Something is missing

So Thursday night after much running around and doing stuff for our new house we finally got home and started supper. A nice light Cucumber and Onion Salad with just a little vinegar for a dressing and Tarragon Ragout over mashed potatoes. Oops, didn't have any tarragon, so just used some of the dill left over from the cucumber salad, was very nice.

I'm really starting to love the taste of shallots, have used them a few times now, and they create a nice smoky, oniony, garlicy, flavor. As a side note, I do like the flavor of dill and use it with other things, but when its in the salad, the mashed potatoes, and the meat and sauce over said potatoes, got to be a little bit of an over kill for me.

Next week is Chinese food, starting with something I've made 3 or 4 times now, General Tso's Chicken. The Shrimp with Coconut milk(sauce?), Green Beans, and my Egg Drop Soup, then Ginger Beef and Lo Mein later in the week. Might take a side trip between now and then but we'll just have to see.

No snappy catch phrase to leave ya with this time...Take care.

Food's Gone

So Tuesday night, had a couple of friends come and join us for supper, and the roommate, plus the two of us. Sauerbraten is gone, potato dumplings gone, head of cabbage, well half gone. This was a simple meal to make in all regards, just took some cooking time and planning. Kinda nice, was looking at a couple of menu's for German restaurants in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, both serve the same items I made.

The beef was great, pretty much just fell apart, after it sat on the stove for 4 hours cooking in the red wine, making the house smell like a drunk. Pulled it out, pulled it apart and covered it in the sauce made with said red wine, little ketchup/katsup/catsup(whatever), raisins, and ginger snap cookies.

The potato dumplings were alright, different than what I have had in the past, but tasty. Two things, now that I own a potato ricer, need to find a couple more things to do with it(fruit, what would go through one of those well?), and two, why I took fresh bread, turn that into a crouton, then stuck that in the middle of the dumpling. When it was done cooking the bread was kinda mushy so I don't think it was for texture. Any ideas.

The cabbage was really good, then again anything cooked with bacon and bacon fat, simmered in wine, can't taste that bad....can it?

I really did enjoy this meal, the company was good as well. Tonight could be interesting....the fiance is going to be cooking as I have a meeting so the menu is....
http://germanfood.about.com/od/meatbasedrecipesandmenu/r/estragongeschn.htm
http://germanfood.about.com/od/middaymealmittagessen/r/cucumbsalad.htm
served with some mashed potatoes.

I give her a hard time about cooking, but she does a great job....so until we try this stuff(stealing a line from a local restaurant ad)... SIT DOWN UND EAT!!!

Supper is going...

So, got supper started for tonight, Sauerbraten, Kartoffelklose, and Rotkohl. Got the roast sitting in a pot of wine, the potato dumplings are all formed up, just waiting a bit to get the bacon going for the cabbage. Oh and we decided to have guests over tonight to help eat it.

If you're wondering I am not a chef, I don't claim to be a chef, and don't plan on becoming a chef. I just enjoy cooking. I want other people to get the courage to cook on their own and enjoy food instead of the mass produced, served with a side of fries food we are used to.

The recipes for tonight are all located at About.com

http://germanfood.about.com/od/meatbasedrecipesandmenu/r/sauerbraten-2.htm

http://germanfood.about.com/od/potatoesandnoodles/r/kartoffkloesse.htm
http://germanfood.about.com/od/saladsandsides/r/redcabbage.htm

I'll let ya know how it goes later....enjoy the food!