Wednesday the 24th. What's for Dinner?

[Andy M.]

What a lovely day!

The sun is shining, the birds are singing. Fluffy white clouds dot the blue summer sky and a gentle breeze caresses us with a low humidity hug as we sit on the deck and enjoy a relaxing moment.

Life is good. We is the northern reaches of Massachusetts have chosen to extend this proximity with nature by cooking dinner in the great outdoors. I will be firing up the grill and making a couple of my signature burgers dressed with cheese, bacon, jalapeños and onion.

What is in your plans for your evening repast?

 

[Aunt Bea]

A cup of lentil soup and a scoop of chicken salad with pickles and olives on the side.

 

[cwtch]

Mmmm andy your meal ( and indeed your environment ) sounds glorious.

We had sausage meat meatballs in a mustard dill sauce with pasta ribbons. Surrounded by a rather less than glorious British summer it's honestly not as heavy as it sounds


Sent from my iPhone using Discuss Cooking

 

[Kayelle]

I'm so glad to hear about the perfect day Andy! That horrible winter you had is a distant memory and you deserve it big time!

We'll be grilling tonight too. I made a haul at the Dollar store yesterday of all kinds of fresh fruits and veggies... a 2 lb bag of red seedless grapes, a personal size watermelon, broccoli, a big bag of itty bitty tri colored sweet peppers, zucchini, all for ...$5.00. Love that store!

I'll be grilling a big basket of marinated veggies for sure, and the protein will be either grilled chicken thighs or white Brockwurst from the German Deli.
I'll also put together a fruit salad.

 

[NickeeCoco]

It's just me today, since the husband's off to a pub with friends. So, the vegetarian is away and the carnivore is coming out to play!

Pork schnitzel meatballs with orzo baked in tomato sauce and some grated gouda.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

Andy, your perfect day has extended itself all the way to the Midwest.

I am thinking I should make up some spiced ground beef and make tacos tonight. There are leftover baked beans rather than pinto flavors for a side. And for dessert, Rhubarb shortcakes with ginger biscuits and whipped cream. (Make favorite sweet biscuits/ scones and add 3/4-1 tsp ground ginger, make a tart rhubarb sauce and get out your whipper and whisk a goodly amount of cream per however many servings and there you have it. ) I read this on the internet, so you know it was speaking to me, didn't copy a recipe as I didn't see any thing extraordinary except add ginger.

 

[Cheryl J]

What a deal, Kay! We don't have produce in our Dollar Tree.

I'm having leftover orzo and veggie salad from yesterday. Should be even better today. Mango and grapes on the side.

 

[GotGarlic]

Nickee, I love meatballs! How do you make pork schnitzel meatballs?

I guess I overdid yesterday because I'm pretty tired today. I had some of the leftover steak and lobster salad for a late lunch; there's also leftover potatoes with mustard aioli - that was delish! I'll let DH have the rest and I'll just snack. I have some bread, pesto and tomatoes, so I might make bruschetta and have some grapes, sliced cucumbers, oil-cured olives and pickled zucchini.

 

[NickeeCoco]

Nickee, I love meatballs! How do you make pork schnitzel meatballs?

I guess I overdid yesterday because I'm pretty tired today. I had some of the leftover steak and lobster salad for a late lunch; there's also leftover potatoes with mustard aioli - that was delish! I'll let DH have the rest and I'll just snack. I have some bread, pesto and tomatoes, so I might make bruschetta and have some grapes, sliced cucumbers, oil-cured olives and pickled zucchini.

Pork Schnitzel Meatballs | Serious Eats : Recipes I added garlic, spring onion and lemon juice.

Also, your leftovers sound divine.

 

[GotGarlic]

Thank you and thank you

 

[GotGarlic]

Pork Schnitzel Meatballs | Serious Eats : Recipes I added garlic, spring onion and lemon juice.

Also, your leftovers sound divine.

I think those meatballs would be great with the mustard aioli I made to go with the grilled potatoes

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Homemade Pasta

Oy, my aching feet, my back, OY! What was I thinking?

My darling husband had made mention that it's been awhile since I made Lasagne.



(don'tcha just love the crispy bits on the edge of the pan? MY!)

Yesterday, I woke up with this wild idea that I'd make Lasagne with homemade pasta and sauce.



I started this endeavor at 11 o'clock this morning, just as a point of reference

Made the sauce with San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes (canned from Italy, so easy to find nowadays). Bubble, bubble, bubble... let that perk for about an hour... next,
Made the pasta dough, let it rest.
Browned a pound of fresh ground Chuck.
Grated a pound of whole milk Mozzarella.
Grated up some Grana Padano (a nicer Parmesan cheese and cheaper too).
Sheet-ed the pasta on my Kitchen Aid attachment, parboiled it for 30 seconds, drained, dried and then..
time to assemble.

SHNIKIES!!

That baby weighed a ton!
Well, really it was 10 1/2 pounds, I weighed it



It came out of the oven at 4 o'clock and then it needed to rest for 10 minutes (with fork in hand), bar none, the longest 10 minutes in my adoring husband's day.
He had himself what he's calling,
"...semi-dinner, we'll have the main event at 630 this evening with a salad and some Italian bread."


I had a coupla sheets of pasta leftover once I had the pan in the oven, so I sliced that pasta into strips, boiled it the rest of the way, drained it well, added some jarred Pesto Sauce I had stashed in the `fridge, along with some cooking water, some grated Parm (Grana) some Olive Oil, fresh cracked black pepper, gave it all a good stir and that was lunch.

I do love fresh homemade pasta in any form

 

[Dawgluver]

K-girl, you got my lasagna-dar going! I spelunked some from the deep freeze.

 

[taxlady]

Kgirl, that looks wonderful and phew, that was a long bout of cooking.

You let the pasta dough rise?

 

[taxlady]

I was going to make a loaded salad, but Stirling asked if I would like for him to order Indian food. The Indian food was excellent. I looked up "beef patiala". Yes, there is cilantro in it. I was beginning to suspect that cooked cilantro wasn't obnoxious/disgusting like fresh cilantro.

 

[Cheryl J]

Looks good, kgirl. I haven't had lasagna in quite a while. Might have to take 1/2 a day and make some. Yum.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

k-girl, I love the side view of the lasagna - you can see all those layers! Your dinner sounds scrumptious.

We had...leftovers. I really need to learn to cook for two. As a prelude, I made salads. Well, technically, I made one. Himself finished up the "normal" (his word) salad from last night. I fixed myself one with baby greens, strawberries and blueberries, almonds and queso fresco cheese.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

K-girl, you got my lasagna-dar going! I spelunked some from the deep freeze.

We aims to please Ma'am

Kgirl, that looks wonderful and phew, that was a long bout of cooking.

You let the pasta dough rise?

I let the dough rest, covered, for at least 30 minutes.
This allows the flour to absorb the egg.
The dough is quite sticky when first finished, but after that siesta, all systems GO!

Looks good, kgirl. I haven't had lasagna in quite a while. Might have to take 1/2 a day and make some. Yum.

Ya know CherylJ, I couldn't remember when was the last time I made Lasagne, but boy howdy! Them's good eats! DH keeps dipping in a spoon, "oops, there's a stray bit there, let me just clean up your pan there Dear."

 

[Dawgluver]

k-girl, I love the side view of the lasagna - you can see all those layers! Your dinner sounds scrumptious.



We had...leftovers. I really need to learn to cook for two. As a prelude, I made salads. Well, technically, I made one. Himself finished up the "normal" (his word) salad from last night. I fixed myself one with baby greens, strawberries and blueberries, almonds and queso fresco cheese.

CG, if you ever find the secret for cooking for two, please let me know! I usually cook for eight even though just two of us live here... We live off leftovers.

 

[taxlady]

...
I let the dough rest, covered, for at least 30 minutes.
This allows the flour to absorb the egg.
The dough is quite sticky when first finished, but after that siesta, all systems GO!...

Rest, of course, that makes perfect sense. Better clean my glasses. I could have sworn you wrote that you let it rise.