What's on your menu?

It's another Friday afternoon, and dinner is already prepped. We're having hoisin marinated pork tenderloin with soffrito rice. Sort of my own take on fusion cuisine. As you know, I'm no gourmet or "fancy" cook. The marinade is from the latest issue of "Cooking Light" and the rice is an RR recipe that I've made before. It's simple and tasty!

So as your week is winding down, what's on your menu tonight (or over the weekend)?

So as your week is winding down, what's on your menu tonight (or over the weekend)?

Gift certificate for Ruth's Chris tonight and then it's off to Dallas for a week where I will recycle a few more cows.

Gift certificate for Ruth's Chris tonight

Lucky you! I've never been, but I've heard it's very good and very pricey.

I've heard it's very good and very pricey.

Right on both counts. Before the latter got too far out of sight, took brother-in-law and wife from Orlando to the one down there a few years back (also before we retired!). The food and wine are both top drawer.

Dinner out with friends at a place called Yuet Bistro. Sort of fushion Asian food with many dishes from different areas. Fun to go with a group and share.
This afternoon, a friend brought over a stack of whole wheat and reg. flour tortillas. Tomorrow night I am making a RR dish called Chicken Tortilla Pie. It uses 12 tomatillos, jalepenos, ground chicken, among other ingredients, all of which I happen to have and it got great reviews.

Karen, I looked up the chicken tortilla pie recipe and it looks interesting. Please post after you've made and sampled it. The Everything Rachael Ray site lists this one as a keeper.

Also let us know about your dinner out. We're going out with friends tomorrow to a new, local place called Bleu. It got a good review in the local paper (from the Dinner Belle - 4 bells out of 5).

we'll be scarmbling around to get ready for a trip to Mendocino on Sunday through Wednesday (daughter's spring break). We're also vacating our master bedroom so that some remodeling can begin on Monday. That means about 500 cookbooks require relocation. Food is likely to be leftovers or takeout for today and tomorrow.


Mike

No idea yet what I'm cooking tonight. Hmm. Maybe pasta with an asparagus cream sauce. Tomorrow I am hoping to go hear Larry play at Chez Axel. Definitely gonna have French onion soup there!

Definitely gonna have French onion soup there!

And remember to get pictures!

Shepard's pie for hubby tonight...I am not sure what I am going to eat.

I was thinking some type of noodles with roasted squash and prawns.

Definitely gonna have French onion soup there!

And remember to get pictures!

Don't worry, I never leave the house without my digital camera!

I'll wear my Billy Bob teeth.

[Jenise]

Maria said:

Shepard's pie for hubby tonight...I am not sure what I am going to eat.

Are you vegetarian?

Dinner last night was chicken enchilada pie, the best I've ever made.

Tonight we're having home made BLT pizzas. Red sauce, mozz, whole roasted garlic cloves, tomato slices, and cooked bacon go on the dough, and once out of the oven they're topped with chiffonade of romaine tossed with a garlic vinaigrette. Wonderful stuff.

[James Roscoe]

Mediterranean feast tonight with our "Gourmand" group. The hosts are making some kind of lamb. I'm not sure how they our preparing it. My wife is busy preparing baklava and mango ice cream for dessert. I do not know what else is coming. I know we will be drinking a Gingondas with the lamb. Sparkling wine with the dessert.

A special Saturday evening dinner tonight. I'm having Ed Draves and his wife for dinner along with another wine loving couple. Sourdough bread with honey-butter, cucumber and tomato salad, red pepper and green onion consomme, bacon wrapped red snapper stuffed with shrimp, Boef Bourginnone, buttered-parsly potatoes, green beans, cheese and fruit platter, followed by chocolate cake and coffee. We have about 7 wines lined up for the various courses. Will report back on Monday (busy cooking and cleaning stemware).

Maria said:

Shepard's pie for hubby tonight...I am not sure what I am going to eat.

Are you vegetarian?

LOL...NO Jenise! I am not a vegetarian...I am just not a really big fan of shepard's pie and my husband isn't a fan of squash. My husband also works late most nights, so I will eat something earlier and then he will have his dinner around 9:30pm when he gets home.

Howie - that all sounds very delicious! I can't wait to hear the report about it!

A special Saturday evening dinner tonight.

Have a wonderful time, Howie!

Karen, I looked up the chicken tortilla pie recipe and it looks interesting. Please post after you've made and sampled it. The Everything Rachael Ray site lists this one as a keeper.

Also let us know about your dinner out. We're going out with friends tomorrow to a new, local place called Bleu. It got a good review in the local paper (from the Dinner Belle - 4 bells out of 5).

The Chicken Tortilla Pie was ok. Very tasty, but not excellent. I'm sure it is because of my tweaks. First, the recipe calls for 1 lb of gr. chicken. The packages I buy are 1 1/4 lbs, so I used the entire package. The amount of tomatillos it calls for seemed like too many, so I reduced the amount I used, plus I cut back on the cheese. The home made flour tortillas my friend gave me were made with half whole wheat flour. I did not like them as well as the low fat flour torts I buy, that are made by a local company. So given all the tweaks, in all fairness to RR recipe, try it, but do what she says. It really needed all the tomatillos and cheese and regular flour torts. I WILL make it again!

Our dinner out was great; we tried a chicken, pork, seafood and an all veggie dish and shared. Sharing with a group is a fun way to eat with this type of cuisine.
This restaurant is very casual, clean, good service, and they aim to please. It is family oriented. The fortune cookies served at the end of the meal are always fresh!

Karen, thanks for the report. I would probably have made some of the same changes you did. I tend to use what I've got on hand, and substitute freely if needed. Usually it makes no real difference. However, I'll keep your experience in mind if I decide to make this myself.

Sounds like you all had a great dinner. It is fun to get together and share food around the table. We do the same thing. Our dinner was pretty good, except that 3 of us ordered our meat medium and it was medium rare to rare. Two of us sent it back. The service was good and they were most gracious about taking it back to be cooked some more. My husband's venison came out quite rare in places, but he ate it anyway.

Prime rib is sliced from a roast, so why would they ask me how I wanted my meat cooked in the first place? I've only had prime rib I liked once, and it was definitely not that rare.

Otherwise it was good. We had a shrimp tempura appetizer with a nice dipping sauce and salads made with very fresh, spicy young greens.

Prime rib is sliced from a roast, so why would they ask me how I wanted my meat cooked in the first place? I've only had prime rib I liked once, and it was definitely not that rare.

Usually, when one cooks a roast, there are varying degrees of doneness within it, and they were correct in asking. I'd be annoyed if they didn't.

I prefer mine very rare. I'll take it rare, but anything past that and I send it back.
Sounds like we'd be good dining companions - I'll take the pieces that are too rare, and you can have the ones that are too done for me.

Usually, when one cooks a roast, there are varying degrees of doneness within it,

Thanks John. I've never done a beef roast except chuck roasts in the crockpot. I do get the concept, though. When we grill flank steak the ends are well to medium and the center is medium rare. Which, by the way, I like in flank steak. I think the difference is in the texture.

Sunday was soup, fresh bread and a bottle of Chianti. 03 Monte Antico, in this case.

The soup is ground pork sausage, potatoes, onion, mushrooms, garlic w/ kale. Slice, then cook the potatoes in chicken stock & some black pepper. Saute the sausage, mushrooms, onion & garlic with dried oregano, basil & thyme. Add to the potatoes and simmer until potatoes are tender. Temper some cream add it to the soup pot & stir. Then take about 1/3 of the soup, puree in a blender add it back to the pot, then add the kale and cook to your desired tenderness. Yummm.

Richard

The soup is ground pork sausage, potatoes, onion, mushrooms, garlic w/ kale. Slice, then cook the potatoes in chicken stock & some black pepper. Saute the sausage, mushrooms, onion & garlic with dried oregano, basil & thyme. Add to the potatoes and simmer until potatoes are tender. Temper some cream add it to the soup pot & stir. Then take about 1/3 of the soup, puree in a blender add it back to the pot, then add the kale and cook to your desired tenderness. Yummm.

mmmmmm, that does sound good!

I posted a WTN over on the Wine Forum about the dinner. Hectic preparation, but all went well.