Dad really likes baked beans, either with spam or hot dogs, but he absolutely will not eat them cooked together. On a plate together and then in his stomach together? Fine. Cooked together? Nope, nope, nope.
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I made chicken alfredo tonight, with garlic toast and a salad. There's plenty enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow too.
That is so weird.
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Dad really likes baked beans, either with spam or hot dogs, but he absolutely will not eat them cooked together. On a plate together and then in his stomach together? Fine. Cooked together? Nope, nope, nope.
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I made chicken alfredo tonight, with garlic toast and a salad. There's plenty enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow too.
Texture issues?
I'm the same way with chili and hot dogs.
Chili? Ye!
Hot dogs? Ye!
Chili dogs? Nope.
Dad really likes baked beans, either with spam or hot dogs, but he absolutely will not eat them cooked together. On a plate together and then in his stomach together? Fine. Cooked together? Nope, nope, nope.
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I made chicken alfredo tonight, with garlic toast and a salad. There's plenty enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow too.
Texture issues?
I'm the same way with chili and hot dogs.
Chili? Ye!
Hot dogs? Ye!
Chili dogs? Nope.
*Chili*
*Dog*
*Chili*
*Dog*
I like chili dogs
I like chili dogs too but {shrugs}
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Friday night's dinner was leftover chicken alfredo, fresh garlic toast, and salad. I mixed in a heaping tablespoon of chili crisp sauce with my alfredo and it was even better.
Saturday night Dad had baked tilapia in parchment, baked potato, and glazed carrots. I had more leftover alfredo + chili crisp with my potato and carrots.
Tonight's dinner was country-fried steak patties, mashed potatoes & pepper cream gravy, and creamed spinach. I had rolls ready to reheat too, but forgot them in the freezer until we were nearly done with dinner.
I've got 4 pieces of Publix deli fried chicken in the freezer, so I'll probably reheat that tomorrow for dinner, plus biscuits and something else.
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Finally made peach cobbler today. I bodged together a recipe from other recipes on the Internet as my mom never wrote her recipe down. It's still molten hot, but I tried half a spoonful (after letting it cool a little) and I'm surprised how good it is.
For dinner tonight, Dad & I are having assemble-it-yourself turkey/ham/roast beef hoagies and other tray-ed food at my sister's house. I've got leftover turkey defrosting in the fridge, so tomorrow I'll assemble it into a turkey-stuffing-mushroom soup casserole and serve it with mashed potatoes and gravy (from a mix).
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Made an awesome quiche for Christmas brunch. (Sent half to my neighbor, also having a quarantine-home-alone Christmas this year.) Used Trader Joe's frozen pie crust (unfortunately only a seasonal item) and blind-baked it. Failed to squinch/trim it properly so half of the edge fell off over time as it was crumbly once baked but otherwise tasty.
Sauteed a diced shallot and a box of mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced, and diced fresh rosemary, in a little olive oil until the mushrooms were well browned. Salt was added somewhere in here. Added one seeded tomato chopped into small chunks and stirred in, just to warm through and activate the sugars (since it is a winter tomato; were it a fresh summer one I'd probably not cook it). Put all in a colander to let any excess liquid drain into the sink.
Grated Trader Joe's "melange" of gruyere and cheddar cheese (either alone would work fine) till I got about a generous cupful.
Beat 3 eggs and a half cup of half-and-half until well blended and added a little salt and pepper.
Spread most of the cheese on the bottom of the crust, then spread around mushroom-tomato mixture, then added the rest of the cheese, then poured over the egg mixture (and proceeded to spill a decent portion onto the table in the process, but there was still enough, fortunately).
Baked at 400 degrees F for about a half hour, till puffy and golden. (Put pie plate on a sheet tray for any overspillage.)
I also made cinnamon rolls with an orange glaze made of half and half, confectioner's sugar, and the juice and zest of one tangerine. (The neighbor also got half of these.)
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Nice, AS & DQ! I came here to ask what everyone did for Quarantine Christmas dinner.
My 9 year old really likes getting involved in roasting a whole chicken, and since my mom and sister were coming over (after quarantining for 2 weeks prior), it seemed like it would be a decent sized main dish even though 'chicken' isn't a traditional Christmas meal. We pulled the giblets out and replaced them with rosemary and thyme sprigs, put chopped carrots and onions around the bird in the baking dish and roasted it.
We also made a pan of roasted brussel sprouts and gnocchi (tossed with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper), creamed kale, and crescent rolls. I feel like I should have let the kale wilt more than I did before blanching it, but nobody complained.
For dessert, my wife made Christmas cookie sandwiches. She baked chocolate peppermint cookies and peppermint frosting, made them into sandwiches, and then rolled the sides of the sandwiches in crumbled candy canes.
Pre-dinner, I made "poinsettia cocktails." Grand Marnier, cranberry juice, and prosecco, topped with a few cranberries. And then wine with dinner.
Everything was pretty tasty, but it was also nice to host guests for a holiday meal.
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That sounds awesome! My family always does a somewhat nice dinner for Christmas eve as well as a big dinner for Christmas day. I decided on nice dinner for just eve and do the brunch for Christmas day, as despite all the work put into Christmas day dinner, my favorite part has always been breakfast Christmas morning. Christmas Eve dinner was salmon as I had reasonably small portions to thaw, glazed in a mixture of tahini, maple syrup, garlic, and ginger, and colcannon made out of leftover mashed potatoes and pan-seared cabbage earlier in the week. The salmon was a nod to my mom's side of the family eating fish on Christmas eve (something I refused to do growing up), and the colcannon something my stepmother likes to make and I and my nieces love to eat (plus I got to use up leftovers but also yet make something super tasty). And the chocolate crinkle cookies my sister mailed me for dessert. (I had a slice of proper Christmas fruitcake bought at a local bakery on Christmas night.)
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I went to a friend's house, and we had Chinese food. Dan dan noodles, ma po tofu, a seafood medley, kung pao tofu, beef chow fun, fried rice, and spicy steamed buns.
As a present, I bought my mom some fenalår. It's a Norwegian dry cured leg of lamb. I bought a country ham this summer, and brought part of it on a houseboat trip, and it was a hit. Then I discovered that country lamb ham is a thing and since she loves lamb I tried to track some down. Evidently, American lamb ham (country style) is really hard to find, but the search led me to fenalår. We have some Norwegian heritage, so it ended up being kinda perfect.
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We only had my mother-in-law over for Christmas. (She lost her husband last year and we didn’t want her spending Christmas alone.)
I made a beef tenderloin roast with horseradish sauce and it was delicious. It came out to a perfect medium/medium-rare. We also had roasted potatoes, glazed carrots, and green beans almandine. Very tasty, if I do say so myself.
Celestial Healer, do you do the "roast at high heat for a brief time, then shut off the oven but leave the door shut" thing? Or another method?
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The roast was seared on the stovetop first to create a good outer crust, then put in the oven on a high temperature for about 20 minutes to heat through. Then, of course, it had to rest for a good long while.
(I actually screwed this process up by applying some of my wet rub to the outside of the roast before I seared it - it should have been done after. My sear was therefore rather imperfect, but the meat was cooked perfectly and the flavor was delicious, so the slightly pale exterior was forgiven.)
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Yay! New posts!
Letsee:
Sunday's dinner was two small ("medium") carryout pizzas, as Dad & I got a gift card for it for Christmas. Monday's dinner was leftover pizza.
Tuesday's dinner was tilapia steamed in parchment, hushpuppies, and steamed corn on the cobs.
Wednesday's dinner was spaghetti & meatballs and garlic toast.
Tonight's dinner is slow cooker teriyaki chicken, basic salad, and dinner rolls. Dad'll probably have some applesauce and maybe a hardboiled egg with his. I dug out my rice cooker, so I'm having seasoned rice with dinner (Dad hates rice). I steamed the eggs to hardboiled earlier in the rice cooker too.
Tomorrow I'm probably fixing meatloaf and mashed & gravy.
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So, my computer died on December 19... so I had plenty of time to cobble up a Christmas Dinner For One.
Nothing too complex-
Made one egg's worth of blue cornbread (which is to say, the smallest batch possible- which just happens to perfectly fit the smallest cast-iron skillet in the house)
Roasted a quarter rack of lamb- no marinade, no garnish, just cooked it fat side up and saved the copious drippings to cook down into a gravy.
Did some asparagus the super-lazy way (place asparagus spears in a glass about a quarter full of water, tips up. Microwave for two minutes. Works great!)
One of my spinach and apple salads with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing
And caved in and used a box of instant powdered potato junk, since mashing potatoes for one person is ludicrously stupid, but I've had rice and pasta on a regular basis, and wanted some mashers to dribble the gravy on for a sense of occasion.
Turned out well. Tons of leftovers (mostly cornbread and potatoes, since my asparagus and salad methods let me fine-tune for single servings in a way the box and the use of an egg on the cornbread didn't), but that was all right- ate 'em over the next two days.
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Not to judge your potato choices, Cole, and I certainly applaud all that makes meal prep easier, But FWIW I make mashed potatoes for one all the time (just boil 1-2 potatoes), or alternately a larger batch where the leftovers become a topping for a little shepherds/cottage pie or potato cake or my grandmother's stuffing that uses potato or just reheated mash.
I am jealous of your rack of lamb. I tried making lamb loin chops for my New Year's Eve dinner but they didn't turn out like I'd hoped--they weren't bad, just not all I'd hoped for. I am fairly certain the error is human error as I'd never really cooked them before and wasn't quite sure how best to assess doneness (they were too awkwardly shaped to get the meat thermometer in properly). I think I should have also seasoned them more aggressively.
ATK has a brand new Cooking for One cookbook I am really digging. My only complaint is their suggested cooking times for many of their dishes seem off for me, likely because my kitchen with its 30 year old gas range is about as a far cry from a climate controlled state of the art test kitchen as you can get.
Not to judge your potato choices, Cole, and I certainly applaud all that makes meal prep easier, But FWIW I make mashed potatoes for one all the time (just boil 1-2 potatoes), or alternately a larger batch where the leftovers become a topping for a little shepherds/cottage pie or potato cake or my grandmother's stuffing that uses potato or just reheated mash.
Ehhhh... ran the experiment a time or two, always found it to be too much trouble to bother with for just me... more for the cleanup than for the actual mashing.
I am jealous of your rack of lamb. I tried making lamb loin chops for my New Year's Eve dinner but they didn't turn out like I'd hoped--they weren't bad, just not all I'd hoped for. I am fairly certain the error is human error as I'd never really cooked them before and wasn't quite sure how best to assess doneness (they were too awkwardly shaped to get the meat thermometer in properly). I think I should have also seasoned them more aggressively.
My trick with lamb? Either season the HELL out of it, or don't mess with it at all. It's got sufficient flavor on its own to support only post-cooking garnish, but that also means a halfway seasoning can get lost in the sauce.
And I never use a meat thermometer- I just make an experimental cut on the largest piece, because it'll be the least done.
ATK has a brand new Cooking for One cookbook I am really digging. My only complaint is their suggested cooking times for many of their dishes seem off for me, likely because my kitchen with its 30 year old gas range is about as a far cry from a climate controlled state of the art test kitchen as you can get.
I've learned a profound distrust for printed recipe times.
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Yeah, mash potatoes are something I'm willing to skimp out on if it's just me. My go-to brand is Idahoan. Maybe I just don't like mashed potatoes that much, but for me personally they're sufficient.
Did some asparagus the super-lazy way (place asparagus spears in a glass about a quarter full of water, tips up. Microwave for two minutes. Works great!)
I have never heard of this method, and I want to try it! I'm assuming you can't jam-pack the asparagus in the glass, but is there a limit to the number of stalks?
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Yeah, mash potatoes are something I'm willing to skimp out on if it's just me. My go-to brand is Idahoan. Maybe I just don't like mashed potatoes that much, but for me personally they're sufficient.
When I've made Idahoan instant mashed in the pouch, instead of water I drop a couple tbsp of butter in the measuring cup and then fill it the rest of the way with milk instead of water. That seems to make it better and fairly close to fresh mashed.
We have a deep freeze and I bought a digital kitchen scale (~$14), so when I get a 5 lb bag of potatoes now, I peel & cube up 4 lb or so worth, boil (with salt and a little vinegar) in batches, and then freeze them in 8 oz portions. Then they're ready to go for making mashed, potato salad, or oven roasted potatoes. The vinegar helps the boiling potatoes absorb the salt better. The remaining 1 lb or so of the potatoes are for making baked potatoes (in the skins). It's handy when making dinner, but it takes the time upfront to do the prep which isn't always an option.
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The teriyaki chicken from Thursday was ok, but a bit bland following the directions on the pouch. Definitely needs more garlic, a bit of red chili flakes, and something(s) else I haven't figured out yet.
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Did some asparagus the super-lazy way (place asparagus spears in a glass about a quarter full of water, tips up. Microwave for two minutes. Works great!)I have never heard of this method, and I want to try it! I'm assuming you can't jam-pack the asparagus in the glass, but is there a limit to the number of stalks?
For my single-serve approach, this wasn't an issue- ten spears left so much space as to be almost a non-factor.
In practical terms, I don't advise packing them too densely, because, after all, you're steaming them, but based upon the size of your glass, I can easily see doing twenty or twenty-five without much trouble.
Yeah, mash potatoes are something I'm willing to skimp out on if it's just me. My go-to brand is Idahoan. Maybe I just don't like mashed potatoes that much, but for me personally they're sufficient.
I think that's definitely the case for me.
I mean, no mistake, real ones are better, appreciably so, but... not by enough to justify the hassle for just me. Add a second diner, and it becomes far more worth my while.
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My grandmother always peeled her potatoes and I expect between having thicker skinned potatoes and wanting to be sure to be rid of all dirt (she was quite fastidious) were key factors. Oh, and if they are older potatoes and have some "greenness" to them you need to peel that away thoroughly (you wouldn't throw them away on the old farm if there was something cookable left!).
Also depends on the dish/what you are making and the texture you are going for. For mash, I like "rustic mashed" that are pretty thick, so I like the skins on (presuming using boiling potatoes), but if I were to make something along the lines of the approaching-puree smooth'n'creamy kind I'd peel them. My gram's stuffing recipe you want them peeled because otherwise the peels just come off in the stuffing and add a weird random texture that doesn't go.
Don't get me wrong, I am generally with you on not peeling potatoes (and when I bake a russet I also eat the baked, now-crispy skin) but there are particular dishes where I'm not gonna judge somebody if they peel their taters.
I vastly over-ordered dairy products for holiday baking projects, and was also given a huge amount of cheese in a gift basket, so made a giant baked macaroni and cheese. Used about a third through a few meals, the last of which was finished off today, and put the rest in single serving size containers in the freezer.
I like smoked potatoes. You can't cook them in a smoker if you're using low heat, so you have to pre-cook them, but the skin picks up a ton of smoke flavor in just 5-10 minutes.
Yeah, our grocery bill has gone up, but our take-out expenditures have dropped even more.
Kudos to you for helping out your kids' friend.
I would leave the thinner skin on red & yellow potatoes for roasted potatoes and potato salad if I could, but Dad is picky. He'll eat them that way because he knows how obsessively fastidious I am in the kitchen, but he doesn't eat them as well as peeled. I like roasted russets potato skins, but I'm not keen on them in my mashed potatoes. (And I'm picky about potato types vs how they're used in dishes.)
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I wish I had a smoker. So many things I would smoke.
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We tried the Kirkwood "red bag" chicken patties from Aldi for the first time last night. I thought the Kirkwood patties were definitely way overhyped by recommenders on the Internet. They were better than ground nugget texture of Tyson's patties, but not as good as either brands' chicken tenders/strips.
Probably have soup & grilled cheese for dinner tonight. I need to get to the supermarket, but I don't have the energy & patience to deal with crowds today.
Living in a tiny apartment with a fire escape for my "yard" I am jealous of anyone who can grill, let alone smoke. Though if I could have a grill I'd try the "wood chip in a foil packet" method of smoking.
Well, I guess I could always buy a grill and use it but I think my landlord would object.
LIFE UPDATE: Have determined that shredding a chicken breast just takes too frickin' long. Will be dicing from here on out, no matter what the recipe says. I might be convinced to shred instead of dice if the chicken is still on the bones and more or less bird-shaped, but even that takes longer than I like.
Yeah, I'm not keen on the effort needed to shred chicken, beef, or pork.
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We had chili leftover from last night as dinner tonight, with cornbread for Dad and white rice for me.
Pounded, breaded, and fried some pork chops.
A lot of work and and a lot of dishes to feed just me, but I liked the payoff.
Had 'em with rice and asparagus.
Not the most exciting menu as a whole, but it got the job done.
Yeah, I'm not keen on the effort needed to shred chicken, beef, or pork.
I read that some people put chicken in a stand mixer to shred it. And even though the chicken is cooked, and you would presumably wash the mixer afterward, the idea of putting chicken in there seems... gross.
Not the most exciting menu as a whole, but it got the job done.
A classic meal, done well, is exciting to me.
Are you supposed to shred the chicken pre-cooked?
No, it's after you cook it. I simmer it in water for around 8 minutes. I could use broth of some sort depending on what I want the chicken for. I include salt, pepper, and maybe a bay leaf.
I actually have a version of these, but I think they're made more for BBQ or bigger cuts of meat than anything found on a chicken. I use a couple forks, but it still seems to take forever.
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Also, I've never heard about people who love braising as much I have in this thread.
I wish I had a smoker. So many things I would smoke.
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It's a good hack to turn any grill into an okay smoker. Pellets are easy to find/order and you can play with lots of different types of wood. I do recommend a small blowtorch as the best method of lighting (a chef's torch for example works great).
I have cold smoked using one of these in a cardboard box, though you have to be careful to make sure it's a big enough box that the metal box doesn't get close to the cardboard. I made that mistake once and came out to find my plate of expensive cheeses just sitting in the open surrounded/covered by a light dusting of ash. We just cut out the ash as best we could and still had plenty of cheese to eat.
Also, smoked hardboiled eggs are one of my favorite things in the world. They make the best deviled eggs.
*********Also, I've never heard about people who love braising as much I have in this thread.
I think it's a relatively simple technique that is really versatile, semi-foolproof, and very delicious. Especially when cooking with meats, it takes a lot of the usual mistakes and just makes them impossible (or at least really hard to do). It's also a cooking method that once you learn some of the basics about flavors, you don't need a recipe in front of you.
it takes a lot of the usual mistakes and just makes them impossible
Challenge accepted.
But seriously, I didn't mean it as a criticism. All the talk about it makes me want to try it.
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I didn't think it was criticism :D
It's still possible to make mistakes, but it is much easier to get tender, juicy meat dishes than you might get otherwise (especially if you aren't a veteran cook).
I'd recommend finding a recipe for chicken thighs for your first attempt. Thighs are also a little more forgiving (plus more flavor). You are of course still cooking, and mistakes can be made. Don't let my hyperbole oversell it. Use a meat thermometer as well to reduce errors.
I wish I had a smoker. So many things I would smoke.It's a good hack to turn any grill into an okay smoker. Pellets are easy to find/order and you can play with lots of different types of wood. I do recommend a small blowtorch as the best method of lighting (a chef's torch for example works great).
I have cold smoked using one of these in a cardboard box, though you have to be careful to make sure it's a big enough box that the metal box doesn't get close to the cardboard. I made that mistake once and came out to find my plate of expensive cheeses just sitting in the open surrounded/covered by a light dusting of ash. We just cut out the ash as best we could and still had plenty of cheese to eat.
Also, smoked hardboiled eggs are one of my favorite things in the world. They make the best deviled eggs.
Thanks. I'll have to check that out. Probably need to get a new gas grill soon too.
Also, I've never heard about people who love braising as much I have in this thread.I think it's a relatively simple technique that is really versatile, semi-foolproof, and very delicious. Especially when cooking with meats, it takes a lot of the usual mistakes and just makes them impossible (or at least really hard to do). It's also a cooking method that once you learn some of the basics about flavors, you don't need a recipe in front of you.
I like braising as it can turn tougher (and more affordable) cuts of meat super tender. It also has a long cooking window, so I can leave it be doing it's thing for long stretches while I'm busy doing other things. And since I use the Dutch oven, there's plenty of room to throw in cut vegetables mid-way through when I check the meat and flip it over.
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Last knight was salisbury steak patties, mashed + gravy, corn on the cob, and brown & serve dinner rolls. I'd premade the patties and froze them, and the corn was in season when I froze it. The gravy was instant aus jus from a packet that I slow cooked the patties in, then strained, and then thickened with corn starch. Dinner went ok, but the rolls had been in the freezer too long and were a bit freezer burnt.
Tonight's dinner is baked boneless skinless chicken breasts seasoned with garlic powder and salad seasoning blend. Sides are baked (russet) potatoes, green beans (from a can), and garlic toast (from frozen).
Sounds good.
Last night's dinner was tacos & refried beans, with tortilla chips instead of taco shells.
Tonight was DIY roast beef and/or ham hoagies with potato chips.
Don't what tomorrow's dinner will be. Leading candidate is slow roasted pork shoulder with potatoes cooked in the juice around it, maybe a salad too. Have to stop at the grocery store after an early AM pet & house check tomorrow, so dinner may change if I get a better idea.
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Don't what tomorrow's dinner will be. Leading candidate is slow roasted pork shoulder with potatoes cooked in the juice around it, maybe a salad too. Have to stop at the grocery store after an early AM pet & house check tomorrow, so dinner may change if I get a better idea.
Went grocery shopping this morning and they had beef shoulder roast on sale, so we're having that slow roasted/braised with potatoes, carrots, & onions cooked around it. And the salad.
In an effort to include more vegetable options in my diet, last night I made a meatless chili and served it over rice with some grated cheddar cheese.
I'm... not great at chili.
The beans were fine, if a tad mushy. To make it more vegetable-y, I sautéed diced carrots and celery with the onions, but I didn't dice them super fine so they didn't really dissolve too well into the chili. The flavor was ok, if a tad bland; I'm hoping as it sits in the fridge as leftovers that flavor mingles a bit more.
Hopefully the chili improved self-marinating overnight in the fridge. Maybe next time try adding more umami-loaded stuff, like minced mushrooms, soy/teriyaki sauce, worcestershire sauce, marmite/vegemite, tomato paste, powdered or minced dried seaweed, etc. I'd also recommend some anchovy paste, as it'll blend right in giving some umami umpf but not tasty fishy.
T-bones and ground chuck were on sale yesterday, but the smallest packages were still pretty big (four good-sized steaks and 6.5 lb of ground chuck). Broke the chuck down into 1/3 lb hamburgers, lightly tenderized the steaks, then froze them all.
Making chili tonight for dinner, probably have cheesy garlic toast with it too.
Tomorrow will be steaks, baked potatoes, coleslaw, and baked beans (from a can). Maybe deviled eggs and pigs-in-blankets too, depending on how ambitious I'm feeling.