Dinner - What Are You Having? - Page 60

[kitchensqueen]

Last night's goulash didn't turn out as good as I hoped. But I haven't given up on it - I know there's a good Hungarian goulash recipe out there somewhere...

Tonight I made a gargantuan pot of minestrone soup - my favorite summer soup. We got zucchini, yellow summer squash, a red cabbage and carrots from the farmer's market, and used fresh kale from our own garden. Turned out really good. Root canal food isn't so bad when you've got amazing produce to work with. ;-)

Tomorrow night we're planning on kielbasa and roasted potatoes and garlic on the grill. If the weather holds. 

[MrsKoehn]

Tonight is left over Mex rice from last night and some frozen, now thawing, pinto beans. :)
 

[kitchensqueen]

I wasn't able to pick up charcoal on the way home, so grilling didn't work out. But I braised the kielbasa and potatoes in a little white wine with thyme, salt and pepper. And sweet corn alongside.

[OkiMom]

Tonight we had pizza rice (one of my quick/easy/cheap recipes). Tomorrow we are having roast, mashed potatoes and salads. Wednesday we are having enchiladas, re-fried beans and Spanish rice.

[Lisoula]

Originally Posted by OkiMom 

Tonight we had pizza rice (one of my quick/easy/cheap recipes). Tomorrow we are having roast, mashed potatoes and salads. Wednesday we are having enchiladas, re-fried beans and Spanish rice.

Pizza rice?  Recipe please!

[Lisoula]

Last night I grilled chicken and we had chicken philly sandwiches.  Tonight I'm making Pioneer Woman's chicken & noodles recipe.  Craving comfort food, I guess.
 

[OkiMom]

Pizza rice is super simple:

Brown 1 lb beef (or however many pounds are needed to feed your family) then throw in some onions to cook. Drain off fat.

Cook 8 servings of rice

Stir meat, spaghetti (or pizza) sauce into the rice. Warm through, add cheese and warm until melted. It made enough to feed my family of 5 for dinner last night, lunch today and probably lunch tomorrow.

[MrsGregory]

PESTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I am excited.

[Peggy O'Mara]

This is the season for caprese salads. I have been making them this week with heirloom tomatoes from the co-op, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. Just layer the ingredients. I make a dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar and sugar. Almost as much sugar as vinegar for a nice sweet taste. Lick the bowl!

Improvised a bouillabaisse type dish this week too because I was going to simmer some fish in coconut milk but found I didn't have any. So I sauteed some scallions, cut up potatoes, small carrots whole, and chopped tomatoes in butter. Added some bottled clam juice and 1 cup of bad champagne (recipe called for white wine and bad champagne was all I had). Simmered this down for a few minutes until the wine taste went away. Then added a touch of saffron, a bit of thyme, 4 scallops and 5 shrimp. Cooked very gently for a few more minutes just until the fish was done.

I served this with toast spread with a mix of butter, garlic, chopped tomatoes and salt. And, a cucumber salad made with sour cream. It was perfect for a rainy afternoon.

[kitchensqueen]

Originally Posted by Peggy O'Mara 

Improvised a bouillabaisse type dish this week too because I was going to simmer some fish in coconut milk but found I didn't have any. So I sauteed some scallions, cut up potatoes, small carrots whole, and chopped tomatoes in butter. Added some bottled clam juice and 1 cup of bad champagne (recipe called for white wine and bad champagne was all I had). Simmered this down for a few minutes until the wine taste went away. Then added a touch of saffron, a bit of thyme, 4 scallops and 5 shrimp. Cooked very gently for a few more minutes just until the fish was done.

This sounds fantastic and reminds me that I want to make up a big pot of cioppino soon, on the next rainy day here. 

Tonight we're having the last of the minestrone - too hot to do proper cooking again here. And for the next two weeks we're going to be eating through the freezer and pantry so we can minimize what we have to move! 

[kitchensqueen]

Soooo... it's nearly 8:30 at night and I'm sitting on the couch eating a bowl of ramen. Yeah. 

We had a really late lunch at Famous Dave's this afternoon, that was really good - I had a combo platter with battered cod, pulled pork on toast and fries. Super good. So by the time dinnertime rolled around we weren't hungry, so after putting the baby to bed I did some packing, and then decided I was hungry - but not hungry enough to cook properly. So there's the story of how I'm eating ramen for dinner. I feel like I'm back in college again. 

We have some freezer stuff we need to eat through, so I'm kind of planning dinners around that stuff. Tomorrow night is pork chops, then I have a "party pack" of Italian sausage, ground pork, a bag of shrimp, and three burgers. Kind of random... the Italian sausage will probably go into pasta sauce for one dinner, and maybe with peppers on buns for another. Ground pork - maybe I'll pick up some ground beef and do a meat loaf with that. Shrimp - I'm thinking grilled shrimp cocktail on the last night we're in the apartment - something kind of special and easy at the same time for our last night here. Three burgers - probably will have those Thursday night before we head to the lake house for the weekend - but probably I'll use them in salisbury steak since it doesn't make sense to buy a package of buns for just three burgers. That could actually be served over egg noodles, which we have a giant bag of and could eat before we move too... oddly, we also have about 7 cans of tuna (seriously weird since we eat canned tuna maybe three times a year total) so probably I'll make tuna casserole one night to use up a couple cans of that. 

[MrsKoehn]

Tonight is left over night. Tomorrow either more of the same or pinto beans, Mex rice and tortillas. Shopping week so fridge must be empty. :)

Originally Posted by kitchensqueen 

I wasn't able to pick up charcoal on the way home, so grilling didn't work out. But I braised the kielbasa and potatoes in a little white wine with thyme, salt and pepper. And sweet corn alongside.

Oh yum! Now I want kielbasa. I haven't had that in forever. Mom used to fry potatoes with it which was too much grease for me but it's something from childhood. : )

Originally Posted by OkiMom 

Tonight we had pizza rice (one of my quick/easy/cheap recipes). Tomorrow we are having roast, mashed potatoes and salads. Wednesday we are having enchiladas, re-fried beans and Spanish rice.

I'm going to have to try that one. Hubby LOVES pizza and I love quick/easy/cheap esp after we start back to school. :)

Originally Posted by Peggy O'Mara 

This is the season for caprese salads. I have been making them this week with heirloom tomatoes from the co-op, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. Just layer the ingredients. I make a dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar and sugar. Almost as much sugar as vinegar for a nice sweet taste. Lick the bowl!

Yum! I LOVE fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil. I sprouted some organic basil I'd purchased fresh and it's growing in my window. I get tomato cravings every time I smell it. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kitchensqueen 

Soooo... it's nearly 8:30 at night and I'm sitting on the couch eating a bowl of ramen. Yeah. 

I feel like I'm back in college again. 

... oddly, we also have about 7 cans of tuna (seriously weird since we eat canned tuna maybe three times a year total) so probably I'll make tuna casserole one night to use up a couple cans of that. 

Lol that's so college food. It always hurts my stomach now, but sometimes I eat it anyway.   So bad, I know.

You know something my Mom would do with tuna. She'd buy (but you could make) those canned biscuits (more like wanna be rolls) and flatten two together to make a disk. She made tuna salad (in our house that was mayo and peas, hubby does mayo and pickles) and filled the center with it. She put a bit of cheese on top of that and pinched it together to make "Tuna Cheese Half Moons". She baked these  (cut a slit in it) with a brush of egg on top and a sprinkle of some sort of non sweetened cereal or cracker on top. Bake till they're done on the bottom and golden on top. Hubby isn't a huge tuna fan but he liked these.

I'm thinking when I test my blood sugar in a bit here, I"m having tuna salad and maybe some caprese salad. :)

[kitchensqueen]

Well the pork chops weren't fully defrosted, so we're having honey mustard chicken and egg noodles instead,. 

[BellaBub]

Steak and... well that's as far as I've thought.  

[Peggy O'Mara]

I do love those nights though, when I don't "cook properly," as The Queen mentioned. Love to pull lot so things out of the fridge and cupboards and see what I can materialize from "nothing." These meal are always interesting.

[MrsKoehn]

Today we ended up with an Open Nature Safeway frozen pizza. Vegetable Medley. I was school supply shopping with hubby's teen sisters all day and NO AC. So hot by the time I got home, I popped in the shower and he came in as I was getting finished. He wanted the pizza, so I said if he turned on the oven we could. Lol It's good for him to learn before the baby's born anyway. :) SO tomorrow was going to be salmon patties, but I'm feeling the left overs instead. :)
 

[kitchensqueen]

Originally Posted by Peggy O'Mara 

I do love those nights though, when I don't "cook properly," as The Queen mentioned. Love to pull lot so things out of the fridge and cupboards and see what I can materialize from "nothing." These meal are always interesting.

Those nights can be great fun - like your own personal mystery basket challenge!

Tonight my husband cooked - he just whipped up a quick dish with smoked sausage, green bell pepper, an onion and rice, in a little white wine and herbs. His own mystery basket and it turned our really good! 

[MrsKoehn]

Left overs here! I think that's going to finish off what's been in the fridge so tomorrow we can fill it back up with the two-week shopping trip. : )

[Mom31]

Hi love and garbage- glad to hear your MS is better!

I have not checked in in a while because I am trying to limit my computer time.

Last night I made fried tilapia and homemade tartar sauce.  tonight I made veggie and chicken penne pasta.

I threw in the chicken for the kids- I don't eat meat= so I just made chicken seperate and threw it in their bowls.

Oh and I got this yummy loaf of rye bread it was great

I make a olive oil and garlic "sauce" alot for veggies and pasta- with reserved cooking water then top with fresh grated parm/reg

I am getting a little bored with it- I have added lemon juice- but kids don't like that ( I do)

Any other easy lighter sauces you use?  I don't like red sauce.  I like using the olive oil and garlic because it is cheap and easy.
 

[Peggy O'Mara]

Basil sprouts. I want to try that!

How about a cream sauce for the pasta? I used to make a pasta sauce with sour cream and parmesan and butter. Are you making pesto with the garlic and olive oil, adding basil, nuts or other greens? I had a pesto with green garlic that was good. And, have used walnuts rather than pine nuts. 

I have been loving green bean salads lately. Steamed green beans, white onion finely diced, olive oil, white vinegar, salt and pepper. Get nice and cold in the fridge.