what are you cooking in November?

[Blackdog Lin]

We haven't done a "what's for dinner?" thread for a couple of months and I miss them. Cooking is my main pleasure in my retirement days, and I very much enjoy reading the varied menus that y'all come up with (you know, how are my menus measuring up in terms of healthiness, or variety, or thriftiness.....I enjoy the silent competition). :)

So may I get one started? This week:

Monday: Wal-Mart rotisserie chicken (wanted fried but they were out) with leftover homemade cole slaw and bread-n-butter. We hadn't been shopping in a month, were out of everything, and just getting something to go with the cole slaw before it went to waste was my main goal.
Tuesday: (leftover from the freezer) beef stew, w/biscuits.
Wednesday: Italian Drip Beef Sandwiches and chips. Oh my, an idea I saw on Pinterest and it worked! DH asked me to write down what I had done before he'd even consumed his first sandwich. A keeper for us for sure.
Thursday (planned): hamburger-ramen skillet. Veggies and everything in it, a meal in one.
Friday (planned): pork roast (I think I'll go in a garlic direction) w/rice and Brussels sprouts.
Saturday (planned): fajitas using the leftover pork roast, and 'cause I picked tonight some gorgeous bell peppers from the fading garden and it should work to use up both the fresh peppers and leftover pork. With some homemade guacamole.

Can't plan any further, leftovers and circumstances tend to mess up my menu planning if I get too far ahead.

What's for dinner, everyone? :)

[Jilly]

Soups, mostly squash, sweet and regular potatoes, broccolli, chili. I was going to make chili yesterday, but bell peppers, green and orange, were 94 cents per pound, so I made the chili thick and stuffed some of the peppers. Dinner last night, lunch today at work, and three more meals from just 4 big peppers.

I also eat a lot of salad during cold weather, more than when it is hot. Lots of kale, apples, turkey wings lately. I feel much better when I eat more animal protein, but it just does not appeal to me.

[fidgiegirl]

Our main focus in the next week or two is going to be using things up from the fridge/freezer/pantry. I like to challenge myself to this once in a while. This morning I am eating up a packet of dry rice pudding from when I went camping in June, and DH just finished off some old trail mix that had gotten all clumpy - we chopped it up and he put it in his oatmeal.

We are going to have chicken in the remainder of a bottle of marinade we got from one of DH's students and put it over rice.

I am still looking for good ways to use up rice flour and buckwheat flour. I suppose I could just mix them together and put in a banana or zucchini bread - we do have tons of frozen zucchini. Other ideas are welcome. The atole thread gave me a bit of inspiration for this as well.

Lots more to use up than that, but one thing at a time . . .

[SteveinMN]

This week:
Monday: roasted chicken, string beans, and olive oil/garlic brown-rice pasta (on sale at the co-op and purchased with a coupon)
Tuesday, today: winter squash/kale wraps -- butternut (and acorn, I had one hanging around) squash roasted and combined with kale, onions, garlic, goat cheese, and cumin in a whole-wheat tortilla. This was a reach (kale is not popular among some eaters in the house) but it turned out to be very tasty and enduring -- tonight will be the third time around for me eating it and I still really enjoy it.
Wednesday, Saturday: Beef with Portobello Mushrooms -- chuck steak slow-cooked with mushrooms, leeks, and red wine, and served with butternut-squash noodles (co-op, coupon) and carrots/string beans/wax beans.
Friday: pizza (our usual frozen thin-crust, which we chip away at all evening)

[catherine]

I'm planning to make a vegetarian chili today. Because of a mistake my son's girlfriend made last year, I've discovered that ground walnuts are a great add in chili.

As for the rest of the week, I'm seeing great inspiration here! Steve, the squash/kale wraps look great! We have some squash. DH might rebel on the kale--we had so much of it in our CSA this summer and he's just not a "greens" guy. Maybe I'll substitute spinach.

[SteveinMN]

Steve, the squash/kale wraps look great! We have some squash. DH might rebel on the kale--we had so much of it in our CSA this summer and he's just not a "greens" guy. Maybe I'll substitute spinach.
If you have to buy the greens, buy what people will eat. But otherwise I would suggest just cutting up the kale fine; it'll kind of disappear.

Recipe:

Smoky Greens Wrap
makes 4-6 wraps <-- we got 6

1 small butternut squash, peeled + cubed
1 large bunch kale, stems removed
1/2 small red onion
1T cumin
1T smoked paprika <-- regular paprika is fine if that's what you have
s+p
olive oil
goat cheese <-- if you don't have/can't find, cream cheese is fine, too
chipotle mayo (see recipe below) <-- see my note below
large tortillas

-toss butternut squash in olive oil and season with salt + pepper
-roast at 400˚F until just tender <-- depends on how small you cube the squash

-heat olive oil in large pan
-saute onions until translucent
-add cumin + smoked paprika and toast until fragrant
-tear kale into pieces and toss into pan with onion mixture, continuing to stir frequently until kale is wilted
-add as much butternut squash as you'd like (you can freeze the rest, if you don't use it all) and toss to combine and just heated thru
-allow mixture to cool

-place 1T chipotle mayo on one side of tortilla
-add filling and goat cheese
-wrap and eat (may be served hot or cold)

Chipotle Mayo
makes 1C

1 chipotle + 1T adobo sauce from small can
1C good quality mayo (or homemade)

add all ingredients into blender and puree
adjust spiciness by adding more chipotle or more mayo, according to preference.
Color should be a light orangey-pink

I used an acorn squash along with the butternut and it was just fine. Instead of making chipotle mayo (a cup of may, really?) I added maybe a heaping teaspoon of chipotle-flavored hot sauce to 1/2 cup mayo, mixed, and called it good. DW (who is not a chile-head) declared it at least hot enough.

The goat cheese is a good add, but if that's not in your grocery (or grocery budget), cream cheese or Neufchatel is fine.

In fact, this meal probably could be made vegan by using Tofutti or some other soy-based cream-cheese alternative and Nayonaise or something like that. What you want is a mild cheese which will melt against the heat of the filling.

Yummy. I don't know where this recipe came from. But we'll be making this often, I think!

[catherine]

Steve, I do have feta cheese--can I use that instead of goat?
Thanks for the recipe!

[Azure]

Monday - chili
Tuesday - I was home alone and just had yogurt
Wednesday - we had bbq pulled pork & fries, apples and dip
Thursday- frozen chicken kiev from Meijer, corn & baked potatoes
Friday - pizza bread
Saturday - meatloaf, whatever

Next week we are on VACATION. Alone. Without kids. Where the temperature is expected to be in the low to mid 80's. No menu planning. No cooking. No dishes. No kids. No housework. !!!!!

[try2bfrugal]

Next week we are on VACATION. Alone. Without kids. Where the temperature is expected to be in the low to mid 80's. No menu planning. No cooking. No dishes. No kids. No housework. !!!!!

Have fun! It sounds relaxing.

[Glo]

Tomorrow I'm having my annual stuffed cabbage party. DH and I just finished making 7 pounds of ground beef and pork into cabbage rolls. We have it down to a science and it only tool 1 hour.

Saturday: vegetarian chili
Sunday: roasted chicken thighs with roasted potatoes and green beans
Monday: spaghetti and maybe meatballs if DH gets around to making them.
Tuesday: Tuna salad sandwiches eith roasted red pepper soup