Friday Food: Catch as Catch Can

I ended up substituting on both of my usual days off this week, so it was a bit of scramble to get everyone fed every night. I did it, though, obviously.

Friday 

Short version: Lamb stew, cheese, leftover cornbread at home, and cookies; tuna salad, cheese, cookies, and chocolate milk on the road

Long version: I left at 1 p.m. to go to a far away basketball game. Before I left, I made lamb stew. It was pretty standard, except I threw in the last tablespoon or so of green tomato salsa that had been hanging out in the refrigerator. This was not popular as a salsa, but as a flavor booster, it works pretty well.

Due to a lack of easy breakfast options in the morning--out of milk, out of bread, only a couple of eggs left--I made a big pan of cornbread for breakfast. There was some left over, so the home crew had that with the stew.

The basketball game ended at 5 p.m. I knew if we ate in town, we wouldn't get home until pretty late, so I brought food to eat in the car. For the basketball player, there were tuna salad, crackers, and cookies.

I had gone to the grocery store before the game, and there I got the chocolate milk for the boy, as well as rice cakes and cheese for my dinner. I didn't have a knife with me, so I bought the pre-sliced squares of cheese. My children were fascinated by this cheese. They didn't know such things existed.

Sheltered lives they lead.

Saturday

Short version: Pork, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli

Long version: The standard slow-cooked pork roast, shredded and broiled in its own fat with mustard and maple syrup.

The boy who used to get so full after half a baked potato that he couldn't finish his dinner can now eat a whole potato plus his dinner, and still be hungry.

Growth spurts are real.

Sunday

Short version: Pizza, cucumbers, pumpkin pie with whipped cream

Long version: One cheese pizza, one with cheese and pepperoni. I always have to make ranch dressing for the pizza now, so I figured cucumbers would be a good addition to that.

I made the pumpkin pie with the single pie crust that was left after I made a double recipe and only used one for our New Year's pecan pie. I also already had a bag of pureed squash in the freezer, to which I added the rest of the ingredients for this pie.

The crust went all wonky during the blind baking and sort of slid down inside the pie plate in a few places, but I pressed it back up and over the pie plate before it got all the way baked. The pie was delicious, despite this.

Monday

Short version: Leftover pizza, baked beans, raw radishes, pumpkin custard with more whipped cream

Long version: I had the equivalent of one whole pizza left over, so I just put that all on one pan and put the whole thing in the refrigerator. Then all I had to do after work was heat it up in the oven again.

I had made the baked beans the day before, because I cooked a pound of pinto beans and one child had been asking for baked beans. I am aware they are not a typical accompaniment to pizza. Oh well.

The pumpkin custard was the pumpkin pie filling that didn't fit in the pie itself. I always make the whole recipe anyway, and then just bake the extra in a small casserole dish to have as a custard. Some of the family actually prefers the custard without the crust, so it all works out.

I made more whipped cream, a task that is much less annoying in small quantities when I use my immersion blender. I just have to be careful not to overwhip it, because it goes from liquid to really thick very quickly after a minute.

Tuesday

Short version: Pork and bean quesadillas, cucumbers

Long version: I found out the day before that I needed to substitute this day, and I didn't have enough leftovers for another meal. I did, however, have a small bag of pork in the freezer from a picnic roast I made awhile ago, and some of the plain pinto beans I had cooked on Sunday. So I combined the two with spices and salsa to make a filling. It was about equal parts pork and beans. That's what I used, along with cheese, to make the quesadillas.

The flour tortillas were store-brand ones I had bought when I went to the basketball game last weekend. I don't think I had ever bought these before, because I was surprised at their size. They barely fit in my 14-inch skillet.

Tight fit. It made it kind of hard to flip them.

Wednesday

Short version: Chorizo and potato skillet, raw radishes

Long version: I typically rely quite heavily on ground meat during weeks I have to work a lot and thus don't have as much time to cook. The only ground meat I have left at the moment is elk chorizo, so I took a bag of that out to thaw while I was at work this day.

When I got home, I microwaved a bunch of potatoes to cook them most of the way, then chopped them and fried them in butter with the chorizo, some already-cooked onion from the refrigerator, and grated cheese.

The one child who doesn't like chorizo had the very last of the tuna salad from Friday in a tuna quesadilla, which is like a tuna melt, except using corn tortillas instead of bread.

And I had a very interesting item that came from the excess commodities delivered the day before. It was a little self-contained ceasar salad kit, in its own little bowl with a little fork and everything. Clearly the sort of thing purchased for those eating on the go. I was not really on the go, and this is not something I would ever purchase, but it was fun to try it for free from commodities. It included a little cup of dressing, but too much of it, and diced chicken, but not enough of that. So to up the protein, I used only half the dressing and added pecans. It wasn't bad.

Thursday

Short version: Leftovers, eggs, carrot sticks with ranch dip

Long version: I had to go to the basketball game twenty miles away right after work, so I didn't get home until about 5:30 with the basketball player. There were some leftovers from the chorizo and potatoes, and some baked beans, but not enough of either.

To fill everything in a bit, I scrambled half a dozen eggs, and added bread and butter. Also the last of the ranch dressing from pizza night for their carrot sticks.

And now, a refrigerator check-in.

Less empty than previous weeks. 

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