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What's For Dinner?

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    • What's For Dinner?

      Wow - No one in the Cafe today. Everyone is out hiking on a fine Fall day. We had brunch at our favorite restaurant which sadly is closing next month - not due to lack of business, it's packed every day. But the owner wants do do other things so it is closing. Then we went to Art Prize - the World's largest art competition. We walk all over town looking at art and voting for your favorites. Some is bad, - some is good.

      But tonight, for dinner I for the first time made Cedar Plank Salmon. I've had it in restaurants (I think its a Pacific NW thing), but never made it for myself. The recipe is from Curtis Stone's recent cookbook. It's pretty simple. You soak a cedar plank in water and brine the salmon in a solution of salt, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Then you grill it on the plank over indirect heat. Son had a strip steak as he isn't a fish eater. Accompanied by a rice pilaf from my Indian cookbook, boiled green beans, and a Rose from Provence. Yum
    • odd man out wrote:

      Wow - No one in the Cafe today. Everyone is out hiking on a fine Fall day. We had brunch at our favorite restaurant which sadly is closing next month - not due to lack of business, it's packed every day. But the owner wants do do other things so it is closing. Then we went to Art Prize - the World's largest art competition. We walk all over town looking at art and voting for your favorites. Some is bad, - some is good.

      But tonight, for dinner I for the first time made Cedar Plank Salmon. I've had it in restaurants (I think its a Pacific NW thing), but never made it for myself. The recipe is from Curtis Stone's recent cookbook. It's pretty simple. You soak a cedar plank in water and brine the salmon in a solution of salt, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Then you grill it on the plank over indirect heat. Son had a strip steak as he isn't a fish eater. Accompanied by a rice pilaf from my Indian cookbook, boiled green beans, and a Rose from Provence. Yum
      Dinner sounds good, wish I was there. :)
      Would have enjoyed either the Salmon or the steak in addition to the sides.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • We;re going out for dinner today to give my nephew a send off, he leaves for the Navy later this week.
      Gave him a choice of anyplace and he chose IHOP. Not where I would have chosen for the last supper but that's OK.
      Because of his high school grades and how he scored on the ASVAB test they already have him slated to be a nuclear powerplant tech on submarines. Yeah, he's smart, he probably could have gotten into most any college but chose the Navy instead.
      I'm both glad and sad at the same time.
    • LIhikers wrote:

      We;re going out for dinner today to give my nephew a send off, he leaves for the Navy later this week.
      Gave him a choice of anyplace and he chose IHOP. Not where I would have chosen for the last supper but that's OK.
      Because of his high school grades and how he scored on the ASVAB test they already have him slated to be a nuclear powerplant tech on submarines. Yeah, he's smart, he probably could have gotten into most any college but chose the Navy instead.
      I'm both glad and sad at the same time.
      Good to know we have intelligent people protecting us. :thumbup:
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Grilled a butterflied pork loin on Saturday while the wife whipped up a Caesar salad and cauliflower rice. Enjoyed a pork loin sandwich last night.

      My local supermarket is closing and we saw pre-cut cedar planks (packs of 4) in the meat & seafood department. Bought all of them for 10% off. Now we just need to drive 15 miles to Wegman's to buy good salmon.
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard
    • StalkingTortoise wrote:

      Grilled a butterflied pork loin on Saturday while the wife whipped up a Caesar salad and cauliflower rice. Enjoyed a pork loin sandwich last night.

      My local supermarket is closing and we saw pre-cut cedar planks (packs of 4) in the meat & seafood department. Bought all of them for 10% off. Now we just need to drive 15 miles to Wegman's to buy good salmon.
      I have a big gas guzzling truck and we have a Costco 5 miles away and now I can estimate if I can get there. I save 10-15 dollars on every 25 gallons. My wife drives a Prius... Life is good. Oh the salmon? always awesome. I cold smoke three pounds every other month! Costco comes thru on price....most of the time.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • wasn't planning on posting this, but i just got home from supper where i had this and this thread was on the list of "new posts" so...

      pan seared ahi tuna salad with a sour beer. very tasty, but won't get it again. too pricey for lunch; not enough protein for dinner. beer was good.

      so
      2,000 miler

      The post was edited 1 time, last by max.patch ().

    • While I was in Chicago, I made dinner several nights for my daughter. I had taken a Japanese eggplant that we had grown in our garden and just harvested several days earlier before the frost. So, I searched for an old recipe that I hadn't made in about 10 yrs and finally found it. It's "Spaghetti with Eggplant, Butternut Squash and Shrimp". It turned out very good. Instead of spaghetti, I used bocatelli because my daughter likes it better.

      Edit: oops, just checked my Word document of the recipe and I used bucatini not bocatelli. As google says: bucatini is a thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the center. the name comes from Italian: buco, meaning “hole” while bucato means “pierced”. Typical cooking time: 9-13 minutes

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Trillium ().

    • What's for dinner? Well since it's November, the only possible answer is a Gobblerito from Mad Mex! Mrs. Tortoise and I drove 100 miles each way on Saturday to the closest Mad Mex in Wynnewood PA and had them for lunch. Then we ordered another pair to go and had them for dinner last night.




      Mad Mex’s massive burrit-o-plenty is back! The Gobblerito is a complete Thanksgiving bundle of juicy, house-roasted turkey, creamy black bean mashed potatoes, rich bread stuffing and buttery corn, all wrapped in a tortilla and drenched in gravy. The jellied cranberry sauce is on the side because we simply couldn’t fit one more morsel inside.

      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard
    • StalkingTortoise wrote:



      Mad Mex’s massive burrit-o-plenty is back! The Gobblerito is a complete Thanksgiving bundle of juicy, house-roasted turkey, creamy black bean mashed potatoes, rich bread stuffing and buttery corn, all wrapped in a tortilla and drenched in gravy. The jellied cranberry sauce is on the side because we simply couldn’t fit one more morsel inside.


      that is the perfect town food for a thruhiker!
      2,000 miler
    • StalkingTortoise wrote:

      What's for dinner? Well since it's November, the only possible answer is a Gobblerito from Mad Mex! Mrs. Tortoise and I drove 100 miles each way on Saturday to the closest Mad Mex in Wynnewood PA and had them for lunch. Then we ordered another pair to go and had them for dinner last night.




      Mad Mex’s massive burrit-o-plenty is back! The Gobblerito is a complete Thanksgiving bundle of juicy, house-roasted turkey, creamy black bean mashed potatoes, rich bread stuffing and buttery corn, all wrapped in a tortilla and drenched in gravy. The jellied cranberry sauce is on the side because we simply couldn’t fit one more morsel inside.


      After reading that I'm hungry!
      I've lost almost 25 pounds so far this year and your post may be my undoing.
      That sounds delicious :!:
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      We're having wine with our hot dogs tonight. Does that mean we're classy rednecks or just confused rednecks?
      Depends what kind of wine it is!

      Personally, I am on a quest to find the best Chili Dog in the Grand Rapids. In MI, chili dogs are kind of a big deal. Locally known as a Coney, and each city has its own variety. A GR Dog is a hot dog (preferably all beef with natural casing) with Detroit-style chili, onions, mustard, ketchup and its defining topping - shredded dill pickles. It is sometimes offered with shredded cheese,which I like. The most famous local hot dog place is Yesterdog which was the inspiration for "Dog Years", the hot dog shop featured in the the film American Pie. However I think they are over rated. So far I have a tie for first place. Jonney B'z gets bonus points for a great bun that is buttered and grilled, making the dog not fall apart like wimpy buns often do. Purists may think it diverges to far from tradition, but I don't mind. They also have a full bar, a great beer selection (this is beer city after all), plus they make their own BBQ and pastrami (yum). However One Stop Coney is also awesome. The people working this family-run place are the best, their ingredients are top notch, and the dogs are assembled with great care. But best of all (drum roll......) they consult with people in Belgium to learn how to make real Belgin frites (fries) served in a cone with curry mayo. Now if they could just get a liquor license and serve Belgian beer!
    • odd man out wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      We're having wine with our hot dogs tonight. Does that mean we're classy rednecks or just confused rednecks?
      Depends what kind of wine it is!
      Personally, I am on a quest to find the best Chili Dog in the Grand Rapids. In MI, chili dogs are kind of a big deal. Locally known as a Coney, and each city has its own variety. A GR Dog is a hot dog (preferably all beef with natural casing) with Detroit-style chili, onions, mustard, ketchup and its defining topping - shredded dill pickles. It is sometimes offered with shredded cheese,which I like. The most famous local hot dog place is Yesterdog which was the inspiration for "Dog Years", the hot dog shop featured in the the film American Pie. However I think they are over rated. So far I have a tie for first place. Jonney B'z gets bonus points for a great bun that is buttered and grilled, making the dog not fall apart like wimpy buns often do. Purists may think it diverges to far from tradition, but I don't mind. They also have a full bar, a great beer selection (this is beer city after all), plus they make their own BBQ and pastrami (yum). However One Stop Coney is also awesome. The people working this family-run place are the best, their ingredients are top notch, and the dogs are assembled with great care. But best of all (drum roll......) they consult with people in Belgium to learn how to make real Belgin frites (fries) served in a cone with curry mayo. Now if they could just get a liquor license and serve Belgian beer!
      The best tasting beer I've ever had was made by the Trappist Monks in Belgian.
      Only thing was you'd best drink it with your teeth closed because there was a lot of ingredients still floating in it.
    • i've had the hot dogs at tony packo's (you may have heard klinger mention it on the tv show mash) in toledo; which of course is right next to michigan.

      i always get a chicago dog at a ball game if it's available.

      the varsity in atlanta is famous for their chili dogs, but to be honest, i think they are waaay overrated. i still get a couple with rings when i'm downtown, though.
      2,000 miler

      The post was edited 1 time, last by max.patch ().