Supper?

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Tonight we had hamburger patties on lettuce, corn on the cob, carrot sticks, watermelon, and lemonade
What is everyone eating or planning for tomorrow night?

[NCLee]

Last night we had butterbeans, greenbeans, crowder peas, and sliced tomatoes. Will gobble up the leftovers tonight.

We often eat all vegetable dinners. Took a while, after health issues forced us to go to a low fat diet, to get used to not having a slab of some kind of meat on the plate for every supper. Now, we enjoy vegetables on their own, several times a week.

Lee

[Mom5farmboys]

I cooked venison burger in my crock pot yesterday with a little water and some spices, when it was done I chopped it up fine and mixed it with tomato soup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, mustard, and a little BBQ sauce. I put it into a clean crock and threw it in the fridge. Right away this morning I put in to heat on low.

I also scrubbed about 6 lbs of potatoes last night and this morning I pierced them and put them whole right into another crock pot, also on low. In about 6-8 hours they will be done also.

About 45 min before dinner time I will put some frozen broccoli in my electric steamer.

The temps have been in the high 90's here all week and its just too hot to cook!

[WileyCoyote]

Yesterday i cut up a breast of chicken and some potatoes, threw them in a pot of water with onions and garlic and eggs in the shell, and boiled 'em for 30 minutes. Then I took them out of the pot, drained em, let em cool, separated them out and made potato salad and chicken salad. I took some of the fresh-frozen blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries out of the freezer, sliced a banana and soaked it in lemon juice, put them all together in a bowl with a little sugar and let them thaw. Voila! Fruit salad. Lovely cold food to eat.

I spread the chicken salad on a piece of homemade bread, put cheese on top, and popped it under the broiler til the cheese melted.

Tonight - leftovers! yummy and cold too...

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Tonight is fajitas-- chicken breast stir fried up with onions, gr peppers, tomatoes, served with cheese, lettuce, avocado, salsa, and tortillas. I also made a side of rice.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I spread the chicken salad on a piece of homemade bread, put cheese on top, and popped it under the broiler til the cheese melted.


home made bread......mmmmmm.....
I haven't baked bread since it got so unbearably hot. We have simply been using tortillas because they are so fast to make.

[NCLee]

If you have a gas grill for cooking a few pork chops and steaks, use it for baking, also. Keeps the heat out of the kitchen. Acts as a additional oven when more oven space is needed.

Experiment with it first, with things like cornbread and biscuits. Use an oven thermometer with it. (Don't trust that dial on the lid. Often they are way off.)

Once you get the feel for it, you can bake almost anything in it that you can bake in the kitchen oven.

Bonus: If you have an electric oven and the power fails, you can still bake bread and a lot of other things, too.

Lee

[NCLee]

opps, forgot...

It's tuna salad on lettuce with sliced tomatoes tonight. Multi-grain crackers. Iced tea.

I'm getting hungry. It's almost supper time here. :)

Lee

[momma_to_seven_chi]

If you have a gas grill for cooking a few pork chops and steaks, use it for baking, also.


I didn't know you could do that!

My hubby has one of those huge stainless gas grills. I am not allowed to touch it. "Man territory" don't ya know? He and his brother are constantly developing recipes for the perfect BBQ rub. It is like a contest in their family, to make the perfect BBQ.
---------------------------------------------

I am going to start the oven tonight to make pizza to use up some leftovers out of the fridge. And I have a few gallons of goat milk to make into cheese today which will be used for topping. I also bought some new sort of a melon at the farmer's market which will be desert, but I don't remember what it is called. It looks like a giant peach inside, and has really thin skin. It is very sweet.

[OzarkMtnDaredevil]

My thoughts are on Lunch today. :) I picked my first red tomato of the year - a softball sized MoneyMaker. I'm gonna toast a few slices of wheat bread, use half a jar of Miricle Whip, some salt and pepper and eat that thang! I think I'll even pull up an onion to have with it! Mmmmm.
This is the earliest I've ever gotten a ripe, red one. It looks to be a good year.

[NCLee]

You don't need the oven for those pizza. Do them on the GRILL!!

Here's a link for detailed instructions on both the pizza and how to grill it. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pizza-On-The-Grill-I/Detail.aspx

As there are lots of variations, here's a link for 3 pages of links to recipes for "grilled pizza".
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-00,grilled_pizza,FF.html

Since you have one of those huge SS grills, it probably has at least one side burner. With that combo you can cook almost anything on/in it that you can do in the kitchen. For example, I have a turkey in the freezer that needs to be done, soon. I plan to roast it in the grill, again, to keep the heat out of the house. Same method, same temp as I would in the oven in the kitchen.

As I "see" it, you have 4 options to keep the kitchen cool this summer. :wink::wink:

(1) Challenge hubby to "master" that grill with more than BBQ. Give him a copy of the recipe from the 1st link above and ask him if he can do it.

(2) Tell him that you want to learn more about grilling and you know he'll be the very best teacher.

(3) Tell him that you need to use the grill to keep the heat out of the kitchen. It'll save money on the AC and whatever other reasons that are applicable to you and your home. Then, if it's still hands off - "It's too hot to cook, inside and you won't let me use the grill, here's a bologna sandwich for supper".

(4) Buy your own grill!!! And, no you don't need a huge fancy SS gas grill. A simple 3 burner one will work well. I've used an ancient 2 burner Sunbeam grill for baking and it works just fine. In fact, it works better for things like cornbread because of it's smaller size. (Faster to heat, less gas used, etc.)

BTW, often those older gas grills that people cast aside for the latest, bigger, badder, grill are fine with a little TLC. Replacing the burner(s) is fairly simple, if that's what's needed. I replace the burner in that old Sunbeam about every 3 years or so. Far more cost effective than replacing the grill itself. These old grills can be found at yard sales, flee markets, behind the neighbor's garage, and sometimes sitting curbside for trash pickup.

FWIW, I have 2 gas grills, a charcoal grill/smoker combo, and a stand-alone charcoal smoker. I do the BBQ thing with pulled pork and such. Sometimes all of that equipment and more is put into use for a big family get-together. At one, the invite started with breakfast, lunch at mid day, then BBQ chicken for supper. Every thing that was cooked that day, was done in the backyard.

So, in closing, get outta that kitchen!! :yes2::yes2:

Lee

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I am still waiting on tomatoes. I got some "imported" ones from TX last week at the farmer's market, but ours haven't even bloomed yet.

Lunch today is grilled brats. Supper will be fried rice and leftovers from the last few days.

I want a charcoal grill. I like their taste better than gas, even with the brickettes. I ought to go buy one today.

[CapeCMom]

Momma,
Wally World has a cool charcoal grill with an adjustable coal rack so you can adjust the heat.
It is shaped like an oil barrel with a smoking chamber on the side. I can't remember who makes it-I want to get one but have to wait until the one I have now rusts out. I like my charcoal also-I often add oak pieces to the charcoal for that great smokey taste.

[NCLee]

Here's my favorite. Bought it several years ago from Lowes. Paid $99 for it, then.
http://www.chargriller.com/store/popup_image.php?pID=35
Details: http://www.chargriller.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=35&osCsid=ed91217219ef3aa091f538ac5d2c56d7

Added the side burner, charcoal ignitor, side box and warming plate, and the rotisserie.

I looked at the Wally World versions, at the time I bought the Chargriller and have kept an eye on them since then. IMHO, the Chargriller is a much better grill. Better construction means that it wlll last much longer. There are others, but construction is the most critical, IMHO.

It works great for both quick grilling and all-day low & slow for pulled pork. It's easy to maintain once you have a good seasoning on the cast iron grates.

If you do decide to buy this type charcoal grill/smoker, please do check both of them out for yourself. Hands-on, at the stores, if possible. And, check on-line reviews. I don't know current pricing on each on the sales floor. However, since this can be a product that you'll like to use for many years, don't let a few dollars savings (if the one at Wally World is cheaper) sway you, until you check them out throughly, for yourself.

Disclamer: I'm not associated in any way with Chargriller. Just a very satisified customer for both their products and their service, since I bought mine.

Lee

[Jamie]

My husband found out that gas grills could cause cancer,and that its better to bbq on real wood charcoal instead of briquets( too many chemicals on those)so now he uses the weber exclusively and oh boy does it make anything you bbq taste good! The flavor is so rich using real wood charcoal. I highly recommend it.

[Grizzy]

Pinto beans seasoned (after cooking) with a good seasoning blend and fresh cracked black pepper...
Then I browned pan sausage thas well seasoned... very good
with some onion cooked with it...
Call me crazy but I love a sprinkle of Parmasean Cheese on top of my portion of beans...

A cake of Cornbread all smeared with buttttta

Vine ripened maters with thin rings of sweet onion

anna glass of Bulgarian Buttermilk...

Sweet Lord in Heaven... goooood :yes4:

~Grizzy~

[NCLee]

Simple supper tonight - Hoppin Johns

Lee

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Momma,
Wally World has a cool charcoal grill with an adjustable coal rack so you can adjust the heat.
It is shaped like an oil barrel with a smoking chamber on the side. I can't remember who makes it-I want to get one but have to wait until the one I have now rusts out. I like my charcoal also-I often add oak pieces to the charcoal for that great smokey taste.


I saw one of those. It looks kind of like a smoker. They had it marked down to fifty dollars at WM. I usually just get one of those tiny tabletop charcoal grills for twenty bucks or less when I do buy one. Hubby has a huge stainless grill that he loves, so I only need a small one for what I would want to grill myself. I think charcoal tastes better.

Tonight we had grilled burgers (hubby's grilling) and chips, salad, fruit, banana bread. I have a ham thawing to cook for tomorrow night, and bread rising overnight. We are also having a lot of deviled eggs lately due to prolific hens. Lunches and breakfasts are usually eggs in some rendition or left overs.

[rantinraven]

after reading this thread I am suddenly STARVING for dinner! I'm gonna put a 1/4 of a brisket in the crock pot for BBQ sandwiches and make some potato salad to go with it. We will have the sandwiches on thick slices of Texas toast. Man I can't wait for dinner!

[Grizzy]

Raven... You should leave brisket to the Bears see..... How 'bout a nice Jello salad? (lift'n lid on crockpot.... sniff'n wif eyes shut) :tongue:

~Grizzy on Standby~

[momma_to_seven_chi]

after reading this thread I am suddenly STARVING for dinner! I'm gonna put a 1/4 of a brisket in the crock pot for BBQ sandwiches and make some potato salad to go with it. We will have the sandwiches on thick slices of Texas toast. Man I can't wait for dinner!

I love BBQ sandwiches. I like them sweet rather than spicy. Eveyone has their own favorite style of BBQ, sweet, vinegar, spicy, HOT! I am a wimp who likes the sweet sauces.

We had something really boring for supper..... egg/sausage burritos. I love them drenched in salsa. My family puts Miracle Whip on them. I also put cheddar cheese in the egg/sausage mix. We had watermelon with them.

[bookwormom]

we just killed some roosters.
sooo, fricken chicasse, brown rice, broccoli, cucumber salad and sliced peaches.

[DM]

http://www.fototime.com/170226F0FB8F825/orig.jpg

With potatoes, gravy, corn and a salid... :)

DM

[Katrina-Sisu]

Tonight we're having tuna and pineapple pizza for supper.

Kat

[NCLee]

Leftovers - LOL

Made a big pot of vegetable soup, using the leftover spiral hambone from our Christmas ham. (Vac sealed with the Foodsaver before freezing).

Tried an experiment last Christmas. Local grocery had a special on pecan pies. Bought two. Put one in the freezer.

Took it out of the box. Vac sealed it in the aluminum pan, returned the pie to the box and froze it. To defrost, cut off the end of the vac bag, slipped the pie out of the pan. Put in the microwave (still in the vac bag) and defrosted about 5 minutes. Removed from bag and put back in the pan. Crust is a little tough, but the filling is still fine. Frankly I was surprised at how good it was after 6 months in the freezer. Vacuum sealing does make a big difference.

Lee

[momma_to_seven_chi]

We had sandwiches and watermelon last night. Tonight will be grilled ground pork burgers with salad and watermelon. Easy stuff in hot weather.

The Pecan pie sounds wonderful. The Amish make a great Pecan Pie around here. But it is eight dollars a pie, and I am too cheap to buy them too often.

[NCLee]

We had bass caught from a local pond. Along with green beans and yukon potatoes for supper last night.

We're on a low (all the "good stuff" diet), so we can't often have a rich dessert. However, when I find something that works (like freezing pecan pies) I'll take advantage of seasonal sales. In this case, the pies were a lost leader at a local grocery. They were either $3 or $4 each. They were fairly small in size, which works well for us. So..... if they repeat that sale with the next holiday, I'll probably put several more in the freezer for a once-in-a-while treat.

Lee

[WileyCoyote]

I had some deer steaks that I cut up small, fried in bacon grease, garlic, and onion, then added some fresh spinach just to braise. Then I put in some cream that I thickened with a splash of lemon juice and a crushed beef boullion cube. I poured this into some cooked noodles and baked it. We had homemade brownies for dessert.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Tonight is bbq pork ribs, salad, watermelon, and broccoli with cheese.

[CastIronCook2]

Mixed grill on the barby: lamb and pork chops. Hubby has his outdoor kitchen up and running. Lovely breeze coming in across the lake, so it's cool enough to cook (and eat) outside.

[NCLee]

Welcome Cast Iron Cook!

Love your user name, as I love to cook in cast iron, too. :heart_blue1::heart_blue1:

Do tell us more about your outdoor kitchen.

Lee

[CastIronCook2]

Thanks for the welcome, Lee.

Outdoor kitchen is on an open, unscreened, roofed deck of the little house that overlooks the lake. It consists of a wood-fired stove with oven, a smoker/barbecue, a charcoal barbecue, a stainless double sink, and free-standing cabinets topped with a concrete counter. A picnic table with attached benches completes the kitchen end of the deck. There's a pass-through (unscreened window) to the indoor kitchen the outdoor one backs off of.

When we built this place, we planned the plumbing so the outdoor sink backs off of the indoor one. Indeed, the outdoor kitchen is pretty much a mirror image of the indoor one, except there's a nice baking station indoors. That's where I do all my creative baking . . . in cast iron skillets. Gotta love those fine old Wagners and Grizzys!

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Outdoor kitchen is on an open, unscreened, roofed deck of the little house that overlooks the lake. It consists of a wood-fired stove with oven, a smoker/barbecue, a charcoal barbecue, a stainless double sink, and free-standing cabinets topped with a concrete counter.

That kitchen sounds so wonderful. I would love to have one. An Amish friend of mine has a separate shed that is her summer kitchen. She has the same type of set up, no running water just a pump though, and she uses a wood stove in that building. She has lots of cabinets, a huge table and a cook stove there plus a small hand pump in a sink that drains out the side of the shed.

Do you use your cast iron dutch ovens inside the wood stove like a camp fire or just in the oven?

[NCLee]

CIC, that does sound like a great kitchen. Do you cook out there or is it hubby's domain?

Yes, I like the old Griswold and Wagner, too. Also like Lodge, pre 1960. I have a few pieces of each, but my favorites are the old gate-marked pieces. For example I have 3 gate-marked spiders. However my absolute favorites are my fathers 20" skillet and my mother's CI washpot.

Do you have a spot setup to bake in camp style Dutch ovens? If not, you may want to explore that baking option. It'll add a whole new dimension to your baking that you just can't get in a traditional oven. Oh, and have you tried baking in the grill? That's a "good to know" in the event that an emergency disrupts your regular cooking methods.

Lee

[CastIronCook2]

That kitchen sounds so wonderful. I would love to have one. An Amish friend of mine has a separate shed that is her summer kitchen. She has the same type of set up, no running water just a pump though, and she uses a wood stove in that building. She has lots of cabinets, a huge table and a cook stove there plus a small hand pump in a sink that drains out the side of the shed.

Do you use your cast iron dutch ovens inside the wood stove like a camp fire or just in the oven?

Hi, MomOf7. The firebox is too small for a dutch oven, and the hubbest says it would be way too hot, 'cause he keeps that fire as hot as possible. He does, however, use the dutch oven inside the wood stove's oven.

Your Amish friend's outdoor kitchen sounds wonderful. Hubbest says he remembers a farm in Indiana that had what they called a summer kitchen. It had a wood stove, a hand water pump, and a large table to serve the farm crew. It was screened in. That was a while ago, though, 'cause he says they were working the farm with horses. He says it's probably been paved over for a shopping center by now. Batesville, Indiana, he says it was.

(Hubbest is resisting joining the forum 'cause he's afraid he'll spend all his time here, there's so much to interest him. LOL.)

[CastIronCook2]

CIC, that does sound like a great kitchen. Do you cook out there or is it hubby's domain?

Yes, I like the old Griswold and Wagner, too. Also like Lodge, pre 1960. I have a few pieces of each, but my favorites are the old gate-marked pieces. For example I have 3 gate-marked spiders. However my absolute favorites are my fathers 20" skillet and my mother's CI washpot.

Do you have a spot setup to bake in camp style Dutch ovens? If not, you may want to explore that baking option. It'll add a whole new dimension to your baking that you just can't get in a traditional oven. Oh, and have you tried baking in the grill? That's a "good to know" in the event that an emergency disrupts your regular cooking methods.

Lee

Hi, Lee. Outdoor kitchen is pretty much the hubbest's domain. But that's neat, 'cause there he is outdoors cooking up ribs, and there I am indoors baking up dessert.

Our Grizzy #8 goes from breakfast to dessert. Wonderfully versatile implement. If you want to see some of what we do with it, check out www.backwoodscooking.com and tap on Books. Second page. Cast Iron Cuisine from Breakfast to Dessert: Grandma's Skillet Reborn. That's us.

As to camp style baking in dutch ovens, that'll be part of our sequel, Cast Iron Cuisine Outdoors, presently in the planning. We've got the Pig in a Pit and the Oyster Feast chapters written, (Pig in a Pit includes dutch oven recipes for buried cooking), but there's a wide-open field for just campfire cooking.

I can see that you'll be a good influence on us, Lee! Hubbest's wheels are already churning. I read him your post, and he just decided to do a leg of pork on a tripod fire. Sure wish I could get him on this board, but he's afraid he'd never do anything else, and that man's a worker fer shure.

Keep the great ideas coming!

[NCLee]

CIC, found it. Looks like a great book and the price isn't bad either! :)

Your second book sounds like it'll be even better, as I enjoy outdoor cooking of all types. Plus I love to explore new-to-me methods and techniques. Tell hubby that supper sounds good. Wish you could post a few shots. Perhaps you can upload elsewhere and post a link?

Oh, and tell him there's nothing better than spending time here when it's raining, windy, or just plain too cold to be out there in the kitchen for very long at a time. :wink:

Lee

[CastIronCook2]

Lee, others have also expressed an interest in seeing that outdoor kitchen, so today I'm gonna take some digitals and see what I can do with Photobucket, then post a link.

Would you also like to see his cannon? It's on the deck. It's a functioning 50% scale replica of a Civil War cannon. He's decided he wants the kids to fire our ashes from it, out over the lake. KaBOOM! What a way to go!

[NCLee]

Sure would like to see it. We may want to continue this discussion in the photo thread as we seem to be hijacking this one on what's for supper. :)

Haven't decided yet, what's for supper here today. Depends on the weather as it could get nasty later on, according to the weather folks. That'll rule out the grill. May do some squash/onions and something else that'll go with it and some fresh from the garden tomatoes. Bought a big bag of red onions the other day that I'm itching to grill.

Lee

[MotherCharlotte]

Mmmm, this thread is making me hungry...

Tonight I think we're going to have some pork tenderloin medallions sauteed with onions and apples, some buttered egg noodles and some fresh green beans from the local market.

Tomorrow will be homemade pizza--veggie for me, pepperoni for the hubby and kids. What I make every Saturday.

[CastIronCook2]

Just had friends drop in unannounced (at the little house on the lake in the woods up the mountain) and they brought supper stuff with them, so we're having elk burgers and garden tomatoes. Gotta love dinner guests who bring their own dinner!

[NCLee]

We ended up with some of the best bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches because of the threat of bad weather. I'm glad we did because when home grown tomatoes are in season I can't get enough of them! :)

Lee

[CastIronCook2]

Lee, I sure agree with you about home-grown tomatoes. Living on the coast, though, our season doesn't really get going until late August, no matter which variety we plant. Upside of that is that we have fresh tomatoes until nearly Thanksgiving. Farmers some few miles inland do well in the local markets with "heirloom" tomatoes, which command a premium price and are always snapped up.

[AzLoneRider]

Last night we had barbequed chicken breast, roasted zuchini and crook neck squash from the garden, for desert we had homemade brownies from scratch.

[NCLee]

Tonight is grilled veggie burgers with big slices of those home grown tomatoes, lettuce, and grilled red onions. Dessert is a low fat ice cream sandwich.

Lee

[momma_to_seven_chi]

We are having grilled pork patties with BBQ sauce again. I have about 50lbs of them to use up. We will have that last watermelon with them, and a salad. Plus I am making up some fried brown rice with veggies.
Breakfast was egg/cheese/sausage burritos with salsa. One of my very favorite dishes.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

BLTs tonight with chips and cantaloupe

Last night we went to an Asian buffet. They had lots of wonderful dishes and stir fries. I love crab in any dish, so it was great. They also had raw baby octopus in a tomato/onion/gr pepper dish with a vinaigrette dressing. I just couldn't bring myself to try that one. The little things were about five inches long, and the suction cups were still on their little arms. At least they were dead, all pickled in that vinegar mixture. I can do sushi, but raw octopus is beyond my comfort level.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Chicken and dumplings
green beans/potatoes in some bacon drippings
carrot sticks/broccoli/celery sticks with veggie dip
banana bread with homemade butter

too many carbs, but it's good

[firegirl969]

Tossed salad with rotisserie chicken on it

[CastIronCook2]

Leftover this and warmed over that. We had more company than usual this weekend, and the glut in the (very small propane) refrigerator shows it. So it's time to eat up the perishables. Fortunately, that open-fire-roasted pork is on the list to carve up and reheat. SO yummy.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Vegetable soup, zucchini bread

We have to do something with all that squash!

[NCLee]

Supper last night was locally caught fried bream, colesaw, and instant potatoes.

It's been years since I tried instant ones. Decided to try them, again. Tastes alot better than they used to taste. Instead of mixing milk and water, according to the recipe on the side of the box, I mixed instant non-fat dry milk powder into the total amount of liquid required.

I know I can use evaporated milk, as that's what Mom used when she first tried instant potatoes. Now I know that INFD will work OK, too, I'm going to lay in a good supply of these potatoes. Both for a quick side dish and for long term storage.

Wish I had more of those bream for supper tonight. :)

Lee

[CastIronCook2]

Lee, those instant mashed potatoes are one of my personal favorite treats. Also good is a dried shaved potato (such as you'd use for scalloped potatoes) we find in a local food wholesaler. They have to be soaked before using, but they're a quick and tasty way to get the scalloped effect, and they make good emergency rations 'cause they keep forever.

Dinner tonight is gonna be rabbit fricassee. I'm waiting to see what he does with it.

Last night Hubbest came up with a prawn/sea scallop/orzo combination that was so good I whipped out my laptop and made him tell it. It'll go in the next edition of the cookbook, fer shure.

[Cil]

Hmm..not sure. Tonight is Women's group at church and we're doing a potluck. And fortunately for me, they understand I couldn't afford to bring anything tonight.

[DM]

I had stir fry tonight, with everything out of the garden in it, except the brat i cut into it, and some olive oil... :)

DM