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Post by tod2 on Jul 10, 2020 15:50:56 GMT
Tonight was roast brisket. But to do this you have to have the hunk of meat in the slow cooker by 9am. After electricity issues with a power out the meat (almost falling apart) went into an oven dish in the afternoon with its half cooked potatoes and roasted until it was a lovely burnished bronze. On the side was carrots, cabbage, green beans, a large onion and turnips. Yes, all cooked in one pot! I had white rice leftover from yesterday so heated that up too. Because we only have a good breakfast and a tea break mid morning/12 noon? We eat evening dinner at 5pm. I'm totally stuffed.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 11, 2020 16:38:18 GMT
Dinner tonight was sensational. I made Chinese noodles with chopped courgette and some chillies, black sesame and sesame oil and then I sautéed it all with prawns. And I also made a salad with cucumber, black tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, chopped fennel, red onion and Italian parsley along with a very ordinary mild salad cream, but then I topped it with pomegrenate and it made all the difference.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 11, 2020 17:54:49 GMT
Gosh that does look good. Today I had no intension of cooking as there was two portions of stirfry waiting to be eaten from yesterday. The day before that I slow cooked a lump of brisket before putting it ion the oven with its potatoes to become brown and crispy.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 15, 2020 14:06:19 GMT
Yesterday I made biryani using beef. I've always done it with lamb or chicken but this time I only had 2 lean steaks to cut up. Still have half a dish leftover for another meal. Tonight we are BBQing and it is steak again. Just a Greek salad with the addition of baby gem lettuce and Greek lemon potatoes.
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Post by mickthecactus on Jul 15, 2020 14:17:40 GMT
What are Greek lemon potatoes tod? They sound nice.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 15, 2020 14:25:43 GMT
Tonight is a salad night because last night I gorged on a huge steak with roasted potatoes. The pendulum swings...
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Post by tod2 on Jul 15, 2020 16:41:26 GMT
Mickthecactus - there are a number of recipes on the net but this is how I made (blow you socks off) Greek lemon potatoes. I peeled and cut the spuds in half (any smaller and you loose the fluffy inside) Then I put a huge glug of olive oil, say nearly a cup, a heaped tablespoon of Oregano from Greece, 5 cloves of crushed garlic, and a packet off, yes this is true….of Knorr Lemon & herb sauce for chicken.The one that has a cooking bag. Everything into a large ziplock bag for two or three hours - then tipped it all out into a dish and micro waved until almost done. Then tossed the wedges into my already warmed up airfryer and out came the most crispy brown pieces of spud imaginable. This is a side dish that needs to be made in great quantities as everyone will want a second and third helping. Of course, in the Greek recipe they call for lemon juice and zest, but my Greek friend and her daughters all use the Knorr packet of lemon and herb when making Greek chicken, so I thought let me try it on potatoes….it works a treat. That's the friend who brought back oregano from Rhodes for me. Give it a go and let me know….Ooo that rhymes.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jul 15, 2020 16:56:26 GMT
Your noodle dish looks beautiful Kerouac. I would have to replace the prawns (allergic) with chicken but otherwise I may well pinch this meal idea This evening...in the middle of JULY....I made a hearty beef casserole! But it was delicious with crusty home made wholemeal bread. I've been cutting down my portion sizes recently and I'm hoping that will have an effect on my huge fat wobbly self
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Post by mickthecactus on Jul 15, 2020 17:06:33 GMT
Thanks tod!
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 15, 2020 17:31:12 GMT
Tod, I have have to look and see if the Knorr lemon and herb sauce is available in France. I kind of doubt it since all of those brands make very specific products for each country. Probably even things like "mushroom gravy" or "Mediterranean chicken" are different in most of the countries. However, I can certainly find an herb sauce (or should I say "a herb sauce" for the British?), and I'm pretty sure that I would know how to add lemon to it.
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Post by mickthecactus on Jul 15, 2020 18:18:25 GMT
You are part French so you are allowed to say ‘erb.
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Post by lagatta on Jul 16, 2020 0:19:19 GMT
I've never seen that particular Knorr product here. Other than the Italian and Greek superettes I frequent, there are also Portuguese ones that have very good seafood packets and cubes, but I've never seen that one, and I'm always looking at such things.
Not even mentioning the nearby Southeast Asian ones...
Completely different mix in the Netherlands, between native Dutch products and those from their colonies. I'm running out of my jars of Indonesian sambals.
By the way, by the packaging of many of those, they aren't sold only to foreigners, but also to young urban Indonesian (and related places such as Malaysia) women in cities.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 16, 2020 9:19:24 GMT
I googled KNORR COOK-IN-A-BAG Lemon & Herb sauce for chicken. The exact sachet I used is displayed if you click on the sachet showing the sauce for meat. The cover is "Lemon & Italian Herbs". www.knorrwhatsfordinner.co.za/category/Kerouac I don't think another type of sauce would work. This one is specific for cooking in a bag and doesn't actually turn into a sauce but merely a flavouring. Nothing wrong with experimenting though! And yes I did cheat the Italians but making it a Greek dish!
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Post by tod2 on Jul 17, 2020 15:48:46 GMT
Tonight we had 'bangers' and veg. No mash as is usual but baby potatoes , cabbage, carrots and gem squash. I made a nice onion,& tomato gravy to slosh over the pork sausages.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 17, 2020 20:20:03 GMT
My Lebanese inspired vegetarian dinner was so excellent that I didn't even get a chance to take a photo before digging in. But there is enough left for basically the same dinner tomorrow so I'll try to have my camera in my hand instead of my fork.
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Post by lagatta on Jul 18, 2020 0:50:01 GMT
That is lovely. Food from the Levant is so wonderful that few except the most rigorous wonter whether it is vegetarian or contains a bit of meat.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 18, 2020 16:55:36 GMT
Tonight more steak - the Spar Superstore nearest us was running a three day special offer on rump steak. R70-00kg( 3.67Euro or about $4) with a limit of 5kgs per customer. This steak is for turning into biltong but as you know a big slice of rump has different muscles so we trimmed these smaller parts off and I airfried them Airfried potatoes on the side. Steak is nice and juicy but not the brown sear from direct flame. We went back late afternoon for more steak but they had sold out 2 hours previous . The manager who is very friendly with my husband told him they sold 8 tons of rump steak in three days!
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Post by lagatta on Jul 19, 2020 1:27:45 GMT
I presume this rumpsteak is from ZA?
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 19, 2020 1:50:39 GMT
I had an early supper of health pancakes heaped with mango and yogurt. It was exactly what I wanted and Harley was thrilled, as there are always some extra pancakes for him.
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Post by lagatta on Jul 19, 2020 12:39:53 GMT
What are health pancakes?
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Post by tod2 on Jul 19, 2020 14:08:16 GMT
We had an early dinner /or Late lunch at 3pm. Roasted lamb shank with potatoes and carrots. Also cooked instantaneously was broccoli and green peas. I did Arborio rice with parsley for a change.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 19, 2020 15:49:51 GMT
So, last night was Lebanese meal 2.0 and it was not vegetarian like the previous evening. There was falafel, lentil and garlic salad, hummus, Lebanese flat bread, orange and red cherry tomatoes with Greek olives and radishes, grated fennel, deep fried chicken bits and a little pot of sour cream for dipping the chicken and the falafel. There were plenty of little dishes to wash, but I like washing dishes.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 19, 2020 17:33:05 GMT
The Lebanese feast is astoundingly delicious looking! What are health pancakes? LaGatta, they're essentially pancakes you don't have to feel guilty about eating. This batch was half ground wheat and half ground oats, mixed up with turmeric, cinnamon, a tad of sugar, pinches of baking soda & powder, egg, yogurt, & a little water. Just before cooking, I stirred in some anise seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds & a splash of balsamic vinegar. The vinegar makes the pancakes fluffy, not stuffy. They really can be eaten as is, without having to top them. I did Arborio rice with parsley for a change. Tod, I love rice but have avoided arborio because it's always described as sticky & the only uses suggested are risottos. I'd love to know your way with parsley.
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Post by lagatta on Jul 20, 2020 0:39:02 GMT
I don't feel at all guilty about pancakes as I usually make buckwheat galettes. Those are are very nutritious, and can be made without eggs, though I do sometimes add one for more protein. No sugar either. Though of course, people can add maple syrup.
Yes, arborio is even stickier than paella rice, which is somewhere in between. I have some basmati cooking on low.
It is horrible how little appetite I have these days. While never a "big eater", I've always been a bit "gourmand". I had to force myself to eat small bits of ciabatta with a modicum of cheese.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 20, 2020 0:56:42 GMT
I have some basmati cooking on low. It is horrible how little appetite I have these days. If I can only have one rice, it would be basmati. Ditto on the appetite thing, and I've always been someone who enjoyed eating. Nothing really appeals and I'm completely uninspired. I don't eat breakfast, but do want lunch -- often as late as 2:30. I had nothing in the house, so went to the market & came home & made an avocado, tomato, red onion, & queso fresco salad. On the way back from the market I had a sudden craving, so bought some machine tortillas & had a couple of those with the salad. The problem is that it's now almost 8 pm & I'm not hungry. But I know that if I don't have something, I'll be hungry when it's way too late to eat before bedtime.
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Post by lagatta on Jul 20, 2020 2:21:08 GMT
It seems like an odd problem in the western world, but I actually have to force myself to eat some vegetable, and a bit of fish or poultry. I think it is the result of protracted stress; otherwise I'm healthy, except that mask wearing in this extremely hot, humid weather makes it hard to breathe.
We've actually had some tropical-type storms, and temps worthy of places far to the south. I like heat, but the Earth is really fucked up.
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Post by Kimby on Jul 20, 2020 3:01:47 GMT
We had Chicken Marsala, made with a kit from Progresso. It was very good, and we ate it on our deck with the birds and babbling brook making dinner music.
The kit was pretty “potsy” as my MiL used to say, far from an instant meal, but all of the ingredients were assembled in little packets in the box, except for chicken, oil, hot water and butter. (This would be an ideal meal to take to a VRBO rental, where you don’t know what you’ll find in the spice cupboard and don’t want to pack your whole kitchen.)
One pouch held seasoned flour for dredging the cut up chicken in. One held the right amount of linguini to boil for 5 servings, the third pouch held Marsala wine for simmering, and the fourth contained ingredients for the sauce, which thickened after you added butter.
I figured it was probably loaded with salt but the nutrition info says no, as prepared only 20% of your daily sodium from one serving, 20% of fat (only 16% of saturated fat, zero trans fat), only 2 gm of sugar.
Progresso makes these Kitchen Favorites kits in three other flavors (Creamy Basil, Chicken Alfredo, and Classic Lasagne) but none sounds as interesting as the Marsala.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 20, 2020 5:34:57 GMT
Some of those mixes are pretty good. But we'll probably never get rid of the excess salt, because that is what we have been trained to think makes them taste good.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 20, 2020 11:17:30 GMT
Bixa- I cooked the aborio rice as I would normally cook longrain rice. I put the rice in a Corningware dish and added 2 stock cubes of garlic and parsley together with water. I added a big blob of butter (or once can use a tablespoon of olive oil, )and microwaved it on my rice setting. Gave a stir once or twice but not like when you cook a risotto. All the constant stirring makes if sticky and creamy. When the rice was done I added half a cup of well chopped Italian parsley and stirred it through. The end result was not a light fluffy separate grain rice but a more dense consistency verging on a mixture between longrain and risotto . The rice absorbs the stock cube well and is very tasty.
I note you prefer basmati which I avoid if possible. It is my least preferred rice. Chinese sticky rice is ok with a Chinese meal - I have never seen it available on our supermarket shelves. Do give Arborio a try - you may even decide you love it! I made a double quantity so the rest with be served tonight with some peeled prawns first fried in butter & spices. Serving it with grilled fillet of hake.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 20, 2020 15:48:14 GMT
Thank you, Tod -- I want to try that!
I'm surprised you don't care for basmati, which I love because it's so dramatically long-grain, cooks up so fluffily, and has that delicately rich aroma. I love plain steamed long-grain rice and basmati takes it to the next level.
Supper last night turned out to be a sandwich (made from the semi whole-grain loaf from the great bakery nearby) of gouda and onion dipped in a wash of egg, yogurt, & a little cornstarch and then fried. It was quite nice, although very filling. Darla was thrilled with the part I couldn't eat.
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