I tried my hand at making beef braciole for the first time yesterday. I haven’t even had it in a restaurant or anywhere before, let alone making it. So I had no frame of reference for how I did, but I thought it came out pretty well!
My younger son certainly thought so-- he had seconds and was raving about how good it was. Which is really out of character for him-- the highest compliment he usually ever gives my cooking is a noncommittal “it’s good” or “it’s ok”. Looks like I have a new meal to add to the weekend rotation.
Just quoting this for context. Grocery shopping today, I naturally went to the section where they keep these delectable pies. I knew it!! No, they weren’t actually out of anything, but guess what they were very nearly out of? Yep. One braised beef rib pie left, and two chicken pot pies. I bought them all. Now they’re out. The only ones left are the ones I consider the lesser pies.
Well, at least I know that my neighbours have good taste. I just hope they get new stock in soon!
No idea where we are eating dinner tonight. Last night was prosciutto with burrata and marinated pears, followed by 3 meat lasagna and finished with cannolis and cognac.
Why yes, we are in Las Vegas right now. How can you tell? Sinatra at Wynn is always stellar. Plus it’s always fun when the new hostess asks if we’ve been there before just as the head bartender comes around the bar to hug us both.
Breakfast was a burnt ends biscuit with eggs, beer cheese, pickled onions and micro greens. Yummy!
My birthday was last weekend, and every year I buy some filet mignons and prepare them with a mushroom and red wine sauce. So that was last night’s dinner.
Saturday, my actual birthday, I saw Demetri Martin perform at a theater in downtown Sacramento and before the show went to a restaurant called Frank Fat’s, a more upscale Chinese restaurant that’s been there since the late 1930s, and is good enough to earn the Michelin Bib Gourmand award.
I love homemeade braciole! It’s a fair amount of work, but so worth it. I no longer remember the recipe I used the one time I made it 20 years ago, but it was better than the restaurant version I had.
Yesterday’s dinner was an appetizer ifbacon-wrapped dates stuffed with ricotta and spinach, and drizzled with a balsamic glaze, followed with a salad made of tofu marinated with Sambal Olek and flash seared, spring mix blend with cucumbers, candied almonds, pickled carrots, daikon, and white balsamic sesame vinaigrette. Leftovers were today’s lunch.
Tonight I stopped and grabbed a lamb gyro on the way home, double-stuffed.
I mostly went by this one. I did not have pine nuts so didn’t add those, and I didn’t have prosciutto so I used bacon. Also this recipe called for a comically small amount of minced garlic so I added much more. Other than that I followed the recipe pretty closely.
I was off at the recording studio for the last two days, so my wife decided she wanted Manwiches on really nice sesame seed buns while I was out. There were still buns and Manwich left over tonight, so I went with that. Toasted up the bun in the broiler, sliced some onion, heated up a serving in the microwave and added a slice of cheese to one for the first time in my life.
Wow, that was really great. I’m sure it’s not good for you, but dang. If there’s still some left tomorrow, I’ll add jalapenos too.
The local supermarket that makes wonderful subs has now branched out into chicken sandwiches. I got one earlier today just to try.
For dinner I took it apart, put the breaded chicken patty in the air fryer, toasted the bun halves on a crepe pan, then threw some pre-cooked bacon on the hot pan for a few seconds, slathered the sandwich with mayo and added red onion and bacon to the lettuce and tomato that was already there, and that was a yummy dinner! I thought about making fries, but I’m full!
The chicken sandwich is definitely on my shopping list for next time. I hope they keep making them.
Legs o’ lamb are featured in the supermarkets right now due to upcoming Easter. I found a half-one on sale and divvied it into one small roast and a pile of shish kebab chunks. The chunks I froze and we’re having the small roast today for dinner, accompanied by fried fresh brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes.
Indecisive about dinner so I’m having a Caesar and thinking it over. I’m leaning towards either Pink Fettuccine (like Fettuccine Alfredo but tossed in a creamy rosé sauce instead of Alfredo sauce) or another chicken pot pie.
Decision made. I’m feeling lazy on this dreary day, so it will be chicken pot pie which is easier. I can have martinis while it bakes and be properly buzzed by the time it’s ready – win-win!
The farm market makes Tortilla Soup and sells it by the quart. We usually have a few in our freezer.
Last night I diced some jalapeños and half of a habanero pepper, then sautéed them with some ground turkey. Added this to the soup, then diced cilantro, green onions, and a tortilla to add tableside, along with Greek yogurt.
Meanwhile, my gf played with the spice profile. Finished product was excellent. Rocco ate several helpings.
Well my second attempt to make tuna salad turned out perfect, by which I mean the perfect taste and consistency for tuna salad sandwiches. Pretty much the same recipe as before but I used albacore tuna packed in water, drained, which looks more appealing to me than the solid stuff I had before, and used more chopped scallion and chopped red onion, a little more Bick’s gourmet dill relish than before (some recipes call for a bit of Dijon mustard instead), and much less mayo than before. Also totally omitted the garlic salt this time; IMHO tuna salad should have neither garlic nor salt, regardless of what some recipe book says.
Yesterday’s chicken pot pie turned out great as always. Dinner tonight will be Pink Fettuccine – fettuccine in rosé sauce with sauteed garlic mushrooms, topped with basil and fresh-grated Parmesan.
Today’s dinner is sort of pathetic. I’m sick with a miserable cold. I had to stop by 7-Eleven to pick up an Amazon package at the Amazon dropbox, and got a dozen mini-tacos from the hot case. That plus an IPA will be about all I’m up for tonight.
