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Jeez, DQ. I was already pissed off about that WH malcompetance, but now I'm boiling again. I wish you any luck needed, plus all the grace and serenity to navigate this unnecessary spiteful bullpucky.
Also, very glad to hear you dad is recovering well.
I'm feeling a bit ambitious, so I'm tentatively planning on making lasagna for tomorrow. I picked up Italian sausage and fresh whole milk mozzarella on sale today, I'd grabbed ricotta and a nice fresh French loaf (for garlic bread) on Monday, and I already had everything else. I also need to make a dessert for Dad, leaning toward peach cobbler or pineapple upside-down cake.
I was running around Monday afternoon making a pet run and getting groceries, and it was closing on 4PM when I finally got home. So lasagna got postponed yet again until Tuesday, and since the weather was cool, I warmed up a jar of chicken noodle soup and made grilled cheese sandwiches with it. The soup is already well seasoned, but I added 4 oz of chicken stock, 1-1/2 oz of egg noodles, and a 4-1/2 oz can of chicken breast; Dad prefers his soup with plenty of noodles and chicken, and there's now enough left over he can warm it up for lunch Wednesday or Thursday.
Today (Tuesday) was finally lasagna night, and it went even better than I expected. Dad complimented it after the first two bites, so YAY! I'm definitely using fresh whole milk mozzarella from now on; the difference over the regular skim mozzarella and even non-fresh whole milk mozzarella is very noticeable. It takes a bit longer to cook the onions down past translucent until they're caramelizing (with no extra sugar or baking powder used), but it is a definite improvement in flavor. And instead of making one giant baking dish lasagna, I instead assembled them in three deep bread loaf pans. It's basically the same amount of work to make lasagna regardless of size. But this way, the two of us went through half a small lasagna tonight, we'll finish the other half tomorrow, and I still have two more prepped in the freezer for future dinners: just put them in the fridge the night before to thaw, remove the plastic wrap, recover with foil, and stick them in the oven to bake.
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Thanks Amby.
I *love* the loaf pan lasagna thing. I'll make lasagna for myself that way--is good for a few servings without too many leftovers.
Banger-egg-potato casserole turned out really well. Added some thawed, drained frozen spinach and chopped scallions for some extra nutrition.
Tonight was just a 2 1/2 lb butt pork roast slow-braised with chunks of russet potatoes cooking in the onion-herb au jus, leftover cream corn, and applesauce. Enough for leftovers tomorrow.
I stopped going to my former favorite eating spot this week. It's a bar and grill about 3 minutes from home, with some really good specials most days. But a week ago last Tuesday I walked in for lunch about 3:30. Two tables with folks eating. No wait staff. So I sat myself down, as I usually do -- I was told I should do that years ago -- and waited. Fifteen minutes of nobody checking the room, I got up and went home. Then this Tuesday I walked in, there was a guy I didn't know at the door, told me to sit anywhere - I took my usual spot. New waitress (at least, I didn't know her) comes out, says "no specials for you - it's almost four o'clock". This was annoying; I said so. Mentioned last Tuesday's disappointment. She gave me a lecture about "don't seat yourself, wait for someone to seat you". Then she said "I'll give you time to look at the menu", and headed for the kitchen. A couple of steps from the table she said "We don't need your business here anyway". So I got up, went home, and did something I've never done before: posted an adverse review on their facebook page. To Hell with 'em; there are other places to eat.
Huh. I guess I'm still a little steamed. OTOH my good friend Donnie reminded me that he and The Lovely Susan quit going to the place two years ago. So maybe I'm just a little slow to catch on. Anyway, had lunch at Tom Wahl's (local pretty decent burger joint) today. :-)
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In honour of our recent West African trip and my parents visiting, I made pepper soup with Fufu tonight. I did a reasonable job despite never making either dish before, even if I do say so myself, though my wife did have to intervene at one point to prevent Watery Fufu Shame.
What the heck is fufu?
I stopped going to my former favorite eating spot this week. It's a bar and grill about 3 minutes from home, with some really good specials most days. But a week ago last Tuesday I walked in for lunch about 3:30. Two tables with folks eating. No wait staff. So I sat myself down, as I usually do -- I was told I should do that years ago -- and waited. Fifteen minutes of nobody checking the room, I got up and went home. Then this Tuesday I walked in, there was a guy I didn't know at the door, told me to sit anywhere - I took my usual spot. New waitress (at least, I didn't know her) comes out, says "no specials for you - it's almost four o'clock". This was annoying; I said so. Mentioned last Tuesday's disappointment. She gave me a lecture about "don't seat yourself, wait for someone to seat you". Then she said "I'll give you time to look at the menu", and headed for the kitchen. A couple of steps from the table she said "We don't need your business here anyway". So I got up, went home, and did something I've never done before: posted an adverse review on their facebook page. To Hell with 'em; there are other places to eat.
It's always heartbreaking when a neighborhood favorite goes downhill, especially due to a change in management or incompetent management. Good for you for leaving, and absolutely give the feedback on the reviews. Even if their policy is to stop serving specials at a certain time, that should (a) be posted, and (b) the waitress should have been trained to share that in a way that isn't surly. (If you are to wait to be seated, there should also be a sign that says so, especially if it's a recent change in policy.) I am well aware wait staff have to put up with some of THE most obnoxious behavior in the universe. But antagonizing a patron who isn't being obnoxious is just ensuring only the obnoxious people stay. Moreover, when you go to a restaurant, you are paying for hospitality, not just food. It's not unreasonable to expect to be spoken to with civility in a service business.
While we're ranting, I really used to like a newer place near me that was to anchor a new development in the neighborhood. Was a franchise/new location of a popular place in another nearby city. It started strong. Good location, good food overall with an amazing brunch. Servers and bartenders were friendly and prompt. A manager frequently stopped by tables to be sure everything was okay. It attracted both neighborhood folks and folks who came from further afield to check it out. It was a little pricey (the nearby city has a higher cost of living), but you did get what you paid for. I didn't go super often because of the prices, but I did go maybe once a month or so. I'd say for the first year it was doing well--it was great, and doing tons of business.
Then one day, I went and waited something like 30 minutes for my food (it was not a dish that would take that long to prepare) and was told the kitchen had "lost my order." The same visit, I waited another 20 minutes for my check. Okay, bad day, these things happen. Then the next time I went, waited 45 minutes for the check. (Note: a good restaurant will always try to bring you the check ASAP because they want to clear your spot for more patrons.) Then the next time they gave me the wrong order. Then they switched to this obnoxious system where they stopped giving you a menu and wanted you to scan a QR code to order online, so you weren't even talking to a server. This only made things worse on several levels--the site took ages to load just to get the menu, let alone order, and then however it worked seemed to result in people mixing up orders all the time (I would guess that because the servers didn't take the order, they struggled with learning which table was which). I think they switched to that system because they didn't want to pay as many servers, and I also noticed at that point staff turnover was high--early on I almost always recognized the staff; later, always new folks I'd never seen before. So this suggests bad pay and bad management. You never, ever saw a manager checking on tables at this point. After the last time, where I waited 30 minutes for just my *drink* (I was sitting at the bar) and then they mixed up my order again, I stopped going.
They closed a month or two after my last visit. The local paper interviewed not patrons but the manager of the restaurant to find out why it was closing, who said the location wasn't meeting their expectations and "wasn't in a diverse enough area." Our neighborhood according to census data is one of the most diverse in the city about, IIRC, 40% Black, 30% white, 20% Asian, and 10% Latino and native American/indigenous (and the area the original restaurant is located in is much whiter). People of all ages and backgrounds were going there when it was good. So I don't even know what she was going on about, but I assume this was the same manager who was responsible for all the wrong orders and bad service and never actually being present in the restaurant. It infuriates me she got the last word on why it closed and she pulled that nonsense out of her rear end.
Anyway, it was one less thing to spend money on. Working more on making either quick meals or good leftovers to eat out less. Made a steak dinner last night as a treat. Had a ribeye in the freezer (sadly current budget will not allow a replacement). Pan seared it and served with a radish, tomato, and scallion salad and mushroom tortellini that I needed to use before it went bad. I overcooked the steak by accident but fortunately cooking method (frequent flipping) and pan sauce saved it, was still pretty tasty and tender.
What the heck is fufu?
He linked an explanation in his post.
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So awhile ago I accidentally bought too many carrots, and recently despite trying to use them, I found I still had too many carrots and they were getting old. And I also recently made some homemade chicken stock (which used some but not enough of the carrots).
So tonight I sauteed onion, celery, a parsnip (also needed to be used up), and about 3/4 lb of carrots to get them wilted, then added tomato paste, ginger, garlic, and curry powder and stirred for about 20 seconds. Then added about a quart or so of the chicken stock and simmered until the veggies were soft. Partially pureed with an immersion blender, finished with a little more fresh ginger and black pepper, and served with a little yogurt as a garnish. Super easy, inexpensive, yummy as heck.
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Second attempt at making meatloaf on Sunday, and it worked a darn sight better than the first time, thanks to thoroughly pre-heating the baking tin. Crushed matzos worked well as a binder.
I accompanied it with mashed potatoes, green peas, and gravy
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So awhile ago I accidentally bought too many carrots, and recently despite trying to use them, I found I still had too many carrots and they were getting old. And I also recently made some homemade chicken stock (which used some but not enough of the carrots).
They seem to freeze up ok, if that's an option. Also, carrot cake?
Mom used to make bran muffins using the recipe on the box of all bran cereal. I made a variation once where I also used bananas (& honey) in the bran muffins. So, would carrot bran muffins work?
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Last night's dinner was just tacos, nothing fancy.
Tonight was NY strip steaks, baked russets, "antioxidant mix" (carrots, broccoli, red bell pepper) sauced veg, and brown & serve rolls. This time I blade-tenderized the steaks, dry-brined them for an hour in unami mushroom seasoning, and then reverse-seared them. As the steaks were finishing up searing in the pan, I made a simple butter sauce with some more of the mushroom seasoning. Steak was very tasty, would make it again this way. Dad's verdict was "tastes good, but a little tough"... which yeah, that's what happens when you have to have it well done. I prefer to cook it just medium, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Tomorrow will probably be leftovers, Dad has half his steak still, and I can eat leftover taco.
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So awhile ago I accidentally bought too many carrots, and recently despite trying to use them, I found I still had too many carrots and they were getting old. And I also recently made some homemade chicken stock (which used some but not enough of the carrots).They seem to freeze up ok, if that's an option. Also, carrot cake?
I need to make room in my freezer first. :)
Mom used to make bran muffins using the recipe on the box of all bran cereal. I made a variation once where I also used bananas (& honey) in the bran muffins. So, would carrot bran muffins work?
I like the idea of carrot muffins. I don't want a whole cake to eat for myself but muffins would also freeze and be good for an easy breakfast.
Cake or muffins didn't originally occur to me because I'm so used to nixing eating carrot cake elsewhere because it's always made with walnuts--to which I am potentially deadly allergic. (Which is to say, I have not gone fully into anaphylaxis before, but I've had the warning signs of swelling tongue and itchy lips.) But of course, silly me, if I make it myself, I don't have to add walnuts. So I might look into that if I have the problem again. Thanks for the idea!
Second attempt at making meatloaf on Sunday, and it worked a darn sight better than the first time, thanks to thoroughly pre-heating the baking tin. Crushed matzos worked well as a binder.
Interesting. What does preheating the baking pan do?
If you're oiling or greasing it, it heats that up, effectively searing the surface of whatever you add on top of the fat, and also seems to help make sure it's cooked through. Similar to how you might get a frying pan hot on the stove before doing anything else with it.
In a coincidence, just yesterday I found chef Brian Lagerstrom's 4-year old recipe for 1 hour pizza. He came up with an ingenious method for rolling out the pizza dough between two sheets of oiled parchment and baking it on the bottom parchment that seems to be really convenient and much less messy. I need to try it for the next pizza we have.
Tonight will be some form of Cajun-seasoned chicken in pasta. I grabbed a 12 oz package of precooked seasoned chicken strips a month back that were marked way down for being five days from their "best before" date, and immediately froze them when I got them home. Don't know yet what I'm making for the side, and I probably need to bake another dessert for Dad.
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Made Mbakbaka for dinner today (basically, slow-cooked meat in a mildly spicy tomato sauce, with pasta added in the final stages). Worked well, even if I do say so myself.
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Last day of work is Monday. Have some job applications in but haven't heard anything yet. After the rush both to prep applications and professional credentials and to generally do stuff to wrap up work and take care of things, taking a short break before diving back in to more job applications.
While I am relatively speaking financially stable for the moment, I nonetheless am trying to live more frugally. Soo.... with more time on my hands, now's the time to try some new recipes, albeit with lower cost ingredients. Looking at rice and beans type of stuff and other good pantry-ingredient concoctions. So if anyone has anything to recommend, send it my way.
Meanwhile, my dad bought a chuck and asked me if I'd make him pot roast when I came over to visit him, so that'll be what's on the menu today.
In honour of our recent West African trip and my parents visiting, I made pepper soup with Fufu tonight. I did a reasonable job despite never making either dish before, even if I do say so myself, though my wife did have to intervene at one point to prevent Watery Fufu Shame.
haven't had that in years.
DQ, pm sent.
Huh. Two syllables, two syllables, one syllables.
DQ, pm sent out.
That's better.
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Message received and replied to, Freehold. :)
Pot roast turned out well. Dad really liked it. Braising liquid was Guinness, a little chicken broth (didn't have beef), a spoonful of maple syrup (to counterbalance the bitterness in the ale), and Worcestershire sauce. Finished it at the end with a beurre meuniere (flour and butter mixed together) and a little half and half to make it a little thicker and richer.
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Still mostly making the greatest hits on the menu. A couple weeks month back, I engineered a homemade sloppy joes recipe. It was well seasoned with plenty of umami and it was very satisfying like good comfort food should be. Dad ate it without complaint, but I could tell he didn't love it because I seriously cut back on the brown sugar over what he was used to compared to a can of Manwich. Oh well, lesson learned.
I've got my caffeine and added sugar consumption down to just one 8 oz cup of coffee in the morning, and that's it. That's likely why Manwich tastes too sweet to me. I still get tempted once or twice a week to eat one of the little fun-size chocolate candies that I buy for Dad to snack on, but now it tastes sickeningly sweet to me, so I can mostly avoid it.
Tonight, I finally made "marry me" chicken and stuck moderately close to the recipe as written. I did make the following changes:
- * I dissolved 1/2 tsp of Better than Bouillon roasted garlic base into the chicken stock.
- * After seasoning the chicken with salt & pepper, I lightly dredged it in (all-purpose) flour before browning, hoping that some of that coating would get a bit crispy and the excess would thicken the cream sauce.
- * Instead of four boneless skinless chicken breasts, I used only one, cutting it lengthwise into two thinner cutlets, then across the width to give four breast pieces. For the rest of the chicken, I instead used bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (for me).
- * In addition to the sun-dried tomatoes, I also added 1/3 cup of chopped fire-roasted jarred red bell peppers.
- * I reduced the red pepper flakes to just 1/8 tsp.
- * I baked just the thighs in the sauce in the oven for 10 minutes, removed the pan, nestled in the breast pieces, and then returned it to oven for another 11 minutes.
We'll have this as leftovers for tomorrow's dinner. I'm hoping to also make either peach cobbler or pineapple-upside down cake. I'll just keep my own portions small so I'm not overwhelmed by the sugar.
Last night's dinner was just cheeseburgers and potato chips.
Earlier today, I started a 2-1/2 lb pork butt roast going in the slow cooker. I'm out of russet potatoes to cook around it or make into mashed, and I'm avoiding the markets until after Memorial Day. But I've got a can of candied sweet potatoes that I can heat up instead. Not sure what else to make with it though. Dinner will be nothing fancy or novel, but it's straightforward simple requiring a mere handful of my braincells to make.
I never got it together enough to make a dessert on Thursday, and it ain't happening today either.
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Today's dinner was a fairly straightforward fish pie, though there was no pastry involved (it was topped with mashed potato and cheese). The recipe called for spring onions and chives in the white sauce; the little lad doesn't like bits in his food, and there were still some left even after I blended it, but I told him it was a 'herby sauce' before I served up and he ate the whole thing without issues, thankfully.
Last night's dinner was just cheeseburgers and potato chips.
Earlier today, I started a 2-1/2 lb pork butt roast going in the slow cooker. I'm out of russet potatoes to cook around it or make into mashed, and I'm avoiding the markets until after Memorial Day. But I've got a can of candied sweet potatoes that I can heat up instead. Not sure what else to make with it though.
It is probably too late to properly suggest anything, but applesauce to go with the pork?
I got some nice veggies from the farmer's market yesterday... asparagus, squash, radishes. Think I'll stir fry at least some of them with some tofu.
It is probably too late to properly suggest anything, but applesauce to go with the pork?
I learned quickly to always keep applesauce on hand for Dad. Often, two sides with a meal is too much for him, so a ready jar of applesauce in the fridge is his go to "plus 1" for meals. I stock up on the affordable 24 oz jars from Aldi, and he will usually finish off the entire jar by himself before it starts to turn. There's no preservatives in Aldi's applesauce brand, unlike most of the big name brands, so once it's opened you need to use it steady before it ferments (even while kept in the fridge).
I got some nice veggies from the farmer's market yesterday... asparagus, squash, radishes. Think I'll stir fry at least some of them with some tofu.
That sounds tasty, though I've never developed a taste for tofu. Still, I bet your stir fry would be good over brown rice, mmmm.
I survived grocery shopping yesterday, and I didn't harm anyone else in the stores or on the roads either, so that counts as a win. I hulled & sliced up a fresh pint of strawberries this morning to macerate in the fridge, and I've got yellow spongecake to go with it. I'm planning on cheddar hot dogs and french fries for dinner tonight.
I picked up a 1 lb can of crabmeat a few weeks back, and I've had 1 lb bag of raw deveined shelled 41-50 frozen shrimp, so I'm thinking of a simple seafood salad for my lunches (Dad still won't eat "bait", aka crabs or shrimp). I already had celery, vidalia onions, and a just opened tin of Old Bay seasoning. Both markets had iffy looking chives, but I got a big fresh bundle of cilantro for only 99¢, and I can mix in some other dried herbs that should semi-hydrate in the salad. I may throw in a bit of diced tomatoes and red bell pepper too. A video from ATK about cooking shrimp popped up on my feed yesterday, so I'll likely try that to poach them instead of baking them.
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It is probably too late to properly suggest anything, but applesauce to go with the pork?I learned quickly to always keep applesauce on hand for Dad. Often, two sides with a meal is too much for him, so a ready jar of applesauce in the fridge is his go to "plus 1" for meals. I stock up on the affordable 24 oz jars from Aldi, and he will usually finish off the entire jar by himself before it starts to turn. There's no preservatives in Aldi's applesauce brand, unlike most of the big name brands, so once it's opened you need to use it steady before it ferments (even while kept in the fridge).
I got some nice veggies from the farmer's market yesterday... asparagus, squash, radishes. Think I'll stir fry at least some of them with some tofu.That sounds tasty, though I've never developed a taste for tofu. Still, I bet your stir fry would be good over brown rice
I did a batch of stir-fried tofu, veg and noodles for my lunch this week, and coated the tofu in seasoned ('Chinese' salt & pepper mix, universal seasoning, garlic/onion powder, chili powder, black sesame seeds) cornflour before frying. That worked well.
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It is probably too late to properly suggest anything, but applesauce to go with the pork?I learned quickly to always keep applesauce on hand for Dad. Often, two sides with a meal is too much for him, so a ready jar of applesauce in the fridge is his go to "plus 1" for meals. I stock up on the affordable 24 oz jars from Aldi, and he will usually finish off the entire jar by himself before it starts to turn. There's no preservatives in Aldi's applesauce brand, unlike most of the big name brands, so once it's opened you need to use it steady before it ferments (even while kept in the fridge).
While we are discussing old men and applesauce, my dad keeps individual serving size applesauce cups to take his pills with. He finds it much easier to stir them into the applesauce and swallow than just take with liquid. He does use the preservativey kind though (he loves Mott's apple-mango). I keep Trader Joe's around for snacks. I wish an Aldi was closer to me. There is a new Lidl not too far away but I keep forgetting about it since it's not in my typical route of travel.
I got some nice veggies from the farmer's market yesterday... asparagus, squash, radishes. Think I'll stir fry at least some of them with some tofu.That sounds tasty, though I've never developed a taste for tofu. Still, I bet your stir fry would be good over brown rice, mmmm.
It turned out okay but got a little too liquidy. Still tasty though. Probably will have leftovers tonight. Would it be weird to "jacket potato" it, i.e., serve it over a baked potato?
Tofu depends tremendously on preparation and seasonings. By itself, I find it inoffensive, but it is more or less paste-flavored protein. The "correct" way to prep tofu is slice it and put it between piles of plates and paper towels to press out the moisture. It will then saute pretty well and, cooked with a good sauce, will taste pretty good. I almost never remember to do this. I have found instead patting it as dry as possible and then slicing it into 1 inch by 1 inch sticks and tossing in soy sauce and seasonings and then baking at 400 for about a half an hour gives them a nice flavor and texture--they will crisp on the outside a bit but not be too rubbery on the in. (Limeylongears' seasoning combo above sounds great.)
BUT: as I learned the other day, do not do this in the toaster oven. Needs to be in full on oven or not enough liquid will evaporate and it will stay mushy.
The other amazing miracle way to eat tofu is buy silken tofu (the super soft, slippery kind) and then blend it together with melted chocolate (alternatively, mix together some cocoa powder, oil, and syrup or honey). It makes the most amazing chocolate pudding and you'd have no idea it's tofu.
(Dad still won't eat "bait", aka crabs or shrimp).
*Baltimorean begins looking for torch and pitchfork*
a just opened tin of Old Bay seasoning.
Fine, you both may live.
(A million winky faces and j/ks of course.)
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While we are discussing old men and applesauce, my dad keeps individual serving size applesauce cups to take his pills with. He finds it much easier to stir them into the applesauce and swallow than just take with liquid. He does use the preservativey kind though (he loves Mott's apple-mango). I keep Trader Joe's around for snacks. I wish an Aldi was closer to me. There is a new Lidl not too far away but I keep forgetting about it since it's not in my typical route of travel.
I've got the opposite problem with Trader Joe's. The closest one to me is a 30-40 minute drive through in-town traffic and it's located in a mall that's a pain to get in and out of.
We have enough Aldi's around, and we've been getting a lot more. They bought up Southeastern Grocers -- which owns the Winn-Dixie, Harvey's, and Fresco y Más supermarkets -- in late 2023, and now they're methodically closing all the local Winn-Dixies here to convert half the space into more Aldi's. The one my mom shopped at since it opened, and then me when I inherited her shopping & cooking responsibilities, will be closing in the middle of August. I am definitely sad to see it go, both for its connection to my mom and because there's a bunch of stuff Aldi's just doesn't carry. We still have Publixes, but unless something is on sale, their prices are getting into the Whole Paycheck Foods range. I'm not keen on shopping at Target more than I have to, and I loathe Walmart.
And that's before all the hinky crap, like union-busting and conservative political donations, they all seem to use as standard operating procedures/"just business".
It turned out okay but got a little too liquidy. Still tasty though. Probably will have leftovers tonight. Would it be weird to "jacket potato" it, i.e., serve it over a baked potato?
Tofu depends tremendously on preparation and seasonings. By itself, I find it inoffensive, but it is more or less paste-flavored protein. The "correct" way to prep tofu is slice it and put it between piles of plates and paper towels to press out the moisture. It will then saute pretty well and, cooked with a good sauce, will taste pretty good. I almost never remember to do this. I...
Now I'm wondering if you could make a variant of twice-baked potatoes using tofu instead of potatoes.
(Dad still won't eat "bait", aka crabs or shrimp).*Baltimorean begins looking for torch and pitchfork*a just opened tin of Old Bay seasoning.Fine, you both may live.
(A million winky faces and j/ks of course.)
:)
If it hadn't been for Mom eating shrimp everytime we went out for dinner, I'd still likely have never tried it. As picky as Dad is, his brothers were all even more restrictive in their foods of choice.
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Thursday, we had spaghetti & meatballs and garlic toast. The meatballs and garlic toast were Aldi's frozen brand, the sauce was jarred, and I was still tired. At least I think I've finally managed to reduce the amounts I use so there was little left over.
Yesterday, I somehow got a half-dozen of frozen rolls rising early enough. I made a kit of frozen chipotle BBQ chicken as the main, and also steamed some corn on the (half-)cobs. I was disappointed in the chicken. In the 16 oz box, there was only 10 oz of actual chicken and a 6 oz packet of the sauce. Some of the chicken nuggets/tenders were more breading than minced chicken, and I found the sauce way too sweet. I thought it tasted fine and Dad seemed to enjoy it though (just a little chipotle spicy kick), so it still counts as a win. At least I got it on sale for BOGOF plus a $1 off coupon for 2. The other meal kit I got was their frozen grilled chicken verde, which we haven't tried yet.
For dinner tonight, I've already started not quite 2 lb of beef short ribs slow braising in a soy lemon marinate/sauce. Beef ribs are usually too expensive, but they were on sale for $6.99/lb (still ouch) plus I had a rare 20% off store coupon on them too. I also have a half dozen eggs cooling down from hard boiling just now that I'll turn into deviled eggs, and we still have half the rolls leftover from last night. I think I'll also make a small basic salad for dinner tonight too.
Tomorrow's dinner might be leftovers or something new, I haven't a clue yet. Monday will likely be a frozen pizza.
I wanted to make spinach with paneer today, but there was none to be had, so I thought to use Feta cheese (or 'Greek salad cheese', as Lidl call it) instead. It did not work as intended, as paneer doesn't melt, and Feta definitely does, but it tasted alright, and was incredibly filling, so the meal wasn't a complete disaster.
Was working on dinner tonight, and on a whim, I munched some raw cilantro... and it tasted a little soapy? I was always fine with eating cilantro (and coriander) and it never tasted soapy before. So, is it possible to develop an intolerance to cilantro, or is this a just psychosomatic reaction?
The beef ribs Saturday came out fine, but they cooked down more than I expected, even just braising on low. Next time, I should probably start with closer to 3 lbs to guarantee more leftovers. And I'll use orange juice or pineapple juice instead of lemon for the braising liquid.
Monday we did have a new variety of frozen stuffed crust pizza for dinner, but following the instructions on the box caused the top to get overdone.
For Tuesday night's dinner we had just frozen turkey pot pies and mini Cuban rolls from the supermarket bakery.
I finally got an early start on dinner tonight. The russet potatoes are peeled, cubed, and sitting in water ready to boil and mash/whip. We still have leftover rolls from last night, and I have a bag of frozen corn ready to steam. For the main, I assembled a small meatloaf with an oats "panade." Hopefully the chopped cilantro I put in it won't taste soapy. Other than that, I just need to make milk gravy/country gravy in the skillet for the potatoes.
Unless the meatloaf turn out terrible, we'll have leftovers tomorrow for dinner.
I finally got an early start on dinner tonight. The russet potatoes are peeled, cubed, and sitting in water ready to boil and mash/whip. We still have leftover rolls from last night, and I have a bag of frozen corn ready to steam. For the main, I assembled a small meatloaf with an oats "panade." Hopefully the chopped cilantro I put in it won't taste soapy. Other than that, I just need to make milk gravy/country gravy in the skillet for the potatoes.
Unless the meatloaf turn out terrible, we'll have leftovers tomorrow for dinner.
Meatloaf turned out great, so leftovers it is.
Was working on dinner tonight, and on a whim, I munched some raw cilantro... and it tasted a little soapy? I was always fine with eating cilantro (and coriander) and it never tasted soapy before. So, is it possible to develop an intolerance to cilantro, or is this a just psychosomatic reaction?
Interesting. When I ate cilantro by itself it tasted kind of like dirt. Not a fan. Cilantro mixed in with other stuff is good though.
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I made breakfast sandwiches for this fancy pants training I am going to.
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Re: cilantro: could have just been that bunch had a bit stronger flavor than most. Plus it tastes different eaten by itself versus in stuff. I had an internship many many moons ago at a place where we lived on site, and the chef put cilantro in everything. I noticed the soapyness only because of the quantity we were consuming. I don't always taste soapyness. Even though there's always talk of tasting it being genetic or not, I think it's more nuanced than that.
Speaking of cilantro and things...
Made sort of a lazy arroz con pollo, loosely based on this version from ATK/Cook's Country (which is sort of an ur-arroz con pollo rather than a specific version from a specific region). Bought a "grill pack" of chicken from Trader Joe's which was a reasonable price per pound (given it was organic) and used half of it, i.e., one breast and two drumsticks in the dish. Seared the chicken. Made a sofrito out of garlic, onion, cilantro, and cubanelle pepper. Sauted onion and half the sofrito and some tomato paste, then added medium grain rice to that mixture and got it all coated, and then stirred in some sazon (a spice blend of achiote, culantro, and MSG). Added chicken stock, rest of sofrito, and olives, and put chicken back into pan and simmered a half hour, then let sit 10 min to keep absorbing liquid. Was super flavorful and yummy.
I made breakfast sandwiches for this fancy pants training I am going to.
What'd you put in them? How did they turn out?
Speaking of cilantro and things...
Made sort of a lazy arroz con pollo, loosely based on this version from ATK/Cook's Country (which is sort of an ur-arroz con pollo rather than a specific version from a specific region). Bought a "grill pack" of chicken from Trader Joe's which was a reasonable price per pound (given it was organic) and used half of it, i.e., one breast and two drumsticks in the dish. Seared the chicken. Made a sofrito out of garlic, onion, cilantro, and cubanelle pepper. Sauted onion and half the sofrito and some tomato paste, then added medium grain rice to that mixture and got it all coated, and then stirred in some sazon (a spice blend of achiote, culantro, and MSG). Added chicken stock, rest of sofrito, and olives, and put chicken back into pan and simmered a half hour, then let sit 10 min to keep absorbing liquid. Was super flavorful and yummy.
Oh lordy, that sounds heavenly.
Today, I had a little more energy, so I got a ham steak defrosting, then did a small & a large batches of laundry washing. It's too early for Father's Day, but I had everything on hand so I assembled a deep dish cherry pie and started it baking. It's just premade crusts with premade cherries filling, and all I did was mix in 1-1/2 tsp of almond extract (because that's how Mom used to make it). Around 3PM, I'll start a pot of great northern beans and chopped up ham bubbling for Dad's dinner. I'll either fry up a frozen hamburger patty or make tuna salad for my own dinner. Somewhere in there, I'll throw the laundry in the dryer. I need to get dishes done too tonight, but it'll have to wait a bit.
Hope everyone has a good, or at least non-terrible weekend.
It was really good I have to say. Smells even better reheating.
For the northern beans and ham, dried beans or canned? Sounds tasty.
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I made breakfast sandwiches for this fancy pants training I am going to.What'd you put in them? How did they turn out?
Speaking of cilantro and things...
Made sort of a lazy arroz con pollo, loosely based on this version from ATK/Cook's Country (which is sort of an ur-arroz con pollo rather than a specific version from a specific region). Bought a "grill pack" of chicken from Trader Joe's which was a reasonable price per pound (given it was organic) and used half of it, i.e., one breast and two drumsticks in the dish. Seared the chicken. Made a sofrito out of garlic, onion, cilantro, and cubanelle pepper. Sauted onion and half the sofrito and some tomato paste, then added medium grain rice to that mixture and got it all coated, and then stirred in some sazon (a spice blend of achiote, culantro, and MSG). Added chicken stock, rest of sofrito, and olives, and put chicken back into pan and simmered a half hour, then let sit 10 min to keep absorbing liquid. Was super flavorful and yummy.
Oh lordy, that sounds heavenly.
Today, I had a little more energy, so I got a ham steak defrosting, then did a small & a large batches of laundry washing. It's too early for Father's Day, but I had everything on hand so I assembled a deep dish cherry pie and started it baking. It's just premade crusts with premade cherries filling, and all I did was mix in 1-1/2 tsp of almond extract (because that's how Mom used to make it). Around 3PM, I'll start a pot of great northern beans and chopped up ham bubbling for Dad's dinner. I'll either fry up a frozen hamburger patty or make tuna salad for my own dinner. Somewhere in there, I'll throw the laundry in the dryer. I need to get dishes done too tonight, but it'll have to wait a bit.
Hope everyone has a good, or at least non-terrible weekend.
Surprisingly good. Like VERY surprisingly good.
Lightly fried eggs(jammy in the middle), air fryer thicc bacon(the best kind), thicc slice of tomato, thicc slice of mozzarella, on toasted white bread.
Yummy.
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I did jollof and fried fish today, the stew for the jollof consisting of a base of fried onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic, to which was added tinned tomatoes, a couple of vegetable stock cubes, garlic/onion powder, universal seasoning, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and tomato puree, according to taste. I had to contend with the world's s$$~tiest blender when smoothing the whole thing before adding the rice, but it turned out alright in the end.
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Freehold, you made me hungry for an egg sandwich so I just had one for lunch. (Over easy egg (yes, I like a mess), chicken sausage, TJ's Unexpected Cheddar, fresh tomato, mayo mixed with chili garlic paste on hamburger bun).
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Freehold, you made me hungry for an egg sandwich so I just had one for lunch. (Over easy egg (yes, I like a mess), chicken sausage, TJ's Unexpected Cheddar, fresh tomato, mayo mixed with chili garlic paste on hamburger bun).
Noone EVER expects cheddar!!!!!!!
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Now I will forever have an image in my mind of Freehold busting through a door wearing both a Wisconsin Cheese hat and a red inquisition hat.
Freehold, you made me hungry for an egg sandwich so I just had one for lunch. (Over easy egg (yes, I like a mess), chicken sausage, TJ's Unexpected Cheddar, fresh tomato, mayo mixed with chili garlic paste on hamburger bun).Noone EVER expects cheddar!!!!!!!
I rather take Cheddar for granted, to my shame...
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DiBella's most excellent Tuna sub for lunch and dinner today. Bridge Tournament tomorrow, "free" food: it's Taco Friday! :-)
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Now I will forever have an image in my mind of Freehold busting through a door wearing both a Wisconsin Cheese hat and a red inquisition hat.
I'd watch that movie. Hell, at this point, it wouldn't surprise me if that's part of the MCU.
Now I will forever have an image in my mind of Freehold busting through a door wearing both a Wisconsin Cheese hat and a red inquisition hat.
I'd put better odds on The Unexpected Cheddar as quarterback than Aaron "Golden Flake" Rodgers.
I'd watch that movie. Hell, at this point, it wouldn't surprise me if that's part of the MCU.
Nah, he can be in a much needed sequel to The Mystery Men along with The Flaming Carrot.
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For the northern beans and ham, dried beans or canned? Sounds tasty.
The great northern beans are pretty thin-skinned, so I don't even need to presoak them. I just dump a cup of dried beans into a pot with 4 cups of water, a cup of low-sodium chicken stock, 4 oz of diced ham, a large diced yellow onion, and some kosher salt and black pepper. Lid it up and bring it to a boil, then drop it to a rapid simmer for 45 minutes, then stir thoroughly, and drop to a regular simmer. Check back every 35-45 minutes or so, stirring with every check, and adding a 1/3 to 1/2 cup of water or so as needed to replace from evaporation. The beans are typically done in 3 hours.
Lessee, Sunday night for dinner was baked Montreal-seasoning pork chops with Annie's boxed parmesan & butter spirals and some other side I'm forgetting.
Last night's dinner was cheddar bratwursts baked in the oven (grill is out of gas) with heated canned pork & beans and fried french fries.
Tonight was reheated supermarket deli fried chicken, a small basic salad, the leftover pork & beans, and Hawaiian rolls.
I have no idea what we're having tomorrow. We still have some leftover brats and Dad only ate half his giant chicken breast tonight, so maybe leftovers. If not leftovers, then beef some way.