[Windswept]

I just found these recipes online and thought they looked promising. If anyone gets around to trying any of them, please let us know how they turned out.

Also, if *you* have any cool recipes to share, this is the place.

(I think guys who like to cook are SO sexy!!! )


Citrus Salmon with Garlicky Greens

From Cooking Light

Serve with mashed red-skin potatoes or orzo tossed with olive oil.

2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (10-ounce) packages fresh spinach (about 20 cups)
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

Combine first 3 ingredients in a zip-top plastic bag; add salmon. Seal bag; marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500°.

Remove fillets from bag, and discard marinade. Place the fillets, skin sides down, in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray; cook at 500° for 13 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add garlic, salt, and one package of spinach; sauté 1 minute or until spinach wilts. Add remaining spinach, and cook 2 minutes or until the spinach wilts, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; toss with rice vinegar. Arrange 2/3 cup spinach mixture on each of 4 plates; add 1 salmon fillet. Garnish with onions, if desired.


Yield: 4 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 272 (42% from fat); FAT 12.6g (sat 2.7g, mono 4.8g, poly 3.9g); PROTEIN 31.8g; CARB 8.6g; FIBER 4.1g; CHOL 65mg; IRON 4.5mg; SODIUM 807mg; CALC 161mg;

Katherine Cobbs
Cooking Light, MAY 2004


Peppered Rib-Eye Steaks

From Southern Living

1997 Hall of Fame

2 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
6 (1 1/2-inch-thick) rib-eye steaks
3 tablespoons olive oil
Garnish: fresh thyme sprigs

Combine first 7 ingredients. Brush steaks with oil; rub with pepper mixture. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 8 to 10 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Garnish, if desired.


Yield: 6 servings

Southern Living, JUNE 2000


Tequila Shrimp and Citrus

From Coastal Living

1 1/2 pounds unpeeled, large fresh shrimp
1/4 cup tequila
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 orange, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 lime, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

Peel shrimp, leaving tails intact, and devein, if desired.

Stir together tequila and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add shrimp; cover and chill 30 minutes.

Alternately thread shrimp, bell pepper, and orange and lime wedges on 8 (10- to 12-inch) skewers.

Grill, covered with lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until done.


Yield: 4 servings

Coastal Living, SEPTEMBER 2002


Grilled Corn

From Sunset

Notes: Grilled corn has been a Sunset standard since the 1930s.


1. Strip husks and silks from 6 ears corn (7 to 8 in.).

2. Prepare barbecue for direct heat.

If using charcoal briquets, cover firegrate with a single, solid layer of ignited coals; let them burn down to desired heat. Set grill in place and measure heat.

If using a gas barbecue, turn all burners to high and close lid for 10 minutes. Adjust burners to desired heat. Set grill in place and measure heat.

When grill is medium-hot (you can hold your hand at grill level only 3 to 4 seconds) lay corn on barbecue and turn ears as needed until hot and speckled with brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

3. Rub corn with lime wedges and sprinkle with salt to taste.


Yield: Makes 6 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 108 (13% from fat); FAT 1.5g (sat 0.2g, mono , poly ); PROTEIN 4.1g; CARB 24g; FIBER 4g; CHOL 0.0mg; SODIUM 19mg;

Sunset, AUGUST 1998

[alcimedes]

1. Stir pasta into 6 cups boiling water. (for the gourmet, 1tsp. salt is optional)

2. Boil rapidly 4 to 6 minutes or until pasta is tender.

3. Drain.

4. Add 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup 2% milk and contents of sauce packet.

5. Mix well.

Macaroni and Cheese (spirals of course)

Nutritional information:

You're eating Mac and Cheese, you obviously don't care.

[Windswept]

I think macaroni and cheese can be regarded as the staff of life.

I love noodles. Do you ever buy those boxes of Lipton Noodle Soup with Real Chicken Broth? Not bad in winter when you need something fast to warm you up.

[Moogs]

I have yet to find the perfect recipe for it, but Past Carbonara is quite drool-worthy IMHO. Just delicious when prepared right. Here are a couple variations:

* Exported from MasterCook * Biagio's Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe By : Byron Howes North Carolina Education Computing Service, Rese Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Ethnic Meats Pasta Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 500 g thin spaghetti, rotini or equivalent pasta 30 ml olive oil 250 g pancetta or bacon 1 medium yellow onion (chopped) 125 ml cold water 60 ml dry Italian white wine 4 eggs 60 ml heavy cream 100 g parmesan cheese (grated) 1. Put large bowl in oven to warm at lowest possible setting. 2. Soak chopped onion in cold water for 15 minutes to reduce pungency. 3. Chop Pancetta or bacon into 5mmx2cm strips. 4. Beat eggs and cream together with a fork. Add 50 g parmesan cheese to the mixture. 5. Wash pasta. Put on water to cook pasta. Add pasta when boiling. In the meantime... 6 . Dry onions and saute with pancetta or bacon in olive oil until onions are barely translucent. 7. Add wine and reduce heat when initial boiling ceases. Meat should not be crisp. 8. When pasta is cooked, drain, but .I do not wash. .S 9. Quickly remove bowl from oven, put pasta in it and toss with egg, cream and cheese mixture so that heat from pasta cooks eggs. 10. Add meat, onions and wine without draining fat and toss until thoroughly mixed. 11. Sprinkle remaining cheese to taste, toss and serve immediately. Author's Notes: My wife and I had the pleasure of staying at the Villa Virgiliana (owned by The Vergilian Society) in Cuma, Italy just outside of Naples in June, 1985. Biagio and Maria Sgariglia, the proprietors of the villa, served us excellent Italian farm meals for a week, each meal being more delicious than the last. This dish was the gastronomic highlight of our stay. Pasta should be cooked al dente so that it offers resistance to the teeth without crunching. Fresh pasta is desirable (dried pasta is a poor imitation of the real thing.) Pasta should be used immediately when done so as to stop its internal cooking. If both portions of the recipe cannot be completed at the same time, the meat and onion mixture should finish first. I have made a very successful variation on this using hot country sausage. Make sure the sausage is fairly lean if you try it, however. All of the quantities are adjustable, and may depend on the kind of pasta or meat you use. Too much cream will cause the egg mixture to separate from the pasta and meat. Too little cream will essentially give you scrambled eggs and bacon with pasta. Difficulty : moderate to hard (timing is critical). Precision : measure the ingredients.

and

* Exported from MasterCook * Spaghetti Alla Carbonara Recipe By : Foodview Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Pasta Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/2 lb Bacon cut in 1/2 inch pieces 1/2 cup chopped Onion 1/4 cup Butter or Margarine 3 Eggs beaten 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese 2 tbsp finely chopped Parsley Dash Pepper 1 lb Spaghetti or Spaghettini (fine) Saute bacon and onion in butter until bacon is slightly crisp and onion tender. Combine beaten eggs, grated parmesan cheese, parlsey and pepper. Prepare spaghetti or spaghettini in large amount of boiling salted water. Drain. Return to sauce pan. Add hot bacon mixture and egg mixture to hot spaghetti. Eggs cook slightly on contact. Blend thoroughly. Serves 6-8.

[Windswept]

Mmmm. Yummy. My mouth is watering just from reading through your recipes. Thank you *so much* for sharing!

Your week in 1985 sounds incredible. Sigh.

[Ryan]

I just put a tuna melt on top of an onion bagel. KISS.

[Wrao]

Whole Wheat multigrain bread
Jack Daniels old no. 7 mustard
Muenster Cheese(or pepper jack)
Avocado
SPIKE seasoning
Toaster oven

combine in logical fashion for open faced melty deliciousness

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by Wrao Whole Wheat multigrain bread Jack Daniels old no. 7 mustard Muenster Cheese(or pepper jack) Avocado SPIKE seasoning Toaster oven combine in logical fashion for open faced melty deliciousness

I love Muenster cheese. I have some in the fridge right now.

Your sandwich sounds delicious. But do you cook it with the avocado on, or do you put the avocado on after it's cooked?

[Wrao]

Avocado on, I like to have the cheese melt around it.

I mush up the avocado so it's like guac* sprinkle some SPIKE on it, put the cheese on, toast it up, then sprinkle a little more SPIKE on


*how I make Guacamole:
Avocados
SPIKE seasoning
Lime
Garlic powder
Sea Salt
sometimes I add a dash of chili powder, but not generally.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by Wrao Avocado on, I like to have the cheese melt around it. I mush up the avocado so it's like guac* sprinkle some SPIKE on it, put the cheese on, toast it up, then sprinkle a little more SPIKE on *how I make Guacamole: Avocados SPIKE seasoning Lime Garlic powder Sea Salt sometimes I add a dash of chili powder, but not generally.

Okay, that makes sense. Somehow, I envisioned the guacamole on top, and imagined that it would turn black in the oven. But I can see that if it's *under* the cheese, it would be completely protected.

Your sandwich is creative, healthful and easy. I'd definitely like to try it soon. Thank you for elaborating.

[Moogs]

Originally Posted by Carol Mmmm. Yummy. My mouth is watering just from reading through your recipes. Thank you *so much* for sharing! Your week in 1985 sounds incredible. Sigh.

You're certainly welcome... enjoy! Just to be fair though, that 1985 trip to Italy was Byron's, not mine (notice the quotation). One day though, one day.

[stevegong]

To try cool recipies one should try going to China. I am constantly surprised at how many fundamentally different dishes exist. It's really quite amazing, We went to a seafood restaurant last week and they had samples of every dish they had out for you to look at and there must have been around 50 different dishes. We went to the same restaurant the other day for the second time and to my surprise not a single dish was the same on display this time. I asked the waitress and she said they change every day of the week, that is just amazing.

And Chinese people seem to eat just about anything. I had raw crab, shark fin soup....a feast's worth of food and it was really quite cheap, and very delicious.

Just coming to China for the food is worth it...

[alcimedes]

sounds like tasty food, but i'd have steered clear of the shark fin soup. the demand in asia for shark fins is endangering multitudes of shark species.

[stevegong]

Originally Posted by alcimedes sounds like tasty food, but i'd have steered clear of the shark fin soup. the demand in asia for shark fins is endangering multitudes of shark species.

gosh, didn't know that.

I think the way Chinese food is eaten makes much more sense, everyone gets to eat every dish, rather than the western one, where each person orders what he wants and only eats his own (that's not community mentality)

As a result, un-savvy westerners make the mistake of only ordering his own dish when in a chinese restaurant and several times think it rude if I ate a bit of what he ordered, so I had to explain our ways to him.

[thuh Freak]

Originally Posted by stevegong As a result, un-savvy westerners make the mistake of only ordering his own dish when in a chinese restaurant and several times think it rude if I ate a bit of what he ordered, so I had to explain our ways to him.

i dont much like that sharing crap. when i order food, i intend to eat it. if i wanted some of someone else's food, i'd clear it with them first.

here's my recipes:
thuhFreak's mom's chicken cutlets (these are probably similar to most chicken cutlets, but well, what do i know):

• buy skinless chicken breasts
• cut em thin, but not too thin. fat ones will work too, and for that matter so will thin ones, but you can usually cut one of the breast strips into two long pieces instead of one fat, long piece. the length is unimportant, smaller pieces are nice sometimes, though long ones are also good
• in a bowl, mix an egg (or two if u have a lot of chicken), some lemon and/or lime juice, and spices. the only requirement for this bowl, actually, is egg. for spices i tend to vary depending on whats available in my kitchen: basil, oregano, pepper, salt, some random bottle of something i don't realize until after i've tossed it in... you might try putting spices into the next bowl, but thats not my style.
• in separate bowl, put in some bread crumbs (note: just breaking up pieces of a loaf into really small pieces might work, but there are dried crumbs in tins available at a store and thats what i generally use)
• dip each strip (both sides) into well mixed egg bowl.
• then dip it into bread (both sides).
• fill a pan with some cooking oil*. the oil should be about half the height of the chicken when its thrown in. too much doesn't really hurt, but i've never done too little; i imagine too little wouldn't cook as thoroughly.
• put breaded, egged strips into pan.
• cook until it browns (often 10-20 minutes, iirc), and flip. i tend to throw more pepper on when its cooking
• eat, and make more b/c they are so good. most of the time i also have something on the side, like applesauce and/or steamed broccoli.

*insetad of cooking oil, i discovered one time that you can use various regular juices, like apple or orange (together or separate). as apple juice is more watery than oil, it may evaporate off as you cook, so you may have to add more. of course, these will taste different, and they don't brown like with coil, but they are still very good. the foods of my kitchen are very inconsistent, so each time i'll have a slightly different (yet always wonderful) cutlets.

this is like one of the only dinner things i know how to make (besides like hamburgers and hotdogs), so i have it a lot more frequently than anything else. actually, i do know how to cook a nice little snack...

leary biscuits :smokey::

• buy triscuits or ritz crackers (or similar)
• get a hunk of ur favorite cheeze (the official leary biscuits, i believe, are made with cheddar, but i like moz better).
• put thin slice of cheeze over each cracker
• throw a little dagga on top (if its shake, then sprinkle it, if its mass then plop a chunk on the middle. how much u use depends on how good a dealer u have.)
• to mix it up, you can throw an extra cracker on top.
• chunk it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds (until cheeze is slightly melted). you could probably throw these in a oven type dealie, preferably one with a window so u can see them before they cheeze melts off.
• serve warm/hot

note: due to the small nature of crackers, it will take a lot of them (and a lot of shwag) to get high on these.

[staph]

Originally Posted by stevegong gosh, didn't know that. I think the way Chinese food is eaten makes much more sense, everyone gets to eat every dish, rather than the western one, where each person orders what he wants and only eats his own (that's not community mentality) As a result, un-savvy westerners make the mistake of only ordering his own dish when in a chinese restaurant and several times think it rude if I ate a bit of what he ordered, so I had to explain our ways to him.

I think you're seriously oversstating the extent to which westerners don't like sharing food like that. The practice of not sharing food from central serving dishes is really historically quite recent (within the last two hundred years), and by no means completely entrenched „ family dinners in particular often still run with the older paradigm.

For what it's worth, my family always share dishes at Chinese/Indian/South-East Asians restaurants, except for my mother, who invariably orders Shantung Chicken and eats it all by herself. My partner and I will often do the same thing even at normal, 'western' style restaurants. The fact that this usually means you have to steal off someone else's plate makes it a bit harder to do this for someone you're not really familiar with, unfortunately.

Oh: and my recipes:

Porridge (per person)

2 cups water
1/2 cup good quality rolled oats (large and thick: at least 5-6mm diameter)
Brown sugar/honey/whisky

Put cold water in a saucepan, dump in the oats, bring it to a brisk boil for about a minute, and allow to simmer on a very low heat for 15+ minutes, stirring occasionally to stop the skin going manky. Serve with one of brown sugar, honey or whisky, and milk as preferred.

Pancakes/crepes

People always say that my pancakes are like crepes, so...

Plain flour -- about 1 cup per person
1 egg per person
Milk
Cream

Make a well in the flour, stir in enough milk to make a thick paste. Add more milk slowly to thin the paste out without allowing it to become lumpy. Once it is fairly liquid (i.e. not a major effort to stir), add the eggs, one at a time, and stir well. Proceed to progressively add milk until you get something about the consistency of a light unthickened cream. Add cream if you're feeling decadent.

Fry at medium/high temperature in a non-stick frying pan... learning to flip them is probably a good idea, because spatulas will often tear the pancake if you've made the batter too thin. Greasing the pan (lightly) is imperative.

[Windswept]

Well, staph, what do you put on those crepes/pancakes? Butter and syrup, or other stuff? Do you leave them flat, or roll them up? Cream cheese would be great inside. I'm afraid I love cream cheese in any incarnation conceivable.

The last time I made crepes was with my ex in his beach house at Manhattan Beach (Los Angeles). We made crepes with lobster (in a sauce) inside, and a separate sauce over the top. Turned out unbelievably well - delicate, perfect flavors. A bit of fine wine in the inside sauce, and a small amount of good brandy in the outside sauce. Scallions, cream, lots of lobster. Divine.

About your porridge. Just my feeling on the matter, but why not try this for a change: I like stuff with lots of substance and body. I like my oatmeal sort of chunky and with a chewy/almost crunchy texture. With half and half cream on top if I'm feeling especially decadent.

To get oral gratification from your oatmeal (ie. chunky/chewy-almost crunchy), use WAY less water. For example, a cup of water and 3/4 cup original oatmeal (NOT the instant kind!!!!!). Barely bring water to boil before adding oatmeal, then stir in, and add more oats to make sure it stays chunky and substantial. Do NOT cook for the full ten minutes - only cook 3 or 4 minutes, in order to keep the oatmeal on the chunky (not soggy/liquidy) side.

Most people hate oatmeal because the directions on the box are ALL WRONG!!! (imo) Those directions produce a mushy, slimy substance, with a smooth, rather glutinous texture that is NOT palatable to child or adult. (Just my opinion on the matter.) But chunky, substantial "porridge" with half and half cream, and sugar, is *quite* delectable.

Promise me you'll try it at least once, okay staph?

[staph]

Originally Posted by Carol Well, staph, what do you put on those crepes/pancakes? Butter and syrup, or other stuff? Do you leave them flat, or roll them up? Cream cheese would be great inside. I'm afraid I love cream cheese in any incarnation conceivable.

Well, I only ever make them for breakfast, so usually maple syrup (preferably the real thing, if I have the spare cash for it at the time).

I'm open to being convinced as to the merits of lemon juice and sugar, and I have eaten savoury things on them occasionally (most recently on Shrove Tuesday, actually)

About your porridge. Just my feeling on the matter, but why not try this for a change: I like stuff with lots of substance and body. I like my oatmeal sort of chunky and with a chewy/almost crunchy texture. With half and half cream on top if I'm feeling especially decadent.

This reminds me of my father's possibly apocryphal story of how his grandparents (who were straight-off-the-moor, bible-bashing, Gaelic-speaking highlanders) used to do it: they'd cook it up --extremely-- thickly, and pour it into drawers to let it set, then cut it into strips to take with them to eat during the day... kind of like rubbery muesli bars.

To get oral gratification from your oatmeal (ie. chunky/chewy-almost crunchy), use WAY less water. For example, a cup of water and 3/4 cup original oatmeal (NOT the instant kind!!!!!). Barely bring water to boil before adding oatmeal, then stir in, and add more oats to make sure it stays chunky and substantial. Do NOT cook for the full ten minutes - only cook 3 or 4 minutes, in order to keep the oatmeal on the chunky (not soggy/liquidy) side.

Texture is indeed important to a good porridge, but I think there's a fine line between having enough texture for it to be nice, and having something a bit too thick. Unless you go massively in the other direction (as you're suggesting) and make something really thick. Part of the problem is that if it's too thick, proper rolled oats often don't fully cook unless you let it cook for quite some time.

For reference, the way I actually eat it is by dumping a pile of something sweet on it (usually honey atm), and then drowning it in soy milk to make a warm, sweet, creamy broth-like substance, with little glutinous blobs floating in it.

Most people hate oatmeal because the directions on the box are ALL WRONG!!! (imo)

Box? We always just rocked on down to the supermarket and picked up the home-brand rolled oats... these days I try to make it to a health-food store or the hippy food coop if I can.

Instant porridge is certainly disgusting. Just yuk.

Those directions produce a mushy, slimy substance, with a smooth, rather glutinous texture that is NOT palatable to child or adult. (Just my opinion on the matter.) But chunky, substantial "porridge" with half and half cream, and sugar, is *quite* delectable. Promise me you'll try it at least once, okay staph?

Actually, really thick, long-cooked porridges like one occasionally gets from huge commercial porridge pots which have been cooking for days are often really nice... they make for a pretty heavy breakfast though. I'm pretty sure I've experienced the sort of thing you're described (apart from anything else, my father takes a somewhat unscientific approach to cooking this kind of thing, so there was quite a lot of variation in my childhood experiences of it)

10 hours, 15 minutes and counting...

[Windswept]

Ten hours left? OMG!

I won't write you anything more until tomorrow.

Here you have a rapidly approaching deadline and we're wasting time talking about "porridge". :wow:

Sorry.

Talk to you later, Stephen.

[staph]

Originally Posted by Carol Ten hours left? OMG! I won't write you anything more until tomorrow. Here you have a rapidly approaching deadline and we're wasting time talking about "porridge". :wow: Sorry. Talk to you later, Stephen.

All I can say is:

"Vae tibi, non enim invenies misericordiam, sed quod meruisti, judicium"* (Paris, Chronica Maiora, v, p. 491)

Actually, I'm at the stage at which I'm cleaning up the footnotes (140 left to check, not as bad as it sounds), building the TOC, and throwing in as many secondary references as I can scrape up on the spot to make it all sound more impressive. I'm bored to tears. It makes porridge seem interesting.

*"Woe to you, for you will not find pity, but what you deserve -- damnation"

[Windswept]

Carol holds hand over her mouth, though muffled and indistinguishable comments are clearly being made.

Wonder what she could be saying? Seems to be something involving the word "judicium"?

[stevegong]

well you aren't actually stealing off someone else's plate per se because it's really in a pool.

I think even the chinese restaurants not in china serve things a bit in the western way.

To me it's more logical to share when you are having many dishes, I'm talking about 8+, the other day at the seafood place we were in 6 people and had 13 dishes.

in this case it would be foolish to not share because the goal is so you can try everything and have a bit of everything and i think this greatly improves the eating experience.

Having said that, perhaps it's due to less variety or more individual portions that much western cuisine is a 1 person thing.

But by no means am I criticising western cuisine...well, maybe English food = sux

[Ryan]

I personnally like the whole sharing food deal. You get a bigger variety for a lower price. Except that a lot of Chinese resturants charge an arm and a leg.

[stevegong]

Originally Posted by CubeDude I personnally like the whole sharing food deal. You get a bigger variety for a lower price. Except that a lot of Chinese resturants charge an arm and a leg.

that's why you should come to china.

[Windswept]

Here's another one that looks rather delicious.

Bourbon and Brown Sugar Flank Steak with Garlic-Chive Mashed Potatoes

From Cooking Light

Pork tenderloin will also work in this recipe.

Steak:
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup minced green onions
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (2-pound) flank steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Potatoes:
3 pounds small red potatoes
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/3 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Garnish:
8 fresh chives, cut into 1-inch pieces

To prepare steak, combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add steak. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight, turning bag occasionally. Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade.

Prepare grill.

Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Combine reserved marinade and cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

To prepare potatoes, place potatoes and garlic in a large Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Return potatoes and garlic to pan, and place over medium heat. Add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mash potato mixture to desired consistency with a potato masher. Stir in chopped chives. Mound 3/4 cup potatoes on each of 8 plates; arrange 3 ounces steak around each serving of potatoes. Drizzle 1 tablespoon sauce on each plate; sprinkle with chive pieces, if desired.



Yield: 8 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 456 (30% from fat); FAT 15.4g (sat 7.4g, mono 4.9g, poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 29.1g; CARB 45.9g; FIBER 3.7g; CHOL 77mg; IRON 4.8mg; SODIUM 887mg; CALC 84mg;

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2002

[sunrain]

Orange Blossom Salmon

I was playing around in the kitchen tonight and came up with this receipe. It turned out really well, so I thought I'd share it.

Ingredients:

four salmon fillets
1/3 cup champagne vinegar dressing
1/4 cup melted butter
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. fresh ground oregano
1 tsp. fresh dill
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. orange blossom water

Place a 3-quart saute pan over medium heat. Whisk together all ingredients (except for the orange blossom water) and brush onto the salmon fillets. Place the fillets into the heated pan and pour the remaining sauce over them. Cover the pan and cook for 18-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Flip the fillets at the halfway point. About 2-3 minutes before the fillets are done, incorporate the orange blossom water into the sauce. Serves 4.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

I'm just starting to get into cooking, I prepare our meals twice a week now. My favorite is Flounder prepared like so:

Fresh Flounder

Spray pyrex baking dish with Pam.
Lay filets in dish.
Drizzle lemon juice on filets
Drizzle white cooking wine on filets
Sprinkle garlic pepper on filets
Liberally apply poultry seasoning
Optional: dice up some onion and sprinkle on filets

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or filet flakes easily with fork

We usually have this with a squash dish that's equally easy.

Cut up a zucchini and a yellow squash
Place in 2 quart pyrex casserole dish
Sprinkle half a package of good seasons salad dressing spice on squash
Pour some olive oil over squash
Mix up in dish
Nuke for 15 minutes (our microwave is weak and doesn't have one of those rotating thingies in it so this may take less time in your microwave)
Optional: Sprinkle parmesan cheese over cooked squash, let sit so cheese melts

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Originally Posted by alcimedes sounds like tasty food, but i'd have steered clear of the shark fin soup. the demand in asia for shark fins is endangering multitudes of shark species.

A couple of my friends were in Chinatown NYC a few years ago and some guys came in and held the place up at gunpoint. What did they take? The cash in the register and all the shark fins in the joint.

[torifile]

Shamelessly ripped from everydayfoodmag.com. A great recipe for risotto.

Spring Risotto with Peas and Zucchini

Serves 6; Prep time: 1 hour; Total time: 1 hour
Rich and creamy, risotto is Italian-style comfort food. If you like, you can leave out the wine and replace it with an equal amount of broth.


2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons butter

1 to 2 large zucchini(1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat broth and 2 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan over low heat; keep warm. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until zucchini is golden, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer zucchini to a plate.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion; cook until soft, 5 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Raise heat to medium. Add rice; cook, stirring, until translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine; cook until absorbed, about 2 minutes.

3. Cook, adding 1 cup hot broth at a time (stir until almost all liquid is absorbed before adding more), until rice is tender, 25 to 30 minutes total.

4. Add zucchini and peas; cook until peas are bright green, 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining tablespoon butter and Parmesan. Serve, topped with more cheese.

[eventhorizon]

Originally Posted by stevegong gosh, didn't know that. I think the way Chinese food is eaten makes much more sense, everyone gets to eat every dish, rather than the western one, where each person orders what he wants and only eats his own (that's not community mentality) As a result, un-savvy westerners make the mistake of only ordering his own dish when in a chinese restaurant and several times think it rude if I ate a bit of what he ordered, so I had to explain our ways to him.

Maybe if I was in China I'd expect someone to just reach over and take some of my food because that's the culture there. However, it's wholly rude to do that here because that ISN'T the culture here. Ask. It's pretty easy.