Need Help Defeating Girlfriend!

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martini_thief

Assistant Cook
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
5
The lady and I have had a friendly competition going for a while involving who's best at dinner. I have run her through the best cuts, the weirdest veggi's, the coldest salads, the hottest deserts. The winner is decided by the loser, IE; "This is the best food I will ever eat"

I want a dinner plan that'll make her whimper with delight :chef:

Guidelines:


The Girl = Eats all the veggi's before the meat. Loves apps, and adores sauces.
The Boy = Can bake by smell, grill by touch, and follow a recipe
The Store = Safeway
The Price = Under $100
The Kitchen = Electric, with Propane Grill outside.
The Wine = Fume Blanc (ready to drink) I can get others.
The Plan = ?

Will you help me kick her culinary butt?

Thanks,
Martini
 
martini_thief said:
The lady and I have had a friendly competition going for a while involving who's best at dinner. I have run her through the best cuts, the weirdest veggi's, the coldest salads, the hottest deserts. The winner is decided by the loser, IE; "This is the best food I will ever eat"

I want a dinner plan that'll make her whimper with delight :chef:

Guidelines:


The Girl = Eats all the veggi's before the meat. Loves apps, and adores sauces.
The Boy = Can bake by smell, grill by touch, and follow a recipe
The Store = Safeway
The Price = Under $100
The Kitchen = Electric, with Propane Grill outside.
The Wine = Fume Blanc (ready to drink) I can get others.
The Plan = ?

Will you help me kick her culinary butt?

Thanks,
Martini

mmmmm - quite a tall order here. You know everyone will have a different opinion, right?

APPETIZER:
Jumbo Lump Crabcakes (this makes more than enough for appetizers)

1 lb. jumbo lump crab meat
½ cup roasted red pepper puree (see below
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
¼ cup diced green onions
¼ cup top-quality mayonnaise
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. Old Bay
1 TBS dry mustard
½ tsp. Cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 TBS vegetable oil


Preheat oven to 350°. Combine everything through Cayenne pepper. Stir gently until thoroughly mixed. (NOTE – leave out crabmeat and stir everything until well-blended then gently fold in crabmeat).

Shape into 8 cakes about 1 ½ inches thick. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over med-high heat. Add crab cakes when hot and cook until well browned – about 2 minutes. Turn over then place in heated oven until firm and heated through – about 6 minutes to 8 minutes. Serve on some leftover red pepper puree that has been seasoned more with salt, pepper, and teriyaki sauce.

Red Pepper Puree – roast 3 or 4 red peppers until completely blackened. (either over flame or in 400° oven). Place in paper bag or bowl, close bag or cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave for about 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle peel skins. Discard seeds, ribs, core and pat dry. Puree in food processor. For leftover puree not used in crabcakes add salt and pepper, lemon juice, teriyaki and serve as a red pepper coulis under crabcakes.

I'M THINKING ABOUT AN ENTREE - WILL POST LATER

VEGETABLE:
Proscuitto-Wrapped Asparagus W/Goat Cheese

1 clove garlic
1 TBS chopped chives
3 tsp red-wine vinegar
½ TBS Dijon mustard

Spread piece of prosciutto with goat cheese, then cut in half and wrap 3-5 pieces of blanched asparagus (depending on size) with the ½ piece of prosciutto. Place in a single layer on a plate and pour sauce over proscuitto and serve.
 
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The crab cakes sound great but...
OMG that veg sounds AWESOME! :ohmy:


lol I tried to lose already, she figured me out.
 
hey elf...that sounds like a fantastic meal!!!

question though...how long do you think those crabcakes would stay good in some airtight tupperware in the fridge?
 
I would think the meal needs to start with a cocktail. Perhaps
a dirty martini, if she does not like olives some sort of fruit martini

depending on the weather if it is cold a small cup of
roasted tomatoe soup, if warm small salad with mixed
greens, pears and blue cheese with warmed walnuts.

petite filet with a pat of garlic butter on top once cooked, angel hair pasta with a bit of crab, in a parmesan herb cream sauce with a hint of lemon, grilled asaragus, and red onion. can't forget garlic bread sticks. once dinner is done make sure to have a warm hot towel with a bit of lemon juice to wash her hands.

do the dishes let the meal rest in her tummy a bit send her to take a bath
finish with what we call a tumble weed.
equal parts of
vodka
brandy
kalua(sp)
cream de coco
good amount of vanilla bean ice cream
blend all together to make a shake
top with chocolate shavings
these can be made ahead and kept in the freezer
all the liquer keeps them from totally freezing. I have made
them days ahead before.
This desert has allways gotten rave reviews everytime I
have served it, light and satisfing definately a relaxer.
The desert alone should win the contest.
 
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mugsy27 said:
hey elf...that sounds like a fantastic meal!!!

question though...how long do you think those crabcakes would stay good in some airtight tupperware in the fridge?

I'd say they should last around 3 days, not any longer though. I guess you could freeze them too. Cook, cool, vacuum seal.

martini_thief - the asparagus is really good!

rickell - now that's a perfect after-dinner drink!!!!!
 
Yes, that drink sounds fantastic!

I love the ideas that are thrown out here, but I still think the main needs some of that veg (from elf) and drink (from rickell) kind of jaw dropping status.

I tried prawns & pineapple slices wrapped in bacon then smothered in a honey teriyaki sauce and broiled, that gained some good ooo's and ahh's but I couldn't think of a good enough bed for it to lay on.

Kitchenelf, where can I find "Jumbo lump crab meat" and what kind of crab is that? "Salt and pepper, lemon juice, teriyaki and serve as a red pepper coulis under crabcakes." is enough to make me buy a crab farm.

Rickell,
Pears in salad? why didn't I ever think of that? "small salad with mixed
greens, pears and blue cheese with warmed walnuts." Sounds soooo good. Is that blue cheese crumbles? If so what dressing pull that together best? I definitelywant to slap that salad next to those crab cakes!

Uncle Bob, and others...
Unlike many couples we fight over who "gets" to make dinner, for me after a long hard day at work, nothing rips thoughts of work out of my head better then cooking something, and if it's good, nothing makes me happier then eating what "I" made. Guess I'm wierd, maybe it's because I don't cook for a living anymore that I enjoy so much.

Pook, dinners at 6ish PST next time your in Redmond, WA.
 
A true gentleman always lets the lady win.

The less competition in a relationship, the less conflict.......
 
daisy said:
A true gentleman always lets the lady win.

Naaaaaaaaah - Let the games begin! 'cuz
The winner is decided by the loser, IE; "This is the best food I will ever eat"

I want a dinner plan that'll make her whimper with delight

With those rules, I'd be happy to lose!

Then I'd demand a rematch!;) ;)
 
Rickell,
Pears in salad? why didn't I ever think of that? "small salad with mixed
greens, pears and blue cheese with warmed walnuts." Sounds soooo good. Is that blue cheese crumbles? If so what dressing pull that together best? I definitelywant to slap that salad next to those crab cakes!

Martini, crumbled blue cheese, I use Maytag blue cheese it is wonderful,
any good quality blue will work if you can't find Maytag. The dressing is
a very light red wine vinaigrette, or even you could go with a balsamic
syrup dressing that would compliment the pears even more I would think.
I have not tried it with balsamic but I bet it is fantastic.

The tumble weed should not be a large amount like a normal shake but
more like enough to fill a wine glass. I actually use wine glasses when
I prepare it. I would definately prepare the drink ahead when she is
not around that way you can play around with the amounts I have
made large quantities of this before and had to run to the store because
I did not have enough ice cream. The alcohol melts the ice cream it is not
like making a normal shake, once you try it you will make it again and again.
We actually keep a few in the freezer for just us for not any spec occasion.

let us know how it all turns out
 
SURRENDER NOW!!! & rent 9 1/2 weeks. :LOL: Seriously?, click around this site & you will fnd excellent contributions from the members here.
 
I think your hiding behind this, as an excuse to talk instead of just asking her out. Could I be right? Just ask her out.
 
Well the whole dinner thing has come to a sudden stop as she has had her apendix out.. I doubt I spelled that right, at any rate she's not into eating ATM :ermm:

However I couldnt wait and ate that salad... I made a version of the balsamic syrup dressing and it was perfect. To me thats a prize salad.. time to enter that salad into the Internation Salad Wars (I.S.W.) !!

The rest is on standby till she gets tired of being in pain and soups.

9 & 1/2 weeks lol

Tilly, after 9 years of talking and living together I am sure I asked out at some point :-p To stop the "WTF marry the girl" statments from flooding in, niether one of us wants that. So we keep saying.

Sorry I have not been posting much lately between GFsitting and work I have busy, I'll try harder ;)
 
oh heck if you have lived together nine years, who knows the last time you ask her out? Gee that is awful about her apendix, sorry to hear that but at least she got there in time and all is fine now. Some people don't get there to get it out in time. Can be very serious!
 
I thought the Asparagus/Proscuito/Goat Cheese veggie was AWESOME!!!!

For a main dish, to me, nothing beats a good Paella Marinara/Valenciana!!! There are tons and tons and tons of recipes online, just choose the one that sounds the best to you. NOTHING compares to a big paella pan, pipping hot, served right on the table. Squeeze a little lemon on top and do as the Spanish do, each takes a fork, start from the edge, and work your way toward the center.

There is something romantic and decadent eating this traditional Spanish seafood dish together from the same pan .... sigh.....
 
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