Thursday, December 10. 2020
Hello and welcome to the slowest day in blog land! Why do people not blog on Thursdays?
Here are some snapshots of what we have been eating around here lately/what I have been cooking.
My college kids came home November 20 and 21 and the grocery runs have sure looked different! I have been cooking more, too. I am not sure why but I feel like we need more sides when the boys are here. When it was Tom and I we were having lots of one dish meals and lots of easier meals, I think. Also, there are so many more dishes! Where do all the dishes come from?
I put the turkey in the freezer and brought it out one night to make Hot Browns. This dish is from here – Louisville, Kentucky. You start with toasted thick cut bread (I used Trader Joes brioche) and then you top it with turkey and mornay sauce then you broil and top with tomato, bacon, and parmesan. They turned out pretty good!
The boys love chocolate chip pancakes so sometimes I make those as a treat for them. I have an electric non-stick griddle that I really like. It is great for pancakes, French toast, grilled cheese, and quesadillas. They are super cheap, too. I think I got mine for $19.99.
My boys (and Tom and I) love this basic salad akin to the Outback salad. I use iceberg clean from my salad spinner (another gadget I really like that dries your lettuce – I prefer to chop my own lettuces due to all the problems with E.Coli.), carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, big croutons, and hard boiled eggs.
And, I make my own honey mustard. It is so easy – EVOO, mustard, honey, little salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can also add a bit of mayo to make it creamier. Once you make your own salad dressings, you will never go back.
I have finally figured out how to make my hard boiled eggs peelable. You simply add a dash of baking soda to your boiling water. It is amazing! Why did you not tell me this? Anyone? Buelller?
I did an experiment that worked quite well. I dipped coated chicken tenders in pretzel pieces and then sauteed/fried them. Sorry for raw chicken photo – I forgot to take picture of finished product.
Mason really loves my homemade potato wedges. Just cut in half and keep cutting in half. I add a bit of EVOO and s and p. I bake at 400 for 20 minutes or so and then broil for a couple of minutes at the end.
All meals have been eaten upon my fun Target plastic plates. I have Santa, reindeer, and Christmas trees and I have 8 of them. They are a funky shape and they just make me happy. They are left out next to the stove.
I did something crazy to surprise my boys – Tom included. Did you know you can go in the movie theater and buy the hot buttered popcorn? You can!
One night we had breakfast for dinner and it was not a well balanced meal – tator tots,
biscuits with gravy or jam,
and pancakes! Everyone loved it because we almost never do this.
And, the southwest bowl which is always popular. The cilantro lime aioli makes it but you can use up leftovers and use whatever you like – rice, beans, corn, guac, salsa, sour cream, cheese, chicken or beef.
We have also had spahetti and chili recently.
I am going to pull out more turkey for turkey and noodles (I bought the frozen Reames brand noodles). We have tacos on deck. We have ham, green beans, and mashed potatoes on deck, too.
What have you been cooking lately?
I hope maybe I have given you an idea or two. I love getting meal ideas from my favorite blogs!
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
I never knew about the baking soda either – I must try it! I’ve been following the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for easy to boil eggs but it doesn’t always work out. I will definitely try this!
Breakfast for dinner sounds so good – I just love all the yummy breakfast carbs and if I eat them early I feel drowsy all day. Eating them at dinner is such a better idea! I made a pot roast the other day, banana bread, and corn bread. I definitely cook differently with the boys home!
xo,
Kellyann
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It is a great tip and I’m mad I didn’t know it before now! I love all Pioneer Woman recipes! That is true that the morning carbs aren’t good. We love pot roast and banana and corn bread. Yes, the kids home require different cooking!
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So many great ideas. I didn’t know that trick about hard boiled eggs. I haven’t made any in a while but will try that next time! I didn’t know that popcorn surprise either. That would be so fun for family movie night! I think I do a pretty good job making some of our regular dishes and adding in new ones for dinner but this week my entire dinner menu came from the December dinner list Shay shared recently
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Thank you! Unpopular opinion but I don’t love all Shay’s recipes. I love all of yours and Momfessionals. That makes it so easy, though. It’s about the ideas for me. I just don’t want to always think about what to have! I forgot to say I’m making potato soup this weekend – supposed to rain so that will be good.
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Great tip on the hard boiled eggs! I’m going to try that, as well as the potato wedges. Have a terrific Thursday!
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Let me know how they both turn out. I love the egg trick and have done it twice.
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Amy, everything sounds/looks so good! I’ll definitely be stealing some recipes. And that tip about the popcorn is a GAME-CHANGER.
J and I have been gravitating towards comfort foods on the random cold days over the past few weeks. Chicken (or veggie) pot pie, biscuits and gravy, stromboli… Not very healthy, but definitely enjoyable!
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Thank you! Steal away! Getcha some real movie popcorn! Yes, it is comfort food season. Hope you had good suds and suds last night!
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Our theatre does the popcorn too! You pay $25. They give you a gift card for $25 and a bag of popcorn the size of a small toddler. No lie! It is huge. Next time we get it I will send you a picture. Maybe for Christmas Day! WE have SO MANY $25 gift cards now. I hope our theatre makes it and doesn’t close. Oh well. Right? Cant help it and we have tried to keep all these places in business! All of your food sounds great. We are having fish tacos (I make a bowl for me) and tomorrow- hello Friday …Pizza night! and on Saturday I am making Skinnyish Dish Chicken French dips. They are so good. Have you tried them? Tony is mr picky and he loves them too! Sunday we are back to the coast for a dr appt for him on Monday and a few other things!
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The food looks so good! Thank you for sharing! I must try some of your recipes!
All About Wallet Reviews
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Thank you David! Hope you do!
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