I have to make dinner tonight.

3 to 4 hours is plenty of time for my thoughts, but first what types of food are you looking for - it really depends on what you both like. Do you want something simple, but looks good - I have a few of those. The more difficult dishes I can't get you because they are written down and at home.

jpinMilwaukee
jpinMilwaukee, why don't you click on the "portal" at the top of the A2K screen. Then scroll down to Food and Garden, then click on Food and Drink and then on Recipes. You will find hundreds of great recipes from A2Kers.

BBB

Re: jpinMilwaukee


Thanks for the suggestion BBB. But to answer your question, mostly because I feel like conversing today instead of just browsing... but I will keep that in mind for the future.

Linkat, we love ethnic foods: greek, mexican and chinese are probably our favorite 3. I need something pretty simple... I can follow a recipe pretty closely but run into trouble with really complicated ones.

I'm open to pretty much anything though. Perhaps a personal favorite of yours?

I'm not sure what the butcher shops are like in Milwaukee, but if you wanted to do something Greek for example, you can pick up some cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, olives, feta, and lettuce if you like, some dried Greek oregano, dice it all up, make a simple dressing of white or red wine vinegar, mix the salad, top with the crumbled feta and sprinkle the oregano on top of the cheese....if you get some Greek pita, you can mix in some oregano with olive oil, brush it on the pita and just heat up in the oven.

Some butchers sell pre-made brochettes, unmarinated. A little lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and souvlaki spice if you can get it, let them marinate and grill or broil. Serve with some steamed vegetables and roasted potatoes, and rice if you want, but I find that to be too much, honestly.

For dessert, pick up some good baklava from a reputable Greek bakery.

You can buy some tzatziki for the brochettes as well if you want. If you have good Greek shops in the area, the shopping wouldn't take you more than an hour, and the preparation is pretty easy.

Sounds delicious cav.

I absolutely love feta cheese. I could eat it on just about anything.

A little off topic (because I probably wouldn't have time to do it tonight) but, do you have any good recipes for stuffed squid? We were in Greece a few years ago and ate at this little cafe in Athens. It was the best meal I have ever had and remember exactly how to get there if you are ever in there.

But anyway, we had this stuffed squid appetizer that was like no other I had ever had (and haven't seen since). It was one big squid instead of the usual multiple small once you usually get. It had some kind of stuffing in it (kind of Turkey stuffing with a greek flair), was not breaded and I think fried. It was then sliced and served on a platter.

I have a ton of stuffed squid recipes, probably too many to get into now, but I don't mind getting into it after your dinner tonight, maybe tomorrow. My preferences are for a French lentil stuffing, grilled, or wild mushroom stuffing, braised in red wine. I know the squids you are talking about. We can't always get them in these parts, so often the smaller ones have to suffice.

Here are a couple of my simple tasty recipes:

Chinese - the easiest is stir fry. Buy whatever vegetables look fresh - pea pods, carrots, Chinese cabbage, bean sprouts, broccoli, mushrooms (some of my favorites), you can use just about any meat (or do a vegetarian), chicken and shrimp are my favorites with this dish, go down the ethnic aisle and find a good stir fry sauce (I usually try one with lower sodium as I do not like too salty of dishes), stir fry the meat, remove, stir fry veggies, add sauce and reheat meat, serve over white rice. The stir fry sauce will most likely have detailed directions- I usually just wing it.

My other favorites are all seafood. Very easy. Buy a can of baby clams, pasta, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, italien seasoning, white wine, also you can add if you like mushrooms and/or scallions. In a pot cook pasta. In a saute pan, pour a little olive oil, I usually just coat the pan, add seasonings, add wine, and other ingredients including juice from the can of baby clams. Heat through serve over pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Great with garlic bread and a fresh salad.

Honey Salmon - broil salmon once cooked take out of oven and pour honey over. Tastes like you slaved and as easy as pie. Serve with fresh veggies and rice pilaf.

Seafood Alfredo - buy whatever seafood appears freshest. I usually use scallops, shrimp and salmon. Pick up a packet of Alfredo sauce, follow instructions on package to prepare. Cook pasta. Saute seafood in a little oil, wine and season with italien spices. Put seafood over pasta and pour Alfredo sauce over all. Great with garlic bread and a fresh salad.

Anything more complicated and I need the recipe book.

Just one suggestion re: pasta alfredo....if you aren't planning on making it from scratch, buy a good quality jarred, prepared alfredo, rather than a powdered version (pet peeve of mine, powdered sauces). All you need to do is heat it up, and the end result is far superior to a packet. Other than that, Linkat's advice is sound.

One of my faves.

Steak.

Heat grill. Put steak on grill. Cook four minutes. Turn over. Cook four more minutes. Serve.

As far as sauces, if you have a place nearby that has freshly prepared sauces, that is the best. I have an italien place nearby where you can buy fresh sauces. Also many grocery stores do carry the fresher sauces, in the section near the deli and gourmet cheeses.

Some gourmet stores make their own and package it....I think the one supermarket brand here that is decent for the price is 'Classico'. http://www.classico.com/html/products/home.asp I generally make all my own sauces, but I've had Classico before, and they have a wide variety of stuff, mid-priced. Pasta Alfredo was actually one of my first year chefs school exam dishes. The pasta and sauce both had to be made from scratch, so I am a bit biased.

It all sounds delicious... thanks for the suggestions. Now all I have to do is choose. I'm thinking either cav's greek or Linkat's seafood alfredo.

cjhsa... I should have seen that one coming. One of my favorites too... the pinker the better I say. On another note, I have a couple of friends that joke about starting a restaurant that only served meat... for alll of the carnivores among us. The only vegetables allowed would be baked potatoes and anything sauteed. Sounds like you might be one of their regulars.

As far as sauces, if you have a place nearby that has freshly prepared sauces, that is the best. I have an italien place nearby where you can buy fresh sauces. Also many grocery stores do carry the fresher sauces, in the section near the deli and gourmet cheeses.

Hey Guys,

Dinner went great last night. Thanks for all the tips. I remembered at the store that the Mrs doesn't like Alfredo so I decided to go with cavs idea. I had to fudge it a little though because I couldn't find brochettes or souvlaki spice. But it all turned out good. Thanks again.