ham , Black eyed peas , cabbage All for luck and Money in the new year

Bowl of Bachelor's mushroom soup with a couple of pieces of buttered bread.


earlier I had half a tin of baked beans eaten straight from the tin.

It's official. This is now tonight's menu. Thanks zippyt!

Dont forget the corn bread There V !!

cornbread. comin' up.

this is done, and it was delicious.

My Mom used to make corned beef and cabbage on the New Year "for luck", this was good too. The only interesting part was when I caught the oven on fire a couple times. I'm getting a new oven, goddammit. I'm tired of burning shit in it because it uses the broiler element all the time. There are pictures, but by the time I retreated to get the camera, the flames were unimpressive.

Dinner was delicious however.

We're having fish and mudcrab and salad. I'm not cooking, so it's going to taste great no matter what.

Today's kitchen experiment is ...

Carrot and Ginger soup, as a consequence of the recent carrot sale at my stupidmarket.

Onions and garlic sweated in oil, add in some ginger, dump in the carrots, add some pepper, and then a load of chicken stock (three cans for two pounds of carrots, I probably could have gone with two just fine) then bring to a boil, back off to simmer for 15 minutes (or until the carrots are nicely soft).

Then it got whizzed through the Very Dangerous Blender to make it more soupy.

I ran out of ladles and serving spoons because I kept dipping out a cup, putting the used ladle in the sink, and then I realized I wanted more and I had to get out a new ladle, and then I'd put it in the sink and realize I wanted more, and then ... well, you get it.

It is really good.

I'll probably back off on the pepper, and come up on the ginger next time.

I started feeling sick at work today, so my very understanding wife went out and got fixings for matzoh ball soup and made a large pot of it that I will be eating all weekend.

BTW, any of you Brits need to immediately cross the channel and try one of these Darth Vader Burgers on a black bun and get back to me with a report.

BBTW Wolf, when are you coming over for dinner?

ooooh. Light or heavy balls? My friend's grandmom made the heavy kind, and I dutifully ate them for many years, but I have a great fondness for the light, fluffy ones ...

gunmaster may be able to give us an on-the-ground report, I hope.

What does your schedule look like?

that soup looks good

it does!

tonight is fresh nolan ryan ribeyes. oh and a tater of course!

[nostalgia] i remember waaaay back when, i was at the astros game where nolan ryan hit a homer to straight away center in the astrodome. ahhhhhh memories![/nostalgia]

Pork ribs, zucchini, and potatoes. Very tasty.

Somewhere on here I posted that I was making a ham pie from Christmas leftovers.
Given that we only have small pie dishes and the recipe served 6-8 I split it in two.

I thought it was yummy, and it certainly seemed to go down with the 'rents, but Mum seemed a bit keen to put the second pie in the freezer. That'll be discreetly disposed of, I thouhgt.
Nope, we had it again this week, and it was as good as I remembered.
I can't pat my back majorly - it was from a recipe after all, and in fact I didn't really put enough pastry on it. But it was my idea to use the ham this way (after carbonara was rejected) as all Mum could think of was cold ham with jacket pots and pickles or cold ham with aggs - both of which she did.

We have a turkey crown as our roast tonight.
Yummy.
I might even suggest a turkey pie along the same lines as long as enough is left (unlikely - Mum loves turkey sandwiches the next day).

oh, lord. Don't talk to me about pies. Imma doin' atkins again. I did in 2003 and lost a lot of weight and felt really, really good; so now that I am at my absolute nadir of exisistence, I've decided I"m NOT going to die anytime soon (not soon enough, anyway) and my plan to just lie on the couch until I decomposed wasn't working so I'd better do something different.

wish I knew how to post pics. truth is, I've no camera or pic taking instrument in the house. Im doing this for a solid year and then I'll re=evaluate if Imma gonna live.

In the meantine, enjoy that crust!!

PS
I know that post contains a lot of typos.

I'm tired.

I'm not sleeping.

i wonder if i'll ever sleep again????


a

Brianna, is it expensive to do Atkins? I gotta do something. Apparently my metabolism expired at at age 47.

It doesn't have to be $$$$$ and you KNOW I'm on a budget.

The thing is - after a week (or even less) my cravings for sugar and carbs is DONE and I eat normal to small amounts of the food I am allowed to have. The freedom from the absolute control of carbs is, for me, a wonderful thing. I feel so good and then I wonder why I fall off the wagon when carbs make me feel so very, very tired and moody. eh, life.

It is protein heavy - and that means meat - (no dairy in first two weeks of induction) but if you throw in a lot of vegs (peppers, broccoli, snow peas, green beans, water chestnuts, etc) you can really make the meat stretch and I've found I just am NOT HUNGRY. When I'm eating carbs, I eat like I'm living at the county fair - high carbs, high fat. And every Burger King commercial sends me wandering into the kitchen for something to eat, I'm that addicted.

Chicken breasts are 1.99/lb. at Kroger all the time. You can make chicken salad with real mayo and celery and eat all you want. that's not $$$$.

It's pretty reasonable, really. The expensive things are the Atkins bars or shakes which I only use in dire emergencies - like no time or needing something sweet or I'll drink.

I know it's a controversial diet but it has worked for me in the past with very little pain - whereas low fat diets left me starving and miserable and feeling very, very deprived. Eggs are big on this diet and they are cheap, too.

A doctor I respect and admire actually recommended atkins for me. He says it's the best diet for alcoholics as it def. evens out your insulin levels and cravings.

I may look into it. I do love chicken and eggs.

But no bread, or rice, or...

Still, I know it works for people.

The beautiful thing is - if you can find what works for you you're nearly there.

Everytime i hear AA busllhit about "You must to the program this way or that way!" I think, wow, chemo wasn't (and isn't) like that. Not one chemo fits all - so why should one AA fit all? Or one approach to sobriety? or one diet?

Bodies are as different as plants. Some just have more mass, is all. :)

It's true you have to work with what works for you.
But the basic idea of Atkins is basically a load of old shit, and has been proven to be.

Long term it's extremely unhealthy.
Although that's without moderating it.
And the bottom line is that if you moderate it, or amend it to work for you, you are compromising the "science" that makes it work.

When I've lost weight it's always been on a low fat, high-fibre (high-carb) diet. So it's a given I'd be down on it from the start.
My body works extrememly well on a high carb diet. Which means beans, pulses, wholegrain bread, Shredded Wheat etc as opposed to crisps ;)

I haven't read anything to change my mind about Atkins.
A diet which proscribes many fruits for life while allowing processed meats...? Nah.

YMMV lovely people.

Brianna, tonight I'm having tacos then tomorrow I might look into atkins.

I have never heard Atkins described this way. Which fruits are prohibited?

Atkins limits what you can eat based upon the stage of the program you are in.
A few fruits come in stage 2, but mostly in Stage Three

Atkins Overview

I opened this thread to have a brag about how my husband cooked a no carb dinner for me last night after looking a recipe on the net and getting it all prepared to support me in my ATKINS diet! lol What a surprise I got when I opened it.

Sundae, I'm surprised that you say there's no evidence to support that the atkins diet is scientifically sound. There's a fair bit of it out there. Whether it works for you or not is certainly up to you though. ;)

I've discovered that the hardest part about losing weight and getting fit is shutting out all the voices that tell you which way you should be doing it, and just making a plan and sticking to it.

I've had a huge change in thinking myself over the last month or so, and I've started the atkins diet myself. In my first week I've lost 3kgs, and I haven't even been totally honest with it. I've been having a little milk in my coffee (less than 100mls per day though, so not bad, and I have had some nuts a couple of times when I've been in danger of letting myself down and eating something I really shouldn't.

Basically now though, I'm in the first day of my second week, and I feel awesome. It's like those carbs and sweets and crap were just making me sick. I am still eating plenty of green veges and stuff, and in my salad, if I feel I need a little bit of something for zing, I just slice up a strawberry and sprinkle it over the top. It's yum.

This week I'm planning on dropping the levels of fat right down and having only poached or boiled eggs for snacks and wean out the milk. It might mean that this week will really be my first week on the true diet, but I'm happy with the 3kg's I've lost this week.

I've also been to the gym once and have been using the treadmill. Off to the gym again today, so that'll be great.

We should start a low carb thread and support each other Bri. We could share recipes and what's working and so on. I'm so pumped for this. I'm losing 40kg (that's about 80lb) this year and there's no two ways about it. This is my year. :)

Yes indeed. Good for you!

The balls were pretty light and fluffy. I like them both ways. The balls and broth are from a mix, but the carrots and chicken are homemade. Almost worth getting sick for.

We're free most weekends with notice, so let me know when is good. Maybe when we get a warm spell so I can put some lanterns out on the deck and enjoy the crisp night air after dinner.

Ali - we must be on the same wavelength here! That's great!

I, too, am going to lose around 80 pounds this year with no two ways about it - it WILL happen :) and I AM doing it. The year will trudge on whether we lose weight or not so we might as well lose it. Carbs made me feel like total crap, too. I think the proof is really in how you feel on the diet. I will start week two on tuesday and I feel pretty damn good myself. Less mental fog, more energy, etc.

If you haven't already started a low-carb thread, I'll start one and we can swap recipes and how we're doing.

we can DO THIS!

Mrs. Z had a virus over the holidays and pretty much missed Christmas. So her Mom, Dad, Sister, and B-i-L came up to Chicago this weekend to have a belated Christmas dinner.

Saturday night was baked chicken breasts, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, garlic bread, cheese polenta, and tossed salad. Dessert was a carrot cake made by Mrs. Z's sister.

Sunday was a smaller group. We had spaghetti carbonara, lasagna, caesar salad, and dinner rolls from Trader Joes. Dessert was apple pie and ice cream.

Mrs. Z is half Italian as you might guess by the menu.

Dinner was fish n chips. And battered mushrooms and baked beans (Heinz). Yes, I made a buttie.

I like turnip, swedes and the like. I eat the stuff two or three times a week, gnawing a big chunk of it raw for a snack and with meals too where iit takes on a whole new flavour when cooked.

It grows outside and spends most of its time buried in the ground with worms and just about every insect larva imaginable crawling over it. Birds shit on it from above and small mammals piss all over the exposed parts.

Today my daughter (19 y/o) dropped a piece on the kitchen floor and refused to eat it even after I'd rinsed it under the tap. Apparently it was 'dirty'.

I'm considering the possibilities afforded by fish and chips tonight. Have a brand new bottle of malt vinegar and everything.

is that a refrigerate after opening or can I just stick it back in the cupboard? I don't usually buy the stuff, but when I had the hankering for fish-bits, I happened to notice it on the shelf in the condiments aisle.

All vinegars are too acidic to worry about refrigeration.

Isn't vinegar alkaline?


Sent by thought transference

Acetic alkaline?

Cobb salad tonight, yum.

Porkchops and Apple Sauce (with sauerkraut)

no

Oh Yea - http://passthesushi.com/lasagna-soup

Tequila's

Overnight bachelor party in Philly. Four old guys.

Mr. Clod is making French Onion Soup.

The soup is really great, to be sure, but the most important part of the recipe is the first four words.

Chicken Noodle Barley Soup followed by fish and chips and battered mushrooms and baked beans. I've been reeeeeeeally good fooddietwise all weekend until this...... but I left most of the chips, so that's kind of good, right?

Fish and Chips (with proper malt vinegar).

Last night's leftovers.
Steak & kidney pudding, mashipots, carrots and cabbage.
I expect it will be even nicer today. Nomnom.

Just couldn't face it last night - still have a lot of cattarrh.
Actually, yeah, that's what was for dinner last night :(

Turkey wings adobo in the slow cooker (= crock pot).
( I love :heartpump slow cooker dinners cos I feel virtuous all day for having got the dinner organised just after breakfast!)

Trying to decide what to do with these purple potatoes I have. I might just do something simple, like bake them with tomatoes, onions, garlic...maybe add some spinach and grated cheese, too. It's probably going to look really weird, but oh well.

Dads is cooking paella.
It's his speciality. He got the recipe as a 20-something when he and his friends saved up to go abroad (unusual for East End lads in the 50s).

They mostly hated all the foreign muck, but Dad was more adventurous, and got a recipe for that thingy. He had never even eaten rice before. Painstakingly translated, he was never able to make it at home. It wasn't until he married Mum and set up home he could even try to recreate it. Saffron? What was that?

He used to make it on their anniversaries or on her birthday, but over the years she lost patience with the amount of time it took and the mess it made. She doesn't remember it that way, but I was living here then as well and I know.

This year - 20 years since he last tried! - she's been on at him to make it again. Today is the day. I have no idea of the portion sizes, so I don't know if I'm included. As children we never were, but we were generally considered "fussy". As if, when we had to force down everything on our plates but would beg for a spoonful of a Vesta curry. Humph.

All I know is the rule about NOTHING CLOGGING UP THE WORK-SURFACES, EVER! has been relaxed since Thursday, when paella ingredients have started arriving. And then the big paella pan was fished out of the cupboard to contain them.

We shall see what we shall see.

Paella recipes typically make enough to feed a small Portugeuse village..

How were the purple spuds? I've had them before - they're kind of sweet for a potato, aren't they?


Sent by thought transference

SMALL?!?!!!??!!!


Sent by thought transference

Well...turns out I'll be making that dish tonight. MB picked up cheesesteaks last night instead. :yum:

I've never had purple potatoes before, but I'll let you know how it turns out!

Tacos!! I love tacos. I don't eat beef very often so when I end up craving it, I usually go for tacos :)

Paella very good.
Very fishy, which surprised me.

I was touched to find the bowl labelled as being for me in the fridge.
I mean there's only 3 of us here and they both knew they were setting aside a portion.

When I went to put the water back in the fridge after eating, I saw a much bigger bowl labelled Mum and Dad - Lunch! Which explained it. And weirdly, I felt a bit hurt. It didn't last of course. The hurt I mean - the paella will still be there for lunch tomorrow.

Why were you hurt at all? You started with:
"I don't know if I'm included. As children we never were,"
You were included - How wonderful.
Their bowl probably had twice as much in it for the two of them - as it should.
Coming from where you started, instead of hurt, I would have felt thankful. YMMV

I love a good paella. A local restaurant we used to go to when we lived in Brisbane used to do a really good one. I've made it myself and it's been pretty good too. Yummy.

Now I want it for dinner, but I don't have any chorizo I don't think. I do have prawns. Hmmmm...and rice and saffron. I think I'll have to investigate the contents of my freezer.

I'm not sure where they came from, but I found two mini paella pans in a cabinet a little while back. You all are making me want to try making it now. I think each pan would be able to fit two prawns with all the other stuff...

Oh, and I made the purple potatoes last night. I have to say, they were gorgeous--the skins were a dark, rich color; even iridescent (I hope that's normal).

Besides baking them with onion, tomato and spinach, I also shook the cut-up potatoes in turmeric, smoked paprika, cayenne and olive oil. Then, I added some smoked brisket on top for the second half-hour of cooking. I forgot the garlic (argh), so I shook a little garlic powder and additional salt and pepper on the vegetables after cooking. It turned out very yummy, and didn't look weird at all!

I didn't know you could get a paella pan. I just use a normal stove top frypan when I make it.

blue, your dinner sounds great!

I am making shredded vegetable lo mein and adding some shrimp to it

Leftover chicken str-fry