Annie, I hope you are going to share photos from Makayla's concert.

Just a few of the things we have eaten this week.

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup with Croutons.

Grilled Chicken Breast with roasted potatoes and local Shiitake Mushrooms.

Veal Piccata with a side of pasta.

Here, what's for dinner is more like what's for breakfast. Bud and Makayla gave me my first dozen eggs from their laying hens. They've eaten some, but these are the first "extras":

Elery made some Oeufs en Cocotte, a fancy name for an egg baked in a ramekin on top of some and fried slices of potato:

I made breakfast one day, also eggs and homemade toast, but I made some sausage out of venison, chopped bacon, some seasonings. Those seasonings included chipotle powder, crushed red pepper, I couldn't eat it, it was just far too spicy, but Elery loved it. Cooper wouldn't eat it either, LOL

So, I took the leftover sausage, crumbled it and made some chili for supper. I added some frozen corn from this summer's garden, a container of leftover pinto beans, a cubed sweet potato, a quart of home canned tomatoes and half an onion, a leftover chipotle. The chili was so hot that I couldn't eat it either! I added yogurt. It didn't help:

I gave up and had peanut butter and jelly. (grin)

Oh, and I baked some bread for Madison's birthday party sandwiches. Yup, it's really pink. Here it is before baking.

I think that should be pink enough...

Annie

Annie, haven't ever seen pink bread before!! What kind of sandwiches are you making? My youngest granddaughter who's two LOVES pink. You would be her hero!

Dinner last night was a Thai Peanut Chicken Lean Cuisine. Yeah, I know but frankly it was the best dinner I've had in a couple weeks. Doesn't say much good about what we've been eating, does it. Once every couple weeks one of our neighbors brings us something homemade but other than that we've been eating out three meals/day. Our first home cooked meal is going to be a roast chicken dinner!

/tricia

I probably shouldn't have spent the money, my car is in the garage and it will probably cost close to $3000 in ransom money to retrieve it! But I left work late and the kids were hungry, so I ordered online and picked it up on the way home. Very handy.

Last night was chicken marsala a bit of angel hair pasta, peas, and prosecco. Then the chocolate, hot chocolate with a dab of whipped cream. With real cream. :) It was worth the wait for the prosecco and chocolate.

Mom, I'm sorry about the car, that's especially bad right before the holidays. (sigh) I got an $800 well repair bill at the farm yesterday and just was grateful that I don't have kids at home and have already shopped for all the grandkids. Good thing for the stock that I found the local Aunt Millie's outlet sells those bags of little powdered sugar donuts cheap.

Rob, chocolate makes everything a bit better.

Annie

I like the idea of pink bread for the little one. And I'd like to see what the sandwich fillings will be, and the rest of the birthday girl's menu.
Btw, Maddie's yummy picture in the previous WFD thread, munching on a soft roll, ought to be on Yum for Kids.

Robin, Prosecco and Chocolate? Sounds like a victimless crime, and one which I need to explore.

Well, I've been cooking, just lacking the energy to photograph anything. But now that I've sold my business, I should have more time to dedicate to my online brigade.

Annie, your 'wolves on coyotes' look so good to me right now. As does everything else, including the Chili.

Ann's mushroom soup also looks good to me; I love mushrooms so much, I will sometimes eat them raw, much to Jim's chagrin.

Most of these photos were taken in late summer. I have some that are more recent, but I figure this post is long enough already, so I'll save the others for another time.

The guys' favorite, CC cookies.

BBQ Ribs.

Hey guys, check out my tomatoes! ;)
Actually, my next door neighbor bestowed us with an avalanche of tomatoes last summer. Good thing, since we didn't have the time (or inclination) to plant any.

I think I've posted this one before. We made this a lot, so it didn't make much sense to take pictures of the same dinner, our favorite Lemon/Garlic Chicken.

More cookies. These are PB.

Needless to say, snorting sugar is not all I do. I also try to follow a healthy diet. A fruit or green smoothie in one hand and a cookie in the other is my idea of a balanced diet regimen.

And I've been religiously snacking on pomegranates.

Sol

Maddie is just waiting to eat one of your honey rolls. Ashley won't let me give her one because she's not supposed to have honey until she's a year old. That's today, so the next batch is gonna be yours, the kids love those.

Annie

Your photos are a pleasure to look at. Please post often.

Jim

Great to see you again, I hope you'll be able to stay.

Welcome back Sol, I was just looking at one of your recipes and wondering if I'd seen you post lately. Good to "see" you.

~Ann

What's for dinner? An egg sandwich last night and I'm on my way to Ashley's to help her cook for the birthday party tomorrow, so it'll be fast and easy tonight too.

Annie

Ok, this is just weird! I had fried eggs on toast last night, an egg sandwich. I swear I'm not copying you Annie! We had a Winter Concert to attend and it was late when we got in.

Annie, it's always fun to check out what's going on in your kitchen. You always have such fabulous fun food for the family.

Sol, God endowed you with great talent in making delicious food and beautiful food presentation, it would be selfish for you not to share with all more frequently.

Silvis, the previous WFD thread may be gone but I still remember that luscious Hazelnut, strawberry crumb pie!

---------------------------------
A few dishes.

dcarch

Grilled meatballs with asparagus and beet stems

Pan fried plantain

Sous vide beef tenderloin

Annie

The conception of that dish is just my thinking of giving respect to animals and nature from Jim's" Where Chickens Come From" thread. In the Native American tradition, man communicated with the Creator through interaction with nature; the animals, the forest, the earth. Harmony is achieved thru a balance of all elements.

The cilantro symbolizes the forest, the beef for the animals which includes humans, the rock salt for the earth, and the sauce for nature as in air and water. The design of the sauce represents the complete cycle of harmony of all the elements. We give respect and thanks to animals for nourishing our bodies.

The three pieces of meat represents the consequences of Past, Present and Future.

dcarch

Adapted my scone recipe to make

an Oatmeal Walnut Orange version.

Dinner last night,

Italian Chicken

Our meals this past week:

Grilled Pork Chops with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Greek Salad

Fresh Steelhead Salmon

Roast Chicken Dinner

Grilled Rib-Eye Steaks with baby baked potatoes

Linguine with Grilled Chicken and Broccoli in a Parmesan cream Sauce.

DH and I baked a large quantity of cookies this year to send to DD in Afghanistan. I also hosted a tea party Open House on Black Friday to revive my friends who "shopped until they dropped" and those who wanted to relax instead of venturing out to the stores. I will soon start cooking for our annual Christmas party on Friday night.

We have had some good meals but I haven't taken any photos until last night, when we had butterflied Shrimp Casino over yellow rice.

Beautiful big shrimp.

Dinner tonight - Pot Roast

Annie, I'm preening my feathers proudly, knowing that sweet little Maddie gnawed on the rolls! A honey roll for a honey child. Happy Belated Birthday Maddie! Pictures?

Jim, thank you! I've also missed seeing your wonderful food photos; I hope you'll get back into it.

Jasdip, thank you for the sprinkles you've scattered all over my day! xoxo

Dear mom47, it's good to see you! I've only done a few drive-by posts in the past year, but I do try to read and keep up with all of you, as much as possible.

Dcarch, you're one of a kind, and yes, I mean that in a good way. I've enjoyed the beauty, care, as well as the playfulness in all of your presentations. You have turned food into an art form, so I am flattered by your kind words.

Rob, you and I could get in a heap of trouble in Nashville. But, there is no one I'd rather do time in the pokey with :)

Thank you Wonder womAnn! This thread would not be the same without your mouthwatering contributions.

Ruthanna, I'd bet my money on your delicious Shrimp Casino!

I just got done baking for Santa and his reindeer, and I'm exhausted. So I came here to relax a bit, and wish you all the best this holiday season!

I have no food photos today, so I'll leave you with this, which I guess it's, somewhat, food-related.
Last fall, this hungry praying mantis landed on Jim's face. Shameless hussy. It appears to be sizing up its prey's big head, no?

Sol

Annie - Your cooking is the ultimate comfort food, delicious!

Sol - I am amazed at your photography skills, all the pictures are so unique paying attention to all the details, gorgeous! And the last one with Jim, the praying mantis colorings match his eyes, how did you do that! lol

Dcarch - You have the most creative and beautiful meals, very inspiring! And the meaning of the food makes the experience complete.

Ann - I see your wonderful meals again, they are perfect pairings!

Ruthanna - That shrimp dish looks so well presented and tasty!

Pretty.gurl - Apple crumble looks perfect with the ice cream.

Mussels, cheese, hot sausage, gallego bread for dinner

With tomatoes and a salad

Silvia

Toby, I can happily say that the colored bread seemed to make no significant difference in "deposits", LOL. Not even for the dogs, who ate the leftovers!

Sol, that is one interesting picture of Jim. (grin) You let him have the most unusual pets...

Ann T, every darned thing there looks delicious, especiall that rare beef.

OK, so what's for dinner? Or Maybe breakfast, which I seem to have more of lately?

I made some overnight steelcut oats, with raisins, nuts and maple syrup:

The Monkey Princess and Bud spent the night and so we made French toast. His was shaped like tractors sprinkled with copious amounts of colored sugar, he'll never let me do it any other way, I think. He had double servings of both bacon and sausage. He's a growing boy, you know...

His sister is daintier, had a single piece of bacon and sausage and French toast shaped like flowers and butterflies...

One morning I made gingerbread pancakes for Elery and I, with fresh homegrown eggs and chicken sausage from our own chickens:

I got a good buy on sauerkraut, so I canned some:

We had a pot of Mayacoba beans, grown just about 30 miles away at Carlson-Abrogast Farms in Howard City. It's an old heirloom type bean from South America, very creamy and delicious. elery added some of the homemade Kimchi to his.

Lamb. Yes, I ate lamb. Lamb chops grilled, which Elery loves, along with some potatoes and sweet/sour red cabbage cooked with pears:

Because I still don't care for lamb, I consoled myself with cookies from the freezer:

The next day we had pan fried cod with mashed rutabaga and sweet potato fries:

Elery bought some smoked salmon, so he rolled it up with cream cheese and we had that with crackers one evening:

I took the rest of the salmon and made sandwiches the next day with avocado and homemade ciabatta:

And so, now I'm caught up. Escept for the pictures I still have on my camera, LOL.

Annie

Here's simple fare we had tonight...rosemary and olive oil sourdough bread from San Luis Sourdough waaaay up the coast, made into a wonderful, toasted roast beef and cheddar/jack sandwich. Cheesy broccoli soup not pictured.

Your love of cooking shows in all your dishes and you did a lot of sauerkraut, good for you!

Sooz - That looks like a tasty sandwich.

Dinner tonight shrimp with tomatillo sauce, basmati rice, roasted chinese cabbage, tomatillo chutney.

Silvia

Pretty.gurl, you can't go wrong with apple crumble.

Silvia, your meals are so appealing. I'd love to dip some bread into that bowl of mussels.

And your dinner tonight, beautiful big shrimp.

And there's those tomatoes again. Winter Gold!!

Annie the kids must love staying overnight. No one spoils better than you.

I'd liked Elery's breakfast, especially your chicken sausage. I bet it is wonderful. Did you season it with sage?

Did you like the lamb?

Sooz, that is a sandwich that Moe would love.

What we have been eating the last week, starting with tonight's dinner and working back.

I picked up some halibut on the way home from work.

We had Christmas dinner with our neighbour. He cooked the turkey and I did all the sides. But when you don't cook the turkey you don't have leftovers.

So I roasted a turkey Thursday night so we could have

hot turkey sandwiches Friday night.

Boxing Day's Dinner was a New York Strip Loin roast.

We had dinner with our neighbour again, so I cooked the roast a little less rare, because Clif doesn't like his beef as rare as we do. He had an outside slice.

Sides were Yorkshire Puddings, roasted potatoes and steamed green beans and corn.

Matt and Dana were home for Christmas. Christmas Eve was our traditional

Tourtiere

Everything looks so good!

My WFDs should include the explanation "Fiirst you win a big spiral sliced ham..." We had it for our Christmas morning brunch and then ham and shrimp Creole over rice.

Strips of ham, asparagus, leek and shiitake pie

Not visible in the pic is ground ham mixed with parsley in the bottom of cups of baked eggs for breakfast (cheese on top)

Ham balls baked in peach halves

And the bone cooked in beer for lentil-barley-vegetable soup

We had other meals in between but I can definitely say that What's For Dinner in the near future will NOT be ham.

Elery and I did have black eyed peas and geens with a smoked ham hock for New Year's Day:

We also had what I call a Monte Cristo, but Food and Wine magazine needed a "recipe". This was made with homemade French bread, leftover sliced ham, gruyere cheese, dunk the sandwich in egg and fry it in a lightly buttered pan. IT was good no matter what it was called and used up ham.

Bud and Makayla came to spend the night one night and they made pizza, Makayla carefully took notes so she could do it at home.

Their pepperoni and cheese pizza:

Bud "only" ate 6 pieces, in spite of his sister's cheering to try for 10, LOL.

The Monkey Princess managed to eat 2. Only two.

I had some leftover soup, chicken with basil gnocchi. Not even for the Grandkids could I manage to eat pizza, especially pizza with pepperoni on it. They were happyt, that meant there were a couple of pieces to take home for breakfast, LOL.

I made Elery some scrambled eggs and fried okra for breakfast on New Year's Eve.

A couple of nights ago we had grassfed burgers and oven fried parsnips and fingerling potatoes, all homegrown except the buns. We used those 100 calorie Sandwich Thins because I hadn't made time to bake buns!

Yeah, I know I'm not caught up yet, but I'm working on it, and photobucket has changed its format AGAIN and won't keep my pictures shrunk down. Pffft on them.

ANnie

One dinner this week was a macaroni and pork casserole with green beans and crunchy onions.

Last night, I made flounder filets with an orange stuffing sandwiched in between them. Tonight, we're having spaghetti with meatballs I made yesterday. Our tea time treat this week has been fruited gingerbread.

Ruthanna, I'm not a fan of mac and cheese, but I would love your mac and pork casserole.

We ended the year with our traditional lobster and champagne dinner.

Grilled Baby Back Ribs - Greek Style

Another rib roast.

And French Dip Sandwiches from leftovers.

I bought a whole lamb this week - 35 pounds of free range, grass fed lamb.

And oh is it good. We had one of the racks for dinner last night. I'm looking forward to eating more lamb over the next couple of months.

Ruthanna, I am a very good judge of food from looking at the pictures. I can tell your macaroni and pork casserole is very delectable. Very impressive ham pie and beautifully plated butterflied Shrimp Casino over yellow rice.

Annie, Nice recipe and directions for a very cheese-y and perfectly round pizza.

Silvia, I can really eat those shrimp with tomatillo sauce every day, every meal. You are so lucky to have great quality shrimps. I love the design of the bowl for that colorful salad.

Pretty.gurl, that's a pretty apple crumble.

Sooz, toasted roast beef and cheddar/jack sandwich, that's a wonderful way to make a sandwich.

dcarch

Stressful because I had problems finding anything; utensils, cookware, seasonings in each of the four poorly equipped kitchens, and I had no planned menu/recipes. Three of the four kitchens were electric. I don't like to cook on an electric stove.

I felt like I was making meals in a toy kitchen.



Many new dishes were created, for instance, I was making a lemon chicken and was looking for sugar. Instead of sugar, I put what looked like brown sugar which turned out to be raspberry Kool-Aid powder on the chicken. So lemon chicken turned bright red. Actually it was amazingly delicious. I will have to try that "recipe" again.

Obviously no pictures of the whole experience other than some wonderful Dungeness crabs we had in Vancouver.

Some simple food after many Holiday meals

Tofu poached in chicken broth

Pan fried chicken thighs

Sous vide brisket and Latkes

Baked bread yesterday

and used some of the dough to make pizzettas. Four little mini pizzas that we shared. Each with a different topping.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken using boneless chicken breasts.

And Friday night was roast chicken. One of the sides was Roasted Butternut squash with rosemary and brown sugar. Dana, stopped for dinner on her way home from up Island. Her job requires her to do some consulting at all the hospitals on the Island.

Ok, I'm going to give this another go, although Photobucket's help site says that some of the features aren't working yet. Figures....

Elery and I are trying to eat in a more healthy manner in the new year, so we made bacon, LOL. I'll post a separate thread on that. (grin)

For breakfast this morning we had whole wheat waffles, venison breakfast sausage (thanks to that nephew who hunts the farm to try to keep the scourge of rats on hooves at bay), and eggs from the farm:

Yes, Bud and Makayla's little flock of laying hens have been busy, as the weather here has been unseasonably warm so far.

Tonight for supper Elery made some eggplant rolled up around a low fat cottage cheese filling of some type, topped with my home canned tomatoes. WE had that with roasted vegetables including butternut squash, rutabaga, fennel and parsnips:

One of the other things we've made lately is peameal bacon. You can't buy it here or apparently find it anywhere outside of the Toronto area, so we just found a recipe and made our own!

We've also had chicken twice lately, once was a Moroccan kind of thing that Elery made up, with a side of chickpea stew, also something Elery made it. IT was just a little spicy for me, I'm a wuss...

I ground some more chicken for breakfast sausage and so used some of that for a Thai style lettuce wrap, one of the few ways I actually voluntarily eat lettuce, LOL:

A local store had a seafood sale, so we bought some lovely big shrimp. They were already cooked and then frozen, so they weren't fresh by any means and were a little watery when thawed, but weren't horribly expensive and were entirely passable. Cooper liked them too.

I made a nice batch of chicken jello....um chicken stock with the bones too!

Annie

I resolved to improve my photo skills, but have been distracted by some health issues.. I hope to be half as good as you all when I finally get cracking at it.

Good to see you all and nice to see sol thumper posting again, along with lots of new 'faces'.

Sue

Ann, it will be interesting to see what you make with your lamb. The rack looks wonderful.

Dcarch, that must have felt like you were on that TV show Chopped where a basket of mystery ingredients is presented. The kitchens on the show are probably much better equipped though. That brisket looks so tender and delicious.

Annie, I'd like every meal in your photos.

I finally did get to make red cabbage with pears and onions and added some white basalmic vinegar and molasses. Thanks for the inspiration, Annie. We also had baked potatoes topped with creamed spinach and pork chip steak with bourbon sauce.

I marinated the leftover pork in the sauce and mixed with brown rice, eggs and steamed vegetables for a rice bowl dinner on another night, along with a marinated cucumber and onion salad.

My friend and I went to a British tea room last week, where I ordered a cherry-almond scone. I thought it would contain dried cherries but it was packed with maraschino cherry chunks. It made me think of Annie's pink princess bread. LOL. The desserts were standard but the tea sandwiches were excellent. I'm going to make the turkey with cranberry cream cheese for my next tea party.

Today was cold and raw in Ohio so I went with an old easy standby, German Sausage Chowder.

The short Meyer lemon season has me buying and freezing the zest and juice for our favorite lemon pudding cake. Last year I almost froze enough to make it through, but I'll double the amount this year so we can indulge more often!

Di

I bet your homemade is better.

Ruthanna, I always enjoy your "Afternoon Tea" posts. There hasn't been one in a while. There is something special about little tea sandwiches.

Di, that soup looks good. It is potato or cream based?

I pulled the last of the Tourtiere out of the freezer, topped with the leftover chicken gravy and homemade fries.

Leg of Lamb, Greek Style.

More bread.

Tomato Macaroni soup.

Grilled Pork Chops with a potato gratin cooked in chicken broth.

Pastrami on Rye

Tossed Salad

I'm starting a fish binge.

This was salmon, braised in a fish bone broth and red wine. The braising liquid is then reduced to a sauce. It had promise but I overcooked the salmon :-( Also, I learned later that I should have brined the fillets, as that prevents the white streaks of protein from coming to the surface of the fillet during cooking.

This was "true cod" - what is that? Looked like eel to me - braised in sake, then the braising liquid is mixed with coconut milk, Thai green curry, Thai fish sauce, mint, cilantro, lime zest etc to make the sauce.

Sol, OMG! Just OMG! That's all I have to say! ;-)The pictures of your food is great but that prayng mantis on your husbands head is just wrong! Gives me the heeby jeebies! Years ago I saw a praying mantis go after a hummingbird. If my memory serves me correctly I hit the feeder then started running to the door. I'm not sure that certain hummingbird ever came back to our feeders. Scared us both to death!

Annie, I love all the dishes that you made but Makalya's written recipe floors me. She is an amazing young lady.

Ann, When I saw your picture of the large bag of lamb I thought that I'd jump throgh the screen and run home with it! Wow!

For us it's alot of fresh fruit, salads, fish, salads, eggs, tuna, yogurt, turkey, chicken, freshly made salsa, ...oh wait did I say salads a few times? Nothing picture or post worthy.

It's good to be back!

Going to make this brief [for me]. After cutting the chicken into pieces and helping prep our nice Sunday dinner of roasted chicken on veg. Potatoes, carrots, brussels, mushrooms and onions. Rosemary and thyme on veggies and chicken pieces. I had to go prop up leg so Christy finished the baking and serving. I left her the camera to take a pic in the baking dish. She forgot so she took a pic of what she set aside for me to eat later. I told Christy that she was channeling Annie when she took the pics. This is the clearest one. Grins. Although in fairness, Annie, many of your pics lately have been way clear.

RR, she's quite a girl. she says her mom is going to let her use the stove when she's 10, she wants to be ready!

Annie

This is the time of year that DH and I like to try different restaurants for a big lunch and then have a soup dinner but I still don't have a good technique for photographing soups.

I had a craving for meat loaf last week - with burgundy-tomato sauce, roasted potatoes and Brussels sprout leaves.

Tonight we had salmon baked with honey tangerines, sauteed chard with chopped Kalamata olives and a "puff" salvaged from riced overcooked cauliflower. Our tea time treat will be date and pecan bread.

Ann T I missed your question about the lamb. I just don't really like lamb vey well. (shrug) I age about 3 bites of it and Cooper got the rest. I don't hate it, detest it, but I just don't like it very well, not well enough to waste calories on it. Elery loves it, though, so I make it and eat a few bites, enough to make him happy, otherwise he fusses that I made something for him that I won't eat. Cooper is VERY happy, though! (grin)

Annie

Dancingqueen, Love spaetzle and it is so easy to make.

Ruthanna, I really like how you scored the roasted potato. And I like the addition of the Kalamata Olives to your chard.

John, great picture of the Cod. Looks delicious.

Some of our meals over the last 10 days.

Spaghetti Bolognese with Gorgonzola Garlic Bread

Mexican twice - Chicken Tacos with homemade corn tortillas.

Chicken Wings finished off on the grill.

French Laundry's Apple Kuchen

Grilled Burgers

Cranberry Pistachio Shortbreads with White Chocolate Drizzle

The trick, however, does not work with all scary monsters...I'm still working on in-Fidel Castro. Shudder.

Sol - I am amazed at your photography skills, all the pictures are so unique paying attention to all the details, gorgeous! And the last one with Jim, the praying mantis colorings match his eyes, how did you do that! lol

Querida Silvia, believe me when I say there was no magic, or photoshop involved regarding Jim's eyes. They really are that green.
In fact, we're all a green-eyed family, from Jim and me, to the kids, and yep, our two cats :)

Sue! It's been too long since the last time you graced this forum. Please, stick around.

Well, I've enjoyed the world of deliciousness you're all bringing to the CF table. I think I'll stamp out my inky funk and start cooking.

Sol

Picked up Sushi one day for lunch.

Roast Pork with Garlic and Fennel

Had a late lunch one day so dinner was just homemade bread and a few things to pick at.

Halibut twice in the last ten days. It is an easy dinner to make on a work night.

Steak and Moe's favourite Baked Potato.

The last of my Christmas Fruit Cake.

Served on one of the beautiful handmade serving dishes that I received in my swap box from John. This lovely little dish was made by John's wife.

Breakfast - Biscuits with Sausage Gravy.

Grilled Greek Style Baby Back Ribs.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Orzo.

Chicken Piccata with a side of Pasta.

More lamb. Grilled Loin Chops.

I'd try to help you out on this thread but I haven't eaten one darned thing that was picture worthy since my last post.

Annie

Tonight we had venison black bean chili. Lots of vegetables, including onion, yellow pepper, celery, carrots, plus a quart of my home canned tomatoes. Just a few beans and a pound of ground venison, a canned chipotle in adobo and some Penzey's Chili 9000.

It was a good choice for a cold snowy evening.

Annie

The other night was our cold days so I made one of my big batches of chili. I had lots of mushrooms on hand as well as yellow squash so they both went in. The freezer is a bit full right now so the peppers I reached first were the mixed red, orange and yellow sliced. So, the chili was nice and colorful as well as delicious. I used both light and dark red beans and lots of them. Oh yes, almost forgot that I also had steamed a bunch of string beans aside from those used for the Valentine's dinner so put them and a couple cans of corn in. Very healthy veggie based chili....as usual.... I've put too many pics of my chili up so... no biggie that I didn't take any.

Friday I had to go for some xrays and on the way back we stopped at the farmers market and picked up some fresh veggies and herbs. Today Christy cooked. Baked a chicken with fresh sage under the skin, and a lemon inside. Fresh Brussels sprouts were very good and cauliflower was good too. She has to have mashed potatoes with such a dish so I helped her make some gravy too. Nice meal. We still had some of her birthday cake for dessert. I made a devils food cake with a white buttercream icing flavored with almond and vanilla.

Made breaded pork cutlets that I cooked in a pan with a little olive oil and Orchietta pasta with kale, bacon, and sun-dried tomatoes

Next time I think that I'd toss the cheese with a tablespoon of flour prior to melting. I had another recipe that I used for years with much success using that technique. This recipe seemed to get clumpy and I had to whisk it to emulsify it.

As to the dippers-- we particularly loved the roasted fingerling potatoes, the sweet cherry toms and the pears. My friend contributed mushroom caps too, but they were too large to dip and lent themselves to being filled with olive tapenade from TJ's.
Sorry for the lopsided image, I couldn't work around to rotate it on my work computer.

I made lasagna this week using no boil pasta sheets. It was the first time I've used them. Made for a fast meal but I thought they were a bit mushy, maybe I baked it too long.

Last night I made black beans and yellow rice. Pure comfort food this week!

Di

Di

I want to thank all of you for generosity in sharing your ideas and talents.

Cathy

My dinner tonight was light since we went out and had a big lunch....

Kale, potato and chicken stew

Alsatian pear tart with almonds and currants

Silvia

I totally agree, not only they look so yummy, they also look beautiful!

Low (150F) and slow (10 hours) smoked some pork chops.

dcarch

I made 2 loaves of the Honey Whole-Wheat today

Haven't made pork chops in quite awhile. Thanks jasdip for the inspiration! Your bread looks amazing too! Husband just commented today on how I haven't made bread in awhile.

Pattypeterson2208, your chinese food looks wonderful, and like it came from an authentic restaurant!

Dinner tonight was a sirloin roast, cooked rare/medium rare (was thinner at one end), roasted potatoes, wild mushroom gravy, salad full of veggies, and a sauteed asparagus/cherry tomatoes/onions and goat cheese dish.
Picked up some pretzel buns from Costco in the States, to go with.(They were REALLY good)!

Was planning on leftovers tomorrow, but dinner was such a huge success, there was nothing leftover but a very small ammount of roast beef and a few tablespoons of gravy.

Dang! Means I have to come up with another meal for tomorrow, which wasn't in my plans :)

Due to some unexpected events, I haven't been doing as much cooking as usual. I did take pix of a few meals.

Roasted turkey breast and potato with chicken heart gravy and carrot ribbons.

Crab cake dinner. The stuffed baked potato was from the farmers' market.

Portobello ravioli, sauteed spinach & watercress, veal cacciatore.

Pierogi-making at church this week so I have a big container of Irish beef, cabbage and barley stew and one of ham and collard greens soup ready for action.

Some good looking meals.
Silvia, I like the idea of your kale, Potato and Chicken Stew.

And DC's smoked pork chop and cauliflower.

Jasdip, beautiful loaves.

Patty, I'd love your dinner.

Shelley, Sirloin roast is a favourite here. I tried to cook one that is just big enough for dinner with enough left for beef dip sandwiches. Doesn't always work out that way here either.

Ruthanna, wondered where you have been. Miss all your wonderful meals. I would like everyone of your dinners. Would have to skip the carrots though.

Matt was here on the weekend. He stayed with his dad while I was at work. If he hadn't been here I wouldn't have cooked much. Moe's appetite has been off because of the surgery. Starting to come back though.

WE had Mexican a couple of times,

Pork Chile Verde with homemade flour tortillas

Leftovers used for a Layered Dip. Fried leftover flour tortillas chips.

Spicy Noodle Soup

Creamy Lemon Oat Bars

Lettuce Cups

Chicken Souvlaki

This is one of our family Christmas traditions that must be on the menu. Angel food cake iced with a microwaved 7 minute frosting. I make the holly and berries from red and green Brachs gumdrops. Shirl

Wow, your Christmas cake is beautiful. With the tree in the background - perfect picture! We missed the holiday season this year and already anxious for the '13 season.

We're having whole wheat 'ghetti & meatballs here tonight. The meatballs have been browned and are simmering in the sauce. Everything is quiet until time to put on the pasta. Still a bit over an hour 'til dinner time here.

/tricia

~Ann

Ann T, I'm glad Matt could stay with his Dad and even more glad to hear that Moe is getting his appetite back.

I had Madison today for several hours and so we made a pot roast with mashed potatoes. She loves mashed potatoes, Elery said she's like Grandma. I love potatoes in all forms, so she's coming right along, LOL.

I've actually made a couple of meals but I don't have the pictures loaded on the computer yet, I have to catch up.

Annie

I stopped on the way to work and picked up some local Vancouver Island hormone and antibotic free ground beef . We had grilled burgers on homemade Kaiser buns and oven fries for dinner.

Ruthanna, love your food and what a great sampling of all your dishes that I love. You know your red is special to me, but I don't think I've mentioned that I used to collect commercial dishes too and love the ones you have that I've seen.

Ann, your food is always beautiful and the latest dishes don't disappoint. Speaking of inspiration/influence, your Mexican dishes make me want to make tortilla's. My poor tortilla press. Last time it was used I was smashing clay for some craft project. Smiles. Good thing I use acetate/saran. That Kaiser roll. I showed Christy..she drooled. Burgers are one of her favorites so...

Shirl, I love that cake. And I love pressed glass. That cake plate is so pretty. I really would like your recipe for the microwave 7 minute frosting.

Christy got me a light for our Anniversay so my pics won't be so yellow, or dark. Smiles. So I'm subjecting you all to yet another pic of pasta from me. I made a nice big batch of my Northern Italian brothy sauce. Every time I make this sauce I remember how much I love it. It has potatoes in it and they soak up the sauce and are so good. I got the recipe from an old PBS show from Italy. An older English or French[?] woman chef had guest chefs on frequently. The show was shot from her Villa in Northern Italy. Does anyone know who this was? One one show this young woman chef made this recipe. She used that end of the Parm in the sauce and the potatoes and my favorite, lots of basil.

My Method for her dish: Very hot cast iron dutch oven. Cover bottom of pot with ground pork and beef. Let sit until meats are quite brown on the bottom. You can smell it. Flip over biggest pieces of the meat you can and allow it to brown. Then break up meat. I leave some fairly large because I like some medium hunks. Add sliced garlic [I've been hoarding Tricia's garlic and this was about the last], diced canned tomatoes with juice [I used my last jar of home canned red and yellows and commercial diced], beef broth, and the stems from basil. If you have a rind of parm add it now. Allow to simmer for about 45 minutes, then add diced potatoes. If you don't have a piece of rind add some grated cheese now so the flavor will get into the sauce. I use Romano often. Cook for about ten minutes, then add whatever soft veggies you want. This time I added yellow squash and mushrooms. I often use eggplant, string beans, etc. Check for salt and add what's needed. When veggies are about done add lots of fresh or frozen basil. Done.

Patty, hope you are healing up OK. Your German dinner inspired me to take a drive through the countryside to a German restaurant this weekend.

Shirl, your cake is lovely. I would also like to try your microwave frosting.

Coconut, I can imagine how great your house smelled while your meal was cooking. It looks delicious. DH and I went to a fabulous restaurant auction in December. They had carton upon carton of dishes, glassware and equipment but after 10 hours, all I came home with was a massive St. Patrick's Day Guiness sign, a carton of sake cups and pitchers and a stained glass lamp.

I tried a recipe for a new beef stew containing beef, cabbage, rutabagas, barley, etc. and split peas for thickening. We had crunchy rye bread with it.

I loved watching those shows on PBS. Now I am going to be crazy till I figure out who this woman was! :-)

You might be thinking of Madeleine Kumman who had a show on PBS years ago.

Sue

How is it going? So lovely to see you posting.....

Sharon

Cookingrvc, I was trying to remember Madeline's name because I thought someone might think it was her. Nope. I did enjoy her shows quite a bit though.

I'm afraid that now I'm spreading my obsession to find this chef. Smiles. Maybe it was part of the Chefs of the World on the Great Chefs series.

Sue

Howdy Sue (cookingrvc), it's good to see you!

Sol

Escarole, bean, and Bacon soup

Cobb Salad

Beginnings of chicken stock

Final Chicken Stock

Momma looking for chicken scraps

Microwave 5 Minute Snowy White Frosting
(not Microwave 7 Minute frosting as I first stated)\

1 cup sugar
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Dash of salt
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, water, cream of tartar and salt in 2 cup (I use a 4 cup)
glass measure cup. Microwave for 5 minutes on High or till mixture boils (about 200 degrees)

Beat egg whites in mixer bowl till soft peaks form as the syrup mix cooks.
(I find it takes a good 5 minutes for eggs to get to soft peak stage).
Gradually pour the hot syrup into the beaten egg whites and beat for 5 minutes more or till thick and fluffy. Blend in vanilla.

Frosts a 13x9”, 2-9” layers or 1 angel food.

Recipe from my 1978 Litton (500 series) Microwave cookbook

Coconut, the first Italian cooking show I remember was Romagnoli's Table in the 1970's, with Margarent and Frank Romagnoli. It wasn't filmed in Italy though.

Good to see you, Sue. Your chicken stock looks good enough to drink straight from the containers.

I agree with Ruthanna, your stock does look good enough to drink. Really rich looking.

~Ann

~Ann