So...whats for dinner?

Isabelle   Love the pics of your tomatos....you have an artists eye.  also like the sound s of that recipe, I have copied it down. Have a great time dancing the night away.

Apple  I dont think they can use this thread in a court of law...lol...funny post and a great technique.

I had so many delicious food samples yesterday, from chefs and restaurants all around the area.  Most recipes had some type of wine in them.  Had a fondue with yummy cheeses and wine, an apple crisp with caramel and chocolate paired with a merlot and a merlot cherry ice cream (to die for) 8 dollars for a pint and a pint is only enough for me. ha ha  It was fun to speak with the chefs and got lots of coupons for their restaurants.  Had a guy kinda gravitate to me for some reason...kept speaking italian (Which I do not understand)  something about my eyes.. and gave me a tutorial on how to smoke a cigar!!  Got two free cigars that I will give to any male friends that want them.  Fun day.

Today I have a scalloped corn casserole all cooked and a steak defrosting, so dinner will be partially ready at the end of the day when we come home from doing whatever we are doing.

I've actually considered using a bone saw to cut the squashes.  My mom has one. It's from the hospital where she worked but according to her, it was unboxed at home.  Since she really doesn't cook any more, she's been asking if I want any of her (and her grandmother's) cooking stuff. 

A lot of memories are there.  Before kindergarten I would listen to the grown up talk and watch her and her mom cook together in the kitchen.  Sometimes they'd let me get in the way...ahh..I mean help.  Maybe that's what planted the seed in my mind that cooking can offer some nice quiet "together time" with a loved one.

 I finaly got around to getting the sourdough going.  It's proofing right now....  Since I'm in the baking mood and I have the corn flour (as oppposed to corn meal) I may try some corn bread.  Sharon doesn't particularly like it (she likes what I call corn cake..lots of sugar) but Chrissy and my mom will devour the "real" corn bread.

Adding some more. 

Susan, I saw the the bread pictures. If I knew where you lived...you'd have to put the bread farther from the window....so that it's out of reach from the outside! :-)  Also, I like how the knives and such are set up.  I'm going to look into doing something like that here.

Very true, I'll have to ask my mom more about that saw! :-)



The sourdough is making it's first post proof rise. The temperature outside is just perfect for bread...about 90F. The dogs keep looking at the bowl and sniffing at it. It's just out of their reach, but close enough that the birds don't risk the dogs' jaws.

The bone saw and the meat grinder might be useful if one of Chrissy's future boyfriends doesn't take the hint offered by the firearms display! :-)



She's reading this.. "DAD!!!!!!!!".



No, if they treat her well, it's OK. Daughters are supposed to put their dads through that.



The sourdough is on its 2nd rise, and I'm just about done putting on new hose bibs (faucets for the garden hoses). The old ones were leaking and new washers didn't fit things.

Eric - your story makes me think of this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PQYSZaGSP0

DH loves sourdough bread, I don't care for it.

Call for takeout to be delivered, asked for steak & cheese sub with mushrooms, onions & peppers.  Got Steak & Cheese with Mushrooms, Onions and PICKLES, WTH!!!!

Tell you the truth, I ate it and it tasted pretty good with the pickles. LOL 

I freeze my roasted tomatoes so I can taste summer in the middle of the winter. Nothing like making a soup or pasta sauce during the first snow storm from my own garden tomatoes.

I throw them into a freezer ziplock and freeze them lying flat on a sheet pan so I can stand them up in the freezer like a bookcase.

*susan* 

Definitely freeze the roasted tomatoes. They are so good on sandwiches during the winter when good tomatoes are nowhere to be found.

Lucky you Lacey, on that tomato bounty!  I roast mine at 325 just brushed with olive oil and kosher salt.  I also bake them on a rack until they look sort of dry on top but still hold their shape (takes hours).  I wish I'd had enough to roast this year, but the drought here really took it's toll on the tomatoes.  I had a fair number but they were very small and thick skinned.  Roasted, they are absolutely wonderful, not only on sandwiches, but in salads or on pizza too.  Maybe next year!

That's pretty close to it Michelle.    

I'm laughing. It's almost time to plant tomatoes here for the fall/winter season. I usually plant yellow pear tomatoes as I can save the seeds and they produce fruit fairly quickly. 

This year I'm going to try them in a huge pot that I can move inside if it's going to freeze at night.  Unfortunately we go from too hot to too cold too quickly to (!) get decent tomatoes.  We also have the similar problem going from winter/spring to summer.  We have 6 months of growing time, but it's two 3 month seasons...

The sourdough is done and wrapped in aluminum foil.  I skipped the salt like I did when my dad was alive and on a severely sodium restricted diet...  I *think* it makes loaf a bit more dense..but I'm not sure.

Eric

my tomatoes were a bust this year.  and dang, we won't be having any croutons for dinner.. just burnt them to a crisp doing laundry at the same time.

Lacey  Marthas vineyard is on my bucket list....enjoy!

Decided on veal parmesan for tonight to use up the remainder of my homemade sauce.  Also bought that spaghetti squash to go along with it.  the checkout lady said that those squashes were flying outta the store...must be everyone has the bug to make squash.  The price of veal was outta sight...so this will be my husbands "treat" to hold him over for awhile.

Nancy - I'll take that "pedestrian" dinner any night.  And I'm glad you enjoyed the salt potatoes.  I haven't had them in years.  By the way, leftovers make fabulous home fries for breakfast.

 We had pizza - I picked up DH from the airport and he's dead tired.  His allergies were totally aggravated in Kansas City, so he's really suffering.  He'll probably nod off any minute now!

 Carrie - isn't veal always outta sight?  I suspect we haven't seen anything yet.  Next summer's prices will probably be sky-high.

I'm going to try this recipe.
Suggestions would be appreciated!

Ingredients:
olive oil
1 small onion, chopped in half then into thin slices
1 x 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, drained of most of its juice (I used Nicola San Marzano plum tomatoes, which smelled amazing)
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp allspice
2 tsp basil
1/2 cup applesauce (I used a single-serving plastic cup)
1 small apple, mashed with a potato masher

1 lb linguini

In a large nonstick skillet, heat about 3 Tbsp olive oil until it's hot. Toss in the onion and move it around so it's coated with olive oil. Cover and leave until the onions turn brown/black and kind of stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and roughly crush them with a hard rubber spatula. Add the allspice, basil, applesauce, and mashed apple. Cover and put on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the linguini and cook according to package directions. Drain.
Enjoy!