So...whats for dinner?
Comments
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Wow to all the kitchens. We manage to do OK, so I guess I shouldn't complain. However, I am keeping mental notes on what I would change when/if we move.
The dutch ovens. The small dutch oven that is my avatar has sentimental value and will remain mine until I'm incapable of holding onto it. :-) The others are tools only. I have that little one, a bigger one and a huge one that are all plain cast iron. I also have a medium sized one that is ceramic (I guess) coated.
I use the small one for most any food that does not need to be cooked in something else. A lot of it has to do with "it's already out on the stove top", but "It contains the splatters so cleanup is easier" and "it cooks fast" are also factors.
I do use it a lot in the oven...for the same reasons Susan mentioned.
When we first moved, one of the stove electric elements didn't work and I thought I fixed it....it turned out the stove's parts manual had a misprint, and I got the wrong heating element. The one element now goes from almost warm to low....what would be low on the other elements is maximum on this one. I was going to fix it correctly, but I left it alone when I discovered the usefulness of "the mistake".
Since a dutch oven doesn't need a lot of heat to cook, that "mistake element" is where the dutch oven does most of its work.
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So I have a Jenn-Air in the kitchen of my new house. It came with quite a pile of different inserts for cooking different ways. I have the option of heat coils, glass cook top, the solid metal burners a thing to grill meats, a griddle insert, etc. I need to get pots that suit the glass top and don't know a good brand. Also, I haven't a clue what the solid metal burners are good for. Help?
Carole--Your dh made that? And he's making more? You are lucky! So beautiful. We've had too many financial bumps in our road to ever acquire quality wooden furniture in any of our rooms. So nice that your dh can make things for you.
Eric--Thanks for your thoughts on dutch oven usage. Please share favorite recipes if possible. We do have one dutch oven that we have never used. I just kind of thought of it as something for camping and cooking over a fire. I do use an antique brand of cookware by Guardian Service that works like you are describing though. I can cook on the stove or in the oven with it and I guess it works like a dutch oven. They have huge, heavy domed glass lids so you can see how things are doing inside. I might have been a dutch oven cook of sorts all these years without knowing it!
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There are a lot of things I would change about my kitchen and we have done some already. I doubt that we will do too much more unless it's countertop. I detest the tile countertop at least on the island. No matter how many times it's sealed, it stains and I worry about the porous tile holding onto bacteria, which is why I have the bleach and disinfectant routine. I may not keep my house spic and span but I'm religious about the food prep area. I too, would like to have a large piece of quartz on the island, but it's too expensive and DH is unwilling to do the tearing out of the old one. From time to time, I investigate alternatives, but seem to agree with you Carole -- it's too much trouble. The cabinets are too tall to be functional. I have to use a stool to reach the top shelves. I guess it's a good place to store little used items. It would be nice to have all of my spices in one place like Susan and Carole. I have one whole cabinet to the right of the sink, but that's only some of them. The rest are in baskets in the pantry.
MZ, not familiar with Jenn Air electric stoves, so no idea what solid burners are for. Someone here probably does. I wanted a larger stove with two ovens (I wanted a Viking) but decided I didn't want to spend the money and ended up with this GE Profile 5 burner. It's a gas stove but the bottom is an electric oven. The only thing I really use the bottom oven for is heating rolls or side dishes at thanksgiving. I do most of my cooking on two burners and the big oven. So in this instance, I'm glad I settled. I used to use the griddle insert (VERY heavy) until I bought a very inexpensive electric griddle. It's bigger and much easier to clean and use than the stove insert.
Monte did a fantastic job on your furniture Carolyn. Can't wait to see the new one! By the way, I wanted to tell you how much everyone enjoyed your pork roast recipe. Although I cook with lots of onions (almost 3 pounds a week), and I always have green onions, I rarely used them cooked in anything. They really gave the roast a nice flavor along with the garlic. I'll be using them again in that fashion. So thanks!
Sending warm wishes to everyone and hope you're cooking something good.
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That's the brand of stove I had, MZ, Jenn Air. I guess it must have been electric because I remember having some extra components like a grill. I liked the down draft function. We didn't need a hood. Our house was raised as in high enough so that we parked on the first level. I love my gas stove. It's a GE and has worked beautifully for the 20 years we've been in this house The electronics module had to be replaced some years back. DH ordered the part and installed it himself. He's a handy fellow. The stove has a self-cleaning function but I've used it only twice.
My pizza stone has turned very dark but it doesn't smell bad.
We went to a birthday party crawfish boil today at the home of a niece. Her husband was turning 50. The crawfish were very good. Spicy but not oversalted. Potatoes, corn on the cob, mushrooms, green beans, and slices of sausage were all cooked in the highly seasoned boiling water. The birthday cake was a home-made red velvet cake. Haven't had red velvet cake in a long time and I enjoyed two pieces!
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Mombie, does the dutch oven have legs, or is it just flat on the bottom? If it has 3 legs, and a lid with a big lip around the edge, then it's designed to be heated with wood (or charcoal) coals. The flat bottom one with a domed lid is the kitchen kind, but can be hung over a fire.
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Tonight, we just were not hungry, so the stir-fry's were delayed. Instead I made a large salad and some tactines [French for grilled bread] with last summer's pesto with some goat cheese. Perfect supper. I guess our bodies are getting ready for spring.
The stir fry will have to wait until tomorrow night.
I gave my footed dutch ovens to a friend who goes camping regularly. It was an inheritance from my Uncle. One of the many from him, but one of the few I have given to someone else. I found it too hard to deal with given my cooking equipment.
*susan*
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Eric--I haven't looked at it. It's in a box in the garage. We haven't even camped with it because life got crazy and busy. I'll have to see if I can find it and check. It's currently in the "I don't know where it is" category because we are still unpacking boxes after moving here. I'll have to season it when I find it too.
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When I need to cook, but don't feel like it...I'll put several pieces of chicken breasts or thighs in the dutch oven, add a couple of cans of beans and a couple of jars of BBQ sauce...and cook covered, on low, until the chicken is done. I try to not let the stuff boil.
The biggest dutch oven I have makes a great chicken roaster. I have some trivets (I guess that's what they're called) that sit in the bottom of the dutch oven so the thing being cooked doesn't rest directly on the bottom. I'll toss in some rosemary, garlic, onion and/or an apple depending on m mood.
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Thanks for the kitchen pictures. I am so jealous!!!
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That sounds super yummy, Eric. Might have to try that. I love to cook a pork roast in my Guardian Service. I rub it with clove and rosemary, smother it in fresh finely minced garlic and cover with large cut sweet onion. I like to serve this over rice. But it's also good with seasoned, cubed oven baked potatoes. I like to include steamed green beans with a greek dressing from a one of a kind restaurant up in Bellingham, WA. I go there just to buy that dressing!
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Your kitchens are all so beautiful! I finished up my two days of volunteering and am headed to Atlanta to see friends. I will raid my storage and get my cuisinart and copper bottom pots and pans and Then I will take a picture of my almost 5x8 kitchen. It will win the ugly kitchen contest. You will laugh. I will laugh. I hope that I am able to post it!
this morning I it took me two seconds to slip back into southern modeI I broke down and ate a piece of bacon of and a biscuit with white gravy with certainly has some kind of grease in it it was goooood. so much for being vegetarian And then I put on some Southern music and oogled a Harley that surely must have cost over $100,000 the owner said everything here you see is for sale. Everything. So I said really? Then stopped before his woman slapped me
so here I am on the road at a truck stop to Chattanooga being a southern I don't know what
Hope everyone has a beautiful beginning of Spring week!
I I am having fun!
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Well, bedo, one thing we know you aren't is a GRITS! (Girl Raised In The South_
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Well Bedo, no one will ever accuse you of being a GRITS, that's for sure. (Girl Raised in The South)
friend of mine is on spring break from her job at a local school and she posted a picture of her homemande biscuits and gravy. I don't know how people eat that .....seriously......But I couldn't be where you are and not eat some BBQ or some Fried Chicken with all the fixins.....
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almost in Chattanooga I made a trucker pull his horn fondly psycho Bedo
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Chattanooga is beautiful. Love those runoff ramps. Foreign to flat Texas lol. Bet you're seeing lots of blooming stuff now
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Eric--My former kitchen was the size you mentioned. I'll bet you are like me though--you can do a lot with that tiny space! Glad you are out having fun.
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Dinner tonight was speckled butterbeans (frozen) cooked with sliced smoked ham hocks in my 4 qt. crockpot. I emptied the frozen beans into the crock pot, tucked in an onion cut in half and 4 or 5 garlic cloves. Tucked in a couple of slices of the hocks and put the rest on top. Mixed a cup of water with some dry roux and poured that in. Turned the pot on High. Later I sprinkled s & p and later still I took out the hock slices and cut them into pieces and returned them to the pot. Turned out delicious. Served with brown jasmine rice and a cabbage slaw with diced avocado.
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Our dinner was a Pork with Cloud Ear Fungus stir fry, a Mustard Greens with Onion and Garlic, and some rice. I had forgotten that the package of deboned pork shoulder was on special. Whoops! So, I only needed 12oz of pork, I have the rest braising seasoned with just salt. It will probably turn into pulled pork of some type, for either a sandwich or a taco. I figured if I didn't commit to a special flavor profile, I could do anything I want. We shall see if this is a failed experiment.
I really need to get excited enough to do some taxes.... they must be submitted before I head to Europe.
*susan*
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Susan - you've provided my google education 'word' for the day - Cloud Ear Fungus. Hmmm and Thanks. I'll know it when I see it again.
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Sounds horrid doesn't it? And yet, this little tree fungus is wonderful! If you have had hot n' Sour soup at a Chinese restaurant, those black things floating around are the Cloud ear fungus. They have an earthy flavor, almost like a mushroom. Bottom line, they are totally delicious.
*susan*
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Love hot and sour soup and now I can properly address the little floating buggers!
Am determined to get to sleep before 1AM, so am just on to post the kitchen pix. You will quickly see why I have extreme "island envy" and that has nothing to do with wanting to fly to the Caribbean!
I also have cabinets to the ceiling, but wanted and like that for storage. Also had a gas stove with electric oven installed and really like it. DW never got swapped out when we updated kitchen ten years ago because it was new then...so it is white with everthing else near it, cream and stainless. Across the way is our 20 year old side by side fridge that is also white, but covered with family photos...can't do that with the new SS ones...it will look much neater!
Counters are green corian which I preferred to granite since it is more forgiving to dropped dishes and doesn't pit from acidic foods. Love the look of granite and other natural stones, tho.
Our eating area, across from pantry cabinet is small, even tho we opened up a separating wall to make room for a kitchen table. When we moved in 35 years ago, this whole big house just had a small "ice cream parlor" table in our current eating area...needed to be opened up. If I were the next owners, I would rob a bank, push the kitchen out 8 feet, to have an eating area island, and use this area as a desk space. If the upstairs also got expanded the small bedroom above the kitchen would be enlarged, and a laundry could be between that and the hall bath. Maybe I should consult to the next owners...Ha!
We managed with that table arrangement while raising the boys, but accommodating a fifth person always required pulling out the table. Pantry (which you will notice is poorly organized with so many of my piles) is across from this table.
So, the reason we can't have an island, is because the main chimney goes up through the kitchen. This next shot is of that wall....on which hangs a lovely signed menu from Taillevant, a "fancy schmancy" restaurant in Paris. We had an exquisite dinner there with our Parisian friend several years ago. I believe it has since closed...since the owner died.
So that's the grand tour of our not so functionally grand kitchen which needs an island to make it more than a "one cook" space. I like our colors though...and matched the wood floor to the dark oak floors that are in the next rooms. Also, I had the leaded glass doors on the two upper cabinets by the sink made in the same design as exists in our dining room hutch....a splurge for house architectural continuity. However, I tend to be a fan of function over form, so this is pleasing to the eye only....and often frustrating to me if I need help in the kitchen...we are always in each other's space. We'll keep that a secret tho if and when we ever list it. Ha!
Okay....off to dreamland...
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oh dear, a few pux deleted themselves...
Kitchen table...
Center chimney with Taillevant menu...and storage cart that holds pans below and Lacey memorabilia, etc. on top.
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Lacey--Beautiful kitchen.
Susan--Where in Europe? My DH's brothers gave us a trip to Hawaii. We are going in May. I too will have to look into this Fungus.
Not feeling well lately. My DH came home early today and cooked dinner. We had pan-fried sea bass with green leafy salad, broccoli, asparagus, and brown rice. He prepares things very basic, but it was all fresh and tasty. It was nice to rest and not cook or clean up after. The kiddos jumped in to clean. I didn't have to lift a finger.
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Lacey, your wall paper is similar to mine and you have dark green countertops, too. I love the wall paper and another reason for not changing my counter tops is not ruining the paper above the back splash. If I didn't have natural wood cabinets, my next choice would be the same soft white as your cabinets. I have always liked painted cabinets but dh is a woodworker and favors natural wood look. I like that soft aqua paint on the cabinetry on the Kitchen show on Food Network. A Pisces color.
MZ, sorry you're not feeling good. You're in treatment, I believe. How fortunate to have a husband who can cook a good, healthy meal and children to help clean up.
I enjoy hot and sour soup. Didn't know about the fungus ears, either.
Today is day one of a 3-day golf tournament so I should get moving.
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I'm so enjoying all the kitchen pics. It's fun to see where all of our food "magic" happens. Now when you all describe your meals, I can easily picture you in there putting it all together.
Regardless of how it tastes (good) you gotta love the name "cloud ear fungus".
No cooking here today. We're taking my dad to the urologist to have his catheter removed (hallelujah!) then spending the night in the city. We'll make a Costco run and do a few other errands while we're there. Dinner tonight will be at another of our favorite Italian restaurants.
Lacey, in our house, in spite of all the food prep space, if I start dinner, dh always finds a reason to come in and get in my way lol! My dream kitchen would have a "man" sink in some out of the way corner!
Joyce, good luck with your scan today!
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Lacey, Thank you for posting pictures. I can see how two people might bump into each other. These older kitchen just didn't have much square footage! But you have done a lovely job of maximizing the useable space. I too have a chimney column behind the sink. No place to expand. You do seem to have quite a bit of counter space which is a plus. We can't possibly have a table in our kitchen, but we have a dining room that we eat in for every meal.
Nancy, a "man sink".... YES. I need one of those too!
Lunch was a turkey sandwich made with the turkey we smoked yesterday. Oh how delicious! Tonight we will have the rest of our Chinese meal. There were tons of leftovers.
*susan*
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Auntie--Haha! Man-sink! I love that and I can appreciate your desire for that. My DH is constantly out gardening in the dirt. He often feels that the kitchen sink during dinner prep is the perfect spot to wash off dirt, sap, and worse. We even have a mud entry he could clean up in! (There are worse flaws though. lol) Yay for your dad! Have fun in town and I hope you have a great dinner out.
I might have to make something with Cloud Ear Fungus just to watch my kids faces when I tell them what's in it. I'm pretty curious now. My oldest son is in Mexico. He has tried some pretty bizarre stuff--two kinds of bugs. He liked the grasshoppers. I think I'll pass on that one though. Has anyone tried unusual foods and liked them?
Carol--Thanks for the kind words. I hope I'm OK being in this group. I know it's a "moving beyond cancer" forum, but I was thinking it would be nice to be looking at life beyond treatment ahead of time. Hopefully I'm in keeping with the fine flavor of discussion in this thread and not bringing anyone down.
Keeping dining simple for DH. Tonight it's Costco chicken, salad greens and veggies. Doing seasoned, cubed potatoes in the oven--olive oil, garlic, onion, parmesan. Yesterday, for our family night, I mustered some energy and made peanut butter rice crispy treats in the microwave. I love it when simple things are such a hit!
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Mombie Zombie I have you beat---I am having a WW tv dinner (3 cheese ziti) and then going to a cancer center program on PROTEIN.....and I smile amidst my carbs.....
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LOL Redhead!! OK, you win. <wink, wink> Please share what you learn about the carbs....I mean protein! lol
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Nance, the man sink idea is a great one. Now I have to say two things about that...first off, a picture I left out (see below) does have more counter space away from "my" triangle, if DH would just stay there when he is cutting lemons for our water, or other such serious tasks.
And also, I could now regret our decision to remove a "bar sink" that the previous owners had put in to the right of the stove. We were much more interested in getting some seating available, so abandoned it. So...I had my man sink briefly and never appreciated it!Tonight, we will have leftover turkey steaks, farro, carrots and probably a spinach salad with pear and walnuts.
Last evening I munched on some leftover pizza (which was wonderful), before heading to a meeting at our local library for people interested in cooking and discussing food, recipes, etc. etc. It was loosely organized. Apparently the woman who was supposed to lead the discussion had to leave for a medical concern, so we had a lovely young gal who muddled through as best she could. I'm not sure my next door neighbor and I will continue to go. But I might check it out once more (next meeting in June).There was one very older woman there who studied with Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. She said she cooks for clients. I was put in touch with my kitchen OCD- ishness when it struck me that she also "seemed like" a cat lady, who might have felines running around her kitchen counters. Apologies to any cat owners....Thus, I would not be ordering up any of her dinners without bendryl!
I am officially going to make an Easter dinner....and it is looking to be a challenge. DGF is probably the most selective eater I have ever met....so I need to figure that out. Then we are having our niece who is here in college. She is vegetarian and also selective. DS2 prefers not to eat mammals. Then we are hoping that DS1 and DDIL will come with the grands, but that is less likely since DDIL is busy setting up her new solo GYN surgical practice. If they do, there will be more food challenges....tho their kids are pretty good eaters. DS1 is suddenly a vegetarian....mostly! But DDIL is still a happy carnivore. Oy!
So I am thinking of having turkey tips (DS2's idea) from Volante Farm, and my own marinated grilled chicken breasts with rosemary, garlic and balsamic; a baby kale salad I pulled from yummly (I think) which has feta,walnuts, dried cranberries and something else; some pasta dishes ...veggie lasagna, or ravs; my faux French bread, and I'm not sure what else.
At Durgin Park, there was one thing DGF could/would eat....a grilled chicken sandwich, and when the waitress put a dish of cole slaw next to it, DGF immediately offered that to anyone else, since she does not eat cole slaw. I am so tempted to ask her to make a list for me of what she DOES eat, so I can know what to make without having more discussion.....would so like to get the focus off of her food dislikes. Oy! She must wonder who this oral family is!
We "food monger" folks enjoyed some fried calamari and potato skins (totally unrecommended!) for apps at Durgin Park, then I had a shrimp cocktail and DH had a broiled seafood platter which looked good and fresh. DS2 had his favorite....lobster roll, which he enjoyed. The old tourist place was empty when we arrived mid afternoon, and only filled up a bit as it got to closer to 6PM. The waitress was not as edgy as the ones I recall from the past, and the food is about three times the cost of the olden days. So that will be our last visit there. Sadly for me they load up their soups and fish cakes with celery, thus the shrimp cocktail. Below is the lost last kitchen pic, and one of the mixed eating style group who ventured to Durgin Park.
Oh we also met the new "grand dog" at DS2's. He is an adorable Scottish Terrier.
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