Dinner

[ksmith]

Made the Steak in Shallot Sauce, which I found on arcaedia's Foodie Page.

Make that an approximation of Steak etc... I didn't use a sirloin cut, but a cut the name of which I can't recall, which I think maybe needed to be braised or stewed rather than quick-cooked. And I didn't have any steak sauce, so I made do with a tablespoon of tomato paste mixed with enough Worcestershire sauce to give the tell-tale rust color.

And I used scallions instead of shallots.

All that aside, it was really good. I will definitely reuse the recipe with a more suitable cut of meat.

Dinner on Friday turned out tasty as well. A Chicken Creole recipe of the inside lid of a Campari tomato container. It took me 45 minutes to chop up and cook all the veggies, *and* I used stock that I made myself from scratch. Left the leftovers on the counter to cool...and forgot about them until Saturday afternoon, when I discovered them as I put away groceries. Thus did one for the pot become one for the trashcan.

I hate it when I do things like that.

Comments

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

My single experience with "Stovetop Stuffing" wasn't good. Over-seasoned bread + too much butter = sour stomach. Adding more moisture plus the pan drippings and things like celery and other chopped fresh stuff would have helped a lot. Thanks for the tips!

[e-moon60.livejournal.com]

The "Stovetop Stuffing" brand isn't my favorite...not sure why, but it does feel "heavier."

Cutting the suggested amount of fat and adding more liquid helps, and I guess I just automatically put in the same fresh things I would if I were using homemade bread and cornbread. Always onion and celery, and sometimes parsley if I have it around. For T-day, I use the storebought stuffing mixes, both herbed bread crumbs or cubes and the cornbread, in a 2:1 to 3:1 ratio, and add a lot of onion, celery, parsley, plus way more herbs than they do...cut the butter by half, usually, and make it good and moist. There are people who call moist "soggy" but I think that's a matter of personal taste.

In the years that I've been making all our bread, I usually have some loaf-ends to add to the dressing too, which makes me feel good. It's been awhile since I baked just for stuffing...but one of the best dressings I ever made was a mix of my homemade whole wheat, white, and rye breads, with homemade cornbread. But that means saving out a loaf from at least three batches, cutting the slices, drying it...and I don't see anything wrong with using storebought breadcrumbs. Laziness prevails!