Tonight just throwing together Chicken Alfredo....chicken, alfredo sauce (from a jar), mushrooms, and bacon on top of pasta of some sort.

Hot turkey sandwiches with mashed potato

Ken is grilling up Aidell's Pineapple and Bacon Sausage wrapped in bacon, and jalapenos, also wrapped in bacon.

It's Baconfest at our place!

Baconny goodness!

We had "breakfast" burritos for dinner... eggs, chorizo, potatoes, cheese.

It's been years since my husband made that. I don't cook chorizo. I'll eat it - but only if I don't look at it too much. It was delish.

Bill is making taquitos.

I have never had a homemade taquito before, it sounds yummy. Of course no one else in my house would eat them. I haven't had one in forever, since our little Mexican fast food joint closed down.


Tonight we had frozen chicken strips and fries. Not my choice, the boy is having dental surgery in two days so he gets to pick menus until then. I can hardly wait until tomorrow:rolleyes:

Sickee gets to choose the menu, so it's Velveeta shells and cheese and bacon.

And I'm eating cornnuts (from the farmer's market - not the grocery store kind.) They don't taste that good to me right now, but I'm eating them anyway.

Dinner was awesome, Sohrshah and I pulled a picnic together (for movie night@ OCPAC). We had grilled chicken marinated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, white pepper, garlic salt & a little basil & dried cilantro. Also had fruit salad to die for: strawberries, banana, canned apricots and mint, with lemon juice and honey. Side of farfalle carbonara with peas and of course, bacon. And a steamed artichoke with garlic-curry mayonnaise.

Now THAT is my kind of picnic! We picnic all the time off roading and our lunch is never anything like that. Hell - dinners at home aren't usually that enticing.

I really must branch out more.

Grilled top sirloin w/garlic cilantro lime marinade (wish I'd actually plan one of these meals so I could marinade for more than an hour) with a salad of diced bell peppers (red, yellow, orange), onion, avocado, bacon bits and a simple red wine vinaigrette.

Dinner was great. My brother manned the BBQ, grilling up a tri-tip and some huge shrimp (apparently Costco's got great shrimp right now) on skewers. I steamed up a couple artichokes and served with lemon-garlic mayo (really wanted curry, but my dad & his wife don't like curry, so none in the house). Stepmom took the home-grown tomatoes and cucumber I brought up (courtesy of Alex's dad), sliced them up, poured some olive oil over the top with dill, salt & pepper. Had some french olives (pichoulines, and I forget what the small black ones were). And corn on the cob.
I'd made a fruit salad (similar to last time only blueberries, no mint). My brother had brought some homemade biscuits with him, so we ended up serving the biscuits shortcake style with the fruit salad and vanilla ice cream.

Oh, he also made his own Sangria. It was delightful.

Attempting Tortilla Soup in a slow cooker today.....Chicken is being roasted now.

Grilling tri tip steak that was marinated in some teryaki sauce, a little mustard, and lot's of pepper.

We'll have some grilled corn on the cob and steamed broccoli and some of those Hawaiian rolls that are so soft and squishy. Normally I prefer something more crusty but I like the sweetness on occasion.

We had Famous Dave's- Rose had the bbq chicken, and I had the Devil's Spit burger.

the tri tip was great - but a bit over cooked. Still fabulous though. I need more charcoal grill experience. Used to gas.

Since I work tonight....homemade tacos for lunch! A Wolfpack favorite!

We're having tacos for dinner. It's a taco sort of day I suppose. But then Wednesday will be a taco day again assuming there are leftovers.

Mmmmm, tacos. Got everything at home but avocados to build some tonight.

I'm going to plant an avocado in the yard of the house we buy. Avocados are just too yummy and too expensive. Guacamole. yum.

Gad, I'm so suggestible. This post has me thinking about eating the avocado we have in the kitchen.

Tonight I'm making a semi-homemade tofu stirfy à la Stepford Wife Sandra Lee. Meaning: there's this boxed pad thai-y thing (Simply Asian brand or something close to that). It comes with rice noodles and seasoning. You add the protein o' choice, some bean sprouts, any other vegetables you like.

Make it 2. I've always heard it's hard to get an Avocado tree to pollinate, and I just looked up why. It seems that the flowers go through a cycle where on 1 day, the male reproductive bits are active, and on the next day the female bits are. So if you have one tree, the odds of pollination are low and rely on a few of the flowers to be a little out of sync on that cycle. So more than likely you'll end up with a million flowers (literally), but only a handful of actual avocados. If you have 2 trees (ideally 2 slightly different but compatible varieties with differing cycles), there's a greater likelihood that some of the flowers will be out of sync.

The more you know! That's pretty darn interesting actually. :)

Or, graft a male branch on a female tree.

I don't think that works for avocados. The trees aren't male or female, all trees have both male and female reproductive structures. They just alternate which one is open at any one time.

I think most avocados have to be grafted anyway don't they?

Yes, avocados that are planted from seed need to be grafted to product fruit. I thought that was because of the male/female thing, but I didn't look it up first.

There are so many avocado trees in So Cal older neighborhoods that pollination is usually not an issue (and why I end up with TONS of avocados when my clients have ripe fruit). I'm going to miss that part of my job.

Let's see...

Artichoke-chipotle dip served with baguette slices, also some olive oil and peach-flavored white balsamic vinegar with the baguette.

Then tri-tip (cooked medium, which was a tad overdone for what it was, but only slightly over and still pretty good), asparagus (screwed that one up, forgot to blanch before sauteeing, so it was pretty bitter), sliced tomato and cucumber. There was supposed to be buttered corn with chili powder, but stupid head (me) forgot to take it out of the oven.

After 1st round of game, a fruit & cheese plate: strawberries and grapes, with a truffle goat cheese, served with some more baguette slices but we determined that the cheese tasted best warmed up and eaten without bread. And a bowl of cappuccino-flavored almonds (addictive! Tasted somewhat like Cookie Crisp cereal, but nuttier).

Not bad. Not epic, but not bad. Had some good company, some good rounds of Apples to Apples, and in general, for an evening planned only about 6 hours before it started, a good night.

Chili made with textured veg protein because I'm just that virtuous.

Today, anyway.

We're having Chicken Tofu Burgers with a shoyu/mirin glaze tonight.

Roasted marinaded Tri-Tip, Baked potatoes and Corn on the Cob.

Been a full summer since I really cooked anything, nice to be back on a normal schedule again.

Roast Turkey Breast/Mashed Potatoes/Stuffing/Gravy and Green Beans

On a Roast kick right now.

I'm making lemon pepper chicken with bacon and cheese scalloped potatoes; Rose is making red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for dessert :)

Sounds yummy!

Man that sounds really good!

How can you people USE your OVEN???

We had chicken legs in a Hawaiian marinade, and homemade macaroni & cheese & bacon - made with pepper bacon, which was GOOD!

Maybe this should be in the bacon thread.

Air Conditioning is a great invention

Ben and Jerry's. Directly out of the carton.

(I got a sore throat)

You know, there's a Vermont Ben and Jerry's flavor joke in there somewhere...

Huh. I don't think so. It was just straight vanilla.

Chili/Salad/Jalapeno Cheese Bread....yum!

Onion Rings from Burger King.

Homemade Baked Mac & Cheese along with a Mixed Green Salad

Orange chicken from Costco. And not enough rice.

Dying for some hot fudge cake.

Tonight is Lamb Blonville.

I had a Hot Pocket. I am now sporting a bad burn on my chin from melted cheese.

San Francisco Chops (slow cooked pork loin chops in a asian type sauce) served on Rice with Bacon Wrapped Asparagus.

Dinner tonight is marinated mahi mahi from TJ's, some kind of grain blend from TJ's, and sauteed squash, provided it didn't go bad already because I kind of forgot we had it.

Tommy's Double Chili Cheeseburger and fries.

California Beef Bake, Salad and Homemade M&M Cookies with Ice cream for dessert.

Baked Pickled Pork Leg, glazed with honey and demerara sugar, served with Shrewsbury Sauce (Blackcurrant, worcestershire, stock, thyme, garlic & lemon, reduced to a syrup) and new potatoes.

Wow Lash! That sounds fancy!

I made Egg's Benedict for breakfast this morning with a side of some cubed fried potatoes.

Yummy.

Now I think I need a nap though.

No cooking for me tonight....back to the working for the Mouse at night. The 7 days off was really nice though.

Chicken ravioli in a browned butter with sage, garlic, and a dash of white pepper.

I'm thinking pizza.

Turkey & avocado sandwich, toasted

It's been a long day and the Rat is making me Rice-a-Roni.

I'm roasting a chicken for the Stoat (and for me too, truth be told) Oh, and of course the crispy roast potatoes to go with it. Ooer, naughty.

Last night was chicken tacos. Today it will be bbq meat cups. (cooked ground turkey, bbq sauce, little cheese put into a biscuit squished into a muffin tin to make a cup to hold it. bake.) and salad.

Italian Sausage/w Green Pepper & Onion on a Pane Roll, Corn on the Cob again (damn good right now and cheap) along with a salad.

Rat is on dinner patrol. I think it's fish again. Me, my dinner is a glass of Riesling. And another glass of Riesling. And maybe one or two after that.

Candy Cigarettes.

I was cleaning out a kitchen cabinet and ran across a pack. Finders Keepers.

Chicken Fettuccini with Bacon & Mushrooms, Biscuits and Salad.

Cucumber, radish, red bell pepper and green onion with a little olive oil and vinegar.

Maddie had costco spinach raviolli. Biggest pain in the ass mess to clean up ever.

How could Ravioli from Costco be a pain in the ass to clean up...??!!

it has spinach and cheese. Both of which stick to flipin everything making it a huge pain to try and clean up. You'll be drying it and find more stuck somewhere and have to start all over.

OK...won't buy that!

Blackened Chicken and mashed taters.

Oven temperature too high again?

Sloppy Joes, Tater Tots and Cole Slaw. A kid friendly dinner for the kid's first day at her new school (public, not private this year), which has been quite a drastic change for her.

By the way....she loves it!

Tonight, Fetuccini with blue cheese and bacon.

Steak!

I have no kitchen. :(

California Tortilla Tonight.

Zap a meal for the foreseeable future.

Any recommendations on good microwave meals?

Goat cheese, a Baguette and a Sidecar

Note to Moonie: I wouldn't recommend mocrowaving either the Goat Cheese (unless you want fondue) or the Sidecar. Just FYI.

I met up with Louis and Arnaud for some Bob's goodness. Dinner was a Big Boy combo followed by Hot Fudge Cake. It tasted exactly as I remembered it.

Oh, and Pappy Parker's Fried chicken is back on the menu! My dad will be glad to hear that.

Hmmmm... What IS for dinner tonight? Hmmmm.

Macaroni & Cheese and green veg

Leftover rice and lentils (with some caramelized onions) and leftover vegetable soup. Both are left over from my own cooking and I never cook. I'm getting inspired by Mark Bittman's "Food Matters" to learn to eat (and cook) my vegetables.

Leftovers here also

Grilled steak tacos with a citrius marinade.

I made a roux and used it to make a port reduction sauce for a broiled tri tip.

I had grilled pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy, sauteed vegie mix of carrots, broc, cauli, onion and garlic, and garlic butter rolls.

It was delicious!

I did the same but I drank it straight.

I'm making Homemade lasagna tonight.

I'm making a pork loin roast with hoisin vegetables.

Hoisin!

I was looking up crock pot recipes and came across an interesting stuffing recipe that involved chorizo, pecans and cheddar cheese. We're having that with some grilled london broil and whatever veggie they go pick out from the store since no one seemed to see all of them on the list when they went to the store. grrr.

Sausage & Onion Flatbread Pizza....just got off work, so a frozen pizza works well for tonight.

Top Ramen. lol
Honestly, not hungry at all right now but I figured I should eat something.
Since the play started, I lost about 7 pounds. And for some reason lost my appetite, too.

It sucked. big time.

Sometimes that happens....I know when trying new stuff out there is always a chance it'll be thrown out instead of eaten.

Tonight a tried and true......BBQ Baby Back Pork Ribs, Baked Beans and Coleslaw.

Since I rarely eat dinner, I wanted to say what I had for lunch: pulled pork sliders from BJs

Using left over roast from last night - pork mango lettuce wraps.

Taco stuffed Bell Peppers and Country Chili Potatoes.

soft shell corn tortilla chicken tacos. again. I'm getting a little tired of them. they are cheap to make I guess. but still.

I guess I shouldn't complain. I didn't have to cook and haven't had to cook on a work night for several months now.

My plans for dinner didn't work out....got a wheezy stomach, so chocolate milk for dinner instead. Will try for the Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers tomorrow evening.

Southwestern Chicken Bake, Spanish Rice, Corn/Petite Green Beans and Cinnamon Cake for dessert.

Tonight we gave up and went to King's Hawaiian.

That doesn't sound like giving up: that sounds like a great choice!

Had a Philly sandwich at work, so now it's just some Gjetost cheese on toast

I'm a bachelor! (just for the night....)

Chinese Food.

Directly from the carton.

Ahhhh... Life is good.

We're going to George's for the Friday Kleftico special.

Last night, a PB&J sandwich with coleslaw and cookies (had to work so brown bagged it).

Tonight heading for Chili's for Wolfette's Birthday dinner with a few of her girlfriends (tomorrow's the big day) so probably will have Ribs.

Cauliflower and baby spinach curry with light coconut milk over high-protein penne

Mmmmmmmm!

I had dark chocolate with lemon and pepper for dessert - YUMMY!!!

Interesting sounding dessert!?

Pappardelle with Shrimp.

Pierogis (with potato and cheddar) & spicy chicken, mixed up in bacon ranch dressing.

Spaghetti with slow cooked Meat Sauce, Garlic Bread and Salad. Gooey Cake for dessert!

I just discovered the local seafood purveyor sells whole salmon(s) for $1 each !! (Well, their heads, bones & tail, that is)

Soooo... tonight is seafood bisque with radicchio, pear and blue cheese salad.

I resorted to a meat ball pie. It was good until I opened this thread. You people are depressing me.

Don't worry. We had Taco Bell.

Half a roast beef sandwich from Jimmy John's and a "fun size" Milky Way bar.

Nothing yesterday. I forgot to eat, then got busy watching House and it was past 9 PM before I realized it. I don't like to eat after 9.

In my whole, entire life I have never forgotten to eat! I wait to eat! I clock-watch to eat!

Tonight, among other things, we're having orange chicken from the cookbook Elegant but Easy . As the old joke goes, I used to dance under that name in the '80s.

Well, maybe procrastinated is more accurate. Your dinner sounds good. I have no idea what I'll eat tonight. I don't have much in the house right now.

Baked Mac & Cheese along with a salad.

I've been making my way through the selection of grilled cheese sandwiches in DTLA. YUM!

It's 110 degrees here. I may put a slice of lime in my gin and tonic and call it a fruit salad.

Last night we had spaghetti. It was fine - as in acceptable - not as in fine dining.

I don't remember what we have tonight. But I do know I'm not cooking it.

You funny.

What's up with Gin though. I just can't stomach that stuff. Not that any alcohol really tastes good to me - but Gin is undrinkable to me. Some flavor in there that I just can't handle.

Juniper berries?

Baseball Stadium Food:

Nachos, hot dogs, coke, chili, brauts, cracker jacks, cheese fries, chips, chicken strips, pretzels, etc....


Not necessarly in that order.

You sure you can keep all that down while watching the Nats?

Homemade pizza with olive oil/cornmeal crust

Ham Casserole with a Salad

It's a NATS game. It's not like I'm not gonna toss my cookies anyways. It might as well be colorful

Chicken with orange-Riesling sauce.

Sushi.

I'm making an experimentsl kaulua pork in the crock pot. Of course I'll make macaroni salad and rice to go along with it too.

We have a new bakery in town and I ordered Gary a peach pie. It was still warm when I picked it up. It's taking all my willpower to not eat just one little slice!

Baked chicken legs/thighs in an herb garlic marinade. Served with biscuits and honey.

That bottled marinade stuff is really REALLY tasty sh!t.

Got kind of a dinner dilemma tonight which as already resulted in one extra Marie Callendar's chicken pot pie (with mushrooms). All will probably resolve itself as baked goat cheese salad and some rolls with homemade strawberry jam.

Turkey/avocado/tomato sandwich on foccaccia, most likely.

I am having a turkey/avocado/tomato sandwich as well, though I am having it on the patio.

If my ham is thawed (it should be, it's been in the fridge all weekend), then it will be ham tonight. Speaking of which, I'd better look at getting that sucker in the oven in the next hour...

Leftover lasagna

The ham was delicious

Potstickers!:snap: :cheers: :snap: :cheers: :snap:

Yum! One of my favorite dinners!

Green Bean & Chicken Casserole tonight....by the sounds of the recipe, it can't miss for the Wolfette. We'll see what the adult tastebuds think.

Heavens, they were tasty! Plus, there are leftovers for lunch.

Dinner is Italian sausage and peppers.

Louisiana Hot Links and (new recipe) Cajun Rice with some kind of veggie or salad.

Pop Tarts and Ovaltine

You are actually planning on this? Interesting.

It was what I HAD.

On a different note, I wonder why I am so fat?!?

I have a fvck-ton of leftover ham so I have to find a way to use it. Any suggestions? (and for the record, we had mac & cheese with ham last night, so I'd prefer something that isn't pasta)

Ham & Mushroom Omlette with Home Fries.....how does that sound?

How about scalloped potatoes and ham, ham & swiss quiche, ham and bean soup,hashbrowns with ham thrown in with a little onions and peppers is divine or a cold ham & pasta salad.

Delicious.
Mmmm...

Here's what I ended up with. I have a chicken pot pie recipe that is not exactly traditional - it's the filling, in a casserole pot, topped by biscuit dough. Well, anyway, I used that as the base recipe, but instead of the original veggies (peas & carrots), I subbed in a bag of frozen "stew vegetables" (celery, carrots, potatoes), then instead of rosemary biscuits on top, I made it as cheesy biscuits (to go with the ham, you see). I'll let you know how it came out.

Okay, here's the basics of it:
3 tbsp butter + 3 tbsp flour for a roux, remove from heat, then slowly stir in a can of chicken broth (approx 2 c.), bring to boil on medium heat for 1 minute, add ham & veggies, rosemary, couple dashes of hot sauce, then top with rolled biscuit dough (1.5 c Bisquick + 3 T butter, cut in butter till it looks like breadcrumbs, then add 1/2 c milk + shredded cheddar) and bake at 400 for 25 minutes

I used about a bowlful (2 cups?) of chopped cooked ham

The "veggies" was a bag of frozen "stew vegetables" from the supermarket, which I cooked ahead of time. Also, I cut up the potatoes into small pieces, and in retrospect I should have done the same to the carrots.

Oh, and it was VERY tasty :)

Chili. Out of an old Weight Watcher's cookbook I dug out. Because the suit that used to be too big wouldn't button last Sunday.

However..fwiw, it's slow cooker chili made with pork tenderloin chunks and if no one knew where it came from they wouldn't know it's 4 points a serving either.

So there. :p

Bologna Sandwich, Pub Mix and a couple of Mini Reese's Cups....yep back to work tonight.

An entire pork tenderloin was something like $11.50. I got the butcher to cut it up into pork chops. The end of the tenderloin wasn't as pretty. That's what I'm using tonight to make sweet and sour pork.

Hubby's Birthday tonight, so have ressies at Cafe Orleans. Haven't seen the fireworks yet (at least not as a guest), so looking forward to this.

Chili Beef Stew with Garlic Bread

Yum! We're having a spinach and cream cheese omelette and some bread.

New slow cooker recipe, will let you know how it turns out.

OMG, made great tacos sort of impromptu tonight.

Amounts are approximate, but about 3/4-1 lb of ground beef, browned, add in 1/4 (finely chopped) medium onion. Generous amount of chili powder, some pepper and salt. When onions are starting to look cooked, pour in 1 small can of tomato sauce (the little half-can looking ones). Couple dashes of Tapatio (hot sauce) near the end.

Assembled taco was meat, shredded cheddar, sour cream, green onion and shredded lettuce on flour tortilla. Heaven!

Slow cooker Chili Stew turned out a win! Hubby ate 3 bowls of it and Wolfette didn't complain (which is a miracle in itself).

Homemade spaghetti and meat balls w/garlic bread (not homemade).

Will have meatball sandwiches later this week.

Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy and steamed Blue Lake Green Beans.

Normally Wednesday is "go get sushi" night. Since it's rainy and cold (and Olivia's at her dad's) I believe I'll make a frozen a Marie Callender's chicken fried chicken dinner and creamed spinach.

pierogis and chicken (again).

Meatloaf, green beans from the Farmer's Market in the neighborhood and herbed rice. 'Cause I don't have any potatoes. Wolfy must have them...:)

Yep, took all the potatoes in So Cal....Hubby has a BIG appetite!

The family recipe spaghetti... sort of. I had to improvise with some ingredients. But it's tasty, so no worries :)

Arroz y Pollo con Crema or AKA Mexican Chicken Casserole

I think I just may stop by Wolfy's for dinner every night. We never have anything that sounds as yummy as her meals.

Your welcome any time!

Of course I don't cook on the weekends, Disney makes sure of that.

What was regular spaghetti with meat sauce two days ago will get some diced bell pepper, chile powder, some diced tomatoes, and shredded cheese to become -ta da! - baked spaghetti.

The requisite ridiculously loveable organic greens will also make an appearance.

Once upon a time there lived a single girl, she had not lived alone for a long while. But now, her ex-roomie is gone off to a new adventure in Mexico and and now, it's just she and the cat in single blessedness. The cat got a small shrimp for a dinner treat. Tonight's bill of fare, Risotto with mushrooms and pancetta (Italian bacon to you)

Attachment 1209

Saute pancetta until delicious fat is rendered and until it begins to crisp, remove from pan, leave the drippings in.

Attachment 1210

Slice and add mushrooms of your choice, saute on medium high heat, I like mine roasted, and flame with some marsala if you have it. Remove from pan and set aside.

Attachment 1211

Chop garlic and shallot, saute in some olive oil until it smells divine, and don't let the garlic burn.

Attachment 1212

Quickly add arborio and toss, stir, just mix it up. Let the rice saute and toast a little bit, keep tossing the pan for a few minutes.

Attachment 1213

Add some wine (hard to do, photographing with one hand and pouring with another).

To be continued since I can only upload 5 pics at a time.

Continued:

Attachment 1214

Bubbling with stock and season with salt and I also add some porcini dust (from the bottom of the bag of dried porcini for an extra kick of mushroom flavor)

Attachment 1215

Time to add more stock!

Attachment 1216

Swirl in some decadent cream

Attachment 1217

add back the mushrooms

Attachment 1218

Add cheese

To be continued

Attachment 1219

Top with parsley and some pancetta and cheese as desired.

Methinks the girl will be living very well fed if there are many more night like this

OMG....looks heavenly, bet it tasted like heaven too! Just remember, when the Wolfpack heads up your way, we WILL be hungry!

Lucky kitty also!

Wait, Snowflake! I know that dish pattern - Buttercup by Spode, am I right? My mom had those.

Loved your photos.

Nope, California Pottery rip-off, Vernon Kilns Hibiscus. I'm a big fan of Vernon/Metlox 1940s patterns. My favorites are desert bloom and Vernon Rose (yellow) but I've got 4 patterns, the last being Mayflower. I'm trying to portion control, and happily, plates were smaller then! It helps, that was the rimmed soup plate I was using.

I had fun doing the pics, happily the stove was clean......

Wild Coho Salmon with a dry rub cooked on a Cedar Plank, Baked Potato with all the goodies, and Carrots/Corn.

A) Enquiring Bears need to know the recipe please. :cool:

B) Enquiring Bears need to know the recipe please. :cool:



Enquiring bears are also having Curried Chicken Legs

4 Chicken legs
1 tablespoon Curry powder
1/3 cup Plain yogurt
2 tablespoons Lemon juice
1 teaspoon Packed brown sugar

Trim off any fat and excess skin from chicken; cut at joint into thighs and drumsticks.

In small saucepan heat curry powder with 1 ts vegetable oil over medium heat for 3 minutes or until bubbling; pour into large bowl. Add yogurt, lemon juice and sugar; whisk to blend well. Add chicken, turning to coat; marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Place chicken, fleshy side up, on foil-lined baking sheet; brush with remaining yogurt marinade. Bake in 425F 220C oven for 35-40 minutes or until browned and juices run clear when chicken is pierced.

Serve with rice, chutney and slices of radish and cucumber tossed with yogurt and seasoned with a touch of mint and cayenne.

(Cross Post from Twitter)

I made an important discover tonight:

Pizza and beer good

Chocolate chip cookies and beer not so much.

Semi-homemade Pizza...loaded with all the goodies we like!

Spaghetti Bolognaise on the way to the theatre to see "Mamma Mia" the musical !! :cool:

I feel like cooking tonight.

We are having meatloaf, baked potatos, some sort of pasta, some sort of veggie and garlic bread.

I also bought an apple pie for desert.

The Boy will be happy. He loves my meatloaf, and I haven't made it for a while.

Pot Roast has been brewing in the slow cooker for 10 hours.

Mmmmm...

It's probably dinner time then!

Indeed! :D

A rather disparaging term for someone popped into my head today, fleshed out by a line courtesy of "A Little Priest". Which has been stuck in my head even since.

So dinner is now Shepherd's Pie. Peppered with actual pepper though.

pork chops with some sauteed apples, mashed potatoes and gravy and broccoli.

Unfortunately, I overcooked the pork chops a little though. I really need to get another meat thermometer.

We went to Johnny Reb's!

Love Johnny Rebs!

We had Steak & Cheese Flour Taquitos, Black Refried Beans and Spanish Rice. Either frozen, canned or boxed.

But the highlight was my homemade guacamole.....made it a fiesta!

I'm not sure. Pasta was involved. Gin preceded the pasta. I'm hoping it was as good as I thought it was. Oh God, it's SUCH a Monday.

Spaghetti and meatballs (specifically, the turkey meatballs from TJ's)

But more importantly...

Pumpkin muffins! I used the TJ's pumpkin bread mix (muffin instructions) and then when they came out, I used the glaze mentioned in the "holiday bread" instructions. Shiny, sugary, pumpkin delight. I suspect they could only be improved by the application of cream cheese.

Oooh if you added cream cheese then they would be just like Disney's, for half the price!

I may have to pick up a box next time I'm at TJ's.

Marinaded Boneless Beef Short Ribs, Corn & Broasted Potatoes

Microwaved Swedish Meatballs.

I really F'n want my kitchen back.



(even if they are pretty damn tasty......)

Grilled cheese on rye with chili lime butter.

Burgers at the Roadside Stand in Beresfield (halfway to Forster). When dinner's on the road, I get to be bad.. :D

A box of Mac-n-cheese, with bacon added of course. I didn't feel like cooking so the kid picked and cooked.

Fried chicken from the deli counter, and baked potatoes with cheese, bacon, green onions and sour cream. Good sheeeit.

I think broccoli and cauliflower quiche tonight. Good bread. Ridiculously loveable organic greens.

Tonight will be chicken kiev and.....well I haven't thought of that part yet!

I did a "Mexican night" with chicken using this recipe (including the linked spices mix). It's as delicious as the reviews say it is.

Tonight was KFC. Alex found a coupon online for a couple bucks off the 8-pc dinner bucket, so we had chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, mac & cheese, and biscuits. Expensive, but sooooo worth it.

Two new recipes this evening:

Cilantro Chicken & Zippy Black Beans & Rice.....

BIG hit with the Wolfpack!

Toast, it's what's for dinner.

My brain is toast after the work day and project from hell, toast for dinner, too.

Chicken & Corn soup - Cheap and filling.

Chicken and dumplings (I cheated, it's the frozen crock pot meal kind). Delicious.

Tonight will be roasted chickens. They were on sale and we bought two for under $6, Foster Farms even. Then we'll have lots of leftovers to make soup this weekend.

A Greek evening tonight....Patitsio along with a Romaine Heart Salad (Greek dressing of course).

MMMmmmm Pastizzi. like.

Tonight for us is Chef John's Pastrami Chicken Wings and here's how to eat them.

Clams Casino!

I loooooove my fishmonger.

Yes, there are fishmongers in Utah... I think... two.

Even if I'm not 'feeling' like eating fish, I like to stop by because I gotta help support this for when I do feel like fish. He carries a wonderful variety of salmons, halibut, sashimi grade tuna, shrimp, scallops, clams, and any interesting varieties he can get his hands on. He's been getting more requests for seabass, so next week he's getting some Chilean. So fresh.

Today, I picked up some grouper. Salt, pepper, my own lime-cilantro-chili sauce, panko crumbs and crushed almonds. Sear both sides. Toss it in the oven at 375. Eat when ready.

That + garlic scallion rice = still haven't stopped lusting over it. I think I may have made the best grouper I've had, and I've had some awesome grouper. Still wish I had a grill.

Love my fishmonger.

Well Gary hasn't shown up but the Schwanns man did so we cheesy tots, chicken pieces and light butter crunch ice cream. I was hoping it would be like the old fashioned butter brickle but it was more like butterscotch ice cream with toffee bits. Oh well we bought the seasonal cinnamon ice cream because it sounded so good.

Bacon Sandwich - thank you Susan

Oh, Really kitchencookingrecipes.com ?????

This sounds yukky - but it has a faascinating draw. I might just make it...

V8 BISCUITS


3 c. self-rising flour
1/8 tsp. soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
2 (4 oz.) cans V8 vegetable juice cocktail




Methods/steps
Combine flour, soda, salt and sugar in medium bowl; mix well. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Add enough juice to form soft dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic. Roll 1/2 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until brown.

If you do...let us know how it turns out. I just couldn't even imagine V-8 as a bisquit ingredient!

I think we're going to have breakfast for dinner. Some sort of chorizo, potato thing in a skillet with an egg in a nest type of thing going on. I think.

These turned out to be SO totally delicious, that we made them two nights in a row for dinner !!!

Tonight is Veggie Burger Sliders. They're really good.

How-to Video Here

Here's the Recipe (The link in the video description is wrong - that's silly)

Makes 16 Sliders

Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil, more if needed
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
2 teaspoons ground Peppercorns
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 (14-ounce) cans Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup whole raw cashews
2 large eggs
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice and zest of one lemon
2 cups panko-style breadcrumbs, more if needed

For Serving
Challah rolls, small buns or pita bread
Tzatziki
Tapenade
2 thinly sliced roma tomatoes
1 thinly sliced red onion
Method

Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions and peppers are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in ground pepper, oregano, cumin, paprika and salt, cooking for 1 minute to bring out flavors. Place sautéed pepper and onion mixture in a food processor with beans, cashews, eggs, cilantro, lemon zest and lemon juice. Pulse to combine. Add breadcrumbs and pulse until incorporated. The mixture should be thick yet slightly chunky. Chill mixture 10 to 15 minutes, until firm. Add more breadcrumbs if mixture seems too wet or warm water if the mixture seems dry.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a pan over medium heat. Spoon mixture into pan to form patties about 1/2-inch think and 3 inches across. Make 4 to 6 patties, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. While patties cook, grind some extra pepper over the tops of the burgers. Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove from the pan and cook remaining patties, adding more oil as needed. Serve on toasted challah rolls topped with tzatziki, tapenade, tomatoes and red onions.

Cooked patties can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for 2 months.

Alternate toppings: Cilantro pesto, crumbled feta and sliced roasted red peppers.

Yucky? Really? I have one word.

Vegemite.




(which, of course, everyone knows is delicious)

Hmmmmm... Vegemite Biscuits... I wonder?

Dinner tonight was homemade chicken soup.

I bought one of those rotisserie chickens last night for dinner, so after dinner I threw our bones into a stock pot with some mirepoix. Popped the stock in the fridge for tonight's soup. Added 2 cans of chicken broth, chopped celery, onion, and sliced frozen carrots.

I made one unfortunate mistake... overestimating the noodle capacity of the soup I'd been putting together. I threw in an entire bag of egg noodles!

Which were not covered by the liquid in the pot :rolleyes: So I had to add several cups of hot water (as I was out of canned chicken broth to add). Also meant that I needed more chicken, so I ended up with one of the Costco cans of chicken (Disneyphile knows what I'm talking about) plus the meat off the wings from last night's bird (we'd only eaten about half the bird).

It's quite tasty, but I wish I hadn't had to water it down quite that much as the tastiness is getting a little diluted. Still, tasty and satisfying.

New York Steaks grilled, Oven Baked Beans and Coleslaw....yum!

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Candy Cane Joe Joe's for desert. Tres Gourmet :D

I've just had my first Tim-Tam. Australia is well justified in favoring this amazing biscuit.

Flippy, I'm having a corn dog for dinner, seriously. And a salad, but I picked up a package of chicken corn dogs, let's talk comfort food.

I was all set to get some meatless c-dogs tonight, but I couldn't find them. I see from their website that Morningstar Farms doesn't make them anymore. chicken corn dogs might be a good semi-healthy (snicker) alternative. As it is, I'm having an Amy's burrito and a salad.

Cheesy hashbrown casserole with bacon.

Bwah hah hah hahhh ! We claim another victim. :evil:

We have a Tim-Tam stash at work, a former coworker brings them when she comes back from Australia every 6 months or so.

The tim tams you can buy at stores here are NOT 'real' Tim Tams...they're ok and I wouldn't turn one down but when you have had the originals you notice the subtle differences. I have ONE package left in my freezer...it's gona be a long 2 years .... my cheese is sad!

I had a delicious Wild Mushroom Soup (what makes it wild?) tonight at work. Unfortunately, as delicious as soup is, it doesn't keep you full that long, so I ended up with a post-work Double Del Combo ;)

Courage.

I can haz Tim Tam?

Mushroom Chicken served over rice with Green Beans....simple but yummy!

^^ me too.

Guess you two talked me into it.....Chili tomorrow night, with Garlic Cheese Biscuits....Thanks!

Meatloaf
Potatoes O'Brien
Peas
Mixed Green Salad

Marinaded Tri Tip on the Grill, Baked Potato with all the goodies, Carrots/Corn and a Salad

homemade pizza !

delivery pizza! (because I'm not up to cooking yet)

Last night: Caprese salad, bison filet (medium rare) and sautéed wild mushrooms.

Tonight: If I'm lucky, leftover spaghetti, haha!

Or maybe sushi.

Or leftover wings. Some guys in sales are doing an all-you-can-eat wings challenge at a chain out here (Wingers).

Tonight an evening out....Pizza at a local joint then a play at our local theater.

I seem to be missing out on the pizza train. Maybe I'll get a pizza tonight!

A repeat of my risotto with pancetta, I think. OT, but lunch is a yummy Vietnamese sandwich.

I ate too many wings. I will be probably be skipping dinner.

Tonight's a repeat of my Pastrami Wings !! Yum.

Have you shared the recipe?? If not, will you, please?

These are my FAVOURITE.
 

Here's the "How To" for cooking AND eating in video form - printed recipe below.
Chef John's Pastrami Chicken Wings and here's how to eat them.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2.5 lb chicken wing sections
1 Tsp White Pepper
2 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 Tsp cayenne
3 tsp Maldon sea salt
2 tsp flour
*serve with Russian/1000 Island dressing as a dip

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425°F
• Separate Wings into Flat & Drumette (if not already separated). Place in a bowl. Drizzle oil over and toss to coat thoroughly.
• Mix together the pepper, coriander, paprika, cayenne & salt. Sprinkle evenly over the wings and toss to coat.
• Once the wings are coated in seasoning, lightly sift the flour over the wings and toss to coat.
• Place on baking paper and put in oven for 20 mins.
• Remove wings from oven and turn. Bake for another 20-25 mins or until bone slips out easily.
• To eat the flats, remove cartelage from large end, then grasp small end firmly, locate small bone in large end and draw out, twisting at the same time. Then grab large bone and twist and draw out. You may then eat the whole wing, being careful of the tiny bit of cartelage in the small end (see "how to eat" video link above).

Sunrise Sausage Bake, Country Fried Potatoes and Bacon.....yep Breakfast this evening!

Tonight I bought soup at work: Carrot & Coriander soup. Delish.

Followed, when I got home, by a mozzarella quesadilla.

Tacos

I am trying not to do too much cooking this week.

The Boy will be at this dad's for TG dinner. I will be having a feast here for when he gets home. D kindly offered to toss some meat into the deep pit this year, so I bought a small turkey & a ham. YUMMMM

Tonight: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.

pasta with homemade sauce and a piece of almond torte from Dianda's for dessert :)

Whatever will stay down...

Recipe please. My grandmother used to make these, no idea what happened to the recipe.

Wow, this came out way better than I expected. I wanted pasta, but did not want yet another tomato sauce. So I brainstormed, what could I make to approximate tomato sauce texture, and I came up with eggplant sauce. Cooked up some eggplant with garlic, onions, some spices, pureed it (holding back a about 1/3 of the eggplant) into the consistency of tomato sauce. Sauteed veggies (carrots, peas, mushrooms) in the remaining eggplant with some more veggie broth. Some white wine to deglaze the pan, 1/4 cup cream to thicken, then added the pureed eggplant sauce. Topped with grated parmesean.

Not the prettiest looking dish, but by is it delish! And I even forgot to add the toasted walnuts I was going to put in there. Bet that would have been good.

Sound Yummy, GD !

KS: Here's the recipe for the rolls - it's low fat, and really simple.

Cabbage & Beef Rolls With Tomato Veloute Sauce

Rolls:
1 cabbage head
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup yellow onions, chopped
1-1/2 cups cooked rice
3 tablespoons margarine, melted
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 dash ground nutmeg, optional

Sauce:
4 tablespoons margarine
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder or Cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups tomato juice

• Cut the core from cabbage. Have a pot of water (large enough to sit the cabbage head in) boiling; add 1 teaspoon of salt.
• Place the cabbage head in boiling water, and remove each of the soft blanched leaves as they detatch themselves. You need about 15-16 leaves for this recipe. drain and set aside.
• Mix the meat, onion, cooked rice, margarine, bread crumbs, sage, pepper, nutmeg and salt.
• Lay a cabbage leaf on a flat surface. Put 2-4 tablespoons of the mixture near the base of the leaf, fold leaf up and over the meat, turning under the sides. This will make about 15-16 rolls.
• Place the rolls, seam side down, in a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Make two layers of the rolls.
• Place this dish in a steamer, or on a rack over 2 inches of simmering water in wok or large heavy pan with rack. Cover and steam for 35-40 minutes.

MEANWHILE:

• Melt 4 tablespoons margarine in a skillet.
• Add the salt, chilli powder and the flour. Mix to a smooth paste.
• Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.
• Remove from heat and slowly stir in the tomato juice.
• Return to heat and cook until it boils and thickens.
• Serve over the steamed rolls

Thank you!

We made lasagna and garlic bread. It was delish.

Ham & Rice Casserole along with Sourdough Garlic Bread

Clam Chowder !!

Bacon and Cheezit thing...

That paints an interesting mental picture.

Tonights dinner is Jennifer Cornbleet's Garden Vegetable Soup - it's incredibly creamy and green and it's currently my #1 Fave Raw Food dish.

Wot's In It?
1/2 zucchini
1/2 ripe tomato
1/2 celery stalk
1/2 cup chopped spinach
3 fresh basil leaves
1/2 spring onion
1/2 clove garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoons Shiro (white) Miso
Dash of cayenne
Dash of Salt
1/2 an avocado
3/4 cup water

Blend all together. I like to warm it gently to about 40°c

Cheers dears !
-Rob.

A Big Boy Combo with side salad (Bob's famous Bleu Cheese dressing of course) followed by a shared Hot Fudge Cake.

Even with basically ignoring the fries, I pretty much rolled out of Bob's.

Last night I made chicken cordon bleu and it turned out really well. i love panko bread crumbs, they just make everything crunchier!

Another way to make just about anything crunchier is to leave it sitting out on the counter for a few days.

Sorry, that theory is totally busted for Cookies and Icecream.

This was from a few nights ago:

Persimmon Steak:

2 ripe persimmons, cut into ~1inch chunks
2 cup red wine, or enough to cover persimmons in pot (I used merlot)
2 Tblsp water
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp all purpose flour

Add persimmon, water and spices to a small sauce pot over medium heat. Bring water to boil, turning the persimmon chunks with a spoon to start them heating evenly. Once the water is simmering, add the wine, then whisk in flour, and bring back up to a boil. Turn heat down, cover, and allow to simmer for ~20 minutes, until wine reduces and thickens so that it coats the persimmons, and persimmons are very tender. Uncover towards the end to speed up wine reduction.

Serve over steak. Grilled NY with just salt and pepper works.

LEMON LENTIL SOUP WITH SPINACH
(100% VEGAN!)
(Serves approx. 12 people, or cut in ½ for a family size dinner)

INGREDIENTS
*6 Tbs olive oil (extra virgin is best)
*2 med-large onions - chopped
*1 bulb (not clove, bulb!) garlic - chopped
*1 2-inch piece ginger - peeled and chopped
*1 lemon - chopped (skin and all!)
*2 bay leaves
*3 good splashes of white wine or sherry (any wine that you would drink is perfect)
*1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
*2 tsp rosemary dry or fresh (use a bit less if fresh) - coarsely chopped
*2 cups red lentils
*2 quarts veggie broth (use organic veggie broth if you can)
*2 cups H2O
*4 big handfuls of spinach - stems snipped off
* salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat olive oil in a soup pot over med-high/high heat and add onions. Sauté until onions are transparent. Add garlic and ginger. Sauté until veggies start to brown and caramelize a bit. Add salt, pepper, bay leaves, and rosemary. Sauté a few minutes more. Add chopped lemon and wine. This will help to deglaze and get all the caramelized bits off the bottom of the pot. Add tomatoes and lentils and combine with veggies. Add veggie broth and water and bring soup to a boil. Cook for 20-30 minutes at a simmer.The lentils will break down and the soup will start to get creamy. Add spinach before serving. Heat until soup is hot and spinach is wilted into the soup.

No, you just have to leave it out longer. A lot longer.

Pot roast!

Mongolian beef with chard. I'm trying out this recipe, minus the hot oil and half the dried red chiles.

Falling off the Raw Wagon for tonight with Tuna Casserole.

I did "Best Asian Ribs" in the crock pot but they're kinda meh :(

I guess they weren't the best then;) Maybe you can jazz them up next time or just toss the recipe and try another.

We're having leftover roast tonight. The boy chose french dip and I'm having a hot roast beef sandwich, yum.

Tonight is Orange Chicken and steamed rice

Tonight is Beer-battered Hoki & home made artisanal potato log-ettes. (aka Chips)

Yeah, the raw thing's down to a couple of pieces of fruit a day and sometimes a salad. It's HARD.

I neh-hever read or post in this thread. Except for tonight, where I want to bury this secret here.

I did something I've never done before. I purchased and cooked a pork tenderloin. :eek:

I had no idea what to look for at the store and no idea how it would come out. It was easy to find and came out lovely.

Please don't tell my mommy and daddy. Bacon is one thing...but pork is another. Don't you love the cacophony in my head? :)

Thanks - it has been a while since I made an addition.

Pork tenderloin is awesome. Stuff it with garlic and rosemary mmm....

Those cravings'll get ya every time, huh? :cool: Thank god it wasn't catsup icecream or some other craving....

...mmmm Catsup Icecream....

Sorting through clothes that no longer fit makes me cranky. So, day one of eating better at dinner is:

Sauteed pink snapper and baby bok choy (in a marinade of soy sauce, ponzu, hoisin sauce, garlic, and a little sugar) over a brown rice medley.

Tulsa Rib

Now stuffed

Since tonight is our 12th Wedding Anniversary we decided on a Seafood Entree....White Roughy along with a Sauce from a Disneyland Tahitian Terrace recipe I found. Served with Steamed Mushrooms and Sugar Snap Peas, Baked Potatoes with all the goodies and Crescent Rolls.

The Wolfette is having Top Ramen....teenagers have no taste at all when it comes to good food!

Tonight will be some catfish breaded with pine nuts and parmesan cheese. With leftover pasta with roasted butternut squash, bacon, and onion. and cheese.

Marco Polo cheese (Beecher's) with sesame-garlic wafers.

We ate a late lunch of fried chicken. Yum.

Welsh Rarebit

At least the way my family makes it

We pretty much grazed on junk food all day- chips and southwestern ranch dip, bbq chicken pizza- some chicken fajita wrap thing that was super good at some point.

chicken piccata with lots of capers, yum

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and mixed veggies.

Philly cheesesteak, wedge cut fries and a Rock Star. Drink. :D

Chicken breasts in bbq sauce, chicken noodles and a basic salad.

I also have apple and gouda sausages to cook later in the week. I'm not quite sure what to do with them but they looked good and they were on sale!

Hubby & Wolfette are having Burgers & Fries....I'm having a Mixed Salad with Cottage Cheese

Macaroni & Cheese & Bacon

Specifically, the whole grain Kraft stuff (interestingly, has a better flavor than the regular), and thick center-cut maple bacon which was done under the broiler.

I spoil him...

7-cheese tortellini in a homemade bacon garlic cream sauce.

Fried 3 slices of bacon, then used the bacon grease as the base for my roux - first sauteeing a bit of onion & garlic in the grease, then added nutmeg, flour, seasoned salt, a bit of thyme and some parsley. Oh, and a dash of white pepper. O. M. G.

Mmm...sounds yummy!!

Okay, so I had planned on making Zatarain's' Dirty Rice {at least that's what I think as I never quite got to it...} with grilled shrimp in butter and garlic sauce. I was even going to make a salad.

Then I read that you should not defrost shrimp in hot water or the microwave or it makes it tough. Okay, 'nuff said'.

Lolita's it was. Hubster and I shared both a carne asada fry and carnitas plate.

And I had spoken so highly of the importance of eating at home to my son as we drove home from school. *sigh*

Shrimp is now defrosting until tomorrow night. Any tips on how to prepare it?
I THINK I will put butter in a pan, stick the shrimp in it, and cook it up. Am I supposed to cover/steam it? Will I kill my family if the shrimp isn't fully cooked? I have those fears.....

I hate to cook burgers. Does anyone here use those temperature gauges when they cook them?

Beef Noodle Bake.....a Wolfpack favorite!

2 weeks ago, a new restaurant called Forage opened up a couple of blocks from our house. So far, we've eaten there three times. Tonight, I'm having the flank steak with chimichurri sauce, scalloped potatoes, and beets with fresh citrus. And some toffee pudding for dessert. Yum.

Sounds delicious. I was actually in the mood for something red-meaty tonight, but we ended up getting the chicken dinners from Sonic (with extra gravy).

Beef spare ribs. I'm feeling meaty.:eek:

Pizza with bacon and shredded parmesan.

Alright, I'm meatied out.

Somehow I expected a restaurant named Forage to be vegan/raw food.

Bacon wrapped Chicken & Herb Potatoes roasted served with some kind of veggie. Testing out this one, we'll see how it goes.

We had McDonald's... if for no other reason than to reaffirm that it is NOT "cheaper" to eat there. SHoulda gone to Togo's like I wanted to.

Tonight:

Sausage & Sauerkraut With Beer

450 g Bratwurst
350 ml beer
1 whole apple - cored and sliced
1 whole sliced onion - red, white, or yellow
395 g can sauerkraut, drained
3 slices of bacon
1 bay leaf
Pepper to taste - do NOT add salt - bacon and sauerkraut have plenty of salt.

Brown bacon and sausage together about 10 minutes in a large pan or pot.
Add sliced onion and cook to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add beer and deglaze pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
Drain sauerkraut and add to sausage and onions together with the sliced apple.
Cover and cook for about one hour over low heat. Check and add beer, water or stock a half cup at a time, if liquid evaporates.

Oh, gee. there's leftover beer...... :D

yuuuuuuum

It was really nice, but I'd suggest using a milder bear, er, beer - maybe a lager rather than the one I did (Which was Victoria Bitter) as it really did give a slight bitter tinge to the cooking liquid.

Chili Mac, Spicy Southwest Slaw, Garlic Bread and Cinnamon Cake for dessert.

The Chili Mac & Slaw are new recipes I'm trying out.....the Chili Mac should be teen friendly, not sure about the Slaw. Have two teens here this evening.

Mmmmm Slaw.

Tonight at Casa Del Pair we're having:
Mini Quiche,
Mini Spring rolls
Mini Samosas
Mini Dim Sims
all served with lemon sauce and chilli sauce.

Open-Faced Texas Burgers and Seasoned Corn with Bacon....looks good in the magazine.

Salmon with figs and pomegranate sauce.

The Cheesiest

Yum!

I was going to make an awesome melted swiss turkey wrap and discovered I only had one piece of turkey left. So I made a not-so awesome mini melted-swiss turkey wrap and a bunch of asparagus on the side.

Still hungry. Maybe I'll have some candy.

I wanted scalloped potatos and ham but the kid wanted pasta. SoIi made a cheese sauce with assorted cheeses and threw in some egg noodles, ham and veggies. It was actually really good. I put some cream cheese in the sauce and it made it very creamy!

Chicken Spaghetti Bake.....with Peanut Butter Pie for dessert.

$3.99 8-piece fried chicken deal from the supermarket, loaf of fresh bread, broccoli salad, and potato wedges (eg: steak fries w/skin) from Trader Joe's. A feast for under $10.

Pork chops, steamed rice, gingered carrots, green salad with poppy seed dressing, key lime pie

A baja fresh steak taco, and a pile of steamed rice.

A steaming pile? ;)

Sausage & Bread Casserole along with Green Beans/Corn, made it kid friendly and now the kid won't be home for dinner...ugh! Could have had something exotic, maybe tomorrow.

Chili and cornbread

Hippie Hash!

Most hippies are pretty scrawny. Isn't the meat kinda tough and stringy?

If only I was as scrawny! Maybe more frequent indulgences in my favorite quick culinary improvisations will make it so.

Leftover fried chicken (not much of it), and later, microwaved chicken chimichangas

I'm almost afraid to ask.....what's Hippie Hash?

Hippie Hash is a mix of a variety of things I throw together in an iron skillet. It usually involves garlic, lentils or beans or brown rice or couscous and fresh veggies like chard, beats, carrots, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms or whatever comes in our veggie box. I will also mix in a bit of andoullie sausage if I feel the need for protein. It is surprising delicious and reasonably healthy. It is just like the hippie food my sister used to make.

Tonight we had a home made Cassoulet with green salad and bread. I didn't make any of it and it was delicious!

Cashew Encrusted Swai, Broasted Italian Asparagus and Country Potatoes.

Linguini Alfredo

Lasagna & Garlic/Cheese Bread with Cinnamon Rolls for dessert

Apricot chicken with parsley mashed potatoes

Tried a Spicy Macaroni & Cheese from Food Network.....it's fantastic (so easy too) big hit with Wolfette, Wolfettes friend from school, Hubby and me!!!! Pleasing all of us is a rarity around here!

Had a pizza delivered. Too tired to do anything else.

We went out.

You guys really cook! And, I like to see that some of you also have take out/eat out. :0) I feel okay.

Tonight we had spaghetti with meat sauce and Italian sausages/garlic bread. I drank a glass of milk with mine. Why does that taste so good?

Brownies after. Definitely not a good choice for me. Tsk tsk

Oh. I didn't make any of it. I did clean up, though.

I mentioned before I was going to make shrimp? I made both garlic and tempura. Ummm. Reminded how important it is to read directions.

Let's just say, I had to make the whole box of tempura batter. I used it, though. Just it wasn't my intention.

Gotta slow down.........

Another new recipe......Roast Beef Burritos, smells great, we'll see how they go over with the Wolfpack.

We had a wonderful artery clogging dinner of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes with gravy and biscuits. It was amazing! I am so full that I may explode but I am very, very happy!

Nachos

Almond crusted Pork roast with ginger/soy/orange sauce; brown rice and steamed broccoli.

Leftover Chipotle.

Yesterday I cooked a pot roast all day. It's amazing.

One of my low-carb people gave me an absolutely horrifying recipe for mock French toast in which you crunch up some pork rinds until they're a powder, add a couple eggs, some heavy cream, splenda, cinnamon, and vanilla. Dollop this goo into a hot skillet, and voila! Mock French toast!

Sounds disgusting. But (you knew there had to be a but), I tried it, and it was pretty tasty! The texture, though, reminded me of something else. So, tonight, I switched out the splenda, cinnamon, and vanilla for onion powder, and made the most thoroughly treyf latkes you'd ever see. A little sour cream, a little applesauce, even Joe thought they were good!

But wrong. Very, very wrong.

I'm calling them Notkes. :D

You are a brave man. I think that is one recipe I would take a pass on. at that point why not just make french toast, it would be easier and cheaper! I do like the creative spin you put on it though.

I'm gonna eat my weight in cheeseburgers. Or maybe not.

Careful, you might get stuck in an infinite loop.

"I ate my weight in cheeseburgers...but then I weighed more, so I ate some more cheeseburgers...but then I weighed more, so I ate some more cheeseburgers..."

I'm going to try the Lobster loop tonight.....yay!

We're making reservations for dinner tonight.

You've been craving cheeseburgers for awile now, go have some man! I don't want to hear about it if it's In N Out though :(

Not sure what dinner will be, a component will be asparagus. Maybe risotto?

Cheeseburger!

Possibly beef stew.

I have no cheese (except parmasan) and no burger.

I still need to have an In-N-Out, never been.

There are at least three in the Bay area (well, one isn't open yet):

333 JEFFERSON
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133

COMING SOON!
260 WASHINGTON ST.
DALY CITY, CA 94015

8300 OAKPORT STREET
OAKLAND, CA 94601

Jefferson is out at Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39 if I am not mistaken. Not bloody likely I will show up there! They need one closer to the house!

Yep

How about Daly City - is that closer?

We, Zach & I, saw a commercial for French's fried onion chicken, that's what we're making for dinner!

If only In N Out would come closer to the Oregon border! For our last mini vacation we went over the border far enough for In N Out and Black Bear diner. Yep, those were our only destinations. It was so cool to get a burger at midnight and it was so good!

I steered clear of burger tonight (get it? STEER?) - had a big ole plate of rice. I think I'll get Fatburger tomorrow some time.

No beef stew tonight. We had an unscheduled vet visit that took too much time. Plan B is a herb infused dough stuffed with Olive Tapenade, Andouille Sausage and Mushrooms. This is an experiment, so who knows what it will taste like. I'll know in about 10 minutes.

All kinds of sausage, spaetzle, pretzel bread, potato leek soup.

The "why" is no carbs vs a gazillion. As for easier, yes, definitely. Cheaper, though? A third of a bag of pork rinds that cost 2 bucks, a couple eggs from a 2 dollar dozen, and stuff I had on hand. Pretty darn cheap.

But wrong. Very wrong.

I used the same goo to make yummy crab cakes tonight. Real crab, fake cake. Crab fakes! And a delicious curry remoulade.

We had meatloaf and fried potatoes.

Sign #23 that a cookbook will not end up on any list including the phrase "heart healthy". A recipe begins with "over medium heat, melt the butter in the oil" and ends with "stir in the sour cream".

Dinner was good.

We stopped by a place called The Oinkery, no, The Oinkmeister, no, The Oinkster. Remember that SNL skit that had Chris Farley pounding his heart while saying "Polish. Sausage."? Any moment now......

Boy and I took Mom In & Out last night.

Today we are doing a yard sale at BF's sister's house. Part of the deal was she would make Boy pisole(sp?), a Mexican soup that uses pork. I found out last night that there probably won't be lunch because she sold more than $500 in food stamps.

As a back up plan I made us sandwiches.

Tacos

I made Beef Bourguinon (read: fancy french beef stew) for the first time tonight.

Normally it can take 12 hours, but with a few choice tricks, it can be made in about 2 hours, and still taste like it cooked all day!

It was delish!

Killer fish.

Fugu?

Red snapper.

With a stray bone that had us rushing CP to urgent care (with a detour past an overcrowded emergency room)...only to have it dislodge itself literally as we pulled into the parking space.

Oh no GD. I'm so glad CP is ok! I'm sure that was hella scary!


I'm putting together shepherds pie as I type.

Oh jeez, I'm glad everything worked it's way out. :-( Fugu joke not so funny, sorry.

It hurt, and was not fun, at all. I knew fish was evil!

Nothing: I had lunch at 3:30 today

Baked Orange Chicken, Rice & a Roasted Broccoli/Mushroom/Onion thingy.

I knew someone that had the same thing happen (except it didn't dislodge by itself). I have always hated fish with bones for this reason.

I'm glad you're ok!

Taco Tuesday!

It was a fillet, it wasn't supposed to have bones. But sometimes they slip by. I actually found 2 bones in another piece while prepping, but I missed that one. I'd never make it on Top Chef.

Really? I thought you were gay...

Not that kind of taco, Kevy...

Oh

Attachment 1366

Frisee and tomato salad with drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of meyer lemon.

Roasted peppers, onion, garlic and shallot with Italian sausage (sweet with fennel and hot with fennel).

Simple and it was yummers and there are plenty of leftovers for a sandwich for lunch at the office during the week.

Sauteed Scallops, Fried Red Potatoes and Petite String Green Beans

Attachment 1370

Chile Lime Chicken burger from Trader Joe's, topped with Wisconsin 5 year aged cheddar, on brioche bread with frissee, ketchup and dijon. It was 10 minutes in the kitchen and a 2 napkin dinner. Yum!

So, I was at Borders the other day (at The Block), and for $4 picked up this "Comfort Food" cookbook. Since I just cooked a ham the other day and need to find ways to use it all, I made their "Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake" recipe. I added a little flair of my own (shallots, sage, nutmeg), but here's the rundown:

Cook 1 chopped onion in 1tbsp oil til soft (I shorted the onion and added half a shallot)
Add chopped ham (they said 10oz, I have no idea how much I used >:) ) and cook for a couple extra minutes.
Add in 2 1/2 c of cream (I only had 1c cream so I used cream and milk, which was fine and probably cuts some fat)
Add in thawed frozen peas (I used maybe 1/3 of the bag which was less than the recipe but plenty of peas)
Cook, stirring, for another couple of minutes till it's thickened and a little bubbly. Season to taste (in my case: nutmeg, a dash of sage, white pepper, and a little garlic salt).

Pour the sauce over 12 oz of cooked pasta (I used farfalle, recipe was shells), and stir it all together. You're supposed to add some fresh basil leaves at this point, but I didn't have any so I used a dash of the dried stuff in the seasoning stage.

Mix in 1.5 cups of shredded cheese (they used mature cheddar, I used a combo of cheddar and mozzarella), and put it into a greased (2.5 qt) casserole dish. Spread another 1/2 cup of cheese on the top and cook in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes until cheese gets a little golden looking.

As of right now, I've tasted this at the scoop it into a casserole stage, and it was amazing, so I'm looking forward to the final result!

OMG, even your cucumber and tomato side looks amazing!

Persian cukes and campari tomato. Yummy, too

I just printed your recipe, goonie....

In retrospect, if you just eat it after mixing in the cheese, that was probably when it tasted its utmost best. The baking stage was unnecessary.

My friend texted me tonight saying she had a "need" for steak and martinis. Twist my arm a little more please! New York with Peppercorn sauce, fantastic mashed potatoes and a beet salad with arugula, sweet toasted hazelnuts and bleu cheese. I think I died and went to heaven tonight - and in heaven it's ok to be fat because you can't have a heart attack when you're dead!!!

How were the martinis?

Ask Chris. But the fuzzy water was sublime!

Oh my, that dinner sounds amazing, NA!

Chili and Garlic Bread

Grilled cheese sandwich and sliced tomato.

Leftovers. Either the pasta or a ham sandwich. Not sure which yet.

I realized it's very difficult to just "throw something together" without Parmesan cheese in the house.

Sausage, Pepper and Rice Bake...but the best part is after....















Cookies & Cream Cake!

Tri-Tip, Chard, Asparagus. Simple and delicious.

I need to learn good ways to cook more veggies. I'd have no idea what to do with chard.

Baked Herb Chicken Breast, Bourbon Beans and Carrots. Oh and some more Cookies & Cream cake for dessert.

Nutmeg Gnocchi with hazelnuts, spinach, caramelized onions and parm.

Hamburger Noodle Bake and more Cookies & Cream Cake for dessert (will we ever finish it?)

MMMMMMMexican MMMMMMMMMMonday!

Seder.

Snack night.....Taquitos with Homemade Guacamole/Salsa and Boneless Chicken Wings with Ranch.

Taco Tuesdays!




And Lost!

Attachment 1374

Refrigerator soup. A little of this and a little of that and it was delicious. I only lacked some nice crusty baguette to go with it.

Fried chicken and potato wedges (from the deli counter), with a side of apple sauce, and a hawaiian roll.

But more importantly, dessert: Strawberry shortcake!

Chopped strawberries, and a handful of blueberries, with a teaspoon of honey and a splash of lemon juice, served on top of pre-made shortcake with whipped cream.

The only thing I would change is the shortcake. I went with the cheap market brand, and it tasted too much like Twinkies for my taste. Would've been better if I'd used the Bisquick shortcake recipe to make my own from scratch. Oh man, it would've been heaven then!

Garlic herb chicken, cucumber & tomato salad, boiled potatoes with green onions and butter, and a side of bowtie pasta with a little olive oil & salt.

Something with cheese, probably macaroni.

Fish and Chips. And an Irish beer whose name I can't recall.

Must've been a great beer.

Steak (Seasoned beef steak strips from Costco, already cooked!)
Stuffed Baked Potatoes (Omaha Steaks)
Green beans (fresh, sauteed in butter, garlic, and lemon juice)

My honey just made two large frying pans full of chicken fried rice. Good thing we have some room in the freezer!

Leftovers

Pan fried herbed chicken tenders, white rice, ginger glazed carrots.

I don't know yet. It's getting late.

Ok, I didn't resort to drive thru. Hooray! Lemon Pappardelle with Arugula, toasted pine nuts, parm in a fresh lemon juice/olive oil dressing.

I finally have something good to post. Grilled lobster with roasted garlic.

Oggi's Pizza

I was tired of mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey and gravy so I put the turkey together with bacon and a cheese based sauce and Voila- Turkey and bacon radiatorre! I forgot the peas though.

We had grilled pork chops last night that rocked!

I'm going to make Pancetta=wrapped Scallops if the scallops thaw out in time.

I had way too much burger at Fatburger. But I earned it.

Chicken patties with provolone melted on top and mashed potatoes, mine with butter and boys with more turkey gravy, with a fresh mango.

Speed Burger at BFD. Because I had a rotten day and nothing says nursing your wounds like a gob of melted cheese, bacon, and tasty fries.

Oh, you got the scallops-night memo too?

We've been having fun going through some of the quick-recipe cookbooks, CP made a nice find. Scallops over pasta with a fancy french sauce with a fancy french name. Substituting whipping cream with 2% milk + a little butter probably won't get me any culinary awards, but I made due.

We've kinda taken to tandem cooking. CP usually starts and gets as much done before Theo decides she's done, then I take over and try to guess what she was doing. It's like a Top Chef challenge, it's fun.

I bought a copy of the Trader Joes Cookook and have been using it for inspiration. I don't follow recipes too well but it gives me a good jumping off point for making up shyt. It also, more importantly, gives me a shopping list which is the thing that always trips me up with cooking. I don't have the ingredients and can't figure out what to make with what we have, so we go out.

Whoa! Trader Joe's has a cookbook? I presume it's on sale in the store? It's been a month since I've been in TJs and do not recall seeing it.

No, it's not on sale at the store because it is not "their" publication. Another enterprising and brilliant person took on the task and it is wonderful!

I have the Portable version so I can take it with me to the store. There is also a larger, hardcover version that I don't have....yet.

Clams Casino, White Rice, Steamed Zucchini with Parmesan, Green Salad, Crescent Rolls

Beef, buttered green beans, and boiled red potatoes with butter, green onions and garlic.

Needed salt.

Attachment 1382

Warm orzo salad with green beans and a meyer lemon vinagrette, sauted b-sprouts with pancetta, garlic and red chili flakes and tomatoes.

Was good!

Bacon and shredded provolone pizza. No room for pepperoni.

Baked polenta covered with puttanesca sauce with a sprinkling of gorgonzola served with herb bread stuffed and baked with roasted red pepper and artichoke bruschetta.

Oh wow, I love puttanesca. My mouth is watering NA, pictures next time, please, sounds divine.

last night was large tilapia fillets with home made lemon pepper garlic butter and a touch of dill. lightly saute'd in evoo and served over a bed of white rice dusted with a hearty cajun style spice blend.

absolute heaven

Dinner was amazing. Had G come down so I knew I could do some veg - and as luck would have it, I had two of those FREAKING AMAZING looking artichokes that are in the store right now, in my fridge.

So dinner was steamed artichokes, with garlic curry mayo - and G introduced a little variation that worked out amazingly well. She wanted a little vinegar to thin the mayo (apparently this was inspired by Tom's cooking), and she selected my peach white balsamic vinegar. HOLY cr@p what the peach/balsamic flavor brought to the party in the mayo! (Sadly, the company that makes the peach balsamic has never sold it on their website)

Oh, that was just the appetizer, btw.

Then we had bratwurst and onions, and a side of potatoes au gratin.

Dessert was strawberry shortcake (shortcake from the Bisquick recipe, strawberries flavored with honey, lemon juice and some fresh mint from my garden, and topped with whipped cream)

Fvck dinner.

Dessert: Easy S'more Souffle. In a ramekin put a layer of crumbled graham cracker, a layer of marshmallow, a layer of refrigerated chocolate ganache*, an un-crumbled piece of graham cracker with a whole marshmallow on top. Bake @275 for 5 minutes, increase heat to 350 and bake for another 3-5 minutes until top marshmallow is browned. Carefully remove from oven, use the back of a spoon to squish the marshmallow into a round top to cover.

Eat faster than you can take a photograph.


* Thank you Alton Brown

:snap:, GD, sir.

It turns out there is, in fact, not enough leftover beef stroganoff for two. Dinner has just transformed itself into potstickers from the freezer and a head of romaine + bleu cheese + craisins + almonds + Dijon vinaigrette.

Dinner tonight is at my step-grandmother's house. Which reminds me... better pack a beverage. (Otherwise the choices are wine or water)

What kind of wine?

I dunno, it was some kind of red. I had some of it then gave the rest back to Dad and opened my grape soda. Klassy with a capital K.

I could use a martini right about now.

It's probably the wrong thread, but the martini references at the start of the page got me going on it.

Bleu cheese-stuffed olives, please!

I had Lucky Charms for dinner at 9:30 last night. I just didn't feel like eating earlier and then had to eat the kids cereal after he went to bed. Of course he got up and caught me :blush:

Ribs.

Did a rub last night (salt, pepper, chili powder, ground cayenne, cumin, thyme, savory, garlic powder, orange peel. Probably something else).

Then today CP sauteed some onion with prosciutto we had left over from another recipe. Added cider vinegar and white wine, reduced it. Mixed in a bottle of bbq sauce. Poured it all over the beef ribs in a deep roasting pan, 250 oven for ~4 hours to braise.

Soooo good. If we'd change anything, nix the bottled bbq sauce, replace with just some tomatoes and sugar and maybe extra vinegar. The flavor in the bbq sauce kinda fought with the rub. It was still delicious, but would have been better if the rub had been able to do its job.

Artichoke. With garlic curry mayo. Sadly, we weren't paying attention and the pot ran out of water, so the artichoke was partially steamed and partly *ahem* smoked ;) Still good though.

Lots of cake. I'm going to a dessert party.

I made lemon pepper & bleu cheese chicken, served it on white rice. Rose and I devoured it.

Popcorn. It's what I usually eat when Olivia's at her dad's.

Maybe some udon later, when I realize that the popcorn didn't really fill me up for the evening.

Not dinner, but this weekend we will be in Santa Ynez for my Sister's 50th birthday. I am planning on having aebelskivers for breakfast Sunday morning in Solvang.

Spaghetti - using a garden vegetable marinara (trying to improve the hubby's diet)
and baguette with butter.

Simple, but tasty.

Here's what Rose and I had for dinner - the pictorial version-

We ate at Pink's on CityWalk - I had a burger

2 beef patties, American cheese, grilled onions, and 3 strips of bacon.

Rose had a Spicy Chicago Dog...


After that, a quick dessert at Yogurtland


Rose's


Mine...

:)

You went.... to Pink's... and got... a burger?

Tonght we shall dine on homeade carnitas burritos.

Bill found mint It's-Its at the store today. We had some for dessert.

We had Pizza Hut and Golden Spoon

Pick Up Stix

Johnny Reb's

Last night was arroz con pollo....y chorrizo.

It was going to be just con pollo, but the chorrizo jumped into the shopping basket. And I'm glad it did, it was freaking delicious (and the leftovers are awaiting me for lunch).

chorrizo? ew....who eats THAT stuff?


;)

Thought of you last night! :D

Meatloaf

Me, last Sunday, as part of an omelet. And hopefully again this weekend.

Lucille's Smokehouse beef ribs. With a side of mac & cheese and their new sweet potato fries*

(*-which are spiced up and less sweet but my husband actually ate like 8 of them!)

Cold pizza and warm coke while bathed in the sterile glow of florescent lights.

Or does the fact that it's after midnight technically make this "What's for breakfast"?

Chocolate Hostess Donettes and cold milk

Brussel Sprout kabobs with garlic butter.

Grilled corn on the cob in paprika butter sauce

Grilled halibut steaks.

Grilled Lobster tails.

*ding* *ding* *ding*

We have a winner!

Yum!

Manicotti, seizure salad, and brownies for dessert

Did you serve the seizure salad with chopped tongue?

No; croutons

Creamy chicken and rice popovers.

I cooked for 4, but there's only 2 of us. Oh well - they're YUMMY!

Fish tacos

Popcorn.

We went to the in-laws' and had BBQ pork ribs, roasted potato wedges, and cole slaw.

Mac and cheese, only instead of mac, it's farfalle, and in addition to cheese sauce I have ham, fresh rosemary, and chopped garlic.

I made chicken fried steak and biscuits. I really want another piece of steak for dessert!

Pork tenderloins, red potatos, ginger carrots, and red cabbage slaw.

We went out for Izakaya tonight at Musha. Fantastic meal!!!!

Those look delicious! Is there a recipe?

I'm already SO looking forward to it, dinner at Cordon Bleu. No, not some spiffy high end restaurant, it's a real hole in the wall Vietnamese place. Best Imperial Rolls and a noodle salad is in my future. YUM.....grumbly tummy right now just thinking about it.

They should call it "Cord-On Blew" - no particular meaning to that name; just a stereotypical Asian butchering of a classic name.