Worked from home today, due to the storm.
Got a lot done.
Stilll don’t like WFH.
Shoveled about 10-11" of snow from the sides of my driveway.
Don’t like that all that much either.
But thank goodness for the condo fee that pays for the plowing, among other things.
The only good things about WFH is dressing comfily (is that a word?) and being able to plan dinner on the fly.
Which was a filet mignon, pan-seared and finished in the oven to medium-rare. Topped with sauteed minced shallots and chopped mushrooms, finished in a red wine reduction with the veg. A light sploosh of heavy cream at the end.
Sides were roasted baby yellow potatoes tossed in duck fat, s/p, and Spicewalla’s Honey and Herb seasoning rub, as well as roasted Brussels sprouts.
Helping the soon to be (nuptials pending Nov 4,22!!!) son in law break in the new grill Santa brought him. Picked up a nice 40oz ± prime porterhouse, couple lamb chops and a few slices of bacon for the christening! A particularly cold windy night with the wind whipping around you made it for a chilly lesson but oh so worth it.
Pesto topped grilled salmon for the ladies. Sautéed broccoli and mac n cheese to round the meal out. I’m a happy albeit cold camper!
My take on a true Los Angeles original, the chili size. The burger was a combo of beef and chorizo, a roasted poblano pepper, pinquito beans, onions and pepper jack cheese. A few vegies with ranch dip.That was one hot poblano pepper. A beer with would have been great but alas, I have none. Cocktail was an orange g&t with a splash of Bada Bing cherry juice. Last sunny day for a while, rain is on the way.
Mrs. P made duck leg confit pizza with Humboldt fog cheese, caramelized onion jam, cranberry cherry cabernet conserve, hoisin sauce, yellow peppers, and arugula among other ingredients. I also had some crispy duck cracklings. It all went great with an inexpensive petite Sirah.
I was inspired by @honkman 's dinner earlier this month and tried making Jansson’s Temptation, a casserole with potatoes, anchovies, onion, and cream. Pretty good, the anchovies (didn’t have sprats) added a lot of salty umami flavor to the potatoes.
Been doing a lot of breakfast for dinner lately. Tonight was another “One Wok Meal”: an omelette with asparagus, cheddar, and Al Fresco chicken breakfast sausage. Side of hash browns with more cheddar and toast.
Some additional cooking: while at work, I made my coworker a bacon cheeseburger. I wasn’t going to photograph it but it looked and smelled too damn good!
i find that lemon Pledge flavor whenever i have lemon sparkling water or lemon flavored vodka, but i haven’t found it in homemade preserved lemons, or i’d be off them too!
Lamb shank tagine with apricots, figs and preserved lemons. We love braised lamb shanks but the size of the ones in the grocery store are problematic. We each want our own but they are too big to be eaten in one meal so there are always leftovers. I was in Fattal’s (Paterson, NJ) and saw them cut into smaller pieces. They were so much easier to cook and eat. Served over farro since I was out of couscous.
For those NJ people who are familiar with Fattal’s Bakery and Market, they’ve completed a store renovation, and more importantly, a parking lot renovation. For those not familiar with Fattal’s, it’s a great Syrian/Middle Eastern bakery and supermarket on Main Street in Paterson. It is one of my favorite stores.
Went very simple for dinner tonight…chicken thighs, seasoned with olive oil, dried thyme, lots of freshly ground pepper and lime zest. Into a 400° oven for about 25 minutes, sprinkled with fresh lime juice and finished with another 20 minutes in the oven, basting once.
Burrrr, it’s a soup night. Chicken soup (made from the dregs and breast meat of the Peruvian chicken) with orzo and peas. Seeded sourdough roll. Pstob.
My DH feels the same way about preserved lemon, although I can sometimes sneak a little bit into sauces. I made myself some salad dressing with preserved lemon and dill a few days ago and have been eating it on EVERYTHING- that salty tang is so addictive. You might try adding just a bit of it to a vinaigrette or something and see if that makes it more palatable.
Another excellent evening at Nonna’s Citi Cucina with mom and BF. This will be the last time dining at this location, as they are moving to a new (and much larger) building in the next couple of months. My meal was Chicken Piccata. It was supposed to be veal but I requested chicken as to not draw the ire of my dining companions . Mom had shrimp over risotto and BF had Chicken Parm with no sauce. For appetizers, we shared fried zucchini and the Nonna’s salad, which is basically an antipasto. While I’m looking forward to trying the new location, I have always enjoyed the rustic ambience that this setting has offered.
Last night’s dinner at my sister’s. She made a pasta dough with farm fresh eggs i got. I had her roll it extra thin, because i wanted many, thin layers for a Smitten Kitchen’s mushroom (crimini & various dried) lasagna. I added a little Marsala and fresh thyme to the shrooms, too. Ended up with only 5 layers because I needed more bechamel. next time. Pic is of two squares atop each other, under a salad of arugula in a shallot/dijon vinaigrette. Not as rich as i thought it would all be, but super tasty. BF got leftovers. French pink bubbly to go with.
. Mom had shrimp over risotto and BF had Chicken Parm with no sauce. For appetizers, we shared fried zucchini and the Nonna’s salad, which is basically an antipasto. While I’m looking forward to trying the new location, I have always enjoyed the rustic ambience that this setting has offered.
