What's for Dinner ~ Sunday Sept 30th

[Lucinda]

[cbayer]

1. I am going to pull the flank steak out of the freezer for a Sunday dinner.

I think I am going to roast it with carrots and make a lentil salad.

And I have a couple of apples, so might make an apple crisp today.

Better half loves a meal like this and the leftover steak can be used later in the week.

How about you?

[Lucinda]

2. Sounds delicious! We had Swai. Bill cuts it into bite size pieces

and we batter fry it, and onion rings. Yummy stuff.

I'll have a big salad at dinnertime, since he's working today.

[cbayer]

3. Had to look that one up. Iridescent shark? Have never heard of it.

Enjoy your salad and hope you are feeling well!

[Lucinda]

18. No...? What we get is a Southeast Asian native - it's farmed catfish, BUT

the flavor is similar to good snapper. Not fishy at all.

[pinto]

19. I've gotten to really like Swai. Firm, good in stir fry or broiled. Would probably make a good Asian

noodle soup. And a good deal for the price at the store.

[Lucinda]

21. Yep. The price is crazy good here. Never thought about it in stir-fry!

Will have to try that
Amazing how un-fishy it is too. Great stuff.

[post_rinse_repeat.]

5. Oh...so you eat meat, eh?

No issue with it? I mean, besides the animal's life...what about the ecological impact?

[yellerpup]

7. Who wouldn't love a meal like that!

Sounds cozy and goo-oo-d! Primo leftovers, too.

[fizzgig]

11. i love flank steak and apple crisp

dinner sounds wonderful.

i picked up a tri tip roast at the store today and am planning a roast for tomorrow with a mix of root veggies. i also picked up a couple giant honey crisps, maybe i'll make a crisp for dessert.

[cbayer]

12. What's a honey crisp?

I had never heard of tri-tip until I moved to the west coast, but I like it.

I've decided to go with potatoes instead of lentils, as better half has been good today!

[fizzgig]

13. giant and wonderfully sweet apples

i think they'd be perfect for a crisp with a bit of lemon and some dried cranberries.

i love tri tip roast because it doesn't take a long time. i cook mine for 20-25 minutes at high heat and it comes out wonderfully.

[cbayer]

14. Here is the recipe I am going to use for the crisp.

I don't have any cranberries, but I have some raisins I can throw in there. And I've only got 2 apples, so I will halve it. And no oranges, so will use lime and more sugar.

Hah! Just noticed the recipe specifically names Honeycrisp apples, lol!

For the topping
5-3/4 oz. (1-1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. table salt
1/4 lb. (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 oz. (3/4 cup) pecans, coarsely chopped

For the filling
3 lb. apples (4 to 5 medium-large), such as Braeburn, Gala, Rome, or Honeycrisp
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 lb. (2-1/4 cups) fresh cranberries
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 Tbs. fresh orange juice
Pinch table salt
1 cup granulated sugar
Make the topping
Combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it's well blended and the mixture is clumpy but still a bit crumbly (it should hold together if you pinch it). Mix in the pecans. Refrigerate until ready to use.


Assemble and bake the crisp
Heat the oven to 375°F. Butter the sides only of a 9-inch-square baking pan.

Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut each apple quarter crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Put them in a large bowl, sprinkle on the cinnamon, and toss until evenly coated. Combine the cranberries and orange zest in a food processor and pulse until the cranberries are finely chopped, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed.

Add the cranberries to the apples and toss to combine. Put the butter, orange juice, and salt in a small microwaveable dish or a small pan. Heat in the microwave or over medium-low heat until the butter melts, about 1 minute. Swirl to blend and pour the mixture over the apples. Toss to coat. Add the sugar and toss to coat again. Pour the apple mixture into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the topping evenly on top of the apples.

Line a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with foil. Set the pan on the sheet and bake until the juices are bubbling on the sides, the top is golden brown, crisp, and hard, and the apples in the center are tender when pierced with a fork, 60 to 70 minutes (rotate the pan for even browning, if necessary). If the top starts to get too brown after 45 minutes, cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Let cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes to let the juices thicken. Serve warm.

[fizzgig]

15. perfect!

i always forget the cinnamon because i just wing it

[livetohike]

4. Mushroom-Barley Soup, Hard Rolls and a Three Bean Salad

I have a concert tonight (belong to a community choir) and my husband took off for Pgh. to attend the visitation for a childhood friend's mother. I have to be at the concert an hour early for rehearsal and would never have made it back from Pgh. in time to do that.

[yellerpup]

8. Sounds delicious!

I used to live next door to an opera singer and she never ate cheese before a performance (or for a few days leading up to a performance). I don't know what the scientific name for that condition is, but she always called it 'glop on my chords.' Sing sweet and clear tonight!

[livetohike]

22. Thanks yellerpup! It was a nice concert

and the audience participates in a sing-a-long during Intermission, which is fun for us to sing with them.

I eat sparingly before the concert. The cheese tip is a good one, so thanks for that

[yellerpup]

24. I'm sure you put on a wonderful show

and it is fun when the audience participates--especially in singing! Glad it went well and happy to know the tip was helpful!

[cbayer]

10. A choir! I would really love that.

I am teaching myself clarinet right now but I love to sing.

Enjoy your supper and your concert, livetohike.

[livetohike]

23. Thanks! It was really nice

I always wanted to play clarinet! It would have been a choice, but my parents couldn't afford the instrument rental back in my elem. school days. I taught myself to play guitar, but I am not very good at it. My voice is my instrument, I guess .

[cbayer]

25. My parents insisted that I stick with piano and also didn't (couldn't?) let me play the

clarinet.

The one I bought is very inexpensive and it shows in the sound, but I figure I can move up if I really take to it.

[yellerpup]

6. We start with butternut-apple soup.

I had no idea it would take me all afternoon to make it, but it did. Lamb chops are marinating in garlic, evoo, fresh rosemary and some raspings of lemon rind, ground black pepper. I'll roast some small red potatoes with the lamb and steam some broccoli for a side. No bread tonight, because I'll be making bread again starting tomorrow. So thankful for the fall temperatures!

[cbayer]

9. Are you pureeing the soup?

I love a pureed butternut squash soup with a spoon of sour cream on top. Yummy.

You are also having what has always been a classic sunday meal in my house. It was the one day a week we had our big meal in the afternoon and it was always special.

Enjoy! It's still really warm out here, but the swimming is perfect. Went in once already and will probably go again in a bit.

[yellerpup]

16. A swim after dinner sounds divine.

Yes, the soup was pureed, practically fat free and full of vitamins. I saved two bowls for my neighbor, who is having three more teeth out on Wednesday and there was enough left over for another big bowl apiece for each of us. The lamb was perfectly rosy in the middle and tender. Rosemary also scented the potatoes which came out puffed and very crispy. I try to do a Sunday dinner if we don't entertain otherwise over the weekend. Enjoy your swim!

[FarPoint]

17. Pizza Burgers

Ground beef chuck mixed with smashed garlic, Worcestershire sauce ,Italian seasoning and one beaten egg. Stuffed with shredded smoked mozzarella cheese, Boar's Head pepperoni sliced tissue thin and a smudge of pizza sauce. Placed on a toasted ciabatta bun.

[pinto]

20. Too hot to do a big kitchen production, so it was tuna salad / Swiss cheese melts on dill rye bread

Hard boiled a couple of eggs and made the salad this morning. Tonight it was a simple run under the broiler to get all toasted.