Friday
Short version: Leftovers
Long version: I had actually taken chicken out to cook, but by the time we finished our very merry Christmas tree decorating, it was already 4 p.m. And I was tired.
Leftovers it is!
Most people had some of the leftover taco meat with corn tortillas and cheese. Cubby, who is not a big fan of that, lucked out. I had a little tuna salad left from lunch, so I added some bread crumbs and an egg to that and made him a couple of tuna patties. He was very happy.
Saturday
Short version: Chicken, bacon, garlic bread or rice, home-frozen green beans
Long version: I had taken out the last packages of boneless chicken thighs my mom brought me. To cook them, I first fried a few slices of bacon, then added the cut-up chicken into the bacon grease with paprika, salt, and garlic powder. It was very tasty.
I made this meal in two rounds, because A. and Cubby got home late from pheasant hunting. A. got a pheasant.
Sunday
Short verison: Loaded chicken and potato casserole, green salad with ranch dressing, ice cream with salted caramel sauce
Long version: I first saw the idea for this casserole online somewhere and thought it looked like a good idea for the rest of the boneless chicken thighs. The thighs are cut into bite-size pieces, then mixed with diced potatoes, olive oil, and spices including paprika and garlic powder, both of which I tend to use heavily on a regular basis anyway.
The original recipe also called for optional hot sauce. Instead, I used some of the MiL's paprika.
The MiL grew the paprika peppers in her garden this summer, dried them, and sent them to me to grind up. When I did that in the food processor, it damn near drove me out of the kitchen. The fine powder swirling around had me coughing non-stop. I don't know what weather conditions caused it, but I'm pretty sure these peppers had much more of the spicy along with the sweet in comparison to the peppers she sent us a couple of years ago.
So I decided to use just a bit of that spicy-sweet paprika for this, along with regular sweet paprika. I could definitely taste a bit of heat, but it was delicious.
The casserole is called "loaded" because it's topped with bacon and cheese at the end of baking. It was, as you might imagine, very tasty, though very heavy.
Also tasty was the salted caramel sauce for the ice cream. Also as you might imagine. I've never made it before, and I used this recipe. It wasn't difficult, although working with caramelizing sugar is kind of annoying. Mostly because it hardens into rock as soon as it cools on spoons or whatever.
Worth it, though.
And hey! Guess what was in that salad? Tomatoes from the garden, still hanging out on top of the microwave.
Monday
Short version: Brisket tacos, rice, carrot sticks with ranch dressing
Long version: I put the brisket in the oven overnight on Sunday, and then just stuck it in the refrigerator before I went to work in the morning. When I got home and sliced it, it ended up being not quite enough meat for everyone. That's why I used it for tacos for most of us. I had some pinto beans in the refrigerator, which is an excellent way to stretch meat.
Charlie and A. don't eat beans, but the rest of us did, and it ended up being just enough meat that way.
Should I start a Thrifty Housewife Hacks blog? Nah. Bet it's already been done.
Tuesday
Short version: Lamb tenderloin, rice, roasted tomatoes and garlic, caramelized onion, green salad with ranch dressing, pumpkin custard with whipped cream and caramel sauce
Long version: This was A.'s birthday, and all he asked for was lamb. Good thing he butchered his own last month. All I had to do was cook it.
I had saved some red wine the last time A. got a box, so I marinated the lamb in that, olive oil, garlic powder and salt, then seared it, sliced it, and put it back in the pan with the rest of the marinade as a sauce.
The tomatoes were just a can of tomatoes that had been languishing in the refrigerator. I stuck them in the oven with a whole head of garlic while I was baking the custard.
And about that custard . . .
Remember I had a LOT of pumpkin pie filling left after our Thanksgiving adventure in pie making? Well, A. said he would just like to have that without the pie crust, instead of a cake. So easy!
Or rather, it would have been, if I coud EVER read and follow a dang recipe correctly.
I won't go into all the details, but it was a classic Kristin Recipe Experience that involved way more eggs and milk than I should have had (and not enough cream, because I was almost out) and then adjusting spices on the fly and . . . well. It was stupid. And I ended up with a crazy quantity of this stuff.
And THEN, I didn't bake it long enough. Even though it was in the oven for almost an hour and a half, the centers were still definitely liquid. So I scooped out around the edges of those where it was more solid. I served it with whipped cream and drizzled over the caramel sauce, and it was actually delicious, but I was still mad about the whole thing.
Incidentally, later in the week I combined the liquid centers of all those containers and re-baked it all. For TWO HOURS. And THEN it was done. Geez.
Wednesday
Short version: Bacon, scrambled eggs, leftover lamb, leftover rice, home-frozen green beans
Long version: Workday and a random assortment of leftovers and quick-to-cook-foods so I could bake brownies after dinner for Cubby and Charlie to bring to school for their class Christmas parties the next day.
That sentence was almost as long as this day felt.
Thursday
Short version: Carnitas-style pork, pasta, sauteed green beans
Long version: Last day of school before Christmas break! I spent the morning making cupcakes to bring in for Jack's class birthday treat, and the afternoon at the school helping teachers with the class parties and attending a staff meeting, so I knew I would not be into an elaborate dinner. (Am I ever?)
Thus, random chunk of pork chucked into the oven in the morning, then shredded and fried with spices at dinner formed the protein. The pasta was just, uh, pasta, with butter, cream cheese, and garlic powder. Throw some frozen green beans in with the pork and call it done. Because I certainly was.
Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?
I love your recaps every week! What type of ranch dressing do you use/make? I wish I could find one I like consistently! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: I make it. Mayonnaise, buttermilk (I use my own plain yogurt), dried dill weed, garlic powder, black pepper, beaten with a fork until smooth. I never measure, but it's more mayonnaise than buttermilk. Maybe a 2:1 proportion? I use slightly more mayonnaise for a dip, slightly less for a dressing.
ReplyDeleteshepherd's/cottage pie using your recipe with tomato sauce, which took less time than the sauce/gravy I make, using beef broth, flour, water to thicken. I made mine using spinach, carrots, peas on the side leftover salad & garlic knots.
ReplyDeletezucchini pizza, garlic knots
homemade subs, vegetable soup, chips
fish taco's
roasted potatoes & mushrooms with sirloin & cheese on top, garlic knots, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots on the side
chicken divan, garlic knots, AND POTS DE CREME again. Made 1/2 the receipe this time & we still have enough for tonight.
leftover chicken divan & Pots de Creme, garlic knots
Linda
Just reading your week, made me exhausted!
ReplyDeleteOur menu:
Fri: Baked Potato Soup and Homemade Bread
Sat: Sam's Club Pizza
Sun: No idea/ don't remember if we ate? because we both felt a bit ill. Found out from others that they feel that way after eating Sam's pizza. A slight case of food poisoning I think. Ick!
Mon: Scrambled eggs and toast (tummy's still a bit rumbly.)
Tues: MUCH BETTER! Cast Iron Cheeseburgers on homemade bread and Air Fryer French Fries
Wed: Nachos
Thurs: AF Chicken Strips with homemade bread and FF
Fri: (today) Local grocery has grilled prime roasts on sale and my boss split one with me. I rewarmed it in the oven while we did chores. I made mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot and warmed up canned green beans for him and frozen broccoli for me and homemade bread again. (Good thing I have a bread machine because I haven't been to the grocery store and we obviously are out of bread products.
Linda: Pots de creme four times in a week? My kids would want to live at your house.
ReplyDeleteWhile I actually kept track of my meals this week, they were pretty much just variations on a theme, as I had roasted a chicken and had chicken, more chicken, chicken salad, chicken soup, and so on. At least it was a free-range chicken (but not organic), so it had decent texture and flavor. Not great, but decent.
ReplyDeleteHi Kristin, I really like reading your posts, they feel so real :-) thank you !
ReplyDeleteSo this week's food was heavily inspired by my need to empty the freezer, as we are moving in one month.
M Roasting sausage and onions simmered in a white wine sauce, served with rice and green beans (sausage & beans from the freezer)
T Loaded nachos with pulled pork from the freezer and loads of cheese. Served with guac, salsa and a quark/mayo mix since I forgot to buy sour cream
W Fish fajitas
T Simmered lamb shoulder with spinach, dried porcini and cream, served with risoni pasta (cooked lamb and spinach from the freezer)
F Buttermilk roast chicken using Samin Nosrat's recipe. It was really moist with crispy sking, I'll reuse that recipe. I roasted some fingerling potatoes directly in the pan with the chicken. With lettuce.
S Beef tartare, toast and chicken broth with some mushrooms. I was really happy with the seasoning in the tartare: 1 egg yolk, white wine, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chopped parsley, chopped pickled gherkins, chopped pickled wild garlic buds, Espelettte chili powder, 1 chopped onion, garlic powder, salt, fish sauce & olive oil
S Burritos to use up the rest of the shredded pork and because we were feeling lazy. I cooked some black beans with taco seasoning to bulk them up.
Claire: Thank YOU. It's definitely all real. I couldn't make this stuff up. :-)
ReplyDeleteSo I was reading along with your delicious meals, got to the lamb, and stopped right there, thinking, "Is this person in the UK or something?" Lamb is very rarely eaten in the U.S. (unless you raise your own sheep :-). So I went to your blog, allowed Google to translate for me, and there you are in Switzerland. That's cool. Now to look up that buttermilk chicken recipe . . .
Hey Kristin, thanks for your reply. The realness is so refreshing in today's instagrammed and staged social media, I love your updates. Really glad to e-meet you !
ReplyDeleteIndeed I'm from Switzerland, so we do eat lamb and other meats which might not be commonly eaten in the US such as rabbit, horse meat or game. Lamp is quite expensive, so a rare treat for me !
I live with my boyfriend, an old cat and 1.5 year old German shepherd dog. We're moving from our city apartment to a chalet in the mountains, with 10 acres of land (70% steep forest) so no sheep yet, but it might be in our future. So very curious to read more about how you handle all your animals ! Your garden updates are great inspiration too. I'd like to grow more of my vegetables.
Here is the link to Samin's roasted chicken:
https://www.saltfatacidheat.com/buttermilkmarinated-roast-chickent
What did you do with the pheasant ?
Ok I'm a beginner in html here's the corrected link
ReplyDeletehttps://www.saltfatacidheat.com/buttermilkmarinated-roast-chicken
Claire: Thanks! Good luck with your move. It'll be an adventure, for sure. Sounds like goat country to me . . .
ReplyDelete