What's for supper - Friday, July 25, 2014??

[cbayer]

I am going to make chicken parmesan. I have already made the fresh tomato sauce and will serve on pasta.

We have lots of fresh figs, so maybe a smoothie for dessert.

How about you?

[pinto]

1. Thai leftovers. How do you make your fig smoothies? Calimyrna and Kadota crops are in here.

[cbayer]

3. Fig smoothies - big, fat yum!

I scrape the pulp out of the figs. I know the skin is edible, but it just doesn't work for the smoothie.

I add some banana, plain yogurt, and honey. Then I pulverize it with some ice cubes using my stick blender.

You could add whatever else you want, but this is the basic recipe.

We have two kinds of figs growing not his property - one is green and one is purple. Both are excellent.

We also have apples and pears coming along nicely. I look forward to 2 more months of eating off this land.

[fizzgig]

2. depends on my shopping trip

pork chops are on sale, so i think i'll get some for the grill. the colorado corn is in and on sale 5/$1 and i am definitely grabbing some of that.

[cbayer]

4. I made pork chops a few days ago and they came out really dry.

It's tough to get them just right.

I hope yours come out well and that the corn is perfect.

[locks]

5. Pork chops

Online, thekitchn has a video on cooking tender and juicy pork chops; brining them, then fast searing on stovetop, then baking in heavy skillet in oven. Some recipes call for using a baking dish after browning, adding water, covering tightly with foil and baking about an hour.

I usually cook them about 1 1/4 hours on stovetop (after browning) in a sauce, covered and on low. My favorite sauce is still orange juice, onion, white wine, water, brown sugar, orange and lemon peel, thickened with butter and flour, adding water if needed while they cook. Lime juice and garlic can be added too.

[NJCher]

6. lots of olive oil

Last edited Fri Jul 25, 2014, 07:05 PM - Edit history (1)

Plus constant basting and placing the pork chops over on the sides of the grill, away from the direct heat of the coals, would help with keeping the pork chops from drying out.

As the RG likes to remind me, they have gotten the fat out of most of the meats now, so you have to keep that in mind when grilling.

Party last night was great; we all had such a good time. The salads and entrees the RG made were wonderful and best part is that there are leftovers for the weekend! The evening closed out with a round of limoncello, an Italian liqueur made in southern Italy.

Tonight I'm doing the same thing cbayer's doing, only I'm not using pasta. Just eggplant, ricotta/parmesan cheese, and chicken. And lots of basil! Using my homemade tomato sauce. RG's visiting the grandkids, so I will take my creation to my computer room and watch my favorite crime shows while having dinner.

Also: a salad made with fennel and zucchini and lemon-mustard vinaigrette. Am blanching the zucchini for barely a minute and shaving the fennel on my mandolin.


Cher

[Galileo126]

7. Ricotta cheese ravioli

with hot Italian sausage and a quickie marinara, with fresh basil. If I can find the reggiano in the back of the fridge, I'll shave on some of that.

Oh yeah, some vino too. It is Friday after all!

[greatauntoftriplets]

8. Deep-dish sausage pizza.

Salad. The sausage is from Trader Joe's and looks very nice. First time I've bought it there.

[alfredo]

9. Today was a fast day. My one meal was baked Salmon with Capers, Beans and greens.

Last edited Fri Jul 25, 2014, 07:20 PM - Edit history (1)

To add heat, I put a whole Jalapeno in the dish. I just put a long slit in the Jalapeno.

[noamnety]

10. My first attempt ever at brown butter

I've *acquired* some pumpkin gnocchi, I'm gonna try a sage brown butter thing with them, with a little goat cheese added in. And I've got chicken thighs with kind of a curry coating baking in the oven.

[alfredo]

12. That sound wonderful. I am addicted to braised chicken thighs. I used the

Emeril recipe. Not a fan of his, but this recipe was simple and good.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

11. za.

And even that was ambitious. Feeling pretty worn out today.