What are you cooking?

[Jennet47 105]

@Jennet I'm a bit familiar with Indian biryani, I may have even tried making it a time or 2. Is African different? I know there's lots of variations, but coleslaw was new to me, interesting!

LOL, my 1st fast read made me think Mexican birria, sometimes I skim text

I finished off the chicken alfredo for lunch so I'm thinking a big salad for dinner...with lots of romaine washing. In California, we don't seem to have the cyclospora parasite (yet?). I "think" it's mostly iceberg lettuce affected, not a food we eat at home.

I bought a large package of ground beef, so made burger patties, meat cakes (like little meatloaves) & several casserole-size 1/2lb clumps, all for the freezer. Husband bought a lot of chicken breasts today, a chore for tomorrow. I feel much happier with dinners or at least some prepped foods almost ready to cook in some way.

Yes, the Biriani I make is traditionally served at wedding in Mauritius. It was a guy who was born there and came over to UK to become a nurse that taught me. We trained together.

 

[jaylach67 183]

I've decided that I need some English Muffins or my next burger!. I see a burger with creamed spinach on an English Muffin. I already like English Muffins and/or bagels as a burger bun but would go with the English Muffin for this as it is more porous to take in the cream from the spinach and sturdy enough to hold up especially if toasted.

 

[fishorama58]

We had meat cakes, mashed potatoes & gravy with broccoli & carrots yesterday. Today it's spaghetti on half whole wheat/half not pasta.

Jay, your English muffin idea made me think of eggs Benedict in an odd way. You used to put an egg on many things, I bet it'd be good with the creamed spinach, burger or ham optional. Hmm, that's giving me ideas. I've never tried making Hollandaise, but I do have a lemon tree...but I had a bad weigh in today so no time soon.

 

[jaylach67 183]

We had meat cakes, mashed potatoes & gravy with broccoli & carrots yesterday. Today it's spaghetti on half whole wheat/half not pasta.

Jay, your English muffin idea made me think of eggs Benedict in an odd way. You used to put an egg on many things, I bet it'd be good with the creamed spinach, burger or ham optional. Hmm, that's giving me ideas. I've never tried making Hollandaise, but I do have a lemon tree...but I had a bad weigh in today so no time soon.

I sometimes put a runny egg on a burger.

 

[Back in the fold22 7]

I’m a very poor cook and tend to eat the same few things almost all the time but I love reading @jaylach posts . My mouth waters just reading them .

 

[jaylach67 183]

I’m a very poor cook and tend to eat the same few things almost all the time but I love reading @jaylach posts . My mouth waters just reading them .

When my mother divorced my father she told me she couldn't teach me a lot but would teach how not to starve. She was an awesome cook! She didn't teach me recipes but to not be afraid to experiment with food.

Take a simple hotdog... I wanted a couple while watching a game but really wanted chili dogs but didn't have any chili. I DID have some left over baked beans. Used the beans instead of chili and I like a 'bean dog' more than a chili dog. Take it one step further and wrap the dog in a slice of bacon. There are now three food items that are super easy to do but are totally different when combined. Think about it. Bacon is good in baked beans. As a kid you probably liked beans and weenies, mayhaps still do. So we have three items, all liked. How bad could it be to combine?

A lot is common sense. Take scrambled eggs. Most people add milk but that is wrong. The only reason you add liquid is so it boils away leaving minute air pockets. Use milk and the milk solids are left after the liquid boils away making the eggs more dense. Add water instead of milk and it does the same thing but leaves nothing behind. This makes for much more light and fluffy eggs.

All I'm trying to say is to not be afraid of messing up. LOL! Worst case is it goes in the trash and you order a pizza. If you start with a few items you like on the same plate use them together in a different way. Lets take a boneless chicken breast, jellied cranberry sauce and stuffing. Melt the cranberry sauce and marinate the chicken and poach in the cranberry until about half done. Coat the chicken in some stuffing (not corn bread stuffing) and bake to finish. You now have something that you would likely put on the same fork for the 'perfect bite' but it is still totally different and awesome without doing anything much different than the original.

 

[fishorama58]

I hear you on water instead of milk for scrambled eggs. Not my thing but husband 's.

We're having mashed potato soup with onion & carrots & rocking out to old favs (early U2, Rancid, Green Day & more!)

 

[Jennet47 105]

I've done honey mustard sausages, baked beans and chips (think you call them fries). Yummy

 

[fishorama58]

My husband grew up with "Texas Tommies", hot dogs wrapped in bacon with cheddar cheese, baked beans on the side. I used to sauté onions (& many things) in bacon grease to doctor canned baked beans. I also add brown sugar & cider vinegar. These days I usually skip the bun & go with just a hot dog (or 2) & beans, yum!

Tonight we're having sauteed Italian marinated chicken breast, egg noodles with wheat breadcrumbs toasted (in olive oil instead of butter, I'm trying to eat healthier sometimes, lol) with herbs, & green beans with soy sauce & chopped almonds for a change. The breadcrumbs freeze well, both plain & toasted. They're a freezer staple.

Whew, watching our Phillies baseball, a nailbiter but we won! A late dinner.

Edit: I forgot to post this yesterday. Taco Tuesday today. I hope to find black beans in the freezer to go with ground beef, etc. I'm thinking soft flour tortillas

Edit 2: Ack, the going hunk of cheddar was moldy. Not just a little I'd cut off. That hasn't happened in years, we're heavy cheese eaters. Not a big deal, we have more in the garage fridge. Also no black beans but husband bought a large can of pinto beans a while ago so we'll do them. Not our fav, but ok

 

[fishorama58]

Pinto beans were actually quite nice for a change. Canned refried pinto beans were our staple a long time ago but black beans have been our usual for 20+ years. I remember going to our fav Mexican restaurant & they couldn't get pinto beans & had to use black. The waitress & owner both apologized. We said no big deal, we have them all the time at home (but not with lard that makes beans extra good, lol).

I was going to grill steak, husband bought me mushrooms today. Then I remembered why I haven't grilled lately, the grill bottom rusted out. All the drippings would fall on the patio, a mess to clean up. Or drag it to the grass (really weeds) but that might attract rats, eww! My idea was to put an old cookie sheet across the grill supports but I never did it. Steak dinner was turning into too much of a project, maybe tomorrow. I guess we'll try out a Rao's frozen pizza with sausage, uncured pepperoni & uncured bacon. Rao's has a good reputation & their spaghetti sauce was pretty good, but my sister doctored it up (what's the point of jarred sauce then?). We tried a Rao's pizza 1 time but there was no sauce of any kind, weird in a not good way. This 1 sounds much better, fingers crossed, lol.

 

[jaylach67 183]

Trying a new sauce from Omaha Steaks it being a cream based tomato sauce; two pouches. Looks like it has basil. I guess it looks like a tomato basil bisque heavy on the cream. I'll have it with chicken, bell peppers, onion and either frozen peas or a little broccoli. Would want it with thin spaghetti but all I have are elbows. Tastes the same but I like twirling the fork.

I also got a couple of pouches of a lemon garlic sauce which may be good with a flaky white fish like Orange Roughy. I already like Orange Roughy with a lemon butter sauce on a bed of parsley. Orange Roughy is one of the few fish I can eat from a store. Whether the sauces are good or not I considered them worth trying as I got both by redeeming points so they cost me nothing. Also got four ground rib eye burgers free with points.

 

[fishorama58]

Your tomato cream sauce sounds a lot like my version of stroganoff except for basil. It's too windy to grill so that's what we're having. We both bought sour cream this week but who needs an excuse for sour cream? I'm sauteing mushrooms separately so I can have some now & save some or freeze for steak soon. I decided on brown rice instead of noodles, white rice was the family tradition so not too far off.

Jay, are these special "points" you get for delivery? I have a Safeway card but never got more than an extra $1 off, something else free we probably didn't need & maybe the worst crackers I've ever had, lol. No wonder they were giving them away.

 

[jaylach67 183]

Jay, are these special "points" you get for delivery? I have a Safeway card but never got more than an extra $1 off, something else free we probably didn't need & maybe the worst crackers I've ever had, lol. No wonder they were giving them away.

The points are from Omaha Steaks, not a local grocery. I so also get points from my grocery, Safeway/Albertson's. These points are just for delivery/pickup. I usually save $25.00-$30.00 per order but that isn't only due to points.

 

[jaylach67 183]

I was not super impressed with the tomato/cream sauce. It wasn't bad but was bland. I could see it as a base for a dipping sauce with spicing up but I was underwhelmed as to a dinner sauce. That is an issue with Omaha Steaks and their side stuff as they all tend to be bland but I suppose they have to go that way to please as many as possible.

 

[Back in the fold22 7]

It wasn't bad but was bland.

Bland isn’t bad but I feel more full if food has some zing to it . Maybe that’s psychological but I don’t feel as if I’ve eaten anything if it doesn’t have some flavor . I can eat the same amount of two of the same thing but feel satisfied if it tastes good and still hungry if it doesn’t .