What Did We Eat Today?

[BuyMoreAndSave]

Today was a "use up leftover ingredients from last week and vegetable scraps" sort of dinner:

*A combination of whole wheat and lentil pasta with Fra Diavolo sauce, fresh mozzarella, and garlic powder.

*Sauteed carrot greens, kale stems and leaves, radish greens, and tomatoes, in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, ginger, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. This is a recipe I make frequently because my husband loves it (and he doesn't like most vegetables) and it's a good way to use up things like kale stems and carrot greens to prevent food waste (also, spices or dried herbs you want to use up). The kale stems have to be added to the pan first, then the carrot greens several minutes later, and they should be sliced into small pieces. The kale leaves and tomatoes only have to cook for a couple of minutes.

*Boiled sliced acorn squash and pears, some produce from previous shopping trips I had to use up before it went bad. I wanted to put cinnamon on it but I just finished the cinnamon today, and also it would probably be better roasted but I don't have a roasting pan right now, but it still turned out good.

For dessert I'm going to have some BarkThins dark chocolate with coconut and almonds.

Edited November 13, 2018 by BuyMoreAndSave

[annzeepark914]

Gruyere Scalloped Potatoes w/ Onion & Black Forest Ham; and steamed asparagus w/ a Thousand Island-ish type dressing for a "dip". And for dessert...sinfully delicious cinnamon rolls w/ that wonderful cream cheese frosting from Harris Teeter's bakery (oy vey, they are sooooo good--the cinnamon is especially wonderful).  Tomorrow?  Celery and water (heh).

[biakbiak]

For reasons known only to him my boyfriends brother brought us a dozen croissants this morning before he left for home so I made a ham and cheese croissant cassorole. 

[Giselle]

On 11/7/2018 at 6:30 PM, fairffaxx said:

I miss helping at the polling place, but I no longer have the stamina necessary for the obscenely long hours.  I remember how grateful we were to receive leftover Halloween candy on voting day, & now I always encourage people to donate theirs to those poor souls.

Our core group has been together for some time. With the one meal break we all bring snacks for everyone for the rest of the day. This year I made a cake to celebrate someones birthday that was 3 days away. We get so busy after 5 that there really is no time for a snack break.

I like being part of the process in my own little way, helping people exercise their right to vote. I look forward to it but am glad when the long day is over.

[Giselle]

Elk spaghetti, seared zucchini, salad, hard rolls. Lemon olive oil cake for dessert.

[chessiegal]

 Since it's just the 2 of us, with no family nearby, we've started going to a restaurant on Thanksgiving. We're going back to the same waterfront restaurant we've been to the last 2 years. But I really hate going to the grocery store this time of year. I usually go to the grocery store at least every other day because I want to buy fresh food, and don't want to keep it more than a few days. But now the stores are crammed with people who act like they've never been in a grocery store before. I'll be glad when Thanksgiving is over.

[biakbiak]

Getting ready for rich foods (cooking and eating) so had a big bowl of pho.

[annzeepark914]

4 hours ago, chessiegal said:

 Since it's just the 2 of us, with no family nearby, we've started going to a restaurant on Thanksgiving. We're going back to the same waterfront restaurant we've been to the last 2 years. But I really hate going to the grocery store this time of year. I usually go to the grocery store at least every other day because I want to buy fresh food, and don't want to keep it more than a few days. But now the stores are crammed with people who act like they've never been in a grocery store before. I'll be glad when Thanksgiving is over.

You and me both!  Harris Teeter is ok but Wegman's? It's already unbelievable.  From now until new year's day, I only go to certain stores in the morning.  You can tell the ones who have relatives with them too (especially the ones who are showing off Wegman's).  We're staying home this year.  We have a ham and I'll probably make potato salad and try something called Thanksgiving Salad from Valerie Bertinelli (celery, apples, walnuts, maybe add some Boston lettuce, etc).  So, tonight dinner was a "free for all" as Mr. P914 calls it (eating up different leftovers).  Happy Thanksgiving!

[fairffaxx]

Your/Valerie's "Thanksgiving Salad" sounds a lot like Waldorf Salad from the turn of the century (2 centuries ago):  chopped unpeeled red apples, chopped celery, chopped walnuts, mayonnaise, chopped iceberg lettuce.  Very good & always makes me giggle remembering John Cleese as innkeeper Basil Fawlty apologizing to a dining room guest that Waldorf Salad couldn't be served that night because the kitchen was "fresh out of waldorfs".

[chessiegal]

I've never seen a recipe for Waldorf Salad that contains chopped iceberg lettuce.

This is the recipe I've seen and my Mom and relatives made.

Waldorf Salad

[Mindthinkr]

^^^ That’s how my SIL makes Waldorf salad. Since she only makes it at Thanksgiving, it’s always a tasty treat. 

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I've never seen a recipe for Waldorf Salad that contains chopped iceberg lettuce.

Oddly enough Waldorf Salad with iceberg lettuce was part of a subplot on a recent episode of The Kids Are All Right.

[chessiegal]

We ate out today at 2 pm at a place with a 4 course menu. After cream of crab soup and a mixed green salad, I chose Rockfish with crab for the main course. I couldn't finish the main, let alone the flourless chocolate cake I ordered for dessert. I'm glad I brought dessert home, because I just had it with the addition of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Yummm!

[biakbiak]

Open faced hot turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and topped with cranberry sauce. 

We had more people than expected for dessert yesterday so all the pie is gone so I made some lemon curd in the Instant Pot to go with some homemade shortbread.

[fairffaxx]

13 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Open faced hot turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and topped with cranberry sauce.  ...

Otherwise known as the "Blueplate Special" in diners across America.  There's nothing better (unless it's the roast beef version with cooked carrots & sweet pickles in place of stuffing & cranberry sauce).

[biakbiak]

Day two of repurposing leftovers we went Asian with Turkey jook for breakfast and turkey ramen for dinner.

[biakbiak]

Day three: Italy and Mexico for leftovers. We did arancini with the leftover mushroom risotto (the vegetarian main in Thanksgiving) and a bitter green salad and for dinner we did turkey “carnitas” tacos with all the fixings.

It’s my last night with cold weather and a fireplace so we are doing s’mores indoors for dessert!

[EllieH]

Orange chicken and chicken fried rice

[BuyMoreAndSave]

We already finished almost all of the Thanksgiving leftovers yesterday. So I had scrambled eggs with baby portabella mushrooms, tomatoes, and black pepper; pumpernickel bread from the fresh-baked section of the supermarket with Earth Balance; and a glass of unsweetened soymilk. BTW, does anyone know how to make scrambled eggs with vegetables in them, without the vegetables leaking out water after it's done cooking which forms an unappetizing puddle underneath the eggs? I drained most of it off but there was still some that re-formed afterwards. For dessert I'll probably have a few dried figs because I already had pumpkin pie at my friend's house earlier.

Edited November 26, 2018 by BuyMoreAndSave

[chessiegal]

5 minutes ago, BuyMoreAndSave said:

We already finished almost all of the Thanksgiving leftovers yesterday. So I had scrambled eggs with baby portabella mushrooms, tomatoes, and black pepper; pumpernickel bread from the fresh-baked section of the supermarket with Earth Balance; and a glass of unsweetened soymilk. BTW, does anyone know how to make scrambled eggs with vegetables in them, without the vegetables leaking out water after it's done cooking which forms an unappetizing puddle underneath the eggs? I drained most of it off but there was still some that re-formed afterwards.

Sauté the veggies first, remove from pan, scramble eggs, add veggies in after eggs are cooked. I made a potato cheese frittata tonight with sautéed asparagus. I cook the asparagus first, set aside, then cook shredded potatoes, add beaten eggs and cream, then asparagus and cheese to finish.  

[BuyMoreAndSave]

3 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Sauté the veggies first, remove from pan, scramble eggs, add veggies in after eggs are cooked. I made a potato cheese frittata tonight with sautéed asparagus. I cook the asparagus first, set aside, then cook shredded potatoes, add beaten eggs and cream, then asparagus and cheese to finish.  

I will try that next time.

[biakbiak]

Pork chops with sage and roasted apples, buttermilk mashed potatoes, and braised red cabbage.

Edited November 28, 2018 by biakbiak

[BooksRule]

This is the first day I've had an appetite after being sick for a week and a half, so I'm oven-BBQing a pork chop and baking a sweet potato (which I will have with a little butter and a sprinkle of salt).

[biakbiak]

Roast chicken with tarragon (still using up herbs from Thanksgiving), potato gratin, and spicy green beans.

[DeLurker]

Dinner was hamburgers cooked on the grill.  Summer is too hot and too buggy to grill for me, so I have to wait until those Goldie Locks days where it isn't too hot, isn't too cold and is relatively mosquito free.

[annzeepark914]

Dinner last night was a sort of chicken schnitzel/chicken Milano.  I bought thin chicken cutlets at Aldi's, dipped in flour/egg/Panko w/ parmesan mixed in, and sauted in olive oil and butter.  It was very good and we liked that the chicken was crispy but wasn't thick.  Served with steamed asparagus and pilaf. @ DeLurker:  I'm the same way about grilling (the Goldilocks weather is the only weather suitable for me to grill!!!)

[JTMacc99]

7 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Dinner was hamburgers cooked on the grill.  Summer is too hot and too buggy to grill for me, so I have to wait until those Goldie Locks days where it isn't too hot, isn't too cold and is relatively mosquito free.

I grilled hamburgers for lunch yesterday. It was 45 degrees with a light misting rain. Warm enough. I miss the grill when it drops down below 30, and I have to climb through snow. 

Although that scenario always makes for a fun Facebook update photo in March when we have one of the first 50 degree days but there's still two feet of snow on the ground. Warm enough for grilling, so I dig a path to the grill and celebrate spring in snow boots and shorts.

[chessiegal]

My husband, bless him, will grill in any weather as long as the grill isn't covered in snow. We have grilled salmon once a week. We both love hamburgers but I try to really limit red meat.

[biakbiak]

“Fried” chicken with hot honey, roasted potatoes and spicy garlicky green beans.

[Mindthinkr]

Spinach Risotto. It tasted so green and fresh. 

[BuyMoreAndSave]

I had some raw turnips, parsnips, and carrots left over from Thanksgiving so I sliced and boiled them, then mashed them, and added extra virgin olive oil, cinnamon, and finely chopped dates (instead of refined sugar). It was decent, and was actually my first time having turnips. It would have been better with some plant-based milk added in, but I didn't have any. And maybe using coconut butter instead of olive oil for more flavor, but I didn't think of it until after I already added the oil in. I also had some frozen peas that were in the freezer for a while and had fused into a solid block of ice, so I boiled those and had them with some black pepper and seasonings. I also had a Shoprite bakery section whole-wheat roll which was in the freezer for a few weeks. Not the most amazing dinner ever but it was pretty good and also healthy. I haven't gone grocery shopping in two weeks (tomorrow I can hopefully go) and I'm trying to use up ingredients so I made do with what was around.

Then later I got hungry again so I had some rice Chex and a vegan chocolate protein shake (I wish I had a blender so I could make actual smoothies with my protein powder).

Edited December 4, 2018 by BuyMoreAndSave

[biakbiak]

Pork loin with sour cherry sauce, braised cabbage, and speatzle.

[Giselle]

It's 64 degrees. I'm cold. Homemade beef vegetable soup, French bread, warm wilted lettuce salad. Hot  gingerbread cake with butter for dessert.

[biakbiak]

There’s a Russian market next to my regular dim sum place that has a lot of products, particularly cured meat products, that aren’t labeled in English and every time I go to dim sum I pick up one that I don’t know what it is and buy it so  it’s random Russian sausage and red bean soup in the Instant pot. I also have some TJs pizza dough that got left at my house and I don’t like for pizza so am making a pepper jack, garlic monkey bread to go with the soup.

[Giselle]

Saurkraut with bacon, bratwurst & pork chops. Mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, pickled beets. 

The rest of the gingerbread from last night.

[biakbiak]

Pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw and potato salad. Thanks to the Instantpot the pulled pork only took a little over an hour.

[annzeepark914]

Grilled portobello mushrooms on rolls, and Spicy Mango Salad.

[biakbiak]

Fish tacos with lime and chile crema on homemade tortillas with guacamole and a grapefruit salsa.

[chessiegal]

10 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Fish tacos with lime and chile crema on homemade tortillas with guacamole and a grapefruit salsa.

I want to move next door to you, invite myself to dinner every night, and I'll bring the wine. :-}

[KnoxForPres]

55 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I want to move next door to you, invite myself to dinner every night, and I'll bring the wine. :-}

It’s hilarious you said this because I was about to do the same!  I will quit my job and move there to live communal  from the last 3 meals alone.  I mean...homemade tortillas!  Oh the inadequacy I feel :)

[biakbiak]

Clean out the fridge baked pasta with spicy jalapeño sausage and broccoli and a huge salad.

[JTMacc99]

11 hours ago, biakbiak said:

and a huge salad.

I eat a huge salad every night. I don’t even take it out of the mixing bowl anymore, just scarf it down while I’m waiting for whatever else it is I’m preparing is cooking. 

[DeLurker]

Last night was pork stir fry with white rice, but also some pan fried noodles (Hong Kong style).  I'm still experimenting with the noodle recipe and this did not turn out the way I was hoping, but it was still better than ok/less than good.

As an added bonus, my son tried some (he can be a bit rigid about food) and liked it well enough to get himself seconds.  My nephew had some too and got himself seconds - he would have taken the first serving to be polite, but the second serving meant he liked them.

We also had brownies - just from a mix (I love Ghirardelli) in cupcake tins so every piece is an edge piece.

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

I eat a huge salad every night. I don’t even take it out of the mixing bowl anymore, just scarf it down while I’m waiting for whatever else it is I’m preparing is cooking. 

I make some sort of side salad with every* dinner, but I've long since stopped eating it as part of my meal -- like you, I usually eat it while I'm cooking.

*Well, almost every.  Not dinners like I'm going to have tonight, where I make a vat of spinach, artichoke & cheese dip, open a bag of tortilla chips, call that dinner, and plop down to watch football.

[Mindthinkr]

4 hours ago, DeLurker said:

We also had brownies - just from a mix (I love Ghirardelli) in cupcake tins so every piece is an edge piece.

Brilliant idea. I’m going to have to “steal” this idea from you, because I think the edges are the best part. Yum. 

[biakbiak]

Having people over for tapas tonight: Spanish tortilla, garlic shrimp, ham croquettes, potato bravas with red pepper aioli, garlic mushrooms, lamb meatballs, spinach and chickpeas, assorted meats and cheeses, and flan. Plus lots and lots of sangria. 

[chessiegal]

At about 1:30 pm when I headed to the grocery store, the forecast was for a 30% chance of snow flurries. When I got there I had a hard time finding a place to park. I've never seen so many people in the store. I thought, good grief, are we getting 2 feet of snow? I picked up a premade chicken fettucine casserole to heat for dinner. I spent more time in line, and they had every checkout counter open, than I did shopping. Now the forecast has changed to 1-3 inches (the horror!) but still no snow here at 5:30 pm. People in Buffalo and Minnesota are laughing at us.

[annzeepark914]

4 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Brilliant idea. I’m going to have to “steal” this idea from you, because I think the edges are the best part. Yum. 

 

8 hours ago, DeLurker said:

We also had brownies - just from a mix (I love Ghirardelli) in cupcake tins so every piece is an edge piece.

I need to live next door to you two cause I only like the inside squares.  Then, I could save the outside squares for you :>)

[BooksRule]

Quote

I need to live next door to you two cause I only like the inside squares.

I agree.  The softer inside brownie squares are the best.

I'm house cleaning and I need to make some deviled eggs tonight for an open house at work tomorrow, so dinner needed to be something that didn't require any prep.  I put a Stouffer's lasagna in the oven.  It was pretty good, and there is enough for dinner tomorrow as well.

[mansonlamps]

On 12/4/2018 at 1:08 AM, BuyMoreAndSave said:

I had some raw turnips, parsnips, and carrots left over from Thanksgiving so I sliced and boiled them, then mashed them, and added extra virgin olive oil, cinnamon, and finely chopped dates (instead of refined sugar). It was decent, and was actually my first time having turnips. It would have been better with some plant-based milk added in, but I didn't have any. And maybe using coconut butter instead of olive oil for more flavor, but I didn't think of it until after I already added the oil in. I also had some frozen peas that were in the freezer for a while and had fused into a solid block of ice, so I boiled those and had them with some black pepper and seasonings. I also had a Shoprite bakery section whole-wheat roll which was in the freezer for a few weeks. Not the most amazing dinner ever but it was pretty good and also healthy. I haven't gone grocery shopping in two weeks (tomorrow I can hopefully go) and I'm trying to use up ingredients so I made do with what was around.

Then later I got hungry again so I had some rice Chex and a vegan chocolate protein shake (I wish I had a blender so I could make actual smoothies with my protein powder).

Funny (to me) story about turnips.  When I was little, I hated them, but my dad loved them.  At every holiday dinner my grandma, who was the greatest, always made turnips "for Cathy" and I sucked them down because I appreciated that my Grandma made something "special" for me.  As I got older, I realized my dad told her I loved turnips because he wanted them and he knew I would go along to please grandma.  It became a joke as I got older.  I love my dad and my grandma!  And I still hate turnips.