5 things you have for dinner

[bluecuracao]

The stuff we cook ourselves for dinner usually are...

Lamb chops, sauteed swiss chard or asparagus
Penne with chicken sausage and tomato sauce
Grilled trout or salmon or mahi mahi, zucchini and yellow squash
Grilled burgers with Amish bacon, potato salad, salad greens
Beef, tomato, pepper and onion kabobs

If you like lamb chops, try reducing some red wine, your fave... I like a nice merlot, it gets dry and fruity when you reduce it, cool, marinate them in it for a few hours (more never does any good, the truth, sorry for you "marinated this for three days" folks).
It is best not to grill cold meat.
Then grill the chops, while adding the wine from time to time; add some blue cheese (your favorite) and fresh rosemary with garlic (smashed to bring out the oils) at the last few min on the top. Just enough to melt the cheese about half-way.
Thing I love about lamb, especially chops, is that it stands-up to REAL flavors.

This works really well with a nice spinach salad with some fruit, nuts and cucumbers, compliments the blue and the wine sauce that ends-up happening a bit on the meat, and some hard rolls. Personally, I would only put some virgin olive oil and a bit of balsamic on the side of the salad with some black pepper and garlic in it, no salt. If you wanted to add a bit of the balsamic to the wine after reduction if you know you are going to do this it would be a good idea. If you are going to add salt, only use kosher, the iodine of table salt would destroy this dish. Then again, once you use coarse kosher, you will throw away your table... I did years ago and have not had table salt in my home since.
For some reason I don't like potatoes with this dish.

Again, just me, but, if the spinach is nice, I would not put any dressing on it, suggest it for your guests, at least for the first bite.
Especially if you can get some good pecans, pine nuts or walnuts, grapefruit, or navels to go with it.... be sure to add just a touch of that fresh rosemary and a hint of mint to it, if you can find it. Why not try melon in there? A firm one, cut very small?
Black pepper, band the cukes, don't leave the skin on or skin them completely, and add them last, nice and cold.
Roll the spinach in a towel after you wash it and put the towel in the fridge in the towel, it will color it up and keep it from drying out. It also allows you to wash it early in the day. I would not add any cheese to the salad or salt to the meat dish in any way.

I want to cook...

BTW, if you make the salad without the meat and use the melon and the citrus, try to add some chili powder. To be sure, make it, put some in a bowl and try it... it is not for everyone.

[bluecuracao]

Those are some wonderful ideas, rk. I'll have to try them. I agree, coarse salt is definitely the way to go.

I don't see potatoes going with lamb, either. Weird, huh.

One thing, though--I like to pan sear my lamb chops while they're still a little frozen, that way they stay rare on the inside. I usually get the really small ones, so they turn out great.

I have some NM chile powder that I use on everything I can...I'll try it per your suggestion, sounds delicious.

If you get it hot enough, you don't need to use cold meat. It just is not safe.
If you use olive oil, a hot pan with room temp oil just before the meat hits and a splatter screen, you can do it. Olive oil forms a crust fast, seals the juices in FAST and gets em' HOT, good n' FAST... still nice and red. You will be fine.
The olive oil will also compliment the wine reduction.
Outside is good, on a grill or gas ring.
I would add the toppings as soon as you flip from the first side.... those drippings will be to die for.
Be hard not to make a gravy reduction for no reason than just to do it.... perhaps wilt some spinach in it then make a cream reduction for some flair for the plates?

Remember hot-wok-cold-oil-food-won't-stick (works with pans too... it is a mantra and is also about cooking fast)
If you are using cast iron, don't get it too hot for too long, just needs to be at temp when you add the oil then the meat when the oil gets to temp.

Olive oil makes AMAZING fries and fried onions... try it, you will not be unhappy.
Deep frying in olive oil is expensive, but ... damn! The cheap stuff works as well as the expensive for deep fry and... damn!

Double post, sorry

I wanna' cook.

Right now I want a lox, white wine and capers omelet with shaved onions and .... I can't talk about it....

I miss my neighbors coming over and asking if they can eat dinner with us because of the smell. It was a real ego boost.
Yes, that actually happened a few times during our travels. Sometimes when we camped. I liked to cook nice when we camped.

[DanaC]

From wiki

Black pudding or blood pudding is a sausage made by cooking blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. Blood sausage is a more recent North American term for the same as well as a useful term for similar blood-based solid foods around the world.

Pig or cattle blood is most often used; sheep and goat blood are used to a lesser extent. Blood from poultry, horses and other animals are used more rarely. Typical fillers include meat, fat, suet, bread, barley and oatmeal.

Black pudding is usually served as part of a traditional full breakfast in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The further addition of the similar white pudding is an important feature of the traditional Irish breakfast. Black pudding can be eaten uncooked but is often grilled or boiled in its skin.

The Lancashire town of Bury is noted for its black pudding, as is the west County Cork town of Clonakilty, which exports black pudding as a delicacy item.

[Yznhymr]

Originally Posted by DanaC

From wiki

I had black pudding in Manchester. I won't be going back for seconds.

[Uisge Beatha]

In reference to Griff's 'Breakfast Spaghetti' Yznhymr posted

Sorry if I duplicated this one...what is this? Sounds intriguing!

Griff gave a description here.

[DucksNuts]

Breakfast here is similar to Dana's.

This morning I had...
Takatala Sausages (made with meat, spicy fruit and vegies)
Bacon - dont crispy
Baked Beans
Grilled Tomato
Eggs
Wholemeal Toast

[Aliantha]

we had bacon egg and cheese muffins this morning.

often we have porridge. I make mine on milk with a bit of vanilla essence and some nutmeg. very yummy. sometimes I put fruit in it.

most often we have wheat bix which are good quick nutritious breaky. specially when they're served with some fresh fruit on top.

Oh, it is a cholesterol festival!
Not something we eat very often. It is also huge.
It is usually eaten at large family brunches, things like that.

I'll see if it is written down somewhere.
Basically it is lasagna with boiled eggs (sliced long ways, bout 1/4" thick, when I do it), Hollandaise, swiss cheese slices, bacon and lasagna noodles layered like you would regular lasagna.
I have not done it yet, but have wanted to add good sausage and/or blanched spinach or basil.
It looks nice garnished with fresh basil or, if you prefer, cilantro.
Bake it like you would regular lasagna.
You will crave it!
Make it the day before, and reheat in the oven just before serving, covered with foil, then uncover until the top is browned to your preference.

Don't take a large serving your first time, it swells and you will be SORRY.

[wolf]

Prepare? Crap. That means that I can't use Italian Takeout and Chinese Takeout for numbers one and two? I will anyway, because it's true. My ability to actually cook is very much limited by my work schedule, so I make a phone call at least three times a week.

Grape-Nuts and Honey Crusted Roast Chicken
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (seriously, sometimes nothing beats a great grilled cheese)
Omelet (I make the best Omelets on the Eastern Seaboard)

[DanaC]

Talking of lasagna type dishes (incidentally, rage that sounds fucking delicious and probably dangerously addictive) years ago, when I was a kid on many weird and wonderful diet regimes, my mum used to make pasta-free lasagna. She substituted cabbage leaves for the pasta sheets. Sounds dodgy but it was actually really tasty! Even though I am now able to eat pasta, I still sometimes have pasta-less lasagna.


@wolf, I totally agree: sometimes there is no food that quite hits the spot like a well made grilled cheese sarnie.

[Uisge Beatha]

Cheese! Oh, yeah. In all its forms cheese is glorious (for the palate, if not the heart). Macaroni and cheese is a personal favorite, and it's darned easy to make. (No, not out of a box.)

Dana, I had eggs, sausage, toast, and baked beans for breakfast yesterday. Thank you! I particularly enjoyed the flavor interplay between the beans and the egg yolk.

[DanaC]

*nods* that combination of egg yolk, baked beans and buttered toast is damn tasty.