What Did We Eat Today?

[DeLurker]

I made chicken wings because I had gotten them on sale in the week before the Super Bowl (which is not a big deal in this house).  Made them two ways - an asian style marinaded in the usual suspects (soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, sesame oil, orange juice...) and plain (coated in baking powder and random seasonings).  Both were baked and turned out quite nicely.  All the way cooked and not dried out at all.

 

Have to adjust my seasonings to taste for future endeavors, but I was fairly pleased overall.

[KnoxForPres]

Sounds a lot like my spinach dip. Cream cheese, Monterey Jack, Swiss and Parmesan cheeses. A dash of hot sauce, Worcestershire, thyme, minced garlic and I use the creamed spinach for the dip.

The sliders are always a huge hit. Love them-I'm making two batches so there will be plenty to go around!

Mine turned out great, but next time I'm trying yours. The cheeses were the same as yours (slightly different seasoning) and it said to put it all in food processor and result looked like a pesto. Tasted great but as they say on Food Network, think I'd prefer it more "rustic". You process yours or blend slightly? And creamed spinach- genius. You use the frozen or what?

[Mountainair]

I saute some green onion in butter first, put that in a bowl. Soften about 3 oz. cream cheese, add to the bowl. Stir in two thawed boxes of creamed spinach, the cheeses (minus the Parmesan), minced garlic, a dash of Worcestershire, a dash of tobassco, chopped artichoke, thyme. Pour in greased baking dish and bake for 30 min. Top with parm cheese and broil until brown.

[Bastet]

I saute onion, garlic and fresh thyme in oil and butter, then sprinkle in some flour to thicken.  I reduce some dry white wine or vermouth, then add vegetable stock and half and half (or just milk if I don't have any half and half) and that's my sauce.  I mix the spinach and chopped artichoke (rough chopped; I like it chunky) into the sauce, then melt in cheese (three or four depending on what I have on hand -- always provolone, parmesan, and mozzarella, maybe some asiago or pecorino romano).  It's all done on the stovetop, so it's nice and quick. 

Edited February 15, 2016 by Bastet

[BooksRule]

I went out to work yesterday for hours and went back today, even though I wasn't scheduled to work this weekend.  It's annual evaluation time and I'm on the committee that handles this.  So, no cooking for me tonight.  I picked up fried chicken from the deli and have a little (okay, medium) square of brownies left clinging to the pan from yesterday.  That will be dinner.  If I get a little energy back, I have more work to do before tomorrow.  (I'll be glad when this week is over!)

Edited February 14, 2016 by BooksRule

[annzeepark914]

Made French toast this morning for brunch along with bacon, chicken sausage, and raspberries & blueberries on the side.  This evening I made Pork Medallions and Baked Pilaf.  We celebrated Valentine's Day on Friday--movie (Spotlight!!) and delicious food at a favorite restaurant so today it was home-cooked meals.

Edited February 15, 2016 by annzeepark914

[KnoxForPres]

I saute some green onion in butter first, put that in a bowl. Soften about 3 oz. cream cheese, add to the bowl. Stir in two thawed boxes of creamed spinach, the cheeses (minus the Parmesan), minced garlic, a dash of Worcestershire, a dash of tobassco, chopped artichoke, thyme. Pour in greased baking dish and bake for 30 min. Top with parm cheese and broil until brown.

Yum!!! Damn between yours and Bastets I do believe I found a to-do for this weekend.

Interesting both of yours called for thyme. Mine did oregano (soft spot for that bc that's what shelter had named my dog) but it gave it a flavor I didn't love. Yes, yes to thyme. I'm excited!

[Jac]

I've had leftover "Mexican" quinoa for the last three days.

Ingredients:

2 punnets of small tomatoes (cherry or grape) halved or quartered depending on size, I used mixed heirloom because they were on sale at the supermarket

1 can of black beans drained and rinsed

1.5 cups of white quinoa (you can use black, red or mixed but if you do add more water because it takes longer to cook)

4 cups water

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp hot chilli paste

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tbsp olive oil

Optional:

2 capisicum/bell peppers (I didn't use any capisicum as they are out of season here and thus expensive and low quality)

1 can/1 cup of (frozen) corn (I don't like corn but people who do like corn like it in this recipe when I add it

1/4 cup of coriander/cilantro (my dad and I love it, my sister and mum hate it)

Method:

Fry off the spices in a hot large pan for about 30 seconds or until they become fragrant

Add the tomatoes and capisicum if using and cook until the tomatoes start to fall apart but still have some structure

Add the black beans and cook for a further two minutes

Add the quinoa and stir for about 90 seconds to toast the quinoa lightly

Add the water and bring boil before reducing to a simmer

Cook until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes

Serve with avacado and salsa (sour cream and meat optional. I've been having mine with frajita beef strips)

[DeLurker]

Thanks for putting up your recipe - I'm always looking for a new dish that can be vegetarian as my SIL is a vegetarian and I tend to try to go that route a few days a week. 

[DeLurker]

I thought punnet was just a funky misspell from typing on a phone or tablet...so I learned something without trying!

 

I'm perusing the thread trying to look up ideas for dinner...I've found plenty that work for me, but not necessarily the kidlings.

[BooksRule]

Dinner will be boring old chicken and veggies, but I did have a good lunch.  We've got some bad weather coming in this afternoon/evening so our campus was closed down at noon (no really bad weather yet, just some light rain--I'm hoping it'll fizzle out).  I've been wanting to make a big pot of soup and divide into portions and freeze for lunches.  So, since I had the afternoon off I made a big pot of vegetarian taco soup.  It made a good lunch on a gloomy rainy day, and the house smells really good.  And, I'll have lunch on hand for the next time I don't want a sandwich for lunch.

[Qoass]

My grocer had spicy Italian sausage on sale so I bought a 48 ounce package.  I'm on my own so a lot of it went into the freezer but I also made a sausage, pepper and onion pizza over the weekend plus sausage and bean soup for lunches.  Last night I made a lasagna with sausage instead of ground beef and it was delicious.  I overdid the sauce and under-cooked the noodles and kind of converted the proportions on the fly to make it in a loaf pan so I wouldn't be eating it for the rest of my life but yes, delicious.

[Jac]

I was super lazy and had some shop brought taboleh with some falafel I had in the fridge. It was still pretty delicious though.

[DeLurker]

My main dinner last night was stir fry cabbage (the standard green cabbage, not one of the napa or bok choy varieties) and onion.

 

For some reason in the last few months I have developed a taste for cabbage so if I cook some meat for the kids, I'll use the pan to sautee some cabbage and onions after and that becomes my main dish.  Mentally, it seems not that appealing but once I start eating it, I am over the moon.  Weird.

 

I never ate this kid of cabbage before although I did eat a fair amount of the asian varieties.

[BooksRule]

For some reason in the last few months I have developed a taste for cabbage so if I cook some meat for the kids, I'll use the pan to sautee some cabbage and onions after and that becomes my main dish.  Mentally, it seems not that appealing but once I start eating it, I am over the moon.  Weird.

 

Cabbage and onions are always good.  I sometimes slice up a few new potatoes and let them cook in the pan for a little extra.

 

Tonight's dinner is simple:  I've had a roast in the slow cooker for most of the day.  So it's onion-y pot roast and rice/gravy for dinner.  And not a green veggie in sight (I'll have some salad tomorrow).  

[grisgris]

I made a beef barley stew the other day and had some leftovers tonight. It was damp and chilly the day I decided to make it and today it was sunny and in the low 70s. I feel really sick like I'm getting the flu or something (I've had a shot) so it tasted good to a sore throat. I also had some whole wheat cheddar dill drop biscuits leftover, so it made a nice dinner. The flavors definitely were better after a few days.

 

For some odd reason, I've gotten into the habit of making chicken cordon bleu on Oscar night. I don't know why because I didn't see any of the movies this year and really don't care who wins. I just like to watch the star arriving in their fashions and see if my picks for "best" and "worst" dressed match the pundits' verdicts. That certainly doesn't sound appetizing at all, so that might have to come later in the week.

 

I tried to make an espresso coffee-type cake earlier this week. I've made it before and it turned out fine. You are supposed to add blueberries to the espresso buttercream you use to frost the cake. So, I decided to use chocolate-covered espresso beans instead. I don't know what I did, but it was a disaster! (The frosting was good, though!) I think that I tried to divide the recipe in half to make one layer instead of three, then after I baked one layer, went back and baked another one with "half" the recipe. That must have goofed it up. It seems like last time, I made the entire recipe and baked it in a 8x8 cake pan and it came out just fine and I used fresh blueberries, as it was summertime.

 

Live and learn, I guess.

[Sandman87]

Having home made chicken & vegetable noodle soup tonight.

 

Chicken broth

A couple of baked & cut up boneless chicken breasts

Penne pasta

Celery

White onions

Garlic powder

Other veggies are optional (tonight it's shredded cabbage)

 

I like to add a little cinnamon and a couple of drops of Tabasco to a bowl of it.

[Qoass]

I put together a pot luck of party food to eat while watching the Oscars last night:  odds and ends from New Year's, the Super Bowl, Valentine's Day...  Now my counters and freezer are less cluttered but I ate way, way too much because I arranged it all on my coffee table on pretty plates.  If I'd made myself go into the kitchen every time I wanted a nosh, I wouldn't have such a belly this morning.

[harrie]

Tonight was an oldie but a goodie:  Spinach-Ricotta Pie from the Moosewood Cookbook. 

[EllieH]

Sunday was green peppers stuffed with beef (mixed with some breadcrumbs, eggs, sour cream and seasonings), though a blend of beef and pork would have probably been more flavorful.  Served with pasta and salad.

 

Monday was eggs and toast, quick and easy!

[DeLurker]

Anything that cleans up easy - no hot water at Case DeLurker until Wednesday at the earliest.  Requisite part has been ordered and hopefully will arrive & be installed then.  Razz'um frazz'um...

[krimimimi]

Club sandwiches? Calzones? Or anything stew/chili/curry-like that cooks in just one pot.

I think I can cope with no hot water in the kitchen, you just boil some and add it to the dishwater. We used to have to do that at my grandparents' cottage. But without my hot shower in the morning, I don't function. </first world problems>

[Maharincess]

I baked a ham and made macaroni salad yesterday, so tonight's dinner will be my scalloped potatoes with ham. Tomorrow I'm boiling the bone and making bean soup. Friday I'll make ham and cheese omlettes.

Then I'll be sick of ham.

Edited March 1, 2016 by Maharincess

[ALenore]

I made penne alla vodka from a Ina Garden recipe I found at Food 52 http://food52.com/recipes/40639-ina-garten-s-pasta-alla-vecchia-bettola?utm_source=slate.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=f52-slate#comments   You  roast the tomatoes in the oven for an hour an a half, and they cook down and caramelize very nicely.   It made a lot of sauce, I'll freeze half for use in the future.   

[chessiegal]

Thai Chicken salad from Panera - it was a long day.

[sunshinelover]

I'll be trying a new recipe tonight- black bean and quinoa enchilada casserole. 

 

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/black-bean-and-quinoa-enchilada-bake/

[Mountainair]

I'm on bed rest until Saturday so I sent my husband out for groceries and put him in charge of dinner. He's always complaining that I don't let him cook so here's his chance. What does he come home with? Corn Dogs, Sous, Collards, pinto beans, etc. Seriously? I never cook that kind of food, the kids don't eat that kind of food (corn dogs, maybe). I'm always up for trying new foods but you don't go and change everything all at once. Maybe bake some chicken with collards on the side- something like that. I joked that it was a good thing I will be in the hospital for a few days soon. It's bad when I actually look forward to hospital food. His mom brought over pizza last night and my mom is bringing over a casserole tonight so I may dodge a bullet here. 

 

I don't mean to come across as a food snob but I just have never cared for the typical southern cuisine (though I was born and raised in the south). I am more of a classic cook than anything else.

[DeLurker]

Well, bless his heart....

[Bastet]

You can send me the collard greens, but your husband can keep the rest. 

 

Maybe it's a strategy to get out of cooking.  When my parents first got married, my dad was on dish washing duty and promptly broke a dish and two glasses or something like that.  My mom did the dishes from then on.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Bastet

[DeLurker]

My ex would cook every once in a while - it would be such a big production!  Every burner had to be going plus the oven; needless to say every pan and bowl in the house was used.  No matter how the food turned out, I would be peppered with a barrage of questions - Do you think I cooked the rice too long?  I think the meat is under seasoned - what do you think?  And if he received anything but total reassurance that it was the BEST MEAL EVER there would be deep deep wounds over how his efforts were not appreciated.

 

And then he would declare how tired he was from the day and the cooking, and could I please clean up?  Despite the fact that I cooked 99+% of the time and cleaned up too.

 

I tensed up if he even thought about cooking.

[annzeepark914]

I tried a sauce last night that was from a recipe for ribs.  It was soy sauce, lime juice, honey, Asian chili garlic...oy vey, it tasted terrible.  I was going to put it on a pork tenderloin. Then I added blackberry jelly, more honey...ugh!  Then I tried adding bbq sauce and then, wisely, I threw it out and started over with bbq sauce, some honey and some fresh lemon juice and voila!  So I put that on the tenderloin, roasted it and it was tasty.  Whew!  So much for finding a recipe in Parade magazine--some are good and some are vile.

[krimimimi]

So harrie had mentioned ricotta, and I had suggested calzones to DeLurker as a low dish count dish (two bowls and parchment paper), so Thursday I decided that sounded yummy combined, and tried out a new recipe inspired by the pampered chef. It turns out Mr. Mimi doesn't think calzones should be filled with Ricotta. It amazes me that you can continue to learn things about a person after all this time. Guess it's back to tomato sauce next time. But then I could just save on dough and stick to making pizza. Does anybody have a (non-ricotta filled) calzone recipe where they think the resulting calzone really differentiates itself from pizza? It needs to work hard to justify the extra carbs.

Friday was Mussels with Old Bay. I'm sure there was other food involved, but who noticed? We used to make sauces and things, and it's funny that it's become increasingly streamlined over the years. A couple of times a year, we just do mussels with friends.

Saturday, sweet and savory Buttermilk waffles, for dinner, because my inner five year old occasionally just grabs the reins. Served with cottage cheese and fruit preserves (his) or mozzarella and smoked ham (hers).

Sunday a Dagwood of a Club Sandwich, a couple of inches thick, because having mentioned them, I could no longer get them off of my mind. I try to fit a whole salad in there, so they get pretty lofty. Have to make my own mayo because of allergies, but the plus side is it's fresh, very low in cholesterol and has fewer calories than the regular stuff would. (It basically relies on milk, canola and dijon mustard.) While I don't remember what real mayo tastes like, "normal" people say they can't tell anything's missing, which comforts me.

And last night we had a cottage pie. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's English and sort of like a Bolognese made with Worcestershire sauce covered in herbed mashed potatoes and cheddar. Comfort food. I cheat and use instant potatoes, because to be honest, they're better than mine. I just add chives and freshly ground pepper, and reduce the liquid to 3/4s to get the right consistency.

Not sure if we'll eat the other half today or tomorrow. I really like how for the leftovers, the potatoes have wicked up some of the tomato sauce, and it sort of changes how everything tastes, despite being the same ingredients as before. I think it's the only thing besides Virgin Mary's that I use Worcestershire for, but I really like that taste here. I also smuggle in a lot of grated carrots. My husband remarked that I am always more pleased with one of my recipes if I can up the carrot count without anyone noticing. I'd argue that that's "vegetables" in general, and not "carrots" in specific, but he's not wrong. I had just sort of hoped he hadn't noticed. Need to work on my poker face. (Apparently I grin more when serving if I increased the veggies. My mental image as he described it was sort of like a big orange cat with canary feathers sticking out of her mouth.)

[harrie]

Maybe it's a regional thing or just a me thing, but I've not heard of calzones without ricotta - I mean, they have other things in the filling, like mushrooms, broccoli, or meatballs -  but the ricotta keeps things together, sort of.   Tomato sauce on the side.  Again, maybe that's just how they do it around here.

 

Mussels are one of my favorites - love them!  (And any shellfish, really.)  They (mussels), waffles and cottage pie sound heavenly.

[gatopretoNYC]

Well, my first post here, and it's take-out: Philly cheesesteak & fries.

I made chicken curry a few nights ago, but added some cayenne pepper along with the curry powder, and it came out way hot; too hot for me.

I really wish there was a simp!er recipe for chicken or shrimp korma. I love that so much.

[Talky Tina]

Also my first post here! And funny enough it's also take out.

Pizza for me tonight. I had to go into town today so I grabbed a big cheese pizza on my way back home.

They don't deliver out in the boonies where I live.

[annzeepark914]

I made Chicken Tortilla Soup the other night and it was very good.  It's a Pioneer Woman recipe (surprise!).  It needed more seasoning but otherwise, it was really delicious.  I used Fire Roasted Tomatoes instead of Rotel (didn't have it/don't like it).  It calls for 2 cans of black beans drained but I rinsed them a little first which maybe I shouldn't have.  I just don't like ingesting all that stuff the beans are sitting in. Also called for 3 Tbsps of masa which I didn't have so I ground up a couple corn tortillas and used that instead. So, my soup may have been a bit different from the PW.  Makes a good supper w/ a salad.

[DeLurker]

That sounds tasty!

 

I always drain my beans and save the liquid to feed to the plants.  Not sure if it does any good, but it can't hurt.

 

Wasn't a fan of Rotel previously, but since they started vans with varying degrees of spices, I like it a lot more (I'm a seasoning wuss so the mild works for me).

[JTMacc99]

I made some butternut squash soup this weekend, as it was still cold out and I needed to have something reasonably healthy in the fridge to eat after work this week on a day where maybe I had a big lunch.  (I'm in a reduced calorie / exercise mode right now.)

 

The soup is so easy, and really good:

 

Cut in half, remove seeds, and roast a butternut squash at 400 for about 30 minutes or until it is fork tender. Let it cool down, then remove the skin and cut it into large chunks. In a large saucepan cook a diced onion until it is soft but not brown in some olive oil. Add the squash and a couple cups or more (whatever you like) of fat free or low fat chicken broth. Add salt, pepper, and about a teaspoon or a little more if you like of curry powder.  Warm it up a little, and then hit it with an immersion blender until smooth.  And that's it. Done.  You can put a dollop of something creamy in it if you would like to serve. Make sure to use a good curry powder. 

 

And the reason I'm eating this tonight is because I had a Shack-Cago dog at Shake Shack for lunch today. Which really isn't too bad, but still...

[Tabbyclaw]

My mother found a recipe last week for buffalo ranch chicken stuffed bell peppers with guacamole. Which is probably great if you don't hate bell peppers and guacamole, which I do. But I can certainly get behind some buffalo ranch chicken, so I ended up taking the chicken itself and tossing it in a burrito with a little rice, some chopped onion and cilantro, and a smear of bleu cheese dressing. Perfect combination, and the leftovers were a great lunch for the next couple days.

[krimimimi]

Thanks, harrie, I was sure ricotta filled calzones were a thing. The local pizzerias make their calzones only with tomato sauce, so maybe it is regional. I was beginning to wonder.

I miss cheese steaks. Haven't had one in forever. Never made one myself, wonder if that's particularly doable... Some foods you just always purchase.

Talky Tina's talk of pizza inspired me, so that's what I made tonight. Pepperoni, olive and mushroom. We managed to find some pepperoni that actually looks like pepperoni (instead of salami) for once. Served with extra tomato sauce for dipping, because you can never have enough tomatoes.

[Talky Tina]

I'm going to make a pizza tonight and do my venison steak tomorrow. I'm cheating on my pizza crust tonight and I'm just going to use some of my Bridgeford frozen bread. It makes really good crust and its so much easier than home made.

I have my venison marinating, I hope it comes out well.

[BooksRule]

Tonight's dinner is super simple and very unimaginative.  Baked chicken (with some Cajun seasoning sprinkled on top) and some frozen veggies zapped in the microwave.  I was going to fix some sauteed cabbage, but I just got in from mowing the yard and I don't have the energy to chop or mix anything tonight.  I'm lucky I got the chicken in the oven.  This is the type of day when I wished I had planned ahead and put something good in the slow cooker.  

[Qoass]

I made 15 bean soup this weekend and will be eating it for the rest of my life.

[BooksRule]

I made 15 bean soup this weekend and will be eating it for the rest of my life

 

.That's a lot of beans!  Can you freeze some for later?  I'm trying to get away from processed foods (which I had for lunch most days), so I made a couple of pots of vegetarian taco soup (with four kinds of beans) and divided it all up into freezer containers for lunch.  I need to find another soup to make and freeze before I get tired of taco soup (I need something with chicken that will freeze well).

 

Tonight is baked pork chops and green salad (with strawberries for dessert).

[krimimimi]

And here I was thinking those must be some magical beans if only 15 of them will keep you going for life...

Seriously, though, I think I can only name maybe 7 kinds of beans. And that's including the magical ones.

[mansonlamps]

I love beans. I could easily name 15 kinds of them, but I don't see myself putting them all in one pot of soup!

[chessiegal]

.That's a lot of beans!  Can you freeze some for later?  I'm trying to get away from processed foods (which I had for lunch most days), so I made a couple of pots of vegetarian taco soup (with four kinds of beans) and divided it all up into freezer containers for lunch.  I need to find another soup to make and freeze before I get tired of taco soup (I need something with chicken that will freeze well).

 

Tonight is baked pork chops and green salad (with strawberries for dessert).

I've been on a soup kick lately inspired by soups at the Whole Foods hot bar. I liked their Moroccan red lentil soup, and finally settled on a blend of recipes with the main one being from ATK. I also like their mushroom barley soup, and made a great one, and found that adding some rotisserie chicken made a great dinner.

[Athena]

I made 15 bean soup this weekend and will be eating it for the rest of my life.

 

Please share the recipe. I don't think I'm the only one who is curious. Thanks!

[Bastet]

Yeah, I've never met a bean I didn't hate, so I certainly won't be making it, but a friend practically lives on beans, so I'd love to pass the recipe on to her.

[Qoass]

My goodness, I had no idea there would be interest!  First off, it's no big secret recipe:  it comes off the back of the bag.  I did it on my stove top with a ham bone.  It does freeze but one of the reasons I made it was to get the ham bone plus a package of leftover ham OUT of my too crowded freezer.  Secondly, yellow and green split peas and lentils count as beans.  It's yummy.