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Homemade pizza is so much better than even a good pie shop. In this context, we can't even count the chains as being pizza.

In recent years I cheat -- I use a bread machine to mix the dough, as it does a great job.

When I lived in Upstate NY, all the grocery stores had refrigerated dough that was good for bread or pizza. In my area now? Frozen dough is available, but it's no where near as good.
 
Asparagus pieces sauteed with shiitake mushrooms, shallots, and ginger, then braised with sherry; collard greens (described below); leftover grilled artichokes; leftover shrimp and pasta in a lemon/butter/garlic/parsley/Calabrian peppers/wine/thyme/Parmigiano-Reggiano sauce; and the star of the show was a bowl of mussels, steamed with white wine, butter, and sauteed garlic; the steaming liquid was then reduced and fortified with sauteed mushrooms, parsley, and blue goat cheese. Mrs. Sour_Grapes provided the garlic toast, made by rubbing lots of raw garlic slices over ho-made bread and butter.

The collard greens? I usually sautee/braise them for a long time on the stovetop. I decided to try them in the InstaPot (with sauteed onions and red pepper flakes). They came out exactly how I imagine one would find collard greens in a buffet in either Old Country Buffet or Cracker Barrel. That is, it was okay, but very bland, basically steamed. Okay, but essentially institutional food.

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The collard greens?
Collards are typically made with slivers of pork or sausage, and served with vinegar or (better) spicy vinegar. On their own, they're bland.

Last night my wife & I decided to go out to a local restaurant owned by a brewery, Mason Jar Tavern. We were running later than we planned, and at 6 PM the wait was 45 minute.

Nope, I was not interested in cooling my heels that long, although it was our fault. When going out on a Friday, we go early, trying to arrive no later than 5:30. College taught me to stand in line, but failed to teach me to like it or tolerate it if I don't have to. ;)

Two doors down is a Mediterranean restaurant which is not as popular; it's never full although they do a steady business. With COVID, a lot of it is take-out.

We ordered, ate, and were done before we'd have been seated at the tavern. And we ate better -- I'd have ordered a burger & fries at the tavern -- instead I had falafel, hummus, & grape leaves, while my wife had beef shish-kebabs, hummus, and grape leaves. It was a good date night.
 
Photobomb!

Sorry for all the pix. We enjoyed grilled purple local asparagus and spring (green) garlic); corn-off-the-cob with herbes de Provence; roasted eggplant with garlic, EVOO, and marjoram; grilled lamb shoulder chops (that are practically rib chops): dry-brined, grilled, then seasoned with garlic and fennel powder and coriander; BBQ shrimp; roasted fennel topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano.IMG_1850.JPGIMG_1851 2.JPGIMG_1852.JPGIMG_1853.JPGIMG_1854.JPG
 
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