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

[Aimeedyan]

I'm sorry I don't have more. Dinner tonight is clam chowder for me and Liam and egg and cheese sandwiches for Caili. Last night we had sandwiches: ham and cheese for the kids, pesto, fresh mozzarella and tomato for me. The night before baseball was rained out so we had chicken parmesan and arugula salad. Tuesday we only had 15 minutes for both dinner prep and consumption, so we had hotdogs (Liam got an Honorable Mention for his science fair project), and Monday was quesadillas.

Have a great weekend everyone!

I'm impressed you survived your crazy week, and fed your children homecooked meals, and are still standing by the end! Kudos to you!!

Finally, for Aimee, here are my spice storage racks:

That's what I think I may do - just hang those on my pantry doors. Did you pick them up at like Bed Bath and Beyond, or Walmart or something?

How I store my spices...

Awesome! I wish I had more shelf space to do something like that. I'm very impressed with your organization!! Being organized sounds good in my head... but I get distracted somewhere in between thinking it and doing it



The retreat went well and I'm tired. I fell asleep when I got in for a couple of hours and then we went out for sushi. YUM!

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday which = 3 Ring Circus.

 

[vicb]

Some of those spice displays are pretty impressive!

Worked 6 hours today at the library then home to do some cleaning and hemmed a pair of pants. Tonight I've got the self-cleaner going on my oven. Got to get things spiffied up before my mom comes over for Easter (she has been a snow bird in AZ all winter) and then my MIL for Mother's Day.

WFDT was hawaiian sweet and sour marinated chicken breasts, corn on the cob (which has been really good this week, I think it is from Florida), sliced apples and oven roasted potatoes.

 

[liamsaunt]

Aimee, I bought those shelves at Target.

Princess in Oz, I would not have thought nto add cinnamon to lasagna. How much do you put in?

Here is last night's dinner. An arugula salad with tomatoes and drunken goat cheese:

And mustard-marinated chicken breast with an orzo pilaf and bacon cheddar muffins. For those of you that subscribe to Cooking Light, the chicken marinade and the muffins are in the current issue:

 

[Nancyg56]

How I store my spices...





...and completely outing myself as an OCD!

You would have a meltdown in my cabinets

Becky- I think John must have been feeling better!

Aimee- I hope you survive Holy Week, it will be busy I am sure

Dinner is mostly leftovers from last night. I am going to roast chicken thighs to go with the stuffing and gravy and may make mashed sweet potatoes.

I had purchased a cranberry chutney at Christmas time at Aldi. I forgot about it so I put some on the table last night. It was delicious with the turkey.

I have to share that there is a reason my family struggles with weight. I told my guest that they need not bring anything, I was not serving appetizers and would make dessert. I had a banana cake from Thursday but sdid nto want that so i made two different desserts to choose fro,. My SIS IL brought a Swiss Chocolate Almond pie. Anna brought red velvet cupcakes, brownies and chocolate covered potato chips. No wonder we are a bunch of fatty bombalatties!

 

[Aimeedyan]

And mustard-marinated chicken breast with an orzo pilaf and bacon cheddar muffins. For those of you that subscribe to Cooking Light, the chicken marinade and the muffins are in the current issue:

Were the muffins tasty? I think I may make them this week for easy breakfasts.


Dinner is

 

[HERSEY]

Ok the dis is acting weird!!

Nancy Our family is the same way. It would be a sin to go hungry. We always have food and lots of it.

WFD is chicken piccata with angel hair with a veggie to be named later.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Aimee, I bought those shelves at Target.

Princess in Oz, I would not have thought nto add cinnamon to lasagna. How much do you put in?

Here is last night's dinner. An arugula salad with tomatoes and drunken goat cheese:

And mustard-marinated chicken breast with an orzo pilaf and bacon cheddar muffins. For those of you that subscribe to Cooking Light, the chicken marinade and the muffins are in the current issue:

I put in about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon in red sauce. For the ricotta and spinach, I put in a little bit more than 1 teaspoon. It just adds that little bit of a lift to the sauce/cheese.

You could also add nutmeg to the red sauce. I just prefer cinnamon.

Nice looking chicken! My DH is vegetarian (but eats seafood); so we tend to stick with the veg and seafood meals.

We're having a simple baked jacket potato with cheese, baked beans, avocado and coleslaw for dinner tonight.

I might get motivated to do some Asian cooking at the Easter weekend. If I do, I'll make sure to post some pics and recipes.

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Good Morning! Quick fly by to let you know I am still alive! It was a bit crazy this weekend with baseball, I finally got to see my best friend (we grew up like sisters) on Saturday and yesterday we had a party at the neighbors for their babys dedication.

Dinner tonight is pasta with sauce and meatballs and sausage (from the freezer), salad and italian bread.

I made some good things recently. Here are some of the recipes.

Chicken Marinade (I added some garlic powder and crushed pepper to this). I served in over salad.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/marinade-for-chicken/Detail.aspx

Crockpot Pork Loin (I added a heaping tablespoon of cornstarch to the liquid to thicken the marinade and thenI marinated this for a few hours, then cooked)
Ingredients:
•2 pounds pork tenderloin
•1 envelope dry onion soup mix
•1 cup water
•4 cloves garlic, minced
•1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
•1 teaspoon Worchester Sauce
•fresh ground pepper, to taste Directions:
Pour dry onion soup mix, water, garlic, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce into slow-cooker and mix together thoroughly. Add pork-tenderloin turning to coat. Sprinkle ground back pepper on top of pork tenderloin. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.


All this talk of spice cabinets, I need to clean mine. I have them stacked in a closet by the stove and one fell out the other day and cracked my granite! It is fixable but what a pita.

Have a great day all!

 

[liamsaunt]

Were the muffins tasty? I think I may make them this week for easy breakfasts.

Yes, I liked them a lot. They are pretty spicy from the jalepeno.

Not sure wfd yet. I have the day off (Patriots Day here in MA) so will probably make something on the grill.

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Here is my spice cabinet...nothing too impressive but I did organize/clean it a bit.

[/IMG]

 

[LBKB]

Good morning to everyone. I woke up to a white yard this morning.
Had a good weekend just to short. WFD is sons request corn casserole one on his favorites. Its ok though its easy and I had left over chicken.
Its been crazy at work by me. School district looking for new superintendant and everyone is freaking out about that and new dot requirements. Sure can tell its getting near the end of the year everyone needs a break.

to all

 

[Glynis]

Hi, all! I'm home again, and had a wonderful spring break! It was even springtime weather, so it felt awesome! Dad and I worked in his garden all day on Saturday, so I even got to come home with a bit of a sunburn on my nose and arms! Love it!!

Princess - Welcome to our family!!! It was so neat to come back to the thread and see your delicious meals! I'm Glynis a SAHM to 5 children. I'm relatively new to the cooking game, so my meals tend to be very easy.

Aimee - I can't wait to try that mac and cheese recipe. It looks so yummy!!

Becky - This bug has really landed hard on you! I hope it's not as bad for John!

Sheryl - I'm so glad that you are enjoying Jude. He is darling!

Lauren - Sounds like you have been having fun with friends, lately! That is so wonderful!

Dinner tonight will be corn chowder. It's a rainy day here, so that sounds good. Alan left for the funeral and will be home by midnight. Katie's history fair is tomorrow, and she is a nervous wreck. I told her she survived it once, so tomorrow should be a lot easier for her. We'll see. We have to leave the house by 7:00 tomorrow morning, so I won't be on until after it's all over. Please send good thoughts Katie's way. She would love to win a trip to Washington D.C.!

 

[liamandcaili]

Aimee -- Good luck this week! I am sure it will be busy. The Palm Sunday service at our church was quite lovely except for the two little girls sitting in front of us who kept hitting each other with the palms.

WFDT was hawaiian sweet and sour marinated chicken breasts,

That sounds good! Do you have a recipe?

Lauren -- Is Andrew in Babe Ruth this year? This is Liam's last year of eligibility for Little League. I am kind of concerned about what happens next. Nice to see you!

Lauri -- Sorry about the snow.

Glynis -- Good luck to Katie tomorrow!! I am sure she will do great.

The kids are off for April vacation this week, but we don't have too much planned. Liam has baseball every day, and it is in the middle of the day, so it is tough to schedule anything else. Caili will skate, and I will shuttle everyone around.

Dinner tonight is sesame chicken wings, wild rice and broccoli that I got at the winter farmer's market yesterday. Sadly, it was the last one of the season and they won't be back until the growing season starts in June.

 

[HERSEY]

Dinner is leftover stir fry for Mr A and Zucchini pie for me and salad. I didn't think he would eat the zucchini but we will see. He can be a strange bird to try to figure out.

Poor Minnie had another seizure but she recovered very quickly this time. I am trying to keep her quiet but the brat is in her face. I think Hershey knows she is sick. Th ey are both laying on their beds looking at one another.

 

[vicb]

Not sure wfd yet. I have the day off (Patriots Day here in MA) so will probably make something on the grill.

Patriot's Day! That brings back fond memories of the 10 years I lived in New England. So today must have been Boston Marathon day huh??

Here is my spice cabinet...nothing too impressive but I did organize/clean it a bit.

[/IMG]

OMG, a carbon copy of mine. Three shelves to the right of my stove and the same white wire shelves!

Good morning to everyone. I woke up to a white yard this morning.
to all

Same here, snow Really, really want real spring!

Finally had my new stove hood installed today. Love the turbo exhaust fan, now I can cook without my smoke detector going off every time and my house smelling up! Tomorrow the tile man returns to finish in that area then my kitchen will officially be done.

A sad note, the contractor told me today that the carpenter who worked on my kitchen for three days of the project passed away last week. He was only in his early 50's, such a nice guy. He thought he had a bad flu but his wife got scared and took him to the ER where they diagnosed vertigo and began treating him for that. By the time they realized it was really a stroke he was in way bad shape, ended up on life support for 2 days before passing. So, so sad.

WFDT = we had chili in "honor" of the snow, hopefully last snow and chili of this winter! I am baking toll house cookies as we speak!

 

[Aimeedyan]

Poor Minnie had another seizure but she recovered very quickly this time. I am trying to keep her quiet but the brat is in her face. I think Hershey knows she is sick. Th ey are both laying on their beds looking at one another.

Katie's history fair is tomorrow, and she is a nervous wreck. I told her she survived it once, so tomorrow should be a lot easier for her. We'll see. We have to leave the house by 7:00 tomorrow morning, so I won't be on until after it's all over. Please send good thoughts Katie's way. She would love to win a trip to Washington D.C.!

Good luck Katie!!!

Aimee -- Good luck this week! I am sure it will be busy. The Palm Sunday service at our church was quite lovely except for the two little girls sitting in front of us who kept hitting each other with the palms.

Our kids process in, if they want to, waving and laying palm branches and only school age kids are invited since preschoolers have worship care. Well, one set of parents were convinced their 3 year old was capable of doing it too so I put him in between two big kids. He did it but he covered his eyes with his hand the entire way down

Finally had my new stove hood installed today. Love the turbo exhaust fan, now I can cook without my smoke detector going off every time and my house smelling up! Tomorrow the tile man returns to finish in that area then my kitchen will officially be done.

A sad note, the contractor told me today that the carpenter who worked on my kitchen for three days of the project passed away last week. He was only in his early 50's, such a nice guy. He thought he had a bad flu but his wife got scared and took him to the ER where they diagnosed vertigo and began treating him for that. By the time they realized it was really a stroke he was in way bad shape, ended up on life support for 2 days before passing. So, so sad.

I'm glad the kitchen remodel is nearing the end but so sad to hear about your carpenter! That's awful. I can't imagine losing someone that quickly



We ordered pizza last night and had that again tonight. I'm still recovering from my crazy sleepless weekend and haven't made it to the store yet.

 

[HERSEY]

A sad note, the contractor told me today that the carpenter who worked on my kitchen for three days of the project passed away last week. He was only in his early 50's, such a nice guy. He thought he had a bad flu but his wife got scared and took him to the ER where they diagnosed vertigo and began treating him for that. By the time they realized it was really a stroke he was in way bad shape, ended up on life support for 2 days before passing. So, so sad.

WFDT = we had chili in "honor" of the snow, hopefully last snow and chili of this winter! I am baking toll house cookies as we speak!

Oh my how very sad!! It makes me mad that the doctors did not look for other symptoms. Strokes seem to be happening to younger and younger people. My step mom died from one. They run very heavy in my family. That is why I am such a nut about eating healthy and getting Mr A to exercise to keep his cholestrol in check and blood pressure.

Sorry for the rant. It is getting close to my dad's birthday (20th) and I am feeling still a little raw from my cousin passing.

 

[vicb]

Oh my how very sad!! It makes me mad that the doctors did not look for other symptoms. Strokes seem to be happening to younger and younger people. My step mom died from one. They run very heavy in my family. That is why I am such a nut about eating healthy and getting Mr A to exercise to keep his cholestrol in check and blood pressure.

Sorry for the rant. It is getting close to my dad's birthday (20th) and I am feeling still a little raw from my cousin passing.

Yes it is upsetting on many levels. They did give him a CT scan (I think that is what my contractor said) that didn't indicate a stroke but they lost precious time. There is some speculation that there will be a lawsuit but it is so early who knows. I feel so so bad for his wife and kids (who I've never met).

You are entitled to vent, I didn't take it as a rant at all!

 

[Rogue26]

Wow, it's quiet around here.

Janice- No problem about the rant. My dad had a bit of a scare last week and it's opened most of our eyes. My mom is blaming him on being overweight and the choices he makes, what she doesn't seem to notice is she is also overweight and they eat the same things. Fortunatly my dad goes to the doctor, my mom hasn't been since I was born 31 years ago.

Vic- I'm sorry to hear that, how scary and sad.

Laura- Glad you have an "easy" week.

Glynis- Good luck to Katie!

Princess- I've just started adding a bit of cinnamon to my chili. I'm more comfortable experimenting with baking then with spices, so it's a start. I love your spice cabinet, my baking cabinet looks similar only I haven't labeled them. I haven't found the perfect way to do it yet and I don't want to ruin my containers.

Becky- I need to go back and check out that recipe. I'm always looking for something that I can add to my husband's work lunch and that might be perfect.

Tonight is was just me and the kiddo for dinner so I went all out. She had ramen noodles and I had some leftover manicotti that was in the freezer. Last night was frozen pizza. I really need to get to the store tomorrow. I think at some point we might actually need to eat a vegatable.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Princess - Welcome to our family!!! It was so neat to come back to the thread and see your delicious meals! I'm Glynis a SAHM to 5 children. I'm relatively new to the cooking game, so my meals tend to be very easy.

Thanks for the Welcome!

I have a 10 yo DS and work part time. My meals tend to be fairly basic due to lack of time.

DH helps out with the cooking when I work and he can be trusted to wrap potatoes in foil and to turn on the oven. This is our standard Tuesday night dinner....baked jacket potato, cheese baked beans, avocado and coleslaw.

And anyone who wants to see what I look like...feel free to check out the links at the bottom of my siggie. I like taking pictures of food; especially when I'm on holiday (who am I kidding? I like taking pictures of food anytime!).

Princess- I've just started adding a bit of cinnamon to my chili. I'm more comfortable experimenting with baking then with spices, so it's a start. I love your spice cabinet, my baking cabinet looks similar only I haven't labeled them. I haven't found the perfect way to do it yet and I don't want to ruin my containers.

I have an Asian background; so I do like my rice and curry dishes. Maybe I'll be able to convert you



WFDT - DH and DS have gone out for the night. So I'm sitting here with a bowl of packet noodles. BUT at least it is the gourmet stuff! It's prawn wonton noodles that you microwave for 4 minutes.