So what's for dinner?

Maze Runner

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Ah, sorry. I didn't look at the timestamp on your post, so my bad, not yours. :)

The recipe I had used a mixture of minced garlic, parsley, and ricotta, if memory serves, with a little parmesan and nutmeg; rather similar, actually, to the filling I use for manicotti, which is one reason I chose it. I actually thought both the filling and the sauce in the recipe as written seemed bland, but it worked when it was cooked, so I stuck with it.

I use flank for mine, but if the sirloin works, hey, sounds good to me! :)

Ricotta? Really? Ha, I never would have thought to use that and I had some too. I saw one that asked for mozzarella but figured it would dissolve in the sauce. I'm good at sauce and meatballs, but not much else. Grew up eating what I thought (doesn't everyone?) was the best Italian food around. We never ate in Italian restaurants. Wait, except for this one place called Delletusso's. I swear they must have made the sauce from scratch after you came in- that's how fresh it was and that's how long you waited for it.
 

Maze Runner

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:)
Just saw this and wish I could've helped, but I've never made bracciole nor did my mother, and it's not in her favorite Italian cookbook from the 1950s. (The Talisman Italian Cookbook)

That's okay Stormie. Maybe next time.
 

Stacia Kane

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Ricotta? Really? Ha, I never would have thought to use that and I had some too. I saw one that asked for mozzarella but figured it would dissolve in the sauce. I'm good at sauce and meatballs, but not much else. Grew up eating what I thought (doesn't everyone?) was the best Italian food around. We never ate in Italian restaurants. Wait, except for this one place called Delletusso's. I swear they must have made the sauce from scratch after you came in- that's how fresh it was and that's how long you waited for it.


I sometimes add a spoonful or two of ricotta to a bolognese sauce, if you're ever making sauce and looking to use up some ricotta. It's nice. Kind of like adding milk or cream (which I also do), but silkier and with deeper flavor.

And of course, if you have a parmesan rind to toss in while the sauce simmers, that's also quite nice. :)
 

Maze Runner

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I sometimes add a spoonful or two of ricotta to a bolognese sauce, if you're ever making sauce and looking to use up some ricotta. It's nice. Kind of like adding milk or cream (which I also do), but silkier and with deeper flavor.

And of course, if you have a parmesan rind to toss in while the sauce simmers, that's also quite nice. :)

Sounds good actually. Thanks!
 

tarawriter

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Crockpot BBQ Chicken. It's one of my go-to easy meals. The whole house smells wonderful as it cooks.
 

stormie

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I'm sort of lazy today. Frozen cheese raviolis w/ tomato sauce. (Three cloves garlic, smashed and chopped) cooked in a bit of extra virgin olive oil for 30 seconds in the microwave, dump in a can or two of crushed tomatoes, add dried basil and cracked pepper, microwave for about 20 minutes while water comes to a boil for ravs.
 

Kewii

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Okay, I'm in. That Jalapeno Popper Chicken looks delicious! And I'm going food shopping today. In the summer we grow jalapenos and I needed more recipes using them.

Thanks, Kewii!

It was fantastic. I honestly think it's one of the best things I've ever made. Enjoy!
 

L M Ashton

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Yesterday and today was tom yum soup. It's fabulous - the soup, in general, that is. I have a cold, so I have no working tastebuds. The husband told me it was good, so I'm taking his word for it. When tom yum soup is done well, it's absolutely fantastic. I used this recipe. Mostly. With some variations. :) If you haven't had tom yum soup, you really owe it to yourself to hunt some down. :)
 

L M Ashton

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I felt well enough yesterday to prepare actual solid food instead of just soup. So I made a spicy Sri Lankan roast chicken with roast potatoes, carrots, and shallots in the same marinade as the chicken. I think I've very nearly got my modifications down to where it's finished being tweaked. :)
 

Stacia Kane

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I made the most amazing beef stew last night, courtesy of Cooking Light magazine.

Basic Beef Stew with Carrots and Mushrooms: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/basic-beef-stew-with-carrots-mushrooms-10000001142004/

Yum! I'm pretty sure it's the 1 cup of red wine that really makes it. Sometimes I even put some in the stew!


If you're ever in the mood to try something a little different and (IMO) even more delicious, use dark beer instead of red wine.

Trust me. :)
 

stormie

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Roast chicken.

We went to a store today that specializes in different olive oils and where they supply tiny cups and bits of bread to taste each olive oil. Hubby and I were in heaven and spent an hour there. We bought an olive oil that is olives pressed with blood oranges.

So.... We have a rosemary plant outside that refuses to give in to winter weather so we'll cut some and put sprigs of rosemary inside the chicken, rub a bit of the blood orange olive oil on the skin and add more rosemary on top.
 

Lavern08

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Eh,

Something simple.

Meatloaf - Mashed Potatoes and Stir-fried Collard Greens ;)
 

Stacia Kane

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Roast chicken.

We went to a store today that specializes in different olive oils and where they supply tiny cups and bits of bread to taste each olive oil. Hubby and I were in heaven and spent an hour there. We bought an olive oil that is olives pressed with blood oranges.

So.... We have a rosemary plant outside that refuses to give in to winter weather so we'll cut some and put sprigs of rosemary inside the chicken, rub a bit of the blood orange olive oil on the skin and add more rosemary on top.


I'm sure you've already made your chicken--and that sounds awesome!!--but try tucking some of the rosemary under the skin next time. Just slip your fingers under the skin and break the membrane holding it to the meat, and shove the rosemary sprigs in there. :) (I always stick a quartered onion and some rosemary into the cavity, too!)

I'm so jealous you have a rosemary plant. I had one of those "rosemary trees" once, and it was doing well until my mother overwatered it. I tried everything to save it but I had to give up. And really, with the amount of rosemary I use in a week or month, an actual plant would have no hope of keeping up with demand. :)


How did the chicken turn out?
 

Hip-Hop-a-potamus

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If you're ever in the mood to try something a little different and (IMO) even more delicious, use dark beer instead of red wine.

Trust me. :)

Yep! Done that too! I like em both for different reasons (and different moods). :)

Tonight, I made a Sausage and Mushroom Ragu with Polenta. Also Cooking Light, and also AMAZING (especially with more red wine)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 ounces Italian sausage (I like the kick of the spicy versions.)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained (I prefer the petite diced version.)
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked polenta
4 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter​

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Remove sausage from casings and add to pan; saute until browned, stirring to crumble.
Remove sausage from the pan.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan and swirl to coat.
Add onion, sauteing until golden.
Add mushrooms, cooking until softened.
Add garlic, saute briefly, until fragrant.
Return sausage to the pan with tomatoes.
Season with 1/8 teaspoon salt.
Reduce heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
Add polenta slowly, whisking well to avoid lumps.
Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally.
Stir in remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, cheese, and butter.
Serve with sausage mixture. (4 servings)
 

GeorgeK

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I sometimes add a spoonful or two of ricotta to a bolognese sauce, if you're ever making sauce and looking to use up some ricotta. It's nice. Kind of like adding milk or cream (which I also do), but silkier and with deeper flavor.

And of course, if you have a parmesan rind to toss in while the sauce simmers, that's also quite nice. :)
You can do the same with an egg but whisk well so it blends and doesn't just scramble. This is also a way to incorporate more fat into a gravy if you didn't have enough flour. Eggs contain emulsifiers that will get fats and water to combine.
 

GeorgeK

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If you're ever in the mood to try something a little different and (IMO) even more delicious, use dark beer instead of red wine.

Trust me. :)

Yep. The wine lends a fruitiness which some prefer, but I use beer, it lends a slightly grainlike mushroominess
 

stormie

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How did the chicken turn out?
It was raining and cold and I was tired so I didn't traipse outside for the rosemary. But I did drizzle the blood orange olive oil over the chicken, rubbed in a bit of coarse sea salt, and sprinkled a little poultry seasoning over it. I roasted it on a rack in a shallow pan at 400 degrees F., for about an hour and a half (internal temp in breast area was 170 degrees F.). Turned out very moist and absolutely delicious! It had a citrusy taste, more than if I just squeezed a bit of orange over it (which I've done with lemons in the past).

When I do use the rosemary next time, I'll remember to put some under the skin. Good idea!
 

JustinlDew

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Got a new cast iron roaster so I'm cooking a chicken with onions and carrots, and bakIng potatoes to go with it.
It smells delicious