What did you have for dinner?

trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
10 slices of light rye toast, lightly buttered.
(It's about all I can stomach right about now)

All of those recipes sound wonderful. I'm saving them for when I'm off the nausea roller-coaster, and well into the hungries. Thanks for the great ideas!

Trinity
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
LOL....we had liver and onions last night! Topped with brown gravy and a side of rice. Even Keyana devoured it! She loves onions and liver is just meat to her.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
THE ONLY WAY I'll EVEN CONSIDER LIVER .......
full moon, with scotch tape and my elbows.......

MEXICAN LASAGNA sounds Bueno!
 

C.J.

New Member
Stole a recipe from "Cooking for Real" on Food Network. Not filet mignon, but close. It called for beef tenderloin, cut into small pieces, wrapped in prosciutto, then pan seared. I used a less expensive cut of chuck steak. Made some smashed potatoes with sour cream, garlic and chives (one of those make ahead dishes Kjs needed) and corn.

N* really enjoyed it. Dog was happy with the pieces of beef fat I trimmed off and threw in his dish.

I grew up in a family with five kids, and I still cook for a crowd even though there are only two of us in the house, but I do it for leftovers for lunch and dinner when I cannot face looking at the stove when I come home some nights. I make ahead and freeze: spaghetti with-meat sauce, chicken shepherd's pie, roast with-potatoes and vegetables, chili, soup (broth based, not cream based), stir fry, fajitas, makings for tacos or burritos.

Shepherd's pie:
5-6 large russet potatoes - chop into small pieces (I leave the skin on)
1-2 T vegetable oil
2-3 sliced carrots
2-3 ribs of sliced celery
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of chopped garlic
1 to 1 1/2 lbs diced chicken (boneless, skinless)
Salt & pepper to taste
1 T poultry seasoning
2-3 T flour
1 14 oz can fat free chicken broth ** 2 cans if not using water from boiled potates
1 C frozen peas
2 T butter or margarine
1/2 C sour cream (more if desired)

Boil the potatoes. (Save 1 cup cooking water**)

In a large skillet, saute the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Add chicken, cook until done. Add salt, pepper, poultry seasoning. Add flour cook 1 minute. Add the reserved cooking water and chicken broth. Simmer until it is gravy like consistency. Add the peas.

Meanwhile, when the potatoes are done, mash and add in butter, sour cream, salt & pepper. Set aside.

Spray 13 x 9 (or larger) baking dish with non stick spray. Pour chicken & vegetable mixture into dish. Spread mashed potatoes on top.

Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

I cut into serving size portions, and refrigerate or freeze.
 

Suz

(the future) MRS. GERE
I love to cook on Sunday afternoons. It's a habit I started after my divorce. I make huge batches of meat loaf, or chicken noodle soup, or pot roast, or white chicken chili...all of them freeze beautifully into single servings. Lasagna and spaghetti sauce freeze very well, too.

Right now I have all of the above in my freezer. It's so nice to come home tired from work and have a choice.

Suz
 

svengandhi

Well-Known Member
We bought a crockpot at (of all places) the Circuit City close out sale. We had never had one before.

Today we put a whole chicken in with stock, carrots, onions, celery, dill and other stuff in it and it made an amazing soup that we are all noshing on. That was dinner.
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
Tonight we had garlic-infused roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, caramelized carrots, Italian green beans, brussel sprouts and dinner rolls. Dessert was tiramisu and we had a lovely Australian wine (Little Penguin cab-merlot blend).

Obviously, we ate at mother in law's tonight. :bigsmile:
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
Tonight we had grilled chicken and mango sausages with sauted mushrooms and onions.
On top of wild rice.
Served with a huge salad.
The girls love this dish. Not the onion part. Oh and a glass of Peachy Canyon Zin... one of my Favorites.

Tomorrow I think turkey tenderloins grilled with cumin, cilantro, cayenne etc.
Tortillas, beans, avacado and fresh salsa.... mmmm
 

mom_to_3

Active Member
We too had a roast beef, real mashed potatoes, onion gravy and Roasted Cauliflower. It was all delish! The roasted cauliflower was a new recipe that I ran across today and decided to try. In case you'd like to try it too:

Roasted Cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower (about 3 pounds)
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
dehyrated onion to taste
garlic powder to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse cauliflower; cut into quarters. Cut off and discard leaves and cores; cut quarters into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick slices.

In a large bowl or resealable plastic bag, mix together cauliflower slices, olive oil, salt, and pepper, garlic powder and dehyrated onion. Spread in a single layer in a non-stick baking dish or rimmed baking sheet.

Bake prepared cauliflower approximately 20 to 25 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, or until cauliflower is browned or caramelized on edges and tender. Remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
These recipes sound good - except for the liver. I'm not a liver person either, except maybe chicken livers made into paté.

I've been cooking a lot lately, we now have to stop cooking and eat our way through the freezer. Because it's summer, we eat a lot of curries. I generally make my own curry powder or simply throw in various spices. However, husband wanted a break from curries so I made veal osso bucco last night. I forgot to add the gremolata to it before serving, so I added a little tonight to my serve - it just makes it! I currently eat small servies of it, with brown rice (because of my diet).

Veal osso bucco - I begin with a sofrito of chopped onion, garlic and carrot, all reduced together (I also use celery but had run out). Then I put that in the large pot and next do the osso bucco pieces. I put seasoned flour into a plastic shopping bag (one with no holes) and throw the meat in, inflate the bag and toss the meat around. I then brown each piece of meat, putting it on top of the cooked vegetable mix with a generous handful of freshly picked bay leaves.
Next step - brown some more of the seasoned flour (whatever is left) then add a tin of chopped tomatoes to deglaze the pan. I also use white wine and maybe a bit of extra liquid to rinse out the tomato tin. Next - fresh herbs. Thyme, basil (lots of it) and maybe a big sprig of fresh tarragon, all chopped up and trown in the pot with the deglazed pan contents. Then I simmer it on a very low heat 9either in the oven or on a very low heat on the stove) so that the liquid surface is barely moving. About two to three hours of this and the meat is sitll moist, but tender.
Sprinkle over some gremolata (equal amounts of chopped garlic, parsley and lemon zest) and serve on rice.

If you put leftovers in the fridge, this tastes even better next day.

A couple of variations - the best part of this is supposed to be the marrow in the bone (it's a ring of bone in the middle of each piece). But my family don't like it, although having it in the dish makes the flavour really creamy. So I manually remove each bone and use a skewer to scoop out the marrow and mix it into the sauce.

easy child 2/difficult child 2 didn't like finding vegetable "bits" in her dinner, so at the point where I add the sauce to the meat and vegetables, I would leave the meat pieces aside (on the inside of the lid, upside down) and then use a stick blender to puree the contents of the pot - the tomato pieces, the liquid, the vegetables, the herbs. Then when it is smooth I'd add the meat pieces and let it all simmer for several hours.

It's a great recipe, one of my favourites for impressing people.

Someone mentioned Australian wine - we do have some good ones. Haven't heard of Little Penguin (or whatever). Not that it means anything.

Aussie wines used to be horrible, especially the rotgut we foisted on the rest of the world back in the 70s. The Poms used to call our wines Kanga-Rouge and Bondi Bleach. With good reason.
Not these days, though.

Tomorrow I"m hoping to roast a chicken galantine. I've already taken out the rib cage of the chook (through the neck) and prepared a stuffing. Tomorrow I pack the stuffing back in, shape it to look like a normal chicken, carefully stitch up the large hole I accidentally made in the skin of the breast, then roast the bird as usual. It's supposed to cook in one large whole, but when you carve it you only need to slice it as if you're slicing a load of bread (except it still has drumsticks and wings attached). I was hoping to take it with us to Newcastle for the weekend, maybe a picnic with the kids on Saturday, but I think it's just getting a bit too hard.

Or I'll prepare the bird and freeze it uncooked. I'm still not sure.

Marg
 

timer lady

Queen of Hearts
Suz, I did that weekend cooking thing for years; lost the energy for it when I became ill. I'd like to get back to it again.

Tonight kt & PCA (with my directions) are promising to make linguine & clam sauce with a salad & garlic/cheese bread. OR kt might make pancakes with bacon & applesauce. They all sound good.

I have a taste for roast chicken with homemade garlic mashed potatoes & steamed broccoli. Hmmmmm ~ have to head out to the GP doctor this morning, may detour to the grocery store.

The lasagna sounds wonderful TM. I have a recipe for Mexican meatloaf that is wonderful. Hmmmmm.

All of a sudden I'm really hungry - haven't felt that for weeks. We have to have more threads of this nature.
 

muttmeister

Well-Known Member
Not many vegetarians here it sounds like.

I made majedrah (a recipe I got in Israel).

Slice one onion and cook till golden in olive oil. Add a handful of pine nuts and cook till they are slightly browned. Remove the onions and pine nuts from the skillet and, to the leftover oil, add 1 cup lentils. Cover with vegetable broth and cook about 15 minutes. Then add 3/4 cup rice and a little more broth. Simmer 25 minutes or till rice is done. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with onions and pine nuts and, if desired, a little mozzarella cheese.

One of my favorite things.
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
We go back and forth, we eat mostly vegetarian, but once or twice a week we have turkey, chicken or fish.

Lots of tofu and beans in this house. I love eggplant dishes!!! Vegie pate in spreads and sandwiches is another favorite.
The Majedrah sounds great I will copy it!
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
I'm with you, Marg, I don't care for liver.

Well, we're having way too much beef this week; we had a pasta, veggie, beef meal tonight. It's very easy.

Boil up your pasta in the correct amount (I make 5 servings so husband and I have lunch the next day). I pan sear thin sliced beef strips in olive oil with garlic, onion, black pepper and oregano. Then I add chopped green pepper, kidney beans (drained), sliced black olives (drained), mushrooms and a can of diced tomatoes (not drained). Combine the two dishes and add a little freshly shredded low fat mozzarella on top.

Yum!
 

Marguerite

Active Member
The best recipe for vegetarians is Imam Bayildi - it translates to "the imam fainted", supposedly either from hunger, or extreme desire for the wonderful aroma of the meal as it's being cooked. It's baked stuffed aubergine, using tomato, garlic, onion, cinnamon and some other spices. There is an Australian play called "Salt" by Peta Murray, my best friend & I went to see it a few years ago. During the play the actors cook, the smell of the food being cooked is another member of the cast. And the first act was eggplant, they cooked Imam Bayildi and I can assure you, it smelt wonderful!

(Next act was tinned tomato soup... the scene after that was great though - field mushrooms!)

The play was about the relationship between a woman and her mother, a lot of it also dealing with hidden, secret aspects to her mother's life but the family recipe book was an important part of the mother's personal story which the daughter was never able to unlock before her mother's slide into dementia.

But ever since then, I've wanted to make Imam Bayildi. Only I'll have to use large zucchini instead, husband is allergic to eggplant.

http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/2241/imam-bayildi.html

Marg
 

Abbey

Spork Queen
Marg,

We need to trade veggie recipies. I have some great tofu ones, but probably should be sleeping right now as I have to work soon. Silly me. I'll send some along later.

Abbey
 

susiestar

Roll With It
No liver in our house. I think husband almost put no live and no shrimp into the wedding vows, LOL! Not a problem for me as I don't like either.

They went out tonight as I was feeling sick to my tummy. husband actually volunteered to take them to Mc Donalds! I was amazed as a month ago he had a tantrum about how all they do is pester him for that. And it was HIS idea!

There is a cook book called Frozen Assets about cooking one day for the month or for 2 weeks. I want to get into that when I feel better. I will settle for getting the dishes done tomorrow though.

Today I am going to make chicken and noodles. I got some chicken breasts frozen on a good deal and I have a bag of good Amish noodles. I will cook the chicken and noodles in chicken broth (stocked up at Thanksgiving when it was forty nine cents a can for the no MSG kind). I will make some gravy to thicken it a bit and throw dried veggies into the noodle water/stock. It will be simple and easy.

I got a used but great condition soup pan for Xmas. It is a Cuisinart brand and doesn't burn anything and I can simmer soup in it for hours. I love it. So does husband, LOL! I will use that to make my soup.

Enjoy your dinners!
 

Marguerite

Active Member
I don't buy chicken stock any more, it's cheaper and tastier to make my own. I cook ahead when I can though, so I cook a couple of litres at a time. However, I've sometimes cooked stock "on the spot" which can be useful for recipes like risotto which require stock kept hot on the stove.

To make a fresh pot of chicken stock, you only should simmer it for no more than 40 minutes. You can get away with even less. If you let it simmer for much longer, it goes bitter. I used to use the crockpot, but no longer. I find I get a much better flavour if I cook the stock for much less time.

I remember cooking chicken stock while on holiday, I made a point of using only rubbish and leftovers. I had a chicken carcass from a leftover barbecued chook we'd eaten the previous day, then I had some carrot peelings and the outer skin from an onion I'd cut up for salad. Salt from the picnic set salt shaker. Then I simmered it all with water to cover, and made about a pint (600 ml) of fresh chicken stock, which I then used to make risotto. It really made an impression especially on easy child 2/difficult child 2. I told her the story of Stone Soup, while I actually made stock from leftovers.

When we got home, easy child 2/difficult child 2 decided to make Stone Soup for herself. She found a lovely smooth river pebble and use it for her "magic stone". She rummaged in the fridge for leftover bits, for a scrap here and a scrap there. The end result was tasty, and unique. A good Stone soup always tastes different because you use whatever is around. I realise now, it was the best thing Icould have done, in teaching easy child 2/difficult child 2 how to be an instinctive cook. easy child can't do it, she has to follow a recipe and has trouble making changes or substitutions. But her little sister - when she loved out, she insisted on taking her Soup Stone with her, even though she knows the secret is not in the stone.

I can heartily recommend this one!

I've recently begun a Monday afternoon coaching session with a very bright daughter of a friend. I think I'll teach her how to make Stone Soup one day soon... maybe as the weather chills off into winter for us. The secret is, you tell the story and act it out by actually making the soup while you tell the story. A little bit of forward planning helps, to make sure you have available just the right kind of leftovers...

The best pot for making soup is a heavy-based one, that will not have hot spots. You want it to distribute heat well and be able to sit on a very low heat, with the surface of the liquid barely shimmering.

It's not just because it's cheaper, or because it tastes better, that making yor own stock is so good. It's because you have created this as an act of love and nurturing. It's very ultimate Earth Mother stuff.

Marg
 
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