Lets Hash This Out....

Menu for 6/1:

• Salmon Hash

I apologize, I should just change it to me writing about the menu to Wednesdays. *sigh* Anyway, today I am going to try a recipe that I got from Food Network®. I receive daily emails with recipes, and this is the first that has really sparked my interest enough for me to try it out. It appears to be pretty straight forward; the recipe even called for 'frozen hash potatoes", so I am not to worried about it taking a ton of time. I am also doing a little creative substitutions, well just one substitution really. The recipe called for fresh salmon, but I am going to use canned. I think that the consistency will go better in a hash format than fresh salmon would. That and it is less expensive. There will be a Dijon dressing and an arugula salad as well. This should be good!

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.

*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.

Ahhh! How is it Wednesday?

I am sorry everyone. The Monday holiday completely threw off my schedule and I didn't notice until about 8pm last night that I had not made my usual Tuesday post. Bad me! Well to try and redeem myself I am posting now.

I am planning on making soup tonight. There is no set recipe because I am flying by the seat of my pants on this one. I bought mirepoix and some chicken breasts and that is about as far as I have gone with it. I think I may try a white chili but I honestly have no clue. Fascinating reading, I know. Things that I know will be in the chili: Mirepoix, potatoes, roasted corn, peas, and chicken for the boy. I do have some rosemary and thyme; I am thinking to roast the chicken breasts with the herbs and chop them up and add them to his at the end. Ooh! I just forgot that I have also bought tortillas and I am planning to cut them up and toast them and add them at the end AND I have rice. So there.

You know that cooking show where the trained chef is a creeper in the supermarket and follows a woman home to make a gourmet meal with stuff she already has in her pantry? (it exists I swear) That would be helpful if it happened to me today. Cross you fingers and wait for pictures tomorrow!