Just add water...

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

I recently purchased a tasty grapefruit flavored vinegar. I made a basic vinaigrette using my new vinegar, some olive oil, a slightly sweet mustard, salt and pepper. I tossed it with a mix of peppery greens and some roasted golden beets. I thought it was a perfectly balanced salad. Eric's comments were "too sweet".

Can't please all the people all of the time, I suppose...

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I recently purchased a tasty grapefruit flavored vinegar

I've never seen that. I do love grapefruit and grapefruit juice.

beets

My only experience with beets has been the crimson, sliced, frozen variety.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

I recently purchased a tasty grapefruit flavored vinegar

I've never seen that. I do love grapefruit and grapefruit juice.

beets

My only experience with beets has been the crimson, sliced, frozen variety.

You have missed something very good.
In scandinavian and russian cooking it's used very often.

When raw in sallads.
When cooked you can eat them just with some butter:)
When pickled to many dishes like hash brown, haggis, beef tartar...

I recently purchased a tasty grapefruit flavored vinegar

I've never seen that. I do love grapefruit and grapefruit juice.

beets

My only experience with beets has been the crimson, sliced, frozen variety.

You have missed something very good.
In scandinavian and russian cooking it's used very often.

When raw in sallads.
When cooked you can eat them just with some butter:)
When pickled to many dishes like hash brown, haggis, beef tartar...

And add some white vinegar to taste, like with spinach.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

I've never seen that. I do love grapefruit and grapefruit juice.

It was new for me too. I was in a specialty foods store and I simply could not resist. I tend to do most of my impulse buying in specialty foods stores. (Lucky for Ol' Pookers, my impulse purchases are in food stores and not in shops specializing in hand-made Italian leather shoes!!! Vinegar is a heck of a lot cheaper!!!)

My only experience with beets has been the crimson, sliced, frozen variety.

I agree with Janne. You are missing out. Fresh beets are delicious and they come in more colors than red. The next time you are in the grocery store produce aisle, look for fresh beets. They generally come in bunches of three or four, just like the picture Janne posted.

I tend to cook beets very simply. I remove the stems and greens. (The greens are edible and delicious, by the way, sauteed in olive oil and finished with a little salt and pepper.) I scrub the beets and roast them whole in a small baking dish, covered with foil. They take 60 - 90 minutes, depending on the size of the beet. When they are cool, I peel them and slice them. I store them in the fridge that way and then toss them with vinaigrettes before adding them to salads.

Alternatively, you could peel them raw, toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper and maybe a little fresh thyme. Roast them uncovered on a sheet pan. They will take less time to roast that way and already be pre-flavored for you.

Even though many people boil fresh beets, I do not recommend preparing them that way. I find that roasting is a much better way to concentrate the beet flavor. Boiling seems to wash away the flavor of fresh beets... although I bet that Janne would take exception to that when it comes to Borscht!!!

Anyway, beets are great!!! Gordon, since your mom loves sweet things, she will probably love fresh beets.

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I find that roasting is a much better way to concentrate the beet flavor. Boiling seems to wash away the flavor of fresh beets... although I bet that Janne would take exception to that when it comes to Borscht!!!

Indeed:)
Roasted carrots, potatoes, parsnips, beets and red onions into wedges and chopped garlic is super good with this recipe!
http://www.recepten.se/recept/ugnsstekta_rotsaker.html

Borsjtj:) (борщ) The dish that's impossible to pronounce and spell to us:)
Borsjtj is cooked in a variety of ways. The only "common denominator" is that there are beets in it. Vegetables and root crops can be almost anything. Often excluded meat, even if this is included in the original, as well as sour cream, smetana.

Spam spam spam spam,
Wonderful Spaaaaam!

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Spam spam spam spam,
Wonderful Spaaaaam!

Yummie.
Easy to cook.
Oops I mean serve:)

Back in the 60's it was called Picnic Bog here.
Sounds delicious.

Just add water...

This is actually my favorite Campbell's soup.

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~Sue~

Imagine that can with the color olive-drab.
Thats army food:)

Hello food fans!!!

In Episode I of this thread, a young bachelor reader asked me for a simple menu for two, with recipes, that he could cook for a lovely young lady he was trying to impress. I am delighted to report that things went well with the chicken dish and sides I suggested.

A second date is in the works and our young bachelor is in need, once again, of some simple menu and recipe suggestions.

So without further ado, I give you....


A Hearty (but exceedingly simple) Winter Date Menu For Matthew!!!

Beer
Garlic Pork Sausages with mustard
Make Ahead Garlic and Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Sauteed Apples
Brownies From A Bakery

Ok... the first two items on the menu, and the dessert, are super duper easy, secondary to your busy work schedule.

1. A day or two before, buy some garlic pork sausages at the butcher shop and put them in your fridge. (Chicken sausage may be substituted if the lovely lady does not eat pork for religious or political reasons, but pork sausages are more classic.)

2. A day or two before, buy some beer that will go well with sausages. Google "beer that goes with pork sausages" for lots and lots and lots of suggestions. Chill the beer... oh wait - you and your intended come from a culture that doesn't do that!!!! Ok. I am all about respecting cultural differences. Don't chill the beer. (Everybody else should chill the beer.)

3. A day or two before, buy the ingredients you need to make the potatoes and the sauteed apples. Make sure you have pantry staples such as coffee/tea, salt, pepper, mustard, cinnamon, butter, sugar, oil etc.

4. A day or two before, assemble the potato dish. For best results you will need a potato ricer to make light and fluffy potatoes in advance. You can borrow one from your mom, or purchase one at a cooking gadgets store. They are not that expensive and they last forever. You could also use a food mill if mom has one you could borrow, but a ricer is easier for this small amount of potatoes. You will also need a small glass or ceramic baking dish. (Make ahead dishes, if stored in baking dishes that are not glass or ceramic, may discolor or pick up odd tastes. Glass and ceramic clean-up easily, given a short soak in water... Bachelor friendly cookware!!!) Make sure you have two frying pans in your apartment - one to cook sausages in and a small one to cook apples in. If you only own one frying pan, borrow a second from your mom.

5. The day of the date, go to a bakery and buy a couple of fresh brownies. (How easy is that???!!!)



Make Ahead Garlic & Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes:

oil
1.5 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes
3 cloves garlic
Salt
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 Tbsps butter, diced
Dried sage
0.75 cup sour cream
0.25 cup heavy cream
More salt
Pepper
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to taste

Very lightly oil a small glass or ceramic baker.

Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks. Remove skins from garlic cloves. Put potato chunks and garlic in a pot. Cover with water. Add salt to taste. (I salt rather heavily at this point.) Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook until potatoes are fork tender - about 25 minutes.

Drain potatoes and garlic. Put them through a potato ricer or food mill. While still hot, add the goat cheese, butter, dried sage to taste, sour cream & heavy cream. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Taste the mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place the potato mixture in the ceramic baker. Top with Parmigiano Reggiano, to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in your fridge for a day to two.

Note to lovers of Thanksgiving - this recipe is easily doubled and baked in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Feeds a crowd and is easier than trying to make mashed potatoes from scratch on Thanksgiving Day. You're welcome!!!


Prep Work for Sauteed Apples

The day of the date, peel and slice two large crisp apples and let soak in cold water that you have aciduated with some lemon juice.


Count Down To The Date:

See previous instructions about the importance of decluttering your apartment, cleaning your bathroom and personal hygiene.

Set the table in advance - forks, knives, napkins, beer glasses etc. In the middle, place a little vase of greenery. It is going on winter, so you don't need flowers. A little snipped cypress in a small vase would be lovely, with some scattered votive candles. If you don't have access to a garden where you could snip some greens, buy a small bunch of fresh rosemary and put it in a vase. It will smell terrific and you can use it in your cooking all week.


Cooking Instructions On Date Day

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Uncover potato dish and bake for 25 minutes, or until heated through and a little brown on top. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. The potatoes will retain plenty of heat!!!

About 20 minutes into baking the potatoes, pan fry the sausages so that they are cooked when the potatoes are done.

While the sausages are frying, drain the apples. Throw some butter into a pan and saute the apples until tender, but not mushy. Season to taste with a bit of salt and a bit of cinnamon. Don't go overboard on the cinnamon. This is a side dish, not a dessert. That being said, when the apples are almost but not quite done, you could sprinkle them with a tiny bit of sugar to promote browning and mild sweetness. (If you don't like sweet side dishes and you want to send the apples in a more savory direction, you could saute them with some fresh minced thyme or maybe some fresh minced sage, instead of using cinnamon and a bit of sugar.)

Extra credit - take the plates off the table and warm them briefly in the turned off oven after you have removed the potato dish. Just be careful to use potholders when you take the plates out of the oven. They will get HOT, even though your oven will be off!!!

Light the candles, dim the lights.

Plate everything nicely for two. Place a generous scoop of the potatoes on each plate (there will be left-overs). Add the sausages. Place a nice dollop of mustard on each plate. Angle the apples attractively on the plates. This is a date, so plating the food for two is required. You must fight your bachelor instincts to eat out of pots, standing up, over the sink...

Follow dinner with coffee (or tea) and the bakery brownies.

Enjoy!!!

P.S.: If you are concerned about eating garlic on a date, don't worry. You are both eating it, so it will be fine!!!

P.P.S.: If you are concerned about having sauteed fruit as a side instead of a green vegetable, sauteed broccoli rabe would make an excellent substitution for the sauteed apples. Clean the broccoli rabe in advance, but don't store it in lemony water. It will discolor. If the stalks are thick, you can pre-steam them a bit and store them in the fridge with the uncooked broccoli rabe tops. Saute everything in olive oil, with salt and crushed red pepper flakes.

P.P.P.S. If you and the lovely lady get married, I think that "Angela" makes a very nice middle name for a baby girl.

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Just add water...

This is actually my favorite Campbell's soup.

Mine too, but if you want there is Pea Soup Andersens, split pea soup, it's very good.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Hmm, Angela, your "Second Date" menu looks fabulous...

Just one sanity check when you say "heat the oven to 375 degrees" you do mean "375 degrees Fahrenheit" don't you?


May one be so bold as to suggest that it may be of use for other meals?

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Hmm, Angela, your "Second Date" menu looks fabulous...

Just one sanity check when you say "heat the oven to 375 degrees" you do mean "375 degrees Fahrenheit" don't you?


May one be so bold as to suggest that it may be of use for other meals?

Yes. 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

And yes, this menu adjusts up and down, and need not be cooked exclusively for dates. I'm just using our young bachelor's requests as an excuse to work on my cookbook:

Godmother Angela's Cooking Advice For The Young, Single and Clueless

This is a working title. My publisher may have other suggestions down the road...

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I qualify on two out of three....

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

While the sausages are frying, drain the apples. Throw some butter into a pan and saute the apples until tender, but not mushy. Season to taste with a bit of salt and a bit of cinnamon. Don't go overboard on the cinnamon. This is a side dish, not a dessert. That being said, when the apples are almost but not quite done, you could sprinkle them with a tiny bit of sugar to promote browning and mild sweetness. (If you don't like sweet side dishes and you want to send the apples in a more savory direction, you could saute them with some fresh minced thyme or maybe some fresh minced sage, instead of using cinnamon and a bit of sugar.)

Interesting.
Using spices and herbs together with fruits are not so common.
Here is another one.
Heat some green pepper in cream. Not bell pepper.

Serve it with strawberries.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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. . . if you want there is Pea Soup Andersens, split pea soup, it's very good.

Creamy and with no fat? It doesn't sound very good.
Split pea, only - no ham or bacon. Nope. Not for me.
Looks like baby food. ;-)

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~Sue~