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Yes! Last night I finished up my attempt at no knead bread:

http://www.myaimistrue.com/archives/2006/12/no_knead_bread.html

And made pork chop with honey glaze, mashed sweet potatoes and lentils. Sooo good.

http://www.myaimistrue.com/archives/2006/12/pork_chop_with_honey_glaze_mashed_sweet_potatoes_a.html

I'm planning a Cross-Atlantic Porguese/Brazilian Christmas Eve party. Anyone know of any good recipes from either of these areas? I've found several meat recipes, but nothing truly vegetarian. I have one veg-head coming, so the backup plan is to vegetize a meat dish, but it'd be cooler to have an authentic vegetarian dish. I'm also on the lookout for mixed drinks, good wines from these areas, and (of course) desserts!

emmac: you could probably vegetarianize a feijoada--either by skipping the meat or using a soy substitute.

food network has several recipes here: http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/searchResults?searchType=Recipe&searchString=feijoada&site=food&gosearch=Search

also, if the vegetarians eat fish, you could do bacalao (cod-and-potato fritters)

i was thinking of trying that slow-cooker pork dish from a few weeks ago. my question is: what cut of meat do you recommend? i was thinking of pork shoulder (bc it is cheap) but then wasn't sure what to do with it. any recs?

Short ribs laced w/ a little balsamic on a parsnip puree. The minute I finished it I was craving it again.

Lisa, pork shoulder should be perfect for a slow-cooker dish. Also, I'm dying to try Nigella's 24 hour pork shoulder, maybe give that a go. http://www.ochef.com/r153.htm

sorry to be so kitchen-dependent, but with the pork shoulder, do i cut off all the extra layer of skin that coats it with before i cook it? i was ogling it today at fairway with a fair amount of trepidation (if intrigue, as well)!

I've got some lamb shanks braising on the stovetop right now in a tomato broth spiked with shallots, Meyer lemon slices, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and bay leaves - a dish inspired by the lamb I had at Prune for my birthday dinner last December. I'm also cooking some parsnips which I'll mash with butter and cream. Our home smells heavenly. :)

Moroccan chicken: chopped onions, some chicken legs, fresh coriander leaves, ground cinnamon, minced ginger. Cover with water, bring to a boil, cook for abour 40 minutes, add a bunch of black olives, let sit covered while you set the table. Yum.

Who said poor people don't eat well?


Spicy Mexican chipotle soup.....

with shrimp, corn, pinto beans, chipotle peppers soaking in their own adobo, onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Bake corn tortillas with a drizzle of oil in oven until brown then slice up and throw on top of soup before eating.

Holy crap.

With one small pot, I was good for a week. I craved nothing else.

So my boyfriend and I are standing in line at Blockbuster and he makes his most recent culinary request: meatloaf. Low and behold the guy in front of us brings up some amazing meatloaf place in Brooklyn and now he's craving the stuff. They both go on with a manly diatrible praising meatloaf (they may as well added in beer and football but didn't thank God).

As a vegetarian, I can not see how someone could CRAVE meatloaf, and even as a meat eater years ago, I wasn't fan. There are sooo many recipes for meatloaf online its a little overwhelming.

Can any of you recommend one you've used?

Alton Brown's (click on name)? I haven't used his or others, I like 'winging it' when I make meatloaf (whatever seasonings seem right at the time).

I LOVE the martha stewart Meatloaf 101. It's excellent. There's a helpful video of the recipe on her site where Martha and her mom show how to make it. If you have a food processor, making it goes so quick.

I think Alton's recipe looks pretty nice; it has more herbs and garlic in it though than I am used to. Personally, I just fudge meatloaf from what I have on hand. This is a meal that is difficult to screw up because it just relies on a basic formula:

Ground Meat
Filler (bread crumbs, ritz crackers, cornflakes, potato chips)
Binder (egg or mayo)
Moisture (milk usually)
Flavor (anything goes: chopped onion, chilis, celery, bell pepper, tomatoes or ketchup)

Sauce - I prefer the Southern BBQ style (ketchup, mustard, brown sugar) and add it in the last 15 minutes of baking,

Pop it in the oven at 350 for an hour or so.

This weekend I was feeling ambitious AND festive, a combination which yielded Gingerbread Pancakes with Cranberry Maple syrup.

Oh. My. GAAAAAAWWWWWWWD.

While the pancakes could have been more gingerbready (will up the ginger and pumpkin pie spice next time), the syrup was OUTRAGEOUS.

Not a breakfast person? That syrup, over premium vanilla ice cream, would be amazing as an easy but showstopping dessert this time of year.

Hi P(too)! What is the Cranberry Maple syrup recipe please? Sounds good-I have local cranberries in my freezer right now that I could be using like this! (Oh, & would you care to share the pancake recipe too?)