I am planning a seder dinner for several friends and came across a seder menu in which a salad made with quinoa was used. I am not Jewish and was wondering if anyone knew if quinoa was kosher for Passover? And if it is not kosher, is there another type of grain or unleavened product that could be substituted like couscous or barley? Thanks so much!
What is the most impressive dish/meal you have ever made to wow that special someone? I once made a Moroccan Chicken Pie which took at least 4 hours and when it was done at 11pm, my date wolfed it down not so much because it was good (it wasn't) but because he was starving! In my defense, I was still in the early stages of learning how to cook. What did you make, how long did it take you, and most importantly, did it work? :)
Last Friday I had plans to cook for a guy that I was dating but he cancelled at the last minute and so one of my good friends came over instead and we feasted on turkey-falafal balls (recipe from the New York Times), lemony-pistachio hummus, pita bread, tabbouleh, and a peach crumble for dessert. I haven't heard from the guy since but my friend and I had a good time :)
I heart mustard too! I used to hate it as a kid but one of my roommates reintroduced it to me in college (he liked to put grainy mustard on a cheddar cheese sandwich). My best friend bought two kinds of mustard for me for Christmas, a blue cheese mustard which is awesome on turkey sandwiches and a balsamic mustard that is so delicious sometimes I just eat it with a small spoon straight out of the jar.
Some friends came over to watch the season finale of Top Chef tonight and to celebrate, someone brought the ingredients to make mojitos and I made sugar doughnuts and banana fritters to snack on, so I basically had a mojito, doughnuts, and fritters for dinner. I don't do this often, I promise!
I am also single and often eat on my own. Dinner tonight consisted of: green minestrone (vegetable stock, broccoli, zucchini, leeks, peas, lentils, and garlic), some slices from an Italian loaf bread, mixed greens with a balsamic vinaigrette, and grapes. Yum!
How about salmon burgers? I made some Asian-inspired salmon burgers last year - salmon mixed with mint, fresh garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, fresh ginger, arugula, and a few chilies, pan fried and served on onion rolls. Can't remember if I made a sauce but some fresh ginger stirred into some mayo might go nicely with it.
@EatWisconsin: That turkey burger sounds heavenly, I think I have to try making it this weekend!
Thanks everyone for all of the help. I am making passover dinner for a friend and it is her favorite holiday so I am kind of nervous about messing something up :/
Dim sum for sure. Nothing helps soak up the alcohol like the magical combination of pork fat, rice noodles, and fried pockets of dough.
I love Chicago! And miss it so much :(
Lula's in Logan Square. Awesome food, amazing desserts. Has two menus, one is more upscale, the other more casual, but no entree is >$30.
The Hopleaf in Andersonville. Great selection of beer, their mussels steamed in beer are really delicious. A really fun atmosphere too.
Cafe Spiaggia. The food is to die for (the gnocchi is particularly yummy) and the prices are very reasonable.
Anywhere on Devon street is also great for yummy Indian food, check out the dessert shops and don't be shy about asking for samples. most of the places are more than willing to let you try different things.
The Happy Chef for dim sum (no atmosphere but awesome food) or The Phoenix for dim sum (nicer atmosphere, food is good, but the service is atrocious). And be sure to stop by Joy Yee's for their bubble tea made with real fruit. (All in Chinatown).
By the way, I love nerds! I am also a U of C Alumni. Have a great weekend!
I am in graduate school and am currently single, as are many of my friends so this year, we all made reservations for dinner at a local restaurant to celebrate our friendships and the support we have all given each other over this past school year. My feeling is that Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate love, whether it is for your spouse, your significant other, or your very good friends who are always there for you :)
Just finished a bowl of chorizo, kale, spinach, and tomato soup that I made yesterday, It's slightly spicy, perfect for a cold day in Michigan. Soup is just about the only thing I want to eat when its cold and there's snow on the ground!
We do cheeseburgers (usually Swiss, but sometimes cheddar with or without chiles added) and top them with a fried egg and a little ketchup. It's what my BF asks for every year for his birthday.
Also, I like a good burger topped with Saga blue or cambezolla cheese and some mushrooms that have been sauteed with a little shallot and garlic with a bit of dijon mustard on the bun.
I season my burgers with a bit of coarse sea salt and coarsely ground fresh pepper before cooking. We like the flavorful crust that results from doing it that way.
western burger at dennys .. patty..swiss chees, fried onion rings, a-1 sauce and veggies! yumm...
or the slam burger with egg cheese sauce and hashbrowns! and of course meat.
We had a family dinner that included smoked ribs and chicken using this recipe including the rub and the sauce: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_23067,00.html , English pea salad, marinated cukes and onions and deviled eggs. Dessert was the one year "wedding Cake" from son and daughter in law.
Had a small dinner party last weekend before we encountered 112 degree temps. Started with Shrimp cocktail with a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. Dinner consisted of barbequed lamb chops marinated in olive oil, mustard, balsamic vinegar and basil. Served it with Israeli couscous with greens and mint and balsamic vinegar dressing, roasted sweet potatoes and a nice red Malbec. For dessert we had homemade lemon bars and brownies.
I cook for friends often, we usually have company nearly every week-end. This past week-end I was busy painting & gardening, so when friends came over we just ordered pizza & wings....but the week-end previous I did a birthday dinner for a friend. We had Chipotle Blackberry pulled pork - the recipe from here:
http://coconutlime.blogspot.com/2008/06/chipolte-blackberry-pulled-pork.html
I also did green beans w/onions and bacon, and oven roasted garlic potatoes.
For dessert we had homemade white cake w/strawberries from our garden and fresh whipped cream.
It turned out to be a lovely evening.
Next week we host a chicken bbq for 100+ people....so I'm conserving my cooking energy for that! lol
now thinking about it... it's been a while since I last had people over. I guess it's time to send an email soon... but my last get-together was a french-inspired meal with croque monsieurs and a veggie version of a nicoise salad... we finished the night with roasted pears with blue cheese... très chic.
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
Impromptu Sunday dinner with another couple was lentil salad, grilled mild Italian sausages and grilled zucchini with cantaloupe for dessert. I like cooking for people, and only have one other friend who likes to, so everyone is always unreasonably impressed that I can give them dinner without any notice. Kind of nice, really!
Sadly, I think our last dinner guests were my parents. I made a salad, cheese fondue, and we went out for ice cream afterwards. I found these really beautiful mixed-colored fingerling potatoes for the fondue and fresh garlic and herb bread, and grape tomatoes.
Just me and a close friend, weeknight last week.
Pot roast w/onions, mashed potatoes, zucchini sauteed w/mushrooms & garlic, mixed greens salad with strawberries, orange segments and toasted almonds, balsamic & olive oil dressing. Wine to drink. No dessert. Nothing fancy, but the compliments were nice.
Ditto brooke29 - I truly enjoy cooking for people I love. I live alone, so company of friends and family is always a treat.
We had several friends over for dinner last week. We had:
a salad of mixed greens with smoked almonds, strawberries and ginger-sesame dressing
quinoa & asparagus salad with orange segments, walnuts and a simple vinaigrette of lemon juice and olive oil
shrimp cocktail (I unpacked a box with margarita glasses, which are perfect vessels for shrimp cocktail, so I just had to use them. Even though we moved into this house on the New Year's eve, we still have plenty of unpacked boxes - sigh)
grilled steaks with chimichurri sauce (which reminds me - I need to make another batch of the sauce!)
for dessert, we had a lemon curd/strawberry tart
It was really lovely, both the dinner and the company. There is nothing I enjoy more than cooking for people I love!
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