So...whats for dinner?

eric95us

I got a vacuum sealer for Christmas as well. :-)

It was kind of a muted Christmas....everyone had a cold and wasn't feeling great. We're thinking about trying this on another day.

One of my friends like the sous vide "system". She's an accomplished chef and uses it a lot.

ChiSandy

Brunch today and "Dunch" tonight was whatever leftovers remained in the fridge (one chicken salsa verde tamale, half my eggplant parm, linguine, shrimp bucatini--minus the shrimp--broccoli rabe and 1/4 of a pork chop. No partridge, no pear tree). Last night our friends made roast beef (au jus, plus horseradish cream), Brussels sprouts, mashed Yukon gold spuds, cranberry sauce & dressing (which they usually make for turkey or goose), yeast rolls, "green slime" (family gelatin/fruit/nut/Cool-Whip "mousse" salad recipe, which tastes better than it sounds)--only this time it was "orange slime" because the grocery was out of lime Jello. One guest brought a red velvet cake, but our hostess made a really good pumpkin pie. Had a big mug of mocha latte plus a little piece of baklava.

illimae

Not the best pizza but the chicken and mojo potatoes were pretty good and it was just fun to be back here

SpecialK

illimae - the Shakey's we went to after high school football games still stands in the same location. This is before your time, but I worked after school in the same shopping center at a store selling Dittos jeans. #throwback

ChiSandy

Having grown up in NYC and then transplanted to Seattle in the early '70s, Shakey's basically gave me the shakes. I darn near fainted when I saw them trimming the crust flush with the pan edge, so there'd be no "collar" around the edge. Sauce & cheese definitely tasted non-Italian. Then there were the bad banjo bands (yeah, I know--redundant). Pizza Haven was even worse--its claim to fame (at least locally) was cheddar/hamburger and ham/pineapple pizzas. ('Scuse me while I go hurl...........okay, better now).

I know pizza is an intensely personal preference--I am horrified by St. Louis style, with a thin cracker crust, liquid smoke in the sauce, and "Provel" pseudo-cheese-food instead of mozzarella. (Provel is to Italian cheeses as Velveeta is to real sharp cheddar).Most NY-ers consider deep dish to be a casserole in a bread bowl. Native Chicagoans think NY-style cheats them out of toppings because of that "collar" that keeps sauce & toppings from covering the entire pie; and they can't imagine folding s slice lengthwise. I'm repelled by South Side "party-cut" style (hacked up into those little squares, there's no reliable way to calculate calories or carbs--all the guides measure equal-size wedge-slices of a given diameter pie.

carolehalston

I love the "cracker" crust that is finally making its way into popularity as "thin crust." I would prefer no red sauce at all, instead olive oil, but a small layer of red sauce is ok. During the last year I have enjoyed pizza from Pizza Hut (pickup place a short distance away) and Domino's (also several minutes away). We have decided that delivery is too pricey since a delivery price is tacked on and then you feel obliged to give the driver a tip. A medium pizza can end up costing $30. So we go and pick up the pizza, which takes 10 minutes at most. With all this said, pizza is a rare treat. We don't eat it often.

Dh and I usually get Italian sausage, black olives, and extra cheese. I sprinkle lots of cracked red pepper. I would prefer a veggie pizza with artichoke hearts, spinach, tomatoes, fresh mushrooms and cheese. I have eaten pizza with pineapple as a topping but would never order that.

All this chatter about pizza is making me want pizza!

I do not own a vacuum sealer and have resisted buying one. I don't have a handy spot to store it. I freeze portioned meat in zip locks and find that method satisfactory. On the whole I buy and freeze less meat than I once did.

Isn't it interesting that sous vide has gone mainstream so quickly? I had never heard of it when Susan got hers a few years ago.

auntienance

Unfortunately, in my little town if we want carryout pizza it has to be pizza hut. Other places have pizza, but the crusts are pre made and bad.

St. Louis style pizza is definitely an acquired taste. It wasn't mine when I first came here but I've come to like it the way I enjoy a bologna sandwich. Very occasionally. Provel (a processed cheese mixture of cheddar, Swiss and provolone) is something I like only in small amounts. When we get St. Louis style pizza, we order it with half mozzarella blended with half provolone. Fortunately, St. Louis has greatly expanded its pizza offerings far beyond St. Louis style. DH got a gift card from Dewey's for Christmas, whose pizzas I truly love. (They are a small chain out of Ohio I believe and are primarily in Ohio, Missouri and a few in Kentucky. Although there is one in the Illinois town where dad's nursing home is). Carole, they have a "white" sauce that is primarily garlic and olive oil that I bet you would like. It's my fave.

Anyway, most of the pizza we eat is homemade. And the more I talk about this, the more I think I should go start a crust for an overnight rise. I have all our favorite toppings - Italian sausage, mushrooms (me), Canadian bacon and green pepper (DH), scamorza cheese from the Hill and some homemade sauce.

illimae

Personally, I love NY pizza, particularly White pizza, sadly I can’t get it in Texas. There is a local place called Brothers that do NY very well, it’s family owned and they still have their NY accents. When I have some extra time, I make a chicken Alfredo myself with a simple pizza dough recipe and topped with alfredo, spinach, red onion, mozzarella and grilled chicken on a thin crust.

illimae

Food porn warning! Today I popped in to a Pat and Oscars for a bag of my hands down favorite breadsticks. They were just as I remembered, hot, soft n fluffy, swept with a garlic butter sauce and lightly salted. It’s like getting very fresh baked French bread, so soft that the inside pulls out like cotton candy but way better. The pic doesn’t show it well but these babies are glistening!

MinusTwo

illimae - Try Fuzzy's on Antoine just a block south of I-10. They have NY and Chicago Pizza, a couple of 'white' pizzas, & olive oil w/no sauce. Yes there are other Fuzzys but they're not quite the same - apparently a feud in the family at one time.

https://www.originalfuzzyspizza.com/specialty-pizz...

carolehalston

The turkey soup is made except for the egg noodles.

Pizza is probably one of the most popular foods in the US along with hamburgers. The selection of frozen pizzas in supermarkets takes up a lot of refrigerator space.

Cherry-sw

Oh, a pizza discussion, I love those. Ham and pineapple topping is called Hawaii in Sweden and it is one of the most popular pizzas in Swedish country side. My former manager had no other pizza than Hawaii. Seriously the company I work for has an office in Northern Italy, so many times he was there and was not able to enjoy a pizza. Now he had relocated abroad and I guess he has to travel to Sweden for a pizza)))

We have thin-crust pizzas here, Pizza Hut is the only place that serves thick crust pizzas, not my thing at all. The best pizza I had was in Pesaro, Italy. There was this restaurant that had the crust that just had the perfect balance between saltness of the dough and sweetness of the sauce. Another one my mom and I had in Rome, so called pizza al taglio, usually sold in lunch restaurants. We had a slice each of what was white pizza with cherry tomatoes cut in quarters and chili flakes on top of it, nothing more. It was hot and so delicious. I left my Rome city guide book at this restaurant and when I came back they sent me to elderly lady at the counter. I explained in English that I left a book and she nodded, si, si, pulled it from the counter, put it in front of me and said to me with reassurance: Inglese. I looked at the book title "Första klass pocketguide med extra utvikskarta över Rom med omnejd" and just thought ... how? Ans answered to her: No, Swedese. It was funny. The worst pizza I too had in Rom, at a restaurant at Piazza Navona, we wanted to see the fountains and reliazed that these places serve no quality food at all because they know people will pay anyway. It was not even a pre-made crust, I wonder if it was tortilla or some kind of soft bread they used.

Interesting that pizza in Sweden had no mozzarella on it until probably mid-90-is, it was usual shredded cheese and I liked it a lot. When mozzarella started to take over I did not like it first, it felt like rubber. I wanted this greasy, oily mess hard cheese would turn to when melted. Now I cannot imagine a pizza without mozzarella. We have Vapiano in Sweden, I like their pizzas, very rustique. I also want to go to Napoli, never been there, have to taste the pizza. Otherwise, I usually buy a sheet of pizza dough with marinara sauce and do my own at home. Sauteed spinage with Italian sausages became my new favorite after I tasted it on vacation in DR, otherwise it has always been Quatro Stagioni or Marinara, which in Sweden is a name for a sea food pizza. NY style pizza reminds me of Swedish and Italian pizza. Pizza Hut, nope, I can eat it but why would I want to Cherry.

ChiSandy

Yeah, I had some pretty awful pizza in Rome at tourist-trap restaurants (that one near the Trevi fountain, because we didn't know there could be bad Italian food in Italy; and one across from the Vatican where we waited for our tour guide--probably reheated frozen). But I wanted to try the pizza al taglio--we saw it all over the city, and Anthony Bourdain sang the praises of one place named Bonci that gives every slice different toppings, some rather unusual. Lo & behold, what should open here a block from "Restaurant Row?" The only other branch of Bonci! Unlike the one in Rome, it's strictly take-away, without even rudimentary seating. (Parking or an Uber could cost more than the pizza in that trendy neighborhood)!

I ordered out tonight from Veranda (formerly a take-out-window called Apart Pizza, but now moved into bigger quarters with seating and a server). The owners are from Naples. The pizza isn't bad--it's wet-in-the-middle thin crust that requires a knife & fork rather than being hand-held & foldable. But the "collar" around the outside is flat, hard & skimpy, and not very flavorful. Desserts are wildly overpriced ($9 for a small wedge of chocolate mousse torte I had planned to divide till I saw it). Ordered a cheese pizza with Italian sausage & mushrooms, and they didn't skimp on the toppings. About to tuck into the salad--had the pizza first before it could cool off. Sadly, none of the outstanding charcoal-fired or brick-oven places deliver because their pies don't travel well. So for takeout I think I'll go back to using Jimmy's NY Pizza Cafe.

CeliaC

DH and I make "personal" pizzas using naan bread. It's nice and thin, crisps up well. We load it up with whatever we want/have on hand - chopped fresh tomatoes & shrooms to start with. Pesto as a "base" is my favorite. Cherry - Never had Hawaiian until lived in London - Good stuff - We like it made with Canadian bacon. Hands down, best pizza was in Italy. Also, have had some great ones in Florida, CT - around Greenwich, NYC, San Francisco and of course, Chicago. Not as big a fan of Chicago style as I am a thin crust lover - but great pizza.

ChiSandy

I'm not a huge fan of Chicago deep-dish (regular or "stuffed"). Too heavy, and the sauce is way too sweet.

IMHO, cheddar has no place on a pizza, nor in a quiche. What can I say, for some things I'm a "traddie," However, in grilled cheese, atop a burger or in mac & cheese? Or a chunk of extra-sharp with a full-bodied, even tannic, red wine? Now we're talking...

Cherry-sw

CeliaC, Hawaii is quite good, I agree, but nowadays there are so many new toppings that made their way into the menu. Some of them being pure Italian, or at least perceived to be Italian, like pizzas topped with prosciutto crudo and ruccola after they take it from the oven, or some topping that reflect domestic preferences like smaller pieces file mignon with chèvre and sun-dried tomatoes that comes with Choron sauce. Still some prefer to have the same topic they first tasted as children and after that there is no room for any variation. My youngest likes tomato sauce and mozzarella, the cheapest on the menu))

I had to google Chicago-style pizza, and it looks like quiche but with tomatoe sauce, well I am sure it is good but I would never call it a pizza if I did not know, now I do. When I will go to Chicago, because one beautiful day I hope I will, to try this pizza will be on my list. Very funny, my former manager who is fond of Hawaian pizza actually took his family for a trip to Chicago a couple of years ago. He never mentioned the pizza, maybe it was too traumatic for him)

I did buy a pizza cook book the last time I was in Rome, I love Rome, it is my favorite of all European cities, so I am trying to go there as often as I can. The cook book is shaped as a pizza, I know, I know, a tourist trap and I bought it at Colloseo, but still it was not a crapy souvenir, it was a book (!) and it has interesting toppings. The dough recipe, even though there are both one for a thin and a thick crusts, turned out to be bland, so now I am using more salt in it. There is no recipe for the tomato sauce but half of recipies do not require it. But the variety of toppings is so incorriging claiming all of them being Italian. Like the one with onion, apple and walnuts, or Sardinian pizza with potatoes and anchovy, or Calabrian pizza with eggs, boiled (!), ricotta and sausages. I remember I promised myself to try every topping in this cook book when I bought it, so far I only did the one with eggplants. This talk has inspired me for a pizza tonight, I think I have yeast at my fridgeand I will send my eldest for mozzarella)))) I think I will try this Sardinian with anchovy) Cherry

Cherry-sw

KB870, I never tried to make it either gluten or lactose free, we do not have so many friends who are allergic, but last New Year I baked this cake and forgot to add the flour, I realized it when I took from the oven, it got all flat. I baked a new one in the morning but our guests insisted on trying both because they did not believe that 125 g flour could make such difference. But it did) Editing: light Philadelphia does not work either but salty butter does, it will be saltier but still good, at least with our normal salty butter.

No pizza for tonight, everybody except for me will be dining out, but I will make it tomorrow. I did a veggie soup out of my turkey carcass and now I have no excuse not to work anymore, my mailbox is bursting.

We did not buy any Panettone cake this year, just forgot about it but yesterday I went to the store and they had half price off on all Christmas pastry. So I bought two Panettones and a Stollen. When I say two, it is as tiny as it can get).

ChiSandy

Chicago deep-dish pizza resembles quiche in shape only (and in that both are eaten with knife & fork). Quiche has a tender, flaky pie crust; deep-dish pizza has a heavier yeast-dough crust like regular pizza--only all the way up to the rim of the pan and thicker. Quiche is made in a tart or regular pie pan (plain or fluted); deep-dish in a round layer cake pan, only heavier-gauge and black (or blackened from years of use). The cheese in quiche is a delicate custard, whether or not it has bacon or vegetables; the cheese in deep-dish is straight mozzarella (dried--like provolone or Emmental, not fresh like mozzarella di bufala), with no cream or eggs added--and it gets gooey, very gooey when melted. And of course, deep-dish always, always has tomato sauce or crushed canned tomatoes (with a much sweeter sauce than thin-crust). Order a deep-dish "bianco" and you will be asked why you're bothering to order deep-dish in the first place.Sometimes, it's "stuffed" with added veggies, sausage or mushrooms and then topped with another crust (which itself gets topped with cheese & sauce). When I first moved here, I was fascinated by it and ordered it all the time, but as I've matured I am less tolerant of wretched excess and prefer my pizza to be NY, Roman or Neapolitan style (occasionally, pillowy Sicilian with much sparer toppings--here it's called "tomato bread" and has little-to-no-cheese--atop a focaccia-like base, only thicker. It's much more common, and more generously topped, back East).

Oh, and in my Peapod grocery delivery order tomorrow will be a panettone, deeply discounted. (It makes even better French toast than do challah or brioche).

Cherry-sw

ChiSandy, I would definitly like to try Chicago-style pizza, well, next time in Chicago.. )) I had to google Sicilian style pizza and I think Sicilian pizza is its own thing in the US. I also had to go back to our Sicilian vacation pictures to see how the pizza looked. They served al taglio style in our hotel but they served so much more other good foods that I did not care for the pizza, but one day we drove to Palermo, and while there I remember ordering pizza for the youngest, I remember there was a picture of me taking the picture. This pizza looked just as a pizza you get in Rome, the crust looked a little darker and kind of rustique and bubbly around the edges but it was thin and had normal amount of topping. It did not look like a puffy tomatoe bread you described and I saw on internet. But I am sure they have different styles there. I ate pasta alla Norma as much as I could there, my favorite pasta of all time, I have to put it on the list to do it in January, for some reason we eat a lot of pasta in January because we miss it and it is so cosy and confy. But in Sicilia, these eggplants a size of cantaloupes.. and they just make it everywhere. We went on a boat trip towards Panarea and Stromboli and they told us dinner will be included and I thought they would take us to the restaurant on some of those Islands but they said, nope, they will cook for you on the boat. We arrived I saw the boat and just thought, how? Along the aile there were wooden boxes with these gigantic purple eggplants I swear I could eat them raw. On our way back home two people from the crew went to this tiny cambooz and cooked pasta alla Norma like for a hundred people! It was delicious and there was a lot of it, you could just go back to them and get another ladle of sauce direct into your plate. One of our best vacations. I have to put on the list to go there again)))) Enjoy your Panettone, I think I ate one third of my Stollen today, I wanted to go to the store and buy some more but then I told myself that this half kilo Stollen will turn into 5 kg extra weight on me, I do not know why and how but my body methabolism seems to work like that Cherry

carolehalston

ATK did an entire show on Chicago pizza. They studied the crust and tried to copy it. As I recall there is butter in the crust and a lot of folding and rolling in the process. Interesting story. Soldiers from WWII ate pizza in Italy (I believe this is accurate) and had a taste for it when they came home to Chicago. What's the famous pizza maker in Chicago, Sandy? Uno?

Another part of the original Chicago pizza making technique is putting the cheese next to the crust and then the sauce on top to keep the crust from getting soggy. That's what I don't like about regular crust, sogginess. When I first tasted thin crust, I was in love with it.

My own home-made pizza does not have a lot of wet toppings to "soggy" the crust. Lots of melted cheese is another thing. Yum.

Tonight is seared catfish fillets, either broccoli or cauliflower and romaine salad. I had planned to cook that meal last night but took the easy route and warmed up the turkey veggie noodle soup, which tasted much better the second round of eating it.

DH bought a package of dried black-eyed peas and a big cabbage yesterday for the traditional New Year's Day southern meal.

DodgersGirl

ok....this is not a post about dinner but it is a post about beverages so hope it's allowed. If not, just tell me and I will delete the post

For Christmas I received an Ember mug. It's a techie mug to keep your beverage warm. I LOVE this thing. It has special componentry that senses the temp of the liquid throughout the mug and heats as necessary to keep the beverage at your favorite temperature. Oh and it's Bluetooth so I can pair it to my iPhone or iWatch. From the app, I can adjust the temperature, as desired or set it to a favorite. So today while working at my desk, each swallow of my holiday tea is a perfect 130 degrees--- from the first swallow to the last drop in the mug.

It is COLD outside so sipping a perfectly warm mug of tea is delightful.

These mugs are available from Starbucks and Target or directly from the company. They are proud of their mugs (aka they are pricey) but since it was a gift from DH, I am enjoying the indulgence and wanted to share should someone else find happiness with each swallow of a hot beverage.

SpecialK

dodgersgirl - omg - I need this...thanks for posting!

auntienance

Interesting mug DG. Is it heavy or bulky? I use a stainless yeti knockoff from Wal-Mart for cold beverages - keeps ice for 24 hours. For coffee I use a Nissan stainless mug that keeps it hot for 6 hours, but no temperature control. The yeti knockoff keeps hot beverages too but would require a different lid. The Nissan has an attached spring hinged lid that locks. No leaks.

Today the food saver arrived so I have been playing with that. Fun! I'll be making great use of it. Right now I'm sous videing (sp?) some chicken pieces that I'll chill then bread and fry for dinner. I'm anxious to see how that works out. Sides will be some steamed asparagus and a baked potato - white for dh, sweet for me.

The pizza turned out perfect. Really like the overnight rise for the crust. I'm not a fan of deep dish. Not even my own.

I'm done with winter already. We are part of the nation wide deep freeze and like so many others are in for much more. I'm thankful we only have a couple of inches of snow on the ground but that's more than I want. I desperately need to get out of the house and we are invited places tomorrow and Sunday, but the below zero temps predicted are not making it an attractive prospect.

DodgersGirl

auntienance-- Ember has a 12 ounce mug (which is what I am using) and a travel mug.

My mug looks like a sleek coffee cup with a curved lower part of the mug. I can get 3 fingers in the handle. Empty it feels a bit hefty (assuming that isfrom the Magic inside). Didn't really notice the heft while drinking from it.

MinusTwo

Dodgers Girl - of course beverages are allowed. Sometimes more important than food. Thanks for posting.

I've been using Tervis glasses for some time. They are double wall and keep drinks cold. My biggest problem with our heat in Houston is finding something that won't sweat & ruin the table or wherever you set it down. Nance - does your Yeti knockoff sweat?

DodgersGirl

Minus Two- for cold drinks I use Primula Avalanche 20 oz tumblers. They keep ice for over 24 hours inside my home. They do not sweat. You can use fir soda ( not all tumblers say it's ok to use soda) and it holds 20 oz.

The lid is like a hot coffee cup lid with a small piece that lifts up so you can drink directly from the tumbler or you can use a straw.

It is NOT dishwasher safe as the secret to keeping drinks hit or cold is in the vacuum sealed edges.

carolehalston

I love the idea of a hot beverage that stays at just the right temperature. I have a Yeti that is great for ice water in the car. It doesn't sweat. Oddly, I don't like it for hot beverages. The taste of coffee isn't good in the Yeti and I don't know why. I use an insulated cup that was given to me. It's a company freebie. I use it just as a "go" cup for the car. The coffee stays hot long enough for me to drink it. Right now I'm sipping raspberry tea in a lovely hand-made pottery cup.

This afternoon I cooked a lb. of Great Northern beans and sautéed onions, garlic and chunks of chicken breast and andouille sausage seasoned with cumin, oregano and chili powder. Then I put them together in preparation for tomorrow night's dinner of white chili. Some of the recipes call for canned chilis. I was debating adding Rotel tomatoes, which include chilis.

Tonight's dinner is prepped. Catfish fillets seasoned and broccoli in the double boiler ready to be steamed.

The vacuum sealing of foods for freezing is supposed to be much better than freezing in ziplocks

Cherry-sw

carolehalston, I do not like soggy crust either, so lots of cheese and the topping on top of it is how we are doing it here, everywhere in Sweden actually. What is traditional southern New Year meal?

I did found Sicilian pizza in my book while baking today and it looked like rustique pizza but I could not see any topping and I have TP ho back and read through the recipe. I baked five pizzas today, I am on my good half of the EC cycle so I am feeling much better now and I even draw my eyebrows when I went grocery shopping today. In a hat with eyebrows I look almost normal. Sardinian pizza with potato and anchovy, well, I could eat those without any pizza crust, so I was not impressed, but white pizza with porcini that I picked myself this fall and kept in the freezer, that was amazing! I have a lot of porcini, I will be doing a lot of pizza. And I did whole grain dough, mostly because I run out of flour but it turned out very well, I had one third whole grain and the rest the regular flour. Cherry

eric95us

DodgersGirl. I'd be disappointed if you deleted that post. :-)

Sharon and I are almost completely over our colds and MIL is slowly starting to feel better. Sharon cooked eggplant parmigiana for tonight.

I had already packed the turkey before I had opened the vacuum sealer. I do still have one extra turkey in the freezer. I may cook that one soon and vacuum the turkey slices.

Cherry-sw

DodgerGirl, Bluetooth, pairs with iPhone and iWatch?! Omg! Get out!)))) What is next?! Really, I love America, you have no idea, we do not even heard of those stuff here and I should now because I am, well, until I started chemo, responsible for the agreement for give-aways and promotional items, our supplier never mentioned those to us, now I have to ask them. My question is why does it look like a regular pottery mug?))) I am kidding, it sounds awesome. I myself drink either from pottery mugs or china cups. I got one from my youngest for Christmas, it is cobolt blue))) Cherry.