What Did We Eat Today?

[Mountainair]

Tonight I made a Kielbasa skillet with onions,red and yellow bell peppers, fingerling potatoes and fresh baby spinach.

[grisgris]

I had homemade quiche with a cornmeal crust filled with zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms and Swiss cheese. Served watermelon/feta salad with basil on the side. Dessert will be either lemon or strawberry Italian ice. It's been really hot and muggy around here but a storm/cool front just passed through so it should be nice to eat the ice out on the balcony.

[annzeepark914]

It kills me that so much good food is in LA/Hollywood and none of those rich famous bitches are EATING it. Heh. 

@Blixie:  Thanks for the big laugh of the morning!

[ALenore]

I'm making seared steak tacos using skirt steak I bought at the farmer's market, with grilled red peppers and onions.   Also guacamole on the side.    

[ramble]

Last night was a boring beef stew. In the summer heat the crockpot is my friend. In my humidity addled mind I barely added any spice or seasoning. We ate it but I'd call it food you eat just because you're hungry not because it's yummy. Pffft!

My kids had a chocolate goat cheese for dessert. They loved it. It's from a local dairy. I didn't try it since I'm trying to cut back on sweets & certain flavors can make me want to binge, chocolate being a major one. Our local grocery store had it & they want me to go check for more so we don't run out. It wasn't a big package & a little expensive, but as a treat I thought it was a good one.

[ethalfrida]

I am going to cook one of my favorite chicken dishes. It tastes so indulgent but has not extra fat... just chicken and seasoning vegetables. And water.

 

Brown seasoned chicken in oven to a nice deep golden color. Using an iron skillet is best. In the meantime keep water hot in a tea kettle or pot. Cut up some bell pepper, fresh garlic and onions. Lots of them.

 

When the chicken is browned enough, remove from oven, put on top of stove and add sliced vegetables on top. Add hot water until it is around 1/2 inch. Turn on fire, cover with lid that fits and cook until the chicken makes its own gravy. The "gravy" will be somewhat clear. Serve over hot rice.

[mansonlamps]

I am going to cook one of my favorite chicken dishes. It tastes so indulgent but has not extra fat... just chicken and seasoning vegetables. And water.

 

Brown seasoned chicken in oven to a nice deep golden color. Using an iron skillet is best. In the meantime keep water hot in a tea kettle or pot. Cut up some bell pepper, fresh garlic and onions. Lots of them.

 

When the chicken is browned enough, remove from oven, put on top of stove and add sliced vegetables on top. Add hot water until it is around 1/2 inch. Turn on fire, cover with lid that fits and cook until the chicken makes its own gravy. The "gravy" will be somewhat clear. Serve over hot rice.

I love chicken dinners like this. Unfortunately I can't find anyone who eats chicken on the bone or even dark meat anymore unless it's take out fried or rotisserie so it's always just for me

[Bastet]

Unfortunately I can't find anyone who eats chicken on the bone

 

Are they opposed to flavor?

 

I use boneless meat in a few things, but to sit and eat it basically on its own ... bone in, definitely. 

 

I grilled a T-bone steak last night, so tonight's dinner will be something with the leftover meat.  Maybe tacos, maybe a salad.  Quesadilla?  I'll figure it out by dinner time.

[Quof]

Unfortunately I can't find anyone who eats chicken on the bone

See, I don't understand the fascination with boneless, skinless chicken.   I posted a while ago that I thought there had been a nuclear event causing mutated chickens, because I couldn't find chicken with bones in the stores.  I never buy boneless chicken. 

[ALenore]

I buy both boneless and bone-in chicken, depending on what I'm cooking.  For chicken salad sandwiches I made earlier this week, I used boneless chicken cutlets, which I poached for about 10 minutes.  But yesterday I made a really nice dish from slow roasted chicken thighs which came out very tender and juicy.   I've found that bone in chicken comes out much better on the grill too, it doesn't get dried out and tough.   

[KnoxForPres]

I also find butterflying and pounding a chicken breast to even width helps immensely with boneless skinless. First time I did was for a chicken parm recipe and I felt I had seen the light.

My friend has hurt her knee so I made her dinner. I made meatball subs. I just read several recipes and then used a bit from each. Added my moms secret ingredient of water to the meatballs. Cheap secret! Have to admit, they were darn good!

If you have a heavy duty food processor you can cut a fairly large wedge of Parmesan and throw it in there and it grinds it. I buy some at Sam's or Costco and do this when I need it. I say heavy duty as a disclaimer bc it really uses force you can tell and I'd hate for someone to damage theirs. Mine is Cuisinart.

For the subs I did some Sam's shopping and on their bread aisle they had foot long hoagies. You guys, hands down best bread I've had for something like this. And they sure seemed bigger than foot, more baguette. My friends boyfriend ate an entire one! I got 3 sandwiches out of each loaf. Recommend.

[BooksRule]

Dinner tonight will probably be leftovers from lunch.  I just put a pot of red kidney beans on the stove so that I can make southern Red Beans and Rice.  I put dried red beans (rinsed and sorted) in a pot of water and brought to a boil.  Meanwhile, I sliced up a package of smoked beef sausage and browned in a skillet.  I put the sausage in with the beans.  I sauteed a chopped onion and some garlic in the drippings.  I put that mixture (along with a bay leaf) into the pot.  The beans will simmer for an hour and half or so until tender.  I'll smash a few of the beans up to make the mixture creamier.  (The recipe usually calls for sauteeing up some celery as well, but I didn't have any.)  When it's done I'll serve it over some rice (some of that good blood-sugar-spiking white rice, none of that healthy brown stuff.  I kid.  I've started eating brown rice instead of white, but for dishes like red beans, gumbo and the like, you just have to have the 'real' thing.

[mansonlamps]

Dinner tonight will probably be leftovers from lunch. I just put a pot of red kidney beans on the stove so that I can make southern Red Beans and Rice. I put dried red beans (rinsed and sorted) in a pot of water and brought to a boil. Meanwhile, I sliced up a package of smoked beef sausage and browned in a skillet. I put the sausage in with the beans. I sauteed a chopped onion and some garlic in the drippings. I put that mixture (along with a bay leaf) into the pot. The beans will simmer for an hour and half or so until tender. I'll smash a few of the beans up to make the mixture creamier. (The recipe usually calls for sauteeing up some celery as well, but I didn't have any.) When it's done I'll serve it over some rice (some of that good blood-sugar-spiking white rice, none of that healthy brown stuff. I kid. I've started eating brown rice instead of white, but for dishes like red beans, gumbo and the like, you just have to have the 'real' thing.

This is the closest recipe I've ever seen to the way I make red beans and rice. Substitute smoked butt for the sausage and no garlic and there you have it the way my grandmother who raised her family in Baton Rouge made it all her life. The sausage is probably more authentic but I like it the way I grew up eating it.

Most recipes call for a billion ingredients, especially unnecessary spices and green pepper which totally ruin it IMO.

Edited August 8, 2015 by mansonlamps

[ethalfrida]

This is the closest recipe I've ever seen to the way I make red beans and rice. Substitute smoked butt for the sausage and no garlic and there you have it the way my grandmother who raised her family in Baton Rouge made it all her life. The sausage is probably more authentic but I like it the way I grew up eating it.

Most recipes call for a billion ingredients, especially unnecessary spices and green pepper which totally ruin it IMO.

My family is from Alexandria. I regret not getting a couple of specific recipes from my mom. Thankfully the cake baking, turkey dressing and chicken frying was learned!

I agree and have found that I often put too many ingredients in my dishes. What brought it to my attention was when I made some chocolate chip cookies and put about three different kinds of nuts, some chocolate cocoa powder and toasted sesame oil in them. When my co-worker tasted them she said they were good but was having a hard time concentrating on the flavor. That was very enlightening. 

 

Same thing with my greens. My mom won contests for her greens but I never learned the secret but I do know she didn't use too many seasonings and a lot times she didn't use meat. I still don't know what the secret is (not just hers but any one who cooks great greens) but cook them anyway because of the health benefits. So if you or anyone has a recipe I can use for them I would appreciate having it.

[annzeepark914]

Last night we had French onion soup that I haven't made in quite a while.  IMO it's just as good as what they serve in Paris.  Of course, the best part is the melted gruyere that covers the little bowl :>)  I'm freezing the leftovers so some night when the weather cools I can have onion soup w/o the work (actually, the real work is slicing the onions, everything else is easy).

[ALenore]

Tonight I'm going to make pizza with grilled vegetables (red pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, and Visalia onion).  The pizza itself will be cooked on the grill.   

[sunshinelover]

Tonight's easy.  I'm gonna make some steak, maybe rice, and the green bean recipe I've been loving lately.  Blanch the beans for a few minutes, then toss them in a hot skillet with generous amounts of coconut oil.  Add in a handful of dried cranberries, season with salt and pepper.  Delicious.  

[BooksRule]

sunshinelover, that green bean recipe sounds good.  I love anything with cranberries, fresh, frozen or dried.

 

My red beans and rice were good.  I'll probably refrigerate the rest for lunch and/or dinner tomorrow and find something lighter for dinner.  A salad, probably (with dried cranberries!  I always sprinkle a few in my green salads).

Edited August 8, 2015 by BooksRule

[ALenore]

I decided to make a peach crisp for dessert to use up the peaches I bought on sale before they go bad.  The recipe was pretty easy, and it looks good (haven't eaten it yet.).   I made the pizza dough and am letting it rise.   I sliced the vegetables and will go outside and grill them in a few minutes.   Glad the weather has cooled down some lately.   

[harrie]

The tomatoes are here, so we're eating them (and giving them away) as quickly as possible. A couple of nights ago, BLTs  to celebrate the big tomatoes coming in. Then, tomatoes and mozz with prosciutto for lunch.  Today a butterflied, grilled chicken with a side salad of tomatoes, mozz balls and basil; in a couple of days we'll have fresh tomato soup with a yummy bread.  

 

I'll never wish for the tomatoes to go away, but every year there comes a time when we scramble to use them all and/or give them away before they get tired, and that time is right around the corner.  I see lots of tomato sauce in my future. 

[QuelleC]

Oh, I need some tomatoes!  I just took advantage of the farmer's market and blanched and froze a couple quarts of green/wax (Packer) beans.  You can't compare the flavor.

\

I don't get the boneless chicken trend.  I hate to think of the over processing and I can get a 10 pound bag of chicken quarters for .89 a pound.  I'm hungry for chicken so I bought a bag of frozen boned skinned breasts and opted for the least processed, 15% added brine.  I hate paying for water and salt but yes, they are good.

 

You'd think corn would be a no brainer in WI but I think most of it is grown for other reasons.  I roasted up the best of the year yesterday, with a little parm sprinkled on top.  It's too early in WI for corn right now.

[ALenore]

Yesterday, we went out to dinner to celebrate my husband's birthday today, the restaurant he wanted to go to is closed Mondays, so we celebrated on Sunday.  His favorite cake is German chocolate cake, I made cupcakes (from a mix) because there's just the two of us (he didn't want a party) and I figured it would be easier to freeze the cupcakes rather than a whole cake.   I got canned coconut pecan frosting to spread on top (the mix came with a coconut pecan filling).  I also made chocolate ganache frosting to put on my cupcakes, since I don't really like the coconut pecan frosting (of course my husband can have the chocolate frosting on cupcakes in addition to or instead of the coconut pecan frosting.)

[amitville]

The tomatoes are here, so we're eating them (and giving them away) as quickly as possible. A couple of nights ago, BLTs  to celebrate the big tomatoes coming in. Then, tomatoes and mozz with prosciutto for lunch.  Today a butterflied, grilled chicken with a side salad of tomatoes, mozz balls and basil; in a couple of days we'll have fresh tomato soup with a yummy bread.  

 

I'll never wish for the tomatoes to go away, but every year there comes a time when we scramble to use them all and/or give them away before they get tired, and that time is right around the corner.  I see lots of tomato sauce in my future. 

i love tomato mozzeralla Basil, prosciutto salad, on the side i serve an assortment of olives  a huge bowl of rapina (broccoli rabe) and a hot loaf of crusty bread with olive oil for dipping.

[ALenore]

I'm making spaghetti with pesto tonight, and were having tomato-mozzarella salad on the side, along with fresh baked bread (which I have to go and make now).   

[annzeepark914]

I love marinated, grilled portobello mushrooms and that's what we had tonight (we grilled them last night while grilling pork chops).  I sliced & threw them on my grill pan along with julienned red bell peppers & some onions, just to heat up the mushrooms.  Made aioli, cut segments from a batard (pulled out lots of the bread inside & gave to the birds, then pressed down on the grill pan before I heated the mushroom slices). They were sooooo delicious (like having a steak sandwich).  Mr. P914 said, "Let's have this again next week...every week!"  Served with a big tossed salad.  

[ALenore]

I'm making Sloppy Joes tonight.  Corn on the cob, baby carrots and grapes on the side.   I'm using some of the 3 pounds of ground beef I bought at the supermarket rather than what I've been buying lately from the Farmers' Market.   I don't think I'll really be able to taste the difference with the tomato sauce and spices.  The other 2 pounds I've frozen and will probably use in chili come Fall.  I've found I do really like the more expensive stuff when I'm making hamburgers.   

 

It's funny, when I was a kid, we ate ground beef at least twice a week, either in hamburgers, spaghetti sauce or some sort of Hamburger Helper dish.  Now hamburger (much less any other kind of beef) is so expensive that we have it more like twice a month.  Chicken on the other hand I have at least twice a week, I can buy whole chickens for 99 cents a  pound, chicken thighs for $1.50 a pound, and chicken breast cutlets for $2.00.   

[annzeepark914]

Why, why, why? That's the best part! *tweet, tweet*

Heh heh...not for me.  I like just the crust with a little bread attached to it (reminds me of hard rolls that we used to eat all the time growing up in NYS).  So, I'll package up the batard innards and ship them to you, tweetie! :>)

[QuelleC]

In my limited understanding, beef uses up lots of resources. If you're lucky, in WI we are, most of them eat a good deal of grass but there's grain feed too.  We have a good supply of water here too but they don't in CA and TX.  So, yes, it shocks me how expensive hamburger is.  I don't mind the fat but the higher fat is not ground well enough for me to pick it out of my mouth.  I know...  I gave up on pot roast a long time ago as much as I love it.  In my limited understanding chicken is cheap because they only allow a foot per bird and it's awful.  Don't mean to make anyone feel guilty at all.  I grew up on meat but I sure love my veg.

[harrie]

In my limited understanding, beef uses up lots of resources. If you're lucky, in WI we are, most of them eat a good deal of grass but there's grain feed too.  We have a good supply of water here too but they don't in CA and TX.  So, yes, it shocks me how expensive hamburger is.  I don't mind the fat but the higher fat is not ground well enough for me to pick it out of my mouth.  I know...  I gave up on pot roast a long time ago as much as I love it.  In my limited understanding chicken is cheap because they only allow a foot per bird and it's awful.  Don't mean to make anyone feel guilty at all.  I grew up on meat but I sure love my veg.

 

My dislike of factory farming (like cramming in chickens and pigs) is a large part of why I buy from local farmers.  It's pricey (chickens are $3/lb), meaning I buy less, which is a good thing health-wise; plus, with various meat prices rising, the price differential isn't all that much.  And I know the critters I'm eating have been pastured and treated with respect (right up to the moment they're whacked).   I love my veggies too, but -- and perhaps I rationalize -- I feel less guilty about eating critters than I used to.  

[Mountainair]

Tonight I'm serving no peek beef tips over egg noodles with some mixed veggies on the side. The beef tips aren't really good for you but easy to throw together. Cream of mushroom, dry onion soup mix, packet of beef gravy, can of mushrooms mixed in with beef tips. Cover in foil and bake for 3 hours. I still feel gross so I like any meal that's easy to throw together for the family with limited work :)

Friday is hubby's birthday so I'll suck it up enough to throw together a nice steak dinner for the two of us.

[ALenore]

I'm making chicken BLT salad tonight.  Chicken cutlets coated in panko breadcrumbs, lightly sautéed, then baked, with wedges of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and bacon.   I've never made this recipe before, but it looks like it will be tasty.   

[amitville]

Grilled chicken that has been marinated in lemon zest mint, basil, olive oil .  Grilled eggplant on side that has been brused with olive oil and basil .  Serving the eggplant with a a  shaving of Pecorino Romano. and chopped basil  .  

Edited August 13, 2015 by amitville

[ALenore]

Making fish tacos again tonight, one of my favorites.   The weather's going to get hot again in a few days, so I decided to make this now while it's relatively cool, since the recipe requires frying the fish in hot oil.  

[amitville]

I Made Pizza di scarola (Escarole Pie) this morning for dinner tonight.  I have no receipe to follow i just use escarole pine nuts golden raisins capers .  Will serve at room temp.

Edited August 14, 2015 by amitville

[QuelleC]

This time of year I love using corn on the cob as my whole grain starch, a bit of protein (I don't need much) and a small salad using homemade Italian dressing and the fresh veg available. 

Edited August 16, 2015 by QuelleC

[ALenore]

I'm going to make a nachos tonight with black beans, corn, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, avocado and 2 kinds of cheese (cheddar and queso fresco).  I've never had queso fresco before, it's called for in a lot of recipes I see but I've never seen any in our supermarket until today. It is Laughing Cow brand, so probably not authentic, but it's the closest I could get.  

[ethalfrida]

Queso Fresco is the bomb. It's texture is like cuttage cheese but has a real cheese flavor but mild. It would be cool if you could get it fresh like from a local Mexican market. The next best is a Mexican brand. But all that depends on where you live. I take it not in Californa?

[Bastet]

Yeah, living in Los Angeles, I've got all the great queso fresco I want … and I want a lot.  I get mine fresh (yes, fresh "fresh cheese") at a local market, but I think Cacique is fairly widely available; I have no idea if it's good enough to hunt down, though.

 

Today is my mom’s birthday, so I’ll be cooking at my parents’ house tonight.  (My dad took her out for breakfast this morning, but we always do birthday dinners at home.)  I’ve been marinating a (grass-fed) tri-tip roast that my dad will do on the grill, and I’ll make a tomato and avocado salad with lime-herb dressing, some sort of summer squash medley since I have lots of those, and I’ll probably also bake potatoes for my parents.  (I hate potatoes, but it’s not my birthday, and they both love the steak/potato combination.)

 

The cake is made from a mix.  <cue horrified gasp>  It has been a busy, stressful time lately, so that’s as good as it gets.  But we all like it, so … yay, cake (basic yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting).

Edited August 16, 2015 by Bastet

[Quof]

A friend and her teenage daughter visited for the weekend. We are all good cooks, so we traded home made treats, plus we spent a lot of time eating out - cupcakes, ice cream, fancy coffee.  She brought a coconut cream pie that got tipped on the drive, but I just scraped some out of the container and it was awesome. Later tonight I will warm up the leftover spaghetti and meatballs from the restaurant we went to last night.

[ALenore]

But all that depends on where you live. I take it not in Californa?

 

Nope, I live in Connecticut.  The only Mexican foods we have are the national brands of taco dinner, salsas, and tortillas.  We do have just about all the Italian cheeses you could want, plus some French, and occasionally a few Spanish cheeses (Manchego and Iberico).  

[Mountainair]

Speaking of Mexican.... Tonight I'm making chicken and cheese quesadillas.

[EllieH]

Continuing with the Mexican trend, we had chicken fajitas!  And a huge batch of guacamole to go with it.

[harrie]

Breaking the Mexican trend, tonight we had a rotisserie beef roast thing with corn and beets.  Quite yummy!

[amitville]

I was so bad last night i bought a sack of White Castle .  I enjoyed every last bite

[Lovecat]

The cake is made from a mix.  <cue horrified gasp>  It has been a busy, stressful time lately, so that’s as good as it gets.  But we all like it, so … yay, cake (basic yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting).

No judgement here.  My birthday was a week and a half ago, and I made myself a white cake from the box, with some orange extract added to the batter, and chocolate frosting, from a can.  It was exactly what I wanted, and I enjoyed every last crumb (in the days after my b'day; I did exhibit *some* self-control) except the piece that my boyfriend had. 

[Mountainair]

Tonight I'm making Turkey Meatballs (formed with pesto, bread crumbs and stuffed with fresh mozzarella) and spaghetti. I'll serve some green beans on the side.

I've been trying out some new recipes that are freezer friendly so I have a huge arsenal in my repertoire before baby #3 arrives.

[ALenore]

I made some more blueberry muffins this morning, they were great.  Blueberries are still on sale almost every week, buy one, get one free.  If I can't use them up I'll freeze what's left. 

 

Tonight I'll be at a book club until 8 o'clock, so we're having pulled chicken sandwiches which I did the filling for last month and froze.   I've decided to keep on doing occasional freezer meals (which I used to have to do when I was working late once a week) even though right now I'm unemployed.   I still occasionally have something to do during the evenings, and sometimes I just don't feel like cooking.   Several of the recipes I have make servings for eight, so rather than cut them down, I just make the full recipe and freeze it, so I've got future meals waiting.  I just have to make sure to keep track of what I have in the freezer.  Right now, in addition to the pulled chicken, I've got black bean burgers, sloppy joe filling, and minestrone.   

[sunshinelover]

Tonight I'm having a salad bar.  Quinoa, spinach and grilled chicken will be the base.  Toppings are all the random things I have!  Cooked egg, cranberries, blue cheese, carrots, green onions, croutons, grapes...etc

[ALenore]

Salad tonight for me too, Tuna Nicosia. I grilled 4 tuna steaks, but I really should have just cooked 2, that was more than enough.  I'll freeze the other 2 for a future meal.  

[EllieH]

Frozen pizza, on account of working late.