So...whats for dinner?

Lacey12

So last evening we dined at Alma Nove the Wahlberg brothers' trendy restaurant in a south shore suburb of Boston. The setting is lovely,right on the harbor, tho the surrounding area is densely built up with multi layered new construction condos, etc....a bit much for my taste. I'm sure that eating on their outdoor patio next to the water in the summer time would be lovely. The dining room has an appealing curved design with most all of the tables situated next to the windows, and a partially separated bar along the non-windowed side. The visual experience is great but the auditory not so much. We screamed our way through the meal given the full restaurant with excessive noise bouncing off the walls. I imagine it would be much nicer (quieter) on a slow night....if there is ever one!

Our table decided to try/share the scallop appetizer that came with butternut squash puree, crispy spec ( my intro to spec), and creamy balsamic vinaigrette. It was tasty and tiny....melt in your mouth sea scallops. DH and I the shared a baby arugula salad with prosciutto, gorgonzola and port soaked figs. It was good....but since I make interesting salads at home (tho minus the port soaked figs), I wasn't so impressed....DH was the one who wanted it....he must like what he gets at home these days.

Our friends had the red and yellow beet salad which looked great.... but I have had roasted beet salad three times this past week, so was happy enough I passed on that. My entree was duck breast which was delightful....I probably would have enjoyed a lighter accompaniment than the risotto given that we were post Thanksgiving (!), but the port fig reduction was again very nice. DH was disappointed with his lobster ravioli entree, which included a little bit of lovster meat along side it. We passed on dessert since my friend wanted to have pie at their house, so we did that. I didn't feel deprived of an Alma Nove dessert after perusing their finale menu pretty standard items...and Liz's apple pie was delicious.

After two days of big league eating, I am happy to return to my veggie/fruit smoothie regimen today....and we'll have some leftover turkey meat creation tonight as we get ready to watch the ND/Southern Cal game.

Have a good Saturday evening everyone!

auntienance

Well unlike the rest of the states, I cooked my turkeys today. I did something new this year, I spatchcocked (butterflied) and dry brined them (them being two 13 pounders), then roasted them at 450 degrees. I have to say I think they're the best I've ever made and much less hassle then my usual wrestling with a large bird and wet brine. The meat was extremely flavorful and very moist. I'm sold. I'm sure everyone is tired of turkey talk so I apologize for being behind the times lol

deborye

I loved Vegas, I went there in 2008 and met up with 27 BCO sisters from the chat room.  Some of them took a trip to the Grand Canyon to go on the Glassbottom Sidewalk, I didn't go and would like to kick myself in the butt for not going.  They also saw the Hoover Damn.  Stupid me. But I still had a great time.

Turkey is almost gone, I am taking things off the walls and DD will help with the rest tomorrow.  Monday a painter is coming to paint the family room and ceiling.  I could not believe how dusty it was behine the hutches and pictures. YUK.

carolehalston

Auntie, a little more explanation of dry brine?  I'm guessing you cut out the backbone of the turkeys to butterfly them.  How long did you cook them at 450?  I'm still in search of a roasted turkey that tastes as good as a roasted chicken.

In previous years I bought a couple of small turkeys at Thanksgiving time and put them in the freezer, but not this year.  So far, my favorite turkey food is still the carcass soup, which is AGAIN what's for dinner tonight!

Lacie, enjoyed your restaurant description.  You didn't mention the bill!  LOL. 

I'm sitting here in the living room with dh, sipping my vodka martini and enjoying the little fireplace, blazing away.  It's like John Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn, where youth is eternal.  The gaslit logs are eternally flickering away and never become ash!  Oh, I know, you don't have the scent of wood burning, but you don't have bugs in the firewood or dirt on the carpet.  I've done it both ways & I love my gas fireplace. 

auntienance

Carole, in this case, the dry brine was nothing but kosher salt sprinkled over the bird like a fine snow fall, for 24 hours. You can wash it before roasting, but I didn't because I wanted a crisp and salty skin. It took less then 90 minutes, was perfectly seasoned and beautifully browned all over with the crispiest skin. It had a much more intensely "birdy" flavor. The bird is oiled before baking but no further basting is required. It's roasted on a rack over cut up aromatics in a half sheet pan, therefore 14 pounds is about the max size. I won't do one any other way now.

auntienance

Deb, love your avatar.

deborye

deborye

Garnished with herbs from my garden.  It was a hit.

Lacey12

Nance, that sounds like a great method to try...had thought about it when you first posted, then in my usual style got distracted with cooking other things.



Carole, gas flames sound just fine to me. We always heated our lake house with a wood stove, and it was a lot of work (and mess) to keep those pretty flames dancing...and keep ourselves from freezing. The check last night wasn't bad at all....and if our friend had not ordered a second bottle of wine, it would have been downright reasonable.



We are watching the football game in our currently mouse-scented family room. Yuk! Have not seen, smelled, or heard a mouse in this house for over thirty years. I'm realizing even more now how valuable our little deceased schnauzer was during her time with us...at least kept mice at bay, out of the house. Maybe I should borrow Bedo's cat to fetch another gift for her....all ready for cooking! LOL DH promises to do a thorough search in the AM ..but I bet he will not be as efficient as a cat.

bedo

I think that my computer is becoming unuseable.  I will try and buy a new one when I can afford it.  Blessings to all. My screen looks like there are zigzag lines in it and s hard to read and blinks a lot.  I will post again when I can and don't worry I think that my friends will help me find an inexpensive computer. 

chabba

Beautiful

eric95us

The current word is that we'll leave here tomorrow and be bused into New York City for flights home on Monday and Tuesday as seats are available.



I'll be glad to get home and get back to real food and my family.



As always, it takes some adjusting to get back into the regular job. Here, the results of my decisions and actions could be seen almost immediately. That is not the case at my regular job.



Eric

Lacey12

Hope all goes as planned and that you get a seat/flight home fast fast fast!

Safe trip! Enjoy the welcome home and maybe some belated turkey?

Moonflwr912

Sounds like a great meal.

I got a treat yesterday. My dh was home we went to Newport Shores, a restaurant on the Lakeshore. Yesterday was beautiful, and it was nice watching Lake Michigan. They had a seafood special, two small 2 oz lobster,, and two prawns. The prawns were as big as the lobster. so good. I use a lot of lemon and yes, I eat the drawn butter. But I had a small salad and just a baked potato, I use the rest of thethe lemon and butter on potato, then I dont use salt. All this foe $25 bucks. Not to expensive. I have had more lobster in the last tweleve months than I have had in the last ten years. I think my DH is making up for lost time...... LOL. Much love to all

Kaara

auntienance:  That sounds great...I would love to try it (probably not for a crowd the first time). Will the meat cutter take out the bone if you ask?  I don't think I could do that myself...would probably cut myself..LOL!  My DD wet brines her turkey and it's always good.  I guess the idea of roasting the turkey whole is no longer that important because almost no one displays it on the dinner table...at least we don't.  It's carved and served buffet style for our large family group.

auntienance

Kaara, I cut the backbone out myself with a good pair of kitchen shears that I bought just for the occasion. With that size bird, it was not terribly difficult. If you bought a fresh bird, your butcher may do it for you.



I wish I had taken a picture, because even though they weren't as prettily presented a Deb's bird, they were still very attractive with their golden crisp skins.

carolehalston

Auntienance, is the turkey meat salty?  I followed a recipe by America's Test Kitchen that called for dry brining a pork roast (actually a mixture of salt and brown sugar) for 24 hrs prior to roasting.  I brushed off all of the salt before cooking but the result was salty-tasting pork.  I stick to low sodium because of bp issues.

As Rosanna Dana famously said, "It's always something!"  My exercise walking on pavement has led to sore right heel, dx'ed as return of plantar fasciitis.  So back to stretches I should never have discontinued and other treatment.  This morning I was researching shoes recommended by the podiatrist, fitflops and Alegria.  The fitflops look like a suitable replacement for my Birkenstocks, which I wear around the house.  Barefoot is a BIG no no.

Happy Sunday to all.  I plan to take my mother to the contemporary church service and afterwards we will have some home-made burgers for lunch at her house. 

Safe travel to Eric.

carberry

Bedo  the good thing is that maybe you can get a good deal with some of the Christmas specials. You cant NOT have a computer we will miss you!

Deb   That bird looks lovely  too bad to have to carve it up.

Eric  So glad you are heading home, I bet your family really misses you.

Stayed home last night ..kinda snowing and blowing out.  Made turkey salad sandwiches and soup.  Gotta get some groceries today so we have something other than leftover turkey.

auntienance

Carole, the skin was but the meat was not salty. It was perfect. You can rinse the salt off and dry the bird before you cook it but I did not because I wanted to see how salty the skin would be. I doubt that rinsing would affect the meat though.



Glad you're headed home Eric!

eric95us

The current word may have been a lie... :-). We're still here.



Eric

bedo

Thanks Carrie, I turned it off and upside down for the night and voila!  I think water spilled on it.

Soups On!  Log is on fire!  Cat (not mouse killer cat) purring on lap.  Life is good in this moment.

Cheddar Cauliflower Soup

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cheddar_cauliflower_soup.html

From EatingWell:  January/February 2010

Start your meal off with a bowl of this satisfying, easy cheesy cauliflower soup.

8 servings, 1 cup each | Active Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced and rinsed
• 4 cups chopped cauliflower florets (from 1 medium head)
• 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk, divided
• 2 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white or black pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until very soft, about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, 2 cups milk, water, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is soft, about 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk and flour in a small bowl. When the cauliflower is soft, remove the bay leaf and stir in the milk mixture. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the soup has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Stir in cheese and lemon juice and serve.
3. eat

Hi Michelle in the sky!  You have probably landed by now, but I have an airplane joke for you.... A coyote walks onto a plane with a squashed racoon under his arm. "You can't bring that on here!" says the Flght Attendant

"But it's my carrion" says the Coyote.   

I thought it would go with the mouse, and turkey carcass theme.  Have a great trip!

apple

we make french onion soup quite often...wish I had a budget for brandy (i'd drink more than my share).

bedo

Brandy..... I wonder what soup I could make with brandy.  Beer is cheap and goes with soup...

Can you post your recipe for onion soup?  I don't have the traditional soup bowls for it but I'm sure it would still be good.

If not, good to see you.

susan_02143

So, bedo, since you are a vegetarian, you would want a Lyon onion soup which is made with water instead of beef stock. This is one of my favorite soups. You can do the melted cheese with some bread, but you don't have to gratinee. Instead, broil the cheese on the bread, and serve beside the soup.

http://ruhlman.com/2011/10/french-onion-soup-recipe/

Enjoy!

*susan*

gardengumby

Carole - I had plantar fascitis many years ago - it took a long time to recover, so be sure to wear the right shoes!!  I lived in Birkenstock, Danskos and Naots.  And, to be honest, I still wear that assortment primarily - though I've now added in Keens.  I don't think I would have been able to wear Keens when my foot was actually sore, though, as the arch isn't quite as high as it is with the others.  Sounds like you're well aware of the primary thing not to do, though - which is go barefoot (or even worse, just wear socks....).

eric95us

We are on the bus, heading to New York City. It will be nice to not have a police escort when showering.



We were at Nassau Community College, providing medical coverage at a 1000 bed shelter and at the same time we were also providing medical coverage for the evacuees from several skilled nursing homes.



There was a Norovirus cluster at the shelter. It is very hard to avoid, so we all went through lots of protective gear. It isn't fatal for healthy people, just VERY unpleasant for a few days. For the nursing home folks, it would have been bad. We've been told to avoid people for a few days.



I was the communications unit leader. Myself and three others took care of setting up and running the 2-way radio and computerized medical records systems. Because of all the isolation rooms opening and the building construction, it was quite a challenge to get the wireless stuff going, but we did it.



Eric

chabba

Eric, If you have to avoid people for a few days, will they let you come right home?  How do you avoid them on a plane?

apple

i make some mean pizza - a great simple crust - scrispy on the bottom thanks to the pizza pans, great pepperoni from the deli, i really is good, brown button mushroom, artichoke hearts, a little green pepper and onion.  it's actually super easy to make.

carberry

Apple  I am up for a simple crust....short of buying it premade from the store.

Eric  what is the status of getting those nursing home patients back into a home somewhere?  It makes me feel so helpless!

Laurie08

Apple- Make that two of us that would love a simple crust.  I never had success with Carols- I think I need to buy a pizza stone....

Eric-Stay safe and healthy!

We went to a friends for the night this weekend and all had a great time.  Last night was left overs and tonight is meatloaf.  I'm starving!!

Started doing home made ornaments with the boys today.  I am trying a few different ideas this year.  Today we did candy canes made with tri beads.  The kids loved doing them.  I have been going nuts googling ideas and have so many!!  We do them up to give away as presents from the boys to just about everyone.