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

[Glynis]

Good, early, morning! Alan woke up at 4:00 this morning to leave for work, and for some reason, decided I needed to be up with him. Unfortunately, once he left I couldn't get back to sleep, so I finally gave up trying and here I am!

Nothing much on our agenda today. Mary has to go to school early for an advanced math class, but other than that, we're just going to be hanging around the house. Breakfast will be quick this morning, yogurt, granola and bagels today. Normally we would walk to school, but because I have to get Mary there early, that's out for this week. We'll see about next week! I may have to change our walking day.

Dinner tonight will be soup and sandwiches. Jacob has scouts, and Katie has her weekly church young women's meeting, so dinner will be fast and hassle free. If I feel up to it later, there's a recipe for a pumpkin angel food cake that I really want to try, however, due to my early morning, a nap is sounding like a much better idea!

 

[Nancyg56]

either.

Nan – I hope your neighbor is doing better. I suffer with vertigo and it’s awful.

.

I remember that you suffered too. It sucks. Donny had an epic attack several years ago after he inhaled some Freon from a broken refrigerator compressor at work. It was terrible.

Jen ~ I need a new do so bad. I wish I had the guts to cut mine short. My hair is very curly and if I cut it to short I would never be able to tame it.


Ethan had his first flag football game last night. Those little guys are so darn cute. It was a beautiful night. We ended up going for ice cream afterwards.

I was able to get my hedgeapples yesterday.
WFDT ~ 5 flavor roast (in the crockpot) mashed potatoes, apergraus, homemade rye bread.
!

I have curley hair too and have been using Deva Curl for months. The product I like the best is Angel and helps to define the curls without makign me look like I was plugged into a socket wet

I wish we had pictures of the little football player.

What are hedgeapples and can you share your rye bread recipe?

I'm home sick today. Ugh.

to all of you. (without germs)

I made my oatmeal like I usually do, then, just before serving, I added some brown sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin puree per person, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. I stirred it all up and it heated through. The smell was divine!!! The kids ran into the kitchen just to see what the smell was!
!

I have made pumpkin spice oatmeal and love love love it!

We don't camp A can't handle bugs he is not a nature boy. Never has been even as a little guy. I remember he wanted to hold a worm I found in the garden. I put it in his hand and he turned green and start yelling for me to take it away. It pooped in his hand

I am with A! My IL's camped and they would not bring the kids unless I went. Well six people in a box the size of a small bathroom was not for me so I finally refused to play. The first question I asked Buddy on our first date was "Do you camp?" HE said his idea of roughing it was HoJo's so it was

I didn't realize I was so behind on this thread, so forgive me for being a little lost. We've been completely stretched between work, school and activities.


Nancy -- I can't believe I missed wedding weekend. I will have to read back, but from snippets, it seemed like everything went well. I have to question...4.5" heels???? Oh my, I would end up with a sprained ankle, a fractured head or worse.


Also, we have raccoons living in our crawl space.

Laura- your school time is always a frenzy so I cannot imagine how you are managing once you factor in work as well

I was fine in the shoes but they had this nonskid sole and so I could not dance..........with Buddy I need to be able to slide some because he can sure kick his heels up!

Now about those raccoon's

Running in briefly....As DH is HOME and it's a Tuesday, dinner is likely to be baked jacket potato and all the trimmings.

I see I'm going to need to catch up on some food porn....looks great Aimee!

Good, early, morning! Alan woke up at 4:00 this morning to leave for work, and for some reason, decided I needed to be up with him. Unfortunately, once he left I couldn't get back to sleep, so I finally gave up trying and here I am!

4 Am is early!!!!!!!!!!! Buddy is up before that every morning but I usually don't get up until 4:15. Lately I cannot drag my sorry self out so he has been taking his clothes out into the living room at night so he does not wake me. I stopped asking him to wake me, I really like that extra sleep

Last night my neighbors and their family came to have dinner with us before they went back to Fl. We had roasted turkey, sausage and sage stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, buttered carrots. They brought an Italian rum cake for dessert.

I am back on my diet today so if I am grouchy I am sorry

Donny has promised to move pics from his computer over to FB, I am a total incompetent when I tried to post. They are on their Honeymoon.

 

[EJ4Disney]

Good morning Ladies,

Jen ~ I sure hope you are feeling better this morning.

Janice ~ I am so with A - don't like ANY kind of bugs - Yuck!! And I, like the rest am not a camping kind of girl. Like to be outside, but like AC, a comfy bed, showers and NO bugs.

Glynis ~ Your dessert in a bag is an awsome idea. We will be doing that here at church. Thanks for the idea.
I would love your Pumpkin Spice Angle food cake recipe. That sounds amazing. Please.

PIO ~ hope you enjoyed your dinner at Mum's. I sure miss mine, I used to love going to dinner at her house.

Nan ~ Again I am like you. I take lots of pictures but I have a real time trying to get them on here. I so wish I could do it - I would love to share with all of you.
Hedge apples are not eaten but they keep the spiders away. We put them downstairs in our crawl space. They are green about the size of an apple. The first year I heard of them I got them and I swear I had not 1 spider. I am a true blue user now. We have been spider free for 4 years now. You can only get them at a certain time and I almost waited to long this year. But I got them and they are all ready.
Here is my recipe for my bread. I make it in my bread machine, but you can always make it and bake it in your oven.

Dark Rye Bread

1 1/8 cups water
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rye flour
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon caraway seed
2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
Select the Basic cycle, and press Start.
Yields 1 – 1 ½ pound loaf


I have dentist appointment this afternoon - YUCK!! Just a cleaning but YUCK!!!! I totally loath the dentist.

It's church night so I won't be home till late tonight. Did anyone watch "The Biggest Loser" last night. I think it's going to be a good year.......but darn what a bunch of cry babies. Good grief!!

WFDT ~ Date night then choir.

Make it a great day everyone.

 

[Rogue26]

Good morning all! It's been crazy here but I'll try and catch up a bit. I got called in for a second interview, but yesterday I got the letter that said they hired someone else. I'm a little dissapointed, but also relieved- so are the people I currently work with! It was awsome to have so many people rooting for me, but also scared of the fact that I might leave.
I'm sorry I forgot to thank you for the well wishes for my husband. His cut is healing well and I think the stitches come out in a few days. I have to say, the timing was perfect. He ended up staying home on my days off and since he was hurt, not sick, he was a lot of fun to be around. We hadn't had a day off together since the beginning of May.

Nancy- I'm so glad the wedding went so well, the song for Buddy was so sweet.

Laura- Good luck with the racoons. I hate hate hate them so much. Actually, it's more of an irrational fear.

Ellen- I think we need a batch of hedgeapples around here!

Janice- I love camping! In my parents RV. Of course it has 2 flat screen tv's, a fireplace, washer/dryer, a fridge bigger than the one in my house. That is the only way I will ever "camp." Might have something to do with that racoon fear of mine.

Okay, really need to get going on cleaning the house. Steak, baked potatoes, and whatever veggie is on sale at the store. Have a great day all!

 

[Aimeedyan]

Thanks for all of the well wishes. I've been fighting a migraine off and on all day. I woke up this morning and couldn't even walk.

And Aimee, on your recommendation from your blog, I spent a good chunk of today looking at the Homesick Texan's blog. OMG. I have a whole new crop of recipes!

I know, right? I pinned several things I want to make of hers ASAP.

 

[bigmerle1966]

Cool, I was right! Ellen, when you described Hedgeapples I remembered what they were, I looked them up to see for sure.

Used to see, and play with, them when I was little. Wished I had know then that they were good for keeping away spiders, my grandparents house was full of all sorts of nasty ones.

 

[Goofyluver]

Good, early, morning! Alan woke up at 4:00 this morning to leave for work, and for some reason, decided I needed to be up with him. Unfortunately, once he left I couldn't get back to sleep, so I finally gave up trying and here I am!

Nothing much on our agenda today. Mary has to go to school early for an advanced math class, but other than that, we're just going to be hanging around the house. Breakfast will be quick this morning, yogurt, granola and bagels today. Normally we would walk to school, but because I have to get Mary there early, that's out for this week. We'll see about next week! I may have to change our walking day.

Dinner tonight will be soup and sandwiches. Jacob has scouts, and Katie has her weekly church young women's meeting, so dinner will be fast and hassle free. If I feel up to it later, there's a recipe for a pumpkin angel food cake that I really want to try, however, due to my early morning, a nap is sounding like a much better idea!

4 am??? *faint*

I know, right? I pinned several things I want to make of hers ASAP.

One of the first things we want to try is the "Grown-up beanie wienies"...

We have sophisticated palates around here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My headache finally went away overnight. Thank goodness!

Work was long. But, tomorrow is already Thursday!!!

Tonight's dinner is pasta salad. Easy and summery!

Hope everyone got through mid-week okay!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Catching up....


Glynis - That pumpkin oatmeal sounds fantastic. Did you make your own pumpkin puree? If so, can I have the recipe?

Nancy - Hang in there with the diet. And on the Dis, the grouch doesn't show.

Aimee - How are you feeling? I don't think you've given an update on your recovery lately....

Ellen - I have the dentist too. I need to make an appointment and have been procrastinating!

Jen - Glad you're feeling better.

Robin - Sorry about the job. But it sounds like it was a mixed blessing anyway. Maybe something better will come along soon.


WFDT? We're probably going to do a simple meal of gnocchi (store bought) with marinara sauce.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting


My starting ingredients:

• Unsalted butter, 125 g – softened
• Sugar, 1½ cups
• Eggs, 2
• Mashed Ripe banana, about 1 cup
• Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
• Plain flour, 250g
• Bicarbonate of soda, 1 teaspoon
• Salt, ½ teaspoon
• Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon
• Allspice, ½ teaspoon
• Buttermilk, ½ cup OR ½ cup milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 180C.

Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

Beat in eggs and vanilla…..

….and the mashed banana.

Add the salt and spices to the batter. Sift the flour and bicarb of soda together and add to the mixture and mix in…..

Alternating with the buttermilk or curdled milk.

Keep alternating with the dry ingredients and milk….

…mixing well between each addition….

….ending with the flour as the last addition.

Mix well….

….and spoon into a lined cake tin.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the cake tests clean with a skewer.

Cool cake in its tin for a few minutes before turning out. Allow to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting


My starting ingredients:

• Cream cheese, 1 block
• Butter, about 2 tablespoon – softened
• Icing sugar, about 1 cup

Combine the cream cheese and butter.

Add the icing sugar….

….and mix until smooth. You can add a little milk (about 1 tablespoon) to help it along.

Spoon the frosting over the banana cake…

…and spread out over the top. You can decorate the top with some crushed walnut; but DS prefers it plain.

My Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting!

Enjoy!

 

[liamandcaili]

Hi All,

Well, I am at least caught up from my last post until now. I never did get to check in earlier. Working from home turned out to be, well, work. With the constant stream of interruptions it took me seven hours to log five hours of billable time.

Caili is not a soldier. Yay! She is a mouse. I think she was a little disappointed she didn't also get a polichinelle role since she learned the dance last year, but they gave those parts to older students. There is a chance she may be able to understudy.

About the raccoons: my approach recently has been to try to make as much noise as possible (pounding on the ceiling) in hopes of getting them to move out. I am not sure if it is working. I have not seen or heard them in a couple days. If they don't move out, I will have to call animal control. It is illegal to try to remove them (or trap them) ourselves. They actually are pretty cute. I just don't want them living in my house.

Dinners here have been beyond pathetic the past couple of days. I haven't been able to get to the store, so the refrigerator is practically empty. Today we had hotdogs, potato chips and apple slices. Last night it was pasta with frozen peas and corn, fresh tomatoes, basil in a parmesan cheese sauce. It was pretty gross, to be honest. I finally took pity on Caili, who was struggling to eat it, and said she could have the last two slices of cheese in the refrigerator.

One Minute Taco Seasoning

Sounds great, Aimee! I just heard about the Homesick Texan today. She has a relatively new cookbook out.

Jen -- I'm glad you are feeling better.

Glynis -- The pumpkin oatmeal sounds yummy. Caili is the oatmeal eater in the family. I don't know if she would want me messing with her usual brown sugar and butter toppings though.

Robin -- I am sorry about the job. I know it is tough to get those letters, but there have been times when I've been a little relieved as well. I'm glad you got to spend some quality time with your DH.

Ellen -- Caili did not need to audition for the Nutcracker. This year, the ballet school felt they knew most of the younger dancers well enough to just cast them in roles. They had the girls on pointe audition. Good luck to Ethan with the flag football! I always wanted to sign Liam up for that, but it just never fit into the schedule.

Walking tacos are regular taco meat with the fixings put into a Frito or Dorito bag (ind size) it is a camp favorite.

How do they eat it? Just tip the bag into their mouths? That sounds like a way to encourage a lot of laundry to me! I don't camp either. The only aspect of camping I ever enjoyed was cooking and eating around a campfire. Maybe one day I will have one of those outdoor fire pits. Then I can have a similar experience, but then go sleep in my bed and take a hot shower in the morning.

To those going to F+W -- I'm jealous!! I can't wait to see pictures and read trip reports.

That's probably enough from me today. Maybe see you tomorrow, but more likely, Friday.

ETA: Princess, I am drooling. I love cream cheese frosting. That just looks so delicious.

 

[Goofyluver]

PIO---OMG. That banana cake looks so delicious!!!

Laura---Yay for Caili! Glad she's a mouse!

As for the raccoons, out here in the country, we're allowed to trap them ourselves. They can be so destructive, so I hope they've left the premises!

Have you searched the Homesick Texan blog? Soooo many good recipes! I asked for her cookbook for Christmas. Along with a whoopie pie maker.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I don't camp either. The only aspect of camping I ever enjoyed was cooking and eating around a campfire. Maybe one day I will have one of those outdoor fire pits. Then I can have a similar experience, but then go sleep in my bed and take a hot shower in the morning.

My idea of spending time outdoors is getting drunk on a restaurant patio.



Princess, thanks for asking. I'm doing MUCH better - I have worked all week and have a retreat this weekend. I'm nervous about a relapse, and had intentions to work less hours, but things just happen Maybe next week I can take some time off. I get another follow up xray tomorrow.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Made this last night - it was GOOOOD and actually very quick!

Cajun Tilapia with Praline Sauce Over Dirty Rice
For the dirty rice:
1 link Italian sausage, casing removed (I used more than that)
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup diced onion
¼ cup diced red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup long grain white rice
1½ cups low-sodium chicken or veggie broth
Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
½ cup chopped scallions

For the praline sauce:
½ cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
Pinch of coarse salt
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp. whiskey (or apple juice) (I used bourbon, actually, all I had!)

For the fish:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tbsp. fresh thyme
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
4-6 tilapia fillets (1-1.5 pound)

Preheat the grill to medium-high.

To make the dirty rice, crumble the sausage into a skillet or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until starting to brown, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the olive oil, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until just softened, 2-3 minutes more. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. Stir in the scallions. Fluff with a fork and serve.

While the rice is cooking, make the praline sauce. Toast the pecans in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer the pecans to a plate and set aside. Return the pan to medium heat. Combine the sugar and water, bring to a simmer, lower the heat and cook until reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Stir in the toasted pecans and salt, and cook 1-2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and whiskey until smooth. The sauce may thicken upon standing, but can be rewarmed over low heat.

To prepare the fish, combine the oil, paprika, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to blend. Pat the mixture over both sides of the fish.

Oil the grates of the grill. Grill until the fish is cooked through and the fillets release easily, about 3 minutes per side. Serve over the dirty rice and topped with the warm praline sauce.

 

[bigmerle1966]

PIO- it's always interesting to look at the ingredients you use, your brands and all, and with this one there's Philadelphia Cream cheese. Wouldn't think that would be something you would be able to get there, is it made in the US? Sounds like a silly question but I always wonder how, and if, they ship that sort of stuff so far.

Aimee- woman you need to slow it down a little before you end up in the hospital.

Dinner tonight was eggs, turkey sausage and potatoes.

I was talking to a friend today about my recipes, I have a ton all over the place. Was going to put them in 3-ring binders and she suggested I use a picture file box and put them all on big index cards. Started doing that tonight. I already have a couple of the boxes and went to WalMart tonight to get the cards.

Speaking of which, candy has gotten so expensive lately! I have a jar in my office at work and usually keep it stocked for my coworkers but any time I think to get some it's not on sale and it's almost $4 a bag Thankfully WalMart had some for $2.48, the ones in the Halloween candy section, but the individual bars that they used to have for 50 cents are now up to 79 cents. Whenever I am there, which is about once a month, if that, I like to get myself the Milky Way Simply Caramel. Not for 79 cents I'm not!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Laura - Glad you're caught up. And you're a better woman than me. I can never work from home. I'd never get any work done. Is Caili happy being a mouse?


Jen - That cake IS delicious!


Aimee - Glad you are feeling better. Hope the x-ray comes out clear this time. That fish looks good!



Marilyn - Kraft Philadelphia cheese is EVERYWHERE!! I remember seeing it in South East Asia as a child and I know I saw it in the supermarkets in England as well. In Oz, they manufacture it here; so it's pretty fresh.
As for US products, there is a store in one of the suburbs in Melbourne that imports products from the US and sells it on-line and retail. They stock a lot of US things....taffy, cheerios, etc....that are only found in the US. There is a big expat community here that shops from that store. Since Glynis posted the pumpkin oatmeal, I've been thinking about heading there to see if I can get some pumpkin puree.

 

[TigerKat]

Nan – I’m the same when it comes to posting pics. Can’t wait to see Donny’s pics!

Robin – Sorry about the job, hopefully something better will come your way. Glad to hear your DH is healing well!

Jen – Glad to hear you’re feeling better!

Laura – Congrats to Caili on being a mouse! Good luck with the racoons.

Aimee – I love your idea of spending time outdoors, ! What do we need to do to get you to slow down?????

Marilyn – I keep my recipes in a file box on index cards and that box goes with me in the event of an evacuation.

WFD - Sloppy Joe's and sweet potato fries.

 

[liamsaunt]

My idea of spending time outdoors is getting drunk on a restaurant patio. .

I like your style!

Hello ladies! I am back from Bermuda, hopelessly behind and need to catch up but am just jumping in to say hello. I did manage to read back a couple of pages.

Robin, sorry about the job, but as other have said it sounds like a mixed blessing.

Aimee, I hope you are feeling better and that the pneumonia has cleared out.

PIO, I love. love. love. cream cheese frosting! I am not huge on sweets but love cc frosting. Your cake looks great!

For all the ladies going to F+W, please take lots of pictures and post them here, or on facebook! I am very excited to see this year's offerings. John and I bandied about coming down for a F+W weekend as we have a Disney rewards card that times out at the end of the year, but we would feel too guilty going to Disney without Laura, Liam, and Caili!

Michelle!!

I have photos from the past few days but they are not uploaded yet and dinner hasn't been too special since I have not been to the store since getting back from Bermuda. Last night we had chicken milanese, Tuesday was turkey burgers, and Monday was pasta carbonara. Not sure WFD yet, I am picking up my csa box this afternoon and so will plan around that.

Will try to read back on the rest of the thread later today. Have a great day everyone!

 

[Glynis]

Catching up....


Glynis - That pumpkin oatmeal sounds fantastic. Did you make your own pumpkin puree? If so, can I have the recipe?

No. I just used the canned stuff. I'd like to try to make my own puree, at some point, but I have never gotten around to trying it.

 

[Glynis]

Morning, everyone!

My plan was to get up early this morning, and make cinnamon roll pancakes for the kids. However, after my early morning yesterday, my body just didn't make it out of bed when I wanted it to. So, it will be cereal today, and pancakes tomorrow... I hope! Actually, it's probably a good thing. I need to get Mary to school early today for a math class, so it would really rush things to have pancakes.

Not sure about dinner tonight. Last night was supposed to be soup and sammies, but the kids vetoed that. So, instead, we just had snack foods I had in the freezer for football watching nights. Because of that, we could do soup and sammies tonight (I have a buffalo chicken grilled cheese sammie I want to try!), or a crock pot chicken chili recipe. I'll check with Alan and see which is more appealing to him!

 

[bigmerle1966]

Marilyn - Kraft Philadelphia cheese is EVERYWHERE!! I remember seeing it in South East Asia as a child and I know I saw it in the supermarkets in England as well. In Oz, they manufacture it here; so it's pretty fresh.
As for US products, there is a store in one of the suburbs in Melbourne that imports products from the US and sells it on-line and retail. They stock a lot of US things....taffy, cheerios, etc....that are only found in the US. There is a big expat community here that shops from that store. Since Glynis posted the pumpkin oatmeal, I've been thinking about heading there to see if I can get some pumpkin puree.

Well it is the best cream cheese in the world!