What's for dinner?

[Ernest Jones]

Inspired by FriedChickenGate and knowing there are some cooks on the forum (David in FL I'm looking at you!), I thought it would be fun to have a thread where cooks can tell us what they're (or their better halves) are cooking. Don't tell me about your Kraft Dinner cuz I don't give a crap! I'll start, tonight is a bit hectic so nothing fancy, roasting a chicken basted with homemade hoisin and lime sauce. Some oven baked potatoes and garlic and toasted sesame seed oil scented broccoli. Simple but delicious. Next time I go all out I'll upload some pics. I love food porn ;-)

[RPMPIRE]

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

I'll start, tonight is a bit hectic so nothing fancy, roasting a chicken basted with homemade hoisin and lime sauce. Some oven baked potatoes and garlic and toasted sesame seed oil scented broccoli.

If this is what you don't consider to be fancy, I'd like to know what is.

I don't know what dinner is tonight, but tomorrow evening, I'll be grilling up some ribeye steaks with sauteed mushrooms and baked potatoes. Happy Memorial Day everyone!

[Ernest Jones]

Maybe we can put our favorite skirts on an exchange recipes too. Seriously, I LOVE to cook and suspect there may be a few others on here who share the passion. Stretch can be the house Sommelier and recommend the wines :-) I'll be serving a nice Italian Valpolicella with the chicken and hoisin lime sauce.

[Ernest Jones]

If this is what you don't consider to be fancy, I'd like to know what is.  I don't know what dinner is tonight, but tomorrow evening, I'll be grilling up some ribeye steaks with sauteed mushrooms and baked potatoes. Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Nothing wrong with a rib eye, aka faux filet, by far my favorite cut for the grill. Regarding fancy, trust me, when I do a fancy I will post complete with pics. Food is a passion. Mmmmmmmm!

[RPMPIRE]

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

Nothing wrong with a rib eye, aka faux filet, by far my favorite cut for the grill.

Regarding fancy, trust me, when I do a fancy I will post complete with pics. Food is a passion.

Mmmmmmmm!

Fair enough. I used to cook a lot, but with the addition of 2 kids and a 1 hour commute to and from work, I get too tired and have little time to cook up good food. It's sad and hopefully just temporary, but I want to get back to cooking "good" food.

[Ernest Jones]

Well our kids are 5 and 7 now so things have balanced out a bit. We used to (back in our childless days) have dinner parties 2-3 times month. 7 course kinda stuff, the wife is a fantastic cook too, we haven't done that in ages but we will soon. Now the kids are older and not as high maintenance.

[Chris E]

Watermelon.

[Ernest Jones]

Watermelon.

That type of commentary is not welcome in this thread. There are at least three other threads dedicated to that whole incident where you and your hillbilly cousins can yuk it up.

[Chris E]

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

That type of commentary is not welcome in this thread. There are at least three other threads dedicated to that whole incident where you and your hillbilly cousins can yuk it up.

You have no idea what I think about that subject, nor do you know anything about me. Your assumption about me is off-base, but who cares. You started the thread alluding to the issue and that is the only reason I half-assed posted that BS. If a joke twists your panties about it then maybe you should examine your emotional investment in the subject, or start a food thread without alluding to it.

On subject, last night I had pulled pork and brisket that we cooked on the pit. Got 5 racks of pork ribs to do today after golf, along with smoking/carmelizing some onions, sausage, boudain, etc. I don't want to know what my cholesterol score is. I'm sort of a bbq junkie, so maybe that does mean I am a hillbilly but I am pretty sure my family tree has many forks.

Take care, and sorry; I meant no offense.

[Sherpat]

Got a big seafood sale going on this weekend at the local grocery. I'm gonna pick up a 2 pound bag of fresh mussels (4 bucks, score!) and turn it into one of my all time favorite dishes of any genre: billi bi soup. But I'll reserve half the meat for a mixed seafood paella on the side. And for the main Memorial Day chowdown: lobster rolls! (Live lobster: $3.99/lb. Score X2!) I'll put 'em on hotdog rolls so they look appropriate for the holiday :-D I'll probably make up either potato or pasta salad too, Oh, I made a big batch of rice pudding in my rice maker yesterday. That, under a blob of whipped cream, should end the festivities if we have room left. Whenever seafood is the focus, it's hard to go wrong with a nicely chilled Sancerre. And since I'm here, check this: Mint grows like kudzu around my house. Seriously, anybody needs a few cubic yards of the stuff I'll send a truck out. I'm always making things out of it, not so much because I like it that much, but because if I don't I won't be able to see out my window. On the second floor. Here's what I make a lot of in the summer. Mint julep: 1. Yank a half an acre or so of mint from your yard and bring it inside and rinse well. Take 5 or 10 stalks, strip the leaves off, and bruise those leaves up with the back of a knife or cleaver. Put them in a small saucepan along with a third of a cup of water and a third of a cup of sugar. Turn the heat on and bring it to a simmer. Let it simmer for 10 - 20 minutes, adding more mint leaves out of spite every now and then if you feel like it. Now pour it through a fine strainer, pressing down on the leaves to get everything, into a ramekin or small bowl and let it sit and cool down. You've just made mint flavored simple syrup! 2. Get a bottle of bourbon, the quality depending on 1. your ability to afford it, and 2. your willingness to adulturate it. I'm a Maker's Mark man myself, but there's a lot of great bourbon out there from other distillers. The better the bourbon, the better the julep. But even harsher stuff covered in mint tastes good (well, better) this way. 3. Get a decanter, hopefully one with a good stopper. 4. Bruise up some of the remaining stalks of mint you have left. Ram them TOP SIDE FIRST down into the decanter. (You'll thank me later when you're trying to pull them back out after all the julep is all gone...which, knowing most of you, will be in about 3 hours.) Pour in the syrup you just made, then the bottle of bourbon. Shake it around real good ( er, [U]with[/U] the stopper on. Dummy .) 5. This is the hardest step: let the sucker sit on a shelf somewhere for at least 3 days to meld all the goodness. I know, I know. What can I say? I don't make the rules. Just do it. 6. Serve it over ice (shaved, in a metal beaker, is traditional, but...uh, yeah) and jam a couple more sprigs of mint on top as a garnish. The idea is, when you stick your face in the glass to take a swig, your nose should be buried in the leaves to get an extra blast of sensory overload mintiness via the olfactory. Works for me! (Just don't sneeze in your drink immediately afterwards. It makes it chewy. Don't ask.) Man, after writing all that you know what? I may skip the crummy seafood and go straight for the after dinner drink! Happy cooking, all!

[Ernest Jones]

You have no idea what I think about that subject, nor do you know anything about me. Your assumption about me is off-base, but who cares. You started the thread alluding to the issue and that is the only reason I half-assed posted that BS. If a joke twists your panties about it then maybe you should examine your emotional investment in the subject, or start a food thread without alluding to it. On subject, last night I had pulled pork and brisket that we cooked on the pit. Got 5 racks of pork ribs to do today after golf, along with smoking/carmelizing some onions, sausage, boudain, etc. I don't want to know what my cholesterol score is. I'm sort of a bbq junkie, so maybe that does mean I am a hillbilly but I am pretty sure my family tree has many forks. :-) Take care, and sorry; I meant no offense.

Lol. Dude, you can't drop a comment like yours and then act all victimized when you get called on it. You're right I don't know anything about you, up until your second post on this thread the only view I had of you was a racist comment. You might want to work on your entrances. But hey, maybe your right, I should have been more explicit about the whole, "no racial slurs please" expectations. I guess I should make a practice of slipping that into any thread I start, like a "no smoking" sign. Any-who, that BBQ sounds delicious. I do a ton of grilling in the summer but no real BBQ**, I just don't have the gear or the time really. I love eating it though! You would be a perfect candidate for uploading pictures, how about a few pics of your pit in full operation? **unless you count putting a pouch of soaked hardwood chips on the gas grill but that's still not real BBQ. My gas weber won't really go low enough to really BBQ. My buddy does some great BBQ on his charcoal webber but I haven't been able to convince the wife that I really need two webers.

[Ernest Jones]

Got a big seafood sale going on this weekend at the local grocery. I'm gonna pick up a 2 pound bag of fresh mussels (4 bucks, score!) and turn it into one of my all time favorite dishes of any genre: billi bi soup. But I'll reserve half the meat for a mixed seafood paella on the side. And for the main Memorial Day chowdown: lobster rolls! (Live lobster: $3.99/lb. Score X2!) I'll put 'em on hotdog rolls so they look appropriate for the holiday :-D I'll probably make up either potato or pasta salad too, Oh, I made a big batch of rice pudding in my rice maker yesterday. That, under a blob of whipped cream, should end the festivities if we have room left. Whenever seafood is the focus, it's hard to go wrong with a nicely chilled Sancerre. And since I'm here, check this: Mint grows like kudzu around my house. Seriously, anybody needs a few cubic yards of the stuff I'll send a truck out. I'm always making things out of it, not so much because I like it that much, but because if I don't I won't be able to see out my window. On the second floor. Here's what I make a lot of in the summer. Mint julep: 1. Yank a half an acre or so of mint from your yard and bring it inside and rinse well. Take 5 or 10 stalks, strip the leaves off, and bruise those leaves up with the back of a knife or cleaver. Put them in a small saucepan along with a third of a cup of water and a third of a cup of sugar. Turn the heat on and bring it to a simmer. Let it simmer for 10 - 20 minutes, adding more mint leaves out of spite every now and then if you feel like it. Now pour it through a fine strainer into a ramekin or small bowl and let it sit and cool down. You've just made mint flavored simple syrup! 2. Get a bottle of bourbon, the quality depending on 1. your ability to afford it, and 2. your willingness to adulturate it. I'm a Maker's Mark man myself, but there's a lot of great bourbon out there from other distillers. The better the bourbon, the better the julep. But even harsher stuff covered in mint tastes good (well, better) this way. 3. Get a decanter, hopefully one with a good stopper. 4. Bruise up some of the remaining stalks of mint you have left. Ram them TOP SIDE FIRST down into the decanter. (You'll thank me later when you're trying to pull them back out after all the julep is all gone...which, knowing most of you, will be in about 3 hours.) Pour in the syrup you just made, then the bottle of bourbon. Shake it around real good ( er, [U]with[/U] the stopper on. Dummy .) 5. This is the hardest step: let the sucker sit on a shelf somewhere for at least 3 days to meld all the goodness. I know, I know. What can I say? I don't make the rules. Just do it. 6. Serve it over ice (shaved, in a metal beaker, is traditional, but...uh, yeah) and jam a couple more sprigs of mint on top as a garnish. The idea is, when you stick your face in the glass to take a swig, your nose should be buried in the leaves to get an extra blast of sensory overload mintiness via the olfactory. Works for me! (Just don't sneeze in your drink immediately afterwards. It makes it chewy. Don't ask.) Man, after writing all that you know what? I may skip the crummy seafood and go straight for the after dinner drink! Happy cooking, all!

Still laughing about adding the extra leaves out of spite! $3.99 lb for live lobster is crazy. I'm surprised the fishermen even bother going out at that price. That'll barely pay for boat fuel. Good score on the mussels too, are they PEI mussels? Last night the wife went to her cousin's for a ladies night. I asked the kids (4 and 7) what they wanted for dinner, we were doing a movie night. They went for chicken wings and ribs! I got a case of extra hoppy beer and all was good. Then I hit balls all night after the kids went to bed! The wife can head out whenever she wants.

[Sherpat]

Good call on the PEI origin, but these are from Washington state. I've purchased them before and have no complaints. I love 'em all! Lol. You're obviously a man of discerning taste and pleasures....at least when the wife's gone! Good for you man, that sounds like Guy Heaven :beer:

[boogielicious]

I have been cooking for a long time. Love it.  I had to be good at it in college otherwise my fraternity brothers would have bowled me (swirly time!).

My wife and I try to cook up something new on Saturday nights.  Anything from Coq au Vin to Pulled Pork to Cassoulet (or Guy Fieri's version Porkoulet) .  Lately we have been experimenting with make different enchilada sauces and most recently a mole sauce.  The trick is to get good dried peppers like ancho or guajillo. We make extra sauce and freeze it.  It can be a great add to chili.

Tonight it is marinated steak tips on the grill with a version of roasted potatoes we call, "roasty toasties".  Cut up 1" cubes of potato, add carrots, celery.  Cover with olive oil and sprinkle on parmesan cheese.  Roast at 375 until golden brown and delicious.  The steak tip marinade is a stout based recipe with molasses, soy and Worcestershire.  New Englanders know how to really pronounce "wuhsta-sheer".

[Ernest Jones]

Mmmmmm. Coq au Vin. Haven't made that in a while. Yum. Last few years I've really gotten into Italian cooking. It's great when you get off of the beaten path a little. A new favorite is Pork Stew with chestnuts and prunes served over warm polenta. Absolutely delicious and its flavours come from juniper berries, cinnamon and cloves. Melts in your mouth, rich and velvety and way it interacts with a good red wine from Abruzzo or even a Ripasso...pure romance.

[boogielicious]

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

Mmmmmm. Coq au Vin. Haven't made that in a while. Yum.

Last few years I've really gotten into Italian cooking. It's great when you get off of the beaten path a little. A new favorite is Pork Stew with chestnuts and prunes served over warm polenta. Absolutely delicious and its flavours come from juniper berries, cinnamon and cloves. Melts in your mouth, rich and velvety and way it interacts with a good red wine from Abruzzo or even a Ripasso...pure romance.

Land of my people.  My Grandmother was from Abruzzo.

[Ernest Jones]

The cuisine from Abruzzo is often over looked but I love their penchant for fiery peppers. Unfortunately I'm the only one in the house that likes the heat so I always have to add my peppers to my plate after which is a shame. So many of the dishes I cook would be so much better with a little kick of heat, nothing silly, just a pinch of spice, I find it really brightens up the flavours and acentuates everything else. The pork stew I refered to above is a great example of a dish that would really shine with a little heat added to it, nice juxtopostion to the sweetness of the prunes. Oh well, it's pretty damn gourmand without it but if I had my druthers...

Another is Polo Con Carne Peperoni (not sure about the spelling). It's basically like a chicken cacciatore but with a metric sh*t ton of sweet bell peppers (I like to use red, yellow and orange because of the beautiful colours) chopped tomatoes, big coarsely chopped pancetta, wine and marjoram (and of course garlic but that goes without saying!). After a bit of experimenting I started using a white wine instead of red, keeps everything from turning purple and you get a lovely orange simmering broth from the peppers and tomatoes. It's amazing how deeply the pepper flavours infuse the chicken. Again, a bit a hot chili peppers added to it really accentuates the sweet peppers. This is a real winner ladled over nested tagliatelle, make sure you get high quality pasta (or make it yourself) and it will just suck up all that flavour.

Hmmm, think it's time to to the grocery store!

[Ernest Jones]

Saturday is my mother-in-law's 60th. Going to be making Shrimp Cakes w/sweet chili sauce, Bruchetta, Duck Confit salad, and Cuban Mojo Pork and grilled oranges on the BBQ served with Duck Fat potatoes, fire roasted sweet peppers and poached asparagus w/thyme and balsamic vinegar.

If I can snap some pics while cooking I'll post them. All hail food porn!