Dinner Monday, 3-20-2023 ~ Spring has sprung!

[Cooking Goddess]

We had chicken and two greens. The chicken was from a recipe I clipped from a long-ago Penzeys' catalog. Called "North African style chicken", pre-cooked chicken chunks are seasoned with Berbere, cinnamon, and ground cloves. It's seared, then simmered in orange juice, red wine, and raisins. The recipe serves it over couscous. I had pastina to use up, so that's what we had.



What did you have?

 

[medtran49]

Cook's Country pickled shrimp, though I made a couple of changes. Instead of fennel seed and dill, I used some thin slices of fennel bulb and fronds since I had them, and I dropped the fennel and red onion slices in the hot vinegar mixture. We both really liked the shrimp. A new recipe for deviled eggs that needs a small tweak, but we both really liked as well. Green olives obviously. Alouette garlic and herb cheese spread with crackers. It was pretty good too.

 

[dragnlaw]

LOL... it's not often I'm not enthralled with everyone meals, but tonight.... Pickled Shrimp? and as much as I want to like, somehow I always have a hard time coming to terms with North African cuisine. I enjoy what I eat but then after feel as if I only had dessert and not dinner. Even saying that CG, still sounds good!
I had a 'different' supper. I took Chief's Chicken Meatballs recipe, along with thymless' suggestions, for the other chicken breast I had hand minced. Although good, haven't decided if I will keep the recipe in my 'good' file.
made into a meatloaf instead of meatballs. Was far too wet to do anything else. Even added some of the rice from yesterday. LOL - nothing wasted!

 

[medtran49]

LOL... it's not often I'm not enthralled with everyone meals, but tonight.... Pickled Shrimp?

You should try it. I was surprised at just how good it is. Craig even made a comment that it was really good after he ate the first one. A very nice alternative to cocktail shrimp.

Don't think of pickle like pickles. It has whole coriander and allspice, garlic, bay leaves, Dijon, worchestershire, a little sugar, red pepper flakes, capers, red onions, EVOO, lemon, hot sauce, fennel and apple cider vinegar. And you only pickle it from 3 to 48 hours. Ours pickled for about 8 hours.

 

[dragnlaw]

medtran, looking it up as we speak...

 

[Cooking Goddess]

...I always have a hard time coming to terms with North African cuisine. I enjoy what I eat but then after feel as if I only had dessert and not dinner...

I dunno about you,  dragn, but I don't have any dessert recipes that call for paprika, red chili peppers, or cumin.

 

[pepperhead212]

I made a gumbo style rice dish tonight in the Instant Pot, but not quite a one pot meal, as I cooked some chopped up greens to add at the end. It started with cooking a large onion, a yellow and a green bell pepper, and some celery, all chopped up, and after cooking several minutes, adding a generous amount of minced garlic, plus the usual spices - cloves, ground bay, thyme, and some heat, from Thai pepper flakes. Cooked that a couple of minutes, then added the homemade andouille like sausage, made with venison (liquid smoke in that, not smoked). Cooked on high sauté about 8 minutes, then added about 2/3 c white vermouth (emptied the bottle) - something I add to my jambalaya all the time. I cooked briefly, then added 1 1/2 c brown rice, a little over 1 1/2 c water, adjusted the salt, then set to pressure cook on low for 25 min, which is just right for brown rice. While cooking, I chopped up about 6 c of misc. greens, ending up to about 4 c chopped, and after cooking it in a wok, in a couple tsp oil, it was about 1 1/2 c. I stirred that in, with about 1/2 c chopped parsley, and let it sit a couple of minutes.
Cooked greens, to stir into the rice at the end. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Gumbo type dish, with brown rice, and some homemade andouille sausage, with greens by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[Aunt Bea]

A crunchy romaine salad and pasta with chicken, mushrooms, and cheese.

 

[blissful]

We added serrano peppers to snickerdoodles for a warm serrano snickerdoodle. Kind of a dessert with peppers. Hot and sweet.

I had pear and blue berry bread and planned over lentil farro stew.

 

[medtran49]

I made a gumbo style rice dish tonight in the Instant Pot, but not quite a one pot meal, as I cooked some chopped up greens to add at the end.

Try a gumbo z'herbes some time. It's made with lots of different greens. I really like the one I've made in the past and it can be made vegan, vegetarian, or with chicken broth and andouille. All you need to add is rice. I'll post recipe if you want.

 

[dragnlaw]

medtran, watched the video on the pickled shrimp - OK, I'm convinced.
Have shrimp in the freezer! Will be checking my pantry for the other ingredients! Don't know about making 2 pounds worth but for sure at least a pound. Come summer - I'm guessing it will be served on the patio a couple of times.

 

[medtran49]

medtran, watched the video on the pickled shrimp - OK, I'm convinced.
Have shrimp in the freezer! Will be checking my pantry for the other ingredients! Don't know about making 2 pounds worth but for sure at least a pound. Come summer - I'm guessing it will be served on the patio a couple of times.

We only used about a pound plus the other things and it was plenty for dinner with no leftovers. Glad you'll give it a try. We'll definitely be making it again.

 

[medtran49]

We added serrano peppers to snickerdoodles for a warm serrano snickerdoodle. Kind of a dessert with peppers. Hot and sweet.

My RIP BL used to put hot peppers in chocolate fudge. He also put garlic, lots, in fudge. That flavor combo was  interesting to say the least.

I make a white chocolate bark with pistachios, pink salt and Carolina Reaper flakes. It's really good unless I get heavy handed with the pepper flakes. It's still good, but whew!

 

[GotGarlic]

My RIP BL used to put hot peppers in chocolate fudge. He also put garlic, lots, in fudge. That flavor combo was  interesting to say the least.

I make a white chocolate bark with pistachios, pink salt and Carolina Reaper flakes. It's really good unless I get heavy handed with the pepper flakes. It's still good, but whew!

This reminds me of my Mexican chocolate cookies with cinnamon and cayenne. I was looking for something to bake today. This is going to be it!

 

[dragnlaw]

My RIP BL used to put hot peppers in chocolate fudge. He also put garlic, lots, in fudge. That flavor combo was  interesting to say the least.

I make a white chocolate bark with pistachios, pink salt and Carolina Reaper flakes. It's really good unless I get heavy handed with the pepper flakes. It's still good, but whew!

This reminds me of my Mexican chocolate cookies with cinnamon and cayenne. I was looking for something to bake today. This is going to be it!

medtran - I remember reading about your white chocolate bark before, you made it around Christmas time, no?
GG - I've also heard of chocolate cookies with the cinnamon and cayenne. Don't remember where or when but always thought it interesting.

I've had chocolate bars (cant' think of the name right now) but they come with various flavours, one is Red Pepper, the Sea Salt (of course) and another favourite of mine is with Orange.

so I can fully understand how your creations work... just never done them LOL

 

[medtran49]

I don't remember. I've made the bark several times.

I believe the Aztecs used to put chili peppers in their hot chocolate drink, which was nothing like what we drink today.

Mexican hot chocolate has cinnamon in it. They sell disks that you put in hot water or milk and stir until the disk melts.

 

[taxlady]

We ordered Greek food. We got a pikilia (variety) platter and we each got a pita as well. I had one with lamb souvlaki and DH had one with old fashioned pork gyro. The pikilia platter had spanokopita, feta, kalamata olives, tzatziki, taramosalata, some marinated cucumber chunks, and a couple of pitas cut into quarters. Really tasty food in that platter and I really enjoyed the lamb souvlaki.

 

[larry_stewart]

Monday we had Black bean and corn quesadilla and black bean/ sweet potato Tamales ( which we made a few months ago and froze. They really reheat well).

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Cook's Country pickled shrimp, though I made a couple of changes. Instead of fennel seed and dill, I used some thin slices of fennel bulb and fronds since I had them, and I dropped the fennel and red onion slices in the hot vinegar mixture. We both really liked the shrimp. A new recipe for deviled eggs that needs a small tweak, but we both really liked as well. Green olives obviously. Alouette garlic and herb cheese spread with crackers. It was pretty good too.View attachment 63999

Copy Me That!!!
YUM!