Leftover lemony chicken and bean soup, freshened up with some garden kale. Toasted Italian stirato on the side.
Tonight was the first time I’ve cooked dinner in a while as I spent the last week week helping my 93 y/o aunt move from her 2nd floor walk up condo to an independent living apartment with an elevator.
For many years, we’ve celebrated St Jospeh’s Day with the traditional Pasta con Sarde - Bucatini with Fennel and Sardines. I make it with “Cucco Seasoning for Macroni with Sardines” that is doctored up with extra sautéed onions and tomato paste, the same way my friend who introduced me to this tradition always made it.
I usually make a fennel side dish with the pasta but the fennel didn’t look great so I decided wing it with a chopped salad that used up much of what was hanging around the fridge - parsley, celery, cucumber, olive salad, provolone and salami. A big thanks to The Sprout for chopping. They ended up going very well together.
We enjoyed another outstanding dinner at Jasper Stone in Monroe, NJ including lamb chops; Chilean sea bass; halibut; baked clams with garlic, citrus, chili, and breadcrumbs; creamy mac n cheese with rock shrimp and tasso ham; beet salad; chocolate cake. It all went great with an excellent cabernet and Syrah.
Braised beef in red wine , chicken stock, and aromatics. Beef
short rib , and neck . Butter lake mashed potatoes , and salad. Cheers .
Beef bourguignon with spaetzle - beef chuck marinated for 24 hours in red wine with onion, carrots, garlic and bouquet garni. Afterwards braised for 3.5 hours with salt pork and some flour to thicken and some mushrooms added at the end.
That looks good. As soon as we have a warm weekend day suitable for grilling, I am going to make this
How’d ya like it?
It was good! It probably would have been better if I hadn’t waited until this morning to taste it cold from the refrigerator. I made only a small batch. I might try it again tonight.
Looks so fresh and delicious!
Nomination thread is up for COTQ - join us! Spring 2023 (Apr-June) Cuisine of the Quarter - NOMINATIONS
Another day off.
Doctor appointment and errands.
Decided: Dinner is The New Orange.
Bacon Cheeeboigah on a Bulkie roll.
Ketchup on the bottom.
Kraft American Single on top.
Bacon on top-top.
Fritos. (Because no Ruffles with ridges in the house. Also because Ruffles aren’t Orange.)
Carrot-Raisin Salad. To pretend it’s all healthy.
And Wine. Since this is the end of my 4-day weekend.
Happy Spring!
We left my husband’s doctors visit after 4 today. Talked about dinner tonight. Checked off everything we’ve had in the last week or so. Mexican, Chinese, BBQ, Fried chicken, corned beef, hamburgers and French fries. Tired of everything. So I decided on our old stand by since I had it in the fridge. Hot Italian sausage with onions, peppers, a little tomato sauce and red wine. Cheesy garlic bread and a salad for him with bottled Balsamic. The reason I put that jar in the background is because it’s mostly cauliflower nowadays with a few carrots and peppers. He Keeps buying it though.
Pepperoni pan pizza with a whole-wheat, sourdough crust. Homemade marinara. Caesar salad. Marinated olives and feta optional. Plenty of leftover pizza to be reheated on a cast-iron griddle.
Happy first day of spring. Was it spring like on the So. Oregon coast? Sort of. The sun and clouds battled all day, the clouds won most of the battles but the sun won the war. A spring inspired Crab Louie. Mixed lettuces, green onion, celery was the base, Dungeness crab from the freezer, accoutrements were asparagus, deviled eggs and grape tomatoes. Louie dressing and herb/garlic butter baguette. A T&FT, Tangueray and Fever-Tree. Or two.
Like it .
An abominable day calls for an abominable creation. It literally started right after I woke up: I did some leftover dishes in the sink from last night and while washing my martini glass, it broke in my hand. It was a Hollywood-esque explosion (I’ve broken a lot of glassware, but none this dramatic): one piece sliced my pinky and a couple of other tiny pieces managed to stick into the side of my hand. 10 minutes after that, BF got a call that his grandma had fallen and hit her head (she’s fine), and literally 10 minutes after that, his work called with an emergency (he’s managing a place now and this was his day off). It’s a Monday after all! Work was an utter sh*t show from the moment I arrived until some time after.
As for my creation, I made a beef and broccoli stir-fry. There were Kame par-cooked Udon noodles in the pantry, so I added them. There was leftover fried rice in the fridge from Saturday night takeout so I that them in figuring carbs are the best thing ever. Oh what’s that, a leftover egg roll too? Into the air fryer.
To drink: I enjoyed the Dubliner cocktail I made the other night so I made another.























