Eating Dinner With My Family

My boy loves salmon!  He choose this recipe for dinner tonight and he loved it!  I am putting it in the fixable file. Why?  Well there was a ton of mustard to salmon ratio.  I think next time I would like whole grain mustard with the English powdered mustard I have. The recipe just says powered mustard, and perhaps the strong horseradish flavor in the English mustard coupled with the Dijon was what made it sinus cleaning!  :0. Once I scraped the mustard off the little girl's portion, she liked it. I ate my bites with the potatoes to help cut the mustard. (Giggle) The potatoes were another issue. I cooked them at least twice as long as recommended and they still were not done. I even bought the small "two bite" red potatoes and quartered those. Also, the crust didn't brown in the time allotted, so I turned on the broiler.  So, while not terrible, I think it could be fixed.  I liked this Salmon with Whole Grain Mustard much better.  The only t...

I loved tonight's dinner. We had our "Meatless Monday" tonight as we had guests Monday night and just swapped days we made meatless. I had an eggplant from Front Porch Pickings so yippee I get to make some even though the boys aren't fans.  Just one more great reason to use a csa or community sponsored agriculture.  (Although FPP is better than any other one I have used. I love that you can customize your baskets.)  Funny story my husband started singing "you down with FPP " so of course I answered "yea you know me". Your welcome for the ear worm.  But back to having a CSA, there are so many reasons I love and advocate for people joining one.  First and most important to the foodie in me is that the quality, flavor and variety can't be matched by a large grocery.  Secondly it is the healthiest option for your produce.  Local means more time to mature on the plant and more nutrients in your food.  The delivery of local and seasona...

I love my juicer. We have a glass every day. My favorite is the "original v-8" but we often just destroy vast amounts of produce and alternate between sweet and savory juices, often leaning towards the savory.  This was a kind of fruit clean up juice I really enjoyed, so I figured I would save it to the blog.  The papaya make for quite a thick juice, I think it really can't be a single item in a juice unless you want it more like a shake.  Next time I think I might like to try a bit of ginger in the juice as well; not too much to overwhelm the flavor but just a smidge. Papaya & Pear Juice   1 papaya 1 red pear 1 green pear 1 Granny Smith 1/2 lemon Put items in the juicer and serve over ice. 

Another pin from Pinterest tonight. It turns out it is a recipe from the same blog that I got one of my all time favorite recipes: Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream. The sriracha cream is quite possibly the most perfect sauce ever!  The blog is called Damn Delicious. I am going to have to have a good look through it, soon. This pancetta fried rice was really great. A solid 4.5 from me, the boy was hovering between 3.5-4. The hubby wasn't home so we don't have his rating, and except for the scallions the girl liked it too!  Not only did it get high marks from everyone, it was easy to make, and inexpensive. The hardest part was the chopping/grating before the cooking. That could always be done ahead of time and then dinner would take like 15 minutes. I made extra rice when we make the poblano chicken so I had the 3 cups of cooked rice already cooked and measured out. Even with the chopping and egg cooking, it came together really quick. I adore the fact that the regular scramb...

My husband loves NPR and as a result, I do too.  I adore the Splendid Table and that is where this recipe came from.  The only issue I had with this recipe is the cheese did not guild the pasta, more like clumped a bit and stuck to the bowl and utensils but in the end it was yummy so I forgive them for having me picture each noodle being sheathed in a cheese coat.  The kids really dug it too.  The  boy ate a monstrous portion and, adjusting for size, so did the girl!  The girl also punctuated her bite with phrases like "this is my favorite pasta," " can we have this for breakfast."  You get the picture.  It was also pretty easy to make.  They said that the sauce could sit on the stove for a hour before using, so I had it working and done before the boy was home from karate, and had the water at a simmer covered, so when he was home, all I had to do was cook the noodles.  It was also economical.  The huge portion of pasta, which...

Well, shoot!  I lost another post because of the blogger app!  GRRR  Not only was this a frustrating recipe, but a frustrating post!  Ok I will paraphrase what I had written.  The end of the recipe's instructions says "cook until the meat is soft and you can pull it apart easily with a fork."  I should have realized that it would have needed to be a very long cooking time, but for some reason I was thinking only an hour.  After an hour it was still raw inside.  We cut it in to 5 pieces or so and cooked it hours more until it was finally done and we could put it away and go to bed!  The end result was that it wasn't as tender it should have been, but the flavor was good.  I am looking forward to doing this again but with an all day cooking time. Roast Pork For Cuban Sandwiches 4 - to 6-pound pork shoulder roast 1 head garlic – about 10 to 15 cloves 1 Tsp salt 1 Tsp black peppercorns 1 Cup sour orange juice (If you can't get -...

This dinner started off as a bit of a miss, until we added more crema and chopped everything and mixed it all together.  Individually it was kind of meh, but all together it was a whole new dish.  The boys say solid 4.  The boneless, skinless thighs were on sale, so we used those even though I am sure we sacrificed a bunch of flavor. Lime Chicken With Poblano Sour Cream 4 large poblano chiles 1 large lime 1/2 Cup sour cream or Mexican Crema 2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro plus a few sprigs for garnish (optional) 2 Tsp kosher salt more to taste 1 Tbs. ground coriander 1 Tsp ground cumin 1/2 Tsp freshly ground black pepper 8 medium (5- to 6-oz.) bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil Position an oven rack 5 to 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler to high. Line the bottom of a broiler pan with foil and replace the perforated top part of the pan. Broil the poblanos, turning 3 times, until blackened, 12 to 15 mi...

First of all I have a bit of a dilemma.  Problem one, I did make a couple changes, the biggest of which was the red sauce.  So, I want to note the changes in the recipe, but since they are from a blogger, I want to put the link.  Problem two, the original pin seems to be from a blog that copies other blog posts but they talk about the Saucy Gourmet , a blog I love, but this doesn't seem to be her recipe but I want to link to that original post to not only give her a well deserved plug, but that was my original source for the recipe .  However, I felt I should look up the original blog post and put a link to them, right.  Well I found what I believe was the original, and it seems idenicle.  So in the most cowardly way, since it is really a Bobby Flay recipe, I am including the recipe, as I cooked it, and links to the two posts and the Saucey Gourmet.  Make me feel better and click on them all ok?  At least tell me you did;). ON TO THE RECIPE: I...

Ok so it is the kids first day back to school and its meatless Monday. I did not have the mimosa in the driveway moment after they were off to school that I was dreaming about so I was feeling less than motivated when it came to dinner. I also want to toss everything in the fridge and start over as back to school is like New Year's Day to me.  In the end, I focused on the ricotta I needed to use. I'm sure this dish has been done a thousand times over, but I don't think I have ever made anything similar. (Other than lasagna). I decided today was the perfect day to bust out the pricy, all natural, marinara I buy bogo for just such an occasion. So, that + ricotta was the start of the dish. I had angel hair on hand do I called it a dish and skipped the grocery. The ricotta would need at least salt. I decided to add that in the form if Parmesan. So, any tired moms, bad day having, or slackers, this is a dish for you! Fast, easy and zero work!  Oh and I called it pasta alla Bambi...

So, it's the Sunday before the kids go back to school.  I want it to be an awesome, laid back kind of day before the early morning tomorrow.  (well laid back for them since I'm doing the work;)  I also let them have a repeat for dinner tonight and my son choose the Ultimate Sriracha Burger.  (good choice)  I saw this syrup on pinterest and said I have buttermilk I need to use, why not?!  I know the kids were clamoring for my famous sprinkle pancakes.  (actually a friend of mine made them first, but my son's friends and cousins adore them and I have to make them if they are here for breakfast.  It's only as taxing as regular pancakes, which for some reason I find very taxing.  Perhaps it is because I'm most emphatically not a morning person and I feel there is something obscene about working that hard with a cup of coffee in hand.  Now huge amazing breakfasts I have no issue with, just so long as someone else is cooking and cleaning...

There were many issues with tonight's dinner, but in the end, it was really delicious!  The idea of mushroom, leeks and bacon is a trifecta in my book!  Even the boy who really dislikes mushrooms, ate well and said they even tasted good!  My issues were mainly because I always want to follow a new recipe exactly. I feel like I am learning about ingredients and/or techniques I haven't tried. In this case, I was concerned with some vagueness. The leeks say "trimmed and patted dry".  Surely they were cut, but how?  The picture showed them sliced fairly thickly, but when I told my husband to slice them for me, ours were thinly sliced.  Sounds like no big deal right? However, I was worried how that would affect the cooking time and their doneness.  Another issue we had personally was my husband likes things a certain texture. He likes a little of everything in every bite and doesn't like big chunks. However, personal preferences aside, the flavor ...

Well I didn't  have/couldn't find/couldn't afford the size scallops the dish recommended.  12 scallops equaling 1.5 pounds would have cost way more than the $25 I spent on the 1.5 pounds that had about 30 scallops, so I didn't cook the second side as long, but other that that, I followed the recipe.  If you make this do not use a nonstick pan!  Oh and one other thing, the amount of scallops I had made for some tricky timing and the they cooled off the pan and gave off a bit more liquid than I would have liked.  Both those problems would have been solved with the pricier, larger scallops.  I found that there really wasn't any need to salt the chard mixture at the end as the bacon and soy added plenty salt, but I did give it a good dose of pepper. I loved it!  My husband, who normally isn't a fan of greens/ chard, liked the chard a lot.  The kids still aren't fans of chard:(.  The scallops were perfect.  Well there were a few that did...

We all enjoyed this dish very much.  My husband, who was not hungry, ended up eating quite a bit and said he wanted to rate it a 5;  my son and I were hovering between 4-4.5 with myself leaning towards the lower end, but I have chicken issues.  It was a great breading and I do like chicken pounded thinly; the sauce was a tad lemony for me but still really amazing!  It wasn't the fastest meal, but it wasn't particularly hard to make. We halved the recipe since we are just 4 people.  Even the three year old loved the chicken and occasionally dipped hers in the sauce. Chicken Milanese With Sage-And-Lemon-Butter Sauce   6 Tbl cold unsalted butter cut into tablespoons 2 medium shallots minced 1 Cup heavy cream 1 Cup dry white wine 1 Cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth 2 Tbl chopped fresh sage 2 Tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice Pinch of cayenne pepper Salt and freshly ground white pepper Chicken 1 Cup seasoned dry bread crumbs 1/2 Cup panko (...

Well other than the cutting of the pork in to cubes, which my wonderful husband did for me, this recipe was super easy!  It was tasty and fast, but not a wow.  I had run out of mozzarella, but I had this Mexican Quesadilla melting cheese that tasted like mozzarella, and worked great.  It wasn't nearly as good as Soft Pork Tacos I made on 11/11/11, but it was way faster and not a bad dinner.  It doesn't look too pretty as the spice blend and the melted cheese made for a brown slop like splat on the tortilla, but it tastes way better than it looks ;).  Family-Style Pork Tacos 1 1/2 Tbl ancho chile powder 1 Tsp salt 1/2 Tsp dried oregano 1/4 Tsp ground cumin 1/8 Tsp freshly ground pepper Pinch of cinnamon Pinch of allspice 1 1/2 Lb pork tenderloin cut into 1/3-inch cubes 1 medium white onion chopped 2 Tbl cider vinegar 5 Tbl minced cilantro 3 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil 1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese Sixteen warmed 6- or 8-inch flour or corn t...

Looking through my meatless recipes for tonight's Meatless Monday dinner, I decided to try this pasta dish I have been looking at and putting off because it is just so simple, I was afraid we wouldn't enjoy it as much as some if the more complicated dishes. I was right and wrong. We all liked it a lot, but we didn't adore it. I did make one change. The original recipe called for only one cup of arugula, I doubled that and used 2 cups.  Personally I think I would like even more, but two cups were a pretty good amount.  It was strong on the black pepper flavor which was nice, as everything else in the dish (well except the arugula) was in the plain side. Oh the plus side, fast and easy. Down side not an omg dish. I liked it better than some dishes I have rated a 3.5 but that's still what I'm going with. Linguine With Butter, Pecorino, Arugula And Black Pepper Salt 1 Lb linguine 1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) butter room temperature 1 1/4 Cup very finely grated Pecorino ...

I thought I would surprise my husband with another tagine tonight.  He could not stop raving about how awesome the Lamb Tagine with Dates, Almonds and Pistachios was, so I thought another was in order.  I wanted to do one that wasn't quite as sweet.  I picked this one.  I happened to really like it, as much as the last one, my husband thought it was good, but preferred the sweeter first one.  I did have one small issue, I didn't have any couscous!  Now it was recommended to eat this with a bread for scooping up, but as I am not a baker, and I assumed I still had couscous, I didn't shop or plan for anything beyond the tagine itself.  Fast forward to the end of the cooking time for the tagine, and I am getting ready to make the couscous that I discover I don't have.  My husband suggests that we throw in the butternut dumplings we had earlier in the week.  So, I throw those in for about 15 minutes just to heat them up.  It worked, but next...

Another week in the summer that I haven't been able to blog, so I share with you my favorite of all the juices we have made so far, this "Original V-8 Recipe".  I know it can't be exactly like V8 for several reasons, not the least of which is that V8 has watercress in it or that it doesn't taste the same, but still really great!  I often up the amount of spinach; it still tastes good but looks very green. The picture is made the way the recipe says to.  I also like to add a splash of soy sauce for salt and a squirt of sriracha for some heat.  The glass pictured is less than half of what the recipe makes.  I either split it with my husband or drink it when I am hungry and have a lot of room.  You can refrigerate it for later, but the color looked unpleasant to me after some time in the fridge. Original V-8 Recipe   Carrots - 2 large (7-1/4" to 8-/1/2" long) Celery - 3 stalk large (11"-12" long) Cucumber - 1/2 cucumber (8-1/4") Pa...

I was thinking of doing cheese enchiladas for meatless Monday. I had some tortillas, all I needed was a recipe for the red sauce. I spent at least an hour sifting through recipe searches on the computer before I gave up and went to bed. There seemed to be 2-3 different base recipes, and many involved lard or chicken stock. (Which I wanted to avoid to keep it meatless). There was one that I thought looked good and could work but "red chili powder" was in it. What the heck is that?  Cayenne?  I didn't think so and the Internet failed me. But I digress....  The next morning, Monday, I make a quick search of vegetarian enchiladas on Food and Wine and I thought this one sounded good and it totally cheats by making the enchilada sauce out of marinara!  The preparation of it wasn't difficult. The hardest part was mincing the onion and jalapeño. If it didn't require a 30 bake time, it would be pretty fast too. I did do some alterations. 1) I had puréed a can of chipotles ...

It was one of those moments where you think the universe is telling you to do something!  I had on deck for this week, and indeed scheduled for today, this grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a mustard/ apricot jam dipping sauce that I saw on an article of grown up grilled cheeses on Yahoo. Yesterday, I got my latest issue of Food and Wine, and under the heading '7 minute dinners' here was this recipe for the inside out grilled ham and cheese. It also had an apricot/mustard sauce but the main difference was that you press a layer of grated Parmesan cheese in to the buttered bread before grilling. Brilliant!  Genius!  The result, even without all the other tasty ingredients, was this crispy perfect, ultra thin Parmesan frico. Now figure in the apricot/Dijon sauce and the pickles and you have one heck of an awesome sandwich. I don't know why I don't want to give it a 5 star rating, but I'm going with 4.5. Perhaps it was my son not digging it quite as much as we did. ...

I gave my husband a list of possible dinners for tonight and he chose this one.  I, for one was totally happy he did!  I couldn't find truffled pecorino cheese.  My local wine and cheese shop, The Ormond Wine Co. had one at one time, but they said they had been having trouble getting it in so, I did the next best thing.  I used truffle oil in place of the olive oil that got brushed on the dough as the "sauce" layer.  We only had one issue, and it was my fault.  It said season with salt and pepper, and I was thinking that as the leeks and lamb would be the only place with seasoning, I should season liberally.  I forgot to take into account that the pecorino is very salty, so the end product was a bit salty.  Even with the over seasoning, it was really great. I cooked the pizza a bit longer and only made one pizza rather than the small ones.  I also only used a pound of pizza dough, so I had some leftover toppings.  The toppings come off e...

We loved dinner, despite the fact that just now, I am realizing I omitted the peanuts by mistake.  It was fast, easy and a great dinner on this hot summer night.  The only thing I think you should take care to do, is to make sure to really break up the pork in to small pieces.  Not only does that insure cooking it all the way through, but the size works best in the fragile lettuce leaves.  I made the boys rice to go with it, but I didn't need it.  My son and I both rated it 4 stars, and my husband, who ate it reheated, loved it but wouldn't rate it as he tried it reheated.  It would make a great appetizer too.   It was a super simple take on the more laborious chicken lettuce wraps. Thai Ground Pork Salad 2 Lb ground pork 2 garlic cloves minced 2 small shallots minced 1 large jalapeño seeded and minced, plus sliced jalapeño Juice of 1 lime plus lime wedges, for serving 2 Tbl Asian fish sauce 1 Tsp light brown sugar 1 Tsp Sriracha (chil...

A plethora of lefotvers and my desire to play with the juicer prevented me from acutally cooking dinner tonight, so instead I share the juice we made today.  It was good, better than the veggie alternative to red bull I made previously!  I think I will try the "V8" recipe on the site I'm getting these recipes from next.  Based on the ingredients, I think I will like it even better. Better Than A Salad Cucumber - 1 cucumber (8-1/4") Lemon - 1 fruit (2-1/8" dia) Onion (spring/scallion) - 1 medium (4 1/8" long) Parsley - 1 handful Pepper (sweet red) - 1/2 medium (approx 2-3/4" long, 2-1/2 -dia.) Tomatoes - 3 small whole (2-2/5" dia) Process all ingredients in a juicer, shake or stir and serve.