| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Got the turkey breast braising in the oven (based on a Cook's Illustrated recipe). If I can get the mashed potatoes & gravy made, I'll consider it a victory. Pumpkin pie and stuffing will have to wait for another day.
So the brisket still turned out fatty. Good flavor to it, but there's fat that's not rendering out.
Brisket is one of the hardest cuts to deal with. Large sections of fat aren't going to render (any cut really). Some of the fat will of course, but big chunks will only be slightly smaller.
I generally avoid brisket, unless I'm getting a whole packer. Small sections can be pretty random. In general, brisket is graded lower (often I can only find select, hard to find prime/choice I find unless I go to specialty butchers).
If you're getting good flavor, and the brisket isn't tough, then you did a good job with it.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Got the turkey breast braising in the oven (based on a Cook's Illustrated recipe). If I can get the mashed potatoes & gravy made, I'll consider it a victory. Pumpkin pie and stuffing will have to wait for another day.
Braised turkey breast turned out pretty good. In addition to mashed & gravy, I picked up some good dinner rolls on sale, and I had time to chill a can of cranberry sauce.
I dunno. We've still got plenty of leftover turkey, and Dad volunteered he'll still eat it, so I guess tonight is Day 3 of Turkey & Fixings. 7-1/2 lb of turkey breast is too much for just two people.
--
Brokedown all the meat from yesterday's grocery shopping. Tenderized the 2 t-bones (didn't think they needed it, but Dad prefers it), Split up the smoked ham bones for his beans. Split the ground chuck up, and made it into 2 meatloaves, 6 salisbury steak patties, and 4 burger patties. It's all in the freezer now, and I can just pop out what I need for dinner on upcoming nights.
Dad's brother will be down here around the 15th to stay for several days. I have no idea what he'll want to eat or how he prefers it prepared. No pressure.
I dunno. We've still got plenty of leftover turkey, and Dad volunteered he'll still eat it, so I guess tonight is Day 3 of Turkey & Fixings. 7-1/2 lb of turkey breast is too much for just two people.
I was talking to someone significantly younger than me the other day who is just getting into cooking on their own. She's talking about learning how to roast a whole chicken or whatever, and I mentioned how when it was just me and my wife, it could be difficult to find something hearty to cook that wouldn't go bad before the two of us would get around to eating it all. I guess this person that I'm talking to was fine with having chicken for a week straight, or maybe freezing some of it, I guess. But freezing food falls into the "Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind" syndrome where I forget we even have it.
I dunno. We've still got plenty of leftover turkey, and Dad volunteered he'll still eat it, so I guess tonight is Day 3 of Turkey & Fixings. 7-1/2 lb of turkey breast is too much for just two people.I was talking to someone significantly younger than me the other day who is just getting into cooking on their own. She's talking about learning how to roast a whole chicken or whatever, and I mentioned how when it was just me and my wife, it could be difficult to find something hearty to cook that wouldn't go bad before the two of us would get around to eating it all. I guess this person that I'm talking to was fine with having chicken for a week straight, or maybe freezing some of it, I guess. But freezing food falls into the "Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind" syndrome where I forget we even have it.
Yeah, I've got leftover rotisserie/baked chicken, pulled pork, and beef stew in the deep freezer that just needs to be warmed up... but I keep forgetting they're in there.
Had Aldi "take & bake" carry-out pizza last night. They're in the refrigerated case in the store, but they freeze & bake really well. And they're much better than Aldi's frozen pizzas.
Having salisbury steak, gravy, and egg noodles for dinner tonight, probably with a basic fresh salad.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Imma grill burgers tonight.Guys, the burgers were good! A nice medium rare, and even my kids ate them!
The burgers were so good, I was asked to grill again. They were even better this time.
Salmon tonight.
Ambrosia,
I don't know if anyone says it IRL enough to you, but you're a good kid. You're keeping an eye on your old man and that is noble.
Thanks. Nah, it's brutal pragmatism.
Anyway last night I had a dilemma: freezer burned steaks. I got 'em on sale but it was only a week and a half ago so I didn't think they should've been bad but as they thawed the color wasn't bouncing back like I'd hoped.
These were chuck steaks so they're usually done slow, but they were also boneless so I originally planned to sear and finish in the oven. Instead, worried about the freezer burn I quartered each steak, seared them in my Dutch oven and then sautéed onions, garlic and mushrooms. The steaks went back in and then I used the last of a bottle of cab sauv for braising.
It turned out SO good! I left it in the oven at 300 for like 2 hours. The meat was ridiculously tender, super flavorful and not fatty at all. Some of the braising liquid came back with a roux to make a gravy and I'd boiled up some golden potatoes in the downtime. I had steak and potatoes in a red wine gravy, sautéed onions and mushrooms, and a side salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, and shredded carrots.
"FLAWLESS VICTORY!" Yes, I owe a huge chunk of the credit for becoming a passable dinner cook to the miraculous powers of braising. I don't know why more people (and TV/Youtube chefs) don't use it more often.
We've still got some extremely freezer burned chicken and pork chops in the freezer, like 2-3 year old stuff Mom kept forgetting was in there. One of these days soon, I'm going to braise up a bunch of it in the corningware dutch oven with minimal salt and no onions, garlic, or wine; then halfway through its cook time, I'll dump in a bunch of uncooked brown rice (also in the freezer for a couple years now), some carrot chunks, dried peas, and potato chunks. Once it's done, I'll fish out the bones, bag it up, and give it to my sister for her two dogs. Mom used to make it for when we had a cat who was sick or preggers, and it was simple nutritious food that they seemed to really enjoy. Sis' dogs are fine, but it'll give them a change of pace from the bagged kibble.
Having leftover salisbury steak & noodles tonight for dinner. I warmed up canned green peas last night instead of salad. I hate green peas, but Dad likes them.
We also had canned pumpkin and pre-made (raw) pie crusts on hand, so I made up a pumpkin pie and now it's baking in the oven.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
We roasted a whole chicken, tonight, which was something that I don't remember ever doing before. Turkeys, yes; parts of chicken, yes. But never a whole chicken. We had a mishap with the timer, so we weren't able to time the roasting in the oven properly, so we had guess at the time and rely on the meat thermometer.
It came out great! I told my wife and son (who were the primary cooks for dinner tonight) that it might have been the best chicken I'd ever tasted. My wife mentioned to me later that the quarter cup of (melted butter poured over the chicken might have something to do with that.)
We had chopped up carrots, onions, and tomatoes in the pan, and they were delicious also.
Lets see, dinners:
Sunday was a frozen (Screaming Sicilian) supreme pizza.
Monday was "pulled" BBQ chicken and tater tots.
I think Tuesday was leftovers, but I'm not 100% sure.
Wednesday was Nathan's dogs on the grill, baked beans, and potato chips.
Thursday was salisbury steak patties, mashed & gravy, and green peas (which I hate) for Dad, black-eyed peas (which Dad hates) for me.
Yesterday was leftovers.
Tonight was large t-bones and baked potatoes. We don't usually eat actual-steak steaks that often, but these were USDA Choice on sale at a doorbuster price. When I got them home from the supermarket, I sprinkled a little meat tenderizer on them, used a piercing tenderizer to help work it in, then froze them (which seems to help break down the fibers a bit). Took them out of the freezer last night to thaw in the fridge overnight, then reverse-seared them (250°F in the oven for 30 minutes, seared finished on the grill). Turns out I didn't need the tenderizer, they were buttery tender like a filet. Dad wisely only ate half of his steak; I made myself finish mine, and now I'm sated but uncomfortably full.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Last week my 4th grader was assigned a "family recipe" project, where he had to help prepare a recipe important to our culture and then explain the history of the family recipe or why it was important to our culture.
When he first told me about it, I must have stared blankly at him for before asking to see the actual assignment instructions and then staring blankly at them. A "family recipe?" My parents never taught me to cook. I barely have a grasp on how my white, middle-class culture relates to food. I cook what I have time to cook that there's a chance that my kids might eat.
So, we ended up making chicken apple sausage with roasted apples and vegetables, which was the first dish my now-4th grader would look forward to eating that wasn't mac and cheese from a box or frozen chicken nuggets. That's the history of the family recipe, by the way: it was the first dish my now-4th grader liked to eat that wasn't mac and cheese from a box or frozen chicken nuggets.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
So the other night I made homemade shells and cheese, with hamburger and frozen veg added in, and then a bit of seasoned tomato sauce to thin it out.
It was gross. Half of it went in the trash.
This weekend I plan on doing a store-bought corned beef brisket.
This is the quality content this thread needs more of so I don't feel so isolated when I hear about meals that take multiple hours and multiple cooking techniques to prepare.
This is the quality content this thread needs more of so I don't feel so isolated when I hear about meals that take multiple hours and multiple cooking techniques to prepare.So the other night I made homemade shells and cheese, with hamburger and frozen veg added in, and then a bit of seasoned tomato sauce to thin it out.
It was gross. Half of it went in the trash.
This weekend I plan on doing a store-bought corned beef brisket.
Yeah. Sometimes a meal just doesn't work, even though it should. I'm much better at cooking now than I was just a couple years ago, but I still make duds. Or what's more aggravating: when I make something and it mostly works but I can't figure out what small thing I did wrong or left out.
I was reading an article last year (and can't find it now) about Japanese moms who prep and make wonderful meals for their families... and then they often just make instant ramen or cup noodle for themselves. The meal they just prepared is delicious, but there are days the moms just don't feel like eating their own cooking.
And tonight, I just stopped at Publix and picked up a takeout container of fried chicken. While the chicken was reheating, I made buttermilk biscuits and almost a salad with it; I'd tore up/chopped the lettuce and diced the onion, but when I went to slice & chop the tomatoes, I discovered they had gone bad. Today's commuting really sucked, so there was no way I was in a mood to run out for fresh tomatoes tonight.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
To be clear, when I "made" buttermilk biscuits, I took frozen pre-made biscuits out of the bag, stuck them in a lightly-greased shallow pie plate, and baked them. I can (and have) made biscuits from scratch before, but when you're short on time and really short on patience, it's nice to have something that you know will work with minimal effort.
I prefer the frozen pre-made biscuits over the pre-made ones in a tube because the tube ones seem to have a slight chemical-ly aftertaste the frozen ones don't.
---
As for "tearing" the lettuce in salad, I find tearing the lettuce with my fingers is almost as fast as chopping it with a knife. Tearing is better if I know I'll have leftover lettuce, as the hand-torn edges don't oxidize/brown like they do when cut by a metal knife.
So the other night I made homemade shells and cheese, with hamburger and frozen veg added in, and then a bit of seasoned tomato sauce to thin it out.
It was gross. Half of it went in the trash.
This weekend I plan on doing a store-bought corned beef brisket.
I did a pot of chili last thursday, and I've been using shells and cheese to mix in with the leftovers. I highly recommend.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I made lasagna on Sunday, and it was kind of disappointing. I’m not sure why, since lasagna is usually a safe bet for me.
I think the weak part was either the sausage (from the same butcher counter I usually get it, but quality can vary when you are talking about fresh meat) or the sauce (I use jarred sauce for lasagna as a shortcut, and it was a different brand this time).
I’m still eating the leftovers though.
Yeah, lasagna is like pizza: even when it's disappointing, it's still pretty good.
---
It was in the mid 60s°F this morning and it'll probably be there again this evening. So I've got a pot of chili burbling away in the slow cooker using a somewhat tweaked recipe. Probably serve it with a couple warmed up leftover biscuits from last night.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I went nuts and spent a ton of money on pizza, ice cream, and beer.
Pizza Luce - thai pizza + wrangler pizza + peking wings
Milkjam - oreo + salted PB icecream
Stacked Deck - dry irish stout, fruited sours, hazy ipa
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Yup.
And as a side note, if you're a beer drinker, consider grabbing some from Stacked Deck. A friend of mine is a part owner, and they're struggling right now. Their dry irish stout is one of my favorite beers period. Their IPAs are good, flavorful without being too bitter, and the fruited sours are pretty good as well. They're in DT St. Paul, but they also sell at decent number of liquor stores.
Yesterday, we just had fried spam and box mac & cheese for dinner.
Tonight, I made a pot of Dad's beans (great northern beans, water, a smoked ham hock, a quartered large onion, salt & pepper, and a tsp of beef better-than-bouillion; bring to boil and low simmer three hours). I'll probably throw a frozen french bread pizza in the oven for myself around 7:15ish.
Leftover beans for Dad tonight, everything bagel + cream cheese + crumbled bacon for me.
Ok, so tonight is going to be spaghetti and meatballs, no big whoop. But I noticed something last night; I have frozen ground pork, soy sauce, and some package of udon noodles my younger one got from the store. I also have a can of chicken broth.
Anyone ever made spicy pork ramen? I think its called tantanmen? I watched a video on making it last night on YouTube, panicked, and settled on spaghetti and meatballs today, but I kind of want to try making this. If anyone has any tips, let me know.
Ramen is surprisingly easy to make. Its all about the broth.
Nope, haven't tried making ramen from scratch yet. But Freehold's right, the most important thing is making a flavorful stock. Probably put some bones with marrow, chicken wing ends (the last joint that's all skin and bone), some rendered pork jowl or crisped unsmoked bacon in a pot; add water, salt, black peppercorns, quartered onion, rough chopped garlic, and a few Asian-y herbs; bring to a boil, then turn down to a low simmer and let it slow cook for at least 3-4 hours; skim off the floating cloudy stuff (from the marrow) and most of the surface fat. Run it through a strainer toward the end, returning only the liquid stock to the pot, and adjust seasoning to taste. Maybe dissolve in a packet or two of unflavored gelatin if it needs it.
I dunno. If you take a swing at it, let us know how it comes out.
---
Making baked tilapia in parchment tonight for dinner, with baked potatoes and (from frozen) hushpuppies. Maybe a basic salad too if I don't run out of steam.
Tonight was tacos (ground chuck + seasoning pouch) with tortilla chips and refried beans (from a can).
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
You may have to eat one child as an example to the other.
You may have to eat one child as an example to the other.
Sometimes just biting their ear off is enough.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Last night was roast pork shoulder with potatoes roasted in the au jus, and a small basic salad.
Tonight is probably leftovers.
You may have to eat one child as an example to the other.Sometimes just biting their ear off is enough.
Nah if you're going to eat offspring go full on, man. Pick the juicier one.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Last night was roast pork shoulder with potatoes roasted in the au jus, and a small basic salad.
Tonight is probably leftovers.
strange. I dont see any leftovers.
*burp*
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Last night was roast pork shoulder with potatoes roasted in the au jus, and a small basic salad.
Tonight is probably leftovers.
strange. I dont see any leftovers.
*burp*
It was super easy to make too:
* Browned a 2+ lb boneless pork shoulder (still frozen) on the stovetop in dutch oven (lidded roasting pan) with a teaspoon olive oil, then removed from heat
* Mixed 6oz low-sodium chicken stock with a packet dry onion soup mix. Stirred in salt (very little) + black pepper, dried thyme, and dried rosemary, then poured into dutch oven.
* Peeled 6 cloves garlic, then rough chopped. Peeled 2 large-ish potatoes, then cut into roughly 1 inch chunks. Dumped them both around mostly-frozen roast.
* Stick in preheated 225°F oven for 2 hours.
* Take out, flip roast over, stir potatoes. Increase temp to 275°F, bake 2 more hours.
* Take out, gently roll roast over again, stir potatoes. Taste juice and adjust seasonings to taste. Increase temp to 325°F, bake 1 more hour.
Roast pork will be fall-apart tender. Liquid/au jus will have reduced down, and potatoes will absorb quite a bit of juice too.
Last night, was going to fix spaghetti, meatballs, and garlic bread, but my sis made a ham & cheesy scalloped potatoes casserole and made extra for Dad & me.
Tonight, bro & his wife have invited Dad out their house for tacos and for bro to change the oil in Dad's suv.
Maybe spaghetti on Monday?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Can't believe I'm only now finding this.
TIME FOR SAD BACHELOR SCUMBAG COOKERY!
When I'm not simply following directions on a package, there are a couple of standards I fall back on.
Chicken Velvet Soup
YOU WILL NEED:
-1 can cream of chicken soup per diner.
-1 can evaporated milk per greedy mouth to feed (not condensed. Seen this happen. It was, uh... a thing)
-Pieces of chicken to taste. I find that after roasting a Cornish game hen for myself, the leftovers are generally sufficient. In my desperately poor mid-20s, canned chicken would sometimes be used, but... yeah.
-A dash of chicken broth, if you have any.
Combine everything in a pot. Heat it up.
My mother used to add the chicken a little later, but she's a much more dedicated cook than I am...
A Pasta Sauce Recipe dressed up as a pork roast recipe which will harden your arteries
YOU WILL NEED:
-A 2.5-3 pound boneless prok roast. Loin is preferred. You can also use a smaller roast if you, like me, appreciate the sauce this recipe creates more than having a giant chunk of pig lying around.
*Nota bene- I generally double everything from here on in because I like having my heart attack sauce on hand, but this is the recipe baseline.
-2 tablespoons olive oil.
-2 tablespoons butter.
-2 cups milk- and have more on hand if you screw up in the cooking phase!.
-0.5 cups cream
-0.5 cups grated parmesan, or any other hard cheese with a bit of nose on it.
Mix butter and olive oil in a pan large enough to accommodate your pork roast. When the butter starts to bubble brown the roast on all sides. And brown the hell out of it- no half measures.
Once the pork roast is suitably sear-sealed, lay it in the pan and pour the milk over it. Bring the milk to a simmer, then partially cover the pan (vent some steam, but not too much). Let sit for about 45 minutes per pound of pork. (90 minutes to two hours is pretty typical, although the longer you go, the more likely it is you'll need to add more milk as the stuff cooks down)
When the roast is, well, roasted, remove it from the pan. Add the cream and the cheese to the milk/butter/olive oil/pork dripping mixture and cook it down to a thick, pasta sauce consistency.
Blend sauce if desired. Serve over pasta.
There's a variation on this that uses white wine instead of milk and skips the cooking down phase, but since I never have white wine around, I have never tried it.
Salad
YOU WILL NEED:
-Stuff you were going to eat anyway (My go-to is spinach as a base, with sliced apple and crumbled feta or blue cheese)
-Dressing that won't depress you (I mix olive oil and balsamic or raspberry vinegar in most situations- cream dressings tend to be a bit heavy- which, if you've read my other two entries, shouldn't be much of a surprise)
Combine solids. Mix up dressing and dribble it over the other stuff. Feel like you accomplished something even though it's dirt-simple.
I rarely use salad dressing, because I feel like I can't taste anything in the salad. Instead, I just toss a handful of blueberries on top.