Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[ktmoomau]

Last night was a quesadilla with sauteed onions, peppers, chicken and squash, as Hubby wasn't home till late so I was cooking for one.  

[Sundae in the Park]

Over the weekend we made a batch of gochujang rice cakes.  Note, julienned snow peas are a delicious sauteed vegetable but they really don't work in this particular noodle dish (it would have been better, though still not ideal with long noodles); it really needs a leafy green like kale or baby bok choi. I also made a batch of brown rice chicken congee for the unseasonably cold weather, and a big pan of sausages and peppers and eggplant (that basically melted into a seedy sauce from the long cooking).

For Memorial day we grilled some chicken thighs and hot dogs, made smashed cucumber salad, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed sweet potato leaves frown in my uncle's garden, rice, fruit salad, and then had marshmallows roasted on the firepit.  

For the cucumbers - I didn't love the proportions of the dressing - too much salt and not enough sugar, even with on-the-fly adjustments - anyone have a favorite recipe for asian pickly cucumbers? I mostly used an AllRecipes post: tossed 2 smashed, chopped, English cukes with 1 teaspoon white sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and drained for 1/2 hr, then mixed in 2 cloves chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, a smattering of red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, and a bunch more sugar to taste.  I feel like I added a ton of sugar at the end, and still didn't get a sweet enough taste to match the restaurant dishes in my mind. I've tried before with slightly different proportions of basically these ingredients, but didn't quite get where I wanted to be. My family actually really liked them but I was dissatisfied. Any ideas? Thnx!

[Katya4me]

On 4/14/2019 at 8:31 AM, Pat said:

When Tweaked posted his dinner with Shaking Tofu a couple of weeks ago, I decided to put that on an upcoming menu to use a block of extra firm tofu I had in the refrigerator. So, last night I made an Andrea Nguyen recipe for the dish. It came out quite well. I used soy sauce rather than the Bragg Liquid Aminos. I'm not sure how well the leftover salad is going to hold up. I'm thinking of heating the leftovers in a quick beef ramen soup.

We also had leftover chicken wings, with carrots, celery, and ranch/blue cheese dressing.

Based on this post, we made the Shaking tofu recipe the same way last night but we had no leftovers.  My husband isn't a fan of watercress, so he really liked this with baby spring greens.  This recipe is definitely a keeper.

[dcandohio]

Homemade meatballs 

A store-bought Arribata pasta sauce, to which I added onions, red peppers, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and oregano.

Zucchini noodles 

[Pat]

5 hours ago, Katya4me said:

Based on this post, we made the Shaking tofu recipe the same way last night but we had no leftovers.  My husband isn't a fan of watercress, so he really liked this with baby spring greens.  This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Funny timing. I've been thinking about making this again and have tofu that has to be used or frozen by Monday, so it looks like it's on an upcoming menu for us too. Whether I noted it anywhere or not, the salad that was leftover did pretty well in a quick ramen soup, added right at the end just to warm. Of course, eating it all on the first go-round works too!

Last night was salad two ways. Salad #1: curried chicken salad on a bed (a couple leaves) of baby lettuce sandwiched in whole wheat dinner rolls from Spring Mill Breads. I couldn't decide how I wanted to serve the salad and had stopped in the bakery for inspiration and settled on the rolls. The mini sandwiches were very good. (I refuse to call them sliders. ;-)

Salad #2: Romaine, cucumber, radish, crumbled bacon, and goat cheese, topped with slices of medium rare ribeye steak and chopped dill; fresh oregano and basil vinaigrette with a small bit of orange juice.

[ktmoomau]

Last night was use up little bits of things that need to be used night.  So I made a tomato sauce with garlic, a bit of sausage and sliced bacon, crushed tomatoes, leftover roasted onion and squash, kale, fresh basil, oregano and parsley.  We had this two ways- I stuffed the sauce into bell pepper halves, topped with cheese and put them in the oven for me.  For Hubby I made cavatelli pasta for this to go on top of.

[Tweaked]

Fried tofu with stir fried vegetables

[smithhemb]

Two pastas:  tagliatelle with prosciutto and peas and orecchiette with broccoli rabe and broccolini.  Had a teenaged houseguest and couldn’t predict which he’d gravitate toward.  (Answer: prosciutto and peas)

Baked an almond pound cake for dessert, served with lots of different berries and freshly whipped cream.

Might go to Medium Rare for dinner since teen houseguest apparently loves steak (and since veggie daughter will be making a surprise weekend visit, so it may be now or never for red meat, lol!). 

 

[smithhemb]

Ooh, Shaking Beef and Shaking Tofu might please both kids!

[dcandohio]

Yesterday I made shakshouka  using the leftover mushroom marinara from the meatball dinner.  I used Parmesan cheese instead of feta, so I guess it was a more Italian version.  I had half of a beautiful local bakery ficelle in the freezer which I warmed for dipping. 

[Tweaked]

No-knead Pizza

[ktmoomau]

Saturday Hubby smoked a pork butt that I rubbed with Corky's bbq seasoning and some Italian sausages.  Friends brought fruit salad and cole slaws.  I also had some cheese and meats and had made some dumplings.  We ended up with a lot of food, so Sunday was leftovers.  

[Pat]

Curried chicken salad sandwiches on white whole wheat toast
Roasted eggplant stuffed with a tomato and tofu filling, topped with mozzarella

 

[ktmoomau]

Last night was a kale salad with tahini dressing, topped with chopped smoked pork.

[Tweaked]

Vegetable Tian

[Pat]

Mushroom naan flatbread pizza
Cream of broccoli soup with English peas; smoked salmon and sour cream garnish
Pan-seared top sirloin

I used cottage cheese as the base for the pizza toppings, which were mainly shiitake mushrooms and tomatoes with mozzarella and some squeeze tube herb paste.  The naan was 365 brand whole wheat, which I really like. The basic soup recipe is an old reliable one from Craig Claiborne in the NYTimes Cookbook. I added the peas and the garnish. (I didn't have that many peas and was going to serve them with some rice, but then decided it was such a small amount I'd add them to the soup.)

[Tweaked]

Curry fried rice, crispy egg, avocado, ginger pickle

[Pat]

Leftover cream of broccoli soup
Grilled cheese (cheddar)
TJ's potato chips

 

 

[Sundae in the Park]

Fajitas! Sauteed vegetables and beef and chicken with a bunch of spices served over cheese quesadillas with guac.

We've also gobbled down a very delicious, very heavy eggplant parm.  Should probably lighten up with something like Tweaked's vegetable tian above.

[Pat]

Whole wheat naan
Braised chicken thighs with tomatillos, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and serrano peppers
White rice

[Pat]

Friday was an omelet filled with leftover eggplant and tofu mixture from making stuffed eggplant, plus leftover braised chicken thigh, tomatillos, etc., and rice.

Last night was red butter lettuce with radishes, tomatoes, strawberries, and balsamic vinaigrette; pan-roasted chicken drumsticks; and, a faux pasta dish of ground turkey meat sauce over zucchini noodles with Parmesan. Blueberry cornmeal cake and Trickling Springs vanilla ice cream for dessert.

 

[TrelayneNYC]

Roast chicken stuffed with garlic and herbs
Fagiolini e patate al pesto

[dcandohio]

Trader Joe's organic chicken hot dog on a bakery bun with yellow mustard, cheddar and homemade spicy beef chili.

[Pat]

BLT club sandwiches with avocado on white whole wheat toast; lamb and vegetable stew from the freezer; TJ's potato chips

[ktmoomau]

Last night was forbidden rice bowls with- chopped pork, curried squash, kale cooked down with leeks and miso, and some roasted peppers and onions.  

The night before was really darn good beef and venison burgers, greens and slaw, chips and salsa.

[Sundae in the Park]

The other night we had blackened cod with roasted garlic, green beans, and potatoes.

Yesterday we baked cherry-apple oatmeal and pecan sticky rolls in the morning, then roasted a trip-tip and more potatoes for dinner.  Served with sauteed green peas and store-bakery rolls.  I also made a batch of chicken congee for our scratchy throats.

[smithhemb]

Merguez, heirloom cherry tomatoes, arugula salad with grated Parmesan and lemon vinaigrette, baguette.  My fave quick & easy meal.

[Pat]

Last night was more red butter lettuce salad with radishes, tomatoes, strawberries, avocado, and balsamic vinaigrette; pan-roasted pork tenderloin that had been marinated in bottled teriyaki sauce; miso-roasted asparagus; mashed potatoes with sauteed button mushrooms; and, grilled broccolini dressed with a little of the teriyaki sauce.

[ktmoomau]

Another forbidden rice bowl- with kale, curried squash, onions and pepper with a little sriracha and balsamic (sounds like an odd combo, but it worked).

[Pat]

The last of the lamb and vegetable stew from the freezer last night, along with chicken sandwiches on whole wheat with bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato.

[ktmoomau]

Last night I warmed up one of the great burgers Hubby made on the grill the other night.  Brioche bun, banana peppers, roasted peppers and onions, blue cheese, lettuce and ketchup.  The warming up made it a little less juicy and flavorful than the ones right off the grill, but the toppings made up for that. Tonight is probably another solo just me dinner, I get particularly lazy when cooking for just me.

[smithhemb]

Shaking beef.  God I love that dish!  Visiting teenage boy has decided he likes arugula and he didn’t object to watercress.

[Pat]

Salad of romaine, radishes, hard-boiled egg, and bacon with cilantro-avocado dressing
Whole wheat naan
Baked cavatappi with tomato - zucchini - and meat sauce

[ktmoomau]

Well I went all out (well not all out, but I did more than scrounge through the fridge) for dinner last night just for me, as I figured Hubby could use some leftovers for tonight and this weekend while I am gone.  I made a veggie curry with cauliflower, peas, kale and leeks.  I steamed the cauliflower and kale, then took them out, sauteed leek and garlic, then added ginger, cardamon, cumin, curry powder, cayenne, garlic salt sauteed a bit, then added coconut milk, a bit more seasoning, including some tomato sauce I had in the fridge, sriracha, and added the steamed veg back in.  It turned out pretty good, with rice and some flatbreads from the freezer.

[Pat]

Baked chicken drumsticks
Steamed green beans with butter
Leftover mashed potatoes with mushrooms and added chives

[Pat]

Last night:
Roasted eggplant dip with spiced pita chips
Fourme d’Ambert Orzotto
Tuna and arugula salad with red onion, yellow tomato, avocado, and red wine vinaigrette

The orzotto was good. My husband liked it a lot. The cheese (which they had at Whole Foods) is a blue cheese, which he typically doesn't like, but a sub given for it in the recipe is sweet gorgonzola, which I can usually use in recipes like this and he doesn't mind it. So I didn't tell him it was a blue cheese. Shhh.

I used whole wheat orzo. As the recipe notes, it makes a small amount, but it was perfect with the other components of the meal. Step 3 in the recipe is garbled.  I used the empty pasta pot. Why get another pan dirty?

[Pat]

Nacho cheese and broccoli soup
Mushroom, olive, red onion, and salami pizza topped with arugula salad

[ktmoomau]

Last night was more veggie curry, rice and flatbread.  Need to get some energy and bounce back for some cooking tonight.

[Pat]

Last night I made a skillet meal centered around chicken legs from a rotisserie chicken. I sauteed veggies in evoo (red bell pepper, cremini mushrooms, scallions, red onion, and garlic) and put in the legs skin-side down to reheat and brown some more. I threw in some broken capellini to brown in the open spaces and then the remainder of a box of chicken stock (about a cup or so) and a can of rinsed chickpeas, then covered the pan, and let it simmer for a while. Topped with additional chopped scallion greens.  I'm going to have to remember to make this again. It was pretty quick to make since the chicken didn't need to be cooked, just reheated and enhanced. Chopping the vegetables took the most active time.

There was also a salad of red butter lettuce, radishes, cucumber, bacon, and white cheddar with cilantro-avocado dressing.

[Pat]

Wednesday night was a bunch of leftovers: a plate of leftover salad, topped with leftover chicken and surrounded by pita chips and frittata squares; plus, pizza.

Last night was more chicken legs, a recipe I planned to make before I made the improvised one earlier in the week:  NYTimes recipe for braised chicken legs with roasted tomatillo sauce.  I added chickpeas to the mix and served with basmati rice. the recipe makes too much sauce and it was also a crazy amount of cilantro. The flavors were good but I'd tweak this if making it again.

[ktmoomau]

Last night was a riff on a steak and cheese sandwich, the night before was pasta with a spicy red marinara sauce that I had made for a dip and then froze the rest of, it had chopped olive, as well, to which I added some chopped leeks and roast beef that I sauteed in olive oil, turned out better than expected.

[dcandohio]

Comfort food last night: elbow macaroni casserole with Italian sausage, marinara, mozzarella and Parmesan. Mom loved it!

[Pat]

Turkey* and cheddar sandwiches with romaine on some kind of bread that Whole Foods calls "Fire Bread." It has wheat germ in it. Good and solid for a sandwich plus a bit crusty. Potato chips.

*This is the actual roasted turkey they sell at the deli counter at WF, not the pressed deli kind. I didn't know what I wanted to make for dinner and picked that and the sliced cheese up in a cold case in the deli department.

[Pat]

Saturday night: turkey and cheddar sandwich again, with the last of some homemade beef vegetable soup, and corn on the cob.

Last night: Pan-fried pork cutlets, topped with a salad of spring mix, purple frisee, cherry tomatoes, nectarine chunks, toasted walnuts, and balsamic-orange vinaigrette; the remaining corn I bought Saturday, peas, and whole wheat naan.

Serving the salad on top of the cutlets was a hunch I had that paid off. I had worried they might be a little dry and thought the salad topping would help. They were actually fairly moist, but the combination was great. The plated food looked gorgeous as well, but I didn't take any photos. Lots of beautiful colors.

[ktmoomau]

Last night was a tossed salad with veggies from the garden with a faux blue cheese dressing (boursin instead of blue cheese because Hubby doesn't like blue cheese).  I also made some buffalo and sichuan roasted cauliflower bites. The sichuan was a combo of grandma's chili oil, hoisin and soy sauce, that I made when I ran out of buffalo sauce halfway through the sheet pan.    

[Tweaked]

A celebratory evening on the patio concluded with a neighbor's berry topped cheese cake.

[DonRocks]

8 hours ago, Tweaked said:

A celebratory evening on the patio concluded with a neighbor's berry topped cheese cake.

Was it as good as the picture is pretty?

[Tweaked]

6 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Was it as good as the picture is pretty?

My neighbor makes an excellent cheesecake, creamy and not too sweet.

[Pat]

Skirt steak tacos with leftover tomatillo sauce, cilantro, and rice

• flour tortillas
• radishes
• shredded romaine
• red bell pepper
• jalapeno
• cucumber
• sour cream

(forgot the avocado...)

 

 

[Pat]

Last night was a casserole night. I made a summer squash gratin -- yellow squash, zucchini, and chard stems layered with cracker crumbs and spicy cheddar, topped with mozzarella and more crumbs and dotted with butter.

I also had bought some ravioli at TJ's that was filled with cremini mushrooms, kale, and chard, plus several cheeses and decided to dress them with more of the same. I sauteed some sliced creminis and garllc, and added some dehydrated onions that had been soaked in a little chicken stock plus torn rainbow chard leaves to make a sauce of sorts. That cooked down a bit while the ravioli went into boiling water. I mixed the vegetables with the cooked ravioli and topped with some mozzarella and chopped fresh tomato. Everything heated through in the oven for just a few minutes at the end of the squash casserole cooking time.