BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » What's For Dinner?

Whisky · June 21, 2015 4:54 pm

I love lasagna, to me it's a great meal, even if it's re-heated.
I'm going for toast with jam tonight, that's really boring ;-)

mrshouse · June 21, 2015 7:00 pm

I'm getting curious strolling through here: I never ate sweet potatoes. Are they more common on the menu in the U.S. and Canada? What do they taste like? What is a good way to cook them? And what else is good to go along?

Ah-chie · June 21, 2015 8:20 pm

I probably am not the average consumer of sweet potatoes - a lot of people in NA eat them mashed or "candied" (with brown sugar on them) or have them with marshmallows in a casserole dish at Thanksgiving - but I like them roasted in the oven, BBQ or cooked, after they are peeled, in the microwave (so essentially they are steamed). Cooking them that way you can flavour them with EVOO or butter and put some type of herb on them or pepper.

They aren't super popular in Canada but I like them for a change of pace from other starches (potatoes, rice or noodles). The are higher in nutrition than a lot of other starchy veggies and the darker orange ones are high in beta-carotene.

They are also part of the native diets of folks in many parts of Africa, Asia, New Zealand and Japan as well as North America. When we were in Japan I had them battered and served tempura style (with other veggies as well).

In Canada (I am not sure about the USA) they are also popular "French fried" (like the British would do to potatoes to make "chips"). They are often served with Blue Cheese dip or mustard when thye are done that way.

I suppose they could go with anything that potatoes usually go with. Just this last weekend I had them steamed in the microwave with a dinner of Pickerel fillets but I think any kind of fowl would be good too (like I said people usually have the overly sweetened casserole dish version of sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving when they serve turkey as a meat).

What do they taste like... like a tuberous, starchy, root veggie. They are naturally sweeter tasting than bland white potatoes and are more fiberous as well.

Some folks over here call them "yams" but they aren't related to yams at all. They are being called this less and less nowadays.

Hope this answers most of your questions. I only eat them occasionally so I don't know that much about them. Sorry.

-Val

Last edited by Ah-chie (June 21, 2015 8:21 pm)

mrshouse · June 22, 2015 6:49 am

Thank you for answering my questions so thoroughly, Val. That is a lot of information given that you don't consider yourself too knowing about them!
I will try out a bigger one of our surrounding supermarkets with bigger varieties of fruit and vegetables and have a look if I can find them there.
As you said, sometimes one is fed up with the usual carbohydrates side dishes...

This Is The Phantom Lady · June 22, 2015 7:05 am

I had been wondering about sweet potaoes as well, I see them in the stores here more and more and I've been curious! (and a little scared to try them too)

I might give them a go some day!

ukaunz · June 22, 2015 9:19 am

Mmm, roast sweet potato! So good, they don't need sweetening when they are done in the oven and left to brown a little, the natural sugars caramelise themselves. I don't really eat them any other way, although I have had them in a chicken and pineapple casserole which sounds strange but was yummy. In New Zealand they call them kumera.

Ah-chie · June 23, 2015 11:56 am

Last night we had BBQ grilled Rainbow Trout (with lemon and dill on it), sautéed broccolini, leeks and tomatoes, and quinoa with black beans. For dessert we just chowed down on some green grapes as we watched Wallender.

Yum!

-Val

Whisky · June 23, 2015 6:21 pm

tonight: MÜSLI!! (btw,what's the difference between cereals and muesli? are cereals the kelloggs stuff and muesli the healthy stuff?)

Last edited by Whisky (June 23, 2015 6:22 pm)

tonnaree · June 23, 2015 6:35 pm

This morning my hubby put a pork roast in the crock pot smothered in Korean BBQ sauce.
I can't wait to get home! MMmmmmmmmmmm

This Is The Phantom Lady · June 23, 2015 7:51 pm

Yumm! I hope that pork roast is as delicious as it sounds! Well I hope all of your meals were!

I cheated today... I went to my favourite pizzaria and got the best salad pizza in the world (according to me).
Despite the fact that I live right in the center of the town, this pizzaria is 2km's away and I walk there. It's worth it, it really is!

The bottom is so crispy, the salad is fresh, the kebab meat is moist and it's just to die for! I also got a garlic bread and managed to save half of it for a cold pizza lunch tomorrow.

I was supposed to attempt to cook a bolognese from scratch for the first time... but I ended up falling asleep and needed some air... so well... pizza!

mrshouse · June 25, 2015 3:18 pm

It's the last week before the big summer holidays, so everyone wants to meet and have a little gathering.
Last weekend hubby went with the two younger ones for a big camping get together of all-fathers and their kids. They mostly dieted on BBQ.
Tuesday the class of my eldest one had little farewell. We had BBQ.
Wednesday it was my middle's turn with his class after a day off in the nature. We barbecued.
From there I went to the last choir rehearsal before the summer holidays. We were in quite good form and managed a lot of difficult pieces. Afterwards everybody was invited for a BBQ.
Ugh...

Ah-chie · June 27, 2015 11:22 am

I love cooking on a BBQ. We use it all year round (even in the dead of the harshest Canadian winters). It's so versatile - you can cook almost anything on it... I've even done a whole turkey on it.

Last night we had pork ribs. The best (and easiest) home recipe I have found -

http://steamykitchen.com/11036-baby-back-ribs-recipe-fall-off-bone.html

Along with the ribs we had potato salad and a cous cous salad with cranberries and feta cheese. I love the taste of the sweet chili sauce on the ribs.

The leftovers are for lunch today!

-Val

Sherlock Holmes · June 27, 2015 4:22 pm

I'm eating with my parents tonight, which means I get a proper meal for once. Yay!

Whisky · June 27, 2015 4:28 pm

Sherlock Holmes wrote:
I'm eating with my parents tonight, which means I get a proper meal for once. Yay!

I know that feeling! Coming home getting proper food is still the best thing in the world

tonight for me: chips (no fish), yummy! :D unhealthy delicious food- I love it!!

Last edited by Whisky (June 27, 2015 4:29 pm)

This Is The Phantom Lady · June 27, 2015 5:21 pm

I had a warm lunch today. My mum's aunt cooked surloin steak stuffed with parsley and wrapped in bacon with new potatoes and mushroom sauce.

I usually eat tiny portions of food (when my ED isn't affecting me) but I ate two portions because it was way too good!

I'm not really hungry for dinner now... I might have a cracker or something.

Ah-chie · June 28, 2015 3:09 am

Sirloin steak sounds like a pretty substantial lunch... and delicious. I like tenderloin too - done medium rare on the BBQ (finished in butter) with a red wine mushroom sauce for dinner.

Tonight we had chicken breasts done in the oven, wrapped with bacon and topped with Chimay Butter. Strangely enough since there was a conversation about sweet potatoes in this thread it got me thinking about them as a side dish, so I cooked up some more of it for supper to night. This is the most I have had sweet potatoes in my life! LOL! This time I steamed the potatoes first in the microwave and then finished them off with butter and Herbes de Provence. A tossed salad completed the meal.

It was such a cold, rainy and blustery day that we had two pots of tea (Ben's Dad's special mix tea) while we watched the rest of Wallander and The Fifth Estate since we were housebound.

-Val

This Is The Phantom Lady · June 28, 2015 12:20 pm

Now that sounds amazing!

I'm still considering braving the sweet potatoes... one day I will!

My mother's aunt still holds onto the old tradition of the working people here to have a hot lunch and a cold dinner... so the Saturdays we're invited to her place she cooks meals for us at lunch time, even with dessert and cake later.

For my dinner tonight I'm a bit lazy, so I'll have the sirloin steaks cold with the leftover potatoes she sent me home with as well, aso cold. I LOVE having new Potatoes cold the next day.

Ah-chie · June 28, 2015 1:31 pm

Yes, I've heard of that tradition. They follow it at the nursing home where Dan's mum is.

Speaking of BBQ, I came across this today ...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rI-xbxhPP1w

Ben's voiceover on this commercial really reminds me of his voice from the extros he does for Cabin Pressure in spots. Especially when he says "Bar-bequuuuuues!" just like he says "Pozzitive Production of the BBCeeeee!"

-Val

Ah-chie · June 30, 2015 1:00 pm

Last night we had a special dinner because we were celebrating our wedding anniversary - 41 years of being together!

I cooked up a couple of Nova Scotian lobsters (with melted butter to dunk it in) and we had champagne to wash it down. Quinoa and a tossed salad were the accompaniments.

Dessert was simple - just tea and biscuits. Still, the perfect light ending to a perfect meal (and a wonderful day)!

-Val

This Is The Phantom Lady · June 30, 2015 7:32 pm

Congratulations on your anniversary!

What a delicious way to celebrate it!