Sunday Ham
My thought this morning was to have a Sunday Ham Dinner. Ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, dinner rolls... the whole megillah. That burger at lunch, however, curbed my enthusiasm. It takes a lot of work to maintain this figure, but even I have to conceded defeat once in a while.
We decided on sandwiches.
Little sandwiches. On little rolls.
The 'fridge still has lots of little pieces of right now - I did a Wegmans run last Monday - so we got to choose different cheese and different mustard for each sandwich. Sweet beer mustard with provolone, grainy Dijon mustard with creamy gorgonzola, and hot Irish mustard with aged San Joaquin Gold. Last nights parslied potatoes on the side.
It was just enough to do the job, and light enough to save room for dessert.
There's a buttermilk cake with blackberries coming up .....
Sunday Burgers
It's kinda cold, wet, and dreary outside today. Perfect for breaking out the charcoal and firing up the grill!
I bought two different types of rolls yestersay. Either would work for burgers, but the smaller ones will work better for dinner tonight, so the focaccia rolls were the choice. I'm a fan of fatty beef for grilled burgers. 4% fat stuff makes for a dry burger but I had some 4% fat beef that I had used for something else and wanted to use it up. The solution was to add some sun-dried tomato butter to the beef! I added just a tablespoon or so for the two burgers and it added just enough moistness and flavor that I didn't have to do anything else!
The rolls were the perfect choice for the sun-dried tomato burger, so keeping with the vaguely-Italian theme, I sauteed some arugula for the bottom of the bun, added roasted red peppers to the top, and melted provolone cheese on the burger!
French fries were the A&P house-brand, America's Choice. No nasty ingredients.
It was the type of burger one would expect to find at Barney's in San Francisco. Juuuuust quirky enough. And nothing stood out and overpowered anything else. The flavors all were unique, yet blended just as they should.
Summer is approaching. It's time to start thinking about reinventing America's favorite grilled sandwich. Again. And again.
The possibilities really are endless.
Boring Beef and Peppers
Tired and uninspired. That's me, tonight.
I had a bit of beef I wanted to use up, some bell peppers, and some mushrooms. Pepper Steak over rice. Quick, easy, basic. Just what I'm looking for. Except I was feeling exceptionally lazy. And there, right on the shelf, was a bottle of Wegmans Caribbean Sauce just waiting for me to open it up. The label held promise. It said "Sweet and tangy with a kick". Alas, it was zero for three. No sweet. No tang. No kick. Bummer.
I don't buy a lot of bottled sauces because they usually have crap in them I'm not interested in eating - high fructose corn syrup for one - and a myriad of other frankenfood-garbage that has nothing to do with what my body recognises as nutrition.
The Wegmans sauce was one of only a couple that I saw with an ingredient list shorter than War and Peace. And no HFCS.
It had an intriguing label from a store I like. It looked good in the bottle. I bought one. And I was disappointed. The problem with it is that it just doesn't have any flavor. None. Nada. Zip. I even added some Guamanian Boonie Pepper to no avail.
There was just no there there. And nothing "Caribbean" at all. At the last minute I actually added a can of diced pineapple with the juice just to add some flavor.
So... dinner did the trick. It filled us up, but I won't be picking up any more bottled sauces. I usually have better ingredients just sitting around the house - even when feeling exceptionally lazy.
Stuffed Pork Chops
Victor cooked dinner tonight. He had a rough day at the office and wanted to decompress a bit in the kitchen. I had a great day at the office, and was more than happy to oblige.
I had pulled a couple of thick bone-in pork chops out of the freezer this morning with no real idea for them, other than I thought I would stuff them with something. Victor had the same idea.
The first thing he did was make a cold green bean salad. He blanched some fresh beans and then cooled them quickly. Diced a ripe tomato and mixed it in with some chopped garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, fresh basil from the garden, salt and pepper. Mixed it all together.
It was perfect. Simple flavors that blended perfectly together, yet were individually present. Did I mention perfect? Perfect.
And the pork chops...
Fresh bread crumbs, sun-dried tomatoes, onion, garlic, celery, carrot, mushrooms...
He sauteed the vegetables in olive oil, then added the sun-dried tomatoes to the milk-soaked crumbs. He added just a bit of the sun-dried tomato butter I made a while back just for grins and giggles. He slit the chops and stuffed them, adding the leftover stuffing on top. They baked at 400° for about 35 minutes.
He boiled some yukon gold potatoes and served them simply with butter and parsley - also from the garden. (The herbs have taken off!)
It was one of those meals that just work on every level. Simplicity and complexity of flavors, colors, textures. I loved it!
Not that I would ever wish a bad day on someone, but... It was definitely my gain that Victor had one, today!
(And speaking of gain - I was down a pound at weigh-in today!)
No-Brainer Chicken
I've been a little busy. I have two websites that are migrating to a new hosting company, email addresses that need to be reconfigured, the real-live-job, and, a life. I have spent a bit more time in front of this machine the past two days than I care to admit. But, in a few hours if the computer-gods are on my side, all will be well with the world.
In doing all of this, I need to keep up my strength. What I haven't made is time to be in the kitchen.
Tonight's throw-it-in-a-pot-and-put-it-in-the-oven dinner was perfect for the occasion.
We have a great earthenware casserole dish with a lid that I just love. It can go anywhere.
Tonight, I started it in the microwave with 2 small potatoes, sliced. I cooked them for about 5 minutes just to get them started.
While they were cooking, I played clean-out-the-refrigerator. Broccoli, yellow squash, 4 assorted cheese, some mushrooms, 2 chicken breasts, and some sour cream.
I cubed and then browned the chicken in a splash of olive oil, and then added it to the potatoes. I then browned the mushrooms and added a splash of white wine. Added them to the potatoes and chicken.
Next went the rest of the veggies and then the cheese.
I mixed it all up with about a cup of sour cream, salt and pepper, put the lid on it and baked at 350° for about 45 minutes while I adjusted DNS servers and configured email addresses.
For a totally throw-together meal, it was pretty good.
One site done, one to go.
One-Pot Pork Chops
My original plan was to cook a pork loin on the grill today. It was a whole loin and I figured I could get several meals out of it. It's the perfect cooking mode when it's a perfect 74° outside.
Windows open, birds chirping, light breeze.
Naturally, when I got home, there wasn't enough charcoal to get the job done. It was Saturday at 3:30pm. I was not about to go to the store. I had dealt with enough people for one day.
Time for Plan B.
I cut off two chops and wrapped the rest for tomorrow.
I floured the chops and browned them in a casserole. After they were browned, I took them out of the pan and added thick slices of peeled sweet potatoes. I put the pork chops atop them, and added brussels sprouts. I sprinkled on some salt, pepper, and sage, and then poured about a quarter-cup of maple syrup over everything. I put on the lid and into the oven they went.
350° for 45 minutes.
It was the perfect no-brainer, no-effort dinner.
Tomorrow I will tackle the pork loin and the grill. We're taking Victor's mom out to breakfast in the morning, so I should be feeling sociable enough to tackle the grocery store on the way home.
I'm thinking vaguely Mexican..... I have some tomatillos in the 'fridge..... and tortillas...
Chorizo and Potatoes
I do have to admit I was feeling lazy tonight. Just not feeling the creative spirit. But, feeling creative or not, we have to eat. It's a rule, I think. Besides, it takes calories to maintain this figure! (As an aside, I was down one at the weigh-in, today!)
But I digress...
I had potatoes, I had chorizo, I had spinach, I had provolone cheese. I had dinner!
I quartered the potatoes and oven-roasted them. I browned the chorizo and added the spinach. Mixed in the cooked potatoes, then some cheese.
About as basic as one can get.
And it did the job.
Artichokes and Steaks
The bigger-than-a-softball-artichokes are back. Oh yum.
They're big enough to feed a small army or emerging nation. They're big. And oh, so good!
I brought them home with no real plan. Victor took one look and said "leave them to me". I did. I'm glad I did!
He trimmed them up and made a stuffing of fresh bread crumbs, black olives, garlic, Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. After stuffing them, he liberally drizzled olive oil on them and then steamed them for an hour.
Mashed sweet potatoes with a drizzle of maple syrup, and steaks on the grill.
The perfect meal.
Needless to say, there was actually more food on those plates than we could eat. We both ate half of the steaks, half of the sweet potatoes, and all of the artichokes.
Leftovers are my friend.....
BBQ Brisket
Ah... leftovers...
We had a couple of friends over for a little BBQ yesterday, which meant that 4 people = food for an army. What can I say - it's a gift!
So, with deviled eggs, pasta salad, potato salad, and brioche rolls in the kitchen, I really only needed to find something to put on the rolls.
Enter the brisket.
About 11 o'clock this morning, I placed a nice hunk of brisket in an 8x8 pan with about a cup and a half of the Strawberry BBQ Sauce from a while back. I covered it with a square of parchment, and then foil. Into a 250° oven for 5 1/2 hours.
I took it out, shredded the meat with two forks, poured the sauce into a saucepan, and then added the beef back into it.
I simmered it on the stove a bit, and that was that. Total time in the kitchen was under 10 minutes.
Steaks on the Barbie
it was 81° today. That's BBQ'n weather.
I've gotten a couple of good deals on whole eyes of round, so knife in hand, I've cut up some steaks, cubes, roasts... The freezer is looking good, right now...
These were simple salt-and-pepper steaks over charcoal. Irish steak sauce on the side.
The potatoes were cubed sweets with a drizzle of honey, butter, dill, walnuts, and raisins. Baked, covered, at 350° for about 45 minutes. And baby broccoli.
Simplicity.
The weather is getting hotter this weekend - up to 90° Saturday and Sunday. Not my idea of pleasant weather. I'll probably be grilling all weekend...
And for those of you keeping track... at today's weigh-in, I lost three pounds! I am now exactly where I started 8 weeks ago.
My mantra really does have to start being *moderation*moderation*moderation*.
Next week.
Meatloaf Sandwiches
I dreamt of this all day long. A fresh baguette, slices of French Rustic Meatloaf, and a triple cream brie with just a hint of mayonnaise. It was a dream come true.
Sometimes the most simple of things can be the best - and this is definitely one of those times.
I just can't get over how good this meatloaf is! I mean, I knew it was going to be good when I first read the recipe. I just underestimated how much I was going to enjoy it.
This one is a keeper.
It's Cold Outside
It's been cold and raining the past few days. Salads have gone on hiatus for a bit until I warm up, again. I've also been busy doing other things and haven't been here to post dinners - so here are the past three!
Saturday was a beans-and-rice-cassoulet-ish dinner.
I browned half an onion with a chopped chicken breast and sliced kielbasa. I added a half-cup of rice, a can of diced tomatoes in juice, 2 cans of beans, 2 cups of chicken stock, a pinch of herbs d'Provence, and a bit of salt and pepper.
I put thick slices of tomato on top, covered them with bread crumbs, and put it into a 325° oven for 45 minutes.
Sunday saw me lazy.
I browned two pork chops in a skillet and then popped them into a 400° oven for about 10 minutes. heated up leftover rice and beans, added frozen green beans, and dinner was served.
Tonight I was not exactly ambitious, either.
Salisbury Steak, with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, and peas. Winter-food on the 28th of March. Brrrrrr.
I just mixed chopped onions and garlic with the beef and grilled it, then simmered it in the gravy until cooked through.
On another note...
I started picking up goodies for Sunday's Brunch for 18... I'm gonna make three types of mini-muffins and homemade brioche - with part of the dough turned into mini-cinnamon rolls on sticks! (Love the no-knead website!) and a whole slew of other fun things.
It's going to be festive!