I am simmering sauerkraut right now for tonight.

I doctor a can with a half a head of fresh cabbage. I shred it then add it to the canned, then add enough water to cover it all. It double or triples the volume and makes for a sweeter, milder kraut. It needs to simmer for a few hours. Add water as it boils off.

I will boil up some potato and carrot later and cook a small pork chop, ALL the fat cut off. I may make some applesauce from scratch too. Have to go buy some apples. I have a friend who has an apple orchard and she usually supplies me with a case in the fall that lasts me through the year but I am all out now, it's June.

Navigarr, how do you keep your apples from deteriorating? I have tried a few things from newspaper between them to dark cellar and cardboard. Your dinner sounds absolutely delicious too. I love saurkraut!

Tonight I'll be making my rendition of Olive Garden's salad dressing, homemade bread or breadsticks and minestrone soup. I have some fresh veggies and some frozen tomatoes from last year.

_____________________________

Elleise
Clairvoyance Editor

No secret really. When I first get the case I go through it apple by apple and take out any that show the slightest beginning of deteriorattion. THOSE I use immediately, make applesauce. Don't let anyone ever tell you to cook them whole either. I knew better but did that once because someone said it was easier. I LOST so much pulp trying to separate it all after cooking and it was so much work for very little result. Peel and cut FIRST, then boil down.

The rest I just wash and make sure they are DRY then put them on lower shelf of refrigerator in a brown paper bag or bags. Don't forget about them either. Check them every few weeks to make sure there is no funny business going on it there. Hahahahahaha. If there is make some more sauce immediately, it'll keep.

Oh, I forgot to mention. When I make my kraut, I like to put some cut up tomatoes in there. Makes it sweeter. Or some spaghetti sauce if you have some. Just a few tblspns. Try it.

Navigaar,

Your sauerkraut sounds delicious!

I am serving homemade red pork tamales, homemade refried beans and homemade Mexican rice for dinner tonight. I love to cook and have been encouraged by friends who enjoy my food to begin a cooking class. I have yet to see a category here in bellaonline that covers people that are excellent cooks but not trained chefs. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place? Maybe this IS the place?

Welcome to BellaOnline cesibon!

That's wonderful that you love to cook. For me, cooking can be a very creative process. You must be a wonderful cook. I don't know anyone who makes homemade tamales!

Have you looked into MeetUp groups in your area to teach a class? I know a local lady who offers baking classes in my area and they are quite popular.

I think what we have right now is specific diet/cuisine/interest group based in terms of food sections of BellaOnline. It is a great place to start meeting people with similar interests.

Again, welcome!

I look forward to more of your posts on cooking.

We have some sauerkraut in the fridge right now that we need to do something with - this sounds like a delicious idea! Thanks!

It was supposed to go with a pork roast but we waited too long and the pork roast died. Which is a separate topic - how to manage your time so you don't let perfectly good food go to waste.

I'm making za'atar chicken and sauteed cabbage. Either chickpea noodle soup or mashed potatoes. I'll decide on the way home. Also making Barefoot Contessa's brownie pudding.

I just stumbled onto this thread while browsing around.

The key to good kraut if you don't like it high on the vinegar side is to drain and rinse it well in cold water before cooking it. Do a little rinsing at a time and taste it until you get to the level of vinegar that suits your taste. I find the sauerkraut in the plastic bags in the refrigerated section of the grocery store tastes better than the canned variety. I usually like most of the vinegar rinsed out, but that is just me.

I am half Polish and my grandmother used to fry up some chopped bacon and onions in a large frying pan. You can keep as much or as little of the rendered fat as you want. She would then add the rinsed and drained kraut to that pan and mix it with the bacon and onions, cover it and cook it until the kraut was tender. You can add mushrooms, frozen peas, or anything else you like in the pan in any combination before adding the kraut. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The result is a wonderfully flavored and mild sauerkraut, and you don't need to add sugar.

Tonight I am going to cook thin cut pork loin chops and noodles with parmesan, butter, and garlic. I think a Dutch crunch roll and a glass of V8 to go with it. I do not care much for vegetables and rarely eat canned vegetables -- I like to steam fresh broccoli, carrots and cauliflower when I have them, otherwise the V8 does the trick for me.

It's Japanese here! Miso soup, simmered kabocha and gyoza (potstickers)...maybe some cucumber namasu on the side.

Yummy! I adore miso soup because it's easy to make and versatile. The Japanese eat miso soup from dawn to dusk.

As for dinner, perhaps miso soup (thanks for the idea Lori) sauteed squash with basil and chicken cutlets. Nothing too fancy but I will indulge in a nice, cold glass of reisling.

Oh Phyllis -- I'm with you on the vegetable thing lately. I really don't care for them too much especially with all of the contamination issues -- frightening. I try to stick to what I grow which includes some squash, cherry tomatoes, beets, peppers, lettuce, spinach. It hasn't been a good year in PA with all of the rain we've had.

Tonight it's a power salad for me and hubby:

Bed of lettuce topped with cucumber, tomato, green olives, crumbled blue cheese, cashews, fried bacon crumbled and sliced fried chicken breasts, cut in small pieces. Topped with ranch dressing.

It is very filling and delicious.

Tonight it was Polish Golabki (go'wompki or galumpki) that I made a couple of days ago. For anyone not familiar with this dish, it is stuffed cabbage.....a dish consisting of stuffed and rolled steamed cabbage leaves with a filling of ground beef and pork, onions, rice, and seasonings, which is then cooked in tomato sauce. We finished them up tonight with a nice side salad.

The same filling makes for really good stuffed bell peppers, red or green.

Tonight, I roasted some red potatoes, carrots and whole heads of garlic. Served with poached fish and steamed asparagus.

KFC for my aunt who does not like fish.

Sounds like a great compromise. You always have such good ideas.

Oh, thanks, Connie. How are you?

What are you making for dinner tonight?

Cold weather ... so I'm immediately back to slow-cooker mode. Tonight it's beef stew with beer.

After a weekend of cooking different falafel dishes before I posted my Sandwiches recipes, we are having yet another sandwich for dinner. We are having tacos! I love them, since the meat can be made ahead of time. Everybody loves tacos at our house!

Lori, your Japanese food sounds so good. I love tacos, but I would rather have what you're cooking.

LOL. Grass is always greener...I would rather have tacos! In fact, I had one for lunch!

As for tonight's dinner, I'm so uninspired. The Santa Ana winds knocked down a ton of avocados, cracked the tree in fact. :*( But they are not ripe yet to enjoy tonight. I'm thinking of making either some Parmesan Chicken or Roasted Vegetables on Quinoa. I am trying to eat better, go veggie, but it is so tough to break free from old habits.

So for lunch, for example, I told my daughter, "Let's eat a bean burrito." Not bad, right? But at the last minute, during a weak moment when I was super upset over something, I added tacos AND nachos. I know that's all kinds of bad, but eating comfort foods is my default when I have a mini-crisis going on. Did it count that we didn't have soda? LOL.

I told my daughter, we have to have a "new" default for dealing with upsetting emotional states. Like working out. (I can dream, can't I?)

I think a lot of us will be having Thanksgiving leftovers. We brought home lots of food from my boyfriend's cousin's house last night. It's an Italian family so we have the usual starter of manicotti with sausage or shortribs, then the traditional turkey with all the trimmings.

My favorite side dish of the night was a baked casserole of sorts with artichokes, mushrooms, sliced black olives, and breadcrumbs on top. So good I could eat just that and be happy!

Wild Boar pie - very Obelix !!

Tonight I had some thin crust pizza that was ordered out. I needed a break from Thanksgiving leftovers!

Reached the point where you're grating the turkey into the ice cream yet then?

My body needs a break. I'm juicing tonight. Apples, ginger, turmeric & lemons (a little raw honey might be in order too).

Bon Apetite

...and a couple of lightly crushed anti-acids?:D

LOL!

Homemade chicken veggie soup for tonight.

sounds delicious. I fry pork chops n kielbasa seasoned n brown well in huge skillet n add cabbage with slices of apples -slices of onion n add some water or chicken broth n cook till tender Readd water or broth if gets too low. Seasoning is salt-pepper n garlic granular.

Lentil soup and garden salad tonight

Tonight.....pasta and spaghetti sauce with Italian meatballs

No need for me to cook tonight. I made chicken salad from leftover purchased rotisserie chicken, and a big scoop of that on a bed of lettuce, grape tomatoes, and olives was a quick and easy dinner.

Just baked off a small bone in ham. A few meals of that and then the rest will be turned into homemade yellow split pea and ham soup.

Just made a quickie dinner of salad and penne with vodka sauce. The sauce was from a jar but quite good nonetheless.

Corned beef and cabbage, of course! Also carrots and potatoes.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

broccali/chicken fetticine alfredo - yummy...

Turkey breast, mashed potatoes, gravy and southwestern corn...usually I would tack on biscuits but I gave up bread for lent.

Dianne,

I could eat fettuccine every single day and nevercomplain.

Delicious isn't it. I love the fetticine at Olive Garden and just wish I could make it the same. Yummy!!!

Tonight I didn't cook, I ended up with beef and broccoli from Top Chef China restaurant. It was good. I sometimes experiement using hoison sauce in some of my dishes to get that flavor.

Their fettuccine is soooo good! I love when they have the never ending pasta bowl.

The fettuccine at Olive Garden is yummy. It seems very delicate, like fresh pasta. Try some fresh fettuccine instead of dry at home to see if you can get closer to what you are looking for.

I love Olive Garden.....

I am taking the easy way out for dinner tonight by just making a wrap sandwich. I made chicken salad from a rotisserie chicken the other day, and that will be going in a sundried tomato and basil wrap. I will have some bread and butter pickles on the side.

We had beautiful spring weather this week, so my husband broke out the grill! Last night, we had grilled veggie sandwiches--sliced, olive oiled and salt n peppered asparagus, eggplant, portabellas, and red bell peppers grilled and placed on grilled bread with a bit of marinara sauce & fresh mozzarella. Tonight, grilled turkey burgers with salsa and shredded jack cheese. I love warmer weather!

Cassie67,
Thanks for the tip. The dry pasta does feel heavier then the pasta they use at Olive Garden. I also love their 6.99 lunch special. They make delicious soup.

Maria, I could eat it everyday too!!! Pasta and bread, I love them both (a little too much)

I have to watch myself, or I will eat one breadstick with every bowl of Zuppa Toscana soup that I can get down at Olive Garden. I love that soup!

Roast chunks of turkey with mashed potatoes & gravy and mediterranean veggie mix.

Everyone's dinner sounds yummy! We went to Saltgrass for lunch, so I am having leftover ribeye and baked potato.

Often eat <a href=BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

Homemade tomato soup tonight - cut 6 tomatoes into 8 wedges each, lay in baking pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, pepper. Bake in oven till soft. (smells wonderful)

Then add tomatoes to stir fried beef and onion chunks. Add in finely chopped potatoes. Add worchestire sauce and cover with water. Simmer 1/2 hour. Near end of simmering add in frozen peas and carrot mix. Delicious.

It's probably going to be leftovers tonight. Either chicken salad on a bed of lettuce and tomato, clam strips and cole slaw, or gnocchi with broccoli rabe and sausage. I have a little of each in the fridge that would easily make a meal for me tonight.

Tonight I am thinking steak tips and spinach salad. I made steak tips the other night with a homemade BBQ sauce - guess they came out good as my fiance ate them all on me! Will have to hide this batch.

Scalloped Potatoes with Kielbasa, corn on the cob, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.