Eating Dinner With My Family

This is a recipe everyone should know.  It is a perfect recipe because: it's economical, easy, doesn't make a mess and can be tailored to any diet, taste preference or ingredients on hand. (for example: I have left out mushrooms out of the boy's packet or no meat and vegetable broth for a vegetarian friend)  I have made this before with a variety if ingredients, but this is how I made it tonight.   If you click on the title and to to the original Alton Brown recipe, you will see the way I made it the first time I cooked it.  I personally really like the addition of the cabbage and would include it always.  We had a pound of shrimp and there were 7 or 8 in each packet, so we ended up with a more than the recipe calls for, but even with the extra, the meal, for 4, was less than $10.  I have made it with just veggies and its really good that way too.  I don't use the "flavor" packets that come in the ramen for the broth, but ...

I loved this recipe.  It could easily be a vegetarian one if you used vegetable stock.  I had an open beef stock and used it.  Bok choy is a bitter vegetable and my son complained about that.  I however didn't mind it's bitterness.,  I think this is not only a great side, but would be a tasty meatless main.  The crunchiness of the bok choy makes it feel more like a meal to me than just some side. We had this with the Bourbon Chicken.  It is a fast side and not your usual veggie.  I found that you really need a good dose of salt.  Without it, the dish was too bitter. Bok Choy With Garlic 1/2 c  chicken stock or low-sodium broth 2 t  cornstarch 1 T  vegetable oil 2    garlic cloves,minced 2 lb bok choy—stems cut into 1-inch lengths,leafy tops left about 4 i Salt and freshly ground pepper 1.In a bowl, whisk the stock with the cornstarch. In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook over high ...

I picked this recipe for some gorgeous sweet potatoes I got from my Front Porch Pickings basket.  I also picked this recipe because I adore rutabaga.  It first started when, as a college student, I did some backpacking through Europe.  It was the end of a long trip, and we had arrived in London.  Upon our arrival, we found that for lodging we could choose between a dorm at the college or for just a bit more per person, we could stay in a nice hotel.  We opted for the latter.  In the restaurant at the hotel I had some roasted veggies as my side.  I loved this one, but had no idea what it was.  The waiter told me it was suede.  And until just a few years ago, I had no idea that suede was also called rutabaga. Obviously I loved this recipe.  The boy ate it all but didn't rave, but my husband liked it a lot.  If you have a mandolin, this recipe is a snap.  It requires an hour and a half of cooking time, but it is inactive c...

I have never cooked okra.  I have had it fried and didn't really like it, and I believe that if you don't like an item fried, you just don't like it.  This proved that to be untrue; I have found that it isn't true for a few things actually.  Scallops I love and not a fan of fried.  This okra was really great.  So, yet another benefit to my Front Porch Picking basket , second chances for veggies I wrote off.  I added a little more salt, and for the dredging in flour, I put the okra and flour in a bowl and put a plate over the top and shook to coat.  I thought it worked really well.  We also splashed a dash or two of hot sauce at the table.  My son thought it would make an excellent salsa.  I thought that was a pretty good idea:) Okra And Tomatoes 4    bacon slices 1    (16-ounce) package frozen sliced okra,thawed 2 T  all-purpose flour 1    large onion,chopped 4  ...

I saw some steaks on sale at Publix the other day, so I wrapped them in paper towels and did the Alton Brown aging of them.  Tonight we grilled them and topped them with a little blue cheese I had laying around.  For our side I made this broccoli dish.  It was perfect broccoli.  It was crunchy & yummy; I think the stalks might have even been the best part! (I know?!)  I attempted, yet again, to become a bread baker, but other than this brief mention, it will be never seen or even mentioned again.  My husband took great pleasure in stabbing it before we disposed of it in an unmarked grave in the compost bin.  I hate all things dough!!!!  Back to the tastys:)  The steak and broccoli were wonderful:) Roasted Garlic-Parmigiano Broccoli 1  stick  unsalted butter,softened 2    large garlic cloves,very thinly sliced 3/4 c  freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Salt and freshly ground pepper 4 lb br...

My darling boy is back from a week at my MIL. He loves crab legs, so I got some for him. To go with them I thought this would be a great side as it is a starch and a veggie. It wasn't exactly what I think of as a savory bread pudding. It was more of a savory custard with a bread toping; it was kind of like cobbler. All the oddity aside, it was a very delicious dish. It won't reheat to the same dish because the crispy topping will soften, but I still think it will be tasty tomorrow for breakfast;). It would also make a good vegetarian main dish. A little bit of work; cutting up the baguette is what I'm thinking of. I also chopped the spinach after cooking it. Baby Spinach And Garlic Bread Pudding 2 T  unsalted butter 15    ounces baby spinach,stems removed 2 T  water 1    small garlic clove,minced Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1/4 lb French baguette,crusts removed, bread cut into 1/4-inch 2    large eggs 3/4 c...

Guest Chef tonight!!! This is dad/husband sitting in on the blog, so forgive the typos and creative spellings that are inevitable as I hunt and peck my way across the keyboard.  My wife and I don't see eye-to-eye on a few things, and gumbo is assuredly one of them.  For me, it is one of the best things to ever come out of ours, or any other kitchen...for my wife, not so much.  I don't know how long it has been since I've made gumbo.  I know it is a PBE (pre-blog-era) food, but it has probably been five years since our last gumbo, because our son claims to have never eaten it before.  Gumbo is a labor of love, so if you are not sure it is a food you like, let someone else make it for you the first time, or you will curse the colossal waste of time you will spend tediously stirring your roux.  The shopping list can be as basic or as complicated as you like, but the ingredients listed in this recipe should make it into the pot in some quantity.  The fin...

I know I am trying to do a year of different dinners , but I am going to have to amend that to a a year of different recipes .  I got green beans again from my Front Porch Pickings basket and I have to make Fusilli with Green Beans, Pancetta and Parmigiano again.  It was just too good, but I am making kale chips with the kale I got in the basket.  I adore kale chips and this recipe looked so good, and I happen to have miso on hand for the dinner my husband requested for father's day.  Two things about the ingredient list. 1) Almond butter is quite pricey.  You can make your own. Click here to see one way to make it. 2) I love nutritional yeast !  It is my absolute favorite popcorn topping.  I love it on buttered toast.  I am always looking for ways to use it.  It is available on line or at health food stores.  I like it when it is sold in bulk.  Much better prices that way.  I told my son when he was like 2 that it was ...

Not a great or fancy dinner tonight but it was good enough.  I decided to use up the bits of green pepper. jalapeno and onion in the fridge in twice baked potatoes.  I was going to make the potatoes O'Brien of my youth, but it seemed like too much work.  Twice baked potatoes are a great way to use up odds and ends.  In addition to using up some produce, I got rid of 2 oz of goat cheese and some Monterrey jack too.  Basically to make twice baked potatoes, you bake them, scrape out the insides and make mashed potatoes of them and add whatever ingredients to them you fancy and bake them again about 20-30 minutes. Everything should be cooked before it goes in to the potato. I sauteed the veggies and added them to the mashed potatoes I made from the baked ones.  The only thing that I think is super important, is to make mashed potatoes with a ricer.  It makes a world of difference.

While the tide is turning in my favor in my battles with my food supplies, I know that if I am not vigilant they will regroup and then I will have to start over.  The food had some sneaky troops stationed neither in the fridge nor the pantry!  There were a plethora of tortillas, never opened, from a long time ago.  I turn to the fridge and note that there is a large block of queso fresco left over from our chilequiles.  Seeing as they are both ingredients for Mexican, but knowing that quesco fresco isn't exactly 'melting' cheese, I decide to experiment with it all and make a quesadilla and hope for the best.  So I am taking out the tortillas  and the queso before they go bad.  That's two.  I notice one lone small red pepper that some how was hiding behind the fruit and a small 1/2 of a red onion that needs to be used.  Ok all working so far.  I had the remnants of a large bag of shredded mozzarella.  Ha I will clean that up too:)....

After winning, what I would call, a key battle with my kitchen food storage devices, I decide to push while I had the advantage.  I had bought way too many salad greens, so I knew I wanted salad to be the main part of our meal, but that wouldn't satisfy the boys.  I had some carrots, scallions and egg roll wrappers to use, so I bought some napa and mushrooms to finish out the filling.  I don't recall ever making egg rolls myself; I have eaten plenty however.  I have made plenty of dumplings and crab Rangoon so I figured these would be something I could figure out.   I was more critical than my husband. (but aren't we all of our own work?)  For sure, I didn't drain the filling enough.  The inside was a bit wet and one half of the roll was not as crisp despite the busting out of the deep fryer. I thought I didn't put enough filling in each roll too.  At the end of the meal, my darling husband ate 5 1/2 so I guess his pronouncement of outstandin...

I first tried this recipe when a friend brought them over to my house for a party.  I loved them.  She said she got them out of a book of Tibetan recipes.  They are not the most photogenic of foods but they are delicious.  My thoughtful friend gave me some of the Kopan Masala, but I did find the recipe  online.  In a pinch I think you could use Garam Masala  which is available at the supermarket. I didn't have the  Indian Tomato Red Powder and I didn't go looking for it since it said optional.  I am giving the recipe as she gave it to me, but I changed it a bit.  I didn't have red onion on hand so I used the yellow ones I did.  I also cut the semicircles in half.  In fact I believe I cut all the veggies I used in to smaller pieces than the recipe seemed to call for.  Nothing was larger than a quarter. Love that this recipe can use any and all veggies that are on hand.  I used broccoli (this made up about hal...

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...

We have made this before, the salsa verde came out a bit different but tasty.  The real treat was the broccoli.  I thought it was delicious.  The boys complained that the floret part wasn't crunchy. (and it wasn't) but the stems were perfect.  I will be making it again soon! Roast Chicken With Crispy Skin 4    Chicken Breast,Skin On Boneless 1 T  Olive Oil Salt And Pepper [Note: This base can be used to create a variety of pan sauces  ] 1.Preheat the oven to 400. Season the chicken breasts with salt and black pepper. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the chicken breasts, skin side down, and cook over moderately high heat until they are richly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts and transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast for about 10 minutes, until just cooked through. Transfer the chicken to warmed plates. Italian Salsa Verde  from Bon Appétit (First One I've Tried) 4  ...

I was never a huge soup fan.  I don't think it is an inherent dislike more that it's too warming and its already pretty bloody hot in Florida.  However, I am overcoming this and trying to learn the art of making a good soup.  This is a tasty vegetarian soup.  Almost all the flavor comes form the pistou.  I halved the soup, but not the pistou.  It was good with the proper amount of the pistou, but I put in double.  I was good too but not necessary.  My husband and I prefer a smooth soup as opposed to a chunky soup.  Next time I think I will use an immersion blender before the addition of the pistou. Soupe Au Pistou 8 Servings 3 qt Water 2 c  Carrot,Diced 2 c  Potato,Diced 2 c  Onion Or Leeks,Diced 1 T  Salt 2 c  Green Beans,Diced 2 c  Navy Or Kidney Beans,Canned 1/3 c  Broken Vermicelli 1 sl White Bread,Stale And Crumbled 1/8 t  Black Pepper pinch Saffron 4 ea Garlic,Mashed 4 T  ...

Well sometimes the simplest things really are best. I had my doubts at to how yummy this dish might be. It won't rank among my all time faves, but it will be made again and I suspect often since it was raved about by my husband. What I liked about it: easy (using store bought pie dough), easily vegetarian (just use veggie bacon or a veggie you like like onion or tomato), super frugal (even buying the pie crust I think with the salad the dinner was like $8) and it was great for a cold night since it used the oven and was very hearty. The only thing you must have to make this recipe easy is a mandoline or a v slicer so you can easily make paper thin slices of the potato. The cons, the edges burnt even with the application of foil and the yolk got too brown I just realized now as I am getting the link for the recipe, I left out the cheese!  We were even marveling at the fact that it didn't have cheese and we loved it.  How did I miss that.  The other dev...

Well I started with Alton Brown's Curry chicken pot pie recipe, but while we didn't dislike it, it is one we either wanted to play with or just forget.  Well my husband is not a fan of pot pie.  (me either for that matter)  However, we had chicken left from Thanksgiving, and we needed something to do with it.  I thought it was alright, my husband went back for thirds. (although he ended up not able to eat the last portion) Maybe we will have to give pot pie another try. Chicken Pot Pie Ingredients 4 cups frozen vegetable mix, peas, carrots, corn, lima beans 1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup leftover green beans cut in 1" pieces 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup milk 3 tablespoons flour 1/2 teaspoon dried sage 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 2 tablespoons dried parsley 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 2 cups cubed cooked chicken 1 package puff past...