September 2016, Whats for Dinner??

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:Beth, the meal just looks as if it were grilled.

We were gonna grill today, but we changed plans last night because of possible winds.
Well.....the storm never pinched us here on the west side, so Tina threw a lasagna together, and baked it in the toaster oven. Only problem, she forgot to push s t a r t  button, and went to sit down to watch TV.... Haaaa...the first hour the timer went off, "ding" and Ooops! un-cooked lasagna.

bethk wrote:Imelda, I thought you made your crispy shallots!  I have GOT to find an Asian market.

I never knew you could buy the shallots already made.  Thanks for the tip!

Imelda, when you pressure cook your ox tails do you do it long enough to completely soften the centers or just the meat?  It's been years since I made a good ox tail stew ~ and that was one I cooked all day long.

They usually come in plastic jars, so many kind of them, we have to be careful to get the right one



About my oxtails, I cooked until the meats tender, not fall of the bones, the centers are usually the bones

bethk wrote:Wow! That's a huge jar of fried shallots.  It would take me HOURS to fry that much ~ and I'd probably end up burning half of them!

Bugster2 wrote:I want to start using the real thing too. I have a KA grater/slicer attachment that I might try. If it works, what should I store the cheese in?
I was at our local Italian market last week. They sell the real cheese but a hefty chunk is $25. I am talking about 6 by 6 by 2 tapering down to about 1/2 inch.

I have just spent an hour chasing fur tumbleweeds across my wood floor. I also pulled chunks of fur off the bottom of my kitchen chair legs. There are two of Katie's cats sleeping on my butcher block table. I am sooooo tired of all the fur. It is all her cats fur, not mine. My cats don't come into the kitchen any more. How can I get it under control? I am at my wits end.

Imelda HL wrote:

bethk wrote:Have you ever done the crispy shallots before?  Man, I tried and tried to get those right before I finally found the secret.  Start the thin sliced shallots in cold oil and don't let the oil get too hot, keep stirring.  The real tip is to take them out BEFORE they turn very brown, just when they look dry.  They continue to brown up after they are out of the oil.

I can't tell you how many shallots I ended up burning before I figured it out.

Or, ask Imelda how she makes hers.....she sprinkles them on her foods all the time.

I have never succeeded in making fried crispy shallots, mine are always store bought  Asian stores sell them, but you have to be careful, some of them have fillers, like the shallot skin or flour, but the higher price ones usually pure shallots and their crispiness last long

bethk wrote:I love browsing around ethnic groceries....Asian, Hispanic, Cuban....whatever I can find.  I have the most fun in the Asian markets as I REALLY have to guess at what I'm looking at.  I can usually figure out the language on the Spanish packaging, but I've no clue when it's written in Chinese or Japanese.

Fortunately, there is usually someone in the store who can translate for me.  The employees are usually very gracious and kind to the idiot old woman who is confused as all get out.  Sometimes I think they just answer my questions to get me out of the store so they can laugh out loud at me.....and I don't blame them!

bethk wrote:Tina can eat popcorn?  I would think that would bother her.

I think all bakeries have their exhaust 'aimed' at where people gather.  Seems senseless to waste that wonderful fragrance when you can generate sales with it!

Bugster2 wrote:Roasted asparagus lasagna and garlic bread for dinner tonight.

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:

Bugster2 wrote:Roasted asparagus lasagna and garlic bread for dinner tonight.

Sounds good Deb.
Did you still use noodles? ... Tomato sauce? ..... I know we make a White / no sauce Lasagna.

Bugster2 wrote:

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:

Bugster2 wrote:Roasted asparagus lasagna and garlic bread for dinner tonight.

Sounds good Deb.
Did you still use noodles? ... Tomato sauce? ..... I know we make a White / no sauce Lasagna.

No tomato sauce just a parmesan/cream sauce with a pinch of nutmeg. It has roasted asparagus, onions, lemon juice, fresh tarragon and savory, fontina, mozzarella.

bethk wrote:I took the leftover Fideo and added hamburger w/a can of diced, fire-roasted tomatoes ~ turned it into Spanish Spaghetti (very similar to my Spanish Rice supper).  Added a tossed salad.

Tina would love that spaghetti like that!

Just a note: I'm watching TV and a video of Migrant Workers Picking Sweet Potatoes in the fields in the south. OMG.... what a labor intensive job. God bless them.
I could never survive doing that.

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:Would you believe....egg salad sandwiches for supper, with sweet hot pickles.
Beer for me, and then, Rice Krispy Treats for dessert.