What Was Dinner 05/30/2012

Yesterday was a happy day in our house,Bill was called back to work. As we both hustled out the door to be on time for work neither one of us gave a thought to dinner. As we both hustled back in the door after work we looked at each other and gave thought about dinner.
 Bill voted for take out,I voted for cooking.I won! I found premade hamburger patties in the freezer,a sweet potato on the counter and a baby watermelon that didn't make it to all the cook outs. So I manned the grill and fixed straight up no frills cheese burgers served on corn tortillas(no buns) with fresh lettuce from Mike and Chris's garden and jersey fresh tomatoes.I liked the sweet potato chips Bill did so I made  them as well. I plated it all up with a slice of water melon and called it dinner.

  We made sure to think about tonight's dinner and something is defrosting as we speak.Call us crazy but we like to eat before 8 O clock in the evening.

What Was Dinner 05/29/2012

Nothing like waiting to the last minute. As a brand ambassador for Allrecipe.com each month I have activities to get done. Always fun and normally very tasty activities even still I let it go to the last minute to get it all done. Lucky for me earlier this month I made a few of the dishes with out knowing they were on my to do list.
  Last night I had a dinner made from recipes found in the Cinco De Mayo hub in Allrecipe . Very good food and so easy to prepare. I picked a lime chicken taco and a spiced rice.
 For the chicken using the ingredient list as written I steamed in a foil pack on the grill instead of heating up my kitchen and standing  over the stove. I was not in any way disappointed in my decision,the meat was juicy tender and the flavor penetrated all the way through the meat making each bite a tongue teasing pleasure.
      http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lime-chicken-soft-tacos/detail.aspx   

 As you see I couldn't wait to taste that Taco. The rice is just as good and has a wonderful spicy kick to it. Because Bill and I like heat in our spice I added 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper to the mix but other then that I followed the recipe as written. If you don't like heat in you spice but enjoy the flavor of spiced food this is a dish for you with out the cayenne.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mexican-rice-i/detail.aspx 

 Yes this meal taste as good as it looks and was one of the easiest dinners I prepared this month.
  What a great way to complete my May activities,I love being a brand ambassador especially when I get to make and review dinners like this. Bill likes it too because he gets to eat all the great recipes I have been discovering. 
  Here are the links to the other dishes I prepared and reviewed this past month.
 http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bebop-baked-beans/detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/make-ahead-sour-cream-coffee-cake/detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/london-broil-ii/detail.aspx

All I can say is Yummy! Happy Eating everyone!

What Was Dinner 05/28/2012

Yesterday was Zoo day with my family. What a perfect day. Sunny,hot and full of fun.
 For dinner we hung out at the birthday boy's house and helped eat up all the left over party food. I was so busy swimming with my granddaughter I took no pictures,actually I didn't even think of the camera I was having so much fun.
 Added to the left over stuffed shells,ham and assorted side dishes was a few fresh dishes like the rainbow colored coleslaw salad with a sweet dressing and raisins.Not a dish that I liked,I am not a fan of raisins and there was a raisin in every bite.Also added to dinner was a rack of ribs(if your counting what is that ribs 3 times in a week? No wonder I groan at the thought of ribs by summers end) and a pan of very good baked beans.
 As we sat around the pool in the fading sun enjoying our dinner Madeline provided the entertainment with her ever amazing personality and charm,she is so social and out going and full of energy it is impossible to not be enchanted by her.
 The perfect end to the perfect day! 

      

What Was Dinner 05/27/2012

Yesterday Was A red letter day,our niece turned 21.To celebrate this awesome day her mother threw a BBQ party. I like gatherings like yesterdays,very informal and laid back and enjoyable.The food as always was very good, I ate more then my fill and had to undo the top button of my shorts and take a walk to make room for the cake.
  The menu was what I consider perfect Birthday BBQ fare,burgers and dogs  with a lot of tasty dips and sides.

 My personal favorite was the roasted vegetables. I love the flavor of them to begin with but when they are cooked like last night  with just the right amount of crispiness to them there is nothing better.
  No birthday party would be complete with out a birthday cake. 

                               This party was complete!
 The cake was a delicious red velvet.Moist and velvety just as the name say's and decorated so prettily it was  the talk of the party.

    I hope this birthday was everything you hope it would be. Here's wishing  you a whole lot more to come! 
                       Happy 21st Birthday Karly                                         

What Was Dinner 05/26/2012

Party number 1 is all but a memory now. The weather held out and everyone had a great time.
  The occasion for this party was our friends 50th birthday. We will be attending more then a few of those this year. Do you remember when 50 seemed old.

    The party started in the early evening hours and continued into the wee hours of the morning. Poolside parties can be such fun.
 There was plenty of good food to eat.

    and of coarse plenty of good stuff to wash down dinner and to toast the birthday boy with.

  What would a birthday party be with out cake.

      Happy Birthday Tom and wishing you many more.Now I am going to take an aspirin or 2 and go back to bed,I need to rest up for party # two.   

What Was Dinner 05/25/2012

Last night marked the beginning of the Memorial Day Weekend and a string of parties and outings. My kitchen will see little or no action this weekend.
 In the pouring rain Bill fired up the grill and made us some ribs and sweet potato chips.The chips were really good.A tossed salad using the last of the corn on the cob rounded out dinner.

                              Yes it tasted as good as it looks.
As I said my kitchen is going to be all but closed for the holiday, you need not fear I will take pictures of all the wonderful goodies I am sure I will be enjoying.
   I am off to work for a few hours and then let the festivities began!

What Was dinner 05/24/2012

This week has been the week of simple easy  and delicious dinners and last night was no different. I was so happy when I got home and saw that Bill had started dinner. I work in a flower shop and it is wedding season, making my day long and action packed.

  Bill fixed us up with burgers just like I like them, cooked medium well and covered in cheese.Yummy! There were also cooked onions and mushrooms for the burger and a nicely toasted bun. He served what was left of the potato salad that in true fashion of potato salad tasted even better the next day. That was it that was dinner,the perfect end to what had been a long and difficult day.

     I am still not sure what made me the happiest, being home or dinner. 
  Hope everyone has a great time this weekend! Be safe and happy eating!               

What was Dinner 05/23/2012

Well the grill is getting a work out this week. It was Bill's turn to cook and he made his favorite dinner. BBQ ribs. By summers end I will be groaning every time I hear the word ribs. Bill makes a mean rib and everyone that has them raves about them,but the reason he makes a mean rib is because he practices, practices and practices all summer long.I can see my summer now ribs and chicken,at least the chicken won't be roasted.
 Last nights dinner was very tasty.Corn on the cob,ribs and a very nicely dressed potato salad. I really liked the salad and when I asked about the ingredients Bill gave me look and said with a little laugh "I don't know" it is one of those things that only happens once. Yes we can guess at the ingredients and get most of them right but it will never come out the same again.

As you may have already guessed I am not a rib fan,but I ask you who can refuse a meal that looks as good as this.

What was dinner 05/22/2012

Last nights dinner was an almost repeat of the previous nights dinner with the exception of what I am calling the taco cheese burger.
  I used the grill to make dinner even for heating up the left over beans and cooking the corn.As I said I love summer there is just something about the food in the summer that makes it extra good and enjoyable.
 For the burgers I mixed in an egg,salt,pepper,garlic and onion powder. While I was doing this I was thinking about all the different burgers you see on restaurant menus like a California burger and the blue cheese burger.(YUCK) Well I was just telling myself that a straight up cheese burger is what was on my menu when my hand of its own free will reaches out grabs a hand full of spices like cayenne pepper, chili powder and a few more. Before I could even think about it the spices are in my meat and I am making nice thick patties for the grill.
 I do believe I learned a lesson about burgers and grills. I believe a thinner burger cooks up better on the grill then a thicker burger. The thicker burgers shrunk up much more then thinner burgers seem to.They stayed thick just got smaller.
  The burgers were very good,the flavor of the spices I added was noticeable not overpowering. The mozzarella cheese, lettuce,tomato,and guacamole all worked together giving this burger its name.
           The Taco Cheese Burger!

    I just could not help myself,the burger looked and smelled so good I was drooling and unable to focus the camera,so I took a bite.                      

What was Dinner 05/21/2012

Don't you just love summer? I know we are not yet in the summer season proper, but the vegetables and fruits are beginning to taste and smell fresher with each day that passes.
 Last nights dinner had me thinking of nothing but summer barbecues and sunny warm days.
  To full fill one of my May activities I tried a recipe from the Allrecipe memorial day hub of recipes.

I am so glad I did, I love a good and easy baked bean dish.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bebop-baked-beans/detail.aspx
Along with this wonderful baked bean dish I served my Fresh Couscous salad so good with the mint right out of the garden and the jersey fresh tomatoes not out of the hot house.The corn on the cob was sweet and full of flavor making you moan with pleasure with each bite and the Brats cooked with pepper and onion were perfect making you think of Summer at its finest.

 As once said week after week way back when in the 80's I love it when a plan comes together. 

What was Dinner 05/20/2012

Yesterday I took my self to the shore. I do that once in a while go by my self to the beach and enjoy.I took a slow easy walk up and down the board walk and then after collecting my beach chair from the car I sit down in the sand to read my kindle.
 The weather was cool to warm and very sunny. I don't notice until I get home that the 3 hrs reading on the beach has earned me one very bad sun burn, I don't think I have ever been burned this bad.
  I hurt to bad to think I want to cook dinner and Bill well he doesn't want to cook either. We are both hungry and take out is not what we want....So we go with our old stand by....

  Roasted Chicken with root vegetables. All in one pan and cooked all at once. What could be easier.
 Yes I used the Honey butter I have left from last month on my potato. It was all very good.

What Was Dinner 05/19/2012

It has been awhile since I have cooked between date night, work and Mothers day weekend my cooking skills have been taking a vacation. So I am sure you understand my total shock when at around 3 pm while playing outside with little miss Madeline I realize I have to cook dinner and I have nothing defrosted or ready.(The microwave my hero)
   It is not easy but I get Madeline to come inside and head straight for the kitchen and the freezer. I know just what I am looking for and as always I know the hot Italian sausage is there but I don't see it, instead I pull out ground beef figuring that will work  just as well and out tumbles the sausage ok I use them both.
 I unwrap the the beef put it on a plate and cover it with paper towel and place it in the microwave on defrost for 8 minutes.I preheat the oven to 400 and put the frozen sausage on a baking sheet and place it in the oven to cook for the next hour.
 While the sausage is in the oven and Madeline is talking to her  collection of horses I brown the ground beef in my cast iron skillet,I season the meat with pepper,onion powder,garlic powder,basil and oregano. Once the beef is just browned I added 1/2 an onion sliced ruffly, I had some tomatoes that were extremely ripe I cut them up and threw them in the pan lowered the heat and covered the pan. Letting that cook for about 15 minutes I joined Madeline in her conversation  with her horses.
  Once the tomatoes were cooked down I added a can of crushed tomatoes and my spices. Along with the normal salt,pepper, sugar,oregano and basil I added ground cloves,nutmeg and allspice. about 1/8 tsp or less I didn't want to over power the sauce. This was cooked uncovered until it began to bubble up then I covered it and let it simmer for the rest of the hour.
  All that was left to do was make the pasta when Bill got home and serve.

    Gotta love pasta and meat sauce it is so good and hearty making the diner believe you had slaved all day to create this perfect blend between meat and tomato,when in truth.....well you know the truth.          

What was Dinner 05/17/2012 and 05/18/2012

05/17/2012
Oops a day late and a dollar short. Yesterday was date night for Bill and I so today your going to get 2 blogs in 1.
    Thursday night Bill cooked again and I being less tired and grumpy took pictures.Dinner was cooked on the grill and in the oven as well as on the stove top. It seemed like Bill had every burner going at one point.

 I have no name for the dinner Bill made us except for 
  "Oh My Goodness This Is SO FLIPPIN GOOD".
 There was so much going on on the plate that it is hard to describe it all to you,but it all worked perfectly together. 
  Using tortilla chips with a verity of cheeses melted on them as the base of the plate Bill then added the salad right on top of that and then slices of the London broil on top of that ending it with sour cream and mashed avocado spiced similar to the meat.( he kept the spices to himself)
 The plate it self was pretty to look at and just made you want to eat it up,so I did.I enjoyed every bite.My mouth was just an explosion of flavor,as I said I don't know what to call this dish other then So Flippin GOOD.

 Because this dinner pate was so pretty I have to give you 2 views of it. Makes me hungry looking at them.
05/18/2012
   Friday was date night. We don't have them often but it is always fun when we do.
  On this date it was a tour of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Always a nice time. For dinner we traveled into an area called Fishtown and ate at an interesting place called Frankford Hall. Very very good food an more then a little entertaining.
 The Restaurant and I use the term loosely is indoors out. I mean you walk into the building through a door and you are once again out side. To order your food you stand in line like a fast food place, after you order and pay they give you a number on a stick and you can then find a table and you will be served by waiters. The waiters stand in a line as well and like at a cabbie stand the next in line gets the next table. There is a fire pit in the center of the restaurant for making somore's or just to sit and be social. Beer and Wine only and some very exotic brews were on hand.
  I had a dish with a German name that I can't say or spell,it was simply flattened pork battered and fried served with a very tangy German potato salad and a mushroom gravy that I didn't care for and Bill thought was very good. Bill had a Lamb burger and fries with curry ketchup. He ate every bite liked his fingers and proclaimed it very good. I believe him.

  The view from our table.We forgot to take pictures of the food when it came.We were just that hungry.
  There you have it 2 blogs in one. I hope you enjoyed it. Happy Weekend Everyone!    

What Was Dinner 05/16/2012

Yesterday I returned back to work after almost 5 months off. I work part time in a flower shop doing a little bit of this and a little of that and the work is enjoyable. Even still I came home tired and a little cranky so I did not step foot in the kitchen not even to take pictures.
  Bill prepared pork chops with corn on the cob and a medley of sauteed vegetables. It was all very good and would have been beautiful in pictures. 
                    

What Was Dinner 05/15/2012

Last night was my all time favorite dinner. Fried chicken mashed potatoes with milk gravy and corn.
  Growing up we had a Birthday tradition  on your birthday you get to pick the dinner menu. On my Birthday no one had to ask every one knew I was picking fried chicken,instant mashed potatoes,and canned corn. Over the years my taste has improved some what. My favorite dinner is still Fried chicken with mashed, gravy and corn only now the potatoes are not instant and the corn is on the cob and I have added tossed salad to the menu.
  Last night was not my Birthday, I had just been craving  this meal for a few days.I definitely was not disappointed.
  I fried my chicken the way I always do in a cast iron pan using bacon fat as my grease.

  While frying up the chicken I put together a tossed salad with green onion,cucumber and tomato. I seasoned it with basil,oregano,salt and pepper and dressed it with cottage cheese. The salad smelled so good and tasted even better.I added honey to the water for the corn and melted a 1/2 stick of butter for serving with the corn. I boiled and mashed the potatoes using sour cream in place of milk to make them nice and creamy. 
         Once the chicken was cooked I removed it from the pan and keeping it warm I tackled my arch nemesis of cooking,,,Milk Gravy!  Over the years I have become an expert at making gravy,but that was not always so, there was a time when I was the queen of lumps.

                      




 Milk gravy was my favorite and I just loved the way my grandma made it.No matter how much I watched her make that gravy I just couldn't seem to master it, it would either be lumpy, runny or worse taste like paste or burnt coffee. I finally after many many years and attempts did master Milk gravy and now after all that practice and trial and error I can make any gravy under the sun and serve it proudly knowing it will be some of the best gravy you will ever taste. 
      This was a favorite dinner growing up and it is still a favorite dinner now. 

  I absolutely understand how this was once considered to be the best Sunday dinner.    

                    

What Was Dinner 05/14/2012

Burgers and Beer that would be the title of last nights dinner. Using a dark stout beer and frozen french onion soup I try a new twist with my classic meat cake recipe.
   To start I mix together 1 egg, 1 lb ground meat,1/4 cup milk and my seasonings Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder,dried basil,dried Oregano, nutmeg,allspice and cardamom. I then make extra thick patties and place them in a hot oven safe skillet. Don't mash them down with your spatula just let them cook untouched until browned flip once and let that side brown untouched as well.

  I then removed the burgers from the pan. I added a med sliced onion and a cup give or take of sliced mushrooms,cooked til the onion was soft and translucent . I degazed the pan with 8 oz of Guinness stout from a can and let that cook about 5 minutes, then  I added the frozen soup defrosting it first, about a cup. I turned the oven to 425 on when I started cooking the burgers on the stove.After letting the beer,soup and meat drippings cook together for about 5 minutes I removed the pan from the heat and added my beef patties back into the pan I covered the pan tightly with foil and placed the skillet into the oven lowering the oven temperature  to 375 set the timer for 30 minutes and went and wrote yesterdays blog.  
 When the timer went of I removed the foil and let everything continue to cook another 30 minutes.My sides were simple and good. Bill was bored yesterday and had gone foraging coming home with fresh picked  asparagus so that was a no brainer, I steamed the fresh veggies with butter and lemon till the asparagus was just tender. The lemon smells so good as it wafts around the kitchen.Boiled potatoes rounds off this meal perfectly.The kitchen smells so good and I am drawn back in time to the happy childhood memories of dinner and fun.

   I normally make meat cakes on the stove top with a mushroom gravy and while it is always very good cooked like that I will be using beer and the oven method from here on out. The Texture was beyond words, it was every thing and I mean everything you ever want from a meat cake. Moist, velvety and full of taste.         
                 Well I am hungry now so off to the kitchen I go to whip up yet another amazing dinner!     

What was Dinner 05/13/2012

It was mothers day and we all know I was not cooking.
  Bill used his grill and made dinner magic as usual.

       Earlier in the day I made a coffee cake for breakfast. Well actually I put it together the night before and let chill over night in the fridge.  A very good sweet breakfast for mothers day. Thanks to Allrecipe and their mothers day hub of recipes I was ready and relaxing Sunday morning.

               http://allrecipes.com/recipe/make-ahead-sour-cream-coffee-cake/detail.aspx


  Dinner Was very good, the artichoke was not all that we hoped it would be, but Bill gave it a good try and had a good idea.I always love a good pierogie   fried with butter and sour cream.  The country style pork ribs were slow cooked to a juicy tender perfection. 

     All in all a very tasty very good Mothers Day Dinner. My sweet husband has plenty of reason to be proud of himself.   

What was Dinner 05/12/2012

It must be Mothers day weekend or something because once again I didn't have to cook last night. I know the warm sunny day we had was just begging Bill to fire up the grill,still it was a nice break to not cook,or clean up. All I had to do was take the pictures.

  Dinner was delicious. As always the steak was cooked just the way I like it, the fries you see in the pan was a mix of frozen sweet potato fries and left over fries from the restaurant the night before a very good mix.The salad however was the star of the show as far as I am concerned. 
  Bill worked a little bit of magic last night with his salad,he took the left over tossed salad from Wed. and seasoned it with McCormick Grill Mates Montreal steak seasoning and then he used cottage cheese as the dressing. That salad was banging. I will be copying Bill's idea very often this summer.

    Dinner was so good last night, Bill is going to have a hard time topping it tonight. I'm so glad it is Mothers day and I don't have to follow last nights menu.                                           

What Was Dinner 05/11/2012

Today is my Daughter in Laws Birthday! So my kitchen was closed as we made our way to Atlantic City for dinner and a show. Well dinner for Bill and I, show and a over night stay for the kids
  The Birthday Girl picked a nice restaurant called Six I believe on the 6th floor of Bally's Casino. All our dinners were good but the Rib plate that Stef and Bill ordered was by far the best looking plates on the table.

Ribs with a Blackberry BBQ sauce! This dish wash awesome looking and the bone absolutely pulled away from the meat with the lightest touch.There was not a single rib left at dinners end.                                        

What Was Dinner 05/10/2012

We were once again going to have chicken leg quarters. My freezer is full of them. Every time they go on sale for .49 a pound my husband buys the extra large economy family pack for the 2 of us. We divide meat into dinner size packs and freeze them.
   I spent most of the day with that chicken at the back of my mind thinking of something different to do with the legs.There is really only so many ways you can cook chicken legs and I have pretty much worn out roasted chicken. Thoughts of Mexican food kept banging into the chicken at the back of my mind.
  Thinking I was going to boil the legs and then shred them into some sort of  amazing creation I walk into the kitchen.Sitting on the counter shinning all bright and beautiful is the best idea I had all day.

   I laid out a large piece of foil and placed my chicken leg on it. I added mushrooms and large onion slices,I seasoned with butter,salt,pepper,onion powder,garlic powder,cumin,cardamom,red curry powder and fresh lime juice. I laid lime slices on and around the meat. I folded the foil up into an air tight packet placed the packet on a backing sheet and placed it all in a 425 degree oven. I let it cook for 45 minutes.After letting it set for another 15 minutes I very carefully open the foil,the aroma is so tantalizingly good bringing my husband into the kitchen in hopes of snagging a taste. 

                        
   Keeping with the Mexican flare of the chicken I use the avocado sitting on the counter next to the foil,a nice ripe plum tomato,and cottage cheese for our salad. How is that Mexican you ask. Well just look at the colors on my plate.

  The colors of Mexico and very tasty as well.
    I have never made re fried beans I normally just grab a can. Not having any on hand I give it a shot thinking how hard can it be. Well if you don't know what your doing it aint easy . I was concentrating so hard on the beans I let the rice over cook. I never got the beans to look like re fried beans but I came up with was very good at dinner and even better as lunch on Friday.

   As I said I over cooked the rice so there was no rice with dinner and truthfully we didn't even notice. Our plates were full of flavor, color and tantalizing aromas.There was very little conversation during dinner but it certainly  wasn't quiet with all our lip smacking and moans of pleasure.

    This meal is going in my files under the heading Comfort Food,do it again and again and again.                                                                                                                

What was Dinner 05/09/2012

Yesterday was Madeline visiting day so as always dinner needed to be something simple and easy so that I could work it around playing dress up,making sandcastles and enjoying cinnamon toast with sprinkles.
     I decided to make beef stew using the left over beef and juice from the French Dip we had earlier this week. The juice is more a nice rich broth then a juice and works real well as the base of my stew. 

                                        
         

I used 2 cups of the liquid and froze the rest it was about another 2 cups so worth saving.I ruffly chunked up the remaining beef  as well as a few potatoes,carrots and onion. Since the beef and broth are already well cooked  I don't even need a lot of cook time just enough to thicken the broth and get the vegetables tender.  
      An hour before I expected to be back home from the round trip taking Madeline home I started my stew. I lightly browned the beef in a little oil and 2 tbs of flour to make the rue I added the onions and made them translucent I carefully added my broth and cooked about 5 minutes then I added my chunked vegetables and brought it all to a boil uncovered. Once it came to a boil I lowered the heat to low, covered  the pan and left it to cook.
    When I returned the vegetables were done just like we like them and the house smelled delicious. All that was left to do was add the frozen peas to the stew, toss together a salad and brown up what was left of the  French Dip roll .

As I said earlier this week. There is so much you can do with the left over French dip.The broth from the French dip is what makes this stew the best I have ever tasted.                                                                                                                                            

What Was Dinner 05/08/2012

Our most favorite pork chop dinner has to be a recipe that my friend Lillian Russo shared with me and a recipe club she and I belong to.
                        http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/pork/one-pan-whiskey-pork-chops.html?p=1   


Lillian and I love love love a good pork chop dish and this recipe is my all time favorite.
    I prepare this recipe just as it is written and enjoy every tasty morsel.
          Tonight along with the pork chops I served spinach and my blue ribbon Couscous salad. I don't love love love spinach but it is very good when you top it with cheese and a little of the pork chop gravy.(Just thinking about last nights dinner is making my tummy rumble.) 
            There is not much to say about the Couscous salad it pretty much speaks for it self. It is as good to eat as it is easy to make.Lite and fresh with a hint of mint, this salad is a perfect match with the pork chops and creamy mushroom gravy.
                                http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/salad/pasta-salad/couscous-salad.html?p=1


 I drooled in anticipation as I cooked dinner last night and I am licking my lips now as I write about it. This is hands down one of my best dinners.