The What's For Dinner Tonight Chat

[IrishHeart]

 

Maybe Bella is acting unimpressed to try to get them to do something to impress her. You know how cats are... all acting aloof and better than everyone else. It's why I'm not a cat person. I like cuddly things 

 

Bella does not "act" unimpressed. Cats are either impressed or they aren't.

You always know where you stand with a cat.  You are "in" or you're "out"

Dogs slobber, hump and love anything in its path. Not particular and not choosy.

If a cat  likes you, you have been chosen. You are special.

(Look, I am a dog person, I had an awesome lab named Gracie, but I have deep respect for cats.)

And she is wicked cuddly. We snuggle all the time.

My cat does not act aloof or condescend.

She's like her Mama....we allow for differences of opinion without judgement.

And she happens to like dogs very much.

So there.  (Bella paid me a dollar to represent her in this case)

[Adalaide]

Maybe I've never met the right cats. Maybe I'm really just not a cat person. I had no idea how allergic I was until after we were married and my husband's cat got on my legs one night when they got out of the blankets. I got covered in hives where I was out and he was physically on me because I guess I was warm. It try not to hold it against him... but for obvious reasons he was immediately banished. He's still family, he's just family with glass between us. And hey, you know where you stand with dogs too. They love everyone!

[Adalaide]

Dinner tonight had a loaf of fresh bread added to it. It was, admittedly, my very first not from a box (which I've only done once anyway) bread. And I'm very thrilled to say it is delicious. It made two baguettes, and one is half gone, devoured warm and dripping with butter. I totally ignored the recipe's flour ingredient list and simply went with my new AP flour. I prefer a bread with some oomph, and specks, and was quite pleased with the result. It's usually against my rules to not follow a recipe exactly the first time but it's bread and if there's one thing I know, or at least used to, it's bread. I feel comfortable just jumping in and messing around with things as I see fit before trying it out.

 

Tomorrow my untouched baguette becomes egg nog french toast. I'm going to hurry off to bed because the sooner I'm asleep the sooner tomorrow will be here and I'll have that french toast in my belly.

[notme]

Tonight I am making spicy shrimp (lightly poached first) with creamy Cheddar grits. Unsure of the side but perhaps caramelized butternut squash or a slaw with apple cider vinaigrette. Actually, methinks wilted greens with bacon is a better idea.

good to see you, love2   and, did you say bacon?  because you cannot fail when bacon is on the plate! 

 

last night was shrimp for us - did i mention i like to play with my food (lolz, my husband makes me stick to the recipe the first time i try it so i fooled him - no more recipe hahahahaaa) 

 

roast butterflied shrimp on spinach with bacon and lemon/garlic cream sauce. 

 

i was going to go all saltimbocca, but i didn't have the right cheese........

 

i am having a sad day today - it's halloween and i didn't carve one single pumpkin.  <it's always been an event - normally they are lined up the whole length of the porch)  i have one out of four of my kids around, and he is taking HIS kid around trick or treating.  they even carved pumpkins all on their own   for the past 10 years we had an 'adopted' old guy (friend of our daughter) who we had to come hand out candy but he died in january and it just doesn't make me want to make the Halloween Soup they all love so well.    it's just vege/beef soup, but it's been traditional.  my mom used to make it when we were kids - nice and warm and ready to eat then it was CANDY TIME!!!!  

 

i need a new old guy...............

[love2travel]

good to see you, love2   and, did you say bacon?  because you cannot fail when bacon is on the plate! 

 

last night was shrimp for us - did i mention i like to play with my food (lolz, my husband makes me stick to the recipe the first time i try it so i fooled him - no more recipe hahahahaaa) 

 

roast butterflied shrimp on spinach with bacon and lemon/garlic cream sauce. 

 

i was going to go all saltimbocca, but i didn't have the right cheese........

 

i am having a sad day today - it's halloween and i didn't carve one single pumpkin.  <it's always been an event - normally they are lined up the whole length of the porch)  i have one out of four of my kids around, and he is taking HIS kid around trick or treating.  they even carved pumpkins all on their own   for the past 10 years we had an 'adopted' old guy (friend of our daughter) who we had to come hand out candy but he died in january and it just doesn't make me want to make the Halloween Soup they all love so well.    it's just vege/beef soup, but it's been traditional.  my mom used to make it when we were kids - nice and warm and ready to eat then it was CANDY TIME!!!!  

 

i need a new old guy...............

Thanks! You know, I enjoy your refreshing sense of humour in your responses. No pumpkins or anything here, either. Not sure what my excuse is. Sheer laziness perhaps??

[love2travel]

Something simple tonight as we are bound to have tons of trick or treaters at the door...

Proper Bangers (plump authentic Cumberland sausages), roasted in the oven

Mash (whipped buttery potatoes)

Onion gravy

Steamed peas

[cyclinglady]

Chili tonight!  500 Trick or Treaters will be dropping by.  Feeding the neighborhood, so it's a couple of big pots.  gluten-free cornbread and salad, plus, some brownies.  Of course, we'll raid the candy from those kids who return to unload their loot!

 

Happy Halloween!  

 

Dressing as Ma Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie.

[GF Lover]

Halloween was cancelled  It's too spooky out.  Driving wind, rain and being pelted by swirling leaves must not be fun for the little ones

 

I'm making cup cakes.  How do I freeze them with frosting on them?  It seems like the frosting will stick to the saran wrap.  I guess I could freeze them plain and then frost when I eat one but then my frosting might go bad.  (sigh)  It's hard being me

 

Colleen

[kareng]

Halloween was cancelled  It's too spooky out.  Driving wind, rain and being pelted by swirling leaves must not be fun for the little ones

 

I'm making cup cakes.  How do I freeze them with frosting on them?  It seems like the frosting will stick to the saran wrap.  I guess I could freeze them plain and then frost when I eat one but then my frosting might go bad.  (sigh)  It's hard being me

 

Colleen

What if you freeze them on a tray, unwrapped. Then when they and the icing are frozen hard, package them?

[GF Lover]

Oh Karen, that is a great idea.  They are finished cooling off.  I frosted one and ate it.  Total yummers. 

 

Off to frost the rest.  Thanks again Karen.

 

Colleen

[ItchyAbby]

I've got some beef shanks in the crockpot bubbling away in some red wine with lots of onions and black pepper. Smells great in here! I was going to put it over polenta but I am a bit leery of the polenta I've got in the pantry. I cannot remember if I bought it from the bulk bins or not...this learning curve just doesn't stop, huh?    I will probably end up giving it away and getting new polenta - I just don't trust it. So, tonight, I'll probably roasted some parsnip and carrots and have a side of kale or radicchio...no hardship there.

 

I might make some bread, too. love2travel - you mentioned Simona's ciabatta. Is there an easy way to search for it? I have been fumbling around in the cooking forums to no avail! I also saw someone talking about lorka150's bread recipe, but I could not find that yet either. I might be kind of a dum-dum about the proper way to find stuff in here.

 

Oh and my costume: Hermit McHomebody with the lights off and a movie on. Same as last year!

[IrishHeart]

Oh Karen, that is a great idea.  They are finished cooling off.  I frosted one and ate it.  Total yummers. 

 

Off to frost the rest.  Thanks again Karen.

 

Colleen

 

If you had not at least tried one, I was going to give you a stern whaaa wa??? 

My friend with the gluten-free bakery tells me "if there are no dairy products in your G F baked goods,  they can always be frozen, unfrozen and refrozen if necessary".

 

Okay, you middle America peeps...be careful,!!The weather reports look scary. 

 

I just had my first trick-or-treater in 18 years. (you guys know I lived in the sticks before, so I am so excited!!)

She looked like a young Judy Garland as Dorothy. I mean, she was maybe 12??.

All alone, very sweet, said Happy Halloween! and I think..... Her dad? was driving her around. I saw the car going slowly as she walked the

street. 

 

I made some brussel sprouts tossed in BACON and shallots and we heated up the risotto and pork.Encores are a good thing.  

 

Oh boy, the kiddos are coming!! yaay!! they better, I;ve got a stash of M and M peanuts, snickers, reese's and mounds.....

my thighs do not need them around,

[kareng]

I've got some beef shanks in the crockpot bubbling away in some red wine with lots of onions and black pepper. Smells great in here! I was going to put it over polenta but I am a bit leery of the polenta I've got in the pantry. I cannot remember if I bought it from the bulk bins or not...this learning curve just doesn't stop, huh?    I will probably end up giving it away and getting new polenta - I just don't trust it. So, tonight, I'll probably roasted some parsnip and carrots and have a side of kale or radicchio...no hardship there.

 

I might make some bread, too. love2travel - you mentioned Simona's ciabatta. Is there an easy way to search for it? I have been fumbling around in the cooking forums to no avail! I also saw someone talking about lorka150's bread recipe, but I could not find that yet either. I might be kind of a dum-dum about the proper way to find stuff in here.

 

Oh and my costume: Hermit McHomebody with the lights off and a movie on. Same as last year!

THe google function at the top right corner has a little thing like a cog next to it. Click that and you get lots of options to search. You can just search by a poster's name and maybe the word bread. Check the ' as posts". It's much easier that way.

[kareng]

I've got some beef shanks in the crockpot bubbling away in some red wine with lots of onions and black pepper. Smells great in here! I was going to put it over polenta but I am a bit leery of the polenta I've got in the pantry. I cannot remember if I bought it from the bulk bins or not...this learning curve just doesn't stop, huh?    I will probably end up giving it away and getting new polenta - I just don't trust it. So, tonight, I'll probably roasted some parsnip and carrots and have a side of kale or radicchio...no hardship there.

 

I might make some bread, too. love2travel - you mentioned Simona's ciabatta. Is there an easy way to search for it? I have been fumbling around in the cooking forums to no avail! I also saw someone talking about lorka150's bread recipe, but I could not find that yet either. I might be kind of a dum-dum about the proper way to find stuff in here.

 

Oh and my costume: Hermit McHomebody with the lights off and a movie on. Same as last year!

Got curious and found this. https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/94916-best-bread-recipe/

[IrishHeart]

Got curious and found this. https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/94916-best-bread-recipe/

I looked for you too ABBY (great minds, K)

though, it's challah, not ciabatta.

 

here is G F Ciabatta recipe you could try

 

http://gfboulange.blogspot.com/2012/06/ratio-rally-more-bread-for-table.html

[ItchyAbby]

Thank you, kareng and IrishHeart! Off to the kitchen I go!

[love2travel]

I looked for you too ABBY (great minds, K)

though, it's challah, not ciabatta.

 

here is G F Ciabatta recipe you could try

 

http://gfboulange.blogspot.com/2012/06/ratio-rally-more-bread-for-table.html

My mistake. I had ciabatta on the brain but did indeed mean challah. Either one sounds delicious!! :-)

[IrishHeart]

My mistake. I had ciabatta on the brain but did indeed mean challah. Either one sounds delicious!! :-)

 

 Now I've got both ciabatta  and challah on the brain. Get down here, missy and whip some up for me? 

 

In the "old days". I thought there was nothing like french toast made with challah bread...yum.

[notme]

simona's recipes are DA BOMB :)  that challah dough is shapeable, too - one halloween i made a bread skeleton from it.  it was YUMMMZZ and i just laid it out on a tray for soup dippers.  the big loaf is great for french toast.  i might accidentally have to make some......

 

hubs is coming home for a few days, so i think i will make:

 

cod w/bruschetta

little roasted potatoes

spinach salad <maybe if my spinach is still good lolz

 

or i could make:

 

stuffed peppers <as i still have a whole bag of them on the back porch

tomato caprese salad

roasted garlic mushrooms

 

i don't know - he can decide.  but i know what i'm having for dessert............

[GF Lover]

I noticed one of the cup cakes disappeared over-night.  My son crawled out of his cave this morning and said "where did you get those cup cakes?  They are awesome"   I told him I made them and they were gluten-free.  He didn't believe me  He thought hubs had picked them up.  HA ..  There are only 3 left.  I hid them in the freezer.  GIT YER PAWS OFF MY CUP CAKES

 

We are taking my step-daughter out to dinner tonight.  I will be eating very light to save room for MY cup cake ... lol

[kareng]

Look at this yummy recipe!  It looks easy too.  But do step #2 first.  If you don't know what "butterfly" means - slice the turkey breast almost all the way thru and lay it out flat.  A Butcher at the meat counter would probably do it for you, too.

 

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Turkey-Breast-Creamed-Collard-Greens-Deena-Carte

[Adalaide]

Look at this yummy recipe!  It looks easy too.  But do step #2 first.  If you don't know what "butterfly" means - slice the turkey breast almost all the way thru and lay it out flat.  A Butcher at the meat counter would probably do it for you, too.

 

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Turkey-Breast-Creamed-Collard-Greens-Deena-Carte

 

If I could ever get my husband near a vegetable without him acting like he was going to die this would be the perfect solution to a two person Thanksgiving. There just are not a lot of good ways to cook just a breast without a turning into something horrid so we always end up with a whole stupid bird.

 

Last night we had egg nog french toast with the baguettes I made and some surprisingly safe for me sausage that is microwavable from Costco. It was delicious.

 

Tonight I'm trying something I've never really done before. The pinto beans weren't really a hit, but weren't really a miss either so I'm not swearing off beans entirely yet. So, I'm making chili. I don't actually want chili, I want chili mac. So I'm making chili so I can stir it into a box of mac & cheese. Assuming of course it doesn't suck. If it does, I have a backup plan. The only chili safe for me after 3 stores was Amy's black bean chili, if that doesn't suck we'll use that. If it does... we'll switch to the backup backup plan, mac & cheese and burgers and fries.

[IrishHeart]

Look at this yummy recipe!  It looks easy too.  But do step #2 first.  If you don't know what "butterfly" means - slice the turkey breast almost all the way thru and lay it out flat.  A Butcher at the meat counter would probably do it for you, too.

 

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Turkey-Breast-Creamed-Collard-Greens-Deena-Carte

 

My chef friend Babs taught me how to do this--de-bone a turkey then butterfly the breast. and roll it (crazy, considering my track record with pointy,sharp objects  ) and I found it to be a pain in the arse but do-able. However, her stuffed turkey breast recipe---very similar to this one except spinach was involved-is just outrageously delicious. This looks like a great idea!!

[GottaSki]

Happy 3rd Silly Birthday to Irish!

Was up long enough to make a "Better Than Sex Pumpkin Cake" for you....well you and son's birthday

[Adalaide]

Happy 3rd Silly Birthday to Irish!

Was up long enough to make a "Better Than Sex Pumpkin Cake" for you....well you and son's birthday

 

That would have to be one damn good cake!

 

And happy birthday, I totally didn't even realize because I just skim past signatures that I've already read. Look at that, both your birthdays are the same month.