What's For Dinner #113 - the Holiday Cookie Frenzy Edition - December 2024

[linguafood (Natascha)]

Bc of those GD drones over NJ, my PIC’s been bombarded with interview requests from various national and international news outlets — which is all really wonderful , but this morning some jagoff from Ireland first called MY CELL , then my PIC’s at 7AM to see if he wanted to do a live radio show, which is thankfully scheduled for a more reasonable hour tomorrow morning. WTAFF?

We did a little last-minute “city-shopping” this afternoon: a bunch of dried chilis from the fab Mexican grocer (ancho & cascabel, no idear what to use them for but I’ll figure it out ), where we also picked up half a chicken for tonight’s semi fridge clean-out dinner, and a trio of cheeses for xmas eve and beyond — Stichelton, Taleggio, and Bamboozled from DiBruno’s.

We also swung by the kitchen store at the Italian market bc I broke my mom’s garlic press last night — the one I took with me when I moved out 30+ years ago , and we’re also in the market for non-plastic cutting boards and cooking utensils.

Much as I like to support local businesses, the up-charge on a cutting board compared to online retail was almost 40%, so it looks like I’ll be ordering a few things from Amazon. The garlic press in particular is … well, pressing.

I did get MW poaching pods based on @small_h ’s suggestion, but had to promise my PIC not to try them out when he is around. He got himself a proper jigger for his cocktails.

Then we hit up South Street one last time to visit a Black-owned soap store we discovered early on in our stay, and whose soap bars I am absolutely in love with (got 3), and the pet store cuz his chonkness requires fresh cat grass two days before our departure. Sure

Overall a fairly successful afternoon. Dinner was the shared half chicken,

stir-fried bok choy,

and garlic rice we took home from the Filipino meal mixed with leftover rice we had in the fridge from who knows when Some of that amazing Viet kumquat hot sauce on the side. I’m still debating whether I should pick up another bottle before we leave town.

Since I’d also added two chopped bird chilies to the bok choy, everything was on the hotter side

Doing a good job at cleaning out fridge & freezer! Cheap meal, too

[ottawaoperadiva]

Tonight’s dinner was arugula dressed with evoo, red wine vinegar and capers to start. The main was spaghetti al arrabiata.

[MunchkinRedux]

In my case, it is my cousin’s, which was the first quiche I ever tasted. Still the best, and still a work in progress.

[MunchkinRedux]

A creamy, cheesy, spinach and artichoke pasta with added shredded chicken. Courtesy of the NYT - gift link is here.

The last of the marinated mushrooms on the side.

[BeefeaterRocks]

Camarón fajitas con pico de gallo y crema. Cilantro/lime rice. Sangria.

[mts]

Would you be able to tell if it was the main ingredient in a faux pumpkin pie? I was blown away the first time I had a butternut squash pie, thinking it was a pumpkin pie. Now, I use butternut or buttercup for my pies.

[ernie_in_berkeley]

Posole! As discussed in another topic.

Posole! Please share your experience

And it worked out very well. Unorganized and imprecise recipe after the photo. [Posole20241217_191443] What I used and did. -2/3 lb pork slabs of some kind, labelled “pork stir fry”, very inexpensive. Sliced (next time I’ll go with the grain), browned, and removed from the pot. -1 fairly large shallot, sliced, sauteed in the pot with some EVOO until translucent. -A splash of water to deglaze the pan. Deglaze it! -1 can TJ’s fire roasted tomatoes with diced chilis. As with other TJ’s cann…

[Desert-Dan (Dan)]

Tonight’s dinner is a bit controversial! I know, I know… but I had to give it a try.

Yes… Pineapple on Pizza!! I made a Ham & Pineapple Pizza, tonight.

I thought it was pretty good, but Sunshine did not like it. She ate it, but told me she would prefer sliced onion and black olives on her pizza (next time).

[Desert-Dan (Dan)]

Those are very pretty!! Great Presentation.

[MunchkinRedux]

Thank you! I’ve made this dish before (usually without the chicken) - it’s quite delicious, and pantry friendly: frozen spinach, and canned artichokes.

[small_h]

Potato salad, tuna salad, and avocado. I recently read (possibly here) that you can freeze avocado. Well, you can, but you should not. The flavor and texture both suffer.

And a soup salvage! I added some of the curry powder @Saregama gave me, and some cider vinegar, et voila: better squash soupl

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[THECHARLES (Charles Yu)]

I LOVE anchovies! To me a MUST HAVE in almost all seafood pasta dishes…especially Spaghetti a la Vongole.

[linguafood (Natascha)]

I don’t limit their usage to seafood dishes. They add great umami to almost any sauce or soup base.

[mts]

I used to freeze avocado, but only if I was going to use it for future use in avocado cream pie or for the base for guac (adding fresh chopped 'cados later). I would halve, rub halves with lemon or lime juice and then seal-a-meal. This was before avocado toast became so popular. Nowadays, I don’t need to put up 'cados.

[BierMonk]

@linguafood

The garlic press in particular is … well, pressing.

If you have a Microplane it is a great stand in for a Garlic Press.

[PedroPero (PETER)]

Agree, that and a knife is all I need to chop/mince garlic.

[linguafood (Natascha)]

I prefer the press to the microplane, which I predominantly use to zest citrus.

[linguafood (Natascha)]

There’s a place & time for that method as well, however, for my salad dressings, I prefer crushed garlic

[PedroPero (PETER)]

I try not to clutter my kitchen with single use tools these days , the micro plane is so versatile and I can round jagged edges with it as well!!

[linguafood (Natascha)]

My garlic press lived in the silverware drawer for 3 decades, and my microplane lives in another drawer. Neither of them take up any more space than any other kitchen tools I use on the daily — including my chef’s knife