Tonight, we hit the Old Dominion Cookbook yet again. Mexican Meatloaf - ground beef with taco seasoning, oatmeal & egg, filled with cream cheese and topped with salsa - was accompanied by Mac & Cheese with a variety of cheeses and sour cream. Both were really good! The Meatloaf called for optional jalapenos, which I opted NOT to use this time. It was good without 'em and we didn't miss the extra 'kick'.
We also had French bread and Arbor Mist Exotic Fruits wine. I guess we really mixed it up with the ethnicity tonight, too! American, French and Mexican. I didn't realize that until I started writing. LOL
I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day. This year had a more Patriotic feel than I've noticed in years past. There were so many mentions of gratitude and American pride on Facebook and Twitter - and even on TV stations. It was great to see so much, especially with my son leaving in a couple of months for the Marine Corps. I had a rather emotional weekend! We had a guest speaker in Sunday School, too - a career Army commander who talked about 'Christianity in the Military'. Very moving hour - and quite a few tears on my part.
I know four young men now who are serving - Logan in the Air Force in Minot, ND; Van in the Army in Korea; John in Navy boot camp in Chicago and Charlie who left today for Marine basic training in Parris Island. Please keep them, their families and all who are serving, have served and are getting ready to serve in your prayers.
Til next time,
L
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
We're back! It's been a long six or so weeks - love the money, but it sure wears me out!
Tonight we had started off with Strawberry Spinach Salad - fresh strawberries, purple onion, feta cheese, walnuts (some of us) and spinach with a balsamic vinagrette dressing. We weren't sure how those flavors would combine, but it was really good! The main dish was Texas Casserole from The Old Dominion Cookbook (as was the salad). Ground beef in a tomato/garlic sauce, layered with a cream cheese/sour cream/green onion mixture and egg noodles, topped with cheddar cheese and baked. It was really good, too - but seemed to be missing something. Chili powdered was suggested, or something else to give it a little kick. We also had Garlic Texas Toast.
Now I'm craving Strawberry Shortcake. We may just end up with dessert next week. Other than that, I'm open to suggestions.
Til next time!
L
Tonight we had started off with Strawberry Spinach Salad - fresh strawberries, purple onion, feta cheese, walnuts (some of us) and spinach with a balsamic vinagrette dressing. We weren't sure how those flavors would combine, but it was really good! The main dish was Texas Casserole from The Old Dominion Cookbook (as was the salad). Ground beef in a tomato/garlic sauce, layered with a cream cheese/sour cream/green onion mixture and egg noodles, topped with cheddar cheese and baked. It was really good, too - but seemed to be missing something. Chili powdered was suggested, or something else to give it a little kick. We also had Garlic Texas Toast.
Now I'm craving Strawberry Shortcake. We may just end up with dessert next week. Other than that, I'm open to suggestions.
Til next time!
L
Monday, March 26, 2012
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
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
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
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Happy Tuesday! It's been a good day, after an iffy start. I was in very bad need of an attitude adjustment this morning and asked my Prayer Group at work to pray for me. What an awesome God we have!
Supper was good. We were missing a couple from the regular crowd, but we talked about them, so it was all good. LOL. We killed it too, after sending a plate (well, bowl, actually) to the favorite daughter.
Tonight was Rigatoni with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Tuna. I know - it doesn't sound too exciting to some (okay, most), but I thought it was really good! It called for red pepper flakes, which I didn't have, so I subbed Cheyenne Pepper. It had a nice little kick to it, but not too much. The recipe also called for a wedge of lemon to squeeze over all. I thought that was a little odd, but it made all the difference. Responses ranged from 'okay', to 'well, the pasta is good'. I thought it was pretty darn good myself. French bread and a Cheesecake sampler balanced it all. Yum! (I passed on the cheesecake - yay, me!)
The dog really wanted to try it, but I thought the Cheyenne might be a little much.
Next week, I'm contemplating a repeat of the Roasted Salmon Stuffed with Spinach and Feta, Lamb Chops (that's GOING TO HAPPEN one of these days) or Sweet Potato & Carmelized Onion Stuffed Shells. I might just have to buy a couple more cookbooks, too...I need fresh ideas. (There are still plenty of "Old Dominion Cooks for the Salvation Army" cookbooks left, too - only $10! :-)) I'd really like to try more vegetarian dishes in coming weeks, too.
Til next time,
L
Supper was good. We were missing a couple from the regular crowd, but we talked about them, so it was all good. LOL. We killed it too, after sending a plate (well, bowl, actually) to the favorite daughter.
Tonight was Rigatoni with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Tuna. I know - it doesn't sound too exciting to some (okay, most), but I thought it was really good! It called for red pepper flakes, which I didn't have, so I subbed Cheyenne Pepper. It had a nice little kick to it, but not too much. The recipe also called for a wedge of lemon to squeeze over all. I thought that was a little odd, but it made all the difference. Responses ranged from 'okay', to 'well, the pasta is good'. I thought it was pretty darn good myself. French bread and a Cheesecake sampler balanced it all. Yum! (I passed on the cheesecake - yay, me!)
The dog really wanted to try it, but I thought the Cheyenne might be a little much.
Next week, I'm contemplating a repeat of the Roasted Salmon Stuffed with Spinach and Feta, Lamb Chops (that's GOING TO HAPPEN one of these days) or Sweet Potato & Carmelized Onion Stuffed Shells. I might just have to buy a couple more cookbooks, too...I need fresh ideas. (There are still plenty of "Old Dominion Cooks for the Salvation Army" cookbooks left, too - only $10! :-)) I'd really like to try more vegetarian dishes in coming weeks, too.
Til next time,
L
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