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So...whats for dinner?

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  • carolehalston
    carolehalston Member Posts: 8,329

    When my mother was alive, Easter Sunday was a family holiday and called for a family gathering. Now that she is gone, family gatherings are rare. Easter Sunday will be a Sunday for us. We always had ham and mashed potato salad and other sides. I've mentioned before that my mother favored boiled shoulder hams.

    Dinner last night was my first attempt at making Aglio e olio pasta, a dish we discovered at Sal & Judy's restaurant many years ago. I made it with two Italian sausage links. It was good but not garlicky despite about 9 sliced garlic cloves. We had slices of French bread and butter.

    DH had a phone call last night with awful news. John from Texas, one of our neighbors at Pine Hollow Resort, died. Just days ago I had a text from him regarding the date of his return to MN for the summer. The woman who cleaned for John had gotten a phone call telling her the bad news. She contacted us by calling the Pine Hollow Resort phone number which comes to dh's phone. It's hard to imagine happy hour without John, who was a man with a storied background. Vietnam vet, recovered alcoholic, married four times, expert fisherman and former fishing guide. We are in shock and feeling sad. We assume he had a heart attack since he had heart disease and diabetes.

  • serendipity09
    serendipity09 Member Posts: 769

    Haven't been able to post. Was in Puerto Rico for my step-mother's funeral and to help figure things out for my father, and the power outage from last week lasted until day before yesterday in the city I was in. I came back home early this morning.

    I ate so much in PR that tonight's dinner is going to be something light, a green salad with some shrimp.

    I'm preparing grouper steaks in a vinegar, onion, garlic, fresh oregano and bay leaves will be along with other spices, to marinate for tomorrow's dinner. I'll boil and then air fry some cassava and make some type of a mojo sauce to accompany it along with some tostones (fried) and some rice and beans, avocado from PR (the big green ones) and a salad. This was the dinner my mother always prepared for us on the Friday before Easter or Good Friday. Now that she's not well enough to make it I make it for our family. It's bittersweet.

    ChiSandy - thanks for sharing your trip to NOLA with us, sounds like it was a great time. Congrats to the newlyweds.

  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 1,467

    DH ended up preferring tuna to salmon, so that is what I used. I combined/tweaked a few recipes together, mostly using the Food and Wine magazine version as the base... and used a mix of 3/4 cup basmati rice + 1/2 cup of red lentils (they cook at about the same time), with a red onion and the curry powder. I added frozen peas and parsley after the rice rested, combined with tuna, flaked, topped with some cream and heated through.

    Leftovers tomorrow. SO easy and tasty.

    Serendipity, my heart goes out to Puerto Rico with the storms and outages. I'm sure they have recovered completely from the last stuff.

    Carole, so sorry for the loss of your friend.

  • goldie0827
    goldie0827 Member Posts: 6,835

    You guys sure cook up some fancy stuff, so much I've never even heard of!

    Wallycat, PR has not recovered from the hurricanes Maria and Irma, hence being called Irmaria. My daughter lives in the VI on St. John and they are still rebuilding. I do believe all power has been restored and of course new growth happened pretty quick.

  • serendipity09
    serendipity09 Member Posts: 769

    Thank you wallycat. There's definitely been improvement, but still work to be done.

    I think tomorrow will be leftovers from today. Sunday will be just my son and I. I'll make a small spiral ham with a homemade glaze, PR rice and potato salad. He requested flancocho (flan on top of cake) for dessert.






  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,409

    Oh Goldie - some of us are slackers. At least once a week I have bagged salad w/additions. And fried rice w/whatever is in the fridge. I suspect with your long distances that you shop like I do - only once a every week or 10 days.

    Last night I had an egg salad sandwich & some cucumber slices Lunch today was left-over guacamole w/Rosemary crackers. Tonight will be cold boiled shrimp from Costco. Tomorrow will be the rest of the shrimp w/some spinach added served over pasta - combination of several recipes shared here - onion, garlic, chicken broth, either milk or white wine depending on my mood for creamy or tangy. I keep wanting to try this dish with artichoke hearts like Jazzy recommended - but I always seem to have fresh spinach on hand that needs to be used so the artichokes are still in the can. Later next week - Rao's marinara sauce with Trader Joe's frozen Italian meat balls. Which will mean left-over Raos, so individual Naan pizzas w/mushrooms & black olives. Oh - and maybe those artichoke hearts?

    Carole - so sorry about your friend John.

    Serendipity - sorry about all the destruction on PR. What a mess.

    Some time ago I bought some Orzo on Lacey's recommendation. I have never cooked Orzo. It's still sitting in the pantry so I need to dig out her recipe & use it. Or I'm open to new recommendations to use it.

  • illimae
    illimae Member Posts: 5,747

    Hi Goldie, nice to see you here!

    Minus, I’m buying lunch stuff and 1 Hungryroot box but am also working through the fridge. The last couple of days will likely be takeout.

    Tonight was a Thai style coconut curry with asparagus. I wanted more variety, so I added onions and snap peas on a bed of sautéed carrot ribbons. This was a really good one, definitely going to pick it again.

    image

  • eric95us
    eric95us Member Posts: 3,180

    I arrived in PR just after midnight on the day after Maria made landfall. In the morning, when it was light, all the trees looked like trees in the northeast USA look in November.

    There was a lots of devastation, yet at the same time, I was constantly amazed at the ingenuity being displayed by everyone there. I saw so many "Wow. I would never have thought of that!" things that it was almost hard to comprehend.

    I was there to help setup 2-way radio and data communications systems for the hospitals and emergency services agencies. I'm what is called a "special governmental employee" with US Dept of Health & Human Services. Special governmental employee sounds "cool", but all it means is that I have a regular job that pays the bills because I only get government pay when I'm actually working for the government.


  • carolehalston
    carolehalston Member Posts: 8,329

    I used a packet of beef cubes from the freezer and made beef stroganoff for dinner last night. In advance of adding the sour cream, I researched the reason for curdling in the sauce and followed the advice for tempering the sour cream with some of the hot gravy. The sauce still had a curdled appearance. I wonder if whole fat sour cream would work better than reduced fat. The dish was still very good. We had cauliflower mash instead of egg noodles and also a large romaine salad. We were out of blue cheese and used goat cheese instead.

    So that was last night's question answered. Now there's another menu to be decided for tonight. I'll check the freezer for inspiration. Since our departure date for MN is May 19, I'm using up everything in the freezer.

  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 1,467

    Leftovers last night. Tonight, I'll flesh out the last of the Kedgeree with asparagus and poached eggs.

    Carole, I read that making sure the sour cream, once added, never comes to a boil, may help with curdling. I've often taken it off the heat and then added it. I use full fat everything.

  • goldie0827
    goldie0827 Member Posts: 6,835

    Serendipity, I'm sorry to hear about your MIL.

    Oh, going way off topic here! Eric, my daughter decided (during hurricane Maria 2017), along with some friends (6 total) and 3 or 4 dogs, that it would better if they went and hunkered down at one of the villas that my daughter cleans. So they did, in a concrete laundry room, maybe 10 x 10, there was the water cistern that was located on top of them. The walls started to crack and they thought that cistern would bust through and they would all drown. That didn't happen, but they were all so scared. I had no contact with my daughter for at least 3 days, didn't know if she was dead or alive. Come to find out, she would have been better off at her own apt, it was better built and equiped to withstand the storm, with proper hurricane shutters, concret walls, etc., and even tho smaller, better equiped to handle the level 5 of 2 hurricanes that hit there. That was in 2017. In 2019 my daughter had a medical emergency in which she had go to St. Thomas to the hospital, she was bleeding internally, 3 blood transfusions, and no proper water as of yet at the hospital, no ice, all water having to be brought in. She is fine now, but the devestation that those hurricanes put on those islands was horrible. I'm amazed that you got a flight there the next day.

    Illimae, I thought Hungryroot was some sort of veggie, the time before when you said something about it. I assume now it's meals you order and cook at home? I'm not a curry fan.

    Do you guys cook off the top of your head or follow a recipe? I use recipes, usually found off the internet.

  • illimae
    illimae Member Posts: 5,747

    Goldie, yes, Hungryroot is a meal delivery service, grocery items are delivered with the recipes. I have mine set up for 4 dinners/lunches, 3 snacks and 2 sweets. You fill out a food profile and they use what you like to plan the meals but if the meals they intend to send aren’t what you want, you can edit and choose replacements from other recipe options. I find it cheaper than the local store sometimes and gives me new things to try.

  • eric95us
    eric95us Member Posts: 3,180

    We flew in via "gov air".



  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 1,467

    I love reading and looking through cookbooks, cooking magazines, TV shows, blah, blah.

    I usually fly by the seat of my pants. Review a few recipes to get a "feel" for the "gist" of something, then use what I have, what we like, and go from there.


  • specialk
    specialk Member Posts: 9,262

    minus - my favorite way to use orzo is in a Greek style salad, which is also good in hot weather as you can use any leftover protein as an add-in for a main dish meal. I cook the orzo, then after draining but while it is warm add some Greek dressing or vinaigrette. While that sits I slice little tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, and peppers. I add sliced kalamata olives and more dressing once the veggies have been added to the orzo. I crumble some feta on top, and generous pepper, some salt, some oregano and basil. but usually add a little more dressing and feta on top of an individual serving. Another way I have used it is in a lemon flavored dish - which is good with added shrimp. Cook the orzo, mix vinaigrette with some lemon juice and zest, or make a vinaigrette of your own with lemon olive oil. Add whatever veggies you like and the shrimp. Or leave the shrimp off and use as a side to any protein.

    goldie - I am a mix - sometimes I follow recipes - particularly when baking since that is more of a science - but often riff off of ideas, or add/omit.

    illimae - how are the little doggies?

    carole - when I do stroganoff I usually remove the meat, add the sour cream and whisk, then add the meat back in, but also never boil after the addition of the sour cream - I add at the very end and just warm through.

    Dinner last night was...nothing. Neither of us was hungry and both of us were tired. I need to go to the grocery store today to get stuff for tomorrow and I will see if anything strikes my fancy for dinner tonight!

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 3,919

    Minus - this is my favorite orzo recipe:

    Creamy Orzo with Asparagus & Parmesan

    Ingredients:

    1 cup orzo

    1 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

    1 tbsp butter

    1/4 to 1/2 cup cream

    1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

    Salt & Pepper, to taste

    Directions:

    Bring a large sauce pan of water (filled about halfway) to a boil over medium heat. Cook the orzo until tender, about 10 minutes.

    After the orzo has been cooking for about 5 minutes, add the asparagus to the same pot (this will allow the orzo and asparagus to cook in the same pot and keep the clean-up to a minimum!).

    Once the orzo and asparagus are cooked and tender, drain and return to the pot.

    Quickly add the parmesan cheese and butter. Stir thoroughly, allowing both the cheese and butter to melt. Slowly add the cream to the mixture, while stirring. Continue to stir and add cream until you reach your desired consistency.

    Season with salt and pepper.


    Sandy - after reading your wedding posts I have serious NOLA envy. I'm glad everything went well and congrats to the newlyweds!

    Monica - good news on your son's treatment - may he continue to improve. And hopeful news about your ET Eric. Congrats to you too on the new house.

    Carol - I'm so sorry about your friend John. Was he the fisherman who provided you with fresh crappie?

    Stroganoff sounds good - I have a pkg of tenderloin trimmings in cubes saved for that very purpose. I find I have better luck with full fat dairy. But as others have said, no boiling after the sour cream is added. I know from experience that It curdles every time.

    Kids are coming for dinner tomorrow. I'm fixing a pork loin rack with green peppercorn sauce, scalloped potatoes, green beans and asparagus - both in a lemon/orange citrus sauce, applesauce, deviled eggs, hot cross buns and lemon custard cakes with macerated strawberries. I've spent the day doing meal prep and I'm exhausted so dinner is brats on the grill and baked beans. The only other veggies will be some raw carrots and cauliflower I'm eating while I'm waiting for the beans to be done.

    I almost always use a recipe even on things I've cooked a million times. I know what goes in it I just can't remember how much! Which is not say that I won't embellish or eliminate that which I don't like or don't have.




  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 3,919

    Goldie and Serendipity - condolences on the recent passings of your loved ones.

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,409

    Nance & Special - thanks. Both of those Orzo recipes look good but it just so happens I bought some fresh asparagus this week, sooo

    Goldie - I always used a recipe for everything until COVID. Now, although I still have a recipe at hand, I will often ad-lib. But I agree with SpecialK - I always use a recipe for baking. Edited to say - cooking for one is an entire different world!!!

    Tonight was a case in point. Mash up of 3 recipes. Sauteed onions & garlic. Added vegetable broth & sprinkled w/flour after it was boiling. Added mllk & already cooked shrimp. Just before serving, I added a bag of fresh spinach & served over pasta. It was good - but mostly bland. Next time I'll add some crunchy things - like red pepper or water chestnuts - and also considerably more spices.

  • illimae
    illimae Member Posts: 5,747

    Puppies are great! They have wild puppy energy but are learning to potty on pads, can sit and “high five”.

    Tonight is sautéed chicken with peppers and onions, topped with a 1/2 slice of provolone, roasted rosemary fingerling potatoes and spinach.

    image

  • serendipity09
    serendipity09 Member Posts: 769

    Thanks for the recipes specialk and auntienance! They sound delicious! I've never made Orzo either, but have been wanting to. Now I have two recipes to try.

    Eric - thank you for helping in PR.

    Goldie - we didn't hear or know anything about my father for months; it was awful. Last week during the power outage I saw how much PTSD there is; lines at the gas stations were blocks long; panic buying. It broke my heart.

    My niece and her family of 5 will be joining us, so I had to up my menu. In addition to the ham, PR rice, potato salad and flancocho, I made a carrot cake from scratch, can't wait to dig in to that. I'll make chicken fricassee, a salad, and some roasted root vegetables that I'll sauté in garlic and butter. My healthy eating goes out the window tomorrow.

  • WC3
    WC3 Member Posts: 658

    I was going to make soup but I decided I wasn't up for it so I had a chicken tostada without the shell. Unfortunately I forgot to tell them no cilantro, which tastes to me nothing like it is intended on account of the fact that I am part of that 4 to 14% of the population that has ability to taste aldehydes. I don't hate cilantro with the same passion that some do but it tends to take the enjoyment out of the meal for me.

  • carolehalston
    carolehalston Member Posts: 8,329

    Nance, John was a bass fisherman. The crappies came from another neighbor who also will not be at Pine Hollow this summer. He and his wife moved their camper to another location. It's a good thing they opted to vacate their campsite because a property issue did away with that campsite.

    I used a version of Laurie's salsa chicken last night. I poached two chicken breast halves in a jar of salsa. Then I added a can of rinsed black beans and a small can of mild chopped chilis. After cutting up the chicken into bite sized piece I made a casserole with white corn tortillas, the chicken/bean mixture and grated sharp cheddar. The dish was much to my liking with dollops of sour cream and home-made guacamole which dh mixed up.

    I will be warming up leftovers for a lunch or two.

    The next time I make stroganoff, I will use the full fat sour cream and see if it works better.

    Happy Easter to all.

  • eric95us
    eric95us Member Posts: 3,180

    Happy Easter for those that celebrate it.

  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 1,467

    Broiled sockeye, steamed cauliflower and a sweet potato. Delicious, easy and quick.

  • specialk
    specialk Member Posts: 9,262

    Happy belated Easter to all who celebrate - I was busy cooking, so I am late! DD and her beau came for dinner after they took DH and the dog for a boat ride on the river. We had deviled eggs and a veggie tray with dip as apps, then ham, English style roasted potatoes, asparagus with Hollandaise, whiskey glazed carrots, and a zucchini dish my mom used to make - sliced zucchini, tomatoes, onion and mozzarella baked in the oven. Dessert was lemon cupcakes and chocolate dipped strawberries.

    On the lamb vs ham question - it came down to price. The lamb was about $55 for a decent sized semi-boneless leg, but the ham was on sale for $2.99 a lb, which seemed to be a deal. I picked a 9 lb one and it was less than $30.

    Dinner tonight is TBD. I don't have a lot of leftovers, except for ham, lol! I do have a visit scheduled with the dermatologist though, which will likely result in at least one biopsy - the norm for me. I have three spots that I have noticed and want them to look at, and they always find more. It is an end of day appointment so I may not feel like messing much with dinner. It is very hot and muggy already today, so maybe a salad of some kind.

  • goldie0827
    goldie0827 Member Posts: 6,835

    Eric, I too thank you for going into PR to help.

    Thanks for the orzo recipes. I'm pretty sure I have some. AuntieN, your recipe looks yummy and rather easy, with just a few ingredients. And it IS asparagus season. I too almost always use a recipe. I may tweak it second time around. Thank you on the condolences.

    Minus2, cooking for one can be a challenge for sure. Altho, even with the passing of my DH, I'm still cooking the same, as he didn't eat the things I did. I like cooking and making a mess. He like processed foods. Things that go in the microwave basically. He didn't eat chicken, turkey, ham, pork roasts. The only veggies (cooked) corn, grn beans, hominy. No ranch dressing, sour cream or cream cheese, no mushrooms. When we went camping, I would always make omelets, it took 20 years before he finally tells me he doesn't like omelettes!

    Serendipity, I do hope your dad is doing better. What I find amazing about those in the islands, is that they come together. At least I know that of those on St. John where my DD is. But then it's also very small, compared to PR or St. Thomas.

    WC, I did not know that about cilantro. Do you get the same with parsley?

    SpecialK, that was quite the spread you put out girl!

    Well, I spent my Easter Sunday in the ER. Started Saturday with lower R back pain (kidney). Saturday night I only got about 4 hours of sleep, 2 hours at one point and then another 2 later. The pain was excruciating! So I took myself to the ER Sunday morning. CT scan to rule out stones, urine culture, which will take a few days. Treated for kindey infection, given anti b's and pain pills. The doctor was sure to let me know that the scans indeed showed many mets! Ya I know, I'm reminded of that every 3 weeks when I go for treatment. I went to bed at 6 and got up at 5, but I think I got up like 6 times to use the bathroom, as I had been drinking so much water, plus the IV fluids. Feeling much better today, not 100%, but better!

  • serendipity09
    serendipity09 Member Posts: 769

    Hope those of you that celebrated Easter yesterday had a nice one, and for those that did not, I hope you had a nice Sunday!

    Goldie0827 - I'm sorry you ended up in the er, but am happy you are feeling a little better.

    It is amazing how everyone comes together in times of need. By no means can I compare the power outage from week before last to a hurricane, but nonetheless, witnessed how everyone was so willing to help out and check in on others. It really was touching.

    Today will be yesterday's leftovers. I thought I'd have a lot left, but didn't, which is fine with me.


  • specialk
    specialk Member Posts: 9,262

    goldie - I have problems with excessiveness and being very extra with holiday food, lol! For whatever reason - I suspect being a military spouse for so many years, and often not being able to celebrate holidays with extended family - I am invested in making the things we have always traditionally had. My kids and DH have that expectation, they look forward to it, and always appreciate the effort - so it is worth it. I have the same issue with holiday decorating... I have an overabundance of Christmas trees. I wanted to say how sorry I am about the loss of your DH, I meant to include that earlier. Also, so sorry that you ended up in the ER yesterday. That gets a boo from me! Hopefully the abx and pain meds will do the trick. I can sympathize as I am prone to that kind of infection as well. Bleh. Hope you can get some rest.

    serendipity - glad your PR peeps have each other - that is indeed touching! Wish that was everywhere... How was your carrot cake? That is my DH's fave. I once made him a birthday carrot cake and put little frosting carrots on top for each year - I don't remember how old he was turning but it was a lot of little carrots, lol!

  • eric95us
    eric95us Member Posts: 3,180

    Special...the mention of carrot cake got me to laughing.

    Carrot cake was how I knew that DD was beginning to read. We were at a bakery and DD was looking at the cakes. She was literally drooling as she moved down the cake display to look at each cake..until she got to the carrot cake. At the carrot cake, she went "Ewwwwww", and quickly moved on to begin drooling at the next cake in the display.

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,409

    Goldie - sorry about the ER visit. LOL about your DH's eating preferences. Cilantro almost makes me vomit. The smell is even a problem when they pile it touching the radishes in the grocery store

    Special - I have zucchini lurking in the fridge & your Mom's recipe sounds good. I usually saute those three things but of course everything's better with cheese.. Care to share? Interesting about the holiday traditions. My Mother's were 'fixed in stone'. Once we kids had our own children & lived all over the country, it became difficult to meet her expectations. So I became sort of fixed on my own traditions, while replicating many of my Mom's. Turns out my ex-DH and my son both HATED all the trappings & food & "requirements". One of my goals since I retired is becoming less rigid.

    Eric - carrot cake - LOL. How is your girl doing?

    Mae - hope you're OK. Count down time.