Whats for Dinner in this December 2014?

bethk wrote:We had our Polish dinner ~ a fabulous success if I do say so myself!

Pierogi, brats w/onions & peppers and a cherry crostata for dessert (that I forgot to take a pic of....)

Seven of us for dinner - pierogi:



Brats w/onions & peppers:



A few pierogi w/my sour cream.....LOL

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:
Beth! Tina did a good look, and she and I said they are crafted deliciously delectable.   Also, the dough looks nice and light! Great Job!

Is there a recipe to share??

cookingirl wrote:Beth---looks really good!
But brats are not Polish!! You needed to have kielbasa!!! LOL!!

The kielbasa can be either, fried, boiled or baked!

Try sautéing the pierogi after frying. Add some onions to the pan and fry in butter until it they brown a bit.....you can add the kielbasa to the pan also..pour the browned butter over the pirogies when serving---yum!!!!!
I grew up on all this food...

and I am being a brat----it is Christmas time anyway........the brat in me comes out!!!

bethk wrote:Niagara - I think part of the fear of cooking rabbit is because it is most often sold 'whole' instead of broken down into 'parts'.  People see the whole dressed rabbit and, quite honestly, are put off because of it's similarity to a skinned cat. A friend of mine saw a dressed rabbit once and swore it looked just like the cat she had to discect in high school biology class.  I know it's silly, but I think it's true.  I've had a braised rabbit stew that was wonderfully rich and flavorful.

I also know some people who see a whole steer or hog butchered are shocked because all they've ever seen is a cut of the meat wrapped in plastic at the grocery store.

NormM wrote:Everyone's dinners look great.  I have not made much since tetrazzini. I am hungry for a nice fish stew but on one else is excited about that idea.

bethk wrote:

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:
Beth! Tina did a good look, and she and I said they are crafted deliciously delectable.   Also, the dough looks nice and light! Great Job!

Is there a recipe to share??

Tell Tina 'thank you' for me.

The pierogi were really good, Jimmy, especially for a first time effort with a recipe I'd never used before.  Joe, our Polish neighbor, as well as the others all agreed I got it just right.  Phew!  I was worried since it was his late wife's recipe....I didn't want to screw it up.

The dough was lovely to work with - it got mixed mainly in the kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook.  I didn't have to do much kneading at all.  And it came out silky smooth and very pliable, no problem with tearing.  I broke down the dough into small portions and let them rest under a damp towel and then rolled them out thin before cutting into rounds to fill.  A little water swiped with a fingertip on half the circle edge was all it needed to stay put.  We didn't have even one 'blow out' in the water when we boiled them.

I'll put the recipe in the 'odds & ends' catagory.

Barbara101 wrote:I do not like rabbit meat at all. Not becuz it was hopping around looking cute,I just do not like the dark meat of it.Not a fan of any poultry dark meat either.Different stokes folks..

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:

Barbara101 wrote:I do not like rabbit meat at all. Not becuz it was hopping around looking cute,I just do not like the dark meat of it.Not a fan of any poultry dark meat either.Different stokes folks..

Hows about Venison? AKA Bambi Burgers!???


I have eaten it when Gram or Mom Made it. All wild life meats if soaked in baking soda I will eat. It takes the so called game ee  taste out.

I have eaten:
Rabbit
Squirrel
Woodchuck ( AKA Gopher ) ( AKA Groundhog )
Possum
Bear Chuck Steaks
Racoon
Pidgeon
Venison
Sparrows

The best tasting, was the Racoon if you can get past the color of the meat. Like a gray! ....

The thing to remember with wild game, is a clean . quick kill.
If the animal is allowed to live over 30 seconds after the attempted kill, the animal secretes adrenalin ... That then is circulated through the blood, and causes the meat to taste different. An instant kill does not allow the adrenalin to circulate, and the meat tastes fresh and better.

Same thing when dunking a lobster in a pot of boiling water. If the lobster is irritated and handled roughly, the adrenalin is pumped
My brother always added alcohol to the holding water, so that the lobster would actually relax before the big final dunk.  

Bugster2 wrote:

Niagara Visitor wrote:I have booked a vacation for myself (late March) where I will probably be in a bathing suit most of the day..................... needless to say, a few pounds have to come off, so I am really trying to make both low calorie and also smaller portions for myself.  For tonight I have taken  some salmon out of the freezer, that will just be oven baked with a little EVOO and some spices, and a nice big salad of mixed greens, peppers, onion, tomato, half an avocado to go with it.

For lunch I'm having the first half of that avocado, some shrimp, some pepper pieces and a few grape tomatoes.

Where are you vacationing?

Barbara101 wrote:I do not like rabbit meat at all. Not becuz it was hopping around looking cute,I just do not like the dark meat of it.Not a fan of any poultry dark meat either.Different stokes folks..