Haven’t blogged much of my cooking lately because my cooking hasn’t been worth blogging. The slow cooker Chicken Paprikash I tried yesterday was only okay — maybe because I tried to extend the recipe with extra veggies and chicken broth. I didn’t get the lush sour creamy mouthfeel I was going for. The slow cooker Beef Pepperoncini was way too spicy — maybe because the black pepper we got from Costco comes out way too fast, due to the large holes on the shaker top. The slow cooker Ground Beef Chili was sandy and dry — maybe because I used lean ground beef even after being warned by the recipe not to.
On the plus side, the turkey breast I roasted last week then turned into “Turkey Pot Pie” for a second dinner was actually pretty good. But Rick complained that the Turkey Pot Pie used biscuits instead of pie crust. I know, I know… pot pie without pie crust? I blame it on Cook’s Illustrated. It was their idea.
I also made some delicious French Country Pork Chops with olives and prunes. Got some great photos too, so I should blog those for sure. I would never think of making a pan sauce with olives and prunes. Those crazy French!
Here’s hoping my plans for this week turn out well:
- Tofu and broccoli with spicy orange sauce and sticky rice for tonight. Perhaps I’m the only one in the family that truly enjoys tofu. But I’m the cook, so I decide what protein we eat. Will have to cook chicken nuggets and fish sticks for the girls.
- Overnight pork kebabs marinated in garlic-herb vinaigrette with couscous. Rick bought a beautiful package of boneless pork chops from Costco. I froze most of them and have been using them each week just like I use my bag of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Only problem is they’re so incredibly thick cut, over an inch… so when they’re still just barely frozen I cut them each into two thinner chops… unless using them for kebabs, then I can just cut them into chunks.
- Slow cooker French Onion Soup with Swiss Cheese Toasts. I haven’t given up on the slow cooker. It’s just too convenient (plus I love my Chicken Chili Verde and Chicken Stroganoff recipes even if my other crockpot projects lately haven’t done so well). And I had this at my mom’s house. It was quite good.
- Rotini with Ratatouille. Maybe naming it after the Disney movie will get the girls to eat it (it’s actually called Rotini with Summer Vegetables in the cookbook, a Cook’s Illustrated one, natch).
- Tacos. I’m having black beans and guacamole in mine. Everyone else gets ground beef seasoned with an envelope of taco seasoning. One pound of ground beef is never enough, so I’ll bow out and have the beans. We’ll have this on Wednesday, because it’s fast and easy, and leaves lots of time for trick-or-treating.
What are you planning for dinner this week? Or are you winging it?
2 Comments
Although your post led up to Halloween, I’ll admit we’re winging it for Thanksgiving. My parents are visiting a couple of days after, so rather than plan a big meal for 3, we’re tackling some home fix-it projects we had let slide, and leaving the cooking to the Maui Prince.
Actually, we’ve been winging it for a couple of months. Our survival cooking methods and lack of regular exercise had caused Kelly and I both to balloon a bit. So, we’re only now taking back responsibility for our feeding, after having Jenny Craig remind us how to control our portions. Kelly’s shoulder is now back into tennis mode, and we make sure to put in a couple of miles during our evening walk.
Hi Carl, nice to hear from you. You can see I’m a bit behind on my food blogging here!
Maui Prince… sounds nice! Rick and I were just remembering our Maui Thanksgivings. One time I decided to buy a turkey loaf to save money. Bad idea! I’m glad to be here in Colorado with family, but wish I could have taken a post-turkey walk on the beach.
Hope you’re doing well.