Grrrr. Someplace between work and home, I lost my grocery list. That's no big deal. Big deal: on the back of the list I had written the recipes I wanted to make in the next week or so. Somehow, I just don't have the energy to recreate it. Luckily, I do know what to make tonight, because I posted it above. I guess now I should always make sure to record my menu ideas here, so they can't get lost. *sigh*
Kara
treehugger--I hate when that happens! I end up buying a bunch of stuff and then don't remember what I was going to do with it! I do eventually use it all up, though!
DH is still sick, so it's just DD and I eating mainly. We've had a couple of meals of fries and BBQ pork, but I will probably freeze the rest of the pork since DD and I will never get through it all alone! Yesterday we had soup and sandwiches for lunch and homemade waffles for dinner. We had leftover waffles for breakfast and will probably have soup and sandwiches again for lunch. Trying to keep things simple and easy since DH won't be joining us and isn't able to watch her while I cook dinner. Cooking in a small kitchen with an 18 month old is crazy!
We are doing really well with eating at home. I should do our tracking from last month and see how much our restauranting went down. I think we only went out twice . . . that's an improvement. But we'll see if my memory fails me.
I seasoned some beans with a taco mix I made here at home. I don't buy packet mixes anymore because of hidden gluten. I was following a recipe I had printed off online to mix up a small jar of GF taco seasoning, and it was time to make more today, but we had run out of about half the spices. So then I started to eye some of the seasonings we never use, like Cajun and Jerk. When I looked at the ingredients, they were fundamentally the same as the ones that go into the taco mix. So anyway, I used some of that and made a passable taco seasoning.
I love knowing that all my years of following recipes is starting to lead into being able to be more flexible in my cooking. A few years ago, I would have run out and bought everything the recipe called for. Now I am comfortable enough to root around in the cupboard and find something close enough. Score!
Agreed, Kelli, on years of practice making cooking so much easier. I rarely follow recipes now, even though I have several shelves full of cookbooks. I do use the books for ideas and comparisons... and I can't remember the last time DH complained about anything I make. Last week he even made a comment about not going out for Mexican because what I make is better. I'll just say... we've come a long way!
Yesterday I went to a large Asian market (locals: Shuang Hur in St Paul). I'd been there before, but the produce section seems to have been beefed up and wow, there were some really screaming deals on vegetables & herbs. Made me happy since we're all suffering from late-winter broccoli fatigue. Tonight, we'll have a shiitake-snow pea-red bell pepper-tofu stir-fry. I also bought a huge chunk of ginger and pureed it to freeze in ice cubes. Really speeds up making Chinese or Indian food, plus the ginger adds more flavor when it's pureed vs minced.
I'll have to check out Shuang Her. We have made a few trips to Dragon Star but Shuang Her would be closer. Plus Dragon Star has been packed every time we go there and nuts for parking, but maybe Shuang Her is the same.
+1Originally Posted by fidgiegirl
I, too, feel pretty confident in my substitution abilities when it comes to making dishes and discovering that I don't have *exactly* what is called for in the recipe.
Tonight will be a tomato and avocado salad of some sort because I have a lone tomato and a lone avocado that need to be consumed. My dearly beloved won't be home until tomorrow night so I'll plan to actually cook again starting then!
(For Twin Citians)
The remodeled Dragon Star is still about half-again the size of Shuang Hur, but that still leaves room for lots of stuff. I like the produce at both; some better deals at DS, I think, but I like the meat/seafood department at SH a little more. Parking at both is a hassle depending on when you're there, though weekends seem to be the absolute worst.
ObCookingAtHome: we managed to work through almost everything we had left over before we leave for vacation. Only some leftover butternut squash (which, truth be told, was not that good to start with; gotta stop buying Stahlbush veggies because they disappoint me more often than not). I'm pretty proud of that. Usually getting out of here for a vacation resembles the fall of Saigon. I hate that, though our compost heap thanks me profusely.
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington
I'm doing pretty well for February. Even managed to have the kids home for a full week without ordering them food! They're staying with inlaws for a few more days so I'm on my own for about a week. have decided to try Atkins-style eating as my weight has creeped up to an uncomfortable point. Made a frittata for breakfast yesterday and will have that for breakfast most of the week. Had ham/cheese/hardboiled egg for lunch because I was feeling lazy and the stuff I got out of the freezer hadn't defrosted yet. Made a salad with some soon-to-go-bad lettuce and leftover spicey chicken for dinner -- that was actually really yummy! Made a batch of chicken broth with bones I had saved in the freezer. Today I plan to make a gumbo type thing with a bunch of shrimp that have been in the freezer for ages, and I have a bunch of frost-bitten fish thawing to make a baked fish dish. Also going to make some smashed cauliflower to go with it -- need to get to the store first. I'll probably pick up a whole chicken to roast on the way home tomorrow or Tuesday. That plus the veggies I'll get today should keep me fed the rest of the week until kids/DH come home.
It was really interesting to watch how my appetite/cravings developed yesterday. I clearly have a carb issue. I wasn't hungry AT ALL after my 100% protein based lunch. But after I had that salad for dinner I found myself getting carb cravings a couple of hours later.
lhamo
"Seek out habits that help you overcome fear or inertia. Destroy those that do the opposite." Seth Godin
Oh yum, the stir-fry was fabulous. I made hot and sour soup as well. Good reviews all around. DD was happy when I said she could have some of the leftovers for breakfast if she wants.
In my last post I was touting my ability to substitute in recipes successfully. Perhaps I spoke too soon!
Last night I made a pasta dish with a blue cheese sauce. Well, the two different recipes that I perused used things I didn't have on hand: heavy cream or mascarpone cheese. I was not about to run to the store for either of these items since we don't use them regularly. So I decided I would try a combo of whole milk and jarlsberg cheese instead. Ha! The sauce turned out smooth and creamy, but -- wow -- it was a bit too blue cheese-y for my tastes! My dearly beloved didn't say that outright, but come to think of it, he didn't say much. He ate it pretty much without comment, which makes me think that this is not going to become one of his favorite dishes any time soon! Oh well, it was edible and there is only one small serving of leftovers in the refrigerator, so I'll have to find something else to make with the remainder of the blue cheese. In case anyone is wondering, I made this with gluten free pasta and added frozen peas and frozen spinach to the sauce. I actually think that it would have been quite good had I used mascarpone or ricotta in the sauce in the right ratio with the blue cheese!
At least we managed to eat one more meal at home and not resort to either running to the grocery store at the last minute or going out to eat. Hooray!
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