Dinner--or Dessert--Tonight

[Thursday's_Child]

On my last visit the grocery store was so erratically stocked that I ended up with things I don't normally buy - like a huge jar of marinated artichoke quarters.  That is why dinner last night was spaghetti topped with artichokes and carrots that had been sautéed with minced garlic in the oil from the artichokes, with an Italian herb blend and lemon juice added. 

Next time I'll make the carrots into sticks instead of rounds, add more garlic (or garlic scapes - they're almost ready), and add some corn starch to make the sauce creamier.

[ab_grp]

We recently made a dish I haven't made in a few years: shrimp and artichoke pasta.  We had a couple cans of artichoke hearts, so we figured we'd give it a try.  It sounds as though we may be able to pick up more cans if needed given your store experience!

[Thursday's_Child]

We recently made a dish I haven't made in a few years: shrimp and artichoke pasta.  We had a couple cans of artichoke hearts, so we figured we'd give it a try.  It sounds as though we may be able to pick up more cans if needed given your store experience!

Ohh, lovely!  Maybe I can (safely) acquire some shrimp today...

[Vkw10]

Beans with ham, sautéed spinach, cornbread, and roasted tomatoes. Strawberries for dessert.

My grandmother would have served stewed collards instead of sautéed spinach. She would have used salt, pepper, and fatback as seasonings, while I used garlic, herbs, and olive oil. But when I texted a photo of my dinner plate to my brother, he responded that he missed gran's dinners, too.

His dinner plate looked like our father's Saturday night special, from homemade spaghetti sauce to grilled veggies with grilled peaches for dessert. We both seem to be reverting to our teen cooking lessons lately.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Beans with ham, sautéed spinach, cornbread, and roasted tomatoes. Strawberries for dessert.

My grandmother would have served stewed collards instead of sautéed spinach. She would have used salt, pepper, and fatback as seasonings, while I used garlic, herbs, and olive oil. But when I texted a photo of my dinner plate to my brother, he responded that he missed gran's dinners, too.

His dinner plate looked like our father's Saturday night special, from homemade spaghetti sauce to grilled veggies with grilled peaches for dessert. We both seem to be reverting to our teen cooking lessons lately.

Sounds delicious.

[ab_grp]

We recently made a dish I haven't made in a few years: shrimp and artichoke pasta.  We had a couple cans of artichoke hearts, so we figured we'd give it a try.  It sounds as though we may be able to pick up more cans if needed given your store experience!

Ohh, lovely!  Maybe I can (safely) acquire some shrimp today...

Here is the recipe we used, in case it's helpful: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/162422/artichoke-and-shrimp-linguine/ I was trying to approximate one of my favorite dishes from a restaurant that used to be local to me.  We used bottled lemon juice and probably would decrease that a bit because between that and the artichokes it was a little tangy.  I think it tastes even better as leftovers.  Maybe the flavors come together a bit.

Vkw10, I agree that sounds like a great meal (and your brother's does, too)! I was just thinking recently about hauling out the Swiss steak recipe my mom passed down to me years ago.  She made it a lot when we were growing up, but I've not made it myself yet.

[Vkw10]

Ab_grp, I haven't had Swiss steak in years. I'll have to dig through family recipe box.

Not dinner or dessert, but I made onion jam today. Lunch tomorrow will be a veggie pita with onion jam.

[Hegemony]

We are at the mercy of our farm-share box. Tonight was polenta with mushrooms, spinach, and a fried egg. Turns out that "Stone Ground Heritage Abenaki Polenta" is strong stuff. You could have tasted the corn in that polenta from next door. It overpowered everything else. Now I have to figure out what to do with a large bag of overpowering polenta.

[JCu16]

We are at the mercy of our farm-share box. Tonight was polenta with mushrooms, spinach, and a fried egg. Turns out that "Stone Ground Heritage Abenaki Polenta" is strong stuff. You could have tasted the corn in that polenta from next door. It overpowered everything else. Now I have to figure out what to do with a large bag of overpowering polenta.

A robust tomato based pasta sauce should do the trick. I tend to find polenta isn't as friendly as arborio rice for many of those more subtly flavored preparations.

Dinner today was one that I've been trying to get right for years - and I nailed it. Salt and Pepper squid, with a crispy gluten free coating, and garlic/ginger/chilli crunch. Its taken a fair bit of experimenting to work out the restaurant combination (and tolerance from my other half for a few burnouts), but saw we had a packet of squid in the freezer so decided to take a swing. Served with fried rice and a side of steamed cabbage with shaoxing vinegarette.

Back to leftovers/clearing out older frozen meals from the freezer tomorrow though.

[apl68]

I got into the habit of cooking up rice with something-or-other in it when I was in grad school.  It was cheap and easy to make and to clean up, and I've been doing it ever since.  Over the years I've tried shrimp, sardines, sausages, canned beans, mushrooms, etc.    When I get it on the plate I sauce it up with things like Thai chili sauce, souvlaki sauce, seasoned mustard, and barbecue sauce.  Usually for variety's sake I'll season one-third with once sauce, one-third with another, and leave the last third free of sauce. 

My latest creation has been rice cooked in a microwave rice cooker with chopped onions and corned beef.  It was okay.

[ab_grp]

Ab_grp, I haven't had Swiss steak in years. I'll have to dig through family recipe box.

Maybe we can exchange recipes! I'm sure my mom's came from one of the old cooking magazines or a newspaper, but I'll take a look for it and see if it sounds like what I remember.

We made this last night (a lamb and eggplant casserole apparently of Armenian heritage): https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/217187/mamas-oh-so-savory-lamb-and-eggplant-casserole/  We had some ground lamb in the freezer, so I was trying to find something a little less ordinary than something like burgers or gyros.  We both really liked it.  Not too hard to put together, although you have to pay attention to the timing (e.g., eggplant has to sit for an hour).  We had most of the ingredients on hand.  It smelled great.

[arcturus]

I made this mexican bean salad this afternoon: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/14169/mexican-bean-salad/ As a mixture of fresh ingredients (I finally ventured out to a grocery store) and cans from my stockpile, it was refreshingly good.  I followed the advice in the comments to halve the recommended oil & vinegar, but otherwise followed directions as listed. I expect it will taste even better tomorrow, when the dressing has a chance to marinate the beans.

[dismalist]

Delectable shrimp scampi a la Seapak over spaghetti Barilla, avec un vin blanc de la maison.

[Economizer]

HISPANOSO SO-SO

60 cent beef & beef burrito removed from tortilla.
Then, mixed with seasoned yellow rice seasoned with Arby's 3 pepper sauce
All of which is topped with Taco Bell's mild sauce.

Served with apple sauce and served with iced tea
After dinner treats: Walmat Lemon Tart and a Hamm's Tall Boy

[Vkw10]

Dinner tonight: Bailey's Mudslide Milkshake