So...whats for dinner?

Most of my flavored sea salts, including the black truffle, are from Artisan. Their full-size plastic jars have dual-sided lids--one side for spooning, the other for shaking. Makes them last forever. Last year for Christmas, I got a set of their little glass jars with cork lids: rosemary, black truffle, espresso & merlot--came with a tiny spoon and a couple of dual-wall borosilicate glass mini-dishes, which were as delicate as crystal and broke pretty quickly. I now use the smallest tempered glass prep bowls that I can find (less than a Tbsp.), put one right on the dinner plate and put a tiny bit of flavored salt in it so I can sprinkle with every bite. I keep about a half-cup of my kosher salt in a lidded saltcellar on the counter, and use the scoop to transfer some into a prep bowl so I can season raw meats & fish without dipping my fingers into the saltcellar and contaminating the entire supply with the fingers I use to handle the meats. (Sometimes, there’s just no substitute for using your bare hands--such as “making it rain” with salt, a la Mario Batali.

We’re lucky in Chicago to have a branch of Batali & Bastianich’s Italian superstore Eataly. (Saw one in Rome, and have since learned that there’s one in every major N. Italian city--coals to Newcastle)? The place is two levels--has espresso (Illy on the ground floor, their own brand on the second), gelato, pastry/candy, crudo, wine, beer, pizza, pasta, sandwich/salumi & raw bars; meat, fish and vegetarian sit-down restaurants (walk-up, first come-first served); wine, tools, and condiment sections; a salumi & cheese deli counter & cases; several aisles of sweets & coffees; butcher, fish and rotisserie counters; and a produce section that will make you weep with joy...and cry even harder once your selections are rung up and you get sticker shock. Their flagship fine dining restaurant, in the basement, is called Baffo--quite pricey (we go once a year or even less often), but IMHO sort of inconsistent (one night the pasta was mushy but on another is was so al dente the center crunched; we’ve had overdone meat too). But the tasting menus are mostly delicious and always imaginative, with thoughtful wine pairings. We managed to escape the upcharges, but a friend wasn’t too lucky. For the pasta course, the waiter asked (as they usually do for parmesan cheese) if anyone wanted some freshly shaved white truffle. Of course, everyone in her party raised their hands, so the waiter “made it rain” flakes of truffle on each dish. Then the bill came--there was a $150 upcharge, that was hidden in small print and low-contrast ink on the already-small-font menu. Ooops.

When we visited Cagliari in Sardinia, the tour guide pointed out the city’s vast salt flats--after tourism, sea salt processing is Cagliari’s main industry. Because there are tiny brine shrimp in the seawater, the flats are popular breeding grounds for flamingoes. The flamingoes start out gray, but as they mature and eat more of those pink brine shrimp, their skin and feathers turn pink!

Bob surprised me today for my birthday--he got up earlier and walked to B’way Cellars for brunch (so crowded on weekends now that it’s almost impossible to get in) and brought me home quiche and salad! Their quiche is so high and fluffy it’s almost a flourless souffle-in-a-crust (and the crust is deliciously flaky). Today’s quiche was ham/Swiss/artichoke hearts. Yum! (Huge slices, so half of it is in the fridge awaiting Gordy when he gets up).

If today is your birthday Chi, then happy birthday and cheers!

Lost a long reply. Lacey see what you started? Im on my new computer and strange things happen. sigh.

but I too have a ham bone in the freezer. Cant make bean soup til the DH comes home for the weekend. Otherwise theres no room in the freezer for the containers at least I can push them off on him then. LOL

Happy Birthday Chi.

Eric, my girls danced 30 plus hours a week. they rivaled the boys for eating. But could never tell their teacher what they ate or she would tell them they were eating too much. She was 5"3' and they were 5'11" and 6'1" and about 14 and 12 years of age. So I let them EAT. It astounded me the dance teacher would come down on them for second portions when they were the only kids eating salads and veggies with their meals. So i told them to write down what the other kids ate and ignore her. The DD1 at 5'11" weighed 140. nice and healthy but people guessed her weight at 99 lbs. LOL. she got those genes from her fathers side. LOL

I hope every one is safe from the weather. Its not impacting us here so we watch everyone in DC going ape over the snow. I used to live in VA and know there isnt the snow removal equipment there, but what the heck is NY's exuse? There have been bad storms before. LOL

I bought a pork tenderloin for dinner. That with a baked potato will get me through for the weekend.

Much love to all and stay safe and warm.

Happy Birthday Chi!

Happy birthday, ChiSandy! Bob sounds like a keeper.

Enjoying the stories about hungry athletic kids.

The gourmet salts have been around for a while. I remember reading an article about 5 years ago (maybe longer?) in a cooking magazine and didn't pay it much attention. .

I prepped broccoli and turnip roots for roasting and then noticed a container of sliced leeks in the refrigerator and remembered the blanched kale. So I took those containers out. Sautéed the leeks in olive oil. Threw in some frozen cubes of chicken broth. Minutes later added the kale to the skillet. Added some sliced water chestnuts for crunch. Searched for cream cheese. No cream cheese. Will add some yogurt and sour cream to make a creamed side. The dry brined chicken is in the oven. The broccoli and turnip roots will have to wait their turn.

Yay. We're having a cocktail tonight.

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And happy birthday from me too Sandy.

Lacey - I often buy in bulk & cook before I freeze. So I have a bunch of lightly poached chicken breasts that I can manipulate into Laurie's Salsa or whatever. And chunks of roast pork tenderloin that I can use for stir fry or medallions, etc.

Lunch was grilled cheese - Jarlsberg on pumpernickel bread. Yum. With a side of apple slices. Dinner was another large salad w/whatever was still in the fridge - lettuces, radishes, celery, carrots, mushrooms. Carole - thanks for the reminder - I should have added the water chestnuts in the cupboard. Tomorrow I'll see what else is canned to add to the lettuce. Or cook some frozen veggies to add. I'm headed out of town in 10 days so I'm trying not to buy a lot of fresh veggies & fruits.

Unfortunately I had the munchies after my salad. Finished a couple of Pepperidge Farm Raspberry Milanos. Even worse, I ate a bunch of Ruffles w/Ridges and dip. Sigh.

SpecialK, wow! That is a lot moving, but how cool is it that your hubby was in the Air Force! Special Commands Operations=sexy! My dad was a flight surgeon in the Air Force back in the day when it was required that doctors serve two years in the military.

Amy, pork surrounded by pork. Yum... I love using preserves for various sauces and glazes. Mixed with Dijon and whatever spice or herb one deems appropriate makes a great easy sauce.

Carberry, my girlfriend and her family went cross country skiing thru Manhatten yesterday. Crazy!

Susan, would love to hear about various vinegar. This is becoming my new obsession. I have red wine, white wine, sherry, champagne, a 6 year true balsamic (a lot of them are really flavored to taste like balsamic), an aged fancy balsamic, used only as a finisher, and a white balsamic, that I'm sure isn't a real balsamic. Also, I'm getting into different oils. Somewhat recently, I've added macadamia nut oil and avocado oil into my salad and marinade recipes.

Minus2, pumpernickel and jarlsberg, big yum! We go back to Houston every 4 or 5 years for reunions. Yes, it definitely can get hot and humid, but it is a great city. Pepperidge farm anything, proof there is a God and she is a woman.

Lacey, chicken piccata made with Meyer lemons sound delicious! The sweetness from the orange I would think would balance the tartness of the lemon. I lived in Boston for four years when I was in college. Fantastic food city.

Carole, you certainly know how to put together a dish last minute. How did the chicken turn out? More importantly, how was that cocktail?

Went out for dinner last night. Had a Caesar salad, double cut pork chop cooked to medium and roasted wild mushrooms. It was nice to get out of the kitchen.

I made a pot of lentil soup this morning, so will have that tonight with chicken Parmesan and leftover mashed potatoes from the other day.

happy birthday sandy Friday I had a lot of Cambodian food with friends Saturday homemade lentil soup and today I am looking around to see if it is ok to go out

Our house where's the house to hang out at during DD's high school years but I didn't know it! It was on the walk home for the 9 bus kids and my daughter seem to be eating huge amounts of food with several special requests I later learned that our house was this. To sit and eat and watch Maury after school that was also the house to hang out at when scandalously I was dating my daughter's boyfriend's dad and it seems the entire class would ask is your mom going tomat God's house or is he coming to your house tonight? And then we hang out would begin I didn't hear about that until years later either

Funny about chili - made it last night!  DH and DD went to a seminar at Bass Pro that DD has to teach today and they also had a couple of beers, but didn't eat so came home starving.  Made some quick chili but it was good - pintos and kidneys, tomatoes, chili powder, ground beef and onion., among other items.  Topped it with shredded cheddar, sour cream, scallions, avocado and a sprinkling of goat cheese - yum!  Also made some garlic bread out of the brioche.  Not as windy this afternoon, so will grill tonight - small sirloin steaks, a green salad and baked potatoes.

I swear Bedo, one day I'm just going to send my unedited post just to give you all a belly laugh. Auto correct on my phone is totally out of control. It just makes s**t up.

I'm behind on chili making because I'm so suggestable. When I hear what everyone is having, that's what I want. I'm terrible when eating out. I have to hear what everyone else is ordering before I settle on something. If I have to order first you can bet I'm going to change it before the server gets away. I try to compensate by tipping well.

Susan, I like the pullman e-muffin bread because DH likes to make french toast with it. (Sounds weird I know, but it's actually good) It makes a nice square slice that fits in his designated square french toast soaking container (he's German, what can I say. But hey, he cooks breakfast!)

I do like the pullman pan for sandwich bread though. See? This talk now about rye bread is making me want to make some!

I would also like some Cambodian food!

all you have to do is mention "snow" and all the chili makings come out. As for NYthere are 2. NYC doesn't get much snow due to the ocean keeping them warm... but then there is upstate NY Totally different world. We sent a lot of of our plow trucks to the city to help out. Since we have no snow here

Tonight my hubby wants to grill out. So steak it is We may not have snow but it is still only 30 degrees

Dinner was leftovers!

There are three pounds of rye bread cooling now. As you can see, I played with slashing patterns. One was NOT successful since it blew out. No matter for my chemo inspired breakfasts. The other three have different levels of success. I rather like the tree branch one.

*susan*

Thanks for the birthday wishes--had a wonderful evening. We Ubered it down to Tru and cabbed it back home. Dinner, which took >4 hrs., was amazing. Portions (and wine-pairing pours) were small, so we were satisfied without getting stuffed or buzzed. Started with champagne & amuse-bouche of cheese gougeres & ginger mini-sandwich cookies. First course was wild mushrooms & ramps with a Chablis. Second course was abalone in ginger bouillon with a crisp white (godello) from Galicia in southern Spain. Third was a sweet onion tart with black truffle, washed down with a Moody Tongue (local microbrew) black truffle Pilsner brewed just for the restaurant. Fourth course was seared tilefish in a Banyuls (red) butter sauce, with an Alsatian Gewurztraminer. Fifth was venison tenderloin & butternut squash, with a Bandol (red) from Domaine Tempier in Provence. Sixth was veal sweetbreads on caramelized Belgian endive, with a Blaufrankisch (sort of like Pinot Noir) from the Burgenland region of Austria (bordering Hungary). Then came an apple-walnut sorbet intermezzo. Dessert was a choice of white truffle/Marcona almond arborio rice pudding with a demi-sec Champagne (Gordy & I had that) or a chocolate sphere filled with sweet potato & yuzu creme, accompanied by a Pineau des Charentes. (Bob’s choice). Espresso for me, more of that truffle beer for the guys. They sent us home with a couple of little lemon-poppyseed mini-cakes filled with apricot jam.

Probably ordering out around the corner for Chinese tonight--football ended too late to go out for a Restaurant Week special. (And we’re sorta gourmet-ed out for the next couple of days). Thurs. night is a wine dinner at B’way Cellars; Fri. we’re going to City Winery (having cheese & charcuterie) for a Leonard Cohen tribute concert; Sat. aft I have a crudo-and-Italian sparkler pairing class at Cafe Spiaggia (think sashimi & champagne).

Sorry, you Patriot fans, but we were rooting for Peyton, Archie's son. It was a good game. The Carolina/Cardinals game is a blow out and not fun to watch at all.

What beautiful bread pictures! Nance, yours looks perfect and, Susan, yours looks more rustic and just as wonderful. I would gladly join you for breakfast. So glad to hear that your daughter is eating and cooking healthy food. That grandchild will be such fun for your family.

My sister baked crescent rolls (the kind you whack the paper roll to get the dough out) to go with dinner today and they were a big hit with my mother. She ate four of them. Sister's dh considers bread one of the major food groups. I think he ate 3. I weighed this morning so I ate none.

The creamed leak/kale/water chestnut dish was pretty good last night and better today when I warmed it up to go with Sunday noon dinner, which was pork roast and gravy cooked in a crock pot and white rice, meat and rice cooked by my sister. My mom and I didn't know about the rice so she baked some white potatoes, mainly for sister's dh whose list of acceptable foods is a short list. The potatoes were left over. I didn't eat one of them either. I made a knockout salad with romaine, grape tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, marinated artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and grated romano. My dressing was some seasoned rice vinegar to finish out the bottle, some white balsamic, CA extra virgin olive oil, a little honey and a little Dijon mustard. Never to be duplicated and it was good. A bit on the tart side.

Last night's chicken was a complete failure. It didn't seem to want to come up to temperature. I wonder if dry brining is a bad idea for less than 24 hours. I had figured it to be cooked in an hour since it was lying flat but I was wrong. Disappointing. But life goes on.

Eric, when avocados are perfectly ripe and not too ripe, it's so easy to peel them. I section them into halves, then into quarters and just gently peel the skin off. I've seen other techniques on tv cooking shows but that works for me. I don't like to waste even a smidgen of a perfect avocado!

I'm afraid it's back to portioned meat cooking and steamed veggies. I'm having no success with the weight battle, even with the sacrifice of abstaining from a pre-dinner cocktail.