The Food Thread

Sounds tasty. The only modification I would make, unsurprisingly, would be to slap a fried egg on top of the stack.

This is actually pretty similar to something I did earlier this week. I made a batch of quick-cooking polenta with sharp cheddar and lots of extra liquid so it would stay porridge-like for the rest of the dish. Then I charred a couple red bell peppers under the broiler, diced them, and threw them into a saute I had going of carrot, onions and garlic. I added red pepper flake, tomato paste and sherry wine vinegar. Sauce-ified it all in a blender. Then I built: in a casserole dish, bottom layer of creamy polenta, then a layer of the spicy red pepper sauce, then I cracked four eggs right onto the casserole and baked until the whites were just cooked through.

Sprinkled a little smoked paprika on top and serve.

Heavy, like most everything I make, but really good. Even Baby Snape approved. I am a little jealous of your zuchinni now. That would have been a great post-blender addition to my sauce, to give the whole thing a little more texture.

They're very seasonal, and frustratingly, summer doesn't seem to be it. When I see them, I grab them and freeze them. Whenever I've made Thai food without them, it's not the same.

Central market sells actual kaffir limes during their seasonal window, in October. I take the skin off and freeze it and use the juice for some kinda fun tropical cocktail with rum or something. I've also occasionally seen the leaves sold in the herb case.

Have you ever been to Tom Spicer, downtown off of Fitzhugh? He's a grower who supplies all kinds of exotic fruits and veg to restaurants, and open to the public. He's had kaffir limes occasionally that he's grown as well. Regardless, you should go. (Jimmy's Italian deli is right next door!)

Applesauce for oil is good for baking quick breads, stuff like that.

Yogurt for milk all depends on what you're making. It's not gonna work for everything.

like what SLOW said it won't work for everything, you will have to look at the recipe to try and figure out what the milk was used for, like whole milk or cream is used for it's fat, and other milk may be used for it's protein (in which case the yogurt should work ok). If you're unsure I would buy some canned milk and keep that in the pantry.

Snape, do you like runny yolks? I just overcooked yet another one and once again fought the temptation to scrap it and try again.

This hot Italian chicken sausage is gonna save my life. It's not that spicy, but a very good sub for pork sausage, which is what our tomato sauce is usually based on.

I started Weight Watchers a month ago, so I'm trying to lighten up my usual recipes without turning into one of those people who counts spritzes of cooking oil spray and uses Laughing Cow cheese wedges on pasta. (@patrickbatman, Skinnytaste is awesome, even tho the name drives me bonkers.) I bought fat-free yogurt yesterday and kind of hate myself for it. But I save two points! 

For sure runny. A runny egg yolk is nature's condiment. For putting fried eggs on things, I find that I have best luck with sunny side up.

Assuming it's not last minute, I'll set the egg out early so it can come up closer to room temp. I'll crack into a med-hot non-stick pan, and as soon as the bottom layer of white forms I'll add a little water for steam then lid it up. I have a short sided non-stick skillet that didn't come with a lid, but it happens to be the exact size of a lid I do have. You'd think they were made for each other. Lid captures the steam, cooks the top of the white quickly, and I deliver to the dish runny yolk preserved. This also happens so quick that I usually don't start the egg until the dish is otherwise plated. Plus, it takes a little tending so it's nice not to be futzing with something else at the same time.

I also love ground turkey in place of ground beef or pork. When cooked in sauce it can be surprisingly rich, with much less fat than the 80/20 beef I'd usually buy. When I'm feeling both healthy and lazy, I'll make "turkey Italian sausage" by buying lean ground turkey and seasoning with salt, pepper, fennel seed, red pepper flake, garlic powder and whatever dried herbs I have on hand. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to marry. As long as you don't need it in link form it's very convincing.

Ooh, I'm gonna have to try that. Ground turkey is a bit "meatier" than chicken, isn't it? I really liked the way the chicken turned out, tho. I follow my mom's method, which is sautee onions & garlic, brown sausage, then pour in a couple jars of sauce, simmer and season. She uses Paul Newman Sockarooni, but it has a weird stale pepper flavor to me. I like TJ's arrabiata. I add a pinch of salt, one packet of Round Table Pizza red pepper flakes, and squeeze in half a lemon.

Most of the eggs I cook these days are poached in tomato sauce. Which should be a cinch, if my damn electric stove wasn't so unpredictable.

It's not their language that the offensive term is in. I've only ever seen them called "kaffir limes" in Asian stores.

Haven't been super-inspired lately but a few things on tap... yesterday I stuck a couple of chicken breasts in the crockpot with a package of Frontera skillet sauce and used part of it for "naanwiches", the rest is going on chicken nachos later in the week. Also planned, cheesy potato soup and a southwestern "roll up" thingie I am adapting from Betty Crocker.

Also experimented with smoothies yesterday. Turns out it's hard to totally pulverize kale, so it was like eating blueberry flavored grass.

I did end up putting it through a mesh strainer, which was slow-going. I was primarily making it for Wilford Brimley Explosion!!!!! to take to work today, and knew he didn't want to chew on his smoothie. Lessons learned...

Gas stove is in the "must" column for wherever we move to also. I have one now. It is so hard finding a place that has them and was what sold us on our current house. I don't understand why those damned flattops are everywhere. (Well, I do, but man is it irritating that they've taken over).

Lunch this week are grilled "ratatouille" sandwiches: cubed and grilled eggplant and zucchini, tossed with fresh tomato and herbs de provence. Served on bread with veggie cream cheese. Last week I tried it with aioli and it was way too rich.

>Homer Simpson gurgling noise<

Lunch is becoming problematic for me. I've gone most of my adult life having no interest in it except for the occasional craving, but lately, like the last couple months, I've been wanting lunch most work days. And I'm never prepared.

Been a lot of Cup O'Noodles. Which admittedly, I love, but I know that's not very healthy.