Thanks. And thanks for the link. I can’t wait to try some of those recipes!
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Steak for me too - sous-vide NY strip topped with Gorgonzola, creamed spinach from the freezer, and potatoes Romanoff.
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Tried some new products tonight - chicken meatballs (that were supposed to be spicy but weren’t) and chickpea pasta.
Rao’s marinara with some help - garlic, chili flakes, and butter to finish a la Marcella. I browned the meatballs in my adorable paniyaram pan, then simmered them in the sauce for a while.
There were roasted Brussels sprouts, and I made arugula salad to start - I’ve been using orange shrub to dress arugula of late, and it’s delicious. Plus some very nice parmesan on top.
The chickpea pasta was… interesting. Not my jam in taste and texture, so the choice of heavily flavored sauce was helpful,
(Thinking to the portion size thread… I only ate half the pasta and meatballs, all the salad and veg. Leftovers will be enough for another day.)
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Looks great!
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that spinach looks divine!
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I’m far from an empanada expert, so your explanation is interesting and funny. Surprisingly, the first time I had a gusher was at Trejo’s Tacos and thought it was their thing, not a thing, because the ones at an Argentinian empanada shop nearby are moist but dense with no gush in sight. 
I think I like them somewhere in the middle… yours look perfect, haha.
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On the subject of to criticize or not to criticize during this time of struggling restaurants I’m with @mariacarmen & @gcaggiano. Los Angeles is takeout/delivery-only right now and it really bothers me on L.A. food boards when posters do a takedown on a once beloved restaurant because their takeout isn’t as optimal and perfect as their dine-in. Kudos to you both.
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This. 
TJ’s has an organic marinara sauce w/all the herbs, spices & garlic, but it’s marketed as a no salt, no oil product. I keep a couple of jars around for when I’m not up to doing scratch. You can doctor it up and put in as much salt & fat as you want or don’t want.
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Looks like those guys will have a hard time entering the market!
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That was a good read. Thanks for the link. My DIL has family there, and I am finding that part of the world intriguing.
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I’m sure you know this, but there is also a brand of frozen empanada wrappers called Saltena that makes making them much less of a project. Goya makes them too, but I’m told Saltena for baking is better.
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These aren’t empanadas! I always say, not at all humbly, that they’re much, much, MUCH better than empanadas (which to me are always best fried). Salteñas are their own thing, from Bolivia, and the stew is mixed with gelatin and chilled so that when they bake they get all juicy inside. We just needed more broth in our filling.
We also discovered that letting them sit in the fridge a day or two before baking absorbed more juice intro the dough which, tho taking away from the exploding first bite factor, made the dough more pliant after baking - a win! - and much closer to the ones we’ve had in Bolivia. So we’re now much happier with how these turned out.
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Oops! I totally missed that part!
Not as intimate as @mariacarmen 's pictures, but I learned something!
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We had tacos last night and the BF made his famous guacamole with freshly fried corn tortilla chips.
No Boulevardier, but there was a G & T. Maybe tonight I’ll make one.
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I know! Forgive me @mariacarmen. I got it. I promise I’ll never make that mistake again. 
But when you look up Salteñas the word Empanada keeps coming up! Now I must see if this self-described “UN of Food” I live in really is… I must find these “Bolivian Soup Dumplings”. Lol.
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So what makes his guacamole famous?!
It is just THAT good. 
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Any special secret ingredients?!
Yep, we were just challenging ourselves, because the dough is the hardest part to get right.
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