Thank you, this is perfect!
Sunday early evening i went to my friend and neighbor’s tree trimming gathering, maybe too much bubbly and mulled wine for a night before work but lots of fun and a great spread of snacks and apps. I brought a batch of the “life changing crackers” with that great faux grois mushroomy pate from david lebovitz.
Last night i almost followed this recipe for soy paneer- swapping tofu for the traditional cheese. Only i had fussy unnecessary steps so i skipped step one since i was using the trader joe’s high protein tofu which is super dense and doesn’t have excess water. I also lack a food pro so i grated the ginger/garlic/onion and just used rough chopped greens i stead of fussing with chopping the greens after they cook. Swapped in coconut oil instead of butter. Came together rather quickly my way and made for a tasty dinner!
I apparently forgot to bring my leftovers for lunch today so when i got home a bit late i had those for dinner. Maybe even better today than last night!
There’s a mug of hot chocolate (almond milk plus chopped dark chocolate whisked together) with lots of mini marshmallows in my near future here.
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Made taco bowls sans the taco part. I had some leftover defrosted satay tri tip that had turned out tough. so I chopped it up, quick simmered it in Pato jalapeno sauce - and it softened up! Served with smoky mexi-rice (rice sauteed in oil with onion, garlic. in the water: a packet of sazon, a tomato/chicken bouillon cube, a splash of maggi sauce for even more umami, salt, cumin, and a splish of liquid smoke. Also, chopped romaine, cilantro, jalapeno, and onion, sour cream, and Cholula. holy YUM. the satay flavor was quite interesting blended with the Pato sauce. But that rice…
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Made some fries following this recipe more or less:
Which came out well - basically boil fries in water with salt and a little vinegar for 10 minutes and then dry and double fry. Topped with some carnitas made yesterday in the pressure cooker, some jarred salsa, and mozzarella and put under broiler until the cheese melted.
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I am the proud owner of an Electric Smoker and today was to the be the day we set up an outdoor station for the box, seasoned and then did the first cook. But an emergency dental appointment for Mr. SMT and our day was upended.
So, I pulled out a weird bag of pork “stew meat” that I received as part of my pig share. At 11oz, with lots of fat, it simply wasn’t enough meat to bother with a braise. So instead, I ground it up, mixed it with some ground beef and made burgers. Sweet potato oven fries and the leftover braised cabbage completed our meal.
There are two smaller burgers for lunch tomorrow, and then I smoke.
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I had picked up a meatloaf mix of ground beef, pork and veal on Sunday, and made a baby one with 2/3 of the mix tonight. Mushed it up with some s/p, dried parsley, ground sumac, Worcestershire sauce, buttermilk, and breadcrumbs, sprinkled with paprika after forming it together, and baked until done. Drizzled with a few drops of ketchup after slicing.
Dirty mashed red (and one yellow) potatoes with s/p, a shit-ton of butter and buttermilk to finish the bottle and sour cream for added creaminess.
Frozen peas tossed with butter and a mint sauce.
Wine.
T’was PDG.
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I like to let the meatloaf mix sit in the fridge for 30 minutes until forming. I don’t know if this does anything but it’s the thing I do. Seems like it’s meatloaf season.
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It was SO painfully COLD today!! My office isn’t very warm, my apartment has like zero insulation and all i wanted was a vat of something so hot it would nearly scald my innards. I decided congee fit the bill and stopped for $2 white rice at the sketchy chinese place in my neighborhood (where i only ever get rice) so i could save time.
Simmered the rice with lots of veg stock , then stirred in a spoon of miso when it was thick and done cooking. I kept it a loose texture. Added to my big bowl toasted sesame oil, black vinegar, some wilted spinach, sliced smoked tofu, and crumpled nori sheets.
And then i was finally actually warm.
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I didn’t get home until after 6:30, and the mix didn’t go into the oven until after 7, so the extra 30 minutes in the fridge wasn’t gonna happen. LOL This remained a rather “loose” meatloaf, due to the buttermilk, but I prefer it that way anyway.
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I’ve been laying low, feeling all the feelings this holiday season. It’s been rough since my grandma passed away right before Christmas 4 years ago. It’s not getting easier. I haven’t had much appetite so it’s been easy eats lately. Last night I whipped an old favorite, eggs in a cloud followed by a big bowl of hemp and flax noatmeal.
All the meatloaf talk is giving me an idea for the weekend. I’m planning fondue Sunday to honor my grandma as it was one of her favorite special dinners but meatloaf would be perfect for Saturday.
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Okay. I missed this trend completely! A quick google search indicates that everyone in the world has a recipe for this. It looks absolutely delicious. I could imagine adding some cooked spinach, to be honest, any number of things to the whites to create different flavors for different people.
I am sorry that the holidays bring up that emotional stuff. I don’t think you are alone. Maybe someday it will get a bit easier. Maybe not. Best to you.
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It’s great and super versatile. I’ll even sometimes to do it with just whites when I have some leftover.
It helps that I have no expectations and just let feelings come as they want. Allowing this means avoiding family with expectations and coworkers with annoyances 
I’m definitely in maybe it’ll get better, or not and that’s ok and I find what joy I can.
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we need a WOW button.
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Well damnit! THIS is what i didn’t know i wanted for dinner tonight!!
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One of my favorite meals.
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Indecisive tonight, which is odd because i usually just know exactly what i want. Maybe my brain was moving slowly because it is SO COLD here.
I went with a baked sweet potato- nuked in the microwave then finished in the oven. Topped it with a generous dribble of almond butter, scallions, black beans and cilantro. The rest of my kimchi, sliced cucumber and radishes on the side for veg. A big mug of miso broth a la carte. Fine, not fabulous not terrible.
There will definitely be hot chocolate happening here soon, that much i am certain of.
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Today, I seasoned my new electric smoker. Kind of a cop out to use electricity, but I was weak and bought using a link from this site.
My first cook was lamb riblettes also known as Denver Ribs. I prepared them two days ago with a rub. And today, I did my maiden cook. As with any new piece of equipment, there will be an adjustment period. I learned all kinds of things about this smoker’s personality which will mean that each cook will just get better.
But, I did too much today. I thought I would simply collapse at about 6Pm, and that was not an option.
My smoker on its temporary stand:
Ribs ready for the smoker:
Ribs resting:
Some mac & cheese:
In the middle of all of this my fridge/freezer died. I lost all my frozen vegetables. I lost a bunch of bits that were being saved for stock. I lost all my leek tips. I lost my homemade breads. I lost my summer pesto from the garden. After clearing out the machine to the secondary ones, I had no energy to make cole slaw. And so we ate this not-well-balanced meal.
So now, I need to find a fridge and have the 15 year old one removed. Thank goodness I have a fridge in the basement that isn’t dead!
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Oh, my word. That is sooooo painful. I’m really sorry to hear that. Your meal looks amazing, though.
