Sed, I presume Max is a dog, I think he is smart to want only warm popcorn with butter smell, he probably likes it even better with real melted butter.

Oh, I put real butter on it.

I make sure its unsalted butter too (I dont think it makesmuch a difference.)

pirl said:

JB - I did use a comma!

I wasn't critiquing your punctuation; I actually read it as egg foo yung souffle and wanted more info. Now I am dejected. I remember reading years ago of a fluffy EFY dish that was served sandwich-like in the 60's (?) as post-drinking food in Detroit or Canada, or someplace equally foreign and thought perhaps I'd found a reliable source...

Dinner tonight; I made a wild cepe and veg mix, heavy on the celery root, which was then braised with a chicken thigh and placed atop very good saffron risotto. Not fancy but seasonal given the cold, wet and blustery weather.

now I want some egg foo young I do like it.

Turkey meatballs in a ketchup based sauce, over rice, lima beans aside it.

JB, your dinner looks good, I would eat that.😋

Ann and JB..great photos

Tom..drain the juice well .. fluffiest stuffing you ever had and delicious

I had a snapper sandwich with a pineapple salsa

We finished off the rest of the chicken pot pie for dinner. It was out in the porch and frozen solid; so need defrosting and reheating. Easy, but not so quick as I didn't want to do it all in the microwave to keep the crust crispy.

It was chicken for us here, too. The standard, baked goodness, cooked with onions, carrots, and broccoli (added later). Mashed potatoes filled out the side. Bad picture as the broccoli looks to be a black mess. It wasn't. Unoaked Chard tonight. Fire going now, too. It's a nice quiet Saturday night, the way I like them.

Good evening all,

Ann...Thank you. Dave and I are getting the appointments straightened around. Just irked it set us back over a week. Between the pandemic, 1 doctor working out of multiple locations/offices, trying to schedule several procedures in a row in advance (It requires them to 'think' and multitask) and then the holidays---well, it does not surprise me in the least that this happened. Then you throw in the fact that people do not show up/go to work (regardless of reason) and it isn't shocking. Just immensely frustrating. It will all get worked out in the end. I just try to tell myself, "All for a reason." It is either that or run around screaming, "ARRRRGGH! :doh:"

I liked the looks of your breakfast. Very pretty egg cups with the prosciutto. While I esthetically and photographically like the 'look' of soft/easy cooked eggs, I do not like the taste of them at all. The important thing is YOU did as they were your breakfast. Chicken pot pie sounds good. That porch sounds handy! Very useful as a larder (do they still use that term?) or pantry. Depending on weather you can keep a variety of things out there easily.

Rita...I love Manwich Sloppy Joes. I love them even more when served with tater tots! Oh big yum!

Sed...Max sounds like a good dog. Glad the 2 of you enjoyed the popcorn.

JB...Dinner looks so very good! Chicken thighs, wild mushrooms, earthy veggies and a risotto. Even the husband said his mouth was watering and he is full---we just got done eating. He also said beautiful color on the chicken. I agree. You must post that recipe pretty please, if you do not mind. I'd like to give it a try.

Rosie...That snapper and pineapple salsa sandwich sounds real tasty. I may have to keep that in mind for later.

As for us we had pasta instead of chili. I decided to take out a container of pasta sauce and make spaghetti. I also made a very nice salad. Skipped the bread. Dinner was very, very good. Wine tonight was a glass of Cupcake Cabernet Sauvignon. Very nice with just about any casual fare.

In regards to the chili, I threw out all of the old stuff. Yeah. I was not thrilled about having to trash $25 worth of food. But it sure beats taking a chance and having to pay $250 to urgent care or worse...$2,500 to the emergency room because I had dysentery from eating bad meat or if I was lucky food poisoning. Considering the state of our ERs already during this pandemic I thought that was a small sacrifice. The store gave me no problem exchanging the one pound of beef I had in my freezer for a newer and fresher one.

Also fate was kind. It just so happened to be the store manager who was ringing us up at the store today. Looking at my replacement ingredients, she asked if I was making spaghetti sauce. I said, "No. I'm making chili again. I just threw all the chili I made out because of the beef recall...blah...blah..blah." She asked me how many pounds of meat I had used in my original chili when I made it. To make a long story short, she gave me 2 of the 4 pounds of 97/3 beef for free! I usually use 2lbs. for chili and then put 2 separate 1 lb. packs in the fridge for other uses.

Happy night all.
AG

Today for dinner: Spaghetti! A coincidence!?
It is Unbalanced-Meal-Dinner Saturday.

Max would not stop squirming between my legs as I ate the spaghetti.
Apparently, I had accidentally forgotten about a small piece of doggy treat in my pocket.

Chicken here tonight as well - Poulet a la Moutard.

Chicken dinner here as well, chicken breast seasoned with Italian herbs, sauteed in a little grapeseed oil and butter, mashed potatoes with butter and caramelized onion powder, and a bit of the cooking liquid, and haricot vert with my very spicy maoli and parm. I drizzled a little of the herb butter oil over the chicken and the potatoes. DH said it was very good, I liked it too. I had red wine, he had white wine.

A lot of good chicken dinners going on yesterday! Can't beat that. I just had left overs. it was so nice to have just a few dishes to wash and very little time spent on cooking after a long and busy day with the horse chores. Just a couple more really cold days and then it should warm up a bit, but yesterday's 20 degrees felt like a balmy day. It was supposed to get up to near 30 but that didn't happen.

AG, it's nice that the store manager made things right with you on the ground beef.

AgaveGirl1 said:Good evening all,

JB...Dinner looks so very good! Chicken thighs, wild mushrooms, earthy veggies and a risotto. Even the husband said his mouth was watering and he is full---we just got done eating. He also said beautiful color on the chicken. I agree. You must post that recipe pretty please, if you do not mind. I'd like to give it a try.

No recipe, sorry - it's just a 'do this' sort of thing. I will give you the steps I used:

Since you mentioned the color of the thigh I assume you want crisp and rich skin - you achieve that the same way you do with duck breast. Season your chicken (for me it is just thyme salt; l grind thyme leaves and salt together in batches, let it dry and use it as my go to), place the thigh skin side down in a cold skillet or faite tout that you have rubbed with just a bit of olive oil or butter, place a plate or some such on top of the thigh(s) and then a weight on the plate, turn the flame to a low medium and walk away. Leave the thigh to cook gently for a good 15 or more minutes without disturbing it - it will stick to the pan at first but as the skin shrinks and exudes its fat it will release and you will have good color and crisp skin...but the chicken will still not be cooked through. The key is slow and even...and your nose is more important than your eyes as the chicken should remain covered by the weight - pay attention and if you start to smell telltale 'scorching' reduce the heat. Slowly, slowly. BTW you will find that cooking under the weight not only gives you the skin that you want but also changes the texture of the flesh to a more dense and unctuous one like a confit-lite.
While the chicken is sizzling gently, prepare a goodly mix of root veg of your choosing. Mine was celery root, carrot, onion all cleaned, peeled and fairly coarsely chopped. I used frozen cepes (porcini) mushrooms, you can use fresh mushrooms, dried porcini reconstituted in water, etc., whichever way you go you will want to keep the mushrooms separate from the other veg initially.
Once the chicken has browned deeply remove it to a plate and pour off all but a TBS or so of the accumulated fat, increase heat and when at smoke point and add your mushrooms, stirring and cooking over a quite high flame until they take on a bit of color - if you used dried mushrooms now is the time to add the water that you used to reconstitute them - taking care to not add the sediment. As soon as the liquid has evaporated add a bit of the chicken fat and all of your veg, reduce the heat and saute until the veg just start to take on some color, add a sprig or two of thyme, a branch of rosemary and a clove of garlic, sliced, allow to cook a minute or two longer. Deglaze the pan with a generous amount of dry white wine - perhaps a glassful - stirring well and allow to reduce by about half, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add a couple of cups of chicken broth and bring to a simmer - taste the veg/liquid mix for seasoning and adjust. Nestle the chicken thighs into the veg mix making sure the skin remains above the level of liquid and veg, tent with a loose piece of parchment paper, or loose foil with a few holes pierced in it and place in a moderately hot (375+/- oven for a further 40 minutes or so.
While it is in the oven you just have time to make simple saffron risotto. Or creamy polenta. Or mashed potatoes.
Because I do not exercise self control I tend to do these kinds of dishes with lots of veg but - as last night - only one chicken thigh. If I cook two (and they are smaller here at about 4 ounces including bone) I will eat two. Cook three, well I probably could eat three. Cook six - I don't like leftovers so I better eat all of them. Thus you will need to adjust to suit the volume of veg and pan size that you are using - but the principle remains the same.

Let me know if you try it. I'd be interested.

I just took the mutton shoulder I mentioned a few weeks ago out of the freezer...that will be on the menu either tomorrow or the next day.

AG wrote " That porch sounds handy! Very useful as a larder (do they still use that term?) or pantry. Depending on weather you can keep a variety of things out there easily. "

It is very useful. Was especially useful when I was doing massive open house parties and I would just cross my fingers that it would be a freezer during prep time and a fridge on the day of. Didn't always work that way, but it you keep an eye on the temp, it can be very helpful. I tend to put freshly cooked things that will eventually end up in the freezer out there to cool off w/o filling up my fridge. But you gotta remember what's there. If it stays cold enough things are fine. But it's always a few degrees warmer inside than outside and in mild weather it's just a fridge. I've got an old wooden bench that goes on the patio in summer (but needs to be replaced). Anyway, I try to keep a clear path to it amidst the assorted garden things, BBQ, summer tires and stuff that are there for winter.

We've got a bit of snow/freezing rain today. Will try for a walk later if not too icy. Yesterday was lovely and sunny, though quite cold. But my street is scraped smooth and once out of my street, sidewalks in the neighbourhood were clear to bare pavement.

Good morning all,

Sed....Max sounds incredibly spoiled. You will have to post a pic of him at some point.

And I agree with Tom. Lots of good sounding chicken dinners going on. I'm over due for one myself and have been thinking about what to make as I have bone in/skin on thighs, boneless/skinless thighs and of course breasts on hand. So lots of options present themselves.

Also agree with Tom, that it was nice of the manager to refund me for the 2lbs. of beef. I did not expect that since I had neither the product nor the receipt and the manager was just taking my word for it. She took almost $13 off my bill by giving me 2lbs. free plus I already got one pound as an 'exchange' because I did have a package of the meat . Excellent customer service on her part. I should call the company and give her a compliment. People always love to take the time to complain but rarely do they take the time to compliment when somebody does something well or nice.

Ann...Sounds like you put that space to good use. I was going to say if you couldn't store food out there you most certainly could store cooking gadgets and equipment. Heaven knows I'd get into major trouble with a room like that. I need less space or else I get ridiculous with stuff. Glad you are able to get out for your walks. It helps not only with the body but with the mind as well. No more excuses for me. We are warming up and the sun is back out.

JB...Thank You so very much for taking the time to write out that splendid chicken dinner recipe for me. Much appreciated. It looks and sounds magnificent. Technique wise I do not think it should be too hard as I am sure I could use one of my Dutch Ovens or other heavy pot as my 'weight' and that would suffice.
My only concern is that I have an electric stove as opposed to a gas one and you mention the raising and lowering of temperatures quickly several times. Electric stoves here in the US are not quite as responsive. Once that burner is hot it stays hot and takes a bit of time to cool down. That is the only thing that worries me or would that not be an issue? What is your opinion?

Husband surprised me....made homemade pizza for lunch! Leftover salad to go with. YUMMY!
Will catch all a little later.
AG

AgaveGirl1 said:Good morning all,

Sed....Max sounds incredibly spoiled. You will have to post a pic of him at some point.

And I agree with Tom. Lots of good sounding chicken dinners going on. I'm over due for one myself and have been thinking about what to make as I have bone in/skin on thighs, boneless/skinless thighs and of course breasts on hand. So lots of options present themselves.

Also agree with Tom, that it was nice of the manager to refund me for the 2lbs. of beef. I did not expect that since I had neither the product nor the receipt and the manager was just taking my word for it. She took almost $13 off my bill by giving me 2lbs. free plus I already got one pound as an 'exchange' because I did have a package of the meat . Excellent customer service on her part. I should call the company and give her a compliment. People always love to take the time to complain but rarely do they take the time to compliment when somebody does something well or nice.

Ann...Sounds like you put that space to good use. I was going to say if you couldn't store food out there you most certainly could store cooking gadgets and equipment. Heaven knows I'd get into major trouble with a room like that. I need less space or else I get ridiculous with stuff. Glad you are able to get out for your walks. It helps not only with the body but with the mind as well. No more excuses for me. We are warming up and the sun is back out.

JB...Thank You so very much for taking the time to write out that splendid chicken dinner recipe for me. Much appreciated. It looks and sounds magnificent. Technique wise I do not think it should be too hard as I am sure I could use one of my Dutch Ovens or other heavy pot as my 'weight' and that would suffice.
My only concern is that I have an electric stove as opposed to a gas one and you mention the raising and lowering of temperatures quickly several times. Electric stoves here in the US are not quite as responsive. Once that burner is hot it stays hot and takes a bit of time to cool down. That is the only thing that worries me or would that not be an issue? What is your opinion?

Husband surprised me....made homemade pizza for lunch! Leftover salad to go with. YUMMY!
Will catch all a little later.
AG

He is enjoying his Sunday head massage lol

[quote="AgaveGirl1"

JB...Thank You so very much for taking the time to write out that splendid chicken dinner recipe for me. Much appreciated. It looks and sounds magnificent. Technique wise I do not think it should be too hard as I am sure I could use one of my Dutch Ovens or other heavy pot as my 'weight' and that would suffice.
My only concern is that I have an electric stove as opposed to a gas one and you mention the raising and lowering of temperatures quickly several times. Electric stoves here in the US are not quite as responsive. Once that burner is hot it stays hot and takes a bit of time to cool down. That is the only thing that worries me or would that not be an issue? What is your opinion?

[/quote]

It isn't a problem…you just have to pay attention. Particularly if you smell scorching in which case lower the heat and remove the pan from the hob until it is cooled.

I survived with an electric cooktop for six years when living in the bay area, the only time in my adult life that I have ever been a renter. Then later I bought a condo in downtown Seattle as a get away spot and that was both a tiny place (550 sf but in an absolute killer location) and had only an electric cooktop. Circa 1980 something…. I have cooked some memorable meals in both, you learn how to adapt.

Sallyg - thank you for the acorn.