Foodies Unite!

ALady · Dec 24, 2011, 01:00 AM

Oooooh, Valerie! That sounds delicious. I know your coworkers appreciated it.

Update: the homemade Nutella tastes just like the real thing! :o

lucylew · Dec 24, 2011, 07:28 AM

I'm very excited to spend a large chunk of the next three days in the kitchen. I have two happy places - standing in front of Jim James' microphone stand and in my kitchen.

Today I'm going to make the red wine au jus that will go with the prime rib tomorrow. It takes a few hours to put together but it makes the house smell incredibile while it's cooking. Any recipe that starts with 2 1/2 bottles of wine can't be all bad. Also making some apricot rosemary bars to take to my sister.

I need to come up with a dessert idea for tomorrow's dinner. I was going to make Ina Garten's lemon mousse recipe as I have a ton of meyer lemons to get thru but my sister nixed that idea - she said it sounds "weird".

Any suggestions?

ALady · Dec 25, 2011, 12:26 AM

Something with lemon curd, maybe? I like Ina's recipe for that. A tart or something?

Enjoy your cooking! I'm with you, lucy - I find it so relaxing.

weeniebeenie · Dec 25, 2011, 02:06 AM

So tonight we're having glazed ham, roast turkey, roasted potatoes (with rosemary and garlic), spiced pumpkin (with cumin, tumeric, garlic, onions etc), coleslaw, panzanella salad and chickpeas. Oh yeah!

mjk73 · Dec 25, 2011, 09:43 AM

Quote from: ALady on Dec 25, 2011, 12:26 AM
Something with lemon curd, maybe? I like Ina's recipe for that. A tart or something?

Enjoy your cooking! I'm with you, lucy - I find it so relaxing.

I love lemon curd. I just eat it off the spoon. Also highly addicted to this crack. Made from ground biscoff cookies. I just call it belgian caramelly cookie crack

No gourmet food this weekend other then bacon wrapped dates stuffed with gorgonzola. Inlaws are making the food today, and they do not cook well.

lucylew · Dec 25, 2011, 11:25 AM

The lemon mousse recipe requires lemon curd. Yum. I decided to go forward with that but also make a flourless chocolate cake w/vanilla bean ice cream as another option.

I love Biscoff spread. That stuff is like crack. I was completely ambivalent when I noticed that now Trader Joes is now carrying it - they call it cookie butter. When I had to order it through Amazon I could exercise a little restraint... :P

mjk73 · Dec 25, 2011, 11:33 AM

Quote from: lucylew on Dec 25, 2011, 11:25 AM
I love Biscoff spread. That stuff is like crack. I was completely ambivalent when I noticed that now Trader Joes is now carrying it - they call it cookie butter. When I had to order it through Amazon I could exercise a little restraint... :P

I do love the TJ's is now carrying it. There is only like 3 places in all of the St Louis area carrying it and none or convenient for me so Amazon has been my friend. TJ's is convenient for me (and dangerous). It's great on belgian Liege waffles, then topped with gelato. Or on cinnamon raisin bread/bagels. Or just on a spoon straight out of the jar. I have no shame when it comes to that.

ALady · Dec 26, 2011, 12:10 AM

DUDE. I gave that stuff as gifts this year! ;D

Pro tip: I was buying some "cookie butter" the other day and happened to be buying some lemon curd as well. Checkout dude took one look and was like "man, I bet those two would taste pretty great together".

He was not wrong. Dangerous, dangerous combination.

mjk73 · Dec 26, 2011, 09:51 AM

Quote from: ALady on Dec 26, 2011, 12:10 AM
DUDE. I gave that stuff as gifts this year! ;D

Pro tip: I was buying some "cookie butter" the other day and happened to be buying some lemon curd as well. Checkout dude took one look and was like "man, I bet those two would taste pretty great together".

He was not wrong. Dangerous, dangerous combination.

I will try this on my afternoon snack. I'm wondering if they would combine them for you a Baladoche? Of get the Lemon Gelato on top of a cookie butter covered waffle.

mjk73 · Dec 26, 2011, 08:43 PM

And Maggie, I can blame you when I'm in rehab for this evil combo. Good grief that was fantastic.

ALady · Dec 27, 2011, 12:48 PM

I KNOW MAN IT'S LIKE EATING TINY LEMON TARTS AIIEEEEEE

mjk73 · Dec 27, 2011, 12:52 PM

Quote from: ALady on Dec 27, 2011, 12:48 PM
I KNOW MAN IT'S LIKE EATING TINY LEMON TARTS AIIEEEEEE

I'm sitting here at work twitching and sweating. Soon I'll be rocking in my chair drooling unless I get some of this.

Fully · Dec 27, 2011, 01:35 PM

Today I'm making tomato basil soup that has been tweaked from my grandmother's recipe that has been handed down to me by my dad. I'm using tomatoes that were canned this summer, crema, homemade chicken broth, garlic, potatoes, and fresh basil. Then I'm making grilled cheese paninnis. I've got several variations for my guests tonight: grilled pimento cheese, grilled provolone w/bacon, grilled provolone with olive tapenade, or three cheeses with grilled onions and mushrooms.

he.who.forgets · Dec 28, 2011, 10:35 AM

Quote from: Fully on Dec 27, 2011, 01:35 PM
Today I'm making tomato basil soup that has been tweaked from my grandmother's recipe that has been handed down to me by my dad. I'm using tomatoes that were canned this summer, crema, homemade chicken broth, garlic, potatoes, and fresh basil. Then I'm making grilled cheese paninnis. I've got several variations for my guests tonight: grilled pimento cheese, grilled provolone w/bacon, grilled provolone with olive tapenade, or three cheeses with grilled onions and mushrooms.

Funny, I had almost the exact same thing last night. Although our soup wasnt hommade (we tried that new Campells "gormet" tomato bisque and it was actually quite good). Did Bacon, Muenster & Basil paninis on Sourdough. Delish:)

Fully · Dec 28, 2011, 12:50 PM

Quote from: he.who.forgets on Dec 28, 2011, 10:35 AM
Quote from: Fully on Dec 27, 2011, 01:35 PM
Today I'm making tomato basil soup that has been tweaked from my grandmother's recipe that has been handed down to me by my dad. I'm using tomatoes that were canned this summer, crema, homemade chicken broth, garlic, potatoes, and fresh basil. Then I'm making grilled cheese paninnis. I've got several variations for my guests tonight: grilled pimento cheese, grilled provolone w/bacon, grilled provolone with olive tapenade, or three cheeses with grilled onions and mushrooms.
Funny, I had almost the exact same thing last night. Although our soup wasnt hommade (we tried that new Campells "gormet" tomato bisque and it was actually quite good). Did Bacon, Muenster & Basil paninis on Sourdough. Delish:)

Soup turned out delicious, but it always does. Sandwiches were pretty good too. Those paninnis of yours sound pretty good.

lucylew · Jan 02, 2012, 12:44 AM

I started out the year with my favorite food EVER - pad thai with plenty of sriarcha and lime juice. I repurposed leftover shrimp (was dipped in cocktail sauce) and chicken (lemongrass satay) from last night's festivities and it was amazing. I'm looking forward to a lot of good food and much more exercise this year!

weeniebeenie · Jan 02, 2012, 05:01 AM

Quote from: lucylew on Jan 02, 2012, 12:44 AM
I started out the year with my favorite food EVER - pad thai with plenty of sriarcha and lime juice. I repurposed leftover shrimp (was dipped in cocktail sauce) and chicken (lemongrass satay) from last night's festivities and it was amazing. I'm looking forward to a lot of good food and much more exercise this year!

That sounds so yum!!

mjk73 · Jan 02, 2012, 09:39 AM

Yesterday we did the family New Years and Birthday thing since my BIL and my birthdays are so close to NYE. I smoked a pork shoulder using dried grape vines. The pork is from the hog I butchered which I do every year, the grape wood is from the Normandy grapes I grow, and the spicy rub is my own concoction. Made insanely dark, thick gooey brownies, banana ice cream, and the greatest cake in the world: pastille tres leches. It was good, sooooooooooo good.

Fully · Jan 02, 2012, 11:19 AM

Quote from: mjk73 on Jan 02, 2012, 09:39 AM
Yesterday we did the family New Years and Birthday thing since my BIL and my birthdays are so close to NYE. I smoked a pork shoulder using dried grape vines. The pork is from the hog I butchered which I do every year, the grape wood is from the Normandy grapes I grow, and the spicy rub is my own concoction. Made insanely dark, thick gooey brownies, banana ice cream, and the greatest cake in the world: pastille tres leches. It was good, sooooooooooo good.

That sounds amazing. Do you make your own sausage too?

mjk73 · Jan 02, 2012, 04:24 PM

Quote from: Fully on Jan 02, 2012, 11:19 AM
Quote from: mjk73 on Jan 02, 2012, 09:39 AM
Yesterday we did the family New Years and Birthday thing since my BIL and my birthdays are so close to NYE. I smoked a pork shoulder using dried grape vines. The pork is from the hog I butchered which I do every year, the grape wood is from the Normandy grapes I grow, and the spicy rub is my own concoction. Made insanely dark, thick gooey brownies, banana ice cream, and the greatest cake in the world: pastille tres leches. It was good, sooooooooooo good.
That sounds amazing. Do you make your own sausage too?

Yep. Links, breakfast links, and bulk. We normally just go with a standard country style sausage as it's versitile and you can basically use it as ground pork since it just has salt/pepper/garlic in it. I've made chorizo, actual bratwurst, and hot Italian in the past. It's a fun annual event.