And recipe timings that omit the essential time for prep work such as chopping veggies or even browning ground beef & onions in order to miraculously appear to be made in 20 minutes or less…
I’ve been caught out by a baked custard’s boiling water bath requirement, buried in the text. They just needed to add a step up top when preheating oven to also put on a 4 C pan of water to boil.
Greetings, People.
Treading water on my freezer clean-out mission in the vegetable department. Spring is here with all its bounty from the garden. I’m still chipping away at last year’s produce and berries, with the most progress being made on the latter. At the same time, I find myself adding back to the freezer spinach and kale – we’ve had a bumper crop of both, and more than we can eat. I’ve less than a quart of last year’s peas to go through, and the spring peas in the garden are just coming in. Given a choice of fresh asparagus, or frozen veg, the asparagus wins every time.
Trying not to panic over space while cooking for two adults in the PNW:
FRI: Pasta with mild Italian sausage, roasted summer tomatoes and fresh kale.
SAT: Asparagus pizza. Leafy green salad.
SUN: Pan-roasted chicken thighs. Spinach gratin. Roasted asparagus.
MON: Homemade carnitas from the freezer. Tortillas. Refried beans (also from the freezer). Pico de gallo.
TUE: Halibut on potato rafts. Garden green beans or baby peas.
WED: A Washington Post recipe for bulgogi meatballs. Definitely not authentic – I’ll be adding Asian pear or apple to the meatballs in one way or another. Lettuce wraps. Long grain rice.
THUR: A repeat of Monday’s carnitas dinner.
What does “divided use” mean in this context, please? I can’t recall seeing it before.
@Harters - An example of use - The BBQ sauce in this recipe is listed as the total amount needed (1 Cup) But only 2 T. goes into the meat mixture, the rest is used for simmering / topping.
Handy to know the total required as you shop, and also good to have the visual cue that not all of it gets dumped in the first time it is listed in the prep steps.
Along similar lines, I have another recipe where the same spices are used in two components. They’re listed in separate sub-sections on the ingredients page which prevents over-seasoning each component. I’ve needed to make a note after the first one to “keep jar out for use in next step” to save repeat trips to the spice cupboard for all.
Thanks, Mid.
British recipes will tend to have the full amount in the ingredient list but the directions are likely to say “add half of the X”, then later “add the other half of the X”
Right - I just want the alert in the ingredient list that the full amount doesn’t go in at once. So it might say “1 C barbecue sauce, divided” and then say to use 1/4 C in one place and then 3/4 C elsewhere. Without that heads-up, I’m prone to add the whole 1 C at once…
I just looked at the Rachael Ray ravioli vegetable lasagna.
What does this mean in the ingredients list:
“2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan”
Step 2 doesn’t help me understand:
“Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons or 2 turns of the pan, and the garlic.”
Never heard of “2 turns of the pan.”
I just love the instructions to caramelize the onions for 10 minutes; also to see a picture of the finished dish which has stuff in it or even a garnish not listed in the recipe. Plus all of the above complaints!
I think it means pour the oil twice around the pan, or measure out 2 Tbsps. Guess it depends on being able to “eyeball” the amount.
I suspect that some of her instructions make reference to terms she used on her Food Network show, and readers who were watchers would understand them. The thing I noticed was the ingredient list calling for 2 packages of frozen spinach, without specifying a size (it’s typically available in both 10 oz and pound sizes), while everything else is specific. More sloppy writing.
I don’t remember when I last posted here so I’ll just share some actuals. Not listing all days of the week because I do not recall. I’ve had the house to myself since last Saturday when DH left to visit his father so my solo eating is always a bit thrown together.
-potato leek soup, quickly blitzed with my stick blender. I had this for dinner one night and lunch twice. I stashed several servings in the freezer for later.
-Today I made some quick stovetop flatbreads to dip into the soup, which turned out fine except they were under salted and I really do not like under salted bread!
-a riff on this Rancho Gordo bean and corn salad. I ate this for a couple dinners and lunches, and will have it again for lunch tomorrow. With a couple handfuls of arugula and/or micro greens, a slice or two of mozzarella, sliced tomato and cucumber with a squeeze of lime, all covered with a bit of good olive oil (Exau is lovely) and sprinkle of salt.
-I started running again and have been ravenous. At the store I went by the deli meat section and had a hankering for liverwurst…but all they had was braunschweiger, so I’ve been eating that with crackers at night. Also got some mortadella and ham, have had sandwiches for lunch and admittedly a few times where I’ve walked past the fridge just to pull out a slice or two to nibble on their own.
-banh chung chien, which my mother gave to me before she left for a cruise. A Vietnamese item, sticky rice turned into banana leaf-wrapped (savory) cakes filled with smashed mung beans and pork. I sliced these and pan-fried the slices, and since this particular batch was a little bland, sprinkled a little seasoning sauce and a spoonful of homemade chili crisp
-oranges and strawberries and Greek yogurt
-Tillamook orange and cream ice cream; very nice, kind of a soft mild creamsicle flavor. Wouldn’t mind if the orange were a bit more punchy but it’s not bad.
Welcome back. What an interesting variety in your week. And thanks for the link to the bean & corn salad. I hear you on not remembering what you made or ate on a particular day; they all blur together by the end of the week. In my case, having the written list of what I plan to make with ingredients lingering in the fridge is a huge help as a guideline. I note daily what actually got made and post the actuals here at the end of the week.
Sometimes I write down ingredients/meal ideas and stick it on the fridge too! But not this past week 
flying solo for meals really seems to take the discipline out of me, I guess.
Happy Friday! And I am now gearing up for a long weekend. (Monday is Victoria Day in Canada.) The cold I had recently turned into cold-induced asthma so after playing telephone-tag with my doctor earlier this week I managed to get ahold of a prescription for an inhaler. A trip to the drugstore on Wednesday morning fixed everything and I am now feeling much better. I’m still coughing but there is a light at the end of the tunnel! If it’s nice out on Sunday or Monday I hope to see the tulips since our annual tulip festival is winding down this weekend. Foodwise, I am trying to finish up some pre-CSA veggies in the fridge combined with the veggies I got in my share yesterday. This is what is on tap for this week for a solo diner in Ottawa, Canada:
Today: My team is in the office today so we are just waiting for the boss to finish up a meeting then we will head out for lunch. I haven’t had company for lunch in ages so it will be nice. Dinner will be a salad with the arugula I got in my CSA yesterday.
Saturday: Today I will be doing chores including making pesto sauce with the radish leaves from the bunch of radishes I got in my CSA. I would also like to pack up some clothes I have finished enjoying since I am tired of having my closet cluttered with clothes I won’t wear anymore. Hopefully next month I can make a trip to the thrift shop to drop them off. Dinner will be mac 'n cheese from the pricey butcher I ordered my Easter dinner from. They have pre-made dinners in their freezer section and their mac 'n cheese is a favourite. They didn’t seem to have any single portions when I was there so I will heat the larger one I bought and have half for dinner tonight and the other half tomorrow. The veggie side will be spring mix from this week’s CSA.
Sunday: Hopefully off to see the tulips. Dinner will be a repeat of yesterday.
Monday: A gallery visit if I feel up to it. Asparagus and sundried tomato risotto for dinner.
Tuesday: Chicken asparagus stirfry. Maybe rice on the side, maybe some other grain.
Wednesday: Korean short ribs with a Korean lettuce salad on the side.
Thursday: Spaghettini with sesame bok choy. CSA pickup day and I am hoping for more asparagus.
Lunches this week will alternate between a chicken liver-bacon salad with the spring mix from this week’s share and quinoa salad with tomatoes, cucumber, and feta.
Happy Victoria Day and Memorial Day! I hope everyone has a lovely long weekend.
Yes, this is her terminology. She means to drizzle (or pour) in a circle, going around the pan twice, rather than measuring with a spoon. However, I’ve measured her liquid “estimates” and her amounts are off.
Omg. This sounds wonderful
Last week of the semester! I am buried under a mountain of grading. Last week of the semester! Once again, Trader Joe’s does most of the work. Last week of the semester!
For two adults in San Diego:
This week’s breakfasts: Given the busy week, I may allow myself to pick something up at the store after finishing up the last of the double chocolate chip muffins.
S: (tonight) takeout green chile and bean burrito
Su: TJ’s tarte aux brie et au tomates (moved from a few weeks ago) with salad - vegetarian
M: Grilled chicken thighs with TJs sweet potato gnocchi and peas
T: Grilled chicken thighs with TJs madras lentils and garlic naan.
W: Purchased potstickers with veggies and broth.
Th: Chicken stirfry with noodles as an early dinner before commencement.
F: Fish tacos - seafood
Have a good week!
I would love to have a TJ’s close by to do the heavy lifting when needed. Congrats on Last Week of the Semester!
The chicken and asparagus stir-fry looks good. Have you made it before?
Yes I usually make it during asparagus season and it’s a perennial favourite.
