Friday Food: A Restaurant and a Ram

Friday 

Short version: Restaurant for me, crepes at home

Long version: This was the night I was gone for my overnight hotel stay. I ate a salad with avocado and some french fries for dinner, because it was a Friday in Lent.

A. made crepes for the home crew, which were very popular.

Saturday

Short version: Fried pork, mashed potatoes, cucumber and tomatoes

Long version: Two cans of commodities pork fried in tallow with spices. Better than it sounds.

Sunday

Short version: Rooster-rice soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, pots de creme

Long version: I made the soup with a jar of concentrated rooster stock plus the last bag of rooster meat from the freezer labeled "chicken for soup" that I had pulled off the carcasses when I originally made the stock. It was really good. That rooster stock is key.

Cubby made the pots de creme. Yay.

Monday

Short version: Ram chile, rice, pinto beans, artichokes, tomatoes

Long version: We finally butchered the ram this day.

Jack and Poppy wanted to help, so I set them up with some smaller, easier to cut boneless pieces and let them make mince out of them. 

I pressure-cooked the shanks and mostly-stripped bones so I would have stock and meat to make chile. To the chile I added green garlic, onions, tomato, lots of green chile, cumin, some red chile, paprika, and pigs' feet.

Yes, pigs' feet. A. loves them, and we had two bags in the freezer. It made for a very strong soup. Not all the the children could eat the highly-spiced chile, so those children had the ram meat I pulled from it and plain rice with butter.

After spending much of the day dealing with meat, I elected to have a salad with cheese, pinto beans, beets, and tomatoes in it.

The children had the artichokes before dinner. I got two from Misfits Market the week before, and the kids were VERY EXCITED about them. I don't trim them or anything. I just steam them whole, make a vinaigrette with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt to dip the leaves in, and let the children scrape the edible part off the inedible leaf with their teeth. 

Artichoke party at the very table that was holding a ram carcass a few hours earlier. (Obviously, a very well-scrubbed table.)

Tuesday

Short version: Impromptu international foods, raw cabbage

Long version: Very unusually, I did not have a clear idea of what I was going to make when I went into the kitchen at 4:30 p.m. to make dinner. I did have quite a few different things in the refrigerator to work with, however, and I ended up with three separate things.

The easiest thing was the chile, which just had to be heated up.

I also made egg noodles, to which I added some of the commodities pasta sauce, an extra packet of cheese powder from when I've made two boxes of macaroni and cheese but only used one packet, butter, oregano, garlic powder, and finely chopped fried pork.

And last, I made fried rice with leftover rice, the rest of the pork, some asparagus I had already steamed, chopped green beans, an egg, vinegar, soy sauce, and powdered ginger. That was supposed to be for me, although it made quite a bit in the end and turned out to be the most popular thing I made.

A. and Cubby had chile, and then Cubby had both fried rice and two servings of noodles.

The other three children had both the fried rice and the noodles. And I was advised by all members of the family that I should make fried rice again, and a lot of it. 

Fine with me. I think it would be a good use for the pressure-canned bull meat.

Wednesday

Short version: Lamb tenderloin, roasted potatoes, pureed calabaza, frozen green peas, Toblerone

Long version: The MiL arrived this day for a weeklong visit, and she got here just in time for dinner. To celebrate her arrival, we had lamb tenderloin, which is among the best meat on the animal.

She brought the Toblerone bar with her. The children had never had this particular kind of chocolate before, and they approved. Of course.

Thursday

Short version: Carnitas tacos with homemade corn tortillas, pinto beans, Cadbury Creme Eggs

Long version: The MiL bought the Creme Eggs on a whim at the store before she came, and they were the most exciting thing that has happened to the children in some time. 

Those low expectations again.

Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?