce made (his favorite) Jenise's pineapple muffins and blueberry pancakes in the freezer, plus two kinds of ice cream.

This weekend I am going to try a couple of new things. One idea I was considering is Eggs Benedict with a sort of Mediterranean twist (toasted bread topped with roasted eggplant, a mayo sauce of roasted red pepper, garlic and smoked paprika topped with the poached egg). The other thing I will definitely try are Manchego, basil and sun-dried tomato scones.

Have a great weekend everyone!

We have a slumber party full of nine-year-old girls for this evening, so it will be Spaghetti Bolognese for everyone, maybe with garlic bread.

Tomorrow night, it's supper at Waterboy with my pal Nilo and his wife. This place does Mediterranean food as well as any I've ever been to, so I'm looking forward to that.

%^)

Sunday is our one splurge day of the week and USDA Choice porterhouse steaks are on sale at Fry's for $4.99 a pound so steak on the Weber it'll be ... I see potatoes on sale, too, so a big baked potato to go with the steak along with freshly cut asparagus with lemon tarragon dipping sauce and a garbage salad with big chunks of bleu cheese ... whole garlic clove bread ... and something made with $4.99 for 5 pounds new crop strawberries for dessert ... gonna open a bottle of Thunderbolt Junction (Paso Robles) Petite Verdot and see how it goes with the steak ...

Kathleen has to work Sunday but we'll see if we can sneak in an early breakfast at our favorite Mexican food restaurant - La Flor ... me - huevos rancheros ... Kathleen - machaca and eggs ... a Pacifico on the side, of course ...

Because Kathleen also has to work Saturday, think I'll cook up a batch of stroganoff made with ground turkey, a nice spinach salad (kill two birds with one stone - veggie AND salad), a chewy bagette to sop with, and a citrus fruit salad for dessert (rio red grapefruit, minneola tangelos, valencia oranges, kinnow mandarins, and a healthy spash of Grand Marnier) ... the wine we bought in Paso has probably settled enough from the trip so gonna open a bottle of Rotta (Paso Robles) Cabernet Sauvignon to go with the stroganoff ...

And I/we, too, don't change what I/we cook based on seasons ... we do, however, try to stay away from firing up the oven for any length of time during the late afternoon/evening during our 120 degree Summers ... as such, a few things fall off the menu but not many ... and thank God for the Weber in the Summertime !

Clink !

%^)

[Jenise]

It's getting to be really nice here, so I am thinking of lighter fare, although I will of course be making pizza tomorrow night.

I think lunch Sunday might be a chilled garbanzo bean salad with homemade whole wheat cheddar cheese rolls and fruit salad. And obviously I have to make something with which to have chocolate ganache (thanks, Celia!), maybe a coconut macadamia pound cake.

What are you making this weekend?

Today is my husband's birthday so tonight is dinner out with another couple. I'm taking big red wines and the crowning touch: a small bottle of Armagnac from his birth year. Will be just perfect for four.

Tomorrow night's the big party, so I've been slaving all week and stashing food all over the neighborhood to get ready for that. Just made 86 cocktail sized French Dip sandwiches and loaded them onto a friend's mini-van. With that, I'm officially done. Sunday, I'll probably just collapse. It's snowing out now (very odd for this time of year) but thank goodness it's this cold--I've had a container of jus for the Dips hidden on the roof for two days!

It's snowing out now (very odd for this time of year) but thank goodness it's this cold--I've had a container of jus for the Dips hidden on the roof for two days!

Brilliant hiding place! I'd have never thought of that.

Let's see, today I'm going to make my version of Howie/Linda's baked beans. I've got great northern beans soaking, and I'll make it with treacle and a mix of interesting deli meats (I bought a box of cheap end cuts). I made the recipe recently with chick peas and bacon and a few slices of salami, and the baked salami was absolutely delicious, so I thought I'd try again.

I have to bake next week's bread (which is a regular weekend thing), so today it's a large tray of focaccia and some sourdough loaves. Also some bagels for a friend down the road. I also bought something fun yesterday - some Callebaut dark chocolate baking sticks, which are "bakestable", ie. don't melt away in the oven. I'm thinking of trying some sort of pain du chocolat thing with them tomorrow, though so far we've just been "smoking" them and pretending they were those chocolate cigarettes we had as kids.



Tomorrow I'll make a cake and some cookies, and if I find some eggplants at a good price, I might make some more Sri Lankan eggplant pickle.

USDA Choice porterhouse steaks are on sale at Fry's for $4.99 a pound

Bill, a price like that might have me wondering just exactly what the poor cow expired from. They're pushing $10 lb here.
Bon appetito.

Bad night tonight. We have to go to a visitation, so it’s most likely grab a bite to eat afterwards. Tomorrow is supposed to be fairly nice (in the 60’s), so it will definitely be something on the grill. Hopefully steaks if they look good in the butcher’s case. Plus, I'll get to drink a G & T on the deck. I love that. Sunday is practice day with my bar-b-que team for our big competition on April 12th.

Jim

USDA Choice porterhouse steaks are on sale at Fry's for $4.99 a pound

Bill, a price like that might have me wondering just exactly what the poor cow expired from. They're pushing $10 lb here.
Bon appetito.

John,

That price caught my eye as well. The lowest I have ever seen the grade Choice on sale for here is $10.99.

USDA Choice porterhouse steaks are on sale at Fry's for $4.99 a pound

Bill, a price like that might have me wondering just exactly what the poor cow expired from. They're pushing $10 lb here.
Bon appetito.

John,

That price caught my eye as well. The lowest I have ever seen the grade Choice on sale for here is $10.99.

%^)

The same USDA Choice porterhouses are on sale at Albertson's for $4.88 a pound ... for some reason, I like Fry's beef better ... besides what's 11 cents a pound between friends ?!

BTW - Fry's ad sez the regular price is $9.99 a pound while the Albertson's ad sez the regular price is $10.99 a pound ... so you guys are not far off ... both these chains here seem to have either USDA Choice T-bones/porterhouses, rib-eyes, sirloin, or New Yorks around that $4.99 to $5.99 a pound area each week ... so if you're a beef eater in Yuma, it's pick your poison from week to week ...

Clink !

%^)

Today is my husband's birthday so tonight is dinner out with another couple. I'm taking big red wines and the crowning touch: a small bottle of Armagnac from his birth year. Will be just perfect for four.

Tomorrow night's the big party, so I've been slaving all week and stashing food all over the neighborhood to get ready for that. Just made 86 cocktail sized French Dip sandwiches and loaded them onto a friend's mini-van. With that, I'm officially done. Sunday, I'll probably just collapse. It's snowing out now (very odd for this time of year) but thank goodness it's this cold--I've had a container of jus for the Dips hidden on the roof for two days!

You know, Jenise, I've read books about people like you. Most of them penned by people like Danielle Steele, but you really do exist. Huh -- imagine that.

You know, Jenise, I've read books about people like you. Most of them penned by people like Danielle Steele, but you really do exist. Huh -- imagine that.

Jo, you read Danielle Steele ? You big softie, you...



I agree with you though, our Jenise is one of a kind...

Tonight it's baked cod loins with wild rice and steamed asparagus... shoulda been a risotto.

Wife's out of town tomorrow evening so I'm going to cook for my mid-70 year old aunt who doesn't cook nearly enough good food for herself. She loves scallops and so do I... so it's seared scallops atop a corn sauce and some horseradish mashed potatoes. And Albarino.

Sunday munchies will include bruschetta topped with goat cheese and roasted red peppers... can't get enough of that.

Rasam, Fenugreek Chicken, and Dosas.

-Paul W.

I promised Gail lasagna for her birthday tomorrow, but it'll be the red sauce kind, made as Weight-Watchers friendly as possible. That'll be followed by a dessert-to-be-determined, washed down with a 375 ml bottle of 1998 Cru D'Arche-Pugneau Sauternes I picked up after work for just this occasion. This will be our first taste of Sauternes, btw, and I am NOT telling her that I paid $35 for a half-bottle! Still, the 2003 Y'Quem was $379 for a 750, so it could have been worse.

Any suggestions for a relatively quick & easy, yet elegant dessert to match with the wine? I was sort of thinking about Martin's apple tart...

An update : a friend dropped over 2kg of spanish onions today, so we made onion marmalade. It's like a sweet onion relish - very nice. Also baked some sourdough baguettes and epis today, and tried yet another recipe for preserved lemons....

Robert, Martin's tarte tatin recipe works a treat, I've tried it !

I'm not cooking this weekend. I'm driving to Cincinnati for a Saturday night Offline.

Last night was a Meyer Lemon Risotto with Basil. Super tasty. Not cooking today...I'm headed up to the Healdsburg to go wine tasting with five girlfriends. However, I will have a yummy dinner at Willi's Seafood Bar. The Sunday menu is undecided. I might be recovering....

I don't know yet. It's my last weekend before leaving on a trip (full of bad steam-table food), so I want to treat myself to something good. I wonder what the mushroom selection at Berkeley Bowl is like today...?

Maybe bagels...

Was there yesterday....The golden Chanterelles were gorgeous!!!