Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Last night, my political bookclub had its annual holiday dinner. The host always make a lovely tenderloin with a very thick, sweet mushroom sauce. We all brought different courses....so we had a nice pear and walnut salad, roasted veggies, steamed veggies and a potato gratin made with 1% milk instead of the good stuff. I brought sourdough bread, rosemary butter and choc. truffles, but the star every year is the sticky toffee pudding desert. It tops off a basically unremarkable dinner.
ilene

Tonight, I am headed to another friends house for an annual "girlfriends' holiday dinner" and the menu never changes. Again, everyone brings something that the host assigns and since the host has been the same for 15 years, the menu has been the same. It is fun and interactive because it is fondue (and we have almost burned down the house a few times), but the cheese fondue is from a package as are all of the sauces for the shrimp, beef and chicken. We inbibe so much, starting with candy cane martinis, that no one seems to care about what they are eating. I am making a carmalized onion, pear and gorgonzola crostada as an appetizer, so I try to class it up. There are 11 of us and its all about the "thoughtful" gift exchange and not the food.

I'd expect hanger steak to be especially suitable for a long cook (as opposed to prime rib, which is not so much), 12-24 hours. The stringier ones come out extremely well that way. I love flank that way (we can't get hanger, or I'd do that too). One of my favorite restaurants in Montreal -- L'Express -- has a totally killer hanger steak. Sooooo beefy, and quite unique.

It wasn't as long as cook as I would have liked, but it was very, very good.

Candy cane martinis! Good thing I did not have to cook after one of those. Yum.

Tonight I did chicken with chantrelles, green beans with tarragon butter, egg noodles, and mixed greens. Dessert was lemon ice cream (hagen daz five - it was delicious) with blueberries and ginger snaps. And some cheap red wine.

I don't think the recipe did justice to the delicate mushrooms. They ended up waterlogged soggy and just sort of overcooked. I liked the combo of flavors but next time I'd do it differently. I should have known when the recipe suggested plain white rice to serve it over, and to boil the liquid that contained the cream. (I added it at the end instead).

Overall it was a fun evening, we had friends over at the spur of the moment, and now my bug about trying chantrelles has been fulfilled.

A very boring dinner but one I really like, ham cabbage and potatoes, just dumped in a pot. Mustard on the ham, butter, salt and pepper on the veg. All washed down with a glass of water. And no one ever complains, go figure.

Mary

Tried Beef goulash from C&B, actually pretty good, over noodles with some salad. Thought the weather would be worse today, so I soaked 15 bean soup mix last night and they are now happily in the SC along with some leftover ham, for tonight. I'll make some cornbread to go with. Not very inspired, but cold weather po' folks comfort food. Fortunately, Ton' likes soup for dinner.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo last night. Killed the last of the brandy and the sauvignon blanc making it, too. Good thing I keep that emergency bottle of vermouth around. We had it on whole wheat linguine, and I was surprised that I really liked it. It's been hit or miss with the whole wheat pasta. Carbonara - no, but baked penne - yes.

Tonight, quickie with contents of fridge, smoked salmon omelet and salad. Vinaigrette was just a good-ish quality balsamic + olive oil + dijon + S&P. It never ceases to amaze me that people actually buy salad dressings; that very basic vinaigrette is vastly better the Kraft and very very easy to make. Salad was tomatos+sliced radish+cuke+red pepper+boston lettuce+scallion. Don't you love random contents of fridge Still, pretty decent, and healthy.

I call a Whatatta. Fritatta from whatever's in the fridge.

Jesbelle,

I've been doing that a lot lately with quiche, actually. Our grocer is now carrying quite decent frozen whole wheat pie crusts, so I've switched from doing random fritattas to random quiches.