The What's For Dinner Thread - March '11 (recipe index in OP)

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Hi Girls,

Greg asked me not to post an update on Leona on FB but there have been major complications and she is still in surgery.
We truly appreciate those of you who reached out on FB.
You know me the more prayers the better in my book.

(I would have sent it to WFD group but it wouldn't allow me).

 

[TigerKat]

Hi Girls,

Greg asked me not to post an update on Leona on FB but there have been major complications and she is still in surgery.
We truly appreciate those of you who reached out on FB.
You know me the more prayers the better in my book.

(I would have sent it to WFD group but it wouldn't allow me).

I haven't had time to read back, just came to check and see if the OP needed any updating and saw this. Know that prayers continue for her and your family.

 

[Rogue26]

Maria- You are all in my thoughts.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Late night check in for those that have asked.

The surgery had some serious complications, it is cancer, she has a chest tube for a few days and by then we should know what kind of treatment is needed.
Sorry for coming back to dump this but Greg asked that I don't update on FB. Your prayers are giving all some peace.

 

[bigmerle1966]

Marilyn- My mom hates when there is to much of one color food on the plate. My husband on the other hand loves it, it usually means boring food.

Well no boring food for me tonight. Got my taxes and went to get a new camera. Ended up stoping at Checkers for dinner. Will have the gnocchi tomorrow night and may have asparagus and beets with it.

Once I learn how to use my camera I might take some food pics for you all. Of course it may take me a decade or two. It was a great price and came with a second lens and an 8GB memory card. This is it.

Late night check in for those that have asked.

The surgery had some serious complications, it is cancer, she has a chest tube for a few days and by then we should know what kind of treatment is needed.
Sorry for coming back to dump this but Greg asked that I don't update on FB. Your prayers are giving all some peace.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Dinner from a couple of nights ago.

My starting ingredients:

• Seabream, 3 pieces of fillet, about 450 g (roughly 1 lb).
• Carrots, which I julienned; broccolini and chinese cabbage (wom bok).
• Sunflower oil, sesame oil and oyster sauce.

I placed some sunflower oil on a piece of foil (double thickness) and then placed the carrots at the bottom. I wrapped the bream in the chinese cabbage, which went on top of the carrots. The broccolini went on top of everything and I seasoned it all with about 3 - 4 drops of sesame oil and about 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce.

I placed a single sheet of foil on top.

And double folded the edges together...

...to end up with a parcel.

Everthing went into an oven at 180 C (I think this is about 350 F) for 20 - 30 minutes. This is what it looked like when it came out and I opened the parcel.

I decided to use a cereal bowl and plated up....

The broth was fabulous!

We had the meal with some green salad; but you might prefer to have some crusty bread, pasta or rice for carbs.

 

[Nancyg56]

Maria- I am so sorry to hear this. I am home all day today if you want a listening ear. i have Noal and Rylee for a few hours but most of that time they will be napping.

Sheryl- Your little boy is so sweet. Bob must be over the moon!

Aimee- I love my double ovens and use them whenever I have company. During the rest of the year the lower oven stores all my chips

Gretchen- I cannot tell you how much I miss hearing Hailey stories I can just picture her leading Kenny's Mom. I told Buddy aboaut your cannons and he was

Robin- Enjoy that clean house! I am a huge procrastinator! Getting the house renovated in the first place was an Act of Congress for poor Buddy. He finally put his foot down and scheduled it, there was alwasy a good reason I did nto want it at the time. I am not looking forward to this and have been putting it off weekly

Marilyn- nice camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Proncess- Nice meal!

Dinner last night was so easy................we delivered a load of mulch to Dan's house so we stopped at Buddy's favorite grinder shop for ham and cheese giant grinders!

Tonight I will finish the chili I put together for myself and make some sauerkraut with hot dogs for Buddy. If I get out I will pick up cabbage for a cole slaw, if not I will just make a green salad.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Maria-

 

[vicb]

Good morning.

Does anyone have a fav vegetarian recipe they would like to share? My DD is bringing her college roommate home for Easter weekend and I need one more dinner idea.

My two men (DH and DS) are pretty die-hard meat eaters so I need something that stands alone for a main dish then I can grill the boys a chicken breast or pork chop to supplement. Trying not to do Italian pasta or mexican as the girls eat that "all the time" in the dorm.

So far I am planning to make veggie lo-mein (meat on side for men) one night and for Easter dinner I am serving honey baked ham and sandwich fixings bar, DD says roommate is fine and will sub out ham for guacamole or hummus on sandwich, then adding scallop potatoes, baked beans, fruit salad and deviled eggs.

Had my new refrigerator delivered yesterday! Yay! It is so clean. I switched from the old top freezer style to the bottom freezer now. It is supposed to be very energy efficient which is great because our old one was 16 years old and a utility sucker!

WFDT = thinking to make steak kebobs, rice pilaf and fresh fruit.

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Quick check in...dinner tonight will be something with chicken. Maybe a salad. We had take out from the Japanese place last night and I bought a pint of their yummy ginger dressing.

Maria, Continued prayers.

PrincessinOz, that looks wonderful...so light and healthy. I wish my husband liked fish. I guess I could do that with chicken too.

Marilyn, nice camera! Have fun with it!

Vicb, can you do some kind of Indian dish like a curry? I think Aimee and Becky have posted some yummy recipes.

Have a great day all! I hope to be back...lots of running around lately with baseball. I need a day to catch up!

 

[Nancyg56]

vicb- my DBIl was a vegetarian and he made all kinds of odd dishes that were so good. One of my favorites was a baked butternut squash that he stuffed. He would cut one in half and hollow it out, cook the squash and add it to a stove top stuffing mis, add chopped nuts.

I would use acorn, steam the squash, add that along with some poultry seasoning, veggie stock, some crumbled apple or cranberry muffins, dried cranberries, sauteed onions, celery and apples and some chopped walnuts. Stuff the squash halves and bake.

Another is a pasta dish. Fresh diced tomatoes, black olives, sundried tomatoes, soy or parm cheese, fresh basil and spinich....olive oil. Heat and toss over WW pasta. I would cheat and use Costco bruschetta from their fresh aisle, add chopped sundried tomatoes and garlic. Heat with a little more olive oil and add black olives, fresh baby spinich to wilt and fresh basil if it looks nice. Finish with some grated parm cheese.

If Becky is out there she will have some ideas, she eats more veggies than

 

[Nancyg56]

Vicb- I have not tried these but they were in my "to try list"-here you go


Spaghetti Squash Primavera


Serves: 2

1 spaghetti squash
1 t. crushed garlic
1/2 Spanish onion, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 green or red pepper, diced
1/2 package sliced mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes (Italian herb, if available)
Oregano
Hot pepper flakes
Salt & pepper
Pinch of sweetener (1/2 t.)

Squash: Using sharp knife, split squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds.
Microwave skin-side down at High power for 12-16 minutes (depending on your microwave), rotating the pieces halfway through. Test with point of small knife to see if it is tender; if not, nuke it for another few minutes.

Sauce: In non-stick pan, saute garlic and onions until they release their fragrance. Add the remainder of the veggies and saute for about 5 minutes at medium heat till they start to release their juices. The onions should not get brown.
Now, add the tomatoes and stir. Simmer at low-to medium heat till the excess liquid is evaporated. While the sauce is reducing, you can play with the seasonings until you get something you like.
Assembly:
Using oven mitts, remove squash from microwave and place on large platter. Keep the mitts on while you take a large fork and flake the squash into pasta-like strands. Use a lengthwise motion - if you've never seen this before, you'll be amazed how pasta-like this becomes! Divide spaghetti squash into two serving bowls, top with sauce.

This one has a Mexican flair but I think it is becasue the beans are needed to add protein, and the chilis just taste good

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

1 medium spaghetti squash
olive oil spray
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 (14-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
2/3 cup sweet corn kernals, drained
2/3 cup thawed chopped spinach
1 tsp chili powder, or curry, to taste
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
1 tsp sea salt


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Halve and roast the squash in a 375 degree oven for 50 minutes until fork tender. Cool. Scrape out the squash halves with a fork (in strands) and place the squash in a bowl.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Spray a large skillet with the olive oil spray and sauté the onion, chili and red pepper over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the drained beans, green chilies, corn, chopped spinach, and chili powder; heat through 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the cooked squash, cilantro, lime juice, and sea salt. Spoon the squash mixture into a casserole or baking dish sprayed with olive oil cooking spray.

Bake at 350 degrees for twenty to thirty minutes - until the casserole is heated through and bubbling around the edges.

 

[Nancyg56]

a few more:

This one is delicious. I add ground browned turkey but you could leave it as is or use that soy crumbles that come Bob's Red Mill. I have added them to chili for texture when making it for my niece. She is a vegetarian.
Eggplant Casserole
1 large ONION CHOPPED
1 teaspoon BASIL
2 LARGE EGGPLANTS PEELED AND CUT INTO CHUNKS.
1 teaspoon GARLIC POWDER
1 28 oz can OF CRUSHED TOMATOES
SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
2/3 CUP SEASONED DRIED BREAD CRUMBS
4 TBS. GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE

Please substitute oatmeal for the breadcrumbs and FF parmesan cheese or Veggie Topping in order to make this a core recipe

Instructions for Eggplant Casserole
For CORE use FF cheese or veggie topping
1) PREHEAT OVEN TO 350, SPRAY 13 X 9 BAKING DISH WITH SPRAY.

2) SPRAY LARGE NONSTICK SAUCEPAN WITH COOKING SPRAY; HEAT AND ADD ONION, COOK UNTIL IT JUST BEGINS TO GET SOFT.

3) ADD EGGPLANT, TOMATOES, BREAD CRUMBS, BASIL, GARLIC AND SALT AND PEPPER. BRING TO A BOIL. STIRRING AS NEEDED. COOK UNTIL MIXTURE
IS THICK.

4) TRANSFER MIXTURE TO BAKING DISH. BAKE COVERED UNTIL TENDER 40-45 MINUTES.

5)UNCOVER, SPRINKLE WITH CHEESE AND BAKE UNTIL CHEESE IS LIGHTLY BROWNED. ABOUT 15 MINUTES.

LET STAND 5 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
6 Servings
Traditional Shepherd's Pie is usually made with ground meat and white potatoes. I like this one because it has sweet potatoes mixed in and omits the meat filling. The curried lentil filling is sandwiched between two layers of creamy potato filling sitting on a crouton crust baked on top of sweet zucchini. I serve this as an entree with a simple chopped tomato salad.
Ingredients:
2 medium or large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 medium or large white potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon quality extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

 

[liamsaunt]

Marilyn, nice camera! I expect to see some food photos from you going forward!!

Julie, I am glad that you got good news from the tests. Definitely look into the pain management.

Aimee, your grocery pirces are awesome! I wish we had prices like that around here. There are lots of markets to choose from, but none of them have prices like that!

Robin, congratulations on choosing a builder! You'll have to entertain us with your construction stories.

Maria Sorry the news was not good. You are in my prayers.

Princess in Oz, that fish dish looks and souunds delcious! I can't get sea bream around here but I am sure flounder or haddock would work. I like doing fish in packets like that--it always comes out nice and moist.

Vic, John and I eat vegetarian a lot. At least twice a week. Just some thoughts....what about a main dish salad with lots of vegetables? Grill some steak for the guys and portobelllo mushrooms for the vegetarian. Slice both and serve on top. I'll have a lot more ideas once I have a cup of tea and my brain wakes up!

WFD: either nicoise salad or greek salad.

 

[EJ4Disney]

Maria ~ Prayers are with you all.

Becky ~ It is so good to see you back with the living. I sure hope seeing you means you feel a bit better.

PrincessInOz ~ All I can say is YUM!!!

Marilyn ~ That is one snazzy camera. Good luck figuring it all out.

Robin~ isn't it amazing how when the boys are gone the house stays clean.
Good luck with the construction - how exciting.

Vic ~ Oh how I would love to have a new frig. Is yours stainless?

Lauren ~ hi sweetie. Busy busy day, take care.

Good grief, it has taken me 45 minutes to write this. I have been interrupted 50 million times so that is all the replies I can do. My brain is mush.

We are hosting Lenten Lunch today and I am doing the inspirational reading. The Ladies serving lunch I swear have never been in the kitchen before - they have been in here asking all sorts of stupid questions. Oh my, I just want to say - figure it out. Yea right and on my next job . . . . .!!!

WFDT ~ Beef tips over broad noodles, roasted broccoli, and fresh peaches with cream.

Make it a great day my friends.

 

[OKWMom]

Late night check in for those that have asked.

The surgery had some serious complications, it is cancer, she has a chest tube for a few days and by then we should know what kind of treatment is needed.
Sorry for coming back to dump this but Greg asked that I don't update on FB. Your prayers are giving all some peace.

Prayers for you and your family.

Well no boring food for me tonight. Got my taxes and went to get a new camera. Ended up stoping at Checkers for dinner. Will have the gnocchi tomorrow night and may have asparagus and beets with it.

Oh! Enjoy your new toy! Not that I know one single thing about cameras, but this one looks serious.

Aimee- I love my double ovens and use them whenever I have company. During the rest of the year the lower oven stores all my chips

Now that just cracks me up! Be careful doing that. My sister has a problem with ants where she lives and started storing her toaster in the oven when she wasn't using it. She's burned up two toasters by preheating without remembering the toaster inside.

Had my new refrigerator delivered yesterday! Yay! It is so clean. I switched from the old top freezer style to the bottom freezer now. It is supposed to be very energy efficient which is great because our old one was 16 years old and a utility sucker!

I don't know about the utility savings but I love my french door fridge. I use my large stand alone freezer for most things and It is great not having to stoop in the fridge to dig through the veggie crisper.

Quick check in...dinner tonight will be something with chicken. Maybe a salad. We had take out from the Japanese place last night and I bought a pint of their yummy ginger dressing.

That dressing is the only thing that gets me to the Japanese restaurant. Amanda and her friends love those places. Me, I think everything tastes the same.

WFD: either nicoise salad or greek salad.

I hope this means you are feeling better.

We are hosting Lenten Lunch today and I am doing the inspirational reading. The Ladies serving lunch I swear have never been in the kitchen before - they have been in here asking all sorts of stupid questions. Oh my, I just want to say - figure it out. Yea right and on my next job . . . . .!!!

But it's fun to think about doing it, isn't it?

Today is Kenny's birthday so dinner tonight is his request - shrimp creole and yeast rolls with honey butter.

 

[bigmerle1966]

Going to try and get out of work for a little while and try out the new camera at my GS's lacrosse game. We'll see how well I do.

 

[EJ4Disney]

Happy Birthday Kenny!! Hope you have a great day!!



OH OH OH I am so dern mad - Guess WHAT!! It is snowing out. We are to get - GET THIS - 4 -6" of the D@$^ stuff. Sorry can ya tell I am not liking this!!!!! Oh and I just heard Thunder - what is up with that???

 

[Rogue26]

Marilyn- I don't know much about cameras either (or getting taxes back!), but have fun with it. I do love not having to worry about wasting film anymore.

Gretchen- That sounds like a perfect dinner, we all love honey butter here.

Ellen- Not only have my floors stayed clean, I don't have a counter full of used water glasses! Joking aside, I prefer having him home even if that means a bit of a mess. With all of your church meals, I think you could give up cooking for lent- I think that might be cheating a bit though.

Becky- I hope I don't have to many entertaing constructions stories. I'm sure there will be bumps along the way, but hopefully nothing major. We have a one story ranch now, and it will be a two story cape. I'm assuming you are familiar with the cedar shingles most houses around here have. Anyway, one of the builders wasn't going to replace the ones on the exsisting house, just new ones on the second floor. Our house would look like a black and white cookie! His price was amazing, but I think this was a case of you get what you pay for.

Vic- Enjoy your new fridge! My husband wants one like yours, but I'd never be able to see the top shelf in the fridge. I already need a stool for my cabinets, don't want to use it for the fridge too.

Maria- Keeping you all in my thoughts.

Tonight we are having beer braised beef subs with provolone and carmelized onions. I made it yesterday thinking I would be at a community ed class tonight, but the class got canceled so no cooking for me tonight. Have a great day all, hope you are all having a sunny, spring day too.

 

[Rogue26]

Ellen- I just saw your post, forget my mention of a sunny spring day!