What's for Dinner ~ Tuesday Dec 18th

[Lucinda]

[livetohike]

1. Leftover lentil soup, apple/celery/blue cheese salad and rolls

[msanthrope]

2. Leftovers from a major party this weekend--the last of a fish soup made from

Lobster broth, coconut milk, clams, mussels, and Holy Basil, cilantro, and Thai chilies.

The Lobster broth was a two-day prep--lobster bodies, white wine, galangal root, Thai Holy Basil, cilantro, lemongrass, shallot, green curry paste, and garlic, simmered for 2 hours and then carefully strained, allowed to sit overnight and then strained again.

[cbayer]

5. Holy moly, that sounds delicious.

:drool:

[msanthrope]

14. Oh, it was...*urp* nt

[Glassunion]

12. Holy crap!

You just made me so very hungry.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. leftovers, banana bread and candy

the holiday cooking marathon begins!

[cbayer]

4. LOL! Looks like a big night for leftovers around the group. Sausage/peppers/onions

here. Going to pretend like I am at Fenway watching a game.

[Lugnut]

16. We had sausage, peppers and onions for dinner too.

We pretended we were at the Bloomsburg Fair!

[bif]

6. Boullabaise

Or however you spell it.

[LancetChick]

7. Leftover chard, cannellini bean & tortellini soup, whole grain bread.

Accompanied by an overwhelming desire to make a peanut butter pie with chocolate ganache and Oreo crust.

[yellerpup]

8. Sesame chicken

(made from last night leftover fried chicken breasts) and veggie fried rice. Taking it easy on cooking tonight. I've made two batches of cookies today: chocolate mint and Viennese Crescents (walnut shortbread, shaped and rolled while still warm in vanilla confectioner's sugar)

[pinto]

9. Macaroni 'n cheese with spicy V8 in the boil, some half and half, shredded pork, fried onions rings.

[cbayer]

10. Found this recipe for mac and cheese that is making me drool.

I can't wait to try it.


Quick Skillet Mac and Cheese

Serves 4

12 oz. dried spiral pasta, such as cavatappi, rotini, or double elbows
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
2 cups low-fat (2%) milk
4 oz. grated Emmentaler (1-1/4 cups)
4 oz. grated Gruyère (1-1/4 cups)
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
3 oz. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Position a rack about 4 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler on high.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until just tender. Drain well and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and continue whisking until well combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the milk and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the Emmentaler, Gruyère, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme and whisk until the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth, 2 minutes. Stir in the pasta to coat with the sauce. Off the heat, season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the Parmigiano-Reggiano evenly over the pasta.

Broil until the top is browned, 3 to 4 minutes, and serve.

[pinto]

15. Yeah. That sounds like a great skillet, browned under the broiler...

[Cairycat]

11. Thai mango chicken

http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/2012/10/thai-mango-chicken.html

Colorful, lots of good flavor contrasts - yum!

[NJCher]

13. Black Beans 'n Rice

Brown rice that I cooked up in the rice cooker. Black beans that I cooked in chicken broth. On top, chopped raw onion and queso cheese.

A little hot pepper sauce on the side, and a small piece of pork roast on the side, too. White wine. And let's not forget: 2 Beanos!

I must say, it is totally outrageous. Who would ever believe such a simple dish could be so good?

Yellerpup, everything you made sounds wonderful. Sesame chicken! And I so wish I could have Xmas cookies. Alas and alack, I am on a low-glycemic diet and so no Xmas cookies for me. Those Viennese crescents are my all-time fave, especially when they're homemade.

cbayer, I love that recipe, but oh, the fat in those cheeses. Here's my low-cal version of macaroni and cheese. No way would it be as good, but just for the record:

Low Fat Macaroni and Cheese

¾ cup evaporated skim milk
1 cup low fat (skim) cottage cheese
½ cup part skim ricotta cheese
½ cu low fat shredded cheddar cheese
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 pinch ground pepper (to taste)
1 tbsp. dry bread crumbs
1 lb. whole wheat elbow macaroni

Preheat oven to 350
Cook pasta according to package
instructions. Heat the milk in a saucepan
over low heat. Add the cheeses until they
melt, stirring constantly. Stir in the nutmeg
and pepper. Remove the cheese sauce from
the heat, add the cooked pasta and mix well
Pour the mixture into a 2-quart casserole
dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and
bread crumbs. Bake for 15-20 minutes until
bubbly and top is browned.
Makes 6 (1 cup servings) Per Serving: 250 calories, 3g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 37g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 200 mg sodium, and 17g protein

Due to getting older, I've had to "get used to it."

It's better than no mac 'n cheese!




Cher