Dinner--or Dessert--Tonight

[Vkw10]

I have never heard of boiled cookies! Looked them up... very interesting.  Do they come out chewy?

Most people seem to call them no-bakes. Texture depends mainly on how long you cook the syrup. Too short a time results in sticky chewy cookies while too long results in dry crumbly cookies. If you do it just right, they're shiny and slightly chewy. Rolling boil, 60-70 seconds, then stir in oats and peanut butter. Or in my family, stir in oats plus tahini, peanut butter, raisins, coconut, chocolate chips, dried cherries, or whatever else strikes the cook's fancy.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Tonight we had:

Main = lemon garlic tilapia

Sides = buttered rice + green beans

Dessert = hot chocolate + graham crackers

[apl68]

Last night, some stuffed peppers made by friends at church (We have a small-group Bible study that is also serving as a good "social bubble" for a couple of families with children).  Very good.  But maybe not good for me--I woke up in the middle of the night with a bit of uncharacteristic indigestion.  It probably explains the exceptional bout of crazy, vivid dreaming I had last night.  A scan of my brain would have been lit up like a Christmas tree for hours.  Stuffed peppers may be my Welsh rarebit.


Tonight, some of my own homemade chili.  It'll be good on a chilly (chili?) evening.  I don't make mine all that spicy, but I like it thick.  This chili could almost qualify as finger food.

[notmycircus]

Frittata with egg whites, asparagus, portobello, onions and cheese, with a bottom layer of thin potatoes. 

[lilyb]

Continuing the frittata theme tonight: with potatoes, smoked gouda, and onion.
Bulgur pilaf on the side. I've never tried this recipe before, but I have a bag of bulgur to use up and am trying to embrace the wide world of grains out there.

[mamselle]

Shrimp curry.

M.

[Stockmann]

As promised on the venting thread:

Moroccan  Orange  Chicken
Serves 4-6

6 boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup Kalamata olives (substituted dates; can also add orange slices, raisins)
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Place the chicken, oil, orange juice, garlic, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, chili powder, and sugar in a large glass bowl, cover, and marinate for 2-8 hours.  Dry the chicken pieces and reserve the marinade.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and brown in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook until deeply browned.  Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the pieces are cooked through, 5-7 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a platter.  Reheat the skillet, add the olives, remaining marinade and the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Pour over the chicken and serve immediately, garnished with parsley.

https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/BK-DL/moroccan%20orange%20chicken%20copy.txt?w=617477bc

(Now I'm wondering when I can make it myself, next, too!)

Sounds delicious!

[mamselle]

It was, indeed!

M.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Tonight's plan is homemade chicken soup (maybe creamy with potatoes, carrot, green beans, etc.) and homemade Challah-esque rolls with butter!

[Langue_doc]

Just now, leftover hearty beef barley soup brought by a kind neighbor yesterday.

Not sure if this comes under dinner, lunch, or breakfast as this is my first meal today other than the morning coffee. It's been that kind of day.

[darkstarrynight]

I made my first king cake and it is the best thing I have ever baked!

[mamselle]

Ah, bon!

And did you play the under-the-table game that goes with it?

M.

[darkstarrynight]

Ah, bon!

And did you play the under-the-table game that goes with it?

M.

I am unaware of the game!

[mamselle]

Ok, first, did you hide a tiny ceramic toy or other little non-toxic, bakeable 'marker' in the cake before baking it? And did you make, buy, or save from Burger King a lovely garish tin- or gold-foil crown to have on hand? (Alternatively, one friend uses a large hand towel, colander and long-handled wooden spoon). If you had brought it in a bakery, of course, they'd give you a little folded-up crepe-paper one.

Because, the point of a King cake is to choose a king or queen...making the cake just preceeds the first real step...

First, the cake is carried with ceremony to the table (Some sing 'We Three Kings' or other carol...there might be another French one I don't know that a family I visited sang en procession, or you might use "Il est ne..." beating a pots-n-pans tattoo ...)

The youngest child goes under the table, assuring they can't see the prize if it pops up, and as you cut a piece, you ask who gets it. They call out a name, that person gets that piece,, and the distribution goes on until all guests have received a piece and the cake is completely divided up.

The pieces are eaten and the person who finds the charm in theirs is "king" or "queen," and gets to wear the royal paraphernalia...good for photos, etc. if you like, and general fun (they may give orders, etc, which must be obeyed--within reason--or not).

If I've omitted anything or added parts not usual to the celebrations other francophones know, I'm very open to emendation...I've summarized from several remembered celebrations over the years.

M.

[mamselle]

Oh--the other song might have been "Guillaume, prends ton tambourin (Pat-a-pan)" in one family, their kid was learning it on the piano and played the cake in (a bit like piping the haggis, without the kilts...)

M.