What Did We Eat Today?

[ethalfrida]

Can totally relate to slow cooker semi failures.  Photo of baked chicken, like yours, appeared brown and delicious. I seriously thought the foil underneath would achieve that, lol.

 

Yesterday it was fresh, whole

blackened red fish. Today I am looking at Pad Thai.

[annzeepark914]

Grilled portobello mushrooms tonight, along with some Aidell's sausages.  I'd forgotten how much I love those mushrooms.  I marinate them in oil, red wine vinegar & Worcestershire and, for me, they're almost like eating steak.   We also had leftover pasta salad and fruit salsa on the side.  It was nice to be able to grill since we didn't have any storms today (but I can't complain about having lots of rain recently--glad to have it knowing what friends & relatives on the west coast are enduring).

[BooksRule]

Went to a cook-out on the 4th, which included burgers, dogs, sausage, boneless pork chops, chicken (all yum!).  Of course, there were the usual sides (potato salad, coleslaw, etc.). I made deviled eggs and my cousin made a really good cauliflower salad.  I had never had it before, but it had cauliflower cut into little pieces, shredded romaine, mayo and I'm not sure what else.  It was probably high-calorie because of the mayo, but it was cool and tasty.  I also brought a lemon supreme pound cake with fresh lemon glaze and we had 'pineapple stuff' (basically a 'dump cake') and pecan pie bars.  Yesterday, after eating too much for the 4th, I settled for some of my dad's shredded BBQ pork (he made us a batch of his vinegary NC BBQ).  I just took enough home with me to make two sandwiches, but I heated it up with some BBQ sauce and skipped the slaw.  I had several leftover 'Pecan Pie bars' (aka 'Sugar Crackers' or 'Pecan Crackers' -- http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pecan-Crackers/) for dessert.  Today, it's back on the diet!

[DeLurker]

Went to my brother's last night for a belated celebration.  My sister-in-law made a flourless chocolate cake that was incredibly rich.  I paid for eating a slice of that sugar bomb last night when I couldn't get to sleep no matter what.

[harrie]

We returned yesterday from a trip to southern Pennsylvania, where crops are a couple of weeks ahead of the ones at home.  So we brought home some fresh-picked corn and grilled it with some steaks last night.  As a reward for braving holiday traffic - never again, I think!  - we had some extremely decadent dark chocolate espresso ice cream from a local farm/creamery.  Brought home fresh, delicious plums, cherries and blueberries, so hopefully that will make up for the ice cream thing, they'll kind of erase the calories, right? 

 

I think tonight is BLTs with some tomatoes we picked up in PA, plus our own lettuce, provided it survived the mouse and bunny brigade while we were gone. 

Edited July 6, 2015 by harrie

[ramble]

I have a couple of avocados getting close to the point of no return so I was trying to think of something different last night. I remembered I'd had an avocado omelette once & enjoyed it. Feeling lazy I just scrambled some eggs & sliced an avocado on top with a little salt & pepper. It was delicious. The ramble jr. who was home was unimpressed with the idea & had strawberries & rice ramen. I think she missed out.

[ethalfrida]

Good day to have sandwiches. Homemade nongluten sandwich loaf with avocado, tomato, lettuce and a protein. Homebrewed ginger ale.  Maybe popcorn later. Stovetop.

[harrie]

Good day to have sandwiches. Homemade nongluten sandwich loaf with avocado, tomato, lettuce and a protein. Homebrewed ginger ale.  Maybe popcorn later. Stovetop.

 

Ethalfrida, do you make your own ginger ale?  If so, how complicated or time-consuming is it?  I had some at a microbrewery over the weekend, and it was delicious and extremely refreshing.

 

And for me, stovetop popcorn is like real maple syrup: the only way to go.  Sounds like a nice dinner!

Edited July 6, 2015 by harrie

[ethalfrida]

Ethalfrida, do you make your own ginger ale?  If so, how complicated or time-consuming is it?  I had some at a microbrewery over the weekend, and it was delicious and extremely refreshing.

 

And for me, stovetop popcorn is like real maple syrup: the only way to go.  Sounds like a nice dinner!

Good morning, harrie. 

 

Yes, I do my own and it is so easy you will become addicted. I will post the link I use mostly as it was how I got started.

 

The plain is delicious but the hibiscus is fabulous. The strawberry will not be so sweet unless you add more sugar to the bottling part but it is the most explosive. And the fizz is not from chemicals or extra things. Home made ginger ale is simply fresh organic ginger, sugar and filtered or spring water. That's it but there is a step before bottling called making a ginger bug. All in all, creating ginger ale is about a very short process.

 

And one of the fun things to do is get Groslch beer and save the bottles to use. My friends were very happy to accommodate me on that one! But when I got really involved I just bought a dozen clear ones on Amazon (maily because the hibiscus is a beatiful red). You do need the swing tops because the carbonation really builds up. I hope you get into it, it will become a part of your life.

http://www.citymarket.coop/blog/2013/11/01/homemade-sodas

Edited July 6, 2015 by ethalfrida

[ALenore]

Tonight I'm making medallions of pork tenderloin with a mustard sauce, noodles and spinach salad.  

 

I made vegan meringues this morning using liquid from canned chick peas.  I tried making some a couple of weeks ago, but I made the mistake of using regular chick peas which had a fair amount of salt.  This time I used unsalted chick peas and they tasted better.   

[BooksRule]

I just grilled a strip loin steak.   I do absolutely nothing to it, just a sprinkle of kosher salt after it's on the grill. Cooked to a perfect medium.   It was like buttah.  I should probably have some veg or something to go with it, but I don't want to.  One of the joys of solo living is that I also don't have to.

 

I can totally relate.  I've had a few dinners where I had just steak, with a little steak on the side (and not a green veg in sight).  Although I'm trying to eat healthy, balanced meals (when I can) I've also had a few solo dinners of waffles or pancakes with butter and syrup with a bowl of salty popcorn on the side (sounds weird, but I love the combination of sweet tastes alternating with salty). 

[harrie]

Good morning, harrie. 

 

Yes, I do my own and it is so easy you will become addicted. I will post the link I use mostly as it was how I got started.

 

 

Thank you, ethalfrida -- I may give this a try.

I can totally relate.  I've had a few dinners where I had just steak, with a little steak on the side (and not a green veg in sight).  Although I'm trying to eat healthy, balanced meals (when I can) I've also had a few solo dinners of waffles or pancakes with butter and syrup with a bowl of salty popcorn on the side (sounds weird, but I love the combination of sweet tastes alternating with salty). 

 

I may have mentioned this before, and if so please forgive me - but when the hub used to go on business trips, I'd occasionally have Ben & Jerry's for dinner.  I wouldn't eat the whole pint, but it was just me, the ice cream, and the spoon -- no bowl needed.  Having the freedom to do this was 90% of the fun; the ice cream was sort of incidental.  Well, the ice cream was pretty great too.

[BooksRule]

I've had ice cream for dinner on occasion--usually Blue Bell.  I've also supped on Ruffles or Wavy Lays chips with French onion dip.  (Rats!  Now I want snacks and I just had dinner--a healthy one of a small pork chop and green salad.)

Edited July 7, 2015 by BooksRule

[ethalfrida]

Okay, just found a hack (of sorts) for the non gluten homemade loaf bread... instead of mixing your own flours just use Bob's Red Mill Non Gluten Baking Mix. Use it 1 for 1 to replace the flour in the recipe. But keep all the other ingredients. This saves at least 1 1/2 hours of work. I tried it today and it is perfect.

 

http://www.bobsredmill.com/shop/flours-and-meals/gluten-free-1-to-1-baking-flour.html

 

 

 

Edited July 7, 2015 by ethalfrida

[harrie]

I've had ice cream for dinner on occasion--usually Blue Bell.  I've also supped on Ruffles or Wavy Lays chips with French onion dip.  (Rats!  Now I want snacks and I just had dinner--a healthy one of a small pork chop and green salad.)

 

When I was younger (and thinner), Ruffles and onion dip (the from scratch stuff, LIpton's soup mix and sour cream) was my New Year's Day breakfast of choice.  Only ate it once a year - New Year's Eve and Day - and so looked forward to it.  Now I flush up just thinking about all that sodium. 

 

I think tonight's dinner is (our own) broccoli, cavatelli and sausage. 

[anony mouse]

Doing comfort food tonight - BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and some sort of veg. One of my favorite meals.

[miles2go]

Made shrimp roll for lunch.  Dinner was a dim sum plate from a stand at the local farmers market.

[sunshinelover]

Made enchiladas tonight.  Ground turkey, homemade black beans and salsa verde as the filling.  Topped with green enchilada sauce and a cheddar/cotija blend.  Avocado as garnish.  Lucky me I have enough left over for lunch tomorrow.  And leftover filling will become tomorrow's dinner, as tacos.  

[EllieH]

Fajitas, but the beef came out rather chewy so a bit of a disappointment. Rice and beans on the side.

[DeLurker]

Turned the disasterous slow cooker brined chicken from a few days ago into chicken tacos courtesy of a little enchilada sauce.  Also made ground beef tacos plus Mexican rice.  Kids had them in taco shells, but I normally just have mine as a taco salad.

[ethalfrida]

Thinking of Gar fish with a slight garlicky gravy, rice, a vegetable.

 

Gar fish is a Louisiana delicacy. You can fry it but it is best with a light flour coating, browned and then steamed with green onions and fresh garlic. Totally a favorite of mine. The rice is a super long grain Indian Jasmine.

[ALenore]

I'm making Tandoori chicken thighs, couscous, and Golden Gazpacho, made with yellow tomatoes since my husband finds regular gazpacho too "tangy".  The recipe called for peeling and seeding the tomatoes, but since I was using cherry tomatoes I couldn't really do that.  The soup looked much thicker than how it looked in the photograph, and when I tasted it I tasted a lot of seeds.  So I forced it through a strainer,  and it came out looking great, just like the photograph. I tasted a little, and it tasted very good. Right now it's chilling the the fridge and I'm looking forward to having it for dinner.   

[MargeGunderson]

I've now had potato chips for dinner 3 nights in a row. I hate food in summer. Unless it's in an air-conditioned restaurant. Alas, my house is not equipped with central air or a chef, so chips it is.

[blixie]

A quick cassoulet with kielbasa and red wine, and a green salad. Tryin not to finish off the sweet potato pie from the holiday weekend.

[annzeepark914]

Thinking of Gar fish with a slight garlicky gravy, rice, a vegetable.

 

Gar fish is a Louisiana delicacy. You can fry it but it is best with a light flour coating, browned and then steamed with green onions and fresh garlic. Totally a favorite of mine. The rice is a super long grain Indian Jasmine.

The only reason I'd heard of Gar before was via crossword puzzles.  It used to be featured all the time--a good 3 letter, unusual word (well, unusual word for folks not from Louisiana). Your dinner sounds delicious!

[ethalfrida]

Thanks Anzeepark. It was really good.

 

Crosswords are useful for new rarely used words but I didn't know gar was one of them. 

[DeLurker]

I've now had potato chips for dinner 3 nights in a row. I hate food in summer. Unless it's in an air-conditioned restaurant. Alas, my house is not equipped with central air or a chef, so chips it is.

Cooking, even eating, when it is hot is sometimes more effort than it is worth.

 

My meals of choice (pre-kids) when it was like that:  sandwich (with chips!) or a fruit and cheese plate. 

 

These days I would probably go with pita chips and hummus.

[blixie]

My favorite hot weather meal is my mom's tuna macaroni salad, light on the mayo, with lots of onions, celery, and salt/pepper, sure you have to boil noodles, but if you do it ahead you can feast on it for three straight days, without touching the stove. Next week is going to be super muggy/hot so I think I'll make it then.

Edited July 9, 2015 by blixie

[mansonlamps]

Where do you people live, it's barely made it over 80 degrees a single time this summer in Chicagoland. I could be making a nice pot roast right now and be fine eating it tonight.

[ethalfrida]

Where do you people live, it's barely made it over 80 degrees a single time this summer in Chicagoland. I could be making a nice pot roast right now and be fine eating it tonight.

Know what you mean.  Even in California the weather is mild.

[ALenore]

I made grilled pizza tonight.  It came our very good.   I put grilled zucchini, onions, and peppers on it, then topped with bacon.   My husband said he was going to eat it really slowly so he could savor every bite.   We had some nice red wine with the pizza, and watermelon for dessert.  

[Bastet]

It's going to be pizza tonight here, too -- alfredo pizza, with chicken, broccoli and mushroom.  Also an arugula salad with ... because alfredo pizza doesn't completely clog my arteries on its own ... shaved parmesan.

[annzeepark914]

I'm in the metro DC area where it has been hot and OTT humid.  Can't grill lately 'cause dinnertime seems to be stormtime.  I was so uninspired tonight (after being out & about in this muggy misery today) that I made & ate a bowl of Uncle Ben's boil-in-a-bag rice (Mr. P914 ate leftover spaghetti + butternut squash ravioli...thank goodness he likes leftovers).  Somebody please send us some cold weather (I'd settle for upper 70's ;>)

[anony mouse]

We were cold and rainy (again!) here in Ohio, so I made zoodles with a cheat version of lentil bolognese (2 cups cooked lentils + 1 jar Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce). The Boyfriend didn't realize until halfway through he wasn't eating real noodles. I guess that means it was good!

[mbaywife123]

Petite filet minion, loaded baked potato, sweet heat baked beans and Texas garlic toast. Thank You Mr. mbay.

[DeLurker]

I've now had potato chips for dinner 3 nights in a row. I hate food in summer. Unless it's in an air-conditioned restaurant. Alas, my house is not equipped with central air or a chef, so chips it is.

You are a bad influence - dinner last night was tortilla chips and guacamole.  Told the kids they needed to fend for themselves and they both ended up with more balanced choices than Mom.  Good kids.

[Bastet]

You are a bad influence - dinner last night was tortilla chips and guacamole.  Told the kids they needed to fend for themselves and they both ended up with more balanced choices than Mom.  Good kids.

 

I'm quite content with middle age, but there are a few things I miss about being in my twenties.  One of them is being able to eat guacamole & tortilla chips for dinner on a somewhat regular basis without gaining weight or becoming unhealthy.

Edited July 10, 2015 by Bastet

[ethalfrida]

What choo gotta doo is get that diet guacamole, Bastet!

IDK, but now that Bastet has brought up Guacamole I think some Caldo de Res, guac and chips sounds great.

[Lovecat]

My favorite hot weather meal is my mom's tuna macaroni salad, light on the mayo, with lots of onions, celery, and salt/pepper, sure you have to boil noodles, but if you do it ahead you can feast on it for three straight days, without touching the stove. Next week is going to be super muggy/hot so I think I'll make it then.

ERMAGURD, I used to make that all the time when I was young and poor, but haven't had it in YEARS!!  Brilliant idea, I think I might just follow suit and make a big bowl for next week.  There's a brand of pasta (Ronzoni, maybe) that has a few shapes that only require 3 min of boiling--I can't tell the difference between those and regular, longer-boiling varieties, so I always use them for pasta salad-type dishes, because I am impatient :)  

 

Last night I sauteed some sliced chicken sausage (Italian style), then some veg (onion, green pepper, string bean, tomato, garlic), added some chicken broth to de-glaze the pot, then threw everything back in with a pound of cooked pasta, a gob of shredded parmesan, and a drizzle of Tuscan herb-flavored olive oil.  Delicious! 

 

Tonight I have a friend coming into town for the weekend, and I'm hoping she gets here in time to go to the Mongolian Grill place that opened in the neighborhood--you pick your protein, veg, sauce, and noodles (if you like) from their lovely fresh salad bar-like setup, then take it to the grill guys, who cook it up in front of your eyes.  Delicious, and as healthy as you want to make it, since you pick the ingredients.  AND I have a coupon :)

 

[Philly area resident here, chiming in on the weather--the past few days have been hot and STIFLINGLY humid.  Some wicked storms last night have ushered in drier air, though it's still close to 90*, womp-womp.  I've been cleaning today in preparation for aforementioned company, and don't want to cook, hence Mongolian Grill!]

[harrie]

The guac is actually pretty good for you - avocados have a nice amount of potassium, C, folate and some other stuff, plus fiber.  Even the fat is a good fat.  The chips....I got nothing.   

 

Tonight is tuna mac - it will be a nice, cool, quick meal after the late afternoon-evening shift in the garden is done.  

 

 

ETA:  It appears that tuna mac is sweeping the nation!

 

ETA2:  I wish we had a Mongolian Grill around here.  That sounds good, fun too.

Edited July 10, 2015 by harrie

[Bastet]

There used to be a great Mongolian grill place nearby, but it went out of business a couple of years ago.  My next-favorite one is in a friend's old neighborhood, but since she no longer lives there and it's an hour away, I won't be making the trek just for dinner.  But now I'm inspired to check out some of the local places to see if they're any good.

[ethalfrida]

You can lessen the calories in guac without compromising flavor and satisfaction by blending with lettuce...that is if you like it blended.  That is a tip from my friend who grew up in Oxaca. 

Edited July 11, 2015 by ethalfrida

[DeLurker]

To offset the less than balanced chips & guac supper from a few nights ago, I started up my Bass-o-matic* breakfast drink that I have not done for a while.

 

So into the drink goes - Trader Joe's Power Greens (baby spinach, chard & kale), a tiny nub of fresh ginger and some oranges (clementines today).

 

The drink turns out an unattractive green, so I have to have it in a plastic cup.  It doesn't taste bad and after a day or two I actually crave it.

 

*Bass-o-matic = NutriBlender

[ethalfrida]

Chicken breast soup with carrots for dinner. Lunch is gluten free pancakes if I get up and get a move on...

[Quof]

Our local Lebanese festival is this weekend, so I stopped in for lunch to get a some lamb shawarma.  It's noon of their second day, and they are out of lamb, with no more to come.   So I had the chicken, which was pretty tasty, but it was no lamb.  I have leftovers, with the side dishes, for dinner.

[MargeGunderson]

I am officially tired of potato chips and am back to real food. Tonight is grilled figs with blue cheese and prosciutto and grilled bread. Tomorrow is tacos. I'm also making a batch of pesto pasta salad with chicken sausage for the week. But just in case I bought a big bag of pretzels.

Edited July 12, 2015 by MargeGunderson

[sunshinelover]

I'll be making a grown up version of pigs in a blanket.  I have some apple chicken sausages I'll use with homemade dough.  I'm thinking mozzarella on the inside too because that's what I have on hand, but I'm still thinking about that one.  Roasted red pepper and tomato soup to go along.

 

[ALenore]

Last night I made a pseudo Thai chicken stir fry with red peppers, onions, then topped with basil.    Tonight I'm making Fried Chickpea and Arugula Pita Sandwiches.  

 

I'm getting ready to host a barbecue on Wednesday for about 12-15 people.  I think everything will work out alright.   Some of the guests are vegetarian, one is vegan, some are gluten sensitive, and some only eat meat, no vegetables.  One doesn't eat cheese or garlic.   I'm making hamburgers (with ground beef from our local Farmer's Market), hot dogs, and grilled chicken, since most of the guests do eat meat.  I'm making black bean burgers for the vegetarians.  I'm going to make  a variety of side dishes, and I hope that everyone will be able to find one of the side dishes that fits their preferences.  For dessert I made some "Blueberry Bonanza Breakfast Bars," which I've made before and are very tasty.   For those who want a healthier dessert, there'll be watermelon and iced cherries.   

[Quof]

You are a glutton (gluten???) for punishment.  With a group that size, with so many food restrictions, I would hand everyone an apple and a glass of water. 

[blixie]

Last night I tried the new hot shareable plates place downtown, I had melon with grilled halloumi and espllete and scallions, beef tartare w/ quail egg, and an herb salad, smoked potatoes w/raclette and ramp cream, deep fried soft shelled crab with avocado and fava beans, and then cheese plate and lemon-rosemary cake for dessert. The soft-shelled crab was a bit too salty but everything else was divine.

 

Today I cooked up a batch of "unstuffed" cabbage and I think I prefer it to the real thing, and have the tuna mac ready to go for the next couple of days.