So...whats for dinner?

auntienance

Ack Lacey, I HATE when that happens.

Late lunch so I have no idea what's for dinner, therefore I want to go to Carole's house for dinner.

illimae

DH is cooking a rotisserie pork roast, he’s great like that! I’ve cooked nothing after losing our dog, then dealing with massive allergies from last weeks cold front and now possible sinusitis. Trying to rest up for a trip to our cabin soon.

Parrynd1

Hello to everyone. This thread sounds fun so I thought I’d add my little bit. I’m lucky to have a fiancé and roommate (his best friend) who always say ‘sounds good’ to what’s for dinner. They also don’t complain when it doesn’t turn out well, haha.

Tonight is simple - baked lemon pepper chicken and cheesy broccoli casserole. I’m no chef in the kitchen so here’s to hoping it turns out yummy

What are you making

MinusTwo

Parry - welcome. We're always glad to see new posters & hear what you're cooking & eating. Aren't you lucky to have people who will happily eat whatever you prepare!!!

Today I baked Costco Spinach & Artichoke quiche and took 1/4 to a shut in neighbor lady who is down to 90 lbs and doesn't eat salad or sweets or fish or.... Then I took 1/2 along with a salad to a neighbor who lost his wife late last year and just had heart "clip" surgery for A Fib last week. Unfortunately that didn't solve all his heart problems so he's trying figure out what's next with the dizziness. I thought he would want the fire roasted veggie quiche, but he's off anything spicy - and also no sweets for now so I brought back home the 1/2 chocolate pudding cake I took to share. Oh oh.

That only left 1/4 quiche for me. Sigh - because I like it leftover. Since Costco's quiches are sort of thin I could have easily eaten 1/2 but I added a small salad and the 1/2 glass of the wine left in the bottle. Don't really "need" anymore so just as well that it's gone.

Illimae sorry you're dealing with allergies & sinusitis. And I know you're missing your baby. Good for your DH. The pork looks delicious.

Parrynd1

Those Costco quiches are delicious! If we weren’t on the Keto diet I would pick them up too. Very generous of you to care & share! We have to take care of each other enjoy your wine wether you need it or not, lol

eric95us

Last night was ribs and pulled pork, courtesy of one of the ED nurses. Tonight it's chicken & dumplings, courtesy of another ED nurse.

Hi Parry!.

Radio's going....

Beaverntx

Tonight's dinner was seafood stuffed salmon with asparagus from the prepared food section of the local grocery--bake 24 minutes and dinner is on the table. Servings were so generous I did not fix a salad, just used some grape tomatoes on the side.

Tomorrow night's planned overs is to be layered fajita casserole, charro beans and the rest of the cabernet sauvignon that was wonderful with the casserole the other night. So many veggies in the casserole likely no green salad again.

ChiSandy

Quiche was a go-to for me on low-carb—just didn’t eat the crust. (I know, the best part. Sigh).

Today it dawned sunny but clouded up by 2pm and began to rain, so we headed south to Stockbridge and the Norman Rockwell Museum. I found it fascinating. We left about 4:45, and headed into town for “dunch” at the Red Lion Inn (established 1726). Started with New England clam chowder and split a turkey meatloaf entree, with mashed spuds and green beans. It was excellent—and I took half of my half back here and had it as a late supper. For dessert, Berkshire Bloom local Camembert-style cheese with whole grain toast, Gruet Brut...and (don’t judge) a dark-chocolate-covered crime brûlée truffle.

Have never tried to embed a photo exported from a phone to a tablet, but here goes—from our drive up Mt. Greylock yesterday:

MinusTwo

I thought Houston would have one more day that it stayed in the 60's, but it's up to 72 at 3pm. I resisted turning on the heater when it got into the low 60's, although most of my neighbors did so. I've been wearing sweat pants & sweaters and baking. What a treat - no A/C for several days. Oh well, I've still turned the oven on again anyway. I can always go sit in the other room as it heats up the kitchen - or put my shorts on.

Dinner will be a pork loin seasoned with garlic, sage & rosemary, then braised. It was only 1.25 lbs, but somewhere on line I saw 25 minutes per pound at 350 to roast, although I couldn't find any recipe that was less than 2 lbs. It is a small loin, not a tenderloin. I quick boiled the red potatoes & carrots for a bit, then tossed with olive oil, sliced onions & more rosemary and settled the veggies around the roast. They may be done first, but that would be better than having them rock hard & not done.

I'm sure you all will get a good laugh, but this is the first time I've made a pork roast with vegetables. Beef yes, like my Mother did, but never pork. My Mother was of the generation that pork caused trichinosis & lock jaw. She cooked delicious pork roasts but always by themselves & very, very well done. This smells delicious.

Opening a bottle of "Barrelhouse Red" wine. It was on sale & the wine expert said since I love the "1000 Stories Zin" that rests in bourbon barrels before bottling, I would like this - also "cured" in bourbon barrels. Will be served with dinner around 3:30pm. I know, I know - that's early for most of you. I just pretend it's Thanksgiving or Christmas when we always eat an earlier meal.

MinusTwo

Beaver - Sorry if I've asked before, but where are you in Texas?

KatyK

Hello everyone. Enjoying fall weather here and I love changing up the menu for fall and using the oven again. Last night made a nice fall dinner which was pork chops in a tarragon/mustard sauce, Brussels sprouts and butternut squash which I mashed and added Chinese 5 spice. My DH really enjoyed the dinner. And today I’m a bit tired and told DH he’s responsible for dinner tonight! I think he’s grilling chicken thighs, broccoli, and a rice mix. Just glad I don’t have to cook today

Beaverntx

Minus, I'm in Comal County. Have family in the Magnolia area also.

MinusTwo

Beaver - pretty country. We used to camp & water ski on Canyon Lake "a hundred years ago".

MinusTwo

BTW - the pork & the veggies & the wine were all delicious. Lots of leftovers, even with that small roast.

carolehalston

Minus, LOL, I would never think of cooking veggies with pork. With beef roast, but not pork.

Last night was stuffed peppers out of the freezer and speckled butter beans also out of the freezer.

Tonight may be chicken breast.

eric95us

Heading to the airport....going home. I'm tired..... :-)

MinusTwo

Eric - I know you'll be glad to be in your own bed. Thanks again for all you do.

Carole - interesting. I assumed we didn't cook vegetables with pork because it's a Southern thing & my family wasn't from the South. Of course I'm basing that on my BFF, who was raised in a small Texas town & always cooks her pork that way. Her family is of German heritage. Maybe that's the origin?

Anybody else have any ideas?

auntienance

Can't say I've ever cooked veggies with a pork roast either. Don't know why, what's not to love?

I'm interested in the layered fajita casserole.

Tonight is frozen pizza from Deweys. (We got it fresh then froze it). Hope it didn't lose much in the freezing.

Welcome home Eric. Thanks for all you do.

ChiSandy

Went attempted leaf-peeping in VT yesterday—not much color left, as rains & winds took most of it last week. Believe it or not, there’s more fall color along 43 en route to the Albany airport, where we’re hanging out now. (In the Hudson Valley Wine Bar). Yesterday late lunch was at Dot’s in Wilmington, VT (the owner of the mountaintop distillery recommended it). Old-fashioned diner—blue plate lunch (roast pork, veggies, spuds, gravy and spiced apples) was large, yummy & cheap (Bob had the same, only turkey and cranberry sauce). So filling the apples were dessert!

For late dinner, went to Powder Hounds at the nearby Jiminy Peak Resort. Clam chowder was meh. We shared crab cake and smoked trout apps, which were excellent but huge. Bob ordered baked scrod in cream sauce with grilled squash. He couldn’t get through half of it—and I didn’t even try.

Tonight’s his birthday, so we snagged a 9 pm table at Chicago Cut Steakhouse, best in the city

auntienance

And a happy birthday to Bob!

Beaverntx

Happy birthday to Bob and welcome home to Eric.

Auntienance: layered tortilla casserole was a take off from a layered enchilada casserole recipe. Lined a lightly sprayed 11x7 pan with southwest tortillas (cut in half--easier to cover the bottom without too much overlap), layered with sauteed peppers and onions (thus, fajita style), shredded turkey breast (leftover in this case) warmed in enchilada sauce, and then a layer of shredded cheese--mexican mix or cheddar; repeat the layers and bake at 400 degrees 20 to 30 minutes until cheese begins to brown and the casserole is heated through. Makes 6 to 8 servings, depending on how hungry everyone is!I

Tonight's dinner is homemade chili with cornbread and a small green salad. Cheese and sour cream available to put on the chili as desired.

carolehalston

I could definitely enjoy that tortilla casserole.

The chicken breast I thawed for last night's dinner was large. I halved it into two flat pieces and then cut each half into two pieces, so ended up with four fillets. I flattened them slightly and turned them into chicken parmesan, using a WW recipe that was easy and the results were tasty. I seasoned the fillets, dipped into egg, then into panko. Browned both sides in a bit of EVOO. Topped with diced tomato and grated cheeses, combination of bag and hand grated. 30 minutes or less in 350 degree oven.

The side was steamed broccoli flavored with melted butter and squeezed lemon and a sprinkle of romano cheese. Broccoli is not a favorite in this house but we both enjoyed it. Not sure why broccoli is better some times more than others. Must be the quality of the raw broccoli. This was from Maine, according to the label.

We have two of the fillets left over. I'll probably eat them for lunch a couple of days.

Tonight will be pork tenderloin, probably prepared piccata.

If you're thinking my menu rotation is limited, I'm thinking the same thing!! LOL.

auntienance

Thanks Beaver, I think I'll try some variation of that with steak.

Lol Carole, I'm impressed you have a menu limited or otherwise - I need one!

Actually I do know what tonight's menu is - breaded pork tenderloin with a baked potato (sweet for me, russet for DH) and something green. I'm prepping chicken wings to bake tomorrow for buffalo wings (DH request) which we'll have with a wedge salad with blue cheese dressing. So I'm off to find blue cheese which necessitates a trip out of town. Sigh.

Lacey12

Glad you are home, Eric!

HB to Bob, Sandy!

Welcome to our newer “posters”!

On Thursday I met a good friend former co-worker for lunch at a sports bar style restaurant which seems to have stepped up their food selection, which was nice to see. Despite that, I had my usual half turkey BLT with side salad lunch special. Since we were having a late lunch my friend and I both decided to order a full sized same order for our husbands to have for dinner, accompanied by sweet potato fries And cole slaw. I rarely eat a regular lunch, so I was happy to have something quick like that for DH’s dinner, since I would not be hungry for dinner myself. He loved it!

Last evening I must have been channelling my inner Carole since I did exactly the same thing to two large chicken breasts, then made a stove top chicken parm to which I added lots of sliced onions, carrots and mushrooms. I ended up turning it into a casserole with orchiette (sp?) pasta. More interestingly to me was the salad. I have a lot of kale in fridge, so I made a kale romaine salad with avocado, red onion, carrot, raisins and pear. It was really delish for folks who can enjoy fruit with their green salad. Pix included below.

I want to encourage our new posters to share any pix of any dishes you enjoyed making/eating! I feel like just a few of us do. It helps that my phone is never far from the kitchen table. Ha!

Upon looking at that stovetop casserole, I see it could look prettier....but sure was tasty!

ChiSandy

After a rather frightening flight from Albany (both clear air and storm-related turbulence, which made for a very delayed and choppy descent with no visibility and an extremely rough landing--I had to assume the "brace" position to protect my neck), we got home, changed clothes and went to Chicago Cut. Gordy & Leslie met us there. I didn't have an appetizer, but did share some of Bob's mixed green salad (vinaigrette a tad too acidic). He had split pea soup seasoned with sherry. He & Gordy each had a 10-oz filet mignon, Leslie had seared ahi, and I had a bone-in prime rib. We shared sides": creamed spinach, sauteed broccoli, and truffled scalloped potatoes. Bob took home his leftover filet, but as much as I wanted more of my prime rib, Bob & I agreed early on that the kids would get the lion's share of leftovers. So they got about 10-12 oz. of my beef and all the sides. We were too stuffed for dessert, but I did have an excellent cappuccino (which I didn't have during my entire vacation).

Not sure what tonight's meal will be--depends on when Bob will get home. Chilly & windy out so might not want to walk to dinner. (Also, I'm gonna teetotal for awhile--not just to forestall recurrence, but give my liver a rest and keep reflux at bay. Didn't have any reflux this trip--just as well, because I forgot to bring TUMS). Might defrost some wings, salmon, or a pot pie, steam some asparagus or sauté sugar snap peas. Gotta lay off sweets...easier said than done. This a.m. I fried an egg and defrosted a slice of leftover wholegrain French toast, which I topped with a Tbs. of our last 1/4 cup of White Kitty Farm maple syrup--made by a friend with his own grove in NW OH, who stopped making the stuff in 2015. Once that's gone, it's on to the bottle of Grade A dark I bought Thurs. in VT, at the gift shop atop Hogback Mt. Also got a small bottle (sampler size--3 oz). each of bourbon-barrel-aged maple syrup and smoked dark amber maple syrup. The former is for use as a non-breakfast condiment, the latter (in tiny amounts) as an ingredient in marinades, sauces, or cocktails.

Would have bought more syrup, but there was no more room left in our TSA quart baggies (despite being TSA Pre-check, I never know when the metal in my body will set off the detectors enough for me to get the full shoes-off/iPad-and-baggie-out treatment, though I only needed to be wanded this time). And we were worried about other stuff we brought home (ahem, local booze) making our checked bags overweight; it didn't, but broken suitcase zippers, hernias and muscle strains are no fun. My L arm is still sore from that, though the nasty cold changing weather is partly to blame.

ChiSandy

A couple of nights before leaving on vacation, I had to shop for some frozen meals Gordy could nuke (or my housekeeper could cook for him) while I'm away--and on the list was "frozen chicken meals." His fave--Marie Callender's Herb-Roasted Chicken--was nowhere to be found. But every single chicken meal had "chicken breast" or "white meat chicken." Not one single chicken product other than hot wings (not breaded) had any other part of the bird.

What's so special about chicken breast, anyway? It is dry and has less flavor than its packaging (heck, it's the cottage cheese of the new millennium, except that cottage cheese is tastier). It is the tofu of the animal kingdom--takes on the flavor of whatever it's cooked in and with. So it's supposed to be lower in fat? (An attribute that nutrition studies show is increasingly less beneficial than previously thought--low-fat diets started the carb-driven obesity phenomenon). Why is it so desirable? It certainly costs food mfrs. more than thigh or leg meat, which is decidedly tastier.

auntienance

Looks yum to me Lacey!

I don't get it either Sandy, the breast is my least favorite part of any bird. And what's with the price of wings these days?

ChiSandy

Wings are trendy. Just about every non-white-tablecloth place at which we ate this past week in MA & VT touted their wings as the app to order.

Come to think of it, I might just nuke me some in a short while.

Moonflwr912

Hello again! Welcome to new posters I havent met yet!

Things are going a bit better around here. My daughter is better, as the placental separation seems to have stabilized enough for her to go back to work the end of the month. But, i think they decided shes quitting till she has the baby. It will be tight, but they dont want to take chances.

Stan is due, if all goes right, to have his halo removed next Thursday. Fingers crossed. Flood/sewage situation handled. DD1 and DGD2 coming to visit again from MI, as the plan to come 1x a month takes shape. 2 family weddings attended, one in Cinncinnati by myself, and one in the state.

Today we had, rain, snow, sunshine and a rainbow all within a few hours. Wisconsin for sure. Badger game played with actual snow on the ground. LOL.

Does all that explain why Im a hit and run poster here? Im trying to do better, honest.

Tonight was our 45th Anniversary, and we were going to our favorite place to celibrate, when I realized this was their Harvest Dinner. Nope, we couldnt go to Twisted Willow cause I didnt think early enough to get tickets, and wasnt sure Stan would be up to it. Google TW and check out a farm to table 6 course with pairings that is to die for! And only $69.00 with wine and cocktail pairing! So instead, went to our local place that is kind of dumpy but has amazing seafood. I had Bengali shrimp with drawn butter. The size was extra large, even for Bengali. Yummy too. My DH had to have a hambutger "steak" instead of a real one, cause of the d*mn headgear. Did I mention its an old fashioned place? so we had baked onion soup, ( yes, with cheese, of course!) and spinach salad, which I love. Of course, I didnt take pictures of the food, LOL, I firgot. But I did get the waitress to take a pic of us.

45 years ago ^ and today

Hope everything is going well with all of you! Much love

ChiSandy

Monica, you two are still gorgeous! Congrats on your 45th--so you missed that Harvest Dinner? Plenty of time to mark your calendar for #46 (and once Stan's halo is off, keep your eyes peeled for gourmet wine dinners in Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc or even down here--for the latter, Google LettuceEntertainYou or leye.com--they've got at least one or two a month. Not $69, alas, but still special. I'll let you know when Cellars has its next one--we just missed one because we were in MA--they're usually $50-60).