Friday Food: Casseroles and Their Leftovers

Friday 

Short version: Chorizo/potatoes/eggs, chicken taco soup, green salad with vinaigrette

Long version: I had to go to town in the afternoon. I had made the soup before I left with the chicken carcass from the night before--plus leftover rice, canned black beans, tomatoes, corn, and taco spices--knowing that wouldn't have been enough for everyone.

I had considered getting frozen tamales at the store in town, since it was going to be very close to dinnertime when I got home. Then I saw that buying enough tamales for all of us would be around thirty dollars. Too much.

So then I decided to get chorizo and cook that with the potatoes left over from the night before, and eggs. My options for chorizo included a couple of very cheap brands, and the "premium" chorizo that was a few dollars more. Wondering what the difference might be, I read the ingredients. The first ingredient in the premium chorizo was pork. The first ingredients in the cheap chorizo were salivary glands, lymph nodes, and fat.

I'm not even kidding. It said right there on the package: salivary glands and lymph nodes.

I got the premium chorizo, because GROSS.

I felt kind of bad for serving such a slapdash meal to a guest, but the MiL was actually excited to have chorizo, so that worked out. 

Saturday

Short version: Grilled lamb chops, curried split peas, rice, pureed potatoes, green salad with vinaigrette

Long version: We have a kettle charcoal grill someone gave us last year that we haven't used much, since none of like to grill much. However, lamb is much better grilled, and we had the charcoal, so I decided to grill. We don't have lighter fluid or a charcoal chimney starter, so I had to actually build a fire in the grill with the charcoal. This is difficult to do, and I didn't get the charcoal hot enough to really sear the chops. However, they did cook most of the way through on the grill, and then I just finished them under the broiler in oven. They had a nice smoky flavor and were really very good.

The curried split peas were mostly for the child who still couldn't chew really well, but they went nicely with the lamb. I made rice for that, but I also made pureed potatoes with some extra baked potatoes I had made a couple of days previously. I was informed that pureed potatoes and curried split peas are an excellent combination that I should make again. Good to know.

Sunday

Short version: Lasagnas, green salad with vinaigrette, asparagus, strawberry/rhubarb crisp with vanilla ice cream

Long version: I found a small bag of ground elk in the freezer. I also had half a container of store-bought ricotta that had been in the freezer a long time, and a box of lasagna noodles. The elk wouldn't have been enough on its own for the lasagna, so I added to it the Albuquerque Italian sausage I took out of the casings. With those two meats, plus red wine and crushed tomatoes, I made meat sauce to layer with the ricotta, asadero cheese, and noodles. 

The only other lasagna I've ever made was the insane Italian-style lasagna. For a more American lasagna, I used this recipe this time, except, since I had enough noodles and meat sauce, I made one and half of the amount. I didn't have quite enough ricotta, but I did have a bag of bechamel sauce leftover from the insane lasagna that had been in the freezer all this time that I could use for the last layer.

I really needed my big 15-inch Pyrex casserole for this. But since it had unfortunately exploded the week before, I instead used my 13-inch one, plus an 8x8 pan. It all just fit. We had another guest with us for dinner besides the MiL, so there were eight people eating. We almost finished the big lasagna, leaving the whole smaller one for later in the week.

I will always be grateful to my grandfather for making eight chairs and a big table.

Monday

Short version: Hunter's pies, green salad with vinaigrette

Long version: I found a bigger bag of ground elk in the freezer while rummaging around and decided to use that to make shepherd's pie. I needed my big Pyrex again, but was again forced to use the 13-inch Pyrex and a smaller casserole. 

Big and little.

We again ate almost all of the bigger casserole, leaving me with the untouched smaller one for later, so I guess that worked out.

If the number of meals with salad seems excessive, that's because I have an excessive quantity of lettuce that I have harvested from the garden. Lettuce cannot be preserved. It must be eaten promptly. Thus, salad every night.

Tuesday

Short version: Leftover lasagna, oatmeal raisin cookies

Long version: The smaller leftover lasagna was in a metal pan, so I had to reheat it in the oven. Since the oven was on anyway, I replenished the cookie jar with cookies. This was the MiL's last night with us, and she likes oatmeal cookies, so that is what I made. A. also prefers oatmeal cookies--with raisins, not chocolate chips--but most of the children do not, so he rarely gets them. He had told us before how his grandmother used to make giant oatmeal cookies when he was boy, so I decided to make a few with my last bit of dough, just for fun.

I meant to take a photo of the ludicrously large cookies, but apparently, I did not. The big cookies were the size of hamburger patties, and all the males LOVED them. They asked me to make them this way from now on. Methinks this is so they can say they're just having one cookie when in fact, they are eating the equivalent of five cookies. Sneaky.

Wednesday

Short version: Leftover lasagna for me, Chinese buffet for everyone else

Long version: A. took the MiL to the airport this day, and all the children went along with them. Given our distance from the airport, this meant I had all afternoon to myself, and was also just feeding myself lunch and dinner. A. went to the buffet with the children before leaving the city, where they apparently made sure they got A.'s money's worth. The pork ribs seemed to be a particular favorite. And the steamed buns.

Thursday

Short version: Leftover hunter's pie

Long version: I still had the whole smaller hunter's pie left, which was just enough for everyone. I certainly had an easy few days in the kitchen, huh?

Refrigerator check:

Blurry, but obviously pretty full.

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

The Tea Party Hostess

One of the many surprising things about my life is that I host tea parties. Tea parties were not something I grew up with. I don't even remember drinking tea as a kid. I do remember going maybe once to one of those tea rooms, the fancy restaurants that serve tea and tea foods. But it wasn't anything close to normal thing.

My first experience with tea as an event came at Blackrock, with its wealth of china for every occasion, and the MiL, the baker extraordinare. The older boys looooved tea parties as little ones. They had their personal tea cups and even their own little creamers. The MiL would sometimes bake scones for them, or I would just make them little plates of crackers and cheese or whatever. It was very low-key and thus, much more frequent than something very fancy would be.

However, boys are not likely to have tea parties to host their friends. They still love the food that comes along with a tea party, but the delicate china and elegant table? Not so much.

But now I have a girl! And she has girl friends! And they reeeeally love the delicate china, elegant table, and the chance to dress up.

Although I used to have tea parties without the nice china, I now have the delicate china thanks to my sister. She has the entire set of my maternal grandmother's lovely set of wedding china. My sister never used the tea cups and saucers, so she asked me if I would like them. Indeed I would. 

Waiting for a tea party.

That is why I am able to host a fancy tea for little and big girls alike. As I did yesterday in honor of the MiL's visit. I invited Poppy's best friend, her older sister, and her mother, who is also my friend. 

I always bake at least one thing fresh for a tea party. This time it was just biscuits. I had made strawberry jam earlier in the day, and I also set out plum butter my sister had made, and apple butter some little girls at school had made and given me. In addition, I made cucumber and cream cheese tea sandwiches (meaning they were cut very small and had the crusts removed), some pumpkin bread I had had in the freezer, peanut butter cookies from the cookie jar, and cheese and crackers. The tea was decaffeinated black tea and an herb tea.

Our guests brought with them a big bunch of wildflowers from around their house, which went right in the middle of the table. All the foods went on small plates to be arranged around the table, I set out the tea with the cream and sugar, and it really was quite a lovely table.

Tea for six.

Our guests always arrive in tea party apparel--dresses and sometimes hats--and I put on tea party music. The MiL, who is a classical music aficionado, suggested Mozart. The perfect atmosphere for elegance.

There were also four boys--the brother of the girls came to hang out with my boys--and A. roaming around the house. We've done this a few times now, so I know better than to invite the boys to join us. After we've had our tea party, they get paper plates and can fill them from the food left on the table. I make enough to ensure they get plenty, and then they can take it outside and have a nice, masculine time chowing down without worrying about being polite. A. does get invited to the table after we've mostly finished eating, so he can have his tea and finish off whatever food is still there.

I don't know when Poppy will age out of tea parties, but I'm enjoying it for now. And so is she.

Snapshots: Surprise Shearing

A. has talked to our shearer a couple of times in the last few months, but both times he was going to be out our way on days that we weren't able to shear. We only had four ewes to shear this year, so it's definitely not worth his while to make the hundred-mile drive just for our flock. He called Friday, though, to say he would be out this way again on Saturday, and this time we were able to do it.

Awaiting their doom. At least, in their tiny sheep minds.

Here we go! Or rather, he goes.

This sheep will feel much better in this hot weather we've been having without fifteen pounds of wool on her.

The first shorn one always looks a bit, well, sheepish among her still-poufy sisters.

On to number two.

In other spring news, there are many flowers outside. Which means there are many flowers in my house.

On the dining room table.

On the Paschal candle table.

And on the dresser in the room the MiL is staying in while she's here this week.

And last, I had to leave for the end-of-year sport's banquet when I still had bread loaves rising on the counter. I wouldn't be there to put them in the oven, but I could just leave instructions for Poppy, who in turn instructed A. in the next steps to bake the bread.

I returned home to four nicely-baked loaves of bread. Success.

There you have it! My life, snapshotted.

Friday Food: So Long, Pyrex

Friday 

Short version: Cheesy scalloped potatoes with ham, still-frozen green beans

Long version: I had a whole ham steak left over from the night before. Also a container of heavy cream that had started souring. Also still about thirty pounds of potatoes from excess commodities.

So.

I boiled a bunch of potato slices. I diced the ham. I made a cheese sauce using quite a bit of the soured cream. It was delicious.

Also convenient, as I made this in the morning and then it was ready to just bake until browned when I got home from a trip to town right about dinnertime.

Saturday

Short version: German pot roast, mashed potatoes, asparagus, green peas

Long version: Our elderly neighbor gave us a chuck roast, just because she's only cooking for herself and can't get through her beef before it starts getting freezer burned. We have no such problem.

It's been awhile since we've had beef, since it's been a couple of years since we got a whole cow for the freezer. Our red meat has been elk and lamb. It was nice to have beef again.

I cooked the chuck roast with some chicken stock from the freezer, as well as a whole pint of sauerkraut. The sauce I thickened with some more of that soured cream, plus cornstarch.

The mashed potatoes had yet more of the soured cream in them. It was a lot of cream. 

Sunday

Short version: Japanese food and Cold Stone Creamery on the road, crispy bean tacos and ice cream sandwiches at home

Long version: This was the night I was in Albuquerque with the eldest child before his wisdom teeth extraction. He had the raw fish, I had the sweet noodles, and at home, A. made tacos with corn tortillas and canned refried beans. He fries them in lard, which makes them very popular.

Monday

Short version: Leftovers, scrambled eggs

Long version: We had scalloped potatoes and ham, mashed potatoes, and the last of my Japanese food. To this, I added the scrambled eggs. Separately, I mean.

No one liked my restaurant leftovers except A. He was also the only one who would eat the leftover sashimi. So I guess I know not to take my other children to a Japanese restaurant, if such a thing were ever an option.

Tuesday

Short version: Italian sausage, mashed potatoes, green salad with vinaigrette

Long version: Everyone was very excited that I had brought home the good sausage from Albuquerque. The "good sausage" is Kroger-brand mild Italian sausage. This is the only kind of sausage every one of the children will eat. 

I mostly made mashed potatoes for the recovering wisdom-teeth surgery patient, who was still not up for anything involving any kind of chewing. I made regular mashed potatoes with the potato masher for everyone--finally using up the last of the soured cream--and then took some out for him to add more milk before pureeing it very smooth with my immersion blender. Kind of like a very thick soup. I also squeezed out one of the sausage links for him, frying it and mashing it with the potato masher to break it up into small bits to mix with his mashed potatoes. He was very pleased with this.

I have a lot of lettuce in the garden at the moment, which is always a good thing. I can thank Poppy for this. All the lettuce is in the beds she planted for me way back in March while I was butchering. I can also thank her for making the salad, which she did with already-washed lettuce, grape tomatoes, radishes, and cucumber. I made the vinaigrette, but I really need to teach her to do it. It's not hard, and then she really can make the whole salad.

Wednesday

Short version: Tuna salad sandwiches, raw vegetables and dip, ice cream, and banquet potluck

Long version: I took the basketball player to his end-of-year athletic banquet, which was a potluck. Brisket and mashed potatoes were provided, and then the side dishes and desserts were brought by parents. Boys were assigned a side dish, so I made a bunch of cut-up vegetables--including many-colored grape tomatoes from the fancy Albuquerque grocery store--with ranch dip.

So pretty.

When I make ranch dip, I just make my standard ranch dressing, except I use sour cream instead of yogurt. The sour cream is thicker and makes a less-drippy dip. About half the dip was left when I went to pick up my dishes after the event was over, but not a single vegetable was left. Always gratifying.

I left tuna salad for the ones at home, as well as some of the dip. They also got to have ice cream after dinner, because Dad is fun.

Thursday

Short version: Exploding roasted chicken, potatoes, green salad with ranch dressing, baked fruit with sour cream cake and whipped cream

Long version: I roasted the last of the whole chickens I got from excess commodities. I used my biggest Pyrex casserole dish, so that I could fill the rest of the space with the potatoes. But when I took the Pyrex out of the 400-degree oven to put the potatoes in it, I placed the Pyrex on the edge of the sink and the pan straight-up exploded.

It was crazy. I've never seen anything like it. Thankfully, it mostly went into the sink and on the floor right in front of the sink, rather than on me. I'm sure I could have been seriously injured by all the pieces of glass that blew out of that thing.

I've set pans in that exact spot many times without any issue, but maybe there was more water there or something and the hot pan on the cooler water did very bad things. I don't know. There were just a few drops of water, so I really still don't understand how it happened. All I know is that cleaning up that much greasy glass is way not fun.

On the up side, the chicken itself landed in the sink.

With the potato peelings.

When I lifted off that big piece of glass that was on the chicken, the skin came off with it, and then there was no glass in the chicken itself. I checked it very carefully, and then put it back in the oven--in a metal pan, thank you very much--to finish cooking with the potatoes.

Poppy made the salad again. Yay, Poppy.

The cake was one I had made a couple of weeks ago when I had an excess of heavy cream that was souring. I used this recipe, except I doubled it and made twelve muffins and one cake. It was okay, but it had too much baking soda in it. I don't know why modern recipes are so prone to overdoing the baking soda or powder, but it's very unpleasant when you can taste those in the final product.

This wasn't so overwhelming that the end result was inedible, but I thought it would be better to use the cake--which I had frozen for later--with something else to mask that slight bitterness. That is why I used the sweetened fruit left from when A. made the strawberry/rhubarb syrup, in addition to some apricots I had bought on the way to Albuquerque that didn't have much flavor, so I pureed them with peach jam. I used all of this to top the cake, and then added whipped cream.

It was still not as flavorful as it should have been, but no one had any trouble eating it.

Refrigerator check:

Lots of lettuce in that bag on the bottom left, yay!

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

Country Mouse in the City

The eldest child was scheduled for wisdom tooth removal yesterday morning, which is a pretty common event in the teen years these days. I myself remember doing this when I was about his age. The difference for us, of course, is how far we have to drive to do it. The only oral surgeon that takes our insurance is in Albuquerque, which is around 200 miles away.

His appointment was at 9 a.m. I briefly considered just getting up early and leaving at 5 a.m. to drive to Albuquerque. But then I considered how miserable that would be for the fasting patient, as well as for me when I had to turn right around and drive another 200 miles to get home after the surgery.

I got a hotel room for the night before.

The oral surgeon's office was near the balloon park, which is where they have the big Balloon Fiesta that Albuquerque is famous for. I was wondering why the hotel room was almost twice the regular price for Sunday night, figuring there was a graduation or something. I found out when we arrived and saw signs for "Boots in the Park."

It was a country music festival. There were something like twenty different bands playing for the weekend. The eldest child, who is a big country music fan, was incredulous that we were RIGHT THERE and were not going to be able to go see Luke Combs. I did look to see if there were any tickets available, because I actually would have taken him--it's not like we were doing anything else that night--but the only ones left were $500 VIP tickets. Sorry, kid.

The park was only a mile and a half away, though, which meant we could actually hear the music in our hotel room. Son could even identify the songs. So it was kind of like being there, right? Right.

We stayed at a Quality Inn. It wasn't the worst hotel I've ever stayed at, but it wasn't particularly nice, either. That's why this car in the parking lot was so amusing to me.

A Corvette at the Quality Inn? I guess those car payments ARE pretty steep. 

There are a lot of things I might do when I myself have GRWNKDS, but buying a Corvette is not one of them. I hope that person is enjoying it, however.

Since we were in the Big City, we had an overwhelming number of restaurants to choose from for dinner. The son with me is a big fan of sushi and sashimi, which is not something we are often in close proximity to. We were this night, though! Off we went to a Japanese restaurant.

So much raw fish.

I do not care for fish cooked, and certainly not raw, so I got literally the only thing on the menu that didn't have fish in it.

Noodles, vegetables, and beef. It was okay, although way too sweet for me. Kind of like teriyaki.

None of the dessert options were very appealing to me at this place, but I thought that surely, we must be pretty close to a Cold Stone Creamery. My phone informed me that we were only about half a mile from one, so we went there for dessert.

We got back to the hotel around 7 p.m., which is too early to go to bed. I have no interest in TV, but as it was still light outside, I went for a walk.

I think this is the biggest flag I have ever seen. Must be some really patriotic mechanics in that shop.

Albuquerque has nice mountains outside the city, which makes me feel right at home. It reminds me of Tucson, where I lived for seven years.

Then back to the Quality Inn to read for a bit before bed, and listen to the concert through our window. And to the concert-goers as they came back to the hotel in the wee hours, still very hyped up from all the excitement. They were almost certainly drunk, too, which made it quite the party scene.

I always wake up early, usually around 5 a.m., although I didn't actually get up until 6 a.m. when the breakfast stuff was put out in the lobby. 

Unbeatable dining ambiance.

I had some scrambled eggs that were almost certainly mixed up from a powder, as well as cornflakes and coffee.

Breakfast of champions.

I typically drink my coffee and chicory with only a tablespoon of heavy cream. This sort of hotel coffee needs a lot more help than that to make it palatable, though, so I added whole milk and sugar to it. 

It was still early after this. Time for another walk.

A much different scene than my typical morning walk.

Spring comes a lot sooner in Albuquerque than in does at our house, so there were many flowering plants.

I don't know what this is, but it smelled heavenly.

After my walk, we still had about an hour before the surgery. I had discovered that the oral surgeon's office was right near the big grocery store I had been to last time I was in Albuquerque. 

Source of The Good Italian Sausage.

I of course had my coolers in the car, which is why I decided to go grocery shopping right then so we could just go home after the surgery.

Then finally, the actual purpose of this trip.

Awaiting the patient.

Eldest had been referred for extraction of one tooth, but on the advice of the surgeon, ended up getting all four wisdom teeth taken out. So that was pretty much the end of anything fun. But it was a nice city adventure while it lasted.

Snapshots: Flowers, Field Day, and Me

The mechanic's pit bulb garden doesn't currently have any blooms in it for the table--I'm waiting on the lilies at the moment--but there are plenty of wildflowers.

Those white ones are a new one this year. I don't know what they are, but they're pretty.

Unfortunately, they don't last as a cut flower, so I replaced them with a rose from my Mother's Day bush.

The last Wednesday of school is always field day for the elementary kids. The weather is a toss-up this time of year. It could be sunny or rainy, hot or cold, still or windy.

This year we got moderate temperatures, lots of sun, but unfortunate wind.

I managed to keep my floppy Mom hat on, but it was a battle.

Poppy set a school record for the 25-yard dash this year, and also did very well in the long jump.

She may have eaten some sand, too, but it was worth it.

I got a rare selfie with that record-breaking girl on Mother's Day.

She refused to smile for it, however.

And last, the preschool teacher always has a motivational saying as her screen saver. This was this month's.

A good reminder to us all.

There you have it! My life, snapshotted.

Friday Food: School's Out!

Friday 

Short version: Pintos and ham, chicken stir-fry, rice

Long version: A completely random meal. It was cool, so I thought I should simmer some pinto beans while it was still comfortable to do so. I put a ham bone in with the beans.

And then I made chicken stock with the rotisserie chicken carcass. I pulled about a cup of chicken off the bones after making the stock. There were two bags of stir-fry vegetables in the freezer that had been in there for awhile, so I used those with the chicken to make the stir-fry, and then I used the stock to make the rice.

Ham and chicken.

So everyone got some rice and then could choose what to put on it. It was about an even split. One child actually had both. In separate piles, though.

Saturday

Short version: Lamb and chickpeas, mashed potatoes, carrot sticks

Long version: I defrosted a bag of lamb stew meat, which was some meat that had been cut off the bone and some bony chops. The chops I simmered with a few onion ends until I could pull the meat off. Then I combined that meat with the deboned meat, a container of cooked chickpeas from the freezer, tomato sauce, chicken stock, onions, green garlic, thyme, paprika, and cumin. This simmered for a long time, until everything was very tender. At the end I added a bunch of yogurt with cornstarch to thicken it. 

Sunday

Short version: Nachos or Frito pie, ice cream

Long version: Earlier in the week when I had quite a bit of elk taco meat left over, I decided to freeze it for an easy Mother's Day dinner. So all I did was thaw the meat, set out both tortilla chips and Fritos, plus toppings, and let everyone make their own combinations.

I myself had Frito pie. I do love Frito pie.

Monday

Short version: Toasted bean burritos, still-frozen green beans

Long version: I had a lot of the pinto beans and ham left, which is what I used to make the burritos after work.

Tuesday

Short version: Pizza, cherries

Long version: There were only four of us eating, because the two FFA boys were at a dinner, so I decided very last minute to use some of the bread dough I had going to make one pizza. I did this mostly because I had opened canned diced tomatoes in the refrigerator, plus I had extra bacon on hand. So half the pizza had bacon and pickled onions, and half was just cheese.

Pizza dough, along with muffins, cake, and meatballs that were used at other times.

The cherries were the first of the season from Colorado. I was very excited when I saw the sign up for the truck on the side of the road in town the week before, even though I knew it was a little too early and some of them wouldn't be all the way ripe. This was true, but there were enough ripe ones that it was worth it. I love cherries.

Wednesday

Short version: Barbecue meatballs, baked beans, bread and butter, radishes

Long version: The meatballs were a small bag of extra ones I had frozen some time ago and baked the day before when the oven was on to bake bread. I heated those up with barbecue sauce after work. 

I had made the baked beans the day before, too, with the rest of the pintos and ham, plus some of the bacon. I knew I would need an easy dinner after work because it was field day for the elementary students, and that always tires me out.

Thursday

Short version: Cocktails, chips and salsa, ham steaks, roasted potatoes, cucumbers with ranch dip, ice cream sandwiches

Long version: Last day of school, hooray! That is why we had the cocktails. I trust you know without me having to tell you that it was only A. and I consuming cocktails. 

A. was for some reason inspired to make a rhubarb syrup on Wednesday, which is what we used for our drinks. He added a few frozen strawberries for a nice color. 

Our rhubarb is mostly green, and therefore not pretty. We mixed this with vodka and lemon juice.

The children got to have the chips and salsa to celebrate. And ice cream sandwiches. The actual food--ham and potatoes--just went in the oven to roast all together, which made for a nice easy dinner.

Refrigerator check:

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