Eating Dinner With My Family

Well the husband is a raving lunatic about this dish!  Best I've ever had, fish dish, meal ever!!  This is it the recipe to end all recipes.  Well at least according to him it is.  My husband was in charge of the grocery shopping.  He was shopping for the roast sea bass we had last night, and when there was no sea bass, he asked about substitutions, to which the internet replied and I filtered down to tilapia or snapper.  We had some tilapia so I didn't think he bought snapper and when I cooked last night, I used the tilapia never seeing the snapper.  Well now I had these lovely snapper fillets and no plan.  A quick pinterest and food and wine search turned up this dish.  It was a happy accident because as you read above my husband really lost his head over this dish! Its a little fussy to make, but still quick and if everyone you serve this to likes it a quarter as much as my husband, you will find yourself drowning in accolades. Sna...

Ok, writing this way after the fact, but we loved it, that much I know :)  We ate it outside on our new  picnic table.  The picnic tables deserve there own post.  (there is a story there;) Blurry Picnic Table Shot :)       Roast Sea Bass with Chickpea Puree and Parsley Sauce 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika Four 6-ounce, skinless sea bass fillets (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick) Salt Pepper 4 fresh bay leaves 4 small rosemary sprigs, plus 1/2 teaspoon minced rosemary 2 cups lightly packed parsley leaves 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1/2 small garlic clove     Preheat the oven to 400° and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium baking dish, mix 1/4 cup of the olive oil with 1/2 teaspoon of the lemon zest and the paprika. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Add the fish to the marin...

My husband digs himself some chorizo!  He is also a fan of tacos, so when I saw this on food and wine, I knew I had to pin it for him, and of course it was what he went straight for it when I asked him to pick out a dinner.  It originally called for squid, but that isn't always easy to come by and I am not the biggest fan.  Subsequently, I  am not particularly in a hurry to learn to cook with it, so we substituted small scallops.  The boys loved these, and I really liked them despite some texture issues I had with the shrimp.  Don't skip the avocado, they really add something to the final dish Seafood-Chorizo Tacos   2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 pound fresh chorizo, casings removed and meat crumbled Salt Pepper 1 small red onion, minced 1 garlic clove, minced Pinch of ground cumin 1/2 pound shrimp, shelled, deveined and chopped 1/2 pound bay scallops patted dry 2 tablespoons Mexican lager 2 tablespoons fresh lime jui...

I kind if have mixed reviews for this one. It was very tasty, but the tough tomato skins were an unpleasant texture. On the plus side, it was fast and easy except for peeling the shrimp and cutting them in half.  My son said 4 and 1/2 stars and tore through it. My 3 year old happily ate a bowlful too.  My dad liked it and, despite my issue with the skins, I liked it a lot.  I am not saying don't make it, its good, but I think I have hit that point where it hard for me to be excited about any dish that wasn't a wow.  Another good thing about this recipe, is that it illustrates why I want to cook a new recipe every day.  (besides my obsessive nature:)  I have roasted tomatoes before,  (The thing that comes to mind is a pizza topping) but not for a pasta sauce.  (although that isn't unheard of)  I have made made seafood with cream sauce, but always sauteed the seafood first.  This recipe has the shrimp cook quickly in the cream an...

I gave my husband a list of possible dinners and he picked this one. Boy was it good!  The boy and I thought 4+ but the hubby gave it a solid 5!  We have made a Korean pancake before ( Korean Scallion Pancakes) and they were yummy, but my friend, who is Korean, suggested I add some seafood to the pancake next time I made it. I found this recipe from Food & Wine. It has kimchi too. Yay!  I made jasmine rice with this, and Korean Quick Pickled Cucumbers .  The original recipe called for squid, but we opted for scallops. (I love them;).  This was pretty quick & easy too. The hardest part was the frying, and I left that up to the fry daddy (my husband;)  They did require the sauce, which while I liked, I would have liked some more heat in them.  In the notes for the original recipe, they suggested thinly sliced chilies to the sauce, if you wanted more heat.  I think I would have liked some sriracha or Korean Pepper paste)  We did make on...

This recipe is out of Top Chef: The Cookbook .  I have made it before, long, long ago and really loved it.  It was still tasty this time too.  My biggest problem that happened, then and now, was the pasta just didn't get done enough.  Before, I used angle hair pasta as I couldn't find fideos, but this time, I spotted some in the store and thought I would try it again with the proper pasta and it will get done enough.  Wrong.  It was edible, and yummy at that, but seemed ill prepared.  I don't think this is how it came out when made by the chef.  And while I expect that they will make a dish much better than I could, I am perplexed as to how to work around this issue I keep having with out adding a lot more liquid and increasing the cooking time.  So while I wholeheartedly recommend you make this dish, I just want to give you a heads up on what to expect.  If you find the solution, please clue me in:)! Fideos with Clams & Saffron ...

I figure this dish cost about $14 dollars.  That is a little higher than I figure my cost is because I had several ingredients that I needed to use.  I did use slightly less than a pound of shrimp.  I think our society eats too much meat and I always go a bit light on the amount of meat called for in any recipe. I also try to go heavier on the vegetables.  For instance in this dish I doubled the spinach. This is one that my husband really liked.  The shrimp don't look too pretty because of cooking in the bacon fat, but they taste great. Lemon Barley “risotto” With Shrimp, Bacon & Spinach 6 sl bacon 1 lb large shrimp(21-25 count) peeled and deveined Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 c  chopped shallots or onions 1 1/3 cups quick-cooking barley 1    Tbs. fresh lemon juice 2 1/2 cups homemade or low-salt chicken broth 1/4 lb (4 cups loosely packed) baby spinach,washed and spun dry 1/3 c  freshly grated Pecorino ...

I was looking for a scallop recipe because I had some in the freezer and I desperately need to clean out the clutter from the fridge and freezer.  I am repeating the mantra, do not go shopping for new food, yet!  The only thing I didn't have on hand was the butter lettuce, so I thought that was pretty good.  I have to say, while bacon and scallops are amazing, I still was as excited as you would think for this dish.  I really loved it.  I did mess up the scallops, but I tried to cook them all at once to save time and get us all eating together.  They were edible, but hardly my best.  I took the leftover white rice and salsa verde from last night and mixed them for the starch.  Meh.  It was no where near as good as the previous night.  And of course a salad.  The boy didn't like mixture under the scallops, but my husband and I really did. Sea Scallops With Peas, Bacon And Carrots 4 sl of thick-cut bacon,cut into 1/4-in...

I was apprehensive about the mint in the pea puree but other than that I was excited to try this dish.  The pea puree blew me away.  I couldn't believe that I liked it as much as I did.  My husband thought it was a bit sweet on its own.  However, when you put it all together it was, incredible.  Each bite that had some salmon, puree and lemon sauce was better than the sum of its parts.  If I were to make any criticisms of the dish, it would be that I thought the sauce was a bit thin, like broth.  The consensus is that it was DELICIOUS! Salmon In Lemon Brodetto With Pea Puree Lemon Brodetto 2 T  olive oil 1    shallot,diced 2    lemons,juiced 1    lemon,zested 2 c  chicken broth 1 T  chopped fresh mint leaves Pea Puree 2 c  frozen peas,thawed (about 10 ounces) 1/4 c  fresh mint leaves 1 ea garlic 1/2 t  kosher salt 1/2 t  freshly ground black p...

Well this dish was one enormous pain in the butt from start to finish.  It was pretty tasty at the end but not pretty and not really worth all the effort.  I put it in the fixable file.  It is from a top chef winner so I'm sure with a professionals skill it would we easier and perfect but in my less adept hands it was just a hot mess.  This was supposed to be yesterday's dish, but when I looked over the recipe at three, (normally plenty of time to prep and make the dish) I realized that there were a good 5 hours of prep before I could even start the final dish, so I make the stock and refrigerate it and make tonight's scheduled dish yesterday.  Of the 9 "cakes" I made, only 2 resembled a cake and not a bowl of pasta.  I know this means I made them a bit too big. (there was to be 12) However, I could not get them to hold any sort of cake shape and the only solution was to use an egg ring I had and press the cake mixture into it and lift the ring.  ...

I have only had fennel bulb once before and I did not care for it.  It was baked into some dish I made many years ago that we vowed to never make again. (yeah it was that good;) I am also not a fan of licorice which is another strike against the poor fennel plant.  I have to say I really liked it. The boy wasn't a fan so I didn't make him eat the sauce.  It just goes to show you never know if you really don't like something until you try it in many forms.  I think it was the long slow cooking time that mellowed the flavor of the bulb and made it more palatable for me. Perhaps also the strong flavors of the curry powder helped tame the fennel.  I'm not 100% sure what did it;  I am only sure that I enjoyed it. I served it with a green salad with a "dressing" of some left over coleslaw from the fish tacos we made for the progressive dinner.  That worked well too and it used up leftovers. Salmon Steaks With Curried Fennel-Wine Sauce 3 T  veget...

Our worries that this would fall apart were unfounded.  We did add a coating of bread crumbs since the patties seemed a bit too moist. They weren't needed for flavor but they were our insurance policy.  The whole thing was very good and we all liked it a lot. My husband wanted to add cucumber slices to his next time but he still really liked it as is.  I think this is a great and easy way to get some omega 3's in to you diet.  Even those who aren't a fan of salmon should like this.  The aioli was really tasty, but there is at least a half a cup leftover and I was very liberal with it's application.  All and a very good meal. I think they would be really good without the bun too as a salmon cake. Salmon Burgers With Herb Aïoli 2    small cloves garlic Kosher salt 1    -1/2 cups mayonnaise 1/3 c  finely chopped fresh chives 2    Tbs. finely chopped fresh dill 1  ...

The measurments for this recipe are approxomate.  I should know, I made it up:).  Yes it is based on many recipes we have tried before, but this is my own improv one night, and we wrote it down becasue we liked it.  All the amounts are based on large veggies; I often add more than the recipe says just to add more veggies to the diet.  This time I used the el cheapo crab; the kind that looks like string.  I thought, it's a cake, does it really need to be the fancy kind?  Well it really should, but the trade off made for some very smooth cakes!  I took last night's cuke relish and mixed in some mixed greens and it made for a very tasty salad.  I had some left over pasta; I tossed that with some butter, parm. cream and garlic as a starch for the boy.  I took a smidge.  (only in the intrest of learning if it worked well mind you;) Of course it is a keeper, I made it up.  However, I always play with my recipes.  Crab Cakes 2 Serv...

I am fighting the urge to go to the grocery.  I have plenty in the house, but not everything I need for recipes I want to try.  I am determined to use up what I have before I start new recipes.  I do have two recipe ingredients, but I need to use up leftovers too. So, I made a red curry shrimp.  There was a small portion of frozen shrimp I "cleaned up."  I had some random veggies that I could use up and I had half a can of coconut milk in the freezer.  I also had some plain orzo pasta that I used in place of rice. Basically I put the coconut milk with some vegetable broth and heavy whipping cream (to make up for the part of the can of coconut milk I had used) with some red curry paste. (about a 1 1/2 tsp)  I simmered that for about 5 minutes.  I then threw in (all diced): 2 stalks of celery, 1/2 bell pepper, a hand full of baby carrots, a hand full of onion, and the stalk of a broccoli floret (peeled). I also put a about a tablespoon of fish sauc...

Pretty? Yes.  Labor intensive? Yes. Fattening? Yes. Delicious? Maybe.  I am pretty annoyed that I popped for the expensive crab from the seafood department from Publix, ($26) and the crab tasted weird.  I did get it in a container as opposed to the legs in the case, but I didn't want to have to crack crabs as part of making the dinner and I figured this would taste better than the canned stuff.  I think the canned would have been better.  I think this combination of butter, eggs and crab would have been a stellar meal, but the crab here really killed it. I think I will put this in to the fixable file, but I don't know when I will make it again. Maybe one day? Buttery Crab Bread Pudding 10    ounces lump crabmeat,picked over 1 T  finely chopped parsley 1 T  finely chopped chives 2 t  fresh lemon juice Pinch of cayenne pepper Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1    unsalted butter,softened, plus more ...

I was excited to be able to bust out my ras el hanout.  I happen to have liked this dish better than my family. My husband thought it too sweet.  I don't think that it was sweet so much as the cinnamon made you think of sweet.  I pureed the veggies for my husband, and halved the fish because there were only three of us eating the dinner and I didn't want the fish to go to waste.  The recipe says it's for six, but it was really more for 8.  The couscous alone could have fed 6.  I am not deleting the recipe but most likely wont make it except for an occasion that it might fit. (like a belly dance evening) I may even delete it. North African Fish Stew 1/4 c  extra-virgin olive oil 2    medium red onions,thinly sliced 2 T  golden raisins 1/4 c  salted roasted cashews 1    red bell pepper,thinly sliced 1    yellow bell pepper,thinly sliced 4    medium tomatoes—peeled seeded...

Another new pizza tonight.  I did not try the dough recipe.  I have recently been inspired to try baking breads, so maybe next time.  However, getting dough from the deli or a local pizzeria is a HUGE time saver.  So dough aside, everything else was the same save the escarole.  There were only very small heads available, so I used the whole head but it was most likely the same as a half of a normal size head. I happened to love the escarole, chorizo and manchego combo, but found the shrimp superfluous.  They didn't detract from the pizza, but I didn't notice them adding either.  The boy, who has proclaimed that he loved escarole in the past said he didn't like it tonight.  I'm not buying it;). Shrimp-And-Chorizo Pizza With Escarole And Manchego Dough 1/2 t  honey 1/2 c  warm water 1 1/4 t  active dry yeast 1 1/2 c  bread flour 1 1/2 t  extra-virgin olive oil,plus more for brushing 1/2 t  kosher salt Topping...

Well this one is going in to the fixable file.  The peanut crusted fish was quite good and the rice vinegar was really nice with it.  We enjoyed the ginger and scallion topping, but not enough to make it worth the massive labor involved in making the matchsticks. It was tasty, and it does need a sauce or vegetable garnish, but fine matchsticks are a pain in the butt and take a lot of time. We want to play with it but most likely will not make it in this form again. I think next time cashews;) We served it with an Asian inspired vegetable and noodle soup. Peanut-Crusted Tilapia With Frizzled Ginger And Scallions 1/3 c  vegetable oil 3    medium scallions,cut lengthwise into fine matchsticks 1    2x1-1/4-inch knob of fresh ginger,peeled and cut into fine matchsticks Kosher salt 2    Tbs. all-purpose flour 1    large egg 1/2 c  salted peanuts,finely chopped 2    skinless tilapia fille...

I found this dish a bit too rich, but the boys loved it.  It was simple to make, but had a lot of inactive time.  Its a pretty economical dish too.  There were just a few shrimp, potatoes are practically free;), and the creme fraiche was $6 but it can be made at home.  I haven't yet because I don't know if I can eat cream that hasn't been refrigerated for like 12 hours.  (I know I am eating it when someone else does it but it makes sense in my mind)  I'm keeping the recipe, but I would make it a smaller part of my meal next time. Shrimp-Stuffed Triple-Baked Potatoes 6    medium white potatoes (about 5 ounces each),scrubbed 1 c  crème fraîche 2    garlic cloves,minced Salt and freshly ground white pepper 3 1/2 T  unsalted butter,softened 2/3 c  heavy cream,warmed 12    medium shrimp—shelled deveined and halved lengthwise [Note: Shrimp-Stuffed Triple-Baked Potatoes  Pairing Suggestion ...

If you are thinking what I was thinking when I saw this recipe, you  are thinking mayonnaise in soup?! Well let me assure this is a recipe worth making.  It is really tasty! My son absolutely LOVED it.  So much so, my husband was getting annoyed with his slurping and shoveling!  I couldn't find Serrano ham, and while Prosciutto would be the more appropriate substitute, I had regular ham on hand, so I julienned some strips of it and threw that in.  Less Catalan but less waste for me. We had some of the mayonnaise left over, I think it would be delicious on sandwiches too. I think that the base could be prepared ahead of time, and just reheated then adding the raw fish and just do that part of the cooking at that time.  The grating of the tomatoes is a pretty ingenious way to get the tomatoes out of their skins without the annoying boiling and shocking. Catalan Fish Stew With Pimentón Mayonnaise 1 1/2 lb plum tomatoes,halved crosswise 3 T ...