Friday Food: Turkey (and Elk) Time

Friday 

Short version: Chicken soup, PB&J sandwiches, cookie bars

Long version: This was the day we spent all day at the basketball tournament. I figured we'd probably eat one meal out--that turned out to be lunch at Sonic--but I brought food for the other meal. There were peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a Thermos of chicken-rice soup, and chocolate chip cookie bars. 

On the way home, at 8 p.m. the children ate the rest of the almonds that had been in the car, and also the cold french fries leftover from Sonic. 

It doesn't matter what time of day it is, or how much they've eaten previously: If we are in the car for an hour the children will want to eat. I knew they would eat the french fries on the way home, even if they were cold. That's why I saved them.

Saturday

Short version: Pizza, green salad with vinaigrette

Long version: I made just one pizza, with bacon, because A. wasn't home. He was in Tucson visiting his dad. So I didn't need so much pizza.

I made ranch dressing, too, for the pizza dipping, but I put vinaigrette on the salad.

Sunday

Short version: Elk steaks, spaghetti, frozen green peas, toffee bars

Long version: Plain spaghetti with butter and garlic powder, cooked frozen peas . . .

And the toffee bars.

One child announced he wanted to make a "special cookie." He chose toffee bars. This is a recipe in my old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. It's pretty involved, with three separate layers, a bowl, a pot, and so on. Not something I'm willing to do regularly, but the children liked them.

Monday

Short version: Elk and bean chimichangas, carrot sticks

Long version: I unfortunately started to feel the full effects of a cold this day, and reeeaally did not want to cook. But the show must go on!

I had two small elk steaks left that hadn't been cooked yet, so I diced those and simmered them with salsa and spices. Then I added in the last half of a pint jar of pinto beans, put that mixture in flour tortillas with cheese, and fried that in butter.

Tuesday

Short version: Barbecue meatballs, baked potatoes, frozen green peas

Long version: Still feeling poorly. I took out a bag of bull meat fromthe freezer and made meatballs with that. Those just bake for an hour or so, which is why I also shoved some potatoes in the oven (using this trick first to make sure they cooked through) and a Pyrex bowl of frozen peas to heat up.

One oven for the full meal is the easiest way to get a balanced dinner on the table.

Wednesday

Short version: Elk steaks, bread and butter, frozen green peas

Long version: If you see both bread and butter and frozen peas in the same meal, you can pretty much guarantee that I was SO OVER the kitchen by the time dinnertime rolled around.

I took the post-surgical child for his first physical therapy appointment in the morning. The appointment was at 8 a.m. in a city 100 miles away, so we left while it was still dark. That's why I randomly grabbed a bag of meat from the freezer on the dark porch before we left, figuring I could come up with something to do with it later.

"Later" was at 5 p.m. after I had spent two hours in the kitchen making pies and cranberry sauce. And cleaning up from making pies and cranberry sauce. 

In progress: Cranberry sauce done, lemons for lemon meringue pie juiced and zested, squash awaiting its pie shell. And dishes. So many dishes.

I was not inspired at dinnertime, so I just fried the steaks in butter with random spices on there, microwaved the peas in a bowl, and added the bread to round everything out.

And then I absented myself from the kitchen, leaving the literal piles of dishes still in the sink to A. I decided it would be best to delegate what kitchen work I could so I didn't burn out entirely and spend all of Thanksgiving resentful of the constant kitchen tasks.

That was a good call. It worked, too.

Thursday

Short version: Hoo boy.

Long version: This year's Thanksgiving meal included the following:

--Turkey

And there it is!

--Sourdough dressing

--Mashed potatoes

--Roasted carrots and parsnips

When A. dug what I thought were two parsnips, he actually found four. Thanksgiving bonus!

--Green salad with vinaigrette

--Cranberry sauce

--Gravy

--Pumpkin pie

--Pumpkin custard

--Lemon meringue pie

--Brownies

--Whipped cream

Dessert spread. The whipped cream was on a small table to the right.

I definitely made more dessert than I would typically, because we had a guest. Our priest joined us for dinner. I myself don't really love pie, so I thought it would be nice to have something not pie-related, in case he was also not a pie person. Brownies (these) are the fastest and easiest non-pie dessert I can make, and our guest did eat two brownies, so that was probably a good call.

The lemon meringue pie was really good, though. I'm not sure it was good enough to make the same fussy recipe next year, but it did have an excellent result. And A. assured me that I have found the pumpkin pie recipe I should use forever (this one, with a few modifications), so I guess that was a hit, too.

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