Monday, December 05, 2005
The All New Relax-A-Sandwich
Food:
Last week we were a little more formal, so this week we went a little less formal. With only thirteen when it was time to eat, we were pretty easily able to just sit around the living room (two left early and two came late). It was nice and relaxed, very low on chaos. Of course I liked that I had a lot more time this week to sit and talk with everyone.
The brisket sandwiches came out perfect, the onions added a nice sweetness, and the potato salad threw in a nice tartness. (Some may find it amazing that I intentionally added onions to my sandwich.) The bars were a touch over-cooked, but they did have enough "chewy" left in 'em.
This was the first time we bought brisket from our newer butcher, and I was amazed at how well trimmed it was. One of the things I've never really liked about brisket was the cap of fat. A lot of it does cook away, but there's always plenty left too. Not this time. I don't remember getting a single bite of fat. The downside was that the younger guy that helped us either didn't know what I meant by a "full brisket" or they didn't have 'em. We ended up getting two flat cuts, and we still ran a little short. No one ever believes that we need as much meat as we ask for.
I usually don't comment on the social interaction for the evening, but two things must be noted. First is the hour+ long conversation on breakfast foods. The Twins said something about not liking most breakfast foods, and everyone started just naming different things to see if they liked it. And with a little nudging to keep the conversation on track [:)], it went on for. ev. er. The second thing, and I don't even remember what sparked it, was the "Pretarded Chorus". I've never seen that many people wheezing for air and making the most ridiculous sounds before. It gives me the giggles just thinking about it.
- Braised brisket sandwiches
- Caramelized onions
- German potato salad
- Chips
- Blondie bars
Last week we were a little more formal, so this week we went a little less formal. With only thirteen when it was time to eat, we were pretty easily able to just sit around the living room (two left early and two came late). It was nice and relaxed, very low on chaos. Of course I liked that I had a lot more time this week to sit and talk with everyone.
The brisket sandwiches came out perfect, the onions added a nice sweetness, and the potato salad threw in a nice tartness. (Some may find it amazing that I intentionally added onions to my sandwich.) The bars were a touch over-cooked, but they did have enough "chewy" left in 'em.
This was the first time we bought brisket from our newer butcher, and I was amazed at how well trimmed it was. One of the things I've never really liked about brisket was the cap of fat. A lot of it does cook away, but there's always plenty left too. Not this time. I don't remember getting a single bite of fat. The downside was that the younger guy that helped us either didn't know what I meant by a "full brisket" or they didn't have 'em. We ended up getting two flat cuts, and we still ran a little short. No one ever believes that we need as much meat as we ask for.
I usually don't comment on the social interaction for the evening, but two things must be noted. First is the hour+ long conversation on breakfast foods. The Twins said something about not liking most breakfast foods, and everyone started just naming different things to see if they liked it. And with a little nudging to keep the conversation on track [:)], it went on for. ev. er. The second thing, and I don't even remember what sparked it, was the "Pretarded Chorus". I've never seen that many people wheezing for air and making the most ridiculous sounds before. It gives me the giggles just thinking about it.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
A Metric-Freakin'-Ton of Mole
Food:
There are all manner of uses for left-over Thanksgiving turkey, but my personal favorite has to be turkey mole. A few years ago, I started making it with whatever is left over from the Thursday Feast, and this year was no different. Of course the lower key nature of the meal is quite appealing after all the work just a few days prior. It also isn't a meal that needs a ton of sides, so we just went with that nummy corn cake mix we discovered a couple of months ago.
Last year we had no turkey left-overs, so this year we might have over-compensated a little. And then we were worried that after all the Trivial Pursuit snacking and the next days' sandwiches, we wouldn't have enough to feed everyone, so we bought and rotisseried an additional breast. A number of things transpired and coincided resulting in only having eleven for dinner. We all fit at the big table, with no card table extension, for the first time in so long that I can't even remember. The quieter atmosphere was certainly welcome, but the pile of food in the fridge is pretty much unmanageable. I like mole, but not enough to eat it for every meal this week, lunch and dinner, which is pretty much how much we have left.
Balancing an open ended, on-going, weekly dinner party is an interesting challenge. If it were just a "hang out" night, it wouldn't really matter how many people show up or don't. Yet we're trying to have enough to go around without having too much that we throw away food. If it were the occaisional dinner party, I'm pretty sure we'd have a better handle on who's going to be there more than an hour before we set the table. Everyone says they love the community and experience that this thing has fostered, yet more and more I'm feeling like something's broken. Though, I'm not sure what yet.
- Turkey mole over white rice with all the "fixin's"
- Chips and SP's home-made salsa
- That sweet corn cake stuff
- Chocolate fire cake and ice cream
There are all manner of uses for left-over Thanksgiving turkey, but my personal favorite has to be turkey mole. A few years ago, I started making it with whatever is left over from the Thursday Feast, and this year was no different. Of course the lower key nature of the meal is quite appealing after all the work just a few days prior. It also isn't a meal that needs a ton of sides, so we just went with that nummy corn cake mix we discovered a couple of months ago.
Last year we had no turkey left-overs, so this year we might have over-compensated a little. And then we were worried that after all the Trivial Pursuit snacking and the next days' sandwiches, we wouldn't have enough to feed everyone, so we bought and rotisseried an additional breast. A number of things transpired and coincided resulting in only having eleven for dinner. We all fit at the big table, with no card table extension, for the first time in so long that I can't even remember. The quieter atmosphere was certainly welcome, but the pile of food in the fridge is pretty much unmanageable. I like mole, but not enough to eat it for every meal this week, lunch and dinner, which is pretty much how much we have left.
Balancing an open ended, on-going, weekly dinner party is an interesting challenge. If it were just a "hang out" night, it wouldn't really matter how many people show up or don't. Yet we're trying to have enough to go around without having too much that we throw away food. If it were the occaisional dinner party, I'm pretty sure we'd have a better handle on who's going to be there more than an hour before we set the table. Everyone says they love the community and experience that this thing has fostered, yet more and more I'm feeling like something's broken. Though, I'm not sure what yet.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
How much can we fit in the oven???
Food:
Everything turned out just fantastic this week. Thanks go to Huge M (and others) for helping to formulate a menu late Saturday afternoon. The idea for the chicken kept changing as we went. It started with just a wild rice stuffed breast, then we added the sauce (which helped to keep 'em juicy), and finally, why not thow a little parmesan on top before baking. Voila.
The potatoes were a little more straight from the cook book, but we threw in a little variance using the toasted onion. I love that stuff! It makes everything taste like french onion soup. Well, not exactly like french onion soup. Maybe like it was stored next to french onion soup. Anyway, good stuff.
I hear the broccoli was good. I wouldn't know.
The salad is just too good to not keep making. Several people said they knew good food was coming next, but they couldn't get enough of the salad. Nice.
- Pear/Pecan/Craisin salad with champagne vinegarette dressing
- Wild rice stuffed chicken breasts baked in shallot and white wine sauce
- Scalloped potatoes
- Roasted broccoli
- Hot cross buns
- Left-over "Way to Have a Baby!" cake
Everything turned out just fantastic this week. Thanks go to Huge M (and others) for helping to formulate a menu late Saturday afternoon. The idea for the chicken kept changing as we went. It started with just a wild rice stuffed breast, then we added the sauce (which helped to keep 'em juicy), and finally, why not thow a little parmesan on top before baking. Voila.
The potatoes were a little more straight from the cook book, but we threw in a little variance using the toasted onion. I love that stuff! It makes everything taste like french onion soup. Well, not exactly like french onion soup. Maybe like it was stored next to french onion soup. Anyway, good stuff.
I hear the broccoli was good. I wouldn't know.
The salad is just too good to not keep making. Several people said they knew good food was coming next, but they couldn't get enough of the salad. Nice.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Some things are hard to do twice
Food:
Last year when we made the cannelloni, it was one of the best things I'd ever tasted. This batch was "good", but nowhere near what I remembered. The flavor was there, but not as rich. The mixture was also a little soupy. Clearly, there's something that didn't translate as well when quadrupling the batch. Of course it could have been that it was going to take a lot longer to simmer the juices off, and we didn't have time. BY was a trooper cranking out the fresh pasta, but it was a little thicker than last time. It should have been taken down one more notch on the pasta maker. Still, good stuff.
The fried zucchini was not what I was imagining. I had a crisp image, and it came out mushy. Blech. But the desserts made up for it. ...mmm... gooey butter...
- Green salad with craisins
- Three meat cannelloni
- Fried zucchini
- Rustic Italian bread
- Gooey butter cake (double chocolate and peanut butter chocolate)
Last year when we made the cannelloni, it was one of the best things I'd ever tasted. This batch was "good", but nowhere near what I remembered. The flavor was there, but not as rich. The mixture was also a little soupy. Clearly, there's something that didn't translate as well when quadrupling the batch. Of course it could have been that it was going to take a lot longer to simmer the juices off, and we didn't have time. BY was a trooper cranking out the fresh pasta, but it was a little thicker than last time. It should have been taken down one more notch on the pasta maker. Still, good stuff.
The fried zucchini was not what I was imagining. I had a crisp image, and it came out mushy. Blech. But the desserts made up for it. ...mmm... gooey butter...
Sunday, November 06, 2005
A New Record!
TWENTY-THREE people, all sitting down. (It's true that we've had more people, but never all sitting down together.)
The Food:
It was early in the meal, and after so much food it can be easy to forget, but I want to make sure I mention how much I enjoyed the toasted pecans in the salad. They combined with the champagne vinegarette and julienned pears perfectly. Must remember to do that again.
I was afraid that we weren't going to have enough to go around, but I forget how filling egg noodles are. We tried a different brand when I realized that the "No Yolk" noodles I've been eating since I was a little kid DIDN'T HAVE EGG YOLKS IN THEM! Don't look at me that way, I'd just never really thought about it. Of course SC almost smacked me in the store when I made that little announcement. Anyway, egg noodles are very filling. Lesson learned.
The Beef Burgundy was tasty. I just always try to forget that it's basically French stew, or as some may call it, "Freedom Stew". Feh. The squash was interesting, and yummy. And SC was almost psychotic in the portions he was forcing on people, but it got the job done.
The extra vanilla bean in the cake really accentuated the flavor, and made SP and BY's kitchen smell fantastic as it baked. It was a bit shallow in the pan, and when we make it again, I'd like to remember to double the recipe for that particular pan.
For the first time, we had no left-overs. That usually makes me worried that we didn't have enough food, but everyone swears they were stuffed. I think we might have just had the exact right amount of food. Maybe we've been cooking for twenty-three people this whole time!!!
The Food:
- Mixed green salad with pears, toasted pecans, feta, and champagne vinegarette
- Beef Burgundy
- Egg noodles
- Mashed squash with butter and brown sugar
- Peas and pearl onions
- Lime cake, and double vanilla cake
- French peasant bread and a boule
It was early in the meal, and after so much food it can be easy to forget, but I want to make sure I mention how much I enjoyed the toasted pecans in the salad. They combined with the champagne vinegarette and julienned pears perfectly. Must remember to do that again.
I was afraid that we weren't going to have enough to go around, but I forget how filling egg noodles are. We tried a different brand when I realized that the "No Yolk" noodles I've been eating since I was a little kid DIDN'T HAVE EGG YOLKS IN THEM! Don't look at me that way, I'd just never really thought about it. Of course SC almost smacked me in the store when I made that little announcement. Anyway, egg noodles are very filling. Lesson learned.
The Beef Burgundy was tasty. I just always try to forget that it's basically French stew, or as some may call it, "Freedom Stew". Feh. The squash was interesting, and yummy. And SC was almost psychotic in the portions he was forcing on people, but it got the job done.
The extra vanilla bean in the cake really accentuated the flavor, and made SP and BY's kitchen smell fantastic as it baked. It was a bit shallow in the pan, and when we make it again, I'd like to remember to double the recipe for that particular pan.
For the first time, we had no left-overs. That usually makes me worried that we didn't have enough food, but everyone swears they were stuffed. I think we might have just had the exact right amount of food. Maybe we've been cooking for twenty-three people this whole time!!!
Sunday, October 30, 2005
What the hell do I know about Latino cooking...
Food:
The interesting thing for me was that everyone loved something different. The enchiladas had a special ingredient because SP made her home-made Mexican-style salsa. If you're thinking of that chunky Pace style stuff, get the thought out of your head. This was closer in consistency to what Little Tijuana's serves. But better. It gave a nice zip, and even more so if you dared the extra hot version. The red beans and rice were pretty standard, and we've done them before. Still people seem to go gah-gah. The last minute addition that totally rounded out the meal for me was the sweet corn cake. This wasn't cornbread. It was something wholly different, but very tasty.
For dessert, I wanted to try adding a peanut butter swirl to our home-made brownie recipe. At the last minute, I thought, "Why not try making the swirl out of our spicy peanut sauce." It worked, but the sesame flavor came out far more than I expected. It added a nice complexity to a fairly ordinary (but good) brownie.
- Nachos, two ways (meat and cheesey; vegetarian)
- Chicken enchiladas
- Corn cake
- Red beans and rice
- Peanut butter, sesame brownies with vanilla ice cream
The interesting thing for me was that everyone loved something different. The enchiladas had a special ingredient because SP made her home-made Mexican-style salsa. If you're thinking of that chunky Pace style stuff, get the thought out of your head. This was closer in consistency to what Little Tijuana's serves. But better. It gave a nice zip, and even more so if you dared the extra hot version. The red beans and rice were pretty standard, and we've done them before. Still people seem to go gah-gah. The last minute addition that totally rounded out the meal for me was the sweet corn cake. This wasn't cornbread. It was something wholly different, but very tasty.
For dessert, I wanted to try adding a peanut butter swirl to our home-made brownie recipe. At the last minute, I thought, "Why not try making the swirl out of our spicy peanut sauce." It worked, but the sesame flavor came out far more than I expected. It added a nice complexity to a fairly ordinary (but good) brownie.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Who Knew Ham Could Be That Good???
Food:
All three of the dinner dishes were uniquely flavorful, especially considering the somewhat basic nature of each. The ham was of course strongly "hammy", yet had undertones of the ginger, brown sugar, and honey. The string bean were glazed with the leftover pineapple juice leaving them sweet but not sugary. But the stuffed tomatoes had the most flavor layers. I was surprised that they maintained both a rich developed flavor and a spry, raw tanginess.
Even Robin agreed that the tartlets needed something more. They were a bit dry, and a little small for our usual portions. Ice cream, icing, glaze, or something else woul have been nice. They needed something semi-gooey.
- Mixed green salad with champagne vinegarette dressing
- Champagne baked ham
- Pineapple blanched string beans
- Risotto stuffed baked tomatoes
- Pineapple tartlets
All three of the dinner dishes were uniquely flavorful, especially considering the somewhat basic nature of each. The ham was of course strongly "hammy", yet had undertones of the ginger, brown sugar, and honey. The string bean were glazed with the leftover pineapple juice leaving them sweet but not sugary. But the stuffed tomatoes had the most flavor layers. I was surprised that they maintained both a rich developed flavor and a spry, raw tanginess.
Even Robin agreed that the tartlets needed something more. They were a bit dry, and a little small for our usual portions. Ice cream, icing, glaze, or something else woul have been nice. They needed something semi-gooey.
