What Did We Eat Today?

[stillshimpy]

I'm still doing recipe testing prep.  So we are having vegan-cashew-cheddar, portabella and spinach panini's with a cucumber salad and then we're actually having a dessert too (fairly rare for a weekday ) avocado chocolate pudding with cherry and chia seed topping :)  My husband is going to be about Vegan'd to death by the time I test everything, and I have to confess, I'm not loving the cherry and chia topping, so I have to work on that sucker.    

[ALenore]

I made something called "Steak House Pizza."  It's a pizza crust with arugula, red onions, tomatoes, blue cheese, and then sliced tenderloin steak on top.  I really liked it.    The steak was expensive, around $14 a pound, but I only used 1/2 pound, so the price wasn't too bad.   

[Lovecat]

I made some homemade Chinese takeout: chunks of boneless, skinless chicken breast with onions, peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli, in a brown sauce (beef gravy, beef broth, and a couple splashes of soy sauce) with garlic and ginger. Mmmmmm-mmmmmm! And for once I didn't eff up the rice!

[harrie]

I'm not sure. Last night we talked about having the colcannon leftovers tonight.  This morning I came down to the kitchen and some leftover turkey I thought we were having tomorrow is thawing on the counter.  (He takes it out when he goes to work, I put it in the fridge when I go to work; stuff doesn't sit out to thaw all day.)  So, even though it's my week to cook, I am not sure what we're having tonight.  I do love a mystery!

[DeLurker]

It's Thursday Surprise!

[harrie]

It's Thursday Surprise!

 

I like that - makes the meal sound much more interesting than it actually is!  And since I know everyone is waiting with bated breath (not) -- it's colcannon tonight.  

[Betweenyouandme]

Pinto beans. Grape tomatoes. Bagel with butter.

I made a very sweet smoothie for breakfast. Ice, vanilla yogurt, 2 medium bananas, blueberries, pineapple juice. It was very good but the sweetest I've ever made. I think plain milk should replace either the yogurt or pineapple juice next time. Still really good though overall, since I had no milk in the house.

[ALenore]

I made mozzarella paninis tonight, made with ciabatta bread, served with a dressing of olive oil, sparsely, lemon juice and capers.  I had tomatoes with basil on the side.    

[mansonlamps]

Mmmmm. I really like black eyed peas.

I always used to love them but for a while now I've found they have a very sweet taste they didn't used to have. Same with white potatoes. Am I nuts?

[Betweenyouandme]

I always used to love them but for a while now I've found they have a very sweet taste they didn't used to have. Same with white potatoes. Am I nuts?

I add so much salt I don't think I could tell. But, I've never noticed.

[DeLurker]

BYaM - quoting myself from another thread, but thought you might like this recipe.  It halfs (halves?) well which works for me because I am the only one in my house that eats it.  My nephew subbed in srirachi for the szeuchaun sauce and he said it tasted fine to him.  It makes a nice side, but I've been known to eat it for my main dish.

 

 

The recipe for Szechuan Black-Eyed Pea Salad is really good and it modifies very easy.  Every time I have made it, at least one person has asked for the recipe.  I leave out the jalepeno and bell peppers when I make it (just because I don't care for them), I've subbed balsamic vinegar for red wine vinegar, etc...make it at least an hour in advance so the flavors have a chance to marry.

[ALenore]

I'm going to try a dish from a book 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer called Easy Minty Shrimp with Peas and Coconut, because I want to use up the mint I bought before it goes bad.  It's pretty much what the title says, though I'm adding less hot pepper than the recipe calls for.  I'm making a Perfumed Basmati Rice to go with it, which is basically a rice pilaf with cardamom, red onion and saffron.   Hope everything comes out right, I've never made either of these recipes before. 

[Bastet]

You've ruled out most of the usual suspects when it comes to curry powder components; I'd have figured it was the coriander or turmeric.  Cardamom?  Fenugreek?  Tamarind?  Cloves?  Fennel?  Let us know the results of your experiment.

[Betweenyouandme]

BYaM - quoting myself from another thread, but thought you might like this recipe. It halfs (halves?) well which works for me because I am the only one in my house that eats it. My nephew subbed in srirachi for the szeuchaun sauce and he said it tasted fine to him. It makes a nice side, but I've been known to eat it for my main dish.

Thank you! That does sound really good and healthy. I will make this as soon as I go back to the store. Definitely the type of thing I like and need to be eating.

Today, I ate tomatoes and pearl pasteurized mozzarella with balsamic glaze. Had some ciabatta bread on the side. And...a banana.

[Betweenyouandme]

Ok. Just had a bowl with chips from Chipotle. BUT I just saw this on Facebook...instead of a plain grilled cheese...a grilled sandwich with goats cheese, walnuts, honey, and Rosemary. That right there, sounds glorious to me.

[stillshimpy]

forumfish, it's likely the cardamon or fennel that most Indian Curries contain :-)  There's also ginger and often cinnamon, so some people react poorly to a combination that they think of as sweet being mixed with savory.  

 

But Cardamon, caraway and fennel seem to be the main "I can't stand that!" spice.  Star Anise is sometimes in there too, depends on the blend.  Might be the clove, but those are the main offenders in the "I can't even stand the smell!" that so many people seem to have to Indian Curries.  If you're talking about green or red curry for Thai food, I confess I've never made those.  

 

Year ago I spent a lot of time making Indian food (and discovered that when a recipes advises you to 'avert your face' when adding something...you really need to do that if you treasure things like eyebrows)  ....and the other thing to remember to do is toast the spices first (cast iron or heavy skillet) and also, you need to fry the curry into a paste before using it, or it can be a little punishing.  

 

I always used to love them but for a while now I've found they have a very sweet taste they didn't used to have. Same with white potatoes. Am I nuts?

 

Maybe, but thinking white potatoes taste sweet isn't evidence of that ;-)  Seriously, part of the reason you aren't supposed to store white potatoes in your fridge is that the starch in them starts breaking down to what amounts to a sugar at colder temperatures, so you'll end up with white potatoes that taste sweetened if you do that.  I don't know if black-eyed peas do the same thing, but storage temps can do weird things to carbs.  

Edited March 29, 2015 by stillshimpy

[stillshimpy]

Wow, I'm wondering how in the world to describe cardamon.  It isn't peppery, for one thing. It's more easily associated -- for most -- with sweet preparations, vs. savory.  It's also generally the flavor in chai tea spicing that can have a negative response for some people.  

 

Here's a link to the description I found.  It's one of those flavors you either like, or loath.  It's not peppery though, as the link says, it's like a cross between mint and ginger.  

[ALenore]

I didn't cook dinner Sunday, we went to a friends 80th birthday party held a great local New Mexican style Mexican restaurant.  They took over the whole place.  We had some wonderful food and a great time.   I had Mexican food again yesterday, my own chicken enchilada frozen leftovers.   

 

Tonight I'm making a kielbasa and pierogi bake which I've done before, but I've adjusted the recipe to add more onions and peppers, and rather than try and get the pierogies  to get brown and crisp in the oven, I bury them under the peppers and onions so they stay soft and moist.   I like it better that way.  

[ALenore]

I'm making Coconut Curry Salmon tonight, which I've never made before but seems pretty easy, just salmon basically poached in coconut milk spiced with red curry paste and lime juice.  On the side is brown basmati rice and grilled zucchini

[harrie]

Tonight is spicy lacquered chicken wings.

[Betweenyouandme]

Kale salad with orange, almonds, and avocado

Rabbit sausage with lentils and carrots and mustard greens.

Green chile cornbread

No. Didn't cook it! Was very yummy and have more as leftovers.

Also, I had fries. Yeah...I'm a piglet.

[mansonlamps]

Tonight will be homemade potstickers using a recipe I found on Pinterest that claims to be 10000X better than store bought or restaurant versions. We'll see about that. It also claims that they only take 30 minutes to prepare, we'll see about that too.

[ALenore]

Tonight I made pasta  (Cavatappi)  with butternut squash, walnuts and blue cheese.  Pretty easy and quick, although roasting the butternut squash took longer than I expected.     I had broccoli with olive oil, red pepper, and garlic on the side.  

[Betweenyouandme]

Shrimp tacos with avocado and tomato.

Black beans. Rice.

[Mittengirl]

Frosted Flakes. They were grrrreat!

[harrie]

Last night was lamb kielbasa, sauerkraut and pierogies. Tonight is potato pancakes with smoked salmon garnishing.  We kind of jumped the gun on the Easter/Passover feasting. 

[Wings]

I always used to love them but for a while now I've found they have a very sweet taste they didn't used to have. Same with white potatoes. Am I nuts?

 

 

um hm

Tonight will be homemade potstickers using a recipe I found on Pinterest that claims to be 10000X better than store bought or restaurant versions. We'll see about that. It also claims that they only take 30 minutes to prepare, we'll see about that too.

 

 

30 mins!  Not the way I have made them!  The filling takes about 15 and the dough takes longer.  Rolling, cutting, stuffing and pinching is time consuming.  I would love to see that recipe.  

[DeLurker]

I always cheat and buy wonton wrappers.

Edited April 3, 2015 by DeLurker

[PRgal]

Good Friday = meat-free.  We are having vegetarian lasagna and salad.   This is the last Friday I go without land meat until Lent next year... :) 

[Bastet]

I'm making pizza tonight, but I'm buying ready-made (whole wheat) dough for the crust rather than making my own.  The toppings will be chicken, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes, with provolone and mozzarella cheese.  The "sauce" is just a simple olive oil base.

[WendyCR72]

As it is Good Friday (meaning, no meat!), tonight was mushroom pizza. Usually do fish, but a bit of variety never hurts!

[mansonlamps]

 

 

30 mins!  Not the way I have made them!  The filling takes about 15 and the dough takes longer.  Rolling, cutting, stuffing and pinching is time consuming.  I would love to see that recipe.

Recipe calls for wonton wrappers. Even so, I don't see myself stuffing and pinching and pan frying 36 dumplings in 30 minutes. Plus making the filling. Got stuck at work and wasn't able to make the recipe yesterday so plan to try again tonight

[ALenore]

Recipe calls for wonton wrappers. Even so, I don't see myself stuffing and pinching and pan frying 36 dumplings in 30 minutes. Plus making the filling

 

.I did a similar recipe for potstickers using won ton wrappers.  It definitely took a lot more than 30 minutes, especially since you have to be careful to pinch the seams thoroughly shut so the filling doesn't leak out.  They did come out good, but I'd only plan it again if I had a lot of time, or help from my husband. 

[latetotheparty]

Kale salad with orange, almonds, and avocado

Rabbit sausage with lentils and carrots and mustard greens.

Green chile cornbread

No. Didn't cook it! Was very yummy and have more as leftovers.

Also, I had fries. Yeah...I'm a piglet.

 

I want that kale salad.  OMG it sounds great.

[EllieH]

Sushi, with lots of delicious smoked salmon

[ALenore]

I'm making Roasted Chicken Thighs with Mustard Sauce, with roasted potatoes and green beans on the side.  The recipe calls for thyme in the mustard sauce, but my husband doesn't like time, so I'm leaving it out.  

[annzeepark914]

Once again, made Bubbi's meatloaf from Dave Lieberman.  It's delicious and we love it (I don't use her topping, though..make my own with some ketchup, a teence of BBQ sauce, tiny bit of Worcestershire, a little brown sugar, S&P then 3 strips of microwave bacon).

 

Tomorrow's dinner will be Ina Garten's ham (with the sauce made out of orange marmalade, orange zest and juice, Dijon mustard & brown sugar) along with scalloped potatoes and asparagus.  I hope everyone who celebrates has a memorable Easter/Passover this weekend.

[PRgal]

Last night was my meatless Good Friday dinner.  Today, we celebrated Eastover (PRguy is Jewish) with brisket, matzah ball soup, tzimmies and charoset (catered) along with a non-Passover-appropriate dessert (raspberry Greek yogurt and quark (quark is a kind cheese, similar to Greek yogurt in terms of texture) cheesecake, which I made)

Edited April 5, 2015 by PRgal

[annzeepark914]

@PRgal:  I love your description of this weekend:  Eastover.  

Edited April 5, 2015 by annzeepark914

[Vixenstud]

Felt like cooking today so turned on the 70's music and made mac and cheese and cabbage with store bought ham slices and a smidge of chitlins....even made vanilla and chocolate cupcakes!

Edited April 5, 2015 by Vixenstud

[PRgal]

Eastover leftovers tonight - still have some brisket, matzah ball soup, salad and cheesecake. 

[JTMacc99]

Green Salad, Roasted Cauliflower (Broken apart into smaller pieces, toss with Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, garlic cut up into fairly large chunks because it will burn, 425, 20 minutes,) and the new Nathan's Reduced Fat Hot Dogs I found in the store this weekend.  This will be a quick after work meal, and the kids will eat it with no complaints.

[ALenore]

Made a typical Easter dinner last night, ham, sweet potatoes, and broccoli.  Tonight it's leftover Cincinnati Chili. I'll be using ham leftovers a couple times this week, tomorrow for ham biscuits, and later in a potato/ham gratin.  

 

Since the ham I got was 10 pounds, I'll still have lots left.  I'm going to freeze it and try to use if before it gets all freezer burned.  I'm searching the interwebs for leftover ham recipes, have a few already, (white bean soup with ham, the potato/ham casserole),  but I'm trying to get a nice variety of different dishes.

Edited April 6, 2015 by ALenore

[DeLurker]

My Mom always used leftover ham diced in fried rice.  All my brothers have a collective fond memory of it (not me - wasn't my cuppa when I was a kid). I might make some for my kids this week, but ham only works for me as a breakfast food - ham & egg scramble or a breakfast sandwich.

Edited April 6, 2015 by DeLurker

[JTMacc99]

My Mom always used leftover ham diced in fried rice.  All my brothers have a collective fond memory of it (not me - wasn't my cuppa when I was a kid). I might make some for my kids this week, but ham only works for me as a breakfast food - ham & egg scramble or a breakfast sandwich.

I've done the ham in fried rice.  I think it makes it too salty.  But you did give me a really good idea of what to do with the leftover pork loin I cooked on the grill Saturday.

[ALenore]

I'm working overtime this week, so I'm taking a night off cooking and ordering Chinese food: Crab rangoon, stir fried chicken with a variety of vegetables, and wonton egg drop soup. 

[Bastet]

I'm ordering Chinese tonight, too.  My mom's 7:30 a.m. knee replacement surgery got pushed back to 1:30 p.m., then was delayed an extra half hour because her veins were even more uncooperative than usual and it took four people to finally get the IV started an hour and a half after she entered pre-op, because of some unknown holdup while she was in recovery she didn't get settled into her room until 5:00, my dad bailed at 6:00 ...

 

Point being -- I just got home a short time ago, and the only effort I'm putting into sustenance tonight beyond dialing the phone is pouring the Maker's Mark.  So chicken & shrimp shumai, wor wonton soup (because it rained today), and combination kung pao are on the way.  And now, it's time for that second drink.

[mlp]

Bastet, where on earth are you that you can get Chinese food delivered at 10:30 pm?  The only delivery places around here open that late are Domino's and a couple local pizza parlors. 

[Bastet]

It was only 8:30 my time, but most of my local places (Chinese, Thai, Italian, etc.) take delivery orders until just before 10:00 Sunday thru Thursday and until just before 11:00 Friday and Saturday nights.  One pizza place and a Japanese restaurant that's open late will deliver until 1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m., respectively, on weekends.

Edited April 8, 2015 by Bastet

[harrie]

I'm ordering Chinese tonight, too.  My mom's 7:30 a.m. knee replacement surgery got pushed back to 1:30 p.m., then was delayed an extra half hour because her veins were even more uncooperative than usual and it took four people to finally get the IV started an hour and a half after she entered pre-op, because of some unknown holdup while she was in recovery she didn't get settled into her room until 5:00, my dad bailed at 6:00 ...

 

Point being -- I just got home a short time ago, and the only effort I'm putting into sustenance tonight beyond dialing the phone is pouring the Maker's Mark.  So chicken & shrimp shumai, wor wonton soup (because it rained today), and combination kung pao are on the way.  And now, it's time for that second drink.

 

That sounds perfect, considering the circumstances.  And I wish I lived in your 'hood; they roll the streets and sidewalks up at 8pm around here.   (I hope your mom is doing well.)