More grumpiness – leftovers – September 19, 2012

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Beebamom

I went out to lunch with Sarah at Chili’s. I had my Chili’s special which I am becoming famous for at the Chili’s we visit. It consists of a garden salad with no croutons, no cheese and no dressing. An order of broccoli with no cheese and no butter. And six grilled shrimp. I bring my own zero point dressing. Sarah has the express lunch which includes a big basket of chips and salsa. I allow myself one chip. This does not help my mood.

For dinner, after refusing to eat chipotle bean burgers (like a baby), I settled on leftover autumn soup. Picture is on the post of September 16, 2012, (grump, grump, grump)

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Grumpy diet days – pasta and salad – September 18, 2012

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Beebamom

Okay, I admit it, I am tired of being on this diet here on Week 91! I haven’t eaten anything truly evil in such a long time. And especially nothing truly evil without feeling incredibly guilty about it afterward. Is this my life? Endless recriminations? I’ve also been stuck losing and gaining the same 2 lbs. now for about 6 months.

Anyway, after mewling about not wanting to eat anything we had in the refrigerator, I made a salad and John made a bunch of pasta with tomato sauce. They were both good. But I am still grumpy.

Salad with mixed lettuces, goat cheese, roasted golden beets, mushrooms, tomatoes etc. I didn’t take a picture of the pasta.

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Another chicken Monday – September 17, 2012

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Beebamom

Whenever I served chicken to my mother-in-law she used to say that she was never insulted by being served chicken. I never knew whether that was a compliment or not. If I am going out to dine, I think I might be insulted by chicken – such a humble dish. It would have to be really good. John makes an excellent pan-roasted chicken breast. It has a nice crust but is still juicy on the inside.

Along with the chicken and ubiquitous gravy, I made a mash of left over rutabagas, butternut squash and sweet potato. When I made the autumn soup for Sunday I had these bits and pieces left. They were not enough to be on their own but I figured their tastes would go well together. I popped the chopped up pieces in the pressure cooker and after eight minutes of hissing and they were done. I also steamed some broccoli.

You can never insult me with Chicken Monday.

Pan-roasted chicken, yellow mash and broccoli

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Autumn soup and salad with challah and honey cake – September 16, 2012

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Beebamom

On Sunday we celebrated a combination John birthday party and Rosh Hashanah. Jonathan and the boys had stayed over night and we got up early so we could make the bread. I had made the soup on Saturday. The autumn soup consists of equal amounts of apples, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, rutabagas, and carrots. There are also some onions in it and some butter. The soup simmers in chicken stock and then is pureed. The recipe calls for cream but I used just a little half and half. It is served with chives, a little sour cream and a slice of lemon. So good! I made the challah in a round shape for the new year. We also had apples and honey and a big salad. Sarah brought a honey cake that we served with ice cream. Nathan especially liked the apples and honey!

Autumn soup


Nathan hungrily eyes the apples and honey

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Lobster tails with new potatoes and green beans – September 14, 2012

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Beebamom

Friday was John’s birthday. We decided to cook a really nice dinner at home and open some good wine. Except for the lobster coming out a little undercooked (the lobster tails were bigger than usual), it was a perfect birthday dinner.

Lobster tails with green beans and new potatoes

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Lentil stew and Zeni’s – September 12 & 13, 2012

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Beebamom

Last Wednesday we made lentil stew with mushrooms, carrots, onions, celery and turkey sausage. It’s a homely dish, comforting and filling. It does not photograph well so I didn’t take a picture.

On Thursday was John’s Birthday Mystery Fun Day with Sarah. Much as she did for me on my birthday, Sarah planned a day of fun surprises for John. They went into the city and ate lunch at Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery and then spent the afternoon at the Symphony. I was included in the dinner plans. We went to Zeni’s in San Jose.

Zeni’s is an Ethiopian restaurant that we love. The food is served on a big bread-like piece of injera. We always get the veggie combo which is full of wonderfully spiced vegetables and also a lentil dish. We had lamb as well. It was all so delicious!

Veggie combo at Zeni’s

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Pork tenderloin with butternut squash and Brussels sprouts

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Beebamom

Pork tenderloin is so difficult to cook without it getting all dried out. John does a wonderful job with it, though. He tied the roast so that the thinner part overlapped and the pork was a neat, consistently thick piece of meat. Then he roasted it in a slow oven and finally seared it on a grill pan. It’s a lot of work but the meat comes out tender and moist. I roasted the butternut squash and prepared the Brussels sprouts the way we like them – with a little butter and sherry. We made a packet of gravy and put some mushrooms in it. Good dinner.

Pork tenderloin with butternut squash and Brussels sprouts

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Chicken Monday – September 10, 2012

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Beebamom

Ah, back to sane eating! After dining out in Las Vegas on Saturday and eating on the road on Sunday, it was so nice to cook a regular Chicken Monday again. And what could be more typical of my Chicken Mondays than pan-roasted chicken breast, mashed rutabagas and green beans. And, of course, a packet of chicken gravy enhanced with mushrooms.

Pan-roasted chicken breast with gravy and mashed rutabagas and green beans

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Scallops with mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts – September 5, 2012

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Beebamom

We decided on a menu for the week that Jonathan was visiting and pretty much stuck to it. We had burgers, fish tacos, turkey chili, and scallops. On Friday night and Saturday, we ate out. This was our scallop meal from last Wednesday. Jonathan has recreated a favorite restaurant meal which included seared scallops, mashed potatoes, butter braised leeks and asparagus with a lovely buttery sauce. As much as I love it, that is way too much fat for me to eat. So we compromised and kept the mashed potatoes and the scallops, substituted Brussels sprouts for the asparagus and jettisoned the sauce and the butter braised leeks. It was still pretty yummy!

Scallops with mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts

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Burgers with Texas caviar and cole slaw – September 3, 2012

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Beebamom

Happy Labor Day! Today is even happier since our good friends, Eileen and Jim, have become first time grandparents today. Congratulations to Ali and Van on the birth of their son on Labor Day (how apropos!)

It’s a grim time for workers but we did our best to celebrate the contribution of working Americans by making a pretty labor intensive dinner. I made Texas caviar, a spicy concoction of beans and veg, while the guys were out working hard on the golf course. Jonathan made some yummy coleslaw. John cooked the hamburgers and portobello mushrooms as well as charring the red peppers and grilling some onions. I also have to admit that I had a small amount of frozen French fries and onion rings so I made them as well.

All the burgers were served with a smear of goat cheese, a roasted red pepper and a grilled onion. My portobellos were served open-faced with some arugula. It was a great festive dinner which we ate while watching the U.S. Open. We were hoping that Roger Federer would be playing today but he got a walkover from an ailing Mardy Fish. The Bryan brothers, playing doubles, made enjoyable watching during dinner.

Portobello mushroom burgers with goat cheese, roasted red pepper and grilled onion, served open-faced with arugula and accompanied by Texas caviar and cole slaw

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