meatn3
(equal opportunity eater in the NC Triangle)
41
We are expecting snow to begin tomorrow evening. In this area that pretty much means there will be ice and craziness. Was out of half n’ half so went to the grocery. It was a zoo with bread, milk, etc. pretty much gone. The gas station was the same.
Haven’t decided on dinner just yet but have plenty of frozen assets and several fresh/pantry options. Yesterday was my Fathers birthday. My sister was making tacos (his request) for the family celebration dinner. When I spoke with her she mentioned that Moe’s (chain) sells her their taco salad shells for .50 cent a piece and she now uses them for taco salads frequently. I’ve never been to a Moe’s but thought this might be handy info to pass along. All of which left me Jonesing for old school Americanized tacos. So the fixings came home from the grocery with me. So the ground beef is in the hillbilly “fridge” out back.
I’m really enjoying have it cold enough to keep a cooler on the deck for extra “fridge” space. Makes my shopping less of a logistical game. My family moved to Florida when I was a few years old. So this concept of outdoor food storage still amuses me to no end. Yeah - I’m a very cheap date and much too easily amused…
Leftover minestrone . It turned out molto buono . I have some great bread from the bakery and some ground turkey to make a patty . I’ll slice some bread , butter both sides , cook the patty , top with sliced Gruyere insert between the bread and cook in pan until cheese is melted and bread toasted . And have that with a nice bowl of minestrone .
I actually had the brain power to make dinner tonight after two insane work days. Yesterday’s 13 hour day gave me no more energy than to have some hummus scooped up with a few tortilla chips and later a small piece of chocolate. And drag my ass upstairs for an early bedtime.
Tonight I got sprung at a reasonable enough time (only 10-1/2 hours!) to be able to put together an actual dinner.
–Leftover pappardelle reheated in hot water and drained.
–A large carrot sliced up and sauteed with the rest of a bag of sugar snap peas.
–Added two chicken tenders stolen from Buster’s stash that I cut up and sauteed. He’ll never know. Unless you tell him I took his meals out from under him. So don’t do it.
–Sprinkled with salt, pepper, dried parsley, oregano, and basil.
–Tossed in a half glass of white wine (and promptly added more to the glass).
–Added a couple of spoonfuls of Presidente garlic-herb spreadable cheese and mixed it in.
–A sploosh of heavy cream.
–Couple of small handfuls of grated Parm cheese.
–Added the pappardelle to get all saucy.
–Bowled (instead of plated).
–More grated Parm cheese.
–Dinnah.
–Wine.
–Real meal.
–Yay me.
–Lunch leftovers for tomorrow.
I think I’m going to aim for sangria tomorrow night. We’ll see.
Yesterday was Ripe Avocado Day but it’s cold enough i only want hot food for dinner. Poking around this recipe looked fantastic- i made a half recipe but even less of the olive oil, and simplified a bit, i skipped the chili, skipped sour cream, only used lemon, and half sunflower seeds half sesame seeds. For the bread i used pumpernickle which was a great flavor here. I also tossed in a big handful of edamame.
Loved the flavor the carrots took on but i won’t bother with the parboil next time since the carrots were aaaaalllmost too done for me
I have an awkward amount left over, not enough for a full meal, so tonight i’m going to turn them into tacos with more edamame, some corn tortillas and a side of raw bell pepper and cucumbers with smoked salt
I’m exhausted from all the holiday food, as wonderful as it was. I’ve been visiting farmers markets madly and my refrigerator is now overflowing with produce.
Last night I had a Fergus red salad made with purple baby beets, and baked some yellow and orange beets. The baked beets were marinated overnight with orange segments in a little orange juice, olive oil and red wine vinegar.
Tonight, I added avocado to the marinaded beets and oranges, and that was dinner. So lovely in the middle of winter.
I wish I could find some interesting beets locally without driving all around town to search specialty markets. I use to find candy strip beets at Fresh Market but now only large red and orange.
meatn3
(equal opportunity eater in the NC Triangle)
49
Bookwich, do you like it Asian style? I quite like it braised with pork or ribs. Either with miso or soy sauce. Can be a side without the meat. I normally use daikon but (Japanese) turnips work, too. Braising time might be shorter if using the latter. Braised daikon with pork is a typical dish across Asia.
Well, we decided it’s a perfect opportunity to use up as many things as possible in the cupboards and freezer! We have got grains, pulses, corn, mushrooms, dried things, seaweeds, sauces and pastes. No more buying til they are all gone! I guess this is my “food resolution”.
Thawed a chunk of something I thought was lamb leg meat but turned out it was cod loin. Dusted lightly with flour and pan fried it. To flavour the noodles I use a spicy prawn soup paste (either Singaporean or Malaysian), it’s salty enough and has a mild taste of belacan. Personally I like belacan but it might be an acquired taste for some. Celery the partner got together with the mussels on the first day back from holidays went in with the noodles. Lots of minced onions, garlic and ginger and some noodle water to moisten the whole thing. I always freeze surplus ginger in small bits and today they came in handy.
So this is my cupboard food today. The sauce doesn’t really show itself but it’s there. It’s quite powerful, you really don’t want it too salty and spicy.
I still have lamb mince in the freezer. We shall see what I can come up with that and the stuff I have already got in the house.
I actually lucked out. Most of the beets I’ve seen are pretty big this time of year. Which may be why I bought three bunches of these very impulsively.
That was the longest short work week ever. But I got out of there at 6:45.
Some food shopping to get ready for the SNOWMAGEDDON coming. Just kidding. About the snowmageddon. Not about the longest short work week ever.
A cheeseburger and sweet potato fries. Wine.
I’m done. Fried. Kaput. It’s going to be an “inside weekend” doing something I like doing - cooking. Making freezer meals for Mom and my sister and BIL.
Small New York steak cooked in ci skillet , oo and butter . Along with fresh rosemary sprig and a couple garlic cloves . Baste while cooking . Made a salad of Corona beans , garlic , sliced shallot , chopped celery tops , oo, and red wine vinegar . Decided to puree some and serve with some grilled bread . And happy Friday . With wine . Cheers. :
