Food and Recipes while under Coronavirus quarantine #4

[acutename]

So, salad is on the menu! LOL!

In preparation for freezing temps here in Sarasota, my oldest & I harvested the Romaine lettuce, Buttercrunch lettuce and spinach. Then we covered each of the garden beds with garden cloth. It is breathable but I do hope it helps protect my veggies. I have green beans, tomatoes and mini gourmet cucumbers. The bell pepper plants have flowers too. I didn’t cover the hard squashes or broccoli because they are cold weather veggies. I’m not sure if the peas will make it. We’re hoping for the best. Stay safe & warm everyone!!

wild to see living vegetables when it was a whopping 6F here this a.m.
those cover cloths are great-saved a lot of my plants over last winter but with this crazy freeze (no snow here- just cold) they may not survive. There was still greeen grass around this a.m. in low sunny spots, so your plants may do OK. My cloths will not stay in place with the wind gusts and I spent yesterday chasing a wet and frozen car cover several blocks.

 

[IceIce9]

Same thing was happening here on WDIV, Detroit NBC affiliate that is our go-to source for local news. Crew riding around in a van on area freeways where there were sloppy road conditions, spinouts, crashes. Street reporters standing outdoors in frigid temperatures as they caution viewers to stay home unless they absolutely have to venture out. Reporters telling viewers how quickly frostbite can happen on exposed skin while they stand out in the bitter cold with no face covering.

Yeah just maddening. The same station where they have been warning all day not to go out unless it is an emergency, repeating that we are under a winter storm warning, one of their on-air personalities posts on Twitter saying she is headed for church.

Several people replied to her posts, asking if it was t cancelled. Nearly everything was closed or cancelled here, even our ski slopes are closed!

I don’t like to see our first responders put at risk to rescue people who slide off roads and highways.

 

[IceIce9]

Yes, I do have a weather-caster story.

We lived in Indiana when I was in junior high, my parents moved back there while I was in college.

I looked into my dorm's TV room one evening. A group of people (who, um, rather deserved to be put in their places, imho, just sayin') were watching the Tonight Show, and the host introduced a comic.

I said "That's no comic, he does the weather in Indianapolis."

This was Dave Letterman's first appearance on the Tonight Show.

Just as those people started scoffing, he made a joke about doing the weather in Indy.

OF course he's better known today as a comedian, but some of us remember!


I agreed completely that some of today's just don't understand risk!

When David Letterman was a weather guy here in indianapolis my great uncle was a farmer. He used to get so angry because he depended on accurate weather for making hay and other farming activities. And Letterman was always making jokes and not spending much time on the forecast.

Once I was at my uncle’s house for dinner and we were watching the weather. When the US map came up behind Letterman the line between North and South Dakota was missing. Letterman made jokes about that instead of giving the forecast.

 

[killarney rose]

Getting out in bad weather is a big part of why I can’t stand Jim Cantore and don’t trust a thing he says. Pure drama on his part, no factual reporting.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Getting out in bad weather is a big part of why I can’t stand Jim Cantore and don’t trust a thing he says. Pure drama on his part, no factual reporting.

Maybe those of us who watch these characters as they "brave" wild weather are as looney-tunes as they are

On the subject of food, I've asked DH to peel the remaining slices of ham and cut the rest of the meat from the bone while he's watching the Lions' game this afternoon. I will make split pea soup on Monday.

 

[killarney rose]

It’s unusually cold for us here in south AL. 17* when we got up. After lunch I’m putting veggie soup in the crockpot. Our Christmas Eve tradition is to go to the candlelight communion service, then home to soup in the crockpot. Family coming in late today. I’m still running around trying to get ready. Planning to be caught up by lunchtime. I need to bake the red velvet cake and be through with Christmas baking.

 

[IceIce9]

I was at a pitch-in dinner a few weeks ago and some of us were discussing the recipe for
some delicious scalloped potatoes a friend had made. The potatoes had snipped green onions on top.

One of the ladies was remarking on how unusual the recipe was, because she had never used “the green part” of green onions. She said she had only ever used the white bottom part of green onions and thrown out “the green part.”

Green onions are one of my favorite ingredients to use when cooking so I wondered if there are other people who don’t use “the green part?”

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I was at a pitch-in dinner a few weeks ago and some of us were discussing the recipe for
some delicious scalloped potatoes a friend had made. The potatoes had snipped green onions on top.

One of the ladies was remarking on how unusual the recipe was, because she had never used “the green part” of green onions. She said she had only ever used the white bottom part of green onions and thrown out “the green part.”

Green onions are one of my favorite ingredients to use when cooking so I wondered if there are other people who don’t use “the green part?”

I don't use green onions frequently, but I do use the dark green parts as well as the white. Many years ago, I learned from Food Network cooking shows that the dark green parts of spring onions actually have more flavor than the white part and that the dark greens are also a nice garnish on many dishes. I also started using celery leaves that have a lot of flavor, as well.

 

[PayrollNerd]

I was at a pitch-in dinner a few weeks ago and some of us were discussing the recipe for
some delicious scalloped potatoes a friend had made. The potatoes had snipped green onions on top.

One of the ladies was remarking on how unusual the recipe was, because she had never used “the green part” of green onions. She said she had only ever used the white bottom part of green onions and thrown out “the green part.”

Green onions are one of my favorite ingredients to use when cooking so I wondered if there are other people who don’t use “the green part?”

Actually the green part is most of what I use. White onions, particularly raw, do not appeal to me at all. I am growing yellow onions from tiny bulbs I found at the garden store. The tops look like green onions and my oldest actually was trying to smell them to see if that is what they were. I have no idea if they have a special scent?? I hope what I planted is yellow onions because I will eat those if they're cooked.

 

[IceIce9]

I use snipped green onions on baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, in omelets, scrambled eggs, queso, in all my Mexican cooking, to garnish breakfast casseroles, in cheese balls and chip dip, just to name a few.

I have a pair of sharp kitchen scissors that I use to snip them very fine.

 

[PayrollNerd]

We went to St Pete, FL for a few days. My daughter's friend let us use her condo. What a nice little stay-cation it was for the 3 of us. I wanted to stop at the Kalamazoo Olive store. I love black olive tapenade and I found dill pickle mustard which sounded interesting. They had lots of little wooden dishes and utensils. So I got a little square bowl & spoon. Perfect size for me to have a little dipping bowl for bread.

I have been wanting a bottle to put homemade dressing in. I had mentioned here before that Provino's restaurant has such a delicious salad. I did not have a way to make garlic juice so I minced it and put it in. Then I shook it up and put it in the fridge to meld. We had salad bar with home grown Romaine & Buttercrunch lettuces. It was delicious!!

We always have milk & cookies for Christmas Eve dinner. We made chocolate chip, M&M cookies and milk chocolate fudge today. Sugar for dinner! LOL!

Kalamazoo Olive Company

100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

kalamazooolive.com

Provinos Italian Restaurant – Serving the Atlanta area since 1977

provinos.com

 

[IceIce9]

We went to St Pete, FL for a few days. My daughter's friend let us use her condo. What a nice little stay-cation it was for the 3 of us. I wanted to stop at the Kalamazoo Olive store. I love black olive tapenade and I found dill pickle mustard which sounded interesting. They had lots of little wooden dishes and utensils. So I got a little square bowl & spoon. Perfect size for me to have a little dipping bowl for bread.

I have been wanting a bottle to put homemade dressing in. I had mentioned here before that Provino's restaurant has such a delicious salad. I did not have a way to make garlic juice so I minced it and put it in. Then I shook it up and put it in the fridge to meld. We had salad bar with home grown Romaine & Buttercrunch lettuces. It was delicious!!

We always have milk & cookies for Christmas Eve dinner. We made chocolate chip, M&M cookies and milk chocolate fudge today. Sugar for dinner! LOL!

Kalamazoo Olive Company

100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

kalamazooolive.com

Provinos Italian Restaurant – Serving the Atlanta area since 1977

provinos.com

Your fudge and cookies look delicious! I was going to make cookies and baked mac & cheese as I was going to two get togethers with friends but both of them got canceled. Our weather is somewhat better today, but it is still icy and bitter cold.

I will try the salad dressing recipe, thanks for sharing it.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Since I cooked the turkey in advance a few weeks ago, today’s meal will be easy. I’m in charge of mashed potatoes and fresh green beans.

The girls are making Brussels sprouts. The oldest is going to teach the youngest how to make them. The youngest isn’t confident in her way of cooking them. So they’ll do it together. They are also making the Red Lobster Gluten Free cheddar biscuits.

We have 1/2 an acorn squash left and some collard greens with ham in them. My oldest made them earlier this week.

Now if the 2 of them would roll out of bed, we can have breakfast. I’m in charge of bacon. They’re in charge of baking the fresh gluten free cinnamon rolls that they ordered from one of the bakeries in St Pete. Plus the tiny can of regular cinnamon rolls for me.

Merry Christmas my foodie friends! Stay safe, warm & well!!

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Happy Christmas everyone here, I’ve been very grateful for your company this year.

Just gone 3pm here and we’ve eaten our Christmas dinner. Thankfully all went according to plan. We had some Prosecco with cranberry juice as we cooked and a bit of a singalong to some music. Turkey was a Kelly bronze free range, 5kg. Took two hours to cook in the oven then an hour or so resting -temp was perfect on the thermometer they provide with it. Mr HKP helped with everything and he’s already tidied up.

Cheers to you all xX

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Merry Christmas! I've enjoyed reading about everyone's Christmas Eve and Christmas Day foods. We enjoyed our leisurely dinner at Picano's last night. The parking lot was crowded as there were some private gatherings in various dining rooms. We were in the main dining area that was quiet and never filled up. Service was a bit slow, but we weren't in a hurry to go anywhere, so we didn't mind sipping our delicious Amarone while we waited for our various courses. We started with Calamari Fritti that is our favorite appetizer. DH ordered the pickerel, while I had beef tenderloin for the first time ever at Picano's. I was considering the lamb chops but decided that I'd like to try something different. It was Christmas Eve - filet mignon seemed appropriately festive. DH had minestrone soup, and I had salad with blue cheese dressing (on the side).

Having had an appetizer, we knew that we couldn't eat the side of pasta that accompanies non-pasta dishes, so we asked our waitress to package them to take home. I had no idea that my beef tenderloin was accompanied by a baked potato! It was large and a bit underdone, but I ate as much as I could. The filet mignon was perfectly medium rare, and I loved the charred exterior. The sauteed veggies that we both had were colorful and tasty. I had asked for the "zip sauce" (for steak) on the side because it is very salty and often "buttery" (greasy might be a good way to describe it). I really don't care for Zip Sauce even though it's a Detroit phenomenon. The History of Mario Lelli's Zip Sauce - The Gander

The roads weren't too bad on our way to Picano's, but the trip home was dicey. It had started snowing during dinner, and there was a lot more traffic on the roads. As we always do on Christmas Eve, we drove through our neighborhood to see the holiday lights. In our sub of 108 homes, only about 20 have some type of outdoor light displays this year. When we got home, we put on our Christmas pajamas, turned on the fireplace, and watched A Christmas Carol (1984) with George C. Scott that is my all-time favorite Christmas movie. We resumed watching It's a Wonderful Life which we had started watching a week ago but decided that we were too tired to finish it. Today we'll watch A Holiday Affair while we're prepping split pea soup. DH cleared the driveway, porch, and steps a little while ago, and now it is snowing again. Enjoy the rest of your Christmas Day.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

@BetteDavisEyes I too am making split pea soup for tonight.

One new thing I'm trying this time -- I'm not generally a fan of carrots so don't usually keep any in the house. In the past when I buy some specifically for split pea soup, I use maybe one or two carrots and then have to invent ways to use up the rest before they go limp.

So sometime this past year I bought a bag of diced, dehydrated carrots. Today's soup is the first time using them. The soup is still cooking so I haven't tried the carrots yet, but they are looking good.

I'm never confident about seasonings for soup. Other than salt and pepper, what do you suggest? (I used bacon grease to saute the onion and there is of course a ham hock in the soup). Suggestions welcome!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

@BetteDavisEyes I too am making split pea soup for tonight.

One new thing I'm trying this time -- I'm not generally a fan of carrots so don't usually keep any in the house. In the past when I buy some specifically for split pea soup, I use maybe one or two carrots and then have to invent ways to use up the rest before they go limp.

So sometime this past year I bought a bag of diced, dehydrated carrots. Today's soup is the first time using them. The soup is still cooking so I haven't tried the carrots yet, but they are looking good.

I'm never confident about seasonings for soup. Other than salt and pepper, what do you suggest? (I used bacon grease to saute the onion and there is of course a ham hock in the soup). Suggestions welcome!

We like a lot of carrots in pea soup. Yesterday we used an entire 1# bag of mini carrots. I've also used a bag of matchstick carrots in soups - no peeling or chopping required.

I add rosemary and thyme to most soups. Herbs de Provence is also a good soup seasoning.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

We like a lot of carrots in pea soup. Yesterday we used an entire 1# bag of mini carrots. I've also used a bag of matchstick carrots in soups - no peeling or chopping required.

I add rosemary and thyme to most soups. Herbs de Provence is also a good soup seasoning.

Thank you. The dehydrated carrots worked fine but weren't very flavorful.

A basic google for seasoning suggested marjoram, which I didn't have, so I went with just salt and pepper. The soup was/is good, but not great. I've made better before and think I know what I should have done differently. Fortunately it's only me and I'm ok with "good but not great".

 

[iamshadow21]

Thank you. The dehydrated carrots worked fine but weren't very flavorful.

A basic google for seasoning suggested marjoram, which I didn't have, so I went with just salt and pepper. The soup was/is good, but not great. I've made better before and think I know what I should have done differently. Fortunately it's only me and I'm ok with "good but not great".

If you don't have marjoram, use oregano, they're basically variants of the same herb. Or, if you're like my partner and allergic to both, use basil.

 

[Yesiamapirate]

Merry Christmas to my favorite foodie friends. I have read and enjoyed all of your Christmas dinner posts.
My sister hosted our annual family party on Christmas Day. This year it was dinner for 21!! Thank goodness she has a big house, complete with a “Butler’s Pantry”. There is no hired butler or cook, just us sisters, moms, grandmothers and daughters cooking up a storm. Among the delights were salmon, beef tenderloin, lentil roast, butternut squash risotto, roasted asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes, baked Mac and cheese, stuffing, green salad and rolls. It was a wonderful day.
Here is a photo of the gang!
ETA I am the one in the far right in the Santa hat. I took the photo selfie style.