Happy Monday! I can't believe it's the last week of March already. My annual Springtime second job starts tomorrow and runs through mid-May, so tonight was our last supper for awhile.
We had grilled London Broil with Sweet Smoky rub, green bean casserole, salad, grilled Texas Garlic Toast (yum!) and, in case we ran out of beef, a couple of marinated pork roasts from the freezer. Everything was really good! I was planning to bake/broil the Texas Toast and saw grilling directions on the box. Since we had the grill going, anyway, we decided to give it a try. It really added some extra flavor. I'm looking forward to using the grill more as days are getting warmer. :-) We may just have to have a Supper Club cookout or two over the weekend during the next six weeks or so. I can smell the burgers already!
Now, everyone is gone, the dishwasher is running and I'm about ready for bed.
I love the extra money from my second job, but it really wears me out. I am so fortunate to have a family who pitches in to help while I'm basically gone for six weeks, and a job with enough flexibility to let me do it, also.
Grace and peace to you until next time!
L
Monday, March 26, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Happy Late Saint Patrick's Day! Tonight we had corned beef and Baked Spinach Risotto - and had NO leftovers! Actually, we didn't even wait for everyone to get here - we dug on in as soon as it was ready. I've had trouble with corned beef in the past being rather chewy, so I researched it online and found a good recipe. Soak the brisket in water for 30 minutes, drain well, put in a crockpot or slow cooker and pour a thawed container of orange juice concentrate overall. Cook on LOW for 10-12 hours. It was so tender!
The Baked Spinach Risotto was really good, too. It had fresh spinach, sauteed onions, green pepper, garlic, rice, chicken broth, Parmesan cheese and a dash of hot sauce. In hindsight, it would've been really good with mushrooms, too. I may just have to try it again.
Next week will be our last for a bit. (Oops! I forgot to tell everyone, too!) My annual Spring part-time job is starting on April 3rd and will last through the first of May. I'm going to have to come up with something amazing next week to carry us through a month hiatus. Someone was mentioning green bean casserole the other day - I've never tried to make it. I wouldn't call it 'amazing', but maybe I can find something amazing to go with it.
Til next time,
L
The Baked Spinach Risotto was really good, too. It had fresh spinach, sauteed onions, green pepper, garlic, rice, chicken broth, Parmesan cheese and a dash of hot sauce. In hindsight, it would've been really good with mushrooms, too. I may just have to try it again.
Next week will be our last for a bit. (Oops! I forgot to tell everyone, too!) My annual Spring part-time job is starting on April 3rd and will last through the first of May. I'm going to have to come up with something amazing next week to carry us through a month hiatus. Someone was mentioning green bean casserole the other day - I've never tried to make it. I wouldn't call it 'amazing', but maybe I can find something amazing to go with it.
Til next time,
L
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Happy Tuesday! I would start in on the whole stupid time change thing, but I'm sure no one wants to hear it. :-)
We had a smaller crowd tonight - just four. (As usual, we're sending leftovers to an unnamed fast food restaurant for some who are working. Shh!) From the OD Cookbook (STILL plenty left!! hint, hint): Bloody Mary Chicken and Fettucine Alfredo. Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking that the meat package I bought a few weeks ago at Gallimore's had bone-in chicken breasts. I always use boneless, skinless. Still, the chicken was pretty good, although I do want to try it again with filets. Marinate the chicken in Bloody Mary mix (I used Bold & Spicy) for at least 30 minutes (I think overnight would be better, maybe), then roll them in a mixture of crushed corn flakes and spices. Oregano, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion salt, chili powder. Place in a greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Since I had bone-in, I went for an hour. They were very juicy and had good flavor, but we're just not used to fighting those bones.
The fettucine was very good, although someone thought the noodles were undercooked. (They were perfectly al dente!) Real butter, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, a little salt, pepper and parsley. No calories! HAHAHA.
We really needed something green, but it was an afterthought and everything else was ready. A nice salad with field greens and vinagrette would have been really nice.
After tonight, we're moving our supper club to Wednesday to accomodate several people who have things they'd like to or need to do on Tuesdays.
As far as next week, I'm thinking Baked Spinach Risotto and.....
Til next time!
L
We had a smaller crowd tonight - just four. (As usual, we're sending leftovers to an unnamed fast food restaurant for some who are working. Shh!) From the OD Cookbook (STILL plenty left!! hint, hint): Bloody Mary Chicken and Fettucine Alfredo. Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking that the meat package I bought a few weeks ago at Gallimore's had bone-in chicken breasts. I always use boneless, skinless. Still, the chicken was pretty good, although I do want to try it again with filets. Marinate the chicken in Bloody Mary mix (I used Bold & Spicy) for at least 30 minutes (I think overnight would be better, maybe), then roll them in a mixture of crushed corn flakes and spices. Oregano, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion salt, chili powder. Place in a greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Since I had bone-in, I went for an hour. They were very juicy and had good flavor, but we're just not used to fighting those bones.
The fettucine was very good, although someone thought the noodles were undercooked. (They were perfectly al dente!) Real butter, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, a little salt, pepper and parsley. No calories! HAHAHA.
We really needed something green, but it was an afterthought and everything else was ready. A nice salad with field greens and vinagrette would have been really nice.
After tonight, we're moving our supper club to Wednesday to accomodate several people who have things they'd like to or need to do on Tuesdays.
As far as next week, I'm thinking Baked Spinach Risotto and.....
Til next time!
L
Monday, March 5, 2012
Happy March! Supper Club was back on Monday this week. I was thinking last week about various different things, and never did make up my mind, so when I was asked if we could do it tonight, I just made a snap decision on meatloaf (hard to go wrong, there), Macaroni & Cheese (with pepper-jack and cheddar - YUM!) and homemade biscuits (another new recipe). I used a mac & cheese recipe from the Old Dominion Cookbook (still plenty available!) - so good! It had a mixture of mild & sharp cheddar, pepper jack, and had buttered cracker crumbs on top. So healthy LOL!
I have never been able to make good biscuits - I've tried so many times! They usually end up tasting like baked flour. The last time I tried (a week or two ago?), they were really good, but had to rise for an hour and a half. They didn't really rise, even though I gave them enough time, but had good flavor. Unfortunately, an hour and a half is a long time to wait when you don't get home until 5:30 or so. The recipe I tried tonight only had to rise 30 minutes - they still didn't rise very much, but were also pretty good! I think this one is a keeper. Now, if my family only liked biscuits, I'd have it made. I could be such a wonderful cook if I was able to experiment and try new and savory things every day. Sigh.
In the meantime, I am very grateful to my Tuesday (or Monday) night buddies who let me play and almost always eat whatever I fix! I enjoy the fellowship, the food, the research and the new ideas. I'm hoping to try even more new stuff in the weeks to come - with maybe a few old standards or really, really good repeats thrown in there somewhere.
Til next time,
L
I have never been able to make good biscuits - I've tried so many times! They usually end up tasting like baked flour. The last time I tried (a week or two ago?), they were really good, but had to rise for an hour and a half. They didn't really rise, even though I gave them enough time, but had good flavor. Unfortunately, an hour and a half is a long time to wait when you don't get home until 5:30 or so. The recipe I tried tonight only had to rise 30 minutes - they still didn't rise very much, but were also pretty good! I think this one is a keeper. Now, if my family only liked biscuits, I'd have it made. I could be such a wonderful cook if I was able to experiment and try new and savory things every day. Sigh.
In the meantime, I am very grateful to my Tuesday (or Monday) night buddies who let me play and almost always eat whatever I fix! I enjoy the fellowship, the food, the research and the new ideas. I'm hoping to try even more new stuff in the weeks to come - with maybe a few old standards or really, really good repeats thrown in there somewhere.
Til next time,
L
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