Anyone up for a 'What's for Dinner' thread?!

[mbosnz]

I'm fed to the back teeth with heat waves, strikes (I support them, by the way!), corona virus and monkey pox, etc, etc!

So, as is my wont - my happy place is food.

We're having sweet and sour pork with fried rice, (one of DD2's new best meals) what's for dinner at yours?

@Sally99 Thank you!!

I’ve just sent DP to the shop to buy the ingredients for his chicken with Boursin and bacon with mash and garlicky spinach.

I didn’t know it till you posted but that’s exactly what I want tonight and he’s a good lad so he’s going to make it for me!!

Forgot to upload pics...

Ohhh pics!! Yours look gorgeous!

Here’s ours from last night. I was too busy eating to take photos once I’d plated up onto our Japanese tableware, but here it is before I served it.

Oh, thank you NiqueNique - yours look delicious, too! Would you share the recipe for the baked rice and sea bass?

@WhiteHydrangeas thanks! Sure, it’s

This one

by Jamie Oliver which I adapted slightly to fit what I had to work with - also added lemongrass to the paste.

I don’t know why I felt the need to mention the Japanese dishes; it sounds like some bizarre attempt at showing off but it’s not, I’m just a very literal person!

Tonight I had chicken thigh and salad in pitta bread with tzatziki.

@NiqueNique, great, thank you! Will have to try that one soon.

The mention of the Japanese dishes didn't come across as showing off at all! I love Japanese ceramics and have been salivating over a particular set for at least a year now. Really want some new crockery but just can't seem too decide between the Japanese set and Broste Copenhagen stuff.

The version I do is similar but I don't do bacon or onions or crisps and cheese.

So, I parboil potatoes and carrots (sometimes I add sweet potato or parsnip) for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, oven cook the sausages. Drain the veg and back in the dish with a tin of chopped tomatoes, a tin of beans, sweetcorn, herbs, S&P and Worcestershire sauce. When the sausages are ready, chop up and add to the veg. You may need a little water too. Back in the oven for about 20-30 minutes.

Best served with brown sauce or ketchup. Not sophisticated but a firm family favourite.

Busy day so fish finger sandwiches with lashings of tartare sauce and a side of dill fries all round.

Nyom.

@WhiteHydrangeas ohhhh now being as I am Danish I might be slightly biased on that one!!

(It would just be such a bizarre thing to show off about, however nice the dishes might be!)

Oh @StaunchMomma I love a fish finger sandwich. I pile a big handful of parsley onto mine (the fish fingers, not the bread) and add lots of lemon juice!

I’m hungry now

Courgette pasta pesto here, with home-grown courgettes.

Oh I bet that was delicious @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie - I want to grow courgettes next year!

@NiqueNique The Broste set is lovely (you Danes just do this kind of stuff so incredibly well), definitely more practical and I already have a teapot and cups from that series. I’d mix and match 2 or 3 different colourways and might just add in the Japanese bowls as well. Would have to see them side by side first, but reckon it might just work. I guess the Nordic Sea / Sand / Coal series is quite ubiquitous now, but I still love it and should probably just buy it already.

Anyways, sorry for the thread derail!

We had shepherds pie with peas and broccoli
tomorrow is
roast gammon with new potatoes, cabbage, peas, carrots and cauliflower.

I had microwave mac cheese 😫

OH does all the work, but they seem pretty easy to grow providing you can keep the slugs away.

Had a Chinese takeaway as didn’t feel like cooking

Sorry, I forgot to put in the sweet & sour pork recipe! It's a BBC Good Foods one:

Ingredients:

1 pork fillet (about 500g), trimmed and cut into 3 cm chunks.
Sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep frying.
Cooked rice or noodles, to serve.

For the Marinade:
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 tablespoons xhoaxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 clove garlic, grated
thumb sized piece ginger, grated.

For the Coating:
50g cornflour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 teaspoons celery salt
2 teaspoons caster sugar

For the Sauce:
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
thumb-sized piece ginger, chopped
1 green or red pepper, roughly chopped
1 chopped onion
1 sliced carrot
(also mangetout and baby corn are bloody delicious in it!)
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
300g can pineapple chunks
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Method:

1. Mix the pork with the marinade ingredients and leave to sit for at least 15 minutes, or chill for a few hours. In a separate bowl, mix all the coating ingredients. Drain any excess liquid off the pork, and toss the pork in the seasoned coating. Can be done 1 hour ahead.
2. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a shallow saucepan and gently fry the garlic, ginger, peppers, carrot and onion, until just starting to soften. Now drop in all the rest of the ingredients except the sesame seeds. Bring everything to the boil and cook for a few minutes until thickened, then take off the heat. To make the batter, whisk the flours and baking powder together with 200ml water to a smooth paste.
3. Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer, large saucepan or a wok to 180c or until a drop of batter sizzles and browns in 20 secs. Dip the marinated pork in the batter mix (do it in two or three batches) and let any excess drip off. Fry the pork in batches for about 3 minutes or until golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper until all the batches are done. Make sure you bring the oil back to the correct temperature between each batch. Coat the crispy pork in the sauce, then sprinkle over the sesame seeds, coriander and serve with rice or noodles.

Tonight is mechoui butterflied leg of lamb done on the barbie, with Spanish potatoes, corn cob, and coleslaw. Looking forward to it! With a glass or two of Jackson Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2021. . .

Ohhh that sounds beautiful! Enjoy 🥂

@WhiteHydrangeas ohh yes that’s on my (very long) list too! Not got any pieces yet because I can never decide on which pieces I want in which colourways. I think the Japanese bowls would tie in beautifully...

Hope you don’t mind the slight derail @mbosnz! 🌷

Thank you so much!

Oh, I really don't mind the derail - seems we have very similar tastes in dining ware!

Roast chicken, roast potatoes, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings, veg and gravy today.