What's for dinner?

Cwillie no excuses now hun but I do know what you mean - why not cook your most favouritest meal in the whole wide world and freeze it into portions so you can have it again ...and again.... please don't tell me your favourite meal is salad!!!!!!

Soya milk works too send and I imagine coconut cream added to it would give it an extra creaminess and the nutmeg works with coconut

Sendme2help, almond milk is delicious and would be pretty good in rice pudding I think?
I'm always amazed at how well people on this thread eat, jeanne's dinner sounds wonderful (I agree about the supermarket rotisserie chickens, delicious and economical). It's hard to motivate myself to make a decent meal when it's just for me, all mom wants is her ensure and some fruit.

Monday we had rotisserie chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, stuffing, watermelon.
Tuesday we had chicken a la king with dried cherries, celery, and peas over mashed potatoes or stuffing (your choice), pickled beets, and dressed romaine wedges.

I think rotisserie chickens are a great value. This one served 4 adults 2 meals. I should think of this more often!

I live near a place that supplies barbecued ribs to restaurants, and they have a tiny front office where they sell them to the public. I had a pack in the freezer and tonight we had ribs, cheesy jalapeno corn, big almond-stuffed olives,watermelon, and fresh bakery bread.

I really do cook from scratch sometime, really! But I'm having a bit of an easier week.

Falcon -- I don't know why I thought these recipes were from Jude. Probably had just read something else of hers. So, thank YOU.

Jack Spratt would eat no fat, loved by Mrs. Splatt!

Grrrrrraaaannaaahhhhhnananarahhhhh! HE, as I was getting ready to make the rice pudding, says he wants it NON-Dairy!!!! That is never going to happen, it is against my cooking principles, grrrrattattatat!

Thanks, blackbird. Pudding it is, but I'm going to have to wing it on the vanilla pod.

Got smart tonight and cooked part of my stash of crab legs (on sale!) outdoors in a pot on the grill. I love them, but *hate* the smell of them in the house. It worked like a charm. Made up some low-carb coleslaw, so maybe I'll have that with some hard salami for a snack tonight - working another 3-4 hours, so I'll probably need a protein snack to keep me going.

Hippo, Stork, its all good! I'm not judgemental. By the way when I said droppings I meant food not what birds usually drop. :)

Is it a full moon tonight cause I'm in a really weird mood.

Actually gershun I should probably have renamed myself Hippo! definitely not as elegant as a stork although I have a big beak!

I might just do that - I will be close because Niagara is on my bucket list hun xxxx

Aw Falcon I was so looking forward to seeing you hovering over my place like the stork that drops newborn babies. Not that I am suggesting you look like a stork!

But seriously, if you plan on going to the U.S. you should go a little further and drop in on Canada.

Lol you nutters. What can I say it is my true pleasure in life - I really really like cooking....when I was a new wife I spent more time avoiding the dishes my ex used to throw if the food wasn't up to standard...amazing how quick you learn how to cook - I was still stupid enough to be all loved up. My ex even paid for me to learn how to cook to the standard he expected.

You'd think that would make me hate cooking but it didn't - I just realised that all my life I had eaten food that wasn't cooked properly and I had to relearn what food should taste like - don't get me wrong I love baked beans on toast and I like Heinz soup too but I still prefer to cook my own because I KNOW what is in it.

My preferred choice is to shop at farmer's markets or better still visit a pick your own farm. I like fish straight from the dockside when the boats come in and free range eggs and if I could afford it organic meat.

I adore curries and I make them from scratch no bought ground spices - I make my own dry roast, grind pickle and fry to make the pastes - when asked by the Indian shipowner why I didn't just buy the jars of paste I said would you - he said NO of course not - then why would I want to?

Gershun when this is all over I am coming to the states for my final holiday but that big metal bird in the sky will be bringing me - I hope I don't get put in quarantine at the airport!!!!!!

Lol Yes! Her wings might get tired flying all the way to Canada though but Falcon if you think you can, fly over here and drop off that rice pudding.

LOL Gershun, it's just mom and me, we're used to odours wafting through the house! Maybe now that Falcon has wings she can fly over and cook for us?

Yes cwillie and your home will smell like fart all evening afterwards. If you like that smell its great.

Even easier, Heinz baked beans right out of the can. Veggies, fiber, what more could you want?

Or if you are like me these days: Take can out of cupboard
Find can opener
pour Chef Boy ar Dee into can
Heat up
Pour in bowl (or if you prefer eat out of pot)

OK Sausage rolls
Now I am given to believe that finding sausage meat could be difficult in the states so I am having to start from scratch here:
20 oz free-range or organic pork shoulder
8 oz free-range or organic pork belly
1oz fine dried breadcrumbs (optional)

Chop into pieces and mince - now I appreciate you may only have a food processor/blender and you can do it in this but watch it you don't want a paste and that is exactly what you will get if you overdo the blitzing

½ teaspoon salt
16 sage leaves, finely chopped
Black pepper
¼ teaspoons of freshly grated nutmeg

Mix the minced meat with everything else by hand in a big bowl - its messy work but we know messy well so just dig in and squish away - it has to be mixed till it is thoroughly even throughout now just chill it (at this point if you have used only fresh ingredients you could theoretically freeze it but I wouldn’t as it doesn’t last long in the freezer because you aren’t add all the chemicals that commercial producers do)



Heat your oven to about 350-400 F

Decide what pastry you are going to use (see above recipes on pastry) make and chill

Right so you now have chilled sausage meat and chilled pastry

Roll out the pastry into a long narrowish strip now remember you are going to wrap it round the roll of sausage meat so so not too narrow. I find that I roll it long and wide and then cut it into two length wise but practice makes perfect and it does depend on how you like to work


now you need to take some of it and roll a long sausage - the sausage should be as long as the pastry you have just rolled out - now you place the sausage on one side of the pastry then using an egg wash (just beaten egg with a dash of milk) brush both the long sides of the pastry. Fold the pastry in half and pinch the edges together - I use a fork to create a pretty pattern but thats a personal choice.

Then all you do is cut the sausage rolls to the size you want - now I am crap at getting these even so I do it this way I cut them in half and then again until I get to the size I want
Then all you do is pop them on a baking tray - use the remaining egg wash to glaze the tops and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown



Oh then you eat them!!!!

I imagine you can use cinnamon if that's your preference - we don't tend to use it much in the UK for rice pudding and if you have never tried it nutmeg is soon nice

GRRRR OK two rice pudding recipes
Right I have a recipe but I think a rule of thumb is about 1 cup of full fat milk to about 1 oz of rice and 3/4 oz superfine sugar

5cups full fat milk
5oz pudding rice
4oz superfine sugar
a generous knob of butter (this is optional - I never use it but my gran ALWAYS used it - but I am quite liberally when I butter the ovenproof dish so maybe that would account for it tasting the same!)
a very generous sprinkle of freshly ground nutmeg


Preheat the oven to 140 C or 285F so quite a low oven this time
Butter a large ovenproof dish - if you don't be prepared for a very stuck rice pudding that is a nightmare to clean!
Bring milk slowly to a simmer in a saucepan - you don't want to burn the milk.
Stir in rice and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour the whole lot into the ovenproof dish.
Top with the knob of butter and grate fresh nutmeg over the top - please don't use ground nutmeg already done it doesn't taste the same at all.
Then into the oven for about an hour and a half - I usually stir mine after about 45 minutes.

If you like a more luxurious rice pudding (I think this is the one you were on about Send!) then here ya go:

3½oz sultanas
1 mug hot strong black tea
7 cups milk
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
7oz pudding rice
3½oz golden granulated sugar (if you don't have this ordinary sugar is fine)
lots of freshly ground nutmeg
1 vanilla pod which you split and scrape the seeds from

Preheat the oven to 160C/320F.
Soak the sultanas in the tea for ten minutes, then drain and throw the tea away - the sultanas need this plumping first or they will just take it from the milk and you end up with a very dry rice pudding
Butter a large casserole dish ( something about 12in x 8inches should do it),

In a bowl, mix together the milk and cream. Stir in the rice and the sugar and a pinch of nutmeg. Add the vanilla pod and seeds, then stir in the soaked sultanas.
Cover the dish with a lid or sheet of foil, then cook in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the lid or foil sprinkle with oodles of nutmeg and cook for a further 45minutes - an hour (until the rice is tender and the top is lightly golden and has formed a skin).

Note this time you don't bring the milk to the boil first because the cream will split it and it will be vile

Sendme2help: Make instant vanilla pudding. Make rice and cool it. Combine the two, along with raisins. Top with cinnamon. Chill it overnight. Voila!

JUDE! I was waiting for your rice pudding recipe, but I just ate the rice. Is it posted somewhere else? No rush, just got raisins today, for the rice pudding.
I can wait.

Yams, microwaved 6-7 minutes, sliced thick in large circular cookie-like rounds after cooking. Add real butter, cinamon/brown sugar if you like. Serve hot.

Jude, thanks!

I've got to tell you, Americans are not big into cooking with lard. :) The one place I do like it, though, is pie crust, so maybe putting it in pastry wouldn't be too traumatic.

Baked potato plus leftovers on the side.

OK I have been asked for some typically English recipes: specifically Sausage Roll,iced Squares, Vanilla slices, Shepherd's Pie, Rice Pudding So here goes peeps:
Sausage Roll
You have several options on pastry here so if I explain the methods I use and then you can choose which you want.

If I do the pastry part tonight I will follow on with the rest of the recipes tomorrow so please be patient with me:


The Pastry

RULE OF THUMB - COLD EVERYTHING

Shortcrust Pastry - great for sausage rolls if you don’t want flakes of pastry everywhere but not as nice as flaky pastry in my opinion - I use it to top a pie or if I am making a base for lemon meringue

Probably the simplest to make and can be used for savoury and sweet pies, tarts and flans. There are several different ways of making shortcrust pastry but I am going to stick to the easiest

• 8oz plain flour (daft as it sounds when I am making pastry I tend to weigh the flour out and put that in the fridge the night before - it just produces better pastry as the house is kept warm for mum
• 2oz lard straight from the fridge (if you cant get lard then shortening is fine)
• 2 oz butter straight from the fridge

I cut the fats into pieces the night before so they are both cold and chopped or I find they warm really quickly

• half a teaspoon of salt
• 2-3 tablespoons cold water that has been in the fridge overnight

Make sure you bowl is cold too - if you live in a warm area put the bowl inside a bowl with ice in it. No hot hands please - rinse them for a good while in cold water and as they start to warm back into cold water again

Sift the flour and salt - I always sift twice to be sure it is combined properly

Now I know people will say can I use a food processor - the simple answer is yes but if you overwork the mixture the pastry is nowhere near as good and it is very easy to overwork it so I always use my hands

Rub the fat into the flour but raise your fingers high above the bowl to keep the mixture light and airy and let the mixture cascade backing the bowl. Lightly - Not scrunched up between your palms only your fingertips - continue until you have a fine breadcrumb mix in the bowl

then add the water a little at a time - I have seen many cooks use their hands at this point but to keep the pastry ‘short’ you should use a knife - remember ice cold water. Once it has formed to large lumps of dough use your hands to gather it together as you roll it around the sides of the bowl it will soon come together.

At this point I knead it very lightly until it is perfectly smooth then wrap it in either floured cling film (saran wrap?) or pop it into a floured plastic bag and dump it into the fridge for half an hour - gives you time to clean up and get ready for the next stage!!

I have a marble slab and a marble rolling pin but failing that you still need to keep everything cool - you have taken so much trouble thus far it would be a shame to ruin it at this stage.

Now you need to have in your mind what you are making you will need long narrowish oblongs for sausage rolls and rounder shapes for pie dishes (unless of course they are square!!)

Roll always away from you and only ever in one direction and turn regularly to keep the shape if you want the round shapes - if you are needing a longer shape make sure the bottom doesn't stick to the marble by lifting it and if need be dusting underneath.

If I am putting it on a pie I lift the pastry by rolling onto the rolling pin and using that to transport it

FOR SWEET FOODS

Use only butter and then instead of adding water in stages add a beaten mix of
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 and a half teaspoons superfine sugar
• 3-4 teaspoons of cold water
also in stages


Puff Pastry - this is the pastry I use when I am making salmon and prawn horns, vol-au-vents and vanilla slices

This is really a more professional pastry but it is easy to make although takes time. I cheat I buy mine to be fair

8oz plain flour
pinch of salt
1oz lard
5fl oz cold water
5oz butter

Sift together the flour and the salt and rub in the lard only. Stir in enough of the water to make a soft dough, against saran wrap and chill for half an hour.

When I actually bother to make this for myself I cheat and use this method
Put the butter between 2 pieces of greaseproof paper - you can use saran wrap but I find greaseproof easier and flatten out with a rolling pin until it is a rectangle 4 inches by 3 - you're not rolling it per se but flatten it out - I have a paddle and it gives me great joy bashing the butter!

Roll out the dough to another rectangle that measures 10 inches by 5

Take the butter out of the paper and put on one end of the dough rectangle.

Bring the corners of the dough together and pinch the edges together lightly to make a sealed envelope.

Chill for 1/4 hour (drink tea!!!) You have to to do the chilling or the fat bleeds out and everything turns nasty and becomes very greasy and the pastry is just plain tough

A
Roll your dough envelope on a floured surface so that it is three time longer than it is wide

B
Turn the top third down and turn the other third up on top of the edge you just turned down. Seal the edges lightly with a rolling pin and turn the pastry 1/4 turn

Repeat A and B and chill for 30 minutes.

Repeat A and B twice more and then chill for another 30 minutes and then repeat A and B two more times - so 6 times in all - I know it seems a lot but you need this to get the layers of pastry

Now roll out and use as required.

If some of the butter does bleed through dust with a tiny bit of flour butter might come through the surface, if this happens, dab on a little flour.

Flaky Pastry - The best for sausage rolls but equally good for jam puffs

Now everything needs to be really cold or it will FUBAR trust me - the fat melts and it goes very very wrong - this one takes a while top make too it’s all the chilling but you mustn’t try and skip that stage

8oz flour
pinch of salt
1.5 oz lard
3oz butter
1.5 oz lard

Sift the flour with the salt and rub in 1.5 oz of lard. Add enough cold water to bring the flour to a soft dough.
So far pretty standard
Mix together the rest of the lard and the butter not too soft but soft enough to stay in blobs later
Roll out the dough to make a rectangle about 10 inches by 5 again.

And this is where it gets more complicated but pay attention and all will be well

A
Dot 1.5 oz the butter/lard mixture over two-thirds of the rectangle.

B
Fold the third without the fat on it up over the middle third of the pastry. Bring the other third down on top of the upturned flap. Seal the edges with a rolling pin (make sure they are sealed if not it will get ruined and also get very messy later on) C
Now you need to know which bit was where so take note because when you take it out after chilling it you must have the folded side to the left and right and the pinched edges will be top and bottom OK? OK now chill for 1/4 hour

Repeat stage A,B and C twice more and then a third time but with no addition of fat (on account of there wont be any left!) Chill the final mix for half an hour


Rough Puff Pastry - this is sort of a cross between the last two and works well for sausage rolls too

8 oz flour
1 tsp salt
8 oz butter, at room temperature, but not soft
about 8 tablespoons of cold water possibly less possibly more

This time you sift the flour and salt then roughly rub the butter in but not too much you should still be able to see the butter bits (ie it is not breadcrumbs)

Add about 4 tablespoons of the water more if you need it until you have a firmish dough then wrap in cling film and pop in fridge for half an hour.

Take it out and knead it into an oblong shape. Then you have to roll it into an oblong that is three times as long as it is wide - try to keep the edges as straight as you can (I am utterly useless at this bit) then fold the top third down and the botom third up over the newly turned down top the make 1/4 turn and repeat - cling film again and at this point it will be too warm to use so back into the fridge - the pastry not you that is!!!!

Finally back on track with our low-carb eating after Mom's fall and stay in the hospital. Feels great to be back on track and having more energy and getting back to my "normal". I've done more today than I've done all week, and it's because I have more energy.

Last night's dinner was Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls - essentially all the ingredients for cabbage rolls (except the rice, a no-no for low-carbers) tossed into a pot and cooked up like soup or a casserole. Awesome stuff. Fast and easy too, if you buy the pre-shredded cabbage in a bag! 10 minutes of prep, 30-45 minutes of cooking and you have a great dinner with leftovers for the next day. :-) A win-win in my book.

I did screw one major thing up last night - I left a 2-lb. container of strawberries out of the fridge where Mom could see them and get to them. Woke up this morning to find them gone, all but the 3-4 berries that were starting to get soft - she ate almost an entire 2-lb container of berries all on her own. I mean, I'm glad it wasn't like potato chips or cookies, but 2 lbs of berries....she'll be lucky to get out of the bathroom at all in the next couple of days....guess I need to go back to hiding things and doling them out in portion-size servings.

Alternate fast food for dinner: steam any favorite vegetables in a metal steamer with a little water or in a pot with one just enough water to cover bottom for 5 minutes: summer squash, zucchini, carrots, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas.
You could toss a few pieces of shrimp in, a couple of dumplings from Trader Joe's. While it's cooking on low, stir up some rice vinegar, Thai chili sweet sauce, a bit of tamari sauce. Taste to you liking. Then dip the finished food one at a time in the sauce.