So...whats for dinner?

The steak fajitas were much enjoyed. I had homemade tortillas in the freezer but we agreed not to include them in the meal. Instead of canned refried beans, we had black beans. Condiments were sour cream, grated cheese and salsa. DH made a delicious guacamole with perfectly ripe avocados.

I also have not cooked Swiss steak. I am familiar with round steak. My mother made steak and brown gravy with it, served on white rice. Cooked in a large cast iron skillet with high sides. She was feeding a large family.

Tonight will be shoulder pork chop and cauliflower.

Minus, where are you?

Enjoying reading but not posting. I've had a nasty flu bug since New Years so mostly sleeping and certainly not cooking or eating. Impossible to catch up but I've kept track of everyone.

My Mother only made what she called "swiss steak" with round steak. And for that matter - Beef bourguignon, or beef tips & noodles, Beef Stroganoff, etc. I don't remember her ever buying a "swiss" steak. So of course, I've done the same.

Thanks for the NYT mushroom stroganoff recipe.

Minus what a lousy way to start the New Year. Hope you can kick it soon and feel better.

Tonight was carry out pizza. It’s from a wood fired place and always excellent.

The Swiss steak recipe I use is tomato based and excellent comfort food. The recipe is from a years ago At Home magazine. I used to cook it on the stove top but now I use the slow cooker and it’s every bit as good.

Tomorrow I’ll cook a small pork roast to serve with gravy and mashed potatoes with an added side of something green

I just bought a lot of tri-tip steak (on sale for 4.97/pound, usually $13/pound)….I think I've tried making it once and wasn't impressed (same with flank steak)…anyone have a good recipe and technique and wants to share, I'm all eyes.

leftover socca 'pizza' tonight.

Minus, I hope you feel better soon. The subclade K mutation which wasn’t around when the flu vaccine was formulated is bad.

Nance, Wood fired pizza is definitely the best.

Wally, The tri-tip steak was a real bargain. My youngest brother smokes and grills it for Santa Maria barbecue but I’ve just enjoyed it and left the prep to him.

Rhonda, I’ve never seen gluten free matzoh before and I definitely won’t go looking for it now. I hope you can stay home tomorrow.

Dinner tonight was braised cube steak and parsnips in onion gravy with mashed potatoes for DH. I’m still on the saltine and water diet. Come to think of it, I probably could have eaten the gluten free matzoh.

maggie - glad you could move from saltines and water to chicken and rice soup. That sounds good and soothing.
carole - i can’t stop researching tofu recipes since you asked. Nothing I’ve made has been a favorite. Tofu curries are fine and fried tofu, but nothing great. I haven’t found the right sauce or marinade. And the NYT just published their 99 favorite tofu recipes yesterday lol..I’m hoping I find something fun and yum..worth sharing.

Today I made split pea soup with carrots and onions, and baked my own croutons seasoned with olive oil, garlic and onion salt..yummy.  I haven’t had split pea soup in ages, was a nice change. And the croutons are addictive, like potato chips lol. Also made slow roasted vegies and steamed zucchini for staples for the next few days, and added some  pasta for DH. Nice quiet day.

Rhonda, Yum on the home made croutons.

Wally, Your bbq pork shoulder blades sound delicious. Since DH can’t eat pork I’ll have to wait until spring to get takeout pork bbq for myself while DH has chicken.

Minus, I hope your flu recovery is continuing.

Dinner tonight was spinach and ricotta ravioli in Rao’s. Yay for real food.

Wally - I made the NYT vegan mapo tofu and it was excellent. I’m so happy. Who knew you could add boiling water to a bowl of cubed tofu , cover for 15 minutes and it’s lovely. Then make the sauce and vegies, and add the tofu. Here is the recipe below. I skipped some ingredients I didn’t have, so it wasn’t spicy , next time I’ll add more red pepper. but still very tasty. I substituted for what I had in the house , so used baby Bella whole mushrooms, One zucchini ,A pinch of red pepper/cayenne. And 2 Tablespoons of leftover black bean sauce from Chinese takeout lol. Served with brown rice and steamed carrots. Tonight I’ll make green beans to go with it.

Minus - hope you are feeling better
Maggie - spinach and ricotta ravioli sounds yummy.
Carole- what do you put in your Cole slaw? My son loves cooking in his aifryer, good luck !
Eric - my tepary beans have shipped, looking forward to making a chile with vegan sausage. Do you cook them in a slow cooker ? Recipes to share?

Vegan Mapo Tofu

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• 8ounces shiitake mushrooms
• 2cups water
• 15ounce block of soft tofu (do not use silken)
• Salt
• 3tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3small dried hot red peppers (skipped)
• 1tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed
• 1tablespoon fermented spicy broad bean paste (doubanjiang) (skipped)
• 2teaspoons minced garlic
• 1tablespoon grated ginger
• 2teaspoons soy sauce
• 1teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1teaspoon finely ground Sichuan pepper (skipped)
• 1tablespoon corn- or potato starch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water
• ½cup slivered scallions, both white and green parts
• Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

PREPARATION

Step 1
Remove stems from mushrooms. Make a light mushroom broth by simmering stems in 2 cups water for 15 minutes, then strain and reserve broth (discard stems). Dice mushroom caps and set aside.

Step 2
Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes. Cover with boiling salted water, let steep for 15 minutes, then drain.

Step 3
Put oil in a wok or wide skillet over medium heat. Add red peppers, black beans and bean paste and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger and let sizzle, then add mushrooms, soy sauce, sesame oil and Sichuan pepper. Add 1½ cups mushroom broth and cook mixture gently for 2 minutes.

Step 4
Carefully add tofu cubes. Shake pan to distribute sauce, using a wooden spoon to help. Try to avoid smashing tofu. Drizzle in cornstarch mixture, gently swirling pan to incorporate (sauce will thicken) and simmer tofu in sauce for 2 minutes more. Thin with a little mushroom broth if necessary. Transfer to a low bowl or platter. Sprinkle with scallions and cilantro sprigs.

Eric, I've ordered from Azure so I will check to see what duck is available.

I made tri-tip in the crockpot making the shredded Italian beef. YUM.

DH is doing well with the brain zapping; personality a bit ..well…harder to accept but I suspect some of that is stress.

Carole, I’m sorry your supermarket has changed hands. It tends to be a bit of a mixed bag with favorites no longer available but some new good products.

I’ve only ever cooked duck when DH brought it home after consulting with Maple Leaf Farms. I should consider buying some.

Wally, I’m glad the tri-tip in the crockpot worked out well and that your DH is tolerating radiation.

Dinner tonight was Kung Pao chicken with red and green bell peppers on rice.

Minus glad you’ve turned the corner. By all accounts this flu is long lasting. I totally share your feelings about tofu. It’s most definitely a texture thing with me. I have the same reaction to scallops and I’m a seafood lover.

I’m an Aldi fan. W have a bunch of them. I try to get there once a month or so. I’m sorry you’re losing your grocery store Carole. I’ve never been in a Rouses but I’ve shopped Winn Dixie plenty. I even have a loyalty card lol.

Maggie Kung pao is my favorite. When I make it myself I always add extra peanuts. In fact I judge the quality of carry out kung pao based on the level of spice and amount of peanuts.

Tonight is homemade minestrone and garlic bread.

Meyer lemons. A very nice gift. I planted a tree one year but it didn't survive. Another year dh and I made marmalade with an abundant supply. I forget whether I bought them at a produce market or someone gave them to us.

I used the air fryer last night to fry breaded eggplant slices. We agreed that they tasted good, even though different from pan fried in olive oil. It was an odd meal. Pork sausage, split and cooked on low temperature in a skillet. Mashed potato salad. I made a big batch of the potato salad because dh likes it for lunch. The deli potato salad is pricey in large containers.

I may buy some catfish fillets for tonight. The thought makes me miss WD's fish counter.

Yum on your dinner, Maggie.

I "hit it out of the ball park" yesterday when I put together an eggplant dish. I used the air fryer to cook the eggplant slices. Instead of Rao's, I made my own sauce with a can of tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings. I also sauteed a box of fresh spinach, a new ingredient. Cheese was a bag of grated "Italian cheeses" and fresh-grated parm reg in a zip lock in the refrigerator. This new version was every bit as delicious as the "old" version. I gave dh a choice of veggie sides: broccoli, carrots, or turnips. Of course, he chose turnips. The man does love his turnips, and I like them, too.

There's enough leftover eggplant dish for a lunch for one of us. I'm more prone to eat a "leftover" lunch than he is.

Dinner tonight will be catfish that I bought yesterday. It was on sale for $5.99 a lb. The price that used to be regular price. I bought extra and will freeze some dinner portions.

Rouses has the Maple Leaf duck breasts. Two for $15. They are injected with a saline solution.

Carole, I have yet to buy an air fryer but I'm thinking more seriously about it. I don't have room for it in the kitchen but I could store it in the basement with my rarely used crockpot unless I started using it frequently . It's amazing how much the price of all meat and fish has gone up. I bought some tilapia today which was nearly twice the price per pound it used to be.

Rhonda, I have only ever cooked green lentils. I'll have to be adventurous and buy some red ones.

I’m not looking forward to the snow that’s coming in tonight.

Dinner tonight was Angus strip steak, cauliflower and scalloped potatoes.

I don't "love" my air fryer. I actually love my skillet. I'm using the air fryer to cut down on calories and try a different method of cooking that may be healthier. I bought it when air fryers were all the rage and used it a while. One plus is no grease spatter on the stove top from pan frying. And you don't have to stand by the air fryer and "tend" it. Oven frying is very similar. Wally, maybe you could give your thoughts on this subject. And anyone else who uses an air fryer. My oven has an air fryer function, which means convection oven function. High heat and a fan equals air fryer.

With all that said, I "air fried" two breaded catfish fillets last night for our dinner. The side was supposed to be broccoli but was box mac and cheese. I assigned dh the job of making the mac and cheese. He got a little flustered but did a good job. Catfish has a big water content. They were quite a bit smaller by the time they were brown and crispy.

I'm thinking I'll make soup today. Maybe beef and veggie with noodles, using cubed beef in the freezer.