What Did We Eat Today?

[ethalfrida]

Oh dear... Thanks for the explanation, Quof.  

But it is not always about one of those conditions.  My being on the diet is for a different reason. 

[JTMacc99]

It's so freaking cold here that I've got a desire for winter food.

 

I think I'm going to toss some potatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them tonight.  That'll be the featured item.  I'll figure out the meat later, probably a chicken sausage or maybe ham steaks. 

 

As long as I'm roasting potatoes, maybe I'll also chop up the broccoli and roast that too, although that will get a little more love than just the oil, salt and pepper. Needs cheese.

[JTMacc99]

I have never heard of Worcestershire pepper, but I know I want it.

[krimimimi]

forumfish, the idea of gathering with those you hold dear to watch a show you all love over a bowl of soup sounds *wonderful.*

I had a really weird experience the other night, while we were watching a documentary on an incredibly poor part of Wales (50% unemployment rate), triggered by their handling of food. At some point they showed a room full of people who had gathered together to support each other while losing weight (and staying on budget), and the lady holds up a can of spam, on sale this week, and is telling them they can make sandwiches out of it. And Mr. Mimi looks over and catches me tearing up. (I swear it was dusty.)

For less money, you could make a tuna based spaghetti sauce that would have been healthier, lower calorie, and fed more people, except you might need to know how to cook a bit. That you might need someone to explain how to make a simple sandwich strikes me (as a foodie) as incredibly sad (not as in "pathetic," but genuinely *sad*), especially when it's *spam* on bread with onions. And at the same time, they were so marvelously supportive of each other that I was downright *envious*. I don't know when I've last had that combination of pity and envy simultaneously. (Had the aforementioned bargain tuna sauce just last week.)

[biakbiak]

Was craving Chinese so made some ma pa tofu, yu xiang eggplant and spicy long beans!

[ShellSeeker]

The auction for my daughter's school was last month, and I was bidding on a Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker dish. I ended up losing it to someone else. I was telling a friend of mine about that, and she said, "I have one and I never use it. I'll give it to you." On Sunday I used it to make a version of chicken and dumplings, and it was soooo good! I could have chicken just about every night, but my husband is not a fan and grumbles about it. I tell him that I do the cooking, so I get to decide what we have, and we can't eat red meat every night. His mom lives with us too, and she's prone to gout, which can flare up if you eat a lot of red meat. 

 

Anyway, it turned out really great, and my husband paid me the highest compliment when he said that, "This doesn't qualify as chicken." LOL. Plus cleaning that dish was a breeze. It's clay, so you're not supposed to use soap on it. Just soak it overnight and scrub it in the morning.

[Qoass]

I'm having a pitiful food week.  The soup I made came out too spicy.  The marinated asparagus is meh at best.  The cake, soggy.  As I am not in a position to throw it all away, I'm eating it for dinner but not enjoying it much.  Last night, I had trail mix for supper. Meanwhile, I'm having mystery lunches as I pull containers out of the back of my freezer.

 

Oh, well.  Maybe next week I'll have better luck.

[DeLurker]

I had a really weird experience the other night, while we were watching a documentary on an incredibly poor part of Wales (50% unemployment rate), triggered by their handling of food. At some point they showed a room full of people who had gathered together to support each other while losing weight (and staying on budget), and the lady holds up a can of spam, on sale this week, and is telling them they can make sandwiches out of it. And Mr. Mimi looks over and catches me tearing up. (I swear it was dusty.)

 

I like Spam - it may be a hold over affection from when I was a kid, but I still have it every so often.  Usually Spam & eggs or Spam sandwiches.  And I've heard they use it a lot in Hawaii.

I'm having a pitiful food week.  The soup I made came out too spicy.  The marinated asparagus is meh at best.  The cake, soggy.  As I am not in a position to throw it all away, I'm eating it for dinner but not enjoying it much.

Can you add a dollop of sour cream to the soup?  It cuts the spiciness in foods.

 

Had chicken thighs baked with Italian dressing and herbs - a yummy and easy way to vary chicken.  Since I had the oven going for that, baked potato for me, french fries for the kids and a roll of the Pillsbury biscuits (flaky layers).  Plus lots of fresh fruit.

[Quof]

Qoass, you don't say what kind of cake you made, but perhaps you can save it by slicing and toasting or broiling?  Then topping with chocolate sauce, because that makes everything better.

[Qoass]

While I endorse the application of chocolate sauce to just about anything, this is an apple cake so not so much.  I do plan to heat it up though.

 

I don't have sour cream but maybe the plain yogurt I already have?  Will try.

[Quof]

I cooked in a restaurant during my student days.  Periodically we would have a dessert that didn't turn out as planned.  We topped it with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, then marketed it as Goo of the Week.  Better than throwing it away.

[ethalfrida]

I cooked in a restaurant during my student days.  Periodically we would have a dessert that didn't turn out as planned.  We topped it with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, then marketed it as Goo of the Week.  Better than throwing it away.

T hat sounds utterly delicious and should be standard fare on every restaurant menu. What a bunch of creative people you worked with. Now, tell me some of the desserts.

[NutMeg]

Since I had the oven going for that, baked potato for me, french fries for the kids [...]

Delurker, how do baked french fries turn out compared to the "real" thing? (if that is indeed what you meant...) 

[DeLurker]

The fries I made were just Ore Ida frozen (crinkle cut!). 

 

My SIL has done baked fries though and they turn out pretty tasty.  She cuts up potatoes or sweet potatoes, sprays liberally with olive oil or vegetable oil, and bakes.  They aren't the same as fried french fries, but tasty nonetheless. 

[Athena]

I tend to bake fries too. I usually do roast potatoes. You can bake them straight, but parboiling can work well if you dry them before baking. This gives you the extra soft inside. The variety of potato you use matters a lot too.

[Qoass]

Back to the chocolate sauce, I used it to cover some salted caramel ice cream I'd made that came out badly.

 

I really am a lousy cook.

[DeLurker]

Dinner for me last night was plain Greek yogurt and fresh mango.  So so good!

 

And it was also breakfast this morning.

[backformore]

One of my favorite dinners is spaghetti with Sundried tomatoes (the sliced ones, that come in a jar in olive oil), add in some Kalamata olives, garlic, toss in olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, and tons of grated cheese.  it's easy and quick.  But my husband is not a huge fan, because he's a traditionalist who doesn't think it's "dinner"  if there's no MEAT. 

[KicksandGiggles]

That sounds delicious backformore! I think I will have to add that to the menu for next week. I love Kalamata olives. Tonight I am going to enjoy Kalamatas in a Muffuletta since we are fortunate enough to have an unseasonably beautiful sunny, warm day.

[ethalfrida]

Deleted

Edited April 7, 2016 by ethalfrida

[WendyCR72]

Here is a bomb recipe for McD type fries that are baked in the oven. I don't even miss French fries any more since I cook them this way:

 

https://ccr.edd.ca.gov/CCR/Pages/Public/ExternalUser/InitialLoginPage.aspx?RegistrationCode=21647f06-1610-48c4-a973-3086dce1855c

 

Pretty sure that's the wrong link for the fries, ethalfrida! Looking forward to the recipe, though!

[ethalfrida]

 

Pretty sure that's the wrong link for the fries, ethalfrida! Looking forward to the recipe, though!

LMBO, thanks for your subtlety... 

 

http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/side/potatoes/best-oven-baked-fries-and-potato-wedges-2.html#page37:comment1948449

[WendyCR72]

LMBO, thanks for your subtlety... 

 

http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/side/potatoes/best-oven-baked-fries-and-potato-wedges-2.html#page37:comment1948449

 

I try.  :-)  And this does look great, thanks!

[annzeepark914]

Tonight's dinner was an oldie, Spaghetti with Summer Sauce (chopped tomatoes, chopped green olives, capers, chopped onion, oregano, parsley, basil, red wine vinegar & olive oil, s&p, etc).  But the other night I made Russian Chicken, that old recipe where you mix dried onion soup with Russian dressing & apricot jam. Blech! I haven't made it in years and because I used low sodium dried onion soup I figured it would be good (less salty).  I used skinless, boneless chicken breasts that I cut into thirds.  I don't know what was wrong but when I bit into the first piece of chicken it tasted as though the chicken was raw (even though it was cooked). The "remains of the day" as we say in this household after a cooking disaster, will be eaten by Mr. P914 (he thought it was good). Fuhgeddaboudit.

[Qoass]

So I packed the last of my too-spicy soup in my lunch bag today and then forgot to bring it to work.

 

Screw it.  I'm buying a bunch of frozen pizzas for the week.

[JTMacc99]

That's some run you've been on Qoass!  Yikes.

 

I got a request for ravioli for dinner. My response was that I have neither ravioli on hand, nor the desire to crank out a quick sauce after work on a Friday, however this is now on the menu for Saturday night.

 

Tonight is a some simple grilled food like a chicken or turkey burger, or maybe even hot dogs for the kids with some vegetables on the side. Simple, quick stuff.

 

I had a seared tuna roll at the sushi place for lunch with and some miso soup with my new friend today, so I'm pretty good with burgers and hot dogs for dinner. 

[EllieH]

Orange chicken, rice and broccoli -- quick and easy Sunday dinner

[biakbiak]

Carbonara and an arugula salad.

[PRgal]

Breakfast today:  Slow cooked steel cut oats and apples with kefir (you need a timer for this if you cook it my mom's way - one cup of steel cut oats to three cups of liquid (I use water) plus apples cut into bite sized pieces (I leave the skin on) and plug the slow cooker into a timer.  Time it to cook for two hours early on (say, 10 PM to midnight) and then again two hours before you want to eat it).  I also add a couple of spoonfuls of apple butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon to the slow cooker.  Kind of like soaked oats, but warm. :)

[ethalfrida]

Guess what I discovered my fellow cooks, gourmands and fine people????

 

Alligator Ribs. That's right! Barbecued Alligator Ribs. I am going to Louisiana  to get some and I can't wait. Check them out!

 

https://www.kingsford.com/recipe/2425/cajun-alligator-ribs

[biakbiak]

I made Gado Gado with ketupat (rice cakes), I love peanut sauce.

[JTMacc99]

I have been informed by the troops that we are having pizza for dinner tonight.

 

I am okay with this decision.

 

I need to take a look in the freezer and figure out what I'm going to cook on the smoker on Sunday, given that I'll be around all day, and it'll be warm. Maybe I'll cook that free holiday turkey breast.

[BooksRule]

Deli pepperoni pizza for main course and a couple of leftover cream horn pastries for dessert.  

[biakbiak]

Every few weeks, I do Blue Apron. It's nice to have a few meals that you don't have to plan or shop for; tonight the recipe was by Top Chef winner Jeremy. Roasted chicken thighs and mushrooms, collard greens with oranges, and a chipotle pan sauce, super tasty!

[PRgal]

Ordered gourmet pizza yesterday.  The delivery guy was completely inexperienced and the pizza was cold by the time it arrived.  We also ordered warm appetizers, which stayed warm.  Reason?  The pizza wasn't in a thermal container like the apps.  Isn't it logic to do so?  I thought delivery people knew that.  I messaged the restaurant about it, but I don't think it's their fault as it uses a third party ordering/delivery service.

[BooksRule]

Baked chicken with Cajun seasoning liberally sprinkled on top.  Italian green beans with some shoepeg corn mixed in (I don't know if other people ever cook green beans like this, but my NC grandmother made beans like this).

[JTMacc99]

Leftovers tonight. The kids are going to eat their leftover meals from the restaurant we visited on Saturday.  Reason for leftovers:

 

My kids are in elementary school, and I haven't really brought them anywhere classier than Chili's since we graduated from pure fast food or pizza.  After softball on Saturday I thought we'd stop in town and ended up going to a relatively fancy joint that has an actually fancy upstairs and a pub area downstairs (where the full menu is available but there is also a pub menu.)  We ordered pub food like bacon cheeseburgers and chicken fingers. The thing is, they still set up the downstairs as if you might be ordering the $30 entrees.

 

So we sit down, they panic a little bit about the place being to fancy until I explained it to them. Then my son says, "Whose bread is that?" pointing at the most excellent selection of various little rolls on our table.  Heh. When I told them that it was our bread, they ate it all. (It was really good bread, there was a pretzel roll in there, some kind of cracked pepper bread stick, some other stuff I never had a shot at tasting.)

 

Thus, leftovers for dinner tonight.

[ikmccall]

Tonight  was chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. I can only eat this once or twice a year.  There is nothing healthy about any of it.  Just like creamed chipped beef on toast.

[harrie]

Community garden meeting, the hub working late, so ......SUSHI!!  Woo hoo!!

[chessiegal]

Today is our 20th wedding anniversary,. We had lunch at a nice restaurant in Annapolis, and then went to the city dock to see prep for the Spring sailboat show on a beautiful spring day. Lunch was too much, so we had leftovers for dinner.

[backformore]

So I packed the last of my too-spicy soup in my lunch bag today and then forgot to bring it to work.

 

Screw it.  I'm buying a bunch of frozen pizzas for the week.

Frozen pizza!   If you take it out of the box and put it in the oven, it counts as cooking.

Of the frozen pizzas on the market,  I like Home Run Inn. 

[ShellSeeker]

One of my favorite dinners is spaghetti with Sundried tomatoes (the sliced ones, that come in a jar in olive oil), add in some Kalamata olives, garlic, toss in olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, and tons of grated cheese.  it's easy and quick.  But my husband is not a huge fan, because he's a traditionalist who doesn't think it's "dinner"  if there's no MEAT. 

 

Oh man, I have a husband like that too. If I were to make a vegetarian dish, he's ask where the entree was. Because it's not a meal if there's no meat.

 

I did what may be a shameful shortcut for dinner tonight, from a Pinterest recipe I found. I had a meeting at my daughter's school, and had to run some errands after work, and I only had about 20 minutes to throw something together. 1 pound of ground chicken, one bag of Stove-Top stuffing mix, 1 cup of water, and one egg. Mix it together, smoosh it into a loaf pan, bake at 350 for 45 minutes, and presto! Meatloaf shortcut. It turned out pretty well, but if I make it again I'll have to add some more spices. It was kind of bland. But the consistency was perfect. I'm going to keep that in my back pocket for when I need to come up with something in a hurry. It took longer for the oven to preheat than it did to mix it up.

[harrie]

Today is our 20th wedding anniversary,. We had lunch at a nice restaurant in Annapolis, and then went to the city dock to see prep for the Spring sailboat show on a beautiful spring day. Lunch was too much, so we had leftovers for dinner.

 A belated happy anniversary, Chessiegal!  Sounds like you had a nice time.

[PRgal]

Oh man, I have a husband like that too. If I were to make a vegetarian dish, he's ask where the entree was. Because it's not a meal if there's no meat.

 

I did what may be a shameful shortcut for dinner tonight, from a Pinterest recipe I found. I had a meeting at my daughter's school, and had to run some errands after work, and I only had about 20 minutes to throw something together. 1 pound of ground chicken, one bag of Stove-Top stuffing mix, 1 cup of water, and one egg. Mix it together, smoosh it into a loaf pan, bake at 350 for 45 minutes, and presto! Meatloaf shortcut. It turned out pretty well, but if I make it again I'll have to add some more spices. It was kind of bland. But the consistency was perfect. I'm going to keep that in my back pocket for when I need to come up with something in a hurry. It took longer for the oven to preheat than it did to mix it up.

 

No glaze/sauce?  Or is it moist enough? 

[ShellSeeker]

No glaze/sauce?  Or is it moist enough? 

 

It was a liiiiiitle on the dry side, but for something thrown together in literally 5 minutes, it was not bad. I may do 1/2 cup of Frank's Red Hot and 1/2 cup of water next time. We like things on the spicy side. And throwing in some chili powder and cumin should bump up the flavor too.

[PRgal]

It was a liiiiiitle on the dry side, but for something thrown together in literally 5 minutes, it was not bad. I may do 1/2 cup of Frank's Red Hot and 1/2 cup of water next time. We like things on the spicy side. And throwing in some chili powder and cumin should bump up the flavor too.

 

 

I guess there's always ketchup when it's not moist enough! :)

[Quof]

I made pretzel bread yesterday.  So tonight - and probably every night until the bread is gone - I'm having grilled cheese, made with a crumbly, old Irish cheddar. 

[annzeepark914]

Chinese delivery.  The pollen is really bad here and I'm not feeling like cooking ;>(  We really don't have great delivery around here, unfortunately.  I mark the menus accordingly:  Good, OK, So-So, Meh, Blech!  This way when they mail us updated menus, I know which ones to keep.

[chessiegal]

Grilled salmon (marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, and dill), steamed asparagus, and baked potato (half for me). I'm hitting the gym and trying to lose a few lbs. before heading across the pond next month on the Queen Mary 2. So excited!

[biakbiak]

Went to my favorite pizzeria and got a clam pizza and arugula salad. I could probably live on their crust and sauce alone but so many luscious clams!

Edited April 26, 2016 by biakbiak