It’s been a while since I posted a thumb shot
I found myself looking at this one a lot today. Picture enlarges a lot.
Felix Masuku (Shaun Parkes) and John Porter (Richard Armitage) argue over their responsibilities to the orphans in Strike Back 1.4. Source: RichardArmitageNet.com
Meanwhile, as I stare — transfixed — at the thumb, I realize that I’ve become someone who’s badly at risk of needing to google for recipe inspiration. I just had to physically stop myself from typing “what’s for dinner tonight?” into the search window. The way we ate when I was a kid (meat, vegetable, starch) won’t cut it, as my mom’s appetite is so poor. I love to cook but the attempt to hit the mark with a dish that’s attractive to the eyes, nose, mouth, and appetite every night of the week (that my father will also eat, and that doesn’t have ingredients in it that I can’t eat) has started to exhaust my repertoire.
What do you make for dinner when you have a complex audience and no inspiration other than Richard Armitage’s thumb? Because I can’t have his thumb for dinner.
Hmmm. Thumb of Armitage. Drizzled in basil cream sauce … maybe I could just lick it off … and nibble a bit at the cuticle?
You sound quite hungry, Servetus. Eating RA. What idea ;o)
So I think, the recipe should contain meat somehow, though I unfortunately raked my brain, but could not come up with something useful. The only thing I make, when I completely don’t know what to do and want to give myself a treat, is self made pizza with all the ingredients I like (and I normally don’t like meat all too much). On a thick bottom (Yeast dough (?)), tomatoes, diced onions, corn and lots of different cheese. Here I even bear spinach ;o) You could add salami or better ham, but I think in combination with cheese that is out of the question for you. You make me hungry – should go to bed now to dream of my pizza and … ;o)
just his thumb. I’ll leave the rest for everything else. And I only need one.
Your pizza sounds great!
How about a chicken pot pie with filo instead of pastery dough?
that’s a great idea — have had to avoid spanakopita because of the Vitamin K, but lots of other great phyllo options and you’re right, it does make the crust appetizing looking!
Soups are usually easy to make and there’s a wide variety to choose from — tomato and basil or cream of broccoli come to mind. But there’s also a lot of cold soup recipes you can make since it’s still hot weather. You could add a salad or sandwich if you need something more substantial. If you like a little spice there’s an Italian bread salad that’s easy to make (I forget what it’s called): stale Italian bread, tomatoes, red onions, parmesan cheese, vinaigrette, and maybe black olives.
I like homemade pizza too and I’m gonna have to try that chicken pot pie with filo Rob suggested.
Panz … something? That’s a great idea. I haven’t ahd that in a long time and it meets the “sour flavor” criterion that’s important to my mom.
Does your mom like to experiment with different foods? I know sometimes older folks can be as picky as kids when it comes to eating. My dad loved for me to cook for him and he liked to try different things. My mom — not so much – she’s a meat and potatoes kind of girl.
in general she’s much more adventurous than my dad, but she feels almost no impulse to eat. It’s not so much the name of the food or even what’s in it that’s the problem (unless it’s one of the five things on the list of stuff she absolutely won’t eat — all of which are pretty obscure: fried beef liver, cooked beets, pickled smelt, tripe and parsnips — or Indian foods, which she won’t touch for reasons unclear to me) but getting her to think that whatever it is makes it worth surmounting her feeling that she absolutely doesn’t want to eat. Things with extremely sour flavors are good, lime / cilantro combinations, really strong herb flavors (white wine with tablespoons full of dried tarragon). I’ve taken to putting citrus flavor on everything no matter what, but I imagine she’s going to tire of that shortly. I need to get some stuff in place for when I leave, so I am honestly interested in any more suggestions. Really exotic ingredients can be difficult to find around here.
My dad wants meat, starch, vegetable — which is how she always cooked, and which is easy to make. I mean, I can compose that menu in 10 seconds and make it in 20 minutes. But she won’t touch that now. It has absolutely no appeal to her.
I made a mango salsa recently that would fall in the sour category as well as a spinach salad with apples and vinaigrette made with maple syrup and seasoned pecans that were easy — just add the seasonings and bake for a few minutes. Who’s going to prepare the meals when you leave?
mmm, mango salsa, that’s a great idea.
I’ve hired someone who I’m hopeful about, someone I went to high school with.
So now I’m totally distracted from work thinking about food, but here’s another suggestion: chicken tortellini salad, cook cheese tortellini, add chicken, herbs, diced peppers/onions, mayo, red wine vinegar, canola oil, salt/pepper and chill. And any kind of vegetable is good when roasted – try green beans. Now I have some ideas for dinner too. Tks.
aha — we did tortellini last week. But the roasting vegetables idea is great. We also did roasted brussels sprouts — fantastic.
Oh, and in case anyone wants to know what I actually made last night: chicken Kiev.
When I am desparate for a simple meal, I keep it simple — roast chicken or meatballs or scrambled eggs and have some beautiful (brightly colored) vegetables. Raw red peppers with hummus or roasted cauliflower. I’ve learned an easy way to have delicious brussle sprouts any time. I dump 1-2 lbs of frozen brussle sprouts in a bowl, pour a little olive oil, stir it around and them bake them at 400 degrees, no cover on the pan, until they’re lightly browned. My kids fight over them now, and there is never any leftovers. It’s a vast improvement over the boiled and bitter ones I ate as a child. We also love a bruscetta type meal of “mushrooms on toast” — tons of sliced mushrooms and onions cooked in butter with a little cream added at the end. Wow, I guess I’m hungry today. It’s difficult to cook for others day after day. Eventually I hit a “I’m going to fix exactly what I want and if you don’t like it, you can eat PBJ” moment.
Oh, and we roast fresh green beans, too and eat them like french fries.
Thanks!
I still like boiled brussel sprouts but we did your recipe basically last week (I put fresh lemon juice on before serving) and loved them. The appetizer suggestions are great — stuff that is just little bites of stuff where you can say “oh, ok, I’ll eat one.” Of course, the little bite has to pay off then.
I have one thing my grandfather always made when someone was ill (even I as a child, though it contains alcohol, but as it is heated, not so much any longer).
We called it “Weinchateau”. It is heated white wine with suggar, where egg yolk is lightly mixed and poured in, when the wine starts to heat and then the mixture is squirled (?) (hand mixer), till it is a wonderfully creamy consistence and the egg and the wine completely are an airy cream and no longer fluid at the bottom.
It is best done over a water bowl, so that the cream does not burn.
(Searched for a good recipe, but though lots of variations, there is none how we did it: http://www.chefkoch.de/rezept-anzeige.php?ID=97551038660184&ID2=45
Cooking it always was a whole family event and everybody was nervous if it would be fine in the end ;o)
Don’t use any recipe with gelatine! And heat the wine separately, so you don’t run the risk that the egg gets hard at the bottom of the pot too soon. Just put in the mixed egg and feverishly start mixing, when the wine already is starting to heat – little white clouds over the surface). What I can’t remember exactly is, if we mixed in whole egg as well, as they do in nearly all recipes. As far as I remember, it was only egg yolk (the whites we used for ‘Knödel’ later, so no waste) and we did not use lemon juice, but quite possibly vanilla suggar. And we children got it with lady fingers (Löffelbiskuit).
If it should be something less suggary, the other recipe of my grandfather, which collected everyone around in smelling distance, is diced onions simmering in white wine and thin meat slices only shortly put in to heat, when there is nearly no wine left. Only salt to your liking at the end. Could well fit to rice, but as far as I remember, my grandfather always ate it with a slice of bread.
What would always get me out from behind the warm and cozy oven would be tomatoe sauce (with roux (?) as basis – made with diced onions), selfmade and from own grown tomatoes together with ‘Knödel’ ;o)
You lately always get me hungry here, Servetus
Oh, forgot to mention, I chose all those recipes, because while cooking them, they smell to die for and everyone around is waiting impatiently till it is ready. I thought that might attract your mother’s appetite.
yeah, I’ve learned how important that is. If I say, would you like some fish poached in wine and butter? she says no, but if she smells the tarragon infusing in the wine for 20 minutes, she’s definitely up for trying it.
You could try panzanella, too — basically tomatoes, onion, and any other blanched vegetable you like, mixed with a bunch of Italian bread cubes, some fresh basil, oregano, and garlic. Dress with an olive oil vinaigrette and chill before serving. Then broil a chicken breast with lemon, garlic, and rosemary. You get all the food groups into a tasty combination.
That’s the name of what sloan was suggesting — knew it began with pan … Many thanks!
Hi Servetus!
You almost sound like you could open your own restaurant with the wonderful dishes that you create. Chez Michaela? It has a ring to it.
When in doubt we stir fry, stew, or crock it. I’m a fan of the single pan meals–less clean up. It can be a challenge, because you have to remove some ingredients “temporarily” while you cook others.
For example, here is my general stir fry (and basic chop suey) standby recipe:
saute mushrooms and onions first (remove to a bowl); then braise strips of meat in oil (chicken or beef, remove to a different bowl); then add soy sauce corstarch and water to make a teriyaki type sauce; through in vegetables to cook in sauce for a few minutes; add all other ingredients back into the mix and serve. Snap!
Cheers! Grati ;->
P.S. Lest you think the bowls I use end up making extra dishes to wash, we dish up our food into them and eat.
P.S. Serve over rice or noodles.
Thanks, Grati. That’s what a dishwasher is for, no ?
I haven’t done much Asian food this summer, but it strikes me reading this now that it would offer a lot of options. Filing away for future reference.