What's for dinner tonight?

[kit_n_caboodle]

Butter chicken and coconut rice, garlic naan.

Again, I am wishing I had a nice stout to go with dinner. I really should pick some up.

I have some rhubarb in the freezer, and I'm thinking of making a crisp. Maybe I should go out and get beer and ice cream after work.

[cehrriins]

Turkey burgers, roasted Italian green beans and brown rice (simmered in chicken broth).

Have I ever said how much I absolutely love roasting vegetables? I mean, I like it because it's a tasty and different way to get my family to eat their veg. But I lurve it because it's so stinkin' easy.

I've still got some coconut milk...I might cook some jasmine rice to make rice pudding for dessert. Which means I'll have to watch that episode of Good Eats again.

[kit_n_caboodle]

Salmon cooked in a spicy sweet sauce that my mom gave me a sampling of so I don't know what it is, exactly. Served over sautéed baby bok choy.

And I am hoping that the tiny worm I found on the counter after dinner that had come from the bok choy hadn't left any friends behind.

[tagurit]

Originally Posted by NobodyAtAll

tagurit, I love rhubarb pie. Yum. I never find rhubarb in my grocery.

That's probably because it's a cool climate crop. I believe, but don't quote me, Michigan is the third largest producer of rhubarb in the US. Next time I make some, stop up and have a slice! Warning: it's rhubarb pie, not strawberry rhubarb whatever-it-is gel pie.

BTW, it turned out delish!

[cehrriins]

Dinner wasn't anything major or special tonight. . .it was the dessert. Yesterday, I finally bought a fresh pineapple after a long time of being intimidated by the thought of cutting, peeling and coring one myself. I've always bought canned pineapple, because the pre-cut stuff in the produce section was more expensive than the fresh uncut or the canned stuff.

So, tonight I skinned it, sliced it and cored the slices with a skinny shot glass; it was not difficult at all. And it was the best fruit I've ever eaten. Ever. I'm never buying canned pineapple again. And if they're still on sale, I'm getting more tomorrow.

[NobodyAtAll]

Thanks for the invite. No, I wouldn't want strawberry or that gel in my rhubarb pie. I did develop my fondness for rhubarb growing up in Ohio, a cold climate state. It was what I craved when I was pregnant with my daughter. I lived in New Orleans at that time and was able to buy rhubarb there. I guess there was enough demand to justify shipping it in. Fortunately I wasn't forced to steal it from the witch's garden, dooming my daughter to growing long hair in a tower somewhere.

[ganzfeld]

First I cook a pizza crust with nothing on it, until it's lightly browned on both sides, take it out and put it on a plate. Then I take hot refried beans and spread them over the whole top. The I slice an avocado thinly and spread those slices evenly over the whole crust. Then cut into slices. Finally, put on some fine pizza sauce on each slice and top that with plain yoghurt.

[Errata]

Pickled veggies (string bean, asparagus, carrot) and finocchiona charcuterie.
Broccoli Soup.
Caramelized cauliflower with garlic, chilies, and anchovies.
Grilled Quail with baked cherries, melted tallegio, polenta, and green garlic.
Creme Brulee.

[Pinecone]

I have some tomatoes to use up, so I'll be making pasta sauce.

[Errata]

Thai-chee-ni: Thai chili infused vodka with lychee purée (spicy!).
Blackened Pacific halibut on banana rum sauce, with sauteed veggies, basmati rice, and grilled pineapple salsa.
Mango sorbet.

[tagurit]

Leftover meatloaf sandwiches.

[Cervus]

Homemade vegetable soup, with crackers and baba ganoush.

This was my first time making baba ganoush, and although I followed a basic recipe, it came out incredibly bitter and garlicky. I only used half the garlic the recipe called for! The eggplant was kind of old, though, and only afterwards did I realize I'd used sunflower seeds by mistake instead of sesame seeds in the blend.

I wound up adding honey and mint to make it palatable.

[thorny locust]

Eggplant can be bitter for any of various reasons:

If it was too mature when it was harvested, it will be seedy and bitter.

If growing conditions were too stressful, that can make it bitter.

If it was stored for too long at temperatures much under 50º F, that can cause bitterness. Many people put eggplant in the refrigerator; many stores display it in the refrigerated case; some shippers transport it in a refrigerated truck. Try buying locally grown eggplant at the farmers' market*, and don't refrigerate it till after you cook it. (You can refrigerate cooked eggplant, and probably ought to; once it's cooked, it's dead, and won't respond to cold temperatures the way a whole raw eggplant does.)

Some varieties are supposed to be bitter; there are styles of cooking in which that bitter flavor is desirable.


thorny -- grows (non-bitter) eggplant, among other things -- locust


*ETA: possible conflict of interest statement. It's true, though, and you'd hardly be buying it at my market -- though I just remembered that in significant areas of Florida what's called a "farmers' market" may have no actual farmers, and the produce appeared to be old stuff the supermarket didn't want any longer (I saw old supermarket stickers on some of it); if the market is one of that sort, then I retract the advice.

[Errata]

Cowboy ribeye with homemade Worcestershire, asparagus, and grilled red potatoes.
Peach shortcake with cinnamon whipped cream.

[Algae]

Creamy Ranch Pork Chops, but we don't have Ranch mix, so we used Italian. It's in the crock pot.

[tagurit]

Tonight, tilapia packets with carrots, snow peas, green onions, olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon on the grill along with red skin potatoes and asparagus from the freezer.

Cervus, we always slice or cube peeled eggplant, depending on use, and soak it over night in milk in a covered container, refrigerated. That removes any bitterness and firms up the flesh. When I grew eggplant I picked it young and used it same day so that wasn't necessary.

[ULTRAGOTHA]

Strawberry shortcake!

Yes, I am indulging on the first day of summer.

[Errata]

I tried a new fusion tapas bar tonight:
French 75 cocktail with elderflower liqueur, Hendrick's gin, Spanish cava, fresh lemon juice & organic cane juice
Spicy raw ahi poke
Sliders on toasted Hawaiian bread, with Swiss cheese & Roma tomato
Grand Marnier Flan

[Pinecone]

Somethïng we made and froze a while ago. The writing's rubbed off the bag, so I'll have to wait and see what it I before I know whether to cook rice, pasta or what to go with it! I think it might be some sort of spicy pasta sauce with chicken and veggies, but time will tell!

[Syllavus]

Chicken with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, water chestnuts and mushrooms over angel hair pasta with some grated cheese on top. Hopefully it cools off enough by this evening that using the oven won't be too unbearable so I can make some crusty dinner rolls to go along with it.