Fun about Beinlich’s - is it still cash only? I’ve driven past it for years as I’ll drive to Prairie Grass or Barnabys.
How does their cheeseburger compare with barnabys or hackneys?

Yes, cash only. Two cheeseburger & fry meals (one with bacon) cost us $27 even, so it's a little more expensive than you might expect.

I haven't had a Barnaby's cheeseburger, only pizza. I think Beinlich's is better than Hackneys, and to me Hackneys isn't as good as it used to be. But I think it's probably a matter of preference. Some might like Hackney's better. Beinlich's comes with ketchup, mustard, and pickle slices on the side...I add all 3. No lettuce, tomato, etc. You can get grilled or raw onion on the burger - for free I think. And then of course add things like bacon for an extra cost.

$27 for 2 is much less than what we pay in sf.

i forgot yo ask for a comparison with michaels red hots. I love their cheese fries but get them with a hot dog or salad. In a way, I haven’t had a burger in Chicagoland in a long time :-)

Dinner tonight will be lamb shanks.

We picked up a pack at Costco that were pre-seasoned with rosemary and garlic. We'll brown them in a dutch oven, then saute some mirapoix, deglaze with Zinfandel and chicken broth, then into a slow oven for a few hours.

Mixed green salad on the side for me - probably something starchy for the rest of the family to sop up the braising liquid.

I need to rummage through the wine stash to find something appropriately nice to drink.

Made chili yesterday, since I wouldn't have time today. It will be even better reheated (although I put a wee bit too much garlic)
Will make homemade cornbread muffins to accompany, along with strawberries and Cool Whip

I think I've only had hot dogs at Michael's and it's been a few years. Sorry. In Chicago, there is Au Cheval and Small Cheval. They are typically rated among the best burgers in the country. Our city condo it not far from Small Cheval, and that's the closest comparison I can make. They're different burgers though - thin vs. thick, different sauces and toppings. I think the quality of the meat is excellent at Beinlich's -- you really taste the beef.

There's also the old school uniqueness of Beinlich's. There are probably 10 things on the menu. Besides a burger or cheeseburger, there's grilled cheese, chili, and shrimp cocktail. Just a weird assortment of stuff. Kind of a "do what you do best" style.

I don't understand the meaning of that phrase. I've seen all those words before but they don't make sense when used in that particular order. Maybe you meant to write that you put in just enough garlic?

I just assumed it was a typo.
I made some pesto for the freezer last night..speaking of garlic. Wow

I believe he meant to say “not enough garlic” :-)

I loved the foie gras at Au Cheval. Sigh. Their strawberry jam was so good.

Tonight:
Strip steaks with horseradish cream
Grilled shishito peppers (thanks for the inspiration, corky !)
Mini Mars candybars (25 cents for a bag today on Amazon Fresh! I had a mini Snickers and Twix)

Also strip steaks, on the grill with Montreal seasoning and finished with a pat of Kerrygold butter. Roasted cauliflower on the side. Will close out the night with a little dark chocolate.

Grilled Caesar salad
Salmon with basil butter
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f91b10591f.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...95ea99d5fe.jpgpicture gigantic again.

Carryout Chinese for my spouse - mega shock that I didn’t want any.
kung pao chicken
pot stickers
veggie moo shoo
crab rangoon
white rice

leftover Detroit-style pizza - white with cherry tomatoes, feta, & olive

Organic keitt mango
watermelon
Alden’s organic ice cream sandwich
fudgsicle

Dining at Ritz Carlton. Cajun chicken salad. Bucatini seafood marinara. Followed by “homemade” strawberry and chocolate ice cream.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3417d9945.jpeg



https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...95877352e.jpeg

Is that a little pesto drop in the pasta? I have recently started adding some parsley with pasta, like how yours has parsley and arugula on top. I usually just use it as part of pico de Gallo and for poaching salmon.

Nope, no pesto. I’m not much of a parsley fan.

then what is the green stuff in your pasta besides the arugula?

I didn’t ask for it, but you know places like to garnish stuff...

Looks like baby arugula.

but those green dots in the sauce - don’t they look like pesto dots?
I know it’s garnish but it’s pretty and I’m inspired to slot more garnish ideas into my life.

Grilled (Weber gas) Choice ribeye steak
roasted herbed carrots
baked potatoes (optional toppings)
raw carrots & cukes
sautéed white onions in white wine

dessert tbd

stick a spear into me, I’m done

Wait, what??? Everyone in the house at the same entree at a meal??? And there were veggies???

A favorite Cooking Light recipe: Pan roasted King Salmon over shaved fennel and lentils with cucumbers a homemade ranch'ish dressing (kefir, mayo, parsley, chives, dill, garlic, salt and pepper). Herbs and cucumber were home grown!

I tried to put a dent in the garden today...Made two batches of pesto, one kale, one kale and basil, plus a David Liebowitz recipe for a cucumber-mint cooler (cucumber, mint, lime, line zest, a little sugar and water). Also made hummus with nothing from the garden.

I forgot about that yummy recipe that CE shared with me...I think I just made the dressing over lentils ...have to try that one again.
That cooler sounds like it needs a little vodka or tequila .

Nah, I think the cheeseburger on rolls is like a free spot on a bingo card...just assume it is there.
But yes, veggies are impressive. :tu: Baby steps....still no leafy green anything but I am holding out hope.

My family made hummus yesterday but it was stiff - some olive oil helped... definitely delicious. What’s the hummus tip for making it softer? It’s definitely always soft and creamier in restaurants and in the Sabra package. Recipe calls for a pound of tahini sauce to go with the two cans (15-Oz) of garbanzo, and those organic jars are like $10 apiece.

Bonus points for gaobest for pesto, and chgoeditor for the arugala. My daughter had it today, and I asked.

LOL, good point.

Milk Street has my favorite hummus recipe, made from dried chickpeas, and whipped very smooth. Quality chickpeas and Israeli tahini are readily available from Amazon.

Here's a link to pretty much the same recipe that's not behind a paywall:

http://juliaschild.com/hummus-perfected/

That sounds like a lot of tahini . ...maybe try a different recipe but in the meantime olive oil would thin it out as well as add flavor. Are you letting it come to room temp? It definitely becomes smoother when not cold from the fridge .
I have made it a few times but find so many good ones available commercially that it isn't worth getting out the food processor. Trader Joe has a good one.

I mentioned arugula as well - that was pretty blatant. How did you not taste the pesto?

This is like the argument between Rao’s and homemade sauce.
I had my batch fresh from the cuisinart food processor. Very good but I only eat mine from other places that either make their own or just put out a dish from Sysco ;-)
our child liked it more than preferred Sabra - we’ve bought many a store brand and Sabra is the preference.

We've tried quite a few brands as well and Sabra is our favorite. I've tried making it before too, but it just isn't as good as Sabra.

Well on that dish, there was actually no parsley, so you lost points. And chgoeditor nailed it with baby arugula. :)

I was thinking of you when I made it, including the fact that it would be good with a shot or two!

A pound of tahini for two cans of garbanzos is outrageous. I may be used a quarter cup. Possibly half a cup, I don't measure, but I did not use a pound. a good food processor is key, as is making sure you have the right amount of liquid. If you really want to get it to smooth out, you need to remove the skins from the garbanzos. It is not worth the trouble. But very smooth hummus has a lot of oil in it.

Parsley is not the same as pesto. I am with Gao...those green oily dots are neither arugula or parsley but do look like pesto. Or maybe they are some other fancy herb oil.
This is what I said. Find a new recipe for sure....I am trying to imagine what that tasted like with all of that tahini. Plus tahini is so high in fat. I have made a hummus using cannelini beans and liked the flavor better than garbanzo. I added rosemary and garlic.

The best hummus recipe is Michael Solomonov's from his book Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking:He also has one that uses canned chickpeas, from his book Israeli Soul, it's pretty good, but not quite as creamy.

gaobest said parsley and arugula in post 2094. He did get credit for the pesto, if you were paying attention.

Thanks for the hummus tips and I’ll mention them if hummus ever gets made again. I believe it was a 5-minute recipe.

Monday luncheon:
half grilled cheese (San Luis sourdough with tillamook medium cheddar) with raw carrots & cukes
poppyseed bagel, toasted with scallion cream cheese & lox, with sliced tomatoes, onion, scallion plus raw radish & carrots

leftovers omelette (2 eggs plus 1 egg white) with sautéed onion, scallion, and half tomato; with grated sharp cheddar and half avocado and half a slice of sourdough toast


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8dd012cb4.jpeg

I participated in a webinar a few months ago where Solomonov demonstrated the 5-minute hummus recipe. He said that the longer you keep the food processor running, the creamier the hummus.

This. Milk Street calls for at least 4 minutes in the processor, with intermittent scraping down of the sides, and the hummus developed a creaminess that I really enjoyed.

I don't know if the Palouse garbanzos and Baron's tahini I used were all that special, but I have never had hummus from a store or in a restaurant that compared to what I was able to make myself.

When you cook your own garbanzo beans with the baking powder, the skins break up and float to the surface which makes it easy to skim. The beans themselves get much softer. Those are major factors in getting a silky smooth and creamy hummus.

A quality brand of tahini also makes a difference. Solomonov uses Soom brand of tahini. it's outstanding. You can get order it directly from Soom or from Amazon or Milk Street. Other chefs that I'm a fan of use Al Arz (also available on Amazon) and Har Bracha (available at La Boite, my favorite spice shop, and Amazon).

I tried to resize my pics but they came out bigger than ever...i give up..
snack while cooking....grilled shishito peppers with sesame oil and soy
new potatoes with Rosemary
rib eye with blue cheese and grilled onions
broccoli