Tur-boy's

Menu for 5/25:

• Turbot po'boy's with olive oil potato chips

Ah man, just typing that right now makes my tummy grumble. For those who are not in the know, turbot is an ugly/yummy fish. It is the flat kind of fish that has its eyes on one side of its body. Like I said, ugly. So ugly that I am only putting a link and not an actual picture, because in reality, it is also very nom worthy. It is similar to haddock, cod, and flounder in texture and is very mild in taste. It should work very nicely with the Po'boy recipe that I got out of my handy-dandy Real Simple® magazine. I say "should", because the recipe calls for tilapia, when we went shopping this week however, there was no tilapia to be found; so I am substituting. As for the olive oil potato chips, they are by way of good ol' TJ's. I have seen them on the end displays for awhile now and the recipe called for chips AND they were only $1.99, so really, I can't go that wrong. Stay tune tomorrow for the pictures!




Also:

Happy Birthday Melora!!!!!

Fried Rice à la carte

Menu for 5/18:

• Fried Rice (à la carte)
• Spicy Edamame
• Vegetable Gyoza

Fried Rice:

Rice, egg, soy sauce, green onion, snap peas, shrimp, tuna, scallops, chicken, Canadian bacon.

I apologize for my inability to update on Tuesdays. Tuesday is always a busy day at my office, and by the time I get home I have forgotten to update. Well it's better late than never right? Right?! Hee-hee, of course it is... So fried rice huh? Yup that is what I am making, AND, I am making it from the all important (dare I say pivotal) work "Cookery for 1 or 2". Hands down, the best $1.99 purchase I have ever made. The "à la carte" option is not in the book however, I made it up when I went shopping this week. The book calls for chicken, shrimp, or beef, to be added as the main protein. I decided "feh!" on those options when I was standing at the seafood counter and looking at lovely fresh shrimp and fresh tuna AND fresh scallops. i figure that I will cook them all up and have them on the side. That way the two of us can pick and choose what we want in our nom nom rice.

Spicy Edamame:

Just that, edamame with spice. I am "cheating" on this one, it is a Trader Joe's® thing, you throw it in the microwave and three minutes later you have steaming hot nom.

Vegetable Gyoza:

Same thing as the edamame, except minus the microwave, add the oven and there is more than just three minutes involved.

I am fairly certain that this meal will be delicious, and no, I am not just saying that because half of the meal is coming straight from a bag. Though that may play some type of role in the nom factor. Check back tomorrow for pictures!

The All-American!

Menu for 5/4:

• Hot Dogs with butter toasted buns
• Tater Tots
• Corn on the cob
• Watermelon
• Ice Cream

First off, I apologize that I didn't make my usual Tuesday post, the day just got away from me. Secondly I am not going to list an ingredient list; this is mostly because I don't want to list what exactly is in hot dogs, but also the menu speaks for itself. He will be having the 97% lean and kosher Hebrew National® hot dogs, so really the inside meat shouldn't be that bad. I will be having the Lean Life® vegan dogs, I can tell that they are nothing like the "real thing" but I still like them. In all honesty, I don't really remember what "real" hot dogs taste like anymore, it has been that long. So the vegan dogs will do, and really, how much more American than fake soy product can you get? Speaking of American, I would like to say that the boy and I decided on this menu on Saturday, so any ironic or not so ironic leanings it may have toward certain currant events is 100% coincidence. Now that I am thinking about it though, it is rather amusing that we picked an All-American meal this week. Anyway, since I do not own a grill and my landlord loves his yard as if it were another child, I will be cooking these dogs in some other fashion. As of this second I don't know how. I might boil them, or perhaps sear them in a pan, or something else that I have not thought of yet. It will definitely be a nom worthy meal though, that's for sure.

Take Two

Menu for 4/20:

• South of France Halibut

Ingredients:

Trader Joe's® ratatouille, crushed or minced garlic, dry white wine, wild halibut, red chili flakes, salt & pepper.

• Steamed broccoli
• Garlic potatoes
• Swordfish steaks

Ingredients:

Fresh broccoli, a bag of garlic potatoes (they appear to be roasted-ish), swordfish steaks.

So you may have noticed that the first attempt at a menu is all crossed out. This is because I could not find the all ingredients for the first recipe. I tried too. I went to three different Trader Joe's®, in one day, to find the essentials. No dice. So by the end of the day, both the boy and I were exhausted and just wanted to go home. We decided that this week, I am going to wing it. That is right, I am going back to winging the dinner this week.

Upon leaving the third TJ's, I turned to my darling and told him that I had two frozen swordfish steaks and a bag of garlic potatoes in the freezer and I had some broccoli. I then stated that if we put all those things together on a plate then it could be classified as a meal, and a some what healthy one at that. He liked this idea, and I am fairly certain that he was just tired of driving and wanted to go home. So thus is our dinner. I promised him that I would use some of my smoked chipotle Tabasco sauce on the fish. Swordfish is a rather dense fish, so it can hold up to the spice. As for the other things; the potatoes are coming from a bag and the broccoli is of the type that can steam in the bag that I bought them in. I am not expecting it to be a difficult dinner, but I will let you know if this prediction is a false one.

I would also like to apologize for updating a week late. These weeks when I have Monday off always throw me for a loop. Tuesday is Monday but it is Tuesday. Crazy.

Having your cake and eating it too.

Menu for 4/13:

•  One pot pesto pasta, potatoes, and green beans

Ingredient list:

One large or two small boiling potatoes, fresh washed and trimmed green beans, thin pasta (like spaghetti or linguine), goat cheese. 

For reasons I can not explain, I have always been of the state of mind that having both pasta and potatoes on the same plate is something you just do not do. Sort of like how you don't drink soda before noon or how scrambled eggs are (normally) a breakfast food. It just is, that's why. Then I came across this little ditty. I am pretty sure that this recipe is going to rock my world view and I can not wait. The boy found this one in the book, when he brought it to my attention I noted that one can add what ever protein source one wanted to this and I bet it would still be really nom. He still has chicken sausage in the fridge; they are fully cooked but he needs to use them up. As for me, I am thinking of adding some tuna that has been kept in olive oil. I guess that I could use regular tuna if I wanted. I honestly do not know. We will have to see what Wednesday night holds. Stay tuned!

Pillow Time

Menu for 4/6:

•  Shrimp on Polenta pillows

 
Ingredients for above mentioned dish:

Precooked polenta, olive oil, crushed garlic, julienned sun-dried tomatoes in oil, capers, white wine, frozen raw large shrimp pre cleaned.

This is another recipe from the 'I ♥ Trader Joe's®' cook book. This week, however, I am putting a little twist on it. I have purchased all of these ingredients from a mainstream grocery chain. This is for a couple of reasons: 1) I know that not all of you who read this little blog have access to the wondrous establishment that is Trader Joe's®, 2) I want those who are inclined, to be able to reproduce what I make, and finally 3) I didn't have a choice in the matter and fate had me shop at the previously hinted at mainstream grocery store. If any of you are interested in trying out any of the past recipes that I have showcased here, leave me a comment and I will forward you the information for which ever nom dish you would like. See you on Thursday!!

I ♥ TRADER JOE'S®!

Menu for 3/29:

• Corn and Basil Rice
• Minted Peas
• Sweet-Glazed Salmon with Corn Salsa

 Corn and Basil Rice:

Trader Joe's® Thai Jasmine Rice, Butter, Roasted Corn, Organic Basil Leaves, Salt& Pepper.

So we might just corn ourselves out on this one. Corn in the rice and on the salmon. Whatever, it'll be good at the very least, if not downright delicious.

Minted Peas:

Boom goes the dynamite, that's all she wrote.

Minted peas from the bag that I bought them in. I plan on following the directions on the back of the bag. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sweet-Glazed Salmon with Corn Salsa:

Fresh or thawed salmon fillets, organic blue agave sweetener, fresh minced ginger, crushed garlic, rice vinegar, Trader Joe's® Corn and Chile Tomato-less Salsa.

How does that sound for a Nom factor? Pretty darned delicious if you ask me, and since I am the one writing this blog, I did ask me and I said that the Nom Factor seems really high for this dish. All of these recipes come from the 'I ♥ Trader Joe's®' cookbook that I found at the local Urban Outfitters. I knew that store was good for something that wasn't ironic hipster clothes. Anyway, this is a WHOLE BOOK of recipes that are just from the ingredients found at Trader Joe's® stores. I have a feeling that you may find a lot of the upcoming weeks to involve this book. It is just that awesome. I am slightly jealous of the writers though. They clearly live in a part of the country that liquor is allowed to be sold in grocery stores. Here in Massachusetts that type of tomfoolery is frowned upon and you can only find grocery store booze in few and far between places. Even then it is normally only wine and beer, none of the really good stuff. But I digress, I am blessed with a plethora of Trader Joe's-es.

*POW* ~WHOMP~ ▓BANG▓ !!!

Menu for 3/23:

• Bangers & Mash

Bangers:

Chicken sausage, veggie Italian sausage.

"Bangers" is British speak for sausages for those who are not in the know. Now you are in the know. Don't you feel special?

Mash:

Yukon gold potatoes, whole milk, creme fraîche, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, dry mustard, salt & pepper.

This is another Ina recipe. When we were looking for recipes last week and came across the tuna sandwiches from last week we came across this one too. It was decided that this would be another on we would need to try but that the tuna would be first. I have a feeling that this one may be a little bit labor intensive than the tuna, but just as delicious. I also think that the "mash" (British speak for mash potatoes, look at how much you are learning today!) is going to be a bit 'knock you socks off' spicy with all the mustard. That will be just fine though, it is allergy season after all and who doesn't need their sinuses cleared a bit, right? I am intrigued to be working with dry mustard as I have never worked with it before. We also had to go on a little bit of an adventure because our local Trader Joe's didn't have it. I told my darling that by the end of this little experiment I think I am going to have one of the best stocked spice cabinets ever. I might need a whole room just for the different spices. Okay maybe not a room, but I will definitely be needing more shelf space.

Easy does it.

Menu for 3/16:

• Tuna on sourdough with homemade hummus sandwiches

The Sandwiches:

Tuna in olive oil, minced celery, minced yellow onion, lemon juice, "good" mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt & pepper, hummus (ingredients to follow),  sourdough bread.

The Hummus:

Canned chickpeas, tahini or sesame sauce, minced garlic, lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, salt.


This recipe is from my Ina book. When we (my darling and I, not the royal 'we') first looked through this book we never considered looking at the lunch section. I think that we figured that since this whole project is about making him dinner then we should look at only dinner recipes. HA! We're adults! We could have ice cream for dinner if we want! Therefore we are living on the edge this week with this LUNCH recipe. Daring, I know. If I had an ice cream maker I think that I would make ice cream for dinner one of these nights and he would be over the moon. Alas though, I do not own an ice cream maker. *sigh*

Back to the recipe! This was one of the ones that we both agreed sounded om nom and since I am no stranger to making hummus from scratch, it doesn't seem like it will be all that difficult. I have to say that as of late the ease factor of a given recipe is a large part of whether I pick it or not. On weeks such as 10,8,7, and 4, I was nearly falling asleep while eating. So that fact coupled with the fact that I have been waking up at about ten of five in the morning to go to the gym at least twice a week makes the ease factor a huge deciding point. That and this one is rather healthy compared to some of the others that I have prepared for him *cough cough* steak *cough cough*. 

I am planning on trying to stick to the letter of these recipes. I will tell you that I did omit the cornichons from the tuna because pickles give me heartburn like none other. It's weird, I love cucumbers (in my world they are called crunchy water) and I love dill and I love vinegar, but put them together and my body revolts and tries to burn itself from the inside out. Sad in a way. I have already asked him if he wanted them and he said no as well, so it is a mutual thing.Tahini has proved to be a difficult find so I have compensated and bought yogurt as a substitute. From my earlier hummus making experience I know that it is fine to use. I will still go out and look for it but I am not holding out much hope. I have to get Tabasco sauce too, preferably the smoked kind.

For easy shopping I took pictures of the recipe with my camera phone so I could see the ingredients. I might do that from now on and publish them at the end of my 'finished product' posts. I don't know though, what do you guys think?

Stir-Fry LIKE CRAZY!

Menu for 2/9:

• Stir-fry with shrimp and noodles

Stir-fry:

Shrimp, noodles, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, mixture of veggies.


This Wednesday night dinner will be a product of being short on time and funds. I already have most of the ingredients in my kitchen as I am typing this. Actually, I have all of the ingredients, what I should have said was that I already had most of the ingredients just out of hand. 

I am anticipating and easy night with this one. I don't think I will be getting a snow day (sad), so something quick will be a good thing. Stir-fry is the definition of simple in my world. Get a whole bunch of fresh (or frozen in some cases) stuff, toss in skillet, sear, add sauce. BOOM, done. If you are looking for a better definition of "stuff" I classify it (in this case) as such: Protein, Starch, Vegetables. Rice will not be included in this particular stir-fry because of the noodles. Doubling up on veggies is great, but doubling up on starches... not so much. I may add red chili flakes to it for heat but I am still undecided on that point. He loves the spicy. I have a love hate relationship with it.

Check in on Thursday for the results!

Breakfast for Dinner

Menu for 1/19:

• Scrambled Eggs
• Breakfast Sausage (ish)
• Waffles
• Hash Browns

Scrambled Eggs

Eggs, touch of milk (2%), butter, salt to taste, whatever else you want to put in them (I am thinking perhaps dill and Parmesan cheese).

This is scrambled eggs. If you don't know how to make scrambled eggs or you don't know what they are then you might just be a lost cause and why are you reading this blog? If by any change that has offended those of you who are clueless and hopeless who might be unfamiliar to this delicacy then let me enlighten you. They are fairly simple; crack eggs, whisk them, put in pan, stir, don't burn. Those are the main steps, for those who want to take it up a notch here are my steps. Whisk in about 1/2 a tbsp. of 2% milk per three eggs (I normally use large eggs but I have been known to also used extra large), pour into a pan heated on a medium low heat with at least 2 tbsp. of butter melted in it, stir gently but constantly, when the eggs just start to take form then add whatever fixings you would like, keep stirring, take them off the heat a little before you think that they are done (they continue to cook in the pan off the heat). Boom goes the dynamite you are done.

Breakfast Sausage (ish)

 A box of Morning Star Farms® breakfast sausage patties.

I am planning on following the directions on the back of the box. Simple as that. I should however explain the (ish) at this point. You see my darling boy is very much a meataterian and I am very much not. This, you may have noticed to a degree with my last posting. "His" had bratwurst, "Hers" had a lot of broccoli. I know what you are thinking right now 'but there was so much cheese? and she is making real eggs?!'. I don't stand by any code of terms when it comes to my system of eating; I eat what I like and I happen to not like most meat and love cheese. So there you have it.

Waffles

Just standard waffles from a box, the add an egg and some water type.

I think that that describes it pretty well. I am rather fortunate to live in a Trader Joe's® area and there rendition of Bisquick® is better than the real think in my opinion so I am going to be using that.

Hash Browns

I will be using the pattie type.

See the above 'Waffles' the description is basically the same.