What did you cook today?

9/13/2011

Betty..

Your making my mouth water, I'll be right over !

Cheers..Joe

Already at it this glorious Sunday morning, with a breakfast I learned about a bit over a year ago. I wanted to do something different from an ordinary scrambled egg, so I googled for some recepies and came up with this Gordon Ramsey video:


During our long drought this summer, I stopped eating breakfast because I didn't feel hungry, much less want to heat up a kitchen, but I woke up this morning, after a cool night and sound sleep, wanting to take advantage of the Sunday, so I took a few minutes to fix this one.

The wonderful supermarket down the road from my house has a super salad bar, which includes very large and fresh mushroom slices as well as cherry tomatoes. They also bake their own whole-grain breads, and I did my first-of-the-month shopping yesterday, so everything I needed was on hand, and BTW, sour cream is easier to get here than creme fraiche, so I use that instead - same difference.

Ann

Good presentation, Gordon, ruined breakfast! It has to be buttered toast not nasty olive oil -- I can't stand the taste of olive oil. Chefs love it; I hate it. Nothing, absolutely nothing beats the taste of butter -- so why ruin food with olive oil? I don't care how virgin it is, olive oil sucks. Grilling/frying anything in olive oil is a turn off for me.

Years ago, when we lived in Glasgow, we visited a top TV chef's restaurant. We all had halibut, and it was a big disappointment. There's a Sainsbury's foodstore not far from the Glasgow restaurant. If we'd called in instead of going to the restaurant, the fish would have been fresher and, popped in a microwave on medium heat for two minutes and ten seconds, would have tasted better.
The chef couldn't even blame the poor quality food on his staff; his blue Lotus with personalised number plate was parked right in front of the restaurant. He may not have cooked the fish on my plate, but he did supervise it.

Restaurant food is okay but I wish they would use less fat and the fat they do use should be butter. JMO.

Actually, I did use all butter this morning, not just in the eggs.

I love olive oil, personally, but not with eggs.

A little healthy fat, I've read, and find true in my experience, is better than no fat, even when trying to lose weight.

But a little goes a long way.

Ann

Shealgh, I'm with you on the butter thing. I hate olive oil and cant imagine anything worst than eggs cooked in the stuff.

Another Simon and Garfunkel night for the Thursday Family Dinner. (I know; I know, but it's their favorite.)

My patio herb garden is long gone with the (finally over!) drought, but I splurged and bought packets of fresh herbs at the supermarket (They've gone up from $1.99 each to $2.49, also due to the drought, so they were the most expensive part of the meal: 4 @ $2.50 = $10.)

Since I had paid for the herbs, I continued the theme ( parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme ) through the veggies and potatoes, and even the sour cream dip for the homemade zucchini chips (slice very thin circles of zucchini with a good knife or mandolin - my pref - and toss them in olive oil Sorry Shelagh and bake until crisp and golden)we had as an appetizer. The veggies? Haricort vert (whole baby green beans) with slivered purple onion, sauteed in Sorry again, Shelagh olive oil, with grape tomatoes added at the last minute, and artichoke hearts with garlic and purple potatoes (they do exist!)), also sprinkled with the combo of fresh herbs.

The only thing left over was a few slices of zucchini and dip, which I am munching now with the last of the Malbec.

Ann

Fortunately, I love Olive oil--it is heart healthy too.

So is butter, in moderation, especially if the cows who produced it have been able to eat grass.

Ann

I have cooked anything today ... yet.

But last night I made POZOLE for dinner.

Served with cabbage, radish, onion, and lemon ... and warm tortillas.

Perfect for this 40 degree weather we've been having.

Yum!!!

OMG! I love pozole, and your sides sound perfect for it.

Does your recipe have a meat, and if so, pork or chicken?

Ann

Today's lunch: Kale & Pinto Bean Stoup (thicker than stew;thinner than soup)



During Thursday's family dinner, Lynn & Chris mentioned they were trekking downtown on Saturday to the Farmer's Market. I geve them the small stash of bills in my wallet (a rare thing; I never keep cash - must have been synchronistic). They popped by about an hour ago with a huge batch of purple baby kale and a lb of very fresh mushrooms.

I sauteed some purple onion rings and garlic slices until they were caeramelized, then added the thoroughly washed kale, along with the water that clung to the leaves, added a tad of red wine (from an old recipe for kaled simmered in red wine), and as soon as the kale was tender, added a half-can of pinto beans, not drained.

While that simmered, I fried up some tortilla strips to serve with.

Now, to figure out something special to do with these mushrooms. Hmmm.

Ann

alj wrote:

OMG! I love pozole, and your sides sound perfect for it.

Does your recipe have a meat, and if so, pork or chicken?

Ann

I've made it with chicken a few times, a few of my family members (mother, sisters, etc) are on Kosher diets.

But my husband, son, and I prefer the original version with pork.

Next month I begin making tamales again ... pork.

Looks great! I would definitely stick some chips in there and go to town.

I didn't cook. I cheated. I meant to take pictures, but got distracted.

The super-duper market down the street has a "Cafe on the Run," and, when I arrived to get stuff for Family Night, I saw that the cafe had a special going: buy an already cooked rotisserie chicken and get 40% off of up to three already cooked sides, in 1 lb plastic containers. Since Chris had to work, it was just me, Lynn, and her in-laws. I would only need two sides, so, for less than $10, I got a Lemon-Pepper seasoned rotisserie chicken, a lb of sliced and roasted new potatoes, and another lb of steamed mixed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, yellow crookneck, and green beans, all still crisp and brightly colored).

Lynn brought the bottle of Cab.

Ann

This night we are having chicken breast cut into strips, dusted with House Autry breading and fried crisp on the outside and then smothered in duck sauce, Texas 5 cheese toast, mashed turnips, yellow rice, white beans and a little salad with mexican crumbling cheese on top.

My David has poured the concrete pad Wooffer's resting spot where the lovely stained glass bench will set, written Wooffer's name and dates on the part that covers his grave.

It is a place made with love. I told David that it was better than a lot of people get to commemorate their life, and it is.

Love,

Betty

Stained glass bench? Sounds beautiful. Post a picture if you can.

Dear LC,

I will try to do it. It is a bench with sandhill cranes, frogs, cat tails, and other wetland stuff. My daughter in law and son made it for us two Christmas ago. How wonderful is the love that made that bench for us.

Tonight, my David and I watched old Mash shows on TV. It occured to me that the writing of that show wrapped around the hearts of the viewer. I would like to write that way for Wooffer. Nothing complicated, just stories that yank the heart strings.

Love,

Betty

The early MASH shows were that way. And FWIW, I think you already do write that way.

LC wrote:

The early MASH shows were that way. And FWIW, I think you already do write that way.

Ditto that

Ann

Thank you all for the nice words, I am still working on that.

I wonder if any one of you have tried a fish named Swai. It is a 'vietnamese catfish' sold frozen at the Walmart super stuff.

It is a beautiful white fleshed fish. Inexpensive, beautiful. I used to buy Talapia, but Swai is better, larger filets, fleshier, cooks beautifully in any recipe.

Love,

Betty

Stacked Enchiladas

Filling: 1/2 pre-cooked Mesquite Chicken Brest Fillet from Sam's Club; diced veggies( today's were red, yellow, orange bell peppers; left-over cooked potato, red onion, garlic); chicken broth, tomato sauce, taco seasoning;

Sour cream, grated cheddar. diced green onions, corn tortillas, diced fresh tomato

Spray bottom of small round casserole with salad oil spray, (some of us like olive oil, others prefer butter) place 1 corn tortilla in dish, spread thin layer of sour cream over, add just enough filling to cover, sprinkle with cheese and green onions; repeat until top of casserole is reached, and with tortilla just sprinkled ith cheese. Heat in 350 oven or microwave; top with more green onions and finely diced fresh tomato.

nn

Keeping guacamole green.
Wet a coffee filter with lemon juice and put onto guacamole. Guacamole can be frozen if you leave out the tomatoes until you serve it. Freeze with coffee filter on top.

Love,
Betty

Betty Fasig wrote:

Keeping guacamole green.
Wet a coffee filter with lemon juice and put onto guacamole. Guacamole can be frozen if you leave out the tomatoes until you serve it. Freeze with coffee filter on top.

Love,
Betty

Cool idea! (In more ways than one )

Ann

Mini taco shells are 3 inches long. That is about half of the regular stand and stuff kind of taco shell. I find them to be perfect. Make four instead of two. The nice thing is that when you bite into the little taco, the rest is still there in your hand. I found that the regular shells fall apart after the first bite into them and no matter how fast your try to eat, there you are with a corn tortilla shell in your hand and the filling on your plate. I believe that the little shells are a breakthrough in taco eating and enjoyment. They are advertised as a "snack" size, but I make them instead of the larger version.

Love,
Betty

Great idea. I will have to try them for a Thursday dinner soon.

Ann