What's for dinner this weekend?

I felt completely uninspired tonight and exceedingly disgusted with the winter storm that has come in. I wanted something comforting, yet easy, and something that allowed me to turn on the oven!

Since I haven't gone grocery shopping in at least a week and there are limited ingredients on hand, I am making twice baked potatoes stuffed with ricotta, diced ham, and mozzarella. Throw a spinach salad together and voila.... dinner.

What did you do? Any big cooking plans for the weekend?

Since we were going out to hear some jazz tonight, I just fixed some spaghetti noodles and added some store-bought pesto sauce, and some garlic bread and that was dinner.

By the way the jazz was wonderful. The band was made up of local high school kids. They could have a great future in music. This was held in a local wine shop, so a good time was had by all.

What kind of stuff did they play, Linda?

I've assembled all the ingredients for Hanie's Beef Rendang, and I'm going to cook it up tonight (Saturday).

Tonight I fried up some sliced Italian peppers and hot Italian sausage in EVOO, then simmered it in Newman's Own Marinara Sauce, and threw in some defrosted diced pulled pork barbecue. The hickory smoke from the barbecue added a little something extra to the sausage in marinara sauce.

-Paul W.

[Robin Garr]

What did you do? Any big cooking plans for the weekend?

Last night I kept things simple but tasty: I made up about a dozen little silver-dollar-size corn cakes, and topped them with dollops of a "salmon cream" I made by flaking alder-smoked salmon from a local producer (Shuckman's Smoked Fish) into a blend of Indiana Capriole goat cheese with a little cream, and a salad on the side. It went mighty well with a Verget 2005 Macon-Villages, although I wasn't really that pleased with the wine, which had an odd lactic dairy/sauerkraut edge.

Tonight I'll sear a Green River Kentucky ribeye (see how I'm paying attention to "food miles" here?) with fresh garden spinach, and serve it with a couple of high-end California goodies from California Wine Club's Connoisseur's Series that I need to report on Monday. (Specifically, Clark-Claudon Vineyard 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Roessler Vineyards 2003 Savoy Anderson Valley Pinot Noir.)

Sunday I'll turn over the kitchen to my bride, who's aching to roast a pork Boston butt (also natural and locally produced) the way her mother used to.

Split pea soup from what's left of the Easter dinner ham bone.

Artichokes, three different ways. I don't know what those ways are yet, but it'll come to me as I'm washing and trimming them...

Some sort of grilled cow.
BP

[Jenise]

Last night we dined at a friends' home. I took Dale's fantastic quinoa salad with basil.

Tonight, duck breast with grapefruit reduction sauce. I'm on this kick, gotta find the ultimate duck breast and citrus recipe.

And for lunch today, Marsala braised quinoa with crimini mushrooms in roasted tomato.

Last night we went veggie with this RCP:

SWEET & SOUR EGGPLANT SOBA:

1 ½ T Sesame seeds
1 lb Eggplant
1 Red Pepper
1 Small onion chopped
1 tsp Chinese (roasted) sesame oil
1 tsp Minced garlic
Pinch dried red pepper flakes
1 C Tomato sauce
¼ tsp Ground ginger
½ tsp Granulated garlic
1 ½ T Soy Sauce
1 ½ T Apple cider vinegar
1 ½ T Honey
½ T Arrowroot
¼ C Chopped cilantro
½ lb Wild yam soba

Roast eggplant and pepper*. Toast sesame seeds in heavy saucepan, and set aside. Nuke onion with oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Peel, seed, and chop eggplant and pepper. Combine tomato sauce, ginger, granulated garlic, and soy sauce in a saucepan. Add eggplant, pepper, and onion mixture. Bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes. Place soba in boiling water, simmer eight minutes, drain, and rinse with hot water. Combine vinegar, honey, and arrowroot in a bowl. Add to sauce off heat. Stir till thick. Drain soba, and place on a warm platter. Nap with sauce, and sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve hot.

*To roast vegetables: Before leaving for work: Wash and dry them. Cut stem off eggplant, cut in half lengthwise, and put in ungreased roaster face down along with whole pepper. Roast uncovered at 375 degrees for 34 minutes, turning pepper over once halfway. Remove from oven, cover, and cool. Can be done in morning, and let sit all day till you are ready to prepare dinner.

We matched it with Cecchi Chianti Classico. Excellante'.

Tonight it's chevre-mushroom-onion pizza (now where did I get that idea?); a salad made with roasted beets, roasted carrots, and orange; and pork tenderloin wrapped in sage and prosciutto.


Mike

Yesterday I marinated a whole chicken, cut up, in a killer home made marinade. We grilled it last night and I served with Russian Fingerling potatoes, steamed, then browned in Smart Balance and EVOO, tossed with fresh rosemary, coarse salt and gr. pepper along with green beans from the Farmer's Market, tossed with roasted garlic and tomatoes.
Tonight I am tired, as we planted our garden (12 tomatoes, plus summer herbs and cukes) so we will have the left over grilled chicken, leftover fingerlings, fresh beet greens, and a tossed green salad. I got an order of Rancho Gordo beans. I decided to try the runner cannellini. Big white fluffy beans, I made into a salad, with red and green bell pepper, fresh garlic, herbs and spices. Very tasty bean dish and it will make some nice lunches for me this week served over a bed of lettuce.

Spinach salad, asparagus, rice, and steak sauteed in garlic oil and sliced into strips, with a few shrimp thrown on top. Even my wife ate the steak. Yum.

I did a Ribollita this weekend. A simple Tuscan recipe, except I sub’d american style bacon for the pancetta.


4 Slices smoked bacon (chopped)
1 Onion (rough chop)
1 large , peeled carrot (rough chop)
3-4 Garlic cloves, chopped
1 can Cannelini Beans (drained)
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 can Chopped tomatoes
2 cups Chicken Stock
1 tsp herbs de provence ( or to taste)
1 bay leaf
1 pkg frozen spinach ( defrosted & water squeezed out)
1 Large parmesan reggiano rind
1 loaf day old bread
EVOO

~ Saute the chopped bacon,onion & garlic. ( If the saute is too dry, add EVOO as needed)
~ Add the tomato paste & stir. Add the chopped tomatoes, stir & simmer a bit.
~ Add the chicken stock, then add the beans. Stir.
~ Add the drained spinach & stir
~ Add herbs, bay leaf and cheese rind and simmer for a while.

Drizzle thick slices of day old bread w/ EVOO & bake at 350 until toasty. Rub tops w/ a garlic clove. Spoon above mix over the the toasted bread and serve with a rustic chianti or barbera.

Richard

I really have no idea, Cynthia. I am not all that familiar with jazz tunes. Some of them were low key, and others were more upbeat.

We were in San Diego for a high school music competition over the weekend so dining out was the ticket.

Thursday night we ate at the Cosmopolitan in Old Town. Cindy and I both had the chicken breast in jalapeno-mushroom sauce. Appetizer was a three item dish....a spicy shredded pork, a shredded chicken, and a ceviche, all on tortilla chips. Margarita to drink, of course.

Friday night we visited Little Italy and dined at the Trattoria Fantastica. Pasta e fagioli soup, osso buco, and cannoli with a bottle of Barbera d'Alba. Great meal, nice wine!!