So...whats for dinner?
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Happy New Year.
We'll be going to the radiation oncology dept. this afternoon to have DH's "mask"/grid thing made. He'll start treatments next week, after the NY. So many unknowns, no kidding…cancer…wish it would leave forever.
Hopeful for duck breasts. No booze for DH. I may stick with red wine. …the elixir of the gods for me. Maybe I'll have a pour of something nice after dinner.
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Haven't decided on dinner yet. It won't be a traditional NY menu. Since my DD is not working tonight I might volunteer to cook anyway…I have a grocery order coming in an hour so I will have options. Usually when she is off she cooks for her and her daughter. When she works I cook for the four of us. (She works nights and leaves right after dinner.) It is my contribution in exchange for her helping me. We have been managing two-generation living for over ten years now and it works for us.
Happy New Year everyone.
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Last night was the remains of the brisket doused in bbq sauce served on hoagie rolls. It was delicious.
I have never seen ground pork at Costco. The Raos frequently goes on sale at Costco. That's when I usually buy it. Lately I've also been buying Victorias Organic marinara when they have it. It's more expensive but it's a larger jar (32 ounces). It's a different taste from Raos, very bright and fresh tasting. I like it very much and use them both. Unfortunately like the eggplant, it’s hit or miss if they have it at Costco.
DH requested steak tonight so I'll take some flat iron steaks from the freezer and rework the leftover scalloped potatoes that are reaching the end of their viability. I have a small ham for tomorrow that we'll have with Hoppin John and spinach. I'll probably make cornbread as well.
Wishing all of you the happiest of new years.
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Ooh thank you Eric for the Tepary beans link..fascinating. I’ll order some and we can compare notes !
DH and I are going out to dinner tonight to one of our favorite neighborhood places, and then early to bed lol. Wishing everyone a happy new year to refresh and renew. ❤️ Rhonda1 -
air fryer does amazing stuff!!!
served with cabbage and carrot in butter.
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Happy New Year everyone. We're doing nothing special here.
Dinner is spaghetti with homemade sauce.
I like all three varieties of tepary beans. My opinion….they all tend to hold together so I don't think they'd do well as a "mashed/refried" bean, but once you bite into them, they have a very soft texture. For chili, the brown or black ones are perfect. For "by themselves or light soups", the white ones.
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Now I'll definitely have to buy some duck breasts in 2026. I looked at some in the freezer case at Rouses recently. $40 for two. I'll also have to get out the air fryer and start using it again. But possibly not with the pricey duck breasts. Do you have a recipe link, Wally, or did you "wing" it?
Dinner was a large meatloaf, Natasha's recipe. The ends were cooked but the middle wasn't up to temperature. Leftovers will need a little more cooking. The okra and tomato skillet dish was delicious with ample garlic and some pepper flakes. We also split a leftover sweet potato, heated in the microwave. DH likes the home-made sauce: ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, onion and garlic powder, s & p. The sauce/condiment man.
I'll get out the Instapot to cook the corned beef brisket but may use a large pot on the stovetop for the veggies. Cooking veggies in the Instapot is tricky for me. Dinner will be the evening meal, as usual.
DH will be having cataract surgery in February. Hoping that goes well.
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Carole, 40 bucks for 2 breasts sounds expensive to me. I think these were 24/per, plus shipping (I ordered during one of their sales and tried a few other duck breasts …rohan and muscovy, plus the magret). The Maple Leaf products have started injecting saline into their duck breast, which I am not a fan of (paying for water plus harder to cook). I googled a bunch and settled on my own idea…
I scored and salted the breasts and let them "dry" in the fridge overnight. Wiped the breasts as best I could when I was going to start cooking. I did not preheat the air fryer. Set it on air fry for 18 minutes at 400. I peaked at them about part-way and they were getting gorgeous. I had them skin side up (mixed thoughts on the web)…when the skin got to my desired look, I flipped them for a few minutes. I think it all took about 15-16 minutes, let rest for 5. SAVE the duck fat!!!
Leftovers tonight. The breasts are that big…about 7 or 8 oz. each, I think.
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Wally, how do you use the duck fat? Thanks for the cooking tips. I'll have to make a note card.
The InstantPot wouldn't come to pressure yesterday. I cancelled the cooking and we discovered the problem. I had the steam release open. After adjusting it properly, the cooking worked out well. I transferred the liquid to a large pot, added some beef broth and cooked the vegetables perfectly. We'll probably have the leftover veggies with leftover meatloaf for dinner.
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I've fried potatoes in the duck fat, used it similar to bacon grease, added a small amount to add flavor to veggies, cooked eggs in it….just another fat that is yummy.
Not sure what today will be. I'm thawing ground turkey. Thought about a meatloaf but may make a ragu of sorts with pasta.
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Dinner was fried potatoes in duck fat, scrambled eggs and slaw. Tomorrow, I'll figure out the thawed ground turkey.
UGH on my PCP visit today….the nurse was cruel…no empathy for my DH's brain mets, focused on the fact her father died and basically said, no one else matters. OY. I was going to see if I could stop Lexapro (when DH got dx and things started turning icky) but we are back to icky and I'm going stay on it a bit longer (trying to reassure myself that it can fend off Alzheimer's) . I have horrible PTSD going to the doctor and neither the doc nor the nurse really gave a crap. Seems if you're 18 years out from breast cancer, you should be over it. Lovely.
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We have had a few medical professionals that were less than "kind" and it is no fun. The PCP we have now is awesome, but it took awhile to find them. It's a "just him" office with no assistants and he is (one real medical emergency excepted) always on time.
We have a Azure Standard delivery point about 5 miles away and I think they have frozen duck. I'll have to look.
Dinner was leftover chicken salad for Sharon and leftover spaghetti with homemade sauce for me.
I ran 3 miles today. It was the first time in about a month and it felt good to be back out there.
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Last night was mushroom stroganoff that made a delicious sauce for linguine out of the freezer. I saw the recipe in the NYT yesterday morning. I used a lb of shitakes and 8 oz of baby bellas. Other ingredients were onion, garlic, fresh thyme, white wine, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, sour cream. The recipe called for creme fraiche, but I didn't have any. I also called for vegetable stock and soy sauce, but I will stick with my substitutions. The side was sautéed fresh spinach. Next time I will use the creme fraiche to see if it makes a difference.
I'm not a mushroom fan in general, but I really like shitakes. This box was grown by a farm in Oregon. The mushrooms in the box. LOL. They were lovely.
No plan yet for tonight's dinner.
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I made the turkey meatloaf last night. I will never buy the walmart frozen ground version again. Disaster but still tasted good.
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Carole - I saw that NYT recipe and was going to make it as well , with some substitutes .. it read so nicely. Glad to hear it was yummy. I ended up making mushroom and cannellini bean soup and corn bread instead. It was good. Basically I wanted an excuse to make corn bread lol..
Wally - I used to love turkey meatloaf, good comfort food. Uncaring doctor visits are the worst. Sorry to read about your visit. Compassion fatigue in the medical field is a real problem.
Eric - glad running felt good. I feel that way about going for walks. Hard to get myself outside sometimes , too cold.
Tonight is baked barbecue tempeh with roasted carrots and potatoes.1 -
rischaller, I've been wanting to try cooking tofu. Any advice on a recipe for a novice? I recommend the mushroom stroganoff. It's simple to make but has so many flavors. For a pasta sauce, it's a good substitute for alfredo sauce.
Dinner last night was a his and hers event. I made myself a large romaine salad with blue cheese and kalamata olives. DH warmed up a bowl of red beans and rice.
I'm considering another NYT recipe for tonight. Shrimp and orzo. I have a package of huge peeled cooked shrimp in the freezer. My middle brother Gary brought a gigantic tray of shrimp to our siblings get-together, and this package is some of the leftovers. I have been on the lookout for a recipe to use the shrimp.
I hope everyone is doing as well as possible in January, 2026.
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Carole, can you post the stroganoff recipe if it is easy to do? I'm curious if you like firm tofu or silken or ???
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I rang in the new year in the hospital with influenza A in spite of the flu shot. After high flow oxygen, antivirals and steroids I was sprung from isolation today. I have to get an IVIG infusion Friday since my already subpar immune level tanked badly.
Wally, It's too bad your PCP was so self centered and had no empathy. When I told the hospitalist to call the ILD service in Boston to find out what to do he was shocked that my pulmo returned the call from a ski resort in Vermont. He stopped by on Saturday for a "social visit" to look at my CT on his way home while the rest of his family went to lunch. I apologized that he wasn't getting paid for any of his trouble and he joked he would get paid for my upcoming appointment with him only if I was able to attend it. This doctor is definitely one of the good guys.
Carole, The shrimp and orzo sounds like a good combination.
Dinner tonight was stuffed peppers. DH seems to have eaten nothing but breakfast foods for the past five days. I guess he added a few veggies to the eggs and put canned fruit in oatmeal.
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Oh Maggie so sorry to read this ! What a travail, and so glad you are on the mend. How scary. Glad you are out of isolation. Sending hugs and healing vibes . Your doctor sounds like a keeper for sure, glad you have one of the good guys on your team. And Stuffed peppers sounds good. When I’m not up for cooking, DH always makes oatmeal lol…
Carole - tofu recipes are hit and miss, as the flavor comes from the sauce not the tofu, so look at recipes that have the sauce you like. Most have either tomatoe or coconut milk lol… If wanting something crispy an air fryer I’m told is a game changer ! Though I don’t have one, so I coat with corn starch salt and pepper and bake or pan fry then add to … fill in the blank . I use firm tofu for cooking silken for desserts or sauces . I like these bloggers for tofu recipes . For Indian recipes Vegan Richa is tasty , for everyday Sam Turnbulls recipes are lovely and tasty too and .Let us know what you make… ❤️ Rhonda
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Thanks, Rhonda. I will look into those links. I have Vegan Richa on my kindle.
Maggie, I've been hoping to avoid that flu. Goodness. Five days of isolation and misery. The shrimp and orzo dish was ok. Fresh uncooked shrimp and smaller shrimp would have been better. Glad your dh survived on his own.
Wally, tofu is an unfamiliar food for me. Curiosity makes me want to try it. I tried getting a link to the mushroom stroganoff but you have to be a NYT subscriber. I'll type out the recipe.
Tonight may be his and hers leftovers. Not enough of one dish for two.
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Maggie, that is scary to be in the hospital. That's my concern…DH needs me here and ..well, we get it…
Carole, I meant, do you prefer crispy texture to curd-like-soft texture. You can make tofu do whatever you want…spicy? soft? crispy? You didn't ask me, but here I am, butting in. Sorry, LOL. I don't have a subscription to the cooking NYT. Can you just copy/paste? I'd hate for you to type it all up. Or take a screen shot and paste it?
I made frozen costco burgers in the air fryer with a dollop of duck fat on them. SOOO good.
I'm about to make a crustless quiche. The winds are howling and DH has a 4pm onco appointment. Don't want to have to prepare anything once we get back home…or worse, have no power.
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Wally when I was a kid my grandma cooked with schmaltz ( chicken fat) and everything tasted soooo good lol. I’m sure the duck fat is yummy too. Hope DHs onc appt went well and you made it home ok, with power still on.
Carole I also like Nora Cooks tofu recipes , you might like to try this one .. so many to choose from I know. ❤️0 -
Wally, It sounds like the duck fat is better than chicken fat. How wise of you to have dinner ready in advance in the event the winds cause problems. I hope the oncologist appointment goes well.
Carole, I don’t have a NYT subscription but I google the exact name of any recipe I’m interested in. Sometimes it is also on another site which is not blocked. Aldi has recently had some really good shrimp, Pacific white farmed in Ecuador. According to DH production methods there are good and meet US FDA standards. I like shrimp way more than he does, however.
Rhonda, I don’t cook much tofu but shirataki noodles must be similar in absorbing the taste of the sauce.
Dinner tonight was fish and chips for DH and chicken noodle soup for me.
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I think this link works. Give it a try. To be honest, I had to look up how to Copy and Paste.
Dinner last night was fresh green beans cooked with some chopped bacon and large dice potatoes in chicken broth. DH ate an enormous quantity. We also had warmed up leftovers.
Tonight will be chicken thighs and roasted asparagus.
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Carole, you're so sweet and the link works great! I just copied the recipe as a pdf file for future use. I'll look and see what I need to make this.
Onco appointment was meh. DH is running out of options. Onco wants another month on the PARP inhibitor and then chemo or basically told us to get a second opinion at a teaching hospital. I'm sad to think we may be SOL.
The quiche-thingie was so good. I forgot to season it, but the duck fat makes it taste INCREDIBLE. Leftovers tonight.
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Carole, I might be able to get DH to eat green beans if I cooked them with bacon and potatoes. Thanks for the idea.
Wally, I’m sorry that your DH is between a rock and a hard place. Maybe a telehealth second opinion with a teaching hospital would yield some options.
We have been getting a couple of inches of snow every night. I’m grateful for the neighbor who has been clearing our driveway.
Dinner tonight was chicken in a vermouth sauce, sautéed yellow squash and mashed potatoes.
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I roasted the chicken thighs in the toaster oven. In addition to s & p, onion and garlic powder, I seasoned them with mild paprika I bought on our Viking river cruise. After I had prepared them to cook, it occurred to me that I use the toaster oven to roast asparagus. I had to heat the big oven, which was ok. It was cool enough last night that we didn't have to use the a/c. Dinner was very tasty. I know I have said multiple times that I love roasted chicken.
I have a hearing test at Costco this afternoon, so I plan to buy a rotisserie chicken to make chicken salad for lunches. I'll also look for the Rao's eggplant.
I need to use ripe avocados, which leads to thoughts of guacamole, which leads to thoughts of fajitas. LOL. We also have colored peppers and onions and a package of thin ribeye. Fajitas for dinner. Easy is a plus.
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Last night was a long time favorite - Swiss steak with Bobs mashed potatoes.
No leftovers for a change. I did a better job of portioning the Costco round steak for the freezer.We’ve been enjoying a run of sunny spring like weather but today rain is moving in with more seasonal temps behind it.
Tonight’s offering is uncertain but may be sloppy Joe’s with mac and cheese and a salad.
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Our weather has been cool (great for me) but will start going into the 50s (not great for me). Trying to enjoy the few 35 degree days I'm getting.
I'm making chicken thighs tonight. I think I'll dice up some cauliflower and make a bed for the thighs so the fat soaks into the veg. Made some short grain brown rice last night so am making rice pudding for DH as I type. The last of the brown rice will be a side for the chicken.
Nance, I admire folks who know their cuts of beef and do it justice. I am lacking that skill. Round steak…hmmm, I'll have to google it along with swiss steak.
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