Breakfast/lunch/Dinner, what are you having?

Scepticalscribe said:
Idle but inquiring minds was to know: What else was in that chicken sandwich? Mayo? Stuffing? Mustard? Cranberry sauce?
Click to expand...

Chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato, drizzled with maple sauce, mayo nixed due to my general dislike of all things mayo.

It was decent enough. A little overcooked, but overall, it ate.
 
Renzatic said:
Chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato, drizzled with maple sauce, mayo nixed due to my general dislike of all things mayo.

It was decent enough. A little overcooked, but overall, it ate.
Click to expand...

Maple syrup?

Ever try blending that with mustard?

If you dislike mayo, have you ever attempted to make a classic homemade aioli - i.e. - garlic mayonnaise - as I did this evening? (Garlic (lots; I do not understand the concept of moderation when cooking with garlic), egg yolk (organic, free range, tastes better, and is a lot better for the quality of life for the hens), salt, and olive oil).
 
Scepticalscribe said:
Maple syrup?

Ever try blending that with mustard?
Click to expand...

No, but that does sound interesting. I might need to give that a go next time I make a homemade chicken sandwich.

If you dislike mayo, have you ever attempted to make a classic homemade aioli - i.e. - garlic mayonnaise - as I did this evening? (Garlic (lots; I do not understand the concept of moderation when cooking with garlic), egg yolk (organic, free range, tastes better, and is a lot better for the quality of life for the hens), salt, and olive oil).
Click to expand...

There are only a handful of things containing mayo that I can endure. I did once make a cayenne pepper sauce that used mayo as a base, and the pepper disguised the flavor enough that I was able to eat it.

...gaw, I hate this. I'm fairly unsatisfied with what I ate, but I'm too full to go out and try for anything better.
 
Maple syrup with a smooth mustard, or even, one of those smooth, sweet, mustards (such as fig mustard), could work very well.

The only reason I mentioned aioli (apart from the fact that I had my French class this evening, thus, matters French were on my mind, and then I discovered a craving for homemade aioli as I had crab claws to hand, ten minutes work, glass of white Burgundy nearby to offer inspiration) is that classic aioli (i.e. the original, homemade garlic mayonnaise) is comprised of totally natural ingredients (the basics are olive oil, egg yolks, garlic, salt) i.e. no additives or preservatives, or weird chemicals, or funny e-numbers, some of which might be found in a jar of shop bought mayonnaise.
 
Last edited:
Supper tonight is spicy stir fried chopped eggplant. First coat the chopped eggplant (about three or four cups) with a little cornstarch after having sweated it with a bit of vinegar and salt, rinsed and patted dry, then fry until golden brown in some grapeseed oil and set aside. Then put into the fry pan a little more oil, couple tablespoons each of minced garlic and ginger, the chopped white parts and some of the green parts of four or five scallions (reserving a bit of the green parts for garnish) plus five or six little finely chopped green chiles... fry that a little, add dash of red pepper flake, couple tablespoons of soy sauce, a tad of rice vinegar, a little sugar and some water to make the sauce, thicken with a slurry made of a little more cold water and a tablespoon or so of cornstarch. Then add back the fried eggplant pieces and mix well over medium heat to coat with the sauce. Kill the heat, plate up the dish and garnish w/ some of the green parts of scallions and a teaspoon or so of sesame seeds. Yeah no leftovers, so no clue if it's twice as hot the next day behind the pepper flake and chiles.
 
lizkat said:
Supper tonight is spicy stir fried chopped eggplant. First coat the chopped eggplant (about three or four cups) with a little cornstarch after having sweated it with a bit of vinegar and salt, rinsed and patted dry, then fry until golden brown in some grapeseed oil and set aside. Then put into the fry pan a little more oil, couple tablespoons each of minced garlic and ginger, the chopped white parts and some of the green parts of four or five scallions (reserving a bit of the green parts for garnish) plus five or six little finely chopped green chiles... fry that a little, add dash of red pepper flake, couple tablespoons of soy sauce, a tad of rice vinegar, a little sugar and some water to make the sauce, thicken with a slurry made of a little more cold water and a tablespoon or so of cornstarch. Then add back the fried eggplant pieces and mix well over medium heat to coat with the sauce. Kill the heat, plate up the dish and garnish w/ some of the green parts of scallions and a teaspoon or so of sesame seeds. Yeah no leftovers, so no clue if it's twice as hot the next day behind the pepper flake and chiles.
Click to expand...

I adore (adore, well, maybe, in this context, "love" will do just fine) aubergine (eggplant to Our Transatlantic Cousins) and always read recipes that feature them with greta interest and greedy enthusiasm.

This sounds delicious.

My recent (as in this year) discovery - with Asian style cooking, or dishes - is to add a dessertspoon or two of classic Asian fish sauce as well as soy sauce.
 
Artisan handmade sausages (chilli and fennel, 96% pork), with braised root vegetables.

Three sticks of celery, roughly chopped into large pieces, three medium to small onions, three medium carrots, and two leeks - all chopped roughly and in large pieces - along with a head (bulb) of garlic, the cloves - around nine or ten - individually peeled and halved - sautéed gently in a mix of butter (generous quantity) and some olive oil, until softened.

Then, a jug of stock is added and the vegetables will simmer away happily in that (with the lid on) for around half an hour, to 40-45 minutes; next, with the lid removed, they will cook for a further ten to fifteen minutes.
 
Last edited:
Some sliced uncured honey-baked ham, heated up and served next to some steamed cauliflower, snap peas and carrot medallions. Everything but the ham gets a drizzle of lemon-butter and shake of red pepper flake at serving time. The ham gets attention from a tad of Dijon mustard along with the knife and fork.
 
Broccoli, pasta, garlic & anchovies.

Anchovies (a tin, Ortiz, chopped roughy, and added to the sauté pan with its oil, stirred into the olive oil until dissolved), and garlic (a full head/bulb, nine cloves), chopped very finely, two finely chopped onions, one carrot and one piece (or rib) of celery (very fine diced), all softened in olive oil.

Meanwhile, pasta is cooked in boiling stock; broccoli stems added around five minutes before the pasta is ready, and the florets three minutes later. Then, these are scooped out with a slotted spoon, and added to the sauté pan.

A cup of cooking stock is reserved to be added to the sauté pan before serving.
 
Roasted tomatoes, which were added to gently sautéed onions, (three, finely chopped/diced), garlic (a head, minced in my Italian garlic crusher), anchovies, (a tin, Ortiz, chopped and then dissolved in olive oil); served with pasta.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
Roasted tomatoes, which were added to gently sautéed onions, (three, finely chopped/diced), garlic (a head, minced in my Italian garlic crusher), anchovies, (a tin, Ortiz, chopped and then dissolved in olive oil); served with pasta.
Click to expand...
Yumm!

Today I had something similar for lunch but not quite as fresh as yours. I sautéed some onions and garlic in butter, then threw in a small can of tomato sauce, oregano and various seasonings and cooked a chicken breast in it. Then a side of pasta-roni, I know it's cheating but it's quick and easy.
 
Usually, I don't cook on a Saturday, but, it struck me that I have lots of lovely fresh food, purchased today in the farmers' market.

Hence, dinner is a sort of French themed dish: Braised celery, leek, onion, and carrot - all of these (lovely, organic) vegetables sautéed in butter first, until soft, along with a head of garlic (around 14 cloves, peeled and added when I added the leeks); then, stop is added, the heat reduced for 40 minutes.

In a separate copper sauté pan, three French style artisan sausages are browned slowly (the sort of slow sautéed cooking that takes the best part of at least half an hour); fresh French bread to accompany.

And a glass or two of French red wine from Burgundy: Côtes des Nuits Villages.
 
here is the most thrilling meal ever. some pork belly and some nut butter. not mixed togged I had the nut butter while the pork was cooking when your body pretty much only lets you eat protein most days and eating fat can be a problem this is one of the few higher fat meals I can handle. I can eat this and go get my cholesterol tested and be fine. but tomorrow I get carefully selected cheese good meat and veggies my big weekly splurge. time for a 20 mile bike ride.

IMG_1547.jpg
 
This evening's dinner will be pasta with blue cheese sauce.

The blue cheese sauce will be comprised of four different types of blue cheese (two types of Gorgonzola Cremosa, some Stilton, and some Bleu d'Auvergne), - to which shall be added, organic, double cream, steamed spinach and pasta.
 
Last edited:
Weird day meal wise but wicked fun. I had a generous egg salad on rye toast for a late breakfast. Then snacked on a few thin slices of honey ham rolled around long skinny green beans vinaigrette this afternoon. Maybe that was lunch? Just some steamed veggies for me this evening: cauliflower, carrots, some dried marjoram and a handful of mixed organic greens piled on to wilt on into the rest at the end, topped on the plate with a drizzle of olive oil and a shake or two of salt and a little red pepper flake. I have a feeling some popcorn might happen later.
 
Breakfast was a long time ago, but no less delicious for that:

Freshly squeezed orange juice:

Two boiled eggs, to something between soft and set: (The eggs were free range and organic, with yolks of a deep, apricot, burnt orange colour, and absolutely delicious).

Two slices of toast (multi-seed rye bread, organic, etc, bought in a local bakery, the sort of thing that weighed a bit like a brick when I bought it), with butter and homemade (though not by me; by the wife/partner of the guy from whom I purchase honey - from his own hives - in the ancient farmers' market) three-fruit marmalade.

And coffee: Prepared from a blend (of my own devising) of two different types of Ethiopian coffee, with organic, full fat, hot milk, and a dessertspoon of organic, double cream.
 
Last edited:
I've been shopping for fresh things mostly via Instacart the past year. But I laid hands on a loaf of Heidelberg brand pumpernickel recently, from a supermarket where I used to shop in person. And a pound of butter, which I use rarely enough as to forget to reorder it. The bread is wonderful and usually made of flours from specialty grains grown just up into Quebec.

So my breakfasts of late have featured just coffee w/ milk and heavenly pumpernickel toast slathered with butter.

Eggs, which I do like poached for breakfast sometimes. have landed at lunch lately, usually with a handful of greens wilted onto them as the poaching time ends, and sometimes with a bit of,,,, yes, ham,,,, or salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Anyway I went nuts when someone offered to shop for me off a custom list at my old supermarkets. Landed some organic chicken breasts too, which have been poached and frozen in broth for later reference.

Tonight looks to be a balmy evening, so I'm making some fairly ad hoc gazpacho from doorstepped local tomatoes picked right before the killing frosts of last week.

Love Indian Summer, hope this isn't the last of it, even though we're heading next to another stretch where the overnights will dip at least briefly below freezing. Days though may still offer some good time outdoors. I don't really miss the days of being a kid and being invited to shell a couple bushels of late peas this time of year. I'll cop to liking being able to reach in the freezer and drag out a packet of frozen snap peas.
 
Back
Top