So...whats for dinner?
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1.19 a pound for boneless chicken?!?! I would have bought 20 pounds! I good sale price here is 1.99 Good buy LUV RVING!
Seaside- I loved your story about the elderly couple and the garden. We have a family garden in the summer. Last summer having just had a second child and being diagnosed I didn't help much. But I ate it all!!
This summer should be the first that we can eat the asparagus, it takes years to mature and we have hopes that this will be the year. My son wants to grow all sorts of different things this year, we may start a patch here for him to work on for fun. He wants watermelons and lettuce and cantaloupe's...kids are funny.0 -
Laurie,
We had planned to put in a garden the year I was diagnosed (spring 2009)... I even remember talking about it as my breast surgeon did my biopsy (surely, this is all going to work out just fine)... Well, life intervened, and we dealt with what we needed to.
Soooo, last summer that garden finally went in.. Many things did VERY well (Just a hint... you don't need more than one zucchini plant) and some things I planted really didn't (my poor beets and arugula)... I still am thinking I am a bit of Lisa Douglas from Green Acres but I learned a whole lot last year and I'm thinking this year is a whole new chance....
Here's hoping Mother Nature cooperates!
Edited to add... It was my son, rather than my daughter, who was the most interested in planting and gardening!
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Seaside- I was raised with gardens. My folks always had large gardens and for two years I tried to do it. I made my garden, added manure, had a mulching bin, pulled every weed. Nothing. I worked so hard and I got nothing. Almost nothing a zucchini, 1 pepper and a little lettuce. I gave up. My folks moved back to NH and we decided to have a family garden at my Grandfathers house. It would give us all a reason to visit all the time and he loved it. My Dad's garden is amazing. I bring the kids and I pull weeds while they run around and my son loves picking the veggies. He picks them and eats them, just like I used to. My dad does most of the work, but I do help him can and weed when I can.
So maybe this year I will do just a little plot at home that my son can pay attention to. But I'll be honest, I'll eat off my Dad's garden:D
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laurie- I love that you have a family community garden! What wonderful lessons both socially and nutbritionally for your kids. Maybe you could plant a small raised bed kitchen garden at your house with herbs and salad things? I am hoping to do that this year. Google raised bed gardens. They are not as much work as the weeds don't grow much....also nice that they are up off the ground.
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I did buy 20 pounds of that chicken.. It's pretty good, well trimmed and frozen appropriately.
i love the story of the couple who brought a basket of veggies over Seasidememories.. that is so sweet.
I moved this last summer.. We are scrambling to get a garden in.. I need to get greens planted NOW.
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Apple - I was really happy that the chicken was in about 1 pound packages. Usually the real deals are for the "family-sized" packages. There is just DH and me, so the sizing was perfect as I didn't have to break it apart.
I'm making chicken parmesan later this afternoon.
Michelle
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LuvRVing I always buy the family sized pack of chicken on sale. I then repackage in 2 portion sizes and freeze it. Saves a ton of money. Cheaper than Costco. Only DH & me here too.0
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Lago - when I was working full time plus commuting at least 1.5 hours a day, I wasn't so good at remembering to defrost things for dinner. My husband never asked me what I was cooking for dinner, he always said, "what are we doing for dinner?" We ate out frequently and I cooked big meals mostly just on Saturday or Sunday (assuming we didn't have other plans). Now that I am not working, I am much better about using up what's in the freezer. That said, I still appreciate those smaller packages. More than once, I've gone through the freezer and purged meat that had serious freezer burn. Life was hectic and I didn't have time to be diligent. Now, well...I don't have a whole lot of excuses!
Michelle
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Right now I'm eating an awful looking concoction of mine that I totally love the taste of. It's made with instant cream of wheat (original, non-flavoured), wheat germ, a tsp of ground flax seed, 1 tbsp of honey, 2 tsp of stevia, and 1 tbsp of coconut milk. Looks like a gross porridge and tastes great. I'm just weird like that.
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Day- I love Cream of Wheat! sounds like quite a yummy concoction to me. It would be good with Malt O Meal too probably...
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It definitely would, but I'm trying to avoid any processed foods and Malt O Meal has all those added things. Cream of Wheat is the highest I'd accept for now.
Yea, that works for everything except for chocolate. I don't care how processed it is, lol.
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Oh I'll have to check the ingredients. I put mine onto a different sealed container bc I don't use it that often. Didn't realize it was full of processed stuff. it figures, seems I can find a reason to avoid just about everything!
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I don't know, when I saw it has all kinds of iron and vitamin B and other things added that to me sounds like "processed".
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Day, in addition to watching out for "plastic" ingredients in food, I look for words like "enriched" -- which, like you indicate, usually means they took a lot out of what was originally there and then added a little back. Like white flour vs whole wheat flour.
I love cream of wheat, and oatmeal, and grits. Just a simple country girl at heart
Laurie, not to divert this to a gardening thread
so just quickly -- fresh manure isn't good for gardens, if that's what you used. It needs to be well composted first. Or, if it was composted, if you put too much on, it's too much nitrogen for most plants, so they won't do well. It can all be more complex than that, but just a few thoughts off the top of my head. Sharing a garden with your dad has to be great -- enjoy that! What a lot of wonderful memories you're giving your kids.Seaside, lovely story about your next-door neighbors. Have fun with your garden this year! Plant a few flowers to cut and put on the table, too.
I live alone, so I freeze things in single-serving sizes (or not much more than two servings). It's extra work at times but it allows me to take out just enough for one meal if that's all I want. Sometimes I want leftovers and sometimes I don't.
I'm drawing a blank on dinner tonight. I'm blaming it on DST, which I hate
(whine, whine) (never had it until a few years ago and I've yet to talk to anyone in the state who likes having it now). Anyway, had to get my rant in Now I'll see what I can do for dinner. Brown rice and veggies or beans, maybe... 0 -
I'm trying the salsa chicken in the crockpot this time..will let you know how it goes....ellen
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Naturgrrl- It was years ago that I tried the garden and my parents, who are big gardeners helped me set the whole thing up. I honestly have no idea if it was composted, fresh etc. I tried two seasons and said never again. My mother said never mind, just eat our stuff, lol! So now we help with the major set up and pop over a couple of times a week and pick and pull a few weeds. My Dad does a great job making it low maintenance. Not sure how he prevents the weeds....
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I should add, I have no idea what is for dinner. With the husband gone and it being day light saving I'm all screwed up!
Puppetlady- let us know how the recipe works with the crock pot. I bet it will turn out great!
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Laurie, OK, I'll keep my mouth shut, I should have known your dad/parents helped set you up
The gardener/workshop leader in me always wants to solve those things! 0 -
I've been raking dry leaves all day today. I swear, it's the highest amount of dry leaves in my back yard than ever! Of course, as I was recovering from two surgeries and axillary web cording last fall i couldnt' do anything so now they are A LOT.
Anyway, here's my dinner tonight:
Take some nice meat (chicken breast or lean pork). In a teflon frying pan put a few drops of toasted sesame seeds oil. Slightly brown the meat on high heat. Add thinly sliced bell pepper and 1/4 tsp ground ginger. Keep stirring like for a stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add angel hair chopped cabbage and stir-fry for another minute. Add coconut milk (the thick kind, about 2 tbsp), salt, 1/3 tsp of brown sugar or stevia powder, 1 tsp of rice vinegar, garlic powder, a pinch of curry and 1/2 cup of water. Stirr well, turn the heat on low and cover with a lid. Let simmer for 4-5 minutes. Enjoy!.
Edited because I had forgotten the ginger.
Edited again because I had forgotten the sweet-and-sour part. Arg!
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I've been enjoying this thread and thought I'd jump in...the other night I roasted a Whole Foods chicken and sweet potatoes. The next night, we had the leftover chicken tacos on corn tortillas with sliced avocado and feta cheese. Tonight, I've got flank steak marinating for fajitas. I'll serve with ranch style beans, basmati rice and guacamole. I'm a tortilla snob and have tried every grocery store brand, Over the years, I've been trying to make my own homemade flour tortillas unsuccessfully. Yesterday at Costco I found uncooked, flour tortillas in the refrigerator section. You only have to cook them on a griddle for a minute or two on each side and you've got fresh flour tortillas! Thanks for all the great tips and menu ideas. My husband will be out of town for over a week so I'll be eating fruit and toast or cheese and crackers for dinner. Gina
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Naturgrrl- Never keep your mouth shut!!! I appreciate the tip, like I said, I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to gardening, I could use all the tips I can get I agree that we are going to do a little raised bed garden and just do herbs, lettuce a couple of tomato plants and a couple of cucumber plants. My Dad has agreed to let my oldest plant cantaloupes and watermelon in a corner of his garden "for fun". 0
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Back from vegas, didnt win any money but had a great time! So many new recipes since i left, spent last night copying and pasting, they all sound wonderful.
Husband left today for another convention, staying home and eating leftovers from yesterdays roast- Pork shoulder roast that i stuffed w/garlic cloves, then sprinkled with garlic powder, onion powder, s&p, garlic salt, smeared dijon mustard over entire roast, browned it in skillet on all sides, then i put it in the crock pot, with chx stock, red wine, soy sauce, potatoes, carrots, celery, added 1 pkg of dry onion soup mix put on high for 3 hrs, then low for another hrs, it was the best one i have eaten and made, you can strain the juice if you wanted and put in pan and thicken with flour, but i didnt do this the broth was delishious like it was. Dh loved it and even ate some for breakfast before he left.
edited for typos
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Day, yum! and all those leaves make the best-ever compost, another kind of yum!
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Lol, not really, they got a lot of "land-mines" in them from my two dogs!
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Crockpot Salsa Chicken was a hit
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My chicken parmesan was a huge success. I hadn't made it in years, I wonder why not??? I used leftover "everything" bagel thins to make the bread crumbs, them mixed in some shredded parmesan, dried parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. It made a beautiful coating that browned beautifully.
Michelle
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Went to the supermarket today and came back all restocked up on fresh fruits and veggies...YUMMMMM. And my Pack Rat came over for dinner too. Was originally thinking of making chicken with sweet potatoes and corn, but suddenly decided to make what I call the "Italian Rainbow" instead. I call it that because it's as COLORFUL as it is yummy. Try it, you'll like it! :-)
You need:
4 Bell Peppers -- a green one, a yellow one, an orange one and a red one.
1 very large potato
2 medium onions
4 "small" links of sweet Italian sausage
Olive oil, garlic powder (can use fresh garlic if you prefer, of course) and oregano.
Microwave, frying pan and wok
What You Do:
Slice up the potato, put on microwave safe plate, and cook 5-6 minutes to soften it up a bit. Brown the sausages, then slice them. Sautee/stir-fry the potatoes, sausages and onions in olive oil until the sausages are cooked all the way through, and the potatoes and onions are slightly browned. Note: while those are cooking, you can wash and slice up the bell peppers. Add lots of garlic powder (or cook with chopped fresh garlic cloves or minced garlic) to taste.
When the sausages, potatoes and onions are done, put some olive oil in the wok, and start sauteeing the bell peppers. After about a minute, dump the contents of the frying pan into the wok and mix/stir-fry/sautee (or whatever you call it: I love to eat good food, but I am NOT a chef! LOL) the entire mixture. Add more garlic powder and the oregano (as much or as little as you like). Mix/stir-fry/sautee the mixture for about 8 minutes total, then serve.
Four servings, approximately 305 calories per serving.
Note how the different color peppers interact flavorwise in various combinations, too.
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hocolate Chip Cheesecake Recipe
Crust:
2 C. graham cracker crumbs
1/4 C. sugar
6 T. butter, melted
Filling:
2 1/4 lb. cream cheese
1 3/4 C. sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
1 C. Bailey's Irish Cream
1 T. vanilla extract
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips
Coffee Cream:
1 C. whipping cream
2 T. sugar
1 t. instant coffee powder
Chocolate curls as garnish
For Crust:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a 9 inch springform pan with vegetable cooking spray. Combine crumbs and sugar in pan. Stir in butter. Press mixture into bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake until light brown, usually about 7 minutes. Maintain oven temperature at 325°F.
For Filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth with and electric mixer. Gradually add sugar, then eggs one at a time, then Bailey's and finally the vanilla. Sprinkle half of the chocolate chips over crust. Spoon in filling. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips. Bake until cake is puffed, springy in the center and golden brown, about 1 hour & 20 minutes. Cool cake completely in refrigerator.
For Cream:
Beat cream, sugar and coffee powder until peaks form. Spread mixture over cooled cake. Garnish with chocolate curls.
12 Servings- this is a nice st patty's day dessert0 -
Ok, I HOPE this is the thread where I promised to post my "all-kinds of stuff" bread recipe.
It is now in the bread machine on the "dough" setting and this time I measured.
so it goes like this, and the list is in the order I put the stuff in the bread machine:
- 1 egg whole
- 1 stick of butter (doesn't matter is salted or unsalted)melted, but not hot, just warm
- 1 cup of hot water
- 1 cup of wheat bran MIXED (very important) with warm water until it gets like a paste
- 4 cups of flour (if you use self-rising, use 1 pack of yeast, if regular, 1 1/2 packs)
- 3/4 cups wheat germ
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed
about 1/3 cup of seeds - usually I put sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, but it depends what is in my pantry, today I've put sliced/crushed almonds.
Once the dough is done, separate it in 4, shape each piece either in a ball-size or in a loaf-size, and put it on a cookie sheet (preferably tefon). You can sprinkle more seeds on top. Bake in the 400F oven for 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean (depends on the oven). when setting in the pan, make sure you leave at least 3" between the loaves as they raise a lot. Baste while still hot with olive oil mixed with ground basil/mint/oregano (herbs are optional) for a better look.
I'll try take and post a photo once they are done.
Once I any other kind of my breads (onion, potatoes, pumpkin, etc) I'll make sure to measure and post.
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So last night was one of those pull from the freezer dinners. I had made Iago's crab cakes about a month ago and had 4 cakes in the freezer, so I defrosted them and sauted them and served with horseradish mixed with a little ketchup and mayo. We also had a salad of arugula, romaine, raddichio, baby spinach, grape tomatoes, kirby cukes, and fresh parm cheese and homemade vinegarette. Super easy and delicious.
Tonight it will be the same salad with grilled chicken. My husband is home all week this week, so I will "try" to cook most nights.
I'd love to attempt breadmaking, but I don't have a machine, and it seems a little labor intensive without one. Is that accurate? I'm sure if I look back, there is a bread recipe for baking without a bread machine, but if anyone could chime in about it, this novice bread baker would appreciate it!
Sherrill
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