What's For Dinner Saturday 11/7/09?

[lvs2cook]

Friends,

Sorry I missed yesterday. Too many things going on around here. But, I am back this morning.

Never got the opportunity to do the pumpkin bread pudding the other day or yesterday so I am doing it early this morning as it will be another busy day. I am trying to get this place in order before leaving for Georgia. and at the same time preparing it for Christmas, not that far off. Thanksgiving will be upon us before we know it.

Ok, a report on those Feta Zucchini Balls. They were good but I would leave out the Ouzo. I did put just the tinest drop of anise oil in the recipe for like I mentioned, I did not have any Ouzo in the house. Think I would have liked them better if that hint of anise flavor was not in there. I think I would have been wrong about adding some lemon rind in there too. It does not need it. I divided the batter in half before I added the herbs to it . Half the batch I added the herbs specified in the recipe and half of the batch I eliminated the mint and put oregano in its place. We liked the batch with the oregano in it better than the one with the mint.

Oh yeah, one more thing. I did not have any green onions in the house but, I did have red onion which is mild also. So I chopped up some red onion and did not put it into the feta zucchini balls raw. I sauteed the onion in the tinest touch of olive oil along with the garlic. DH has a thing about biting into raw onion or garlic in his food. He love the flavor but, can't stomach the fact that it is raw. Actually makes him physically sick. So I always do the saute thing beforehand. The flavor of the red onion in the zucchini balls was good.

So - I will definitly make this for an appetizer for T-Day but no Ouzo, no mint, no lemon rind. Will use the oregano. See no need for the dip, they were fine just as they were.

Trying another new recipe for tonight's dinner.

Pork Kebabs with Cucumber–Mint Yogurt Sauce
Redolent of oregano and cinnamon, these pork kebabs owe their tenderness to a red wine marinade that helps break down even the toughest cuts of meat.

FOR THE SOUVLAKIA:
2 cups red wine
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 cloves garlic, smashed
2 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into 1-1/2" cubes
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

FOR THE YOGURT SAUCE:
1 cucumber (about 12 oz.)
1-1/2 cups yogurt
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 Tbs. extra-virgin sesame oil or extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt, to taste

FOR THE GARNISH:
4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
4 pita breads, warmed

Make the souvlakia: Whisk together the wine, oregano, cumin, salt, thyme, cinnamon, and garlic in a large bowl. Add the cubes of pork and toss well to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to let marinate at room temperature for at least 2 hours or in the refrigerator overnight.

Meanwhile, make the yogurt sauce: Trim the ends off the cucumber and peel it. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scrape out and discard the seeds from each half. Finely chop the cucumber and transfer it to a medium bowl. Stir in the yogurt, mint, oil, and garlic, and season with salt. Cover the sauce with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. (The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 1 week.)

Arrange an oven rack 7–8" from the broiler element and heat broiler. Remove the pork from the marinade (reserve marinade), thread the cubes onto 4 metal or wooden skewers, and arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet. (If using wooden skewers, make sure to cover the ends completely with the pork cubes, to prevent the skewers from burning.) Season the pork with salt and pepper. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Broil the kebabs generously basting with the marinade occasionally, until browned on all sides and cooked through, 20–25 minutes.

Alternatively, the kebabs may be cooked over a medium-hot grill for the same amount of time.

Arrange the skewers on a platter and scatter the scallions and parsley over them. Serve with the yogurt sauce and the pita.

Serves 4

So that will do it for me today. Hope you all enjoy your weekend.

Joan

[luv2cook]

Good morning Joan and all who follow! It is a beautiful day here with cool temps in the 40's. It is supposed to go up around 75 with clear skies so we shall see. We are going to grill out sirloins tonight so I'll bake some potatoes and add a large garden salad for our dinner. Simple and easy. Hope you have a very blessed day!

[mrs.ashton]

I think it is going to be red beans with andouille sausage and cornbread.

[callalily]

I will be grilling a piece of salmon for my dinner tonight. DH is not home, so it will just be me and a piece of fish!

[ozsmom1]

Ribeyes we got at Costco while we wait for our beef, roasted French fingerling potaatoes, crusty bread and a salad if DS#2 wants one when he gets here.

[SCUDMissileDiva]

it's over now but it was:
baked apples in their apple pie sauce
Carpathian Cabbage with steamed white rice [a favorite of the hubster]
garlic sourdough mozzarella and parm cheesed toast

[born in the usa]

we went out to dinner tonight, Escalente's Mexican resturant..hope everyone has a great what's left of the wkend.

[MindaAnn]

We brought the grandchildren home with us and they wanted Mexican food...so, thats what we had!