There, that's better.

[rikibeth]

The iced tea is in the fridge, the cucumbers and red onions are marinating in sugar and vinegar, and the lemon dill mayo is made. Even the dishes I dirtied getting this done are either in the dishwasher or the drainer.

NOW I can update this journal.

Comments

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

And I didn't even mention the cold poached salmon or the vichysoisse, because I'd made them the day before. (evil grin)

Seriously, though, even if it sounds food-snobby, all of it is just Stuff That Tastes Good Cold (because it's too hot and muggy to eat hot dinner), and it's *easy* to make.

Cold poached salmon? Put salmon filet in a microwavable dish. Stick in a bay leaf. Pour some water in -- about halfway covering. Cover the dish. Microwave 30 minutes on 50% power. If it's not cooked through, nuke it some more. Stick it in the fridge.

Vichysoisse? Fancy French name for potato soup served cold. Peel and cut up potatoes. Chop some leeks, or onions if you don't have leeks. Put in pot with generous amount of salt and enough water to cover and go an inch or two over. Cover the pot. Turn on the heat. Cook until potatoes are soft. Puree the soup in a blender, or just mash it with a masher if chunky's OK. Add a cup or two of cream. Put *that* in the fridge.

Cucumbers in vinegar and sugar? Just what it sounds like. Put the vinegar, sugar, and a little salt in a dish, slice the cucumbers thin, toss them in, and let it sit in the fridge. Red onions are nice with it. So's fresh dill.

Lemon-dill mayo? People are all impressed at the thought of homemade mayonnaise, but if you can scramble an egg, you can probably make it. The recipe I use comes from Cook's Illustrated (http://www.cooksillustrated.com/), and it only takes about five minutes.

Oh, and I've been looking for toffee recipes for you, but I haven't tested any yet. The gist of the process seems to be "caramelize sugar, add butter, add chopped nuts if desired, spread on greased surface to cool, break into chunks once you're able to without burning your fingers." The sugar should probably go to about 320 or a little more, I'd use a candy thermometer, and I greatly prefer the wet-method for caramelizing over the dry one. I'll probably be making some in class eventually, and if that comes out well, I'll give you the formula.

[arden-ranger.livejournal.com]

See, my kids will not eat any of that. It's only been the last couple of years I could convince my daughter to eat cucumbers and the only way Josh will eat fish is fried (at Grandma's), in salmon patties or fish sticks or tuna on crackers.

Philistines.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Oh, the kid didn't eat any of it. She'll eat salmon, even poached salmon, but only warm. And she'll eat cucumbers, but only PLAIN cucumbers or else kosher dill spears. She pretty much won't eat anything with a sauce. So the adults had yummy cold delicacies, and Charlotte had a grilled cheese sandwich. And a kosher dill spear.

I TRY to make sure she eats some vegetables along with the plain foods she prefers. Baby carrots are a good bet. A successful dinner, in her eyes, is a plain, unseasoned hunk of cooked animal protein, some green beans or peas, and either noodles, rice, or baked potatoes. She won't even eat mashed.

I don't know WHERE she gets it from.