So...whats for dinner?

p.s. my goodness.... just read Alton Brown's recipe. That is not even remotely a Chinese dish, though it might be slightly Thai. But Then you get to the Ramen noodles, which is Japanese. And there is no pork! Avoid this recipe, unless what you enjoy is peanut noodles. :-)

Just finished a mini weeding tour of the (Fort Knox) garden. In spite of the nearly inch a day rainfall, things besides weeds are actually growing and producing! I spied a half dozen tiny yellow squashes, some teeny French filet beans, a two inch long jalapeno, one small purple and one small Italian pepper and several tomatoes, the largest of which is tennis ball sized. I even picked a few yellow cherry tomatoes for tonight's salad. Can't wait!

Tonight is a giant salad with grilled steak and the blue cheese dressing. I had enough to make both Susan's and Carole's recipes. My guess is we'll like them both. I wish I had some baby potatoes to put in the salad, Nicoise style, but I don't think I probably have any yet. I don't think they've bloomed yet, but it's hard to tell -- the deer have eaten the tops off the plants.

The pressure cooker beans were a great success. They cooked for 3 minutes! Although the whole process probably took a half hour, not including soaking, it was amazing. I learned several things in the process. One, the smokiness of the ham hock I used was intensified and two, the flavors of the dried herbs I used disappeared so perhaps they should be added afterwards. I usually use a ham bone instead of a ham hock so it may be I'm not used to the smoky taste in this particular dish. Carole - you cook lots of beans too -- you have to try this! I'm going to try Cuban black beans next time.

Friday, I'm meeting with a Certified Diabetes Educator to fine tune my insulin regimen. Prior to that meeting, she wants me to write down everything I eat. Nothing like recording every single morsel that goes into your mouth to keep you honest! I'm having a severe case of acid reflux today, so I'm being cautious about what I'm eating anyway and drinking lots and lots of water. Ugh. Shades of chemo.

SK - glad your girl is ok and it's sweet that she had such empathy for the other driver. She is certainly your daughter!

And in today's Nature Report, yesterday we spotted another mama deer with twins! Not really unusual, but the first we've seen this year. So many mouths to feed, it's a good thing I'm not the only one with a garden around here lol! All the baby birds have hatched. The only ones not fledged are the house finches in the hanging fern. I'll be glad when they're gone so I can trim the bushes next to the porch. I've put it off so as not to disturb all the bird families with the noisy hedge trimmer but they're getting a little wild. Baby bunny keeps working on DH's shoes. He comes several times a day to dine. Both laces and tongues of the shoes are gone and he's now working on the front of the left shoe. It's humorous to watch, he tears into it like he's eating a steak! And then there was this to greet me as I was coming in:

Thank you for the recipe Susan, although it's doubtful I'll ever find the preserved vegetables. One recipe I have used calls for some tahini, which I expect has been Americanized. Alton's recipe doesn't have pork?? Interesting.

Carole - I make that soba noodle recipe too. In fact, since I have two steaks, I think I'll save one for that dish since I still have some pak choi from my friend. I really need to get to the Asian market since I dropped my dark soy sauce onto the tile floor.

DH is making noises about visiting the Gulf Coast in August. I'm sorry you'll still be in Minnesota -- we owe you lunch!

auntie - thanks for saying that, you are sweet!  Sorry about the snake!  Regular occurrence around here!

The sesame noodles recipe is very similar to mine - I sub almond or cashew butter for the peanut butter, and omit the sprouts - I am a non-sprout person.  I have served this room temp or chilled, and I have made it for a bunch - it is a good dish for large groups.

thinking - I love them too!  When I lived in the Washington, D.C. area there was a roast chicken place - not part of a chain or anything.  They had roast chicken, but everything else was Greek - great salads and those awesome potatoes.  That is how I got hooked on them!  Early one morning I was returning DVDs to Blockbuster and noticed that the chicken place looked really smoky inside - I ended up calling the fire department because I was worried about fire and that there might have been someone inside - an employee had left chickens in the oven with it on overnight!  It was a bit comical when the fully garbed firefighter, complete with oxygen on, carried out a pan of smoking charred chickens.  The owner showed up and told me I was entitled to free food for life!  Too bad we moved away, lol! 

Greek lemon potatoes sounds really good.  I'll have to make a mental note to cook that.  Thinking Positive, do you have a link for your recipe? 

Nance, I'm sorry we will miss your trip to the Gulf Coast but August weather is the pits.  It's as bad as June, July, and September!  LOL!  Glad you're starting to see veggies growing in your garden.  That is so rewarding.  I walked (hobbled) out to our neighbor's blueberry bushes today and snacked on ripe berries.  These folks just stick bushes and plants in the ground and it all grows.  I have been amazed at their success.  While I was helping myself to the blueberries, a bird flew to a nearby bush and grabbed a berry and flew off. 

Susan, that peanut noodle salad sounds good. 

I don't own a pressure cooker.  I remember that Susan's has two pots of different sizes.  What brand do you own, Nance? 

We had black runner snakes come across our yard when I was a kid.  Once I stepped on one with my bare foot.  It felt cool.  Of course, I was traumatized.  They're harmless. 

carolhalston...here it is..found it online. ( I made it with skinless chicken breasts and thighs)

Lemon-Rosemary-Garlic Chicken and Potatoes

Nicknamed "Anytime Chicken" by Test Kitchen Specialist Vanessa McNeil Rocchio, this winner of a chicken dinner is our new favorite roasting-pan supper for weeknights or easy entertaining with friends.

• Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 (3.5-oz.) jar capers, drained
• 2 lemons, sliced
• 10 garlic cloves, smashed
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 chicken legs (about 1 1/2 lb.)
• 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 lb.)
• 2 pounds small red potatoes
• Crusty French bread

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Stir together first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl.

2. Place a roasting pan on stove top over 2 burners. Add 3 Tbsp. olive oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with desired amount of salt and pepper; place, skin sides down, in pan. Add potatoes. Cook 9 to 10 minutes or until chicken is browned. Turn chicken, and pour lemon mixture over chicken.

3. Bake at 450° for 45 to 50 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve chicken with sauce and French bread.

Bedo, he is a friendly snake, a very pretty garter. He likes to sun himself in the top of the deutzia bush you see there. I don't like him there because he eats the cute little tree frogs that hang out on the front porch. I've discussed this with all of the various snakes that seem to want to live with us. They can eat all the rodents they want but they're to leave the birds and frogs alone. And no snakes are allowed on the porch.

Carole, my pressure cooker is an inexpensive one that was given to me quite some time ago by my mother. I didn't use it for a long time. I want to buy a larger pressure canner/cooker this fall, providing the garden provides something to can.

Bedo, you crack me up! You painted quite a picture of luv and the goats lol!

Carole, I know August is hot and humid. But it's always cool inside the Beau lol! There are fewer people there at that time which we like and the beach and pool are nice. We don't do a lot of sightseeing, just pretty much relax and eat.

DH had Susan's dressing, he pronounced it delicious. I had Carole's and it was wonderful too. We'll switch tomorrow night.

We eat our main meal at lunch, and a very light dinner around here, so it was pork chops done in a cast iron pan with a home made Memphis rub on them, and purslane fresh out of the garden cooked with water chestnuts South Indian style..I have a teeny tiny piece of meat cut off of one chop (for protein needs) and lots of vegetables for me. My husband gets the rest for his dinner tonight and dinner is raw vegetables, and some fresh mozzarella for me.

Susan, Nance, SpecialK, and anyone else.  What are the ingredients of your lamb burger beside the ground lamb? 

A side will be oven sweet potato fries.  I have a bag of frozen ones in the freezer.  Also a romaine salad with add ins, to use Lacey's description. 

I'm pooped tonight.  Gym this morning.  Then hit some golf balls on the range.  Then some shopping this afternoon.  Tues. is senior day with 20 percent off at Belk.

p.s. I find a strained yogurt, garlic, dill, lemon juice sauce is really delicious as a topping for these burgers. If you can afford the calories, add a bit of sour cream as well.

Yep. My hedges have prickers on them! Hate them, but they were here when we bought the place!

 

Thank you, Susan and Lacey, for the lamb burger recipes.  I have fresh oregano, dill and mint growing in pots on the patio, so minced generous amts. of all three and added to the ground lamb.  I don't have an English muffin mold but a custard dish about the right size worked great.  That's a good technique, Susan.   I put a nice chunk of feta in each of four burgers.  DH overcooked them slightly but they were still delicious.  We each ate one and split a 3rd, which ended up being too much food for me.  I'm somewhat over-full.  I made a sauce with yogurt, fresh dill, lemon juice, and diced cucumber.

The composed salad was tomato, cucumber, avocado and feta cheese for me.  The same for dh with addition of diced yellow bell pepper and sweet onion.  My dressing was lemon juice and olive oil.  He added some creamy Vidalia dressing to his. 

This ground lamb was from the IN farmer.  We're very pleased with the lamb we ordered and I will make a larger order in Oct. when we return. 

Lacey, next time I think I'll follow your example and freeze two burgers instead of cooking all four. 

I see that my copy/paste didn't include burger sizes. I do 5 oz burgers [assuming high fat content] for me, and 7oz for Mr. 02143. I do not freeze the extras since the meat was frozen-thawed already, so to freeze again is a type of Russian roulette. We cook them all, and then warm them for lunch the next day. Mr. 02143 will zap if there is only one left over, if there are two, I put them in the toaster oven. This year's ground lamb is much less fatty, so I have reduced to 4oz for me and 6oz for Mr. 02143.

Carole, sounds like you made delicious burgers!!!! I love cucumber in my yogurt dip, but Mr. 02143 hates cucumbers, so I make cucumber batons for me without adding them to the sauce. Makes him so much happier. Isn't it a joy to walk outside and harvest the herbs that you want? I am taking a lot of joy from the simple things this summer.

I am headed to the Cape tomorrow. I need some friend-time. I will have to make sure I get at least 5 hrs of coding each day... my deadline is looming. But then in the late afternoon, we will head to the beach, return with sand in our toes, and make some meals and cocktails. My dear friend L has been catching Striper Bass all week long! She is an avid fisher person, heading out to sea in a kayak! Needless to say, Stripers are on the menu. We are making a mango salsa to accompany, one of our favorites. This drug is affecting me, and I am worrying about maintaining this juggling act that I have been doing for the past five years. Dinner was a take out taco with avocado. I just couldn't make dinner tonight even though there are lovely vegetables in the fridge that should be eaten.

Will be back on Saturday....

*susan*

Susan - double that thought. Wonderful fish in store.

Carole - didn't I see you leave pretty soon for the North Country? And you're going to leave the RV so that will be your last 'haul'.