What's for Dinner?

[JohnT]

I have a 3 day weekend and am at a complete loss on what to cook!

Suggestions??

I was thinking of making my honey some beef burritos for Valantine's day. perhaps I will make my eggplant parm too. Perhaps a roast beef with Yorkshire pudding?

I Dunno. I am really in the mood to try something new.

 

[ibglowin]

FOR VALENTINES DAY????????

I was thinking of making my honey some beef burritos for Valantine's day.

 

[ibglowin]

I am going for Lamb Shanks braised in wine with portobello mushrooms, scalloped potatoes and fresh grilled asparagus…..

 

[Boatboy24]

We will more than likely be doing filet mignon. I'm thinking about trying some crabcakes as well. Love to eat 'em, but have never made 'em before.

 

[tonyt]

For Valentine's lunch Bacon and Ricotta sandwiches. A real flash from my childhood. Tonight steamed lobster with a side of linguini with pesto and pine nuts. Picture might follow . . . depends on how good the wine is.

 

[sour_grapes]

I am making St. Valentine's Day dinner for three lovely ladies. I opted for Korean-style braised short ribs, mashed potatoes, warm beet salad with tarragon&shallot, and mixed mustard greens and beet greens with garlic. (In case you didn't know, Swiss Chard and beet greens are nearly the same thing.)

 

[joeswine]

Top chiefs

YOU GUYS SHOULD OPEN UP A INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT

 

[tonyt]

Linguini with pesto and lobster tail. Wine is WE LE Nebbliolo from 2013. This wine really came around in a couple years. Really was disappointed in it initially. Nothing like a couple years to bring a wine around.

 

[ibglowin]

Booyah….. Valentines Dinner!

Turned out pretty darn good for an amateur!

 

[Boatboy24]

Crab, filet, hard to mess up. We had a 'snow hurricane' when I was ready to grill the steaks, so I seared on the cast iron skillet instead.

 

[the_rayway]

@boatboy add a little Hollandaise and you've got steak Neptune!

I'm baking a half of a pork belly with beets, carrot and garlic cloves roasting in the fat drippings. Sweet potato fries with sweet curry salt on the side.

The original plan had been to cure the pork belly and make bacon in a week or so. Turns out I need some pink salt to do the trick with that. So it was just sitting there calling to me...I had to do SOMETHING.

 

[Boatboy24]

@the_rayway: For future reference, you can make bacon with the same amount of table salt. You don't get the preservative power of the pink salt, but you avoid the nitrates.

 

[the_rayway]

@the_rayway: For future reference, you can make bacon with the same amount of table salt. You don't get the preservative power of the pink salt, but you avoid the nitrates.

Really?? The stuff I see online says that you should never make it without it! Do you have a recipe I could check out?

 

[Boatboy24]

Really?? The stuff I see online says that you should never make it without it! Do you have a recipe I could check out?

http://saucissonmac.blogspot.com/2009/10/taking-back-bacon.html

I've done this one a few times. My wife tends to get headaches from nitrates, but this recipe seems to be fine for her with all 'regular' salt. Trick is if you're not using it in a week or two tops, freeze it. The stuff with the pink salt will sit in your fridge for months. This method is more a brine than a cure, but its still good. I smoke it with hickory and cherry and at a lower temp, but otherwise stick with the recipe.

 

[the_rayway]

http://saucissonmac.blogspot.com/2009/10/taking-back-bacon.html

I've done this one a few times. My wife tends to get headaches from nitrates, but this recipe seems to be fine for her with all 'regular' salt. Trick is if you're not using it in a week or two tops, freeze it. The stuff with the pink salt will sit in your fridge for months. This method is more a brine than a cure, but its still good. I smoke it with hickory and cherry and at a lower temp, but otherwise stick with the recipe.

Thanks Jim! This is awesome. I'm SO doing this on the other half this week! I always freeze bacon anyways, so that really isn't an issue for me. Will update you on my progress!

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Jim
I got a chance to read that article - I really wanted to go out and purchase some bacon afterwards !!

 

[the_rayway]

Here's the pic that was missing from the pork belly post It's not fancy, but tasted like awesome.

 

[Boatboy24]

Jim
I got a chance to read that article - I really wanted to go out and purchase some bacon afterwards !!

It really makes me crave a BLT.

 

[Boatboy24]

Here's the pic that was missing from the pork belly post It's not fancy, but tasted like awesome.

Get in my belly!

 

[Boatboy24]

Snow day today and I'm working from home. That means 2 things: 1) we should have comfort food and 2) being home and not wasting time commuting gives me more time to prepare dinner. Tonight it'll be whole roasted chicken with butternut squash and rice pilaf. May throw a salad and some homemade bread in there too if I get really motivated.