EDIT EDIT: holy crap, I forgot to mention one thing in the sesame sauce recipe: SUGAR. like a couple teaspoons maybe in there of plain ol' sugar. it makes ALL the difference in the world.

sure :)

well, the dofu sauce i admit that i get from a packet or a jar, depending on what i can find at the asian store. ;) otherwise extra firm tofu cubed, ground pork, and peas: cook meat, add tofu and peas and sauce, stir gently to not break the tofu up, simmer a bit til it's done and soaked in some of that good flavor, i usually toss a lid on it.

the sesame noodles i use wu-mu dry chinese noodles, which are pretty much just wide linguine-style noodles. they cook nice and fast and have a good flavor for a basic noodle. regular linguine would also work. cook em til they're wiggly, then drain em and rinse repeatedly in cold water til they're.. cold.

the sauce is the important bit, and that i make from scratch: a couple tablespoons of soy sauce (i use a kikkoman low sodium then a splash of regular for a hint of extra salt, but whatever works), red pepper flakes, chopped garlic, ginger, and green onion, a tablespoon or so of rice vinegar, tablespoon or two of sesame oil, a splash of vegetable oil (helps it all stick a little better to the noodles), and a tablespoon or two of hot water. sometimes i cook the noodles in a little beef boullion and use that instead of just plain tap water. adjust to taste, of course - it took me a few tries to get it to how i like it. also, sesame seeds toasted or plain. put the cold noodles in a bowl (preferably with a lid) and add the sauce, shake that stuff up real good and put it in the fridge for a half a day or so to really chill out. a couple more options, too: shredded cabbage, which I forgot to add YET AGAIN today. Cashews, lightly crushed are *awesome*, and so is some boneless skinless chicken breast, marinated in basically the same sauce and pan fried, then stirred into the noodles. and doing it with cashews AND chicken? your face will melt. SO GOOD.

A little memmi sauce thrown in can't hurt either.

I thiiink that's it. summary: it sounds way more complicated than it is. a couple tablespoons of soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, red pepper flake, sugar, green onion, and vegetable oil. mix in pleasing proportions on 8-10 oz of cold noodles. done.

No, nothing canned. Leftover chicken pie. I did have shrimp, but I think it is past the edible deadline.

Right now I am trying to figure out what to make next without having to buy any supplies.

Hey thanks, SW. I will have to look for the dofu sauce next time I'm over at the Korean/pan-Asian market. I've made sesame noodles like yours before; I like your addition of veggies and meat. Makes it a complete meal. Have you ever added a bit of peanut butter to the sauce? That seems to expand the sesame flavor a bit.

Yeah the chicken really adds something to it, it's good. Never done peanuts added myself, but I've heard it's great. I can tell you that the unsalted cashews were awesomely awesometastic though, particularly with the chicken too. sometimes i kick in a little splash of sriracha in there just for an extra yum, too - ye gods i love that stuff. just a little in the sauce for an extra oomph. but man, don't forget the sugar in the sauce cause that makes it just a thousand times better, i totally forgot last time. it's still good but the little sweet helps round the whole thing. SO SO GOOD.

kebab meat chip and baked bean sarnie :yum:

I can see it coming full circle:
"Back when I was a kid we didn't have any fancy stickball bats made out of an old broomstick, we had to play stickball with our Wii..."

What the?

A pot of okra, eggplant, onion, maters,+1 can hot rotel and gulf shrimp. Shrimp from freezer.

It's What's For Dinner...

Gravdigr - really?
Can't say it appeals. I've had enough of the human variety (not enough actually, not recently) to think it's not really an eating piece of meat. In the literal meaning...

Okay - last night's dinner.
I'm going to put family photos in the Aylesbury thread (Quality Images)
These are our dinners.
As previously, this is the menu.

First two - Ste had 7oz fillet steak and I had 9oz rib-eye steak.
Both very moist and cooked as requested. Two thumbs up.

I like your dad's dinner choice. Happy Birthday, Sundae.

Mum had the Fish Cobb Salad. She drew the short straw, sadly, as the Fish Platter that four of us shared as a starter was pretty much the same as her main :(

There was a fair amount of smoked salmon left after the starter - it was a BIG portion - and I was up for asking for a doggie bag for the cats. Then E (my SIL) saw it and snaffled it. Fair enough, it meant it wasn't binned... but she also had my onion rings and Ste's mini-mushroom pie. And she's on a diet. See below.

Second pic is Maureen's Lemon Sole.

Dads had Open Chicken Pie.
Erika had the diet version of Peri Peri Chicken (potatoes not fries and salad) but as I meanly said above, she did have some other items. Well, it's not like I was starving myself after all!

That's my brother's meal.
And yes, it did look very nice.

Damn, now I'm hungry...

Oh, hell no! Just tripped over the pic, and thought I'd start something.:D

Dinner last night was a box of Stouffer's Stuffed Green Peppers out of the microwave. Totally cheating, but man I love those things so much.

Tomorrow, it's going to be the london broil that I start marinating later, on the grill, the way dad used to make it.

Tonight? Hell, I haven't even had breakfast. I have some chicken breasts I need to do something with. But every time I think of something, they just say they've got a headache and want to stay in. So I dunno. I've stir-fried chicken all week, want something different to do.

It's gonna be roast beef in about 10 minutes..... :yum:

Really? I thought that's how it's supposed to be cooked. The first time I made them, my mom taught me to peel them no one has to spit out anything when we eat the asparagus. I just assume that's how everyone cooks them.:p:

i've never had to spit out any bits when i cook asparagus. i just snap the bottoms off before i cook them to get the tough bit off. 99% of the time i then brush them in olive oil and salt and pepper then toss em on the grill (either outside or even just the foreman grill inside if i'm super lazy) and cook til they're tender.

I like the super skinny ones. I just cut or snap the ends off and toss them around in a hot pan with some sesame oil for a couple minutes, finish with a little soy sauce. I like them still crunchy. Steamed or grilled is fine too, just not boiled or nuked until mushy.

today i made my super special london broil top round, marinated for a day in my favorite SUPER SECRET MARINADE, then grilled to frickin perfection. Served with rice, barbecue baked beans, and cole slaw. SO GOOD.

I've not participated much here as my dinners usually not very "special" but tonight...
I had 2 dozen steamed clams which I dug myself as an appetizer.
Marinated pork chops on the grill with broccoli florets,
applesauce and 4 cheese mashed potatoes.
For dessert the two of us shared half a seedless YELLOW watermelon.

S_W and Classic, two great descriptions of holiday meals.

Tonight I made dinner and took NO pictures! Boooooo.
It was a qualified success.

Mum liked the Beetroot and Goats Cheese Tart - she had two helpings and is saving the leftover piece for lunch tomorrow. Dad ate it and declared it good, but the trick is getting things on his plate - he is always complimentary after that.

Given the amount of other ingredients and the cooking time I found it too beetrooty. I'd make a Red Onion and Goats Cheese Tart again without the beetroot.

The Onion Marmalade passed without comment, making it a FAIL in my book. I will bin the rest of it tomorrow. It was okay, but too sweet and cloying.

The Torte (choc sponge, Baileys Cream and raspberries) was the biggest success, in that Dad and I loved it. It was too tart for Mum though. She isn't a big raspberry fan, although I didn't remember that until afterwards. For me it was like a simple Black Forest Gateaux. And the balance of flavours was perfect. But given that I am trialling for a special menu for Mum it is another FAIL. Still, Dad and I had scrapings (where you know you can't justify another prtion but sneak a bit off the side or from the centre) and I know we'll both enjoy it again tomorrow :yum:

Back to the drawing board.
Going to try her with Sweet Potato and Cheshire Cheese Souffle later this week. Which I don't have high hopes for, given that she's not a big sweet potato fan!

Yesterday I did butterfly pork chops on the grill. Marinated them with prepared mustard and brown sugar. And added some cherry to the charcoal to give them a little smokey touch. Topped off with a batch of my homemade bbq sauce.

Mrs. Z. made her cheesy rice casserole and a salad.

tonight i think i'm just gonna snack. i found this combo pack of dry italian meats - salami, peppered salami, coppa, and prosciutto - at the local store for a surprisingly good price, and oh man, coppa and prosciutto particularly are my favorites. that, jicama sticks, and melba toasts. mm mm healthy.

mmm prosciutto

Oh god blurrrgghh last night I had more calories than I've had all week. I ate like 3/4 of a pepperoni and anchovy pizza. Salt, fat, protein, all the good things in life. And my inside completely hate me for it today. So, so good, though.

tonight: all things pickled! well, a lot of them are anyways.

the radishes and jicama are fresh, the cheeses are, well, aged but you know.

otherwise kimchee, two kinds of pickled cucumber, a bit of branston pickle, and a scrap of cinnamon-pear jelly.

and the kimchee jar exploded like a soda that's been shaken when i cracked it open. wheeeeeee. but ooh dipping the jicama in it is so worth it. when my mouth stops being on fire, i'll move on to the more delicate flavors of the cheeses.

a bit of a strange mix, but eh, i'm a strange dude.

you eat a pizza and worry about the salt, fat and protein? what about the carbs? they are the enemy in that meal (imho).

:)

-- joel.

I really want to make this Southwest Ranch Casserole that I have a recipe for but can't for the life of me figure out what "tomatillo sauce" is. I am thinking it might be salsa verde. It is in a Whole Foods cookbook, so I am thinking it might be a product there, but don't want to drive there.

If I don't make the drive, I will have BBQ chicken sandwich and salad

I think it IS salsa verde bbro. Yum that stuff is good.

If you make it sometime please post picks and the recipe.

Yesterday, I bought a gourmet vegetarian pizza with artichokes,spinach,zuchinni,roma tomatoes and cheese of course. Oh and with white sauce.

There is so much left over it's what's for dinner tonight too.

Strictly speaking, tomatillo sauce is to salsa verde as tomato sauce is to salsa. Which is to say, your salsa verde may be a little spicier and contain more ingredients than a straight-up plain tomatillo sauce, but it should work fine in your recipe.

who said i'm worried about them? :) Just acknowledging that they were there, and in some excess given how much I ate that day. But really, in general I find that it's not so much what I eat in terms of macronutrients so much as it is how much I take in overall in terms of calories. whether it's a block of lard or a pot of spaghetti, if the total caloric intake is below metabolic needs then weight gain just can't happen, i don't think. on the other hand when you go from eating just a little to a sudden large boost of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, that's when the body can do the "starvation mode" thing and try to save it for later. but if your intake goes back to being low, it'll go away again.

the truckload of salt is just the extra kick in the cahones to make you feel icky about it later when your mouth is dry and your blood pressure skyrockets. but man it tastes good.

For dinner, I made my very own sushi rolls and am very proud of myself! They are simple cone-shaped handrolls and don't even look all that great, but I've got to start somewhere.

They were supposed to be California rolls but the avocado was A) a weird, low-fat variety and B) incredibly underripe. So just imitation crab meat and cucumber in here.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/...d907790937.jpg

wow, not bad on the hand rolls there, looks good :)

also i can tell you that making regular rolls with the little bamboo mat thing isn't nearly as imposing as it may seem - if you have the hardware give it a whirl and wham, you'll be making rolls before you know it. i always found that the most PITA part of the process was just making the rice right. the wrapping isn't bad at all, and this from a guy who still can't do a christmas present that doesn't look like it was done by a baby monkey with stumps for hands.

Sky and Clod - Thanks for the information. I might try it and maybe blend it a bit just to get out the chunkiness. I am also contemplating using salsa I already have.

I will try to find my camera to post the pictures. I can't remember where I put it!

Lunch.

My first attempt at a chicken salad American-style.

Yummy.

Chicken
bacon
green apple
red apple
celery
fresh picked baby green beans
onion
chives from garden
parsely from garden
sage from garden
mayo
dash of black pepper
dash of powdered mustard.

:yum:

btw, the tomato and cucumber look nice, but don't really complement it imo.

Carbs aren't known (proven) to cause heart disease.
Every sucessful weight-loss programme I've been on has been high-carb.
When I'm eating healthily I am pretty much a vegetarian and get almost all of my protein from carbs (save a few dairy products).

Like anything else, complex carbohydrates are not the demon. Over-eating is the demon. I spit on the bogus claims of Atkins, which has encouraged people to stay away from high-fibre food.

PS - two nice dishes above, both spoiled by komkommer.

looks good MONSTER. In fact it looks a lot better than many a chicken salad I've made.

Chicken salad looks GOOOOOD. In fact, that is what I am having for dinner on a Martin's potato roll with a regular salad as a side. Well, mine isn't going to have as many ingredients. Just seasoned chicken, celery, onion, and pomegranate craisins.

Looks good... and I don't like chicken salad, no matter which country it's from.

No, like anything else, everyone's metabolism (and demons) are different. My mother has struggled with weight her entire life, and I have watched her eat like a bird since I was old enough to notice that sort of thing. Just a little over 2 months ago she took the plunge to cut out most carbs and specifically all gluten--and at the same time started allowing herself to eat as much as she wanted of what was left--and she has dropped 20 pounds already.

Lunch (Banana Lady is 65 today)!

Smoked salmon, seasoned potato wedges sauteed in olive oil with rosemary (from the garden) and garlic, salad with viniagarette dressing.

:yum:

(I added the cucumber deliberately to keep SG at bay :lol:)

.

HB BL!

we are all different and that is nice. i don't count calories. i just eat until i am full.

i don't restrict salt and my blood pressure is always wonderful.

i am 5' 10". about 165 pounds. 55 years under my belt - (pun intended).

my lipid panel is stunning. my hba1c is in the non-diabetic range despite my having an impaired carbohydrate mechanism.

the only way i can do this is with a little insulin and a restricted carb diet.

that is how it works for me...

:)

-- joel.

as i said. we are all different. i was slim and healthy for a long time on a low fat, high carb diet.

then, at age 45 or so, my lipids stated to blow out and my weight went up and my pancreas decided to go on strike.

now i am healthier than i have been for years. i have lost weight and kept it off for three years by simply restricting carbs to 30-50 grams per day.

the good thing about this is i can eat fat and protein and it makes me full and keeps me full. now i just keep eating until i am no longer hungry.

so, in my case, the only number i have to watch is the amount of carbs i eat.

:)

-- joel.

you're right, of course, we're all different to some degree or another in our metabolic requirements.

if your ability to process carbs is restricted, then eating just carbs isn't gonna be good for you. course you still won't get fat - you'll just die, which is a bit drastic for losing weight. still, physics and chemistry tell us that, overall, you can't get more energy out of a system than you put into it. to put it another, slightly more extreme way: that's how anorexia works. definitely not advocating eating disorders nor making light of them, but there comes a point where it doesn't matter what you eat if you're not meeting your over metabolic requirements. there's a line between "starvation" and "overfed" that can be met with varying difficulty and that is where, I think, the differences between individuals come into play more than anything.

That being said, woo, I dropped 7 lbs in two weeks, despite that pizza. At 6', I'm now 230 lbs. 200 is my goal.

also for dinner, to keep things relevant? I have no clue. I'm up for suggestions. Lunch was rice with imitation crab, soy sauce, sesame seed and spicy garlic chili sauce.

for dinner tonight i am making greek lamb. i have marinated the lamb for 24 hours in olive oil, oregano. paprika and garlic.

i have roasted that for an hour in foil at 180C.

it is resting now.

later on i will shave the meat off and fry it in olive oil to make it crispy.

we will have that with a huge green salad. the girls have tortillas to wrap the meat and salad i, i have some low carb wraps 3g per wrap for mine.

smells awfully good here at the moment.

:)

-- joel.

We are having southern fried bunny.

And your GPS coordinates are ?
We'll be right there.

meatloaf and au gratin 'taters.

For the boy - who will be home around one-ish after a long afternoon of scooping ice cream. :)

Chicken with Blackberry Bourbon Sauce

I found a bag of blackberries in the freezer when I went hunting for the chicken and decided it was time to make use of them. I also added a bit of blackberry jam to the bourbon to make a more saucy sauce. Served over exotic rices (brown, wild, red, and some other kind of hippie rice).

:) it was darn good. all gone now. of, course, i just realized my iphone gives me these coordinates.

bad luck eh?

:D:D:D

Southwest King Ranch Casserole was last night and today for lunch.

I ended up using Herdez salsa verde instead of tomatillo sauce and I think it worked just fine.

Here is a picture for Sky, but I don't have the recipe on me. You can find it on Amazon if you search for the Whole Foods cookbook then look inside. Search for King Ranch and there it is. It was supposed to be in an 8x8 pan, but I didn't think it would fit. I think next time, I am going to take all the ingredients except the salsa verde and make enchiladas with it. Or maybe try putting it in a loaf pan.

Southwest King Ranch Casserole? I wonder if they have a Northeast King Ranch Csserole, for the King Ranch holdings here in PA? :haha:

It would probably have pierogies and kielbasa somewhere in it. If you want to get more northeast, maybe crab instead of chicken :D


Now I want Pierogie lasagna!

OMG such a thing exists? I think I just had premature foodjaculation. :blush:

Yes. Yes it does :drool:

http://crepesofwrath.net/2008/12/09/pierogi-lasagna/