I'm having a few people over tonight for dinner and I'm planning on making a butternut squash risotto. What else should go with this?

you could pair this with lots of different proteins - even some fish. duck breast would be a no brainer, but would go well with skirt steak, ny strip, even chicken. depends how heavy you want to make it.

Cod with Meyer Lemon Salsa and Arugula Salad




We got to the farmers market late on Saturday so they were out of all fish except Cod. I was shocked how good it was. Even a fish as cheap as Cod can be greatwhen fresh and wild caught.

The salsa was meyer lemon juice, garlic, shallot, meyer lemon slices, chopped mint, thyme, rosemary, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Anyone here ever make their own corned beef?

I'm thinking of doing it and am looking for any trip reports.

thanks,
mike

I've never made corned beef (well on St. Patrick's day last year I made one of those ones at the grocery store that you just like boil for 3 hours).

But I sure do love it. Nom nom nom.

Staying on the corned beef theme... Anybody have any tips for not making it too salty. I realize that by its very nature it is salty since it is cured with salt, just hoping for some advice.

I have had some corned beef that did not seem as salty as others, and thought there might be some who have perfected the method.

i assume it has everything to do with the amount of salt used in the brine and the amount of time the corned beef simmers. if you think the beef is overly salinized after the brining process, i suppose you can soak the already brined corned beef in a few changes of fresh water. but, then again, you should probably just go back and look at the proportions of salt to water used in the brine.

Butternut Squash, Sage, And Blue Cheese Risotto



This is the second time I made this recipe, using sage instead of rosemary this time. I used about a tablespoon of freshly chopped sage, I think more would be ok.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/231601

Grilled chicken on ciabatta:



Picked up this take and bake bread from the bakery this afternoon. Seasoned potatoes and green beans tossed with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Haven't posted in a while but have been lurking, anyway I made about 20 pounds of spicy Italian sausage yesterday so what to do but make deep dish Chicago pizza! Top Chef Chicago ain't got nutin' on me!

The Fixin's

Pans with dough

Cheese, pepperoni, and sausage; ready for sauce

Out of the oven

De-panned

Dinner!

That looks incredible slamdunk, looks like I'll be ordering Lou Malnati's tonight!

Wondering if anyone could help me give a lil' kick to one of my usual dishes.

I enjoy cooking but often I just want something quick and healthy, which usually means chicken breast or ground turkey cooked up with a bunch of fresh veggies ( portabello mush, zuchinni, onions, hot peppers, brocolli, carrots, tomato and whatever else I have lying around) with some olive oil, garlic,herbs, s&p and maybe some balsamic or a sauce. ( I usually just sautee everything and add a little water part way through to steam the carrots and brocolli)
I'll make a large amount and eat it over a few days. Problem is I can get a lil bored with it,only eating becuz its there and it is healthy. Any ideas on some variations or changes i can make to make it tasty and keep me interested.

mj,

How long is "quick"? I used to cook the way you described but lately I've been spending much more time in the kitchen, just to relax (as opposed to sitting on the computer).

I think the main thing you can do is make a few different sauces on Sunday night to keep things different. Otherwise, research some new recipes that might take an hour or so (epicurious.com) and make enough to last you a few days. This way you're only cooking two nights a week and most dishes will taste just as good as leftovers.

Results

quick would mean under half an hour for prep and cooking.

and thanks for the advice.

mj

I made a strawberry rhubarb pie last night. I'm not much for baking, so I'm proud of it.

that looks hella good.

mmmm bacon



Bacon, squid, and thyme. Pretty simple but really good.

slamdunkpro, did you make your own pizza dough? If not, what do you use?

i consider this one of the best fried chicken recipes around.

spices:
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1- 2 tbsp cayenne (depending on taste)
3 tbps salt
3 tbps pepper

other stuff:
4 lbs of chix, pierce with fork
1 qt buttermilk
2 c all purpose flour
gallon of cooking oil (vegetable or canola)

toss chix in 1/2 of the seasoning and then marinate in buttermilk for an hour.


mix the other 1/2 of seasoning in 2 cups of flour.

heat oil to mid 300s, fry the bird about 10 min.

I've been trying to make some good fried rice for a while, and the other night I finally got it right. Unfortunately, no pics.

1.5 cups cooked rice
1/3 pound bacon (diced)
3 eggs
green beans, carrots, corn, peas, brocolli, whatever...
garlic and ginger (minced)
sesame oil
3.5 tbsp soy sauce

1. Scramble the eggs, set aside. Salt, pepper, whatever you like here.
2. In big pan, fry up the bacon. Remove bacon. I also took out some of the grease, leaving the rest. Add a little sesame oil.
3. Throw in fresh vegetables. I had some green beans and carrots, so I used them. Saute for a couple minutes, toss garlic and ginger in the middle and cook for another minute or so.
4. When veggies look good, add rice and soy sauce. Stir, break up all the rice clumps, distribute the soy sauce, etc. If you are adding any frozen vegetables, now is a good time for them. I had a little bit of frozen corn, so I added that after the rice.
5. After a couple minutes, add bacon and eggs back in. Keep stirring, warm everything back up, and it should be ready to go.

Pretty simple to make, and I really liked the flavors.

First contribution here, but I plan on making many in the future. This is a barbecue chicken thigh with brown-sugar hickory sauce and green beans with crisp shallot, chile and mint. Both were fairly easy (I wish I had a more from-scratch BBQ sauce recipe):



(I need to get better with my food photography skills - move in a little closer I guess.)

EDIT: This is a little better?

Lately all I've been making is Pad Kee Mao. MmMm.

nice otnemem. thighs are great.

i really really like the bbq sauce from the Bistro Laurent Tourondel cookbook.

I'm trying braised short rib for the first time. It's actually Epicurious' recipe for Stout-Braised Short Ribs, but cut in half. Will post results when it's done.

First, my girlfriend makes some guacamole for us to eat while I cook.



First step in recipe: pat short ribs dry and rub with brown sugar/paprika/curry/cumin/salt/pepper/mustard mixture.



Near the end of its one-hour marination period, prepare my meeeez for the braising.



Sear three meaty sides of the short ribs in oil, one minute each side.



Short ribs, post-sear.



Celery, leeks, carrot and bay leaf in oil and short rib remnants.



And finally, bringing short ribs to boil with Guinness, beef broth, canned diced tomatoes, celery, leeks, carrot, garlic and bay leaf.



Results to come in about an hour. As per directions, I'm going to cool them, and then let them chill for 24 hours before reheating...

EDIT: I need to size down those raw images. Sorry.

-Fixed