The 'Here's what I had for dinner last night' thread - Part I

tmc86

To get over the Monday blues I made some comfort food!

I made macaroni cheese with smokey bacon with garlic ciabatta





and then for dessert I made an apple and mixed berry fruit crumble served with clotted vanilla ice cream



needless to say I felt very comforted after dinner

leahyl

tmc86 wrote: »

To get over the Monday blues I made some comfort food!

I made macaroni cheese with smokey bacon with garlic ciabatta

..............
needless to say I felt very comforted after dinner

Dear god that looks amazing - how did you make it?:)

tmc86

leahyl wrote: »

Dear god that looks amazing - how did you make it?:)

thank you! Boiled 250g of macaroni for about 8-10 mins whilst the smokey bacon was under the grill.

Take the pasta off of the hob and put the pan to one side.

I then melted 50g of butter in a saucepan adding in 40g of plain flour then stirred for a couple of minutes to form a roux.

Then you gradually add 600ml of milk to the roux whilst continually stirring. Once this has been combined take the pan off of the heat and add 200g of grated cheddar a handful at a time until it has melted stirring again. I also added about 30g of parmesean.

Once the bacon is nice and crispy take out and chop up into small squares then add to the drained macaroni and mix in the cheese sauce.

I kept some cheddar and parmesean to sprinkle on top of the mix once I had put into the pyrex dish. Then bang under the grill untill the top is bubbling and turns golden brown.

I sliced a ciabatta and buttered adding some garlic I had chopped earlier and left it under the grill with the macaroni.

It's very quick and easy to make and very very tasty!!

leahyl

tmc86 wrote: »

thank you! Boiled 250g of macaroni for about 8-10 mins whilst the smokey bacon was under the grill.

Take the pasta off of the hob and put the pan to one side.

I then melted 50g of butter in a saucepan adding in 40g of plain flour then stirred for a couple of minutes to form a roux.

Then you gradually add 600ml of milk to the roux whilst continually stirring. Once this has been combined take the pan off of the heat and add 200g of grated cheddar a handful at a time until it has melted stirring again. I also added about 30g of parmesean.

Once the bacon is nice and crispy take out and chop up into small squares then add to the drained macaroni and mix in the cheese sauce.

I kept some cheddar and parmesean to sprinkle on top of the mix once I had put into the pyrex dish. Then bang under the grill untill the top is bubbling and turns golden brown.

I sliced a ciabatta and buttered adding some garlic I had chopped earlier and left it under the grill with the macaroni.

It's very quick and easy to make and very very tasty!!

Have to try it! The epitome of comfort food!!:pac:

LaChatteGitane

Yesterday - Fast day and I didn't feel like cooking much so I braised chicory and served it with Quorn burgers.:o




Today - another Fast Day
Stir fry of vegetables and fish (red perch)

LaChatteGitane

Today !
Pork loin roast with chutney/mustard/sage gravy
Celeriac dauphinoise, French beans with smokey ham bits and balsamico
Potatoes cooked in the skin and finished in the oven with olive oil, rosemary and thyme (not on my plate though)


Simple mini banoffee pies (again, not for me)


My husband has a colleague over from Greece, so had to cater for them. Stress, stress. He only speaks Greek, German and Polish, so I'm not able to have much of a conversation. Best if I stay in the kitchen like a good girl;)

Toast4532

LaChatteGitane - can I come to yours for dinner sometimes? Your meals and photos always look and sound delicious.

For dinner tonight we are having steak, spinach and boiled potatoes.

Minder

Shorba - a lamb soup with tomato, chickpeas and small pieces of pasta. Served with a little rose harissa and a squeeze of lemon.

LaChatteGitane

Toast4532 wrote: »

LaChatteGitane - can I come to yours for dinner sometimes?

Sure ! You'll have to make your way to Belgium though. But if you can wait till April/May (if all goes to plan) we'll be moving back to Sneem :cool:

Toast4532

tmc86 wrote: »

thank you! Boiled 250g of macaroni for about 8-10 mins whilst the smokey bacon was under the grill.

Take the pasta off of the hob and put the pan to one side.

I then melted 50g of butter in a saucepan adding in 40g of plain flour then stirred for a couple of minutes to form a roux.

Then you gradually add 600ml of milk to the roux whilst continually stirring. Once this has been combined take the pan off of the heat and add 200g of grated cheddar a handful at a time until it has melted stirring again. I also added about 30g of parmesean.

Once the bacon is nice and crispy take out and chop up into small squares then add to the drained macaroni and mix in the cheese sauce.

I kept some cheddar and parmesean to sprinkle on top of the mix once I had put into the pyrex dish. Then bang under the grill untill the top is bubbling and turns golden brown.

I sliced a ciabatta and buttered adding some garlic I had chopped earlier and left it under the grill with the macaroni.

It's very quick and easy to make and very very tasty!!

Considering making this tonight, just wondering, is it very heavy though? Wouldn't be eating until about 9pm-ish.

If it is very heavy, I'll make it at the weekend rather than tonight

LaChatteGitane wrote: »

Sure ! You'll have to make your way to Belgium though. But if you can wait till April/May (if all goes to plan) we'll be moving back to Sneem :cool:

ANY excuse for a trip abroad!

tmc86

Toast4532 wrote: »

Considering making this tonight, just wondering, is it very heavy though? Wouldn't be eating until about 9pm-ish.

If it is very heavy, I'll make it at the weekend rather than tonight

ANY excuse for a trip abroad!

We ate ours at about 8.30pm and didn't find it too heavy. The good thing is that you don't need a huge portion and as the recipe makes a typical sized lasagne dish you can freeze or keep for the next night.

monrology

I had rice, spring roll and cake.. burp..

Toast4532

tmc86 wrote: »

We ate ours at about 8.30pm and didn't find it too heavy. The good thing is that you don't need a huge portion and as the recipe makes a typical sized lasagne dish you can freeze or keep for the next night.

Thanks, how long can it be frozen for?

tmc86

Toast4532 wrote: »

Thanks, how long can it be frozen for?

Left a portion in the fridge and had it on the 3rd night, still tasted good!

you can freeze it for as long as you need, just leave it defrost a bit then put in the oven for 20mins!

fussyonion

LaChatteGitane how do I post a pic on here?
I feel really thick but I don't know how..I want to do it like yours.

LaChatteGitane

fussyonion wrote: »

LaChatteGitane how do I post a pic on here?
I feel really thick but I don't know how..I want to do it like yours.

I upload mine to http://tinypic.com

Use the resize function before uploading to message board (640 x 480)

You then grab your code (on the lefthand side of the screen)
IMG code for forums and message boards.
Copy, and paste it here in your post.

Toast4532

tmc86 wrote: »

thank you! Boiled 250g of macaroni for about 8-10 mins whilst the smokey bacon was under the grill.

Take the pasta off of the hob and put the pan to one side.

I then melted 50g of butter in a saucepan adding in 40g of plain flour then stirred for a couple of minutes to form a roux.

Then you gradually add 600ml of milk to the roux whilst continually stirring. Once this has been combined take the pan off of the heat and add 200g of grated cheddar a handful at a time until it has melted stirring again. I also added about 30g of parmesean.

Once the bacon is nice and crispy take out and chop up into small squares then add to the drained macaroni and mix in the cheese sauce.

I kept some cheddar and parmesean to sprinkle on top of the mix once I had put into the pyrex dish. Then bang under the grill untill the top is bubbling and turns golden brown.

I sliced a ciabatta and buttered adding some garlic I had chopped earlier and left it under the grill with the macaroni.

It's very quick and easy to make and very very tasty!!

Toast4532 wrote: »

Considering making this tonight, just wondering, is it very heavy though? Wouldn't be eating until about 9pm-ish.

If it is very heavy, I'll make it at the weekend rather than tonight

ANY excuse for a trip abroad!

Won't be making the macaroni tonight after pricing the ingredients in Dunnes and Tesco, I'd be saving around E5 by buying in Tesco.

We'll be having chicken garlic kievs and potatoes. And vegetables of some description.

Either that or omelettes.

Merkin

Had a rib-eye steak with rosemary and sea salt potatoes with a large mushroom stuffed with my own homemade pesto (without pinenuts), finely diced tomatoes and blue cheese. Doesn't look as nice as it was!

Faith

We're having roasted lamb leg steaks, rosemary sweet potatoes, roasted onions and a red wine and blackcurrant jus. Not too optimistic about the lamb, tbh. Bought it from the supermarket and I'd say it'll be shyte .

Merkin

OMG I actually have visions of myself having to be airlifted out of my home after this evening's feast!!! Both me and Mr. Merkin made absolute swines of ourselves and ate about ten of these each - we've been rendered immobile :oHad beef quesadillas using strips of steak (which Mr. Merkin put jalapenos in which really gave them a kick) and I made the guacamole.

LaChatteGitane

Okay, the picture isn't great quality, I know, but I was starving.

I made a huge and weird salad. Red cabbage, carrots, red onion, leftover French beans with bacon bits, artichoke hearts, yellow tomatoes and fresh mild chilli - I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff I added - with a mustard/garlic/ yoghurt dressing and pan fried chicken pieces.
Never mind, it hit the spot.

tmc86

After all of the comfort food on Monday, I tried to be a little healthier last night! - Peppered Smoked Mackrel with paprika and red pepper cous cous.

the beer revolu

Made a big pot of dahl yesterday.
We were at a reception with some pretty good nibbles yesterday evening so had a late night small snack of fine green beans fried in bacon fat and dahl.

fussyonion

I made home made meatballs with home made tomato sauce and spaghetti for last night's dinner.
Thanks to LaChatteGitane for helping me upload the pic

gjc

I know this is off topic but i value the masterchefs here....Quick question the baby pototoes in a supermarket whats the best way of cooking them...I always tend to boil in water till cooked then toss them in butter and garlic ....problem is I never get them restaurant style....any quick ideas

Toast4532

gjc wrote: »

I know this is off topic but i value the masterchefs here....Quick question the baby pototoes in a supermarket whats the best way of cooking them...I always tend to boil in water till cooked then toss them in butter and garlic ....problem is I never get them restaurant style....any quick ideas

Are you trying to make garlic potatoes?

I made garlic mushrooms this way this morning, it might work for the spuds too.

Boil them first, then rub them with some olive oil and put them in a tray/dish for cooking, sprinkle some garlic powder on and drizzle some melted garlic butter over them.

I got a tub of Irish cottage garlic gold garlic butter in Dunnes before, can't remember what I paid for it.

You could chop fresh herbs or use dried herbs and sprinkle them over the spuds too.

Merkin

gjc wrote: »

I know this is off topic but i value the masterchefs here....Quick question the baby pototoes in a supermarket whats the best way of cooking them...I always tend to boil in water till cooked then toss them in butter and garlic ....problem is I never get them restaurant style....any quick ideas

I cut them lengthways in half, sprinkle in sea salt and then add whatever herbs and spices I want before roasting them for 45-60 mins. If you want a garlic flavour, I put in a few cloves of garlic (chopped roughly) in amongst the potatoes and sometimes add a quartered red onion as well (usually also use either rosemary or thyme then also). Take them out half way to give them a stir.

Another tip when roasting is to put the potatoes on their curvy side down (rather than the chopped flat side) as then they never stick to the bottom of the roasting tin!

People are under the misonception that roasties are laden with fat. They are if you do them in duck or goose fat but it's possible to dry roast them or just roast them with some good quality olive oil. Also look at the type of spuds you use. I always try and get my spuds in Marks & Spencers simply because of the quality. I also rather controversially keep them in the bottom of the fridge where they literally keep for weeks without a sign of any sprouting.

leahyl

I know its meant to be what we had for dinner last night but I'm so excited about what I had tonight - melt in the mouth fillet steak, Sauteed onions and mushrooms, mashed potato and pepper sauce - OMG DIVINE - god bless my lovely mother :-D

No pic cos I devoured it before I had a chance!

the beer revolu

Medium rare lamb rump steaks, lightly spiced grilled aubergine (both done on gas BBQ), dahl, bacon fat fried green beans and Aldi Mediterranean whole meal wraps.

gjc

dahl?? can you help me out here what is it