OCTOBER, 2018 - What's cooking for dinner / supper?

NormM wrote:Dinner was a one dish pasta with bacon, chicken, cheese and Ranch dressing mix.

bethk wrote:Michelle, I've done a spatchcocked turkey on the grill before.  If I remember correctly (it was a long time ago) I put it in one of the disposable foil pans on indirect heat for quite a while but did the crisping of the skin over the heat.  

It didn't require much in the way of tending.....just cooked away and left my oven in the house open to bake everything else.

NormM wrote:Thanks Jimmy.  I am not as big a fan of tomato sauce as I used to be.  On pizza, I put very little.

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:I had chicken soup and crackers for supper. Tina had cod fish.
Here I am, tethered to a 50 foot oxygen supply.
I went to the pulmonary Dr. today, and she said, she doesn't know how they released me from the hospital, without oxygen.

My % O2 was as low as 70% just walking 16 paces to the bathroom from the kitchen.... I was gasping for air.
Well, I got my oxygen and a concentrator machine to extract O2 from the room air. I have a tank for emergency supply in case of power loss. That is about 14 to 15 hours till power is restored or generator power is on line.

Bugster2 wrote:Katie and I went and saw "A Star is Born". First time I have been to the movies in years. I find the seats to be torture racks. This theater seats were wider and had high backs. Much more comfortable. My legs and feet were cold though. We found ot that Tuesdays are senior citizen days and the tickets were only $6.50. If we download an app for the theater, popcorn will be 50% off. It also had wine which Katie liked. We will go back soon.

Crybaby wrote:In this month's Cook's Illustrated, there's an article entitled "Game-Changing Turkey Gravy," which was about their attempt to make a great tasting gravy, and a gravy that could be made totally in advance, didn't require drippings and a variation that could accommodate dietary restrictions. It was a recipe I copied ("Our Favorite Turkey Gravy"), as it would not only be useful if making gravy when smoking a turkey, but I love learning a new way of doing things. And of course, you can add drippings to the recipe if you have them. If any of you want the whole turkey gravy recipe for your files, just let me know and I will post it.

But what REALLY fascinated me was a sidebar they had about how to build gravy with better flavor in an entirely new way. It's not only easier to do than browning the neck and giblets prior to using, which is what I always do, but online they encouraged one to use boxed chicken broth rather than homemade turkey stock in their gravy recipe. A man asked this question and they said although the homemade turkey stock would probably make great gravy, "it may be thick and sticky/tacky gravy due to the excess gelatin and require thinning," so they go with the store-bought broth and save the homemade stock for a recipe where it can really shine.

Anyway, the concept they wrote about was really fascinating as were the pictures of the insides of a LeCruset Dutch oven with a white bottom: the pot where the giblet mixture was simmered rather than seared had an unbelievable coating of dark brown fond. I'm definitely going to try this the next time I make gravy.  READ BELOW:

How We Built Gravy with Better Flavor
Sidebar, November/December 2018 Cook's Illustrated

The rich turkey flavor in our gravy boils down to one critical component: fond, the flavor-packed brown bits and tacky layer of evaporated juices that form on the bottom of the pan when meat or vegetables are browned. The brown color is a sign that the proteins and sugars have undergone the Maillard reaction and transformed into hundreds of new flavor compounds that can add terrific savory depth when the fond is incorporated into a gravy or another sauce.

Most gravy recipes build fond by searing turkey parts such as the neck or giblets, but we came up with an approach that’s more effective. Instead of initially searing the parts, we simmer them (plus turkey fat and skin for extra flavor) in chicken broth until the liquid evaporates. Simmering actually extracts the juices and fat much more thoroughly than searing does. The proof is visible on the bottom of the pot: Once the liquid evaporates, the entire bottom of the vessel (we use a Dutch oven for maximum surface area) is coated with a gorgeous browned layer of fond.

Crybaby wrote:

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:I had chicken soup and crackers for supper. Tina had cod fish.
Here I am, tethered to a 50 foot oxygen supply.
I went to the pulmonary Dr. today, and she said, she doesn't know how they released me from the hospital, without oxygen.

My % O2 was as low as 70% just walking 16 paces to the bathroom from the kitchen.... I was gasping for air.
Well, I got my oxygen and a concentrator machine to extract O2 from the room air. I have a tank for emergency supply in case of power loss. That is about 14 to 15 hours till power is restored or generator power is on line.

So sorry to hear that but hopefully, your COPD will improve as the rest of you gets better and you won't need the oxygen anymore. I'm supposed to use oxygen at night (that big thing sits on the other side of my bedside table) but I haven't for over a year. Like some PH patients, the oxygen in my blood falls at night. I used it for about 9 months and then couldn't stand it anymore. I even asked my doctor to test it again overnight to see if I still needed it. I did. I was honest with her that I'm not using it anymore which she's not thrilled about. When I was first on oxygen, we were just about to get the whole house generator so I refused the backup tank. Brian laughed as I told the oxygen man I didn't need THAT lugged into the house and how glad I was the woman next door, who I call "Mrs. Kravitz," wouldn't see it coming in! She's a nice enough person, just asks too many questions that to me are personal in nature.

Hang in there, Jimmy. You look better than I did with that canula stuck in your nose! You look a lot thinner, too. I don't recommend the "diet" of emergencies that got you there but you're looking better than you did in that hospital bed! I'm sure it's wonderful to be home, too. So glad you're back home and back here.

bethk wrote:Jimmy, Dane gets all his COPD meds through the VA. all the inhalers and stuff is only $8/month.  Were you 'boots on the ground'?  Are you signed up for your benefits? Dane fought me for years about checking out his benefits.....when he finally started going he now acts like it was all his idea.  But that's OK.  He gets all his flu shots, shingles shots and pneumonia shots for free, too.

bethk wrote:If you are entitled to the benefits then you need to get registered and stop wasting Liam's inheritance on expensive meds when you can get them for $8 a month.....

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:

bethk wrote:If you are entitled to the benefits then you need to get registered and stop wasting Liam's inheritance on expensive meds when you can get them for $8 a month.....

Your right Beth. I'll research it where the closest VA  is from my house.