Seared scallops, new potatoes, green beans – May 31, 2012

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Beebamom

We buy scallops frozen from Costco. It’s a good product and it is impossible to get them fresh. I remember being in France and seeing scallops in the shell at local farmers’ markets. But that is not happening here and the frozen product as long as there are not chemicals added is good. John seared the scallops and cooked them just so they were rare on the inside. Yum. I got some tiny new potatoes from Trader Joe’s and steamed them. I also got some tiny green beans from Trader Joe’s and steamed them as well. Dinner prep and cooking took about a half and hour. I served the dinner with some leftover yogurt dill sauce from Monday. What a delicious dinner!

Scallops, new potatoes and green beans with yogurt dill sauce

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Whole wheat pasta, zucchini, mushrooms, and tomato sauce, arugula salad – May 30, 2012

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Beebamom

John worked today. We got home late. I was hungry. We made the aforementioned dinner. I ate it before I realized that I did not take a picture. Oh well.

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Chicken, butternut squash and Brussels sprouts – May 29, 2012

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Beebamom

I know it is Tuesday. But when a holiday falls on Monday it means that Chicken Monday has to be pushed. This week’s Chicken Monday on Tuesday consisted of pan roasted chicken, butternut squash and Brussels sprouts. We also made a packet of chicken gravy and added mushrooms.

Pan roasted chicken with mushroom gravy and butternut squash and Brussels sprouts

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Happy Memorial Day, Cedar Planked Salmon – May 28, 2012

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Beebamom

Family gatherings are always a problem. What does the family want to eat that I can eat reasonably as well. This year for Memorial Day we decided on cedar planked salmon. We went to our local hardware store and asked for non-treated cedar planks. We bought some wild salmon at Costco.

Salmon on soaked cedar planks before cooking


Jonathan offered to make a pasta salad. I found a salad recipe for fennel, beets, oranges, and onion on line.

Fennel, beet, orange and onion salad

We grilled some asparagus in salt, pepper and olive oil.

Asparagus ready for grilling

The grandkids had macaroni and cheese from the blue box. We finished off with strawberries and blueberries – a delicious dinner with something for everyone.

A plateful of yummy deliciousness – cedar planked salmon with yogurt dill sauce, pasta salad, grilled asparagus, and fennel, beet and orange salad

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Mediterranean fish soup – May 26 & 27, 2012

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Beebamom

We have not made this dinner in a long time, probably five years or more. The Mediterranean fish soup is adapted from a recipe by Rick Stein. We used what fish and shellfish we had in the freezer – scallops, shrimp and ono. John always saves all the shells from our lobster and shrimp meals and had made a fish stock that was also in the freezer. While he prepared the seafood, I was in charge of cutting up a massive amount of vegetables. (I love to cut stuff up!)

Onions, fennel, red pepper, fresno chile, leeks and new potatoes

First I sweated the vegetables and then they simmered in the fish stock and a can of petite diced tomatoes. John concocted a bunch of spices and put them in a tea bag to simmer along with vegetables. Towards the end of cooking, he put in the seafood. It cooked for maybe five minutes.

Fish soup simmering on the stove

We served the soup with some sourdough bread that had been rubbed with garlic. The dinner was so good that we took the leftovers and added some more vegetables and shrimp and ate it again on Sunday. (Unfortunately, I OD’d on the bread. I really cannot be trusted around good bread.)

Mediterranean fish soup with sourdough bread

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Pork tenderloin with rutabagas and frenched green beans – May 25, 2012

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Beebamom

Today is meat day albeit lean pork tenderloin, which is really not so much like red meat. But it has a meaty texture and we’ve been eating veg the last couple of days. John did his usual superlative job of roasting the tenderloin in the oven until the instant probe thermometer read 128 degrees and then seared the outside on the stovetop bringing the temp up to around 140. I pressure-cooked some rutabagas and frenched and steamed some green beans. The green beans were larger than I like and the frenching makes them small and tender. We also made up a packet of our standby gravy. Good, filling dinner.

Pork tenderloin, rutabagas, green beans and gravy

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Whole wheat pasta, zucchini and mushrooms with a salad – May 24, 2012

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Beebamom

Last week I said I could eat pasta at least once a week and so here I am eating it again this week. In order to use a little less pasta, I included zucchini in the dish. I made a bright salad with lots of components to go with it. I am definitely getting my five servings of vegetables in this dinner!

Arugula salad with tomatoes, hearts of palm, mushrooms etc.


Whole wheat pasta with mushrooms and zucchini

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Roasted cauliflower and chipotle bean burgers – May 23, 2012

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Beebamom

On Wednesday, John worked and I spent the day with Sarah who was sewing frantically trying to finish up her Ice Queen costume for Fanime this past weekend. So by the time we got home after the commute, we wanted something quick and easy. Chipotle bean burgers by Morningstar are ready in two minutes. In addition, I cut up a head of cauliflower that needed using, shook the florets in a plastic bag with two teaspoons of olive oil and some salt, and popped them in the oven which was set at 500 degrees convect. In fifteen minutes we had delicious roasted cauliflower.

Roasted cauliflower

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Turkey chili with arugula salad

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Beebamom

This was supposed to be our Chicken Monday meal. I guess I would have had to call it Poultry Monday but the lobster tails enticed us to change our routine and turkey chili got pushed to Tuesday. We tend to get up pretty early so there was plenty of time to get everything chopped up, sauteed, and into the slow cooker by 8 AM. The turkey chili with its load of mushrooms and various peppers cooked long and slow today. While it cooked we ran errands, played tennis, and caught up on paperwork. Slow cookers are so great.

When dinner time arrived, turkey chili was waiting for us. I had the chili with an arugula and tomato salad and a total of eight baked tostito corn chips. I washed it down with an O’Doul’s non-alcoholic beer. The whole experience was pretty close to having a real chili meal.

Turkey chili with arugula salad

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Lobster tail with new potatoes and broccoli

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Beebamom

It’s Monday and I am not making chicken. What?! I always eat chicken on Monday. But this chicken Monday we happened to be at Costco and the lobster tails looked good and were a good price so we bought them. I always like to eat seafood the same day as I buy it so today is Lobster Monday.

I know that lobster seems like a real extravagance. Consider the fact, though, that for about $26 for the entire meal for two of us, we had a lovely elegant meal. If the two of us went to Applebee’s, it would probably cost more and be way less tasty. (Aside, I would never go to Applebee’s.) Interestingly, I was reading the jacket of a book about losing weight during the same trip to Costco. One of the author’s rules for losing weight and maintaining weight loss was to eat at least 10 meals a week at home. John and I eat between 19 and 21 meals a week at home when we are not on vacation. We often have a lunch out with the kids and very occasionally have dinner out. Eating at home is cost effective and calorie effective.

So John steamed the lobster tails and I made new potatoes again because they were so good last night. I also cooked some broccoli. We had a nice bottle of wine. Monday is a good day for celebrating.

Lobster tail with new potatoes and broccoli

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