Friday
Short version: Leftover meats, porky rice, pinto beans, raw tomatoes or leftover vegetables, almond cookies, fresh bread and butter
Long version: I had leftover grilled steak, barbecue ribs, and tuna patties that I apportioned out based on preference.
It was fairly cool this day, so I had also decided to cook the half bag of pinto beans that had been in the pantry for awhile. To flavor the beans, I fried pickled onions and garlic in the lard that had rendered out of the ribs I had made the day before, and then simmered the beans with that for a bit.
The rice was cooked in the liquid from the ribs.
The tomatoes were mostly from Poppy's plants in the garden. She generously shared with her brothers, and then A. and I had leftover sauerkraut, carrots, and peas.
The cookies I had made the day before, substituting finely ground almonds for some of the flour.
And bread and butter because I had baked bread in the afternoon and fresh bread is hard to resist.
Saturday
Short version: Green chile bacon cheeseburgers, roasted potatoes, peaches and cream
Long version: I had made hamburger buns the day before when I was baking bread. I made the bacon very last-minute when the rest of the meal was almost done, but it of course was the best part of the meal for my family.
All the males in the family had their cheeseburgers with pureed green chile on top, along with raw onion. Poppy and I declined.
Sunday
Short version: Oven-fried chicken, biscuits, carrot sticks with curry dip, brownies with ice cream
Long version: I hadn't made oven-fried chicken in a very long time, but everyone likes it, so I did. It involves marinating the chicken--I used three breasts and a package of thighs--in yogurt and spices, then coating it in masa and spices before baking on a buttered sheet pan.
Because I had the oven on for that, I made biscuits too. They were just plain baking powder biscuits, and they weren't my best effort. The butter was a little warm when I made them. Oh well. They were still all eaten.
Chicken and biscuits.
Poppy made
the brownies to practice one more time before she bakes some for the fair. Unfortunately, I was not paying close attention while she was putting them together and I was making dinner, and she read a half cup as one and a half cups. She hasn't gotten to fractions yet in school.
So they ended up more like a cake. Still eaten, though.
The chicken was kind of underseasoned, too, and didn't get as crispy as I would have liked. All in all, a slightly underwhelming meal that made far too many dishes. That's how it goes sometimes.
Monday
Short version: Pasta with chicken, pesto, and bacon; green salad with vinaigrette
Long version: The chicken breasts I had used the night before were huge, and also on the bone. I cut them off the bone and then cut them in half so they would cook in the same amount of time as the thighs. Half of the halves I cut into smaller chunks, though, and saved for this meal.
To the pasta--small elbows--I added bacon, the chicken, extra garlic, about a cup of pesto I managed to make from the small basil plants, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and balsamic vinegar.
Basil and tomatoes. The tomatoes went in the salad.
Tuesday
Short version: Ram chops, leftover rice or fried potatoes, radishes, snickerdoodles, bread and cheese
Long version: Oddly, the part of this meal that was most enthusiastically received was the leftover rice. This was the rice that I had cooked in pork juices. I added more butter to it, and on A.'s rice, the juices in the pan from cooking the chops. I guess three kinds of fat is the secret to good rice.
This was a potato plate. No triple-fat rice for him.
I have never in my life even eaten snickerdoodles--it's a cookie, in case you haven't, either--but have always meant to try making them. So I did.
They're an odd cookie. The cookie itself has shortbread ingredients, but with a leavener, so they come out cakey. Each cookie is rolled in cinnamon and sugar, which is the main flavoring.
About half the family loved them. I thought they were bland and boring, so I'm not too enthused about making them regularly, but maybe every once in awhile for those who were such fans.
The bread and cheese was for the boys who were roaming around after dinner complaining of still being hungry. A second course, I guess.
Wednesday
Short version: Leftover pasta, scrambled eggs, Sunday sandwich, corn on the cob, cherries
Long version; Totally random meal. I had been planning on the pasta, because I went to town this day, which always saps my will to cook dinner. I had thought I would get a rotisserie chicken at the store to supplement the pasta, but the chickens at this store were the smallest I'd ever seen. They looked like quail. Definintely would not have been enough for all of us, and also a total rip-off.
So instead I cooked the last few pieces of bacon, plus a bunch of scrambled eggs. I used the eggs and bacon to make a Sunday sandwich for A., which is these two things with cheese, then toasted. The MiL used to make these for A. and his brother if they went to church.
A. goes to church every Sunday now, so he can have his Sunday sandwich early.
The kids had the pasta and some eggs.
The corn was from the store. It was the first corn I had seen this season that didn't look very sad and dry. Kind of a starchy meal in the end, but everyone was happy to have corn.
Thursday
Short version: Pork/beans/rice skillet, blue-ribbon brownies
Long version: This was the first day of the county fair. The fair is always incredibly tiring, since it's always brutally hot and we spend hours there. I would typically prepare at least some part of dinner in the morning before we left, but this morning I was busy gathering wildflowers and arranging them to enter into the floriculture contest, and helping Poppy bake the brownies she entered, as well as the cake I entered.
We got home at 3 p.m. I pulled a small bag of cooked pork shoulder from the freezer and made some rice. Then I fried the diced pork in bacon fat. To that I added frozen corn, a can of black beans, salsa, pureed red chile from the freezer, taco spices, grated cheddar cheese, and sour cream.
I counted the salsa and corn as our vegetables.
The brownies were the ones left from the pan Poppy baked. Before we left the fair, we saw that she got a first place ribbon on her brownies. They were very good brownies.
Refrigerator check:
Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?
4 comments:
Well done Poppy!
Congratulations to Poppy on her blue ribbon! Good brownies can be hard to make.
The "tired of grilling" edition
Fri- grilled cheese and bacon,maybe fruit.
Sat- pasta, Italian sausage, broccoli, garlic bread.
Sun- tacos, pineapple.
Mon- grilled brats and sausage. I had to bring girl to Jr high orientation, so teen put together dries and fruit to go with it.
Tues- best sister/aunt visiting! Baked Mac and cheese, broccoli, salad, fruit. A little white wine for the guest. Picky eater bought chicken nuggets home and shared a few to his siblings.
Wed- rotisserie chicken ( plenty big for 6 people), string beans, hobo potatoes, corn on the cob, salad, fruit. Maybe a little wine for a few adults. Son used gift card from library reading program to take aunt out for ice cream. A few others tagged along for the treat.
Thurs- getting hot again, so I used gift cards for Domino's. Fruit. Salad. And can't let the wine go to waste. Another trip to the ice cream place to try a few different flavors.
Enjoy the weekend!
Snickerdoodles are not my favorite . I think they come out best when using half butter/ half shortening. I make snickerdoodles bars which taste more like a breakfast pastry. If someone likes cinnamon, they're a good choice.
Congratulations Poppy! Quite an accomplishment!
(Snickerdoodles are my least favorite cookie.)
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