What's for dinner?

It's been a long week. Last night I had tortilla chips, salsa (I'm still working on my Nada leftovers - man that salsa is good!), and sleep for dinner. Oy... But today is a new day. I hear Kroger has a pretty good deal on crab legs - $9.99/lb. Sounds like a plan.

I bake mine with garlic and butter. More butter for dipping, corn on the cob, roasted red peppers (just because I have some that are beginning to wrinkle) and lots of lemon wedges. Mmm.... I'll put my "recipe" for the legs in the comments section.

What are you having?

*I tried to add the recipe in the comments, but it wouldn't work. It will probably show up, like, 20 times a little while from now. Anyway, here it is:

Baked Legs
2 lbs king crab legs, split
1/2 cup butter, salted
8 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1 medium lemon
Parsley, dried or fresh and chopped (or not - it's really just pretty as you won't be able to taste much of it with all that garlic!)
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil (tasty and this and the butter temper each other)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium to medium low heat. Stir in garlic and saute (do not allow it to brown or it will be bitter - start over if this happens). Stir in lemon juice and parsley (if you want it). Whisk in olive oil, reduce heat and cover.

Arrange the crab legs in a large baking dish. Use a pastry brush to put butter on the legs. Bake until the legs are hot all the way through, about 25-35 minutes, depending on how big they are.

When I make these for friends, I put the whole baking dish on the table and we eat family-style, dipping the tasty meat in the butter sauce in the bottom of the pan.

Messy hands and faces are the rule. And double dipping is tempting but verboten!

What's for dinner?

One of my colleagues had a business lunch today at Nada. I asked him to bring me back the barbacoa tacos with a side of the corn tamale. I had one taco and a few forkfuls of the tamale for lunch and I was stuffed. Now, I'm about to have the rest for dinner...

What are you having?

What's for... dessert!

I'm not thinking too much about dinner. I'll probably just go back to Diner on Elm for another Mediterranean salad.

But later today, a friend of mine is going to stop over for wine and dessert. He and I both love chocolate, and I love Nigella. So I'm going to try my hand at these Chocohotopots. (And I will try to remember to take pictures!) I think I will add a pinch of grey salt to the batter though... I asked my friend to bring a nice port to pair with it. Do you have any fun dinner or dessert plans for tonight?

UPDATE: They were FAB! And so easy it's silly... Here are a couple of pictures:

What's for dinner?

I'm making halibut. I think I'll season the filets, smear some fig preserves over them and then bake. Maybe finish it off with a couple of minutes under the broiler for a little added crispiness... I have some Granny Smith apples, red grapes and slivered almonds, so I think I'll make a take on a Waldorf salad for a side dish. I'll brighten it with a little extra lemon juice and a bit of zest. The crunch and the tartness should be a nice counter to the soft fish and the sweet preserves.

What's on your menu?

What's for dinner?

It's not even close to quittin' time and I'm thinking about dinner. Sigh...

Tonight I'm going to saute (would be better on the grill!) thin-sliced sirloin with balsamic vinegar and garlic. I'll serve that with polenta fries and a peppery, creamy salad of arugula, watercress, red onion, mozzarella and plum tomato dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. To save time, I'm going to cheat a bit tonight and use a tube 'o' polenta. I'll slice it up, brush the "fries" with olive oil, season and saute them until they're golden and crispy on the outside.

And in case you want to try my longer - and better, I think - version of the fries:

Polenta Fries
2 cups milk (I would say no less than 2% to get the best result - this is not a time for skim...)
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups polenta
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (plus more for finishing)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup grated Parmigiana Reggiano
1/4 cup melted clarified butter (or olive oil, if you prefer)

Bring the milk and water just to a boil in a large saucepan. Add polenta, stirring constantly. Stir in the salt and reduce the heat to medium or medium-high. Continue stirring until the polenta gets thick (in my experience, the amount of time it takes really depends on the polenta). Stir in the cheese. Remove polenta from heat and spread out 1/2-inch thick onto a baking sheet using a spatula. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour (or you can make it ahead and chill overnight). Cut into wide fry shapes. Brush a big of butter (or olive oil) over each. Bake at 450 degrees until crispy and golden, about 20-25 minutes. (Flip them halfway through baking for even color and crispiness.) Sprinkle with a bit more salt to taste before serving, but while they are still hot!

These are also great with (what else?) burgers. I like them in lieu of a bun...

What was for dinner?

I didn't get to post yesterday... But I baked salmon, and made a sweet and hot Cajun-lemon butter with a cayenne, lemon juice and a touch of brown sugar to go over it. I roasted red, orange and yellow bell peppers and onion with olive oil, grey salt and fresh ground pepper. And I served everything over couscous.

I'm probably going to play kickball after work tonight so I might have leftovers. Not sure...

What did you make last night? What's on the dinner agenda for today?

What's for dinner?

I am so not in the mood to cook. So, I'm not.

I'm going to Diner on Elm (formerly Marrakech) to get a Mediterranean salad. Gyro meat, tomato, cucumber, olives, onion and feta over romaine. Plenty of tzatziki on the side... Yum! It's simple, flavorful and one of the best salads I've ever had...

What are you doing for dinner?

What's for dinner?

Hmm... I'm trying to think about what's in my refrigerator. Chicken breasts, a bottle of Pom, goat cheese, baby spinach...) so here it goes...

Goat cheese stuffed chicken breasts with a pomegranate reduction over a bed of spinach and slivers of fresh garlic that I'll saute in a little bit of olive oil. Never tried it, but the flavors/textures sound right. The only thing I might do different is scratch the garlic and just wilt the spinach with the heat of the chicken and a splash of vinegar, rather than sauteing it, to keep the flavors bright and light.

What are you having?

What's for dinner?

I'm making mushroom risotto (sounds way more difficult than it is) and broccoli sauteed in olive oil with sliced garlic. Parmeggiano-Reggiano and a squeeze of lemon over everything just before I dig in...

What about you?

What's for Dinner?

Well, I thought I knew what I was having for dinner. That was until I walked into our kitchen 20 minutes ago where one of my colleaugues was heating up her lunch. It smelled so good! She told me she got the recipe from a CinWeekly feature, CinCook. It's a fast(er) version of Chicken Tikka Masala. So that's what I'm having for dinner (and lunch tomorrow). Yum...

What are you going to cook/grab/reheat/nuke tonight?

What did you have for dinner?

I didn't get to post about my dinner yesterday, but I, of course, made time to eat it.

I made my Not-Your-Mama's Meatloaf; roasted fingerling potatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, parsley and splashes of olive oil and lemon juice; and a green salad with a great ginger rice wine vinegar that I found over the weekend (more about that and another find later).

What did you have last night?

What's for dinner?

I'm exhausted. So a sandwich it is.

I'm going to stop by the grocery store and grab a rotisserie chicken and some Brownberry. When I get home, I'll cut off a hunk of the breast, chunk it, mix it with a little mayo, curry powder, key lime juice (just because it's what's there) and mango chutney. Then I'll add some sliced red grapes, celery and slivered almonds. Mound that on the bread, add some romaine, and call it a day...

What are you cooking up?

What's for dinner?

It's 4:30 and my brain has officially switched into "what should I eat tonight?" mode. So here's my menu:

Roasted Asparagus and Portabella Mushrooms

Fried Egg with Parmesan Cheese

A hot oven, olive oil, good salt and fresh pepper are all you need for the veggies. And the egg takes next to no time... Just put it in a hot skillet (I prefer cast iron) and cook it to order, sprinkling the parmesan over in the last minute or so of cooking. You won't need any additional salt... I like mine over-hard, with slightly crispy edges. Very spring-y, super fast and tasty...

What are you having?

What's for dinner?

Been a while since I asked myself that... Sigh... I can't remember the last great meal I prepared, and I miss cooking. I've been hitting up Thai and Indian joints for take out. I've also been stopping by Chipotle for bowls (beans, corn salsa, green tomatillo salsa, fresh tomato salsa, lettuce, hold the rice, thanks.). I'm paranoid that the people who work there will be like, "What the...? Wasn't she just in here, like, two nights ago?" So, in my infinite wisdom, I identified three locations that are close to me and rotate. Yes, I realize that this is a problem...

Hence, I am committed to cooking dinner tonight. Even if it's just baked fish and steamed vegetables or something. Heck, maybe even a smoothie... Or maybe I'll stop by Trader Joe's after work to try to get some inspiration? I just need to eat something I put together, you know?

What's the last great meal you threw together?

Spicy shrimp in a flash

What's for dinner?

When I go to the bank without any makeup on, I pinch my cheeks (a la Scarlett O'Hara) right before I go inside for a hint of color. I've convinced myself that the result makes look more like a lady and less like I'm about to stick up the joint. If I get a run in my nylons, I use clear nail polish to stop it from creeping up my leg. When I lose the back to an earring, I cut off a piece of a pencil eraser and use that to hold my earring in place until I can get home.

My point? We all have those moments when we're in a (get ready for the full-circle moment) pinch. Here's a great dinner idea for times like that. The secret ingredient? Campbell's Cream of Shrimp Soup. Never heard of it? Neither had I until about two months ago when I saw it at Super Walmart. Yeah, I know it hasn't been cool to cook with condensed soups since the 1950s, but darn it... They're convenient! What else can I say? Hate it or eat it...

Spicy Shrimp with Rice
1 can of Campbell's Cream of Shrimp Soup
1 lb shrimp, deveined and shelled
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup sliced green onions (kitchen shears work well with these), with another 1/4 cup for garnish
1/2 cup white wine (something you would like to drink; cooking swill only makes it more wretched)
3 tablespoons of butter
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper
Hot cooked rice

In a large lidded skillet, heat butter over medium high heat. Saute celery and green onions until soft. Add shrimp and cook until they are pink. Add cayenne pepper, soup, wine and heat through. Do not overcook or shrimp will be bubblegummy (yes, that IS a word). Squeeze lemon juice over it right before serving.

Serve over rice and garnish with a little extra green onion on top.

It's better than good, it's Mexcellent...

OK, guys... It's that time of day when every foodie stops thinking about work (let's be honest, folks) and starts thinking, "Hmm... What's for dinner?"

It really doesn’t matter who's the asker and who's the askee when you can hardly hear each other over the grumbling of tummies. When I run out of ideas, I occasionally turn here, among other places.

Here is one recipe that's easy. I call it Mexcellent, because it's a little bit Mexican and a whole lotta excellent (could easily be vegetarian):

Mexcellent
1 lb of ground turkey (or beef if you like)
1 tablespoon of olive oil (omit if you use beef)
1 box of spanish rice, prepared
2 cups of frozen corn
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
4 green onions , sliced
2 or 3 roma tomatoes (depending on size), diced
1 cup (or as much as you like) of your favorite hot sauce (I'm a Cholula-kinda girl)
Packet of taco seasoning (however much water the packet calls for)
16 ounce package of mexican cheese blend (reserve 2 cups; I'm not a fan of the cheese with seasoning in it)
Optional garnish: sour cream, more shredded cheese, salsa, sliced jalapenos

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown the meat and then add the seasoning packet and the water. Put browned meat into a large bowl. Add rice, corn, beans, onions, tomatoes, hot sauce and cheese. Spoon mixture into a large baking dish (use a non-stick spray first) and put reserved cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Garnish any way you see fit. Serves a bunch.

So what are you doing for dinner? Where do you go for dinner ideas when your short on creativity?

Best dishes,

Nicci