Tonight we are having a grill and sheet pan meal. John grilled the steak to perfection and put the sweet potatoes that I had microwaved on the grill to give them some char. I pumped the oven up to 550F, tossed the cauliflower with olive oil and salt, switched the oven to convect, and then cooked the cauliflower until it was charred.
Delicious dinner with the cauliflower being the star.
When we make our enchiladas we use one of the breasts from a Costco rotisserie chicken which I shred up. John chars a tortilla and hands it off to me. Cradling the tortilla in my hand, I fill it with the chicken, some chppped onion, cheese, and green enchilada sauce. After rolling it up I put it in a 9×9 glass dish that has a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom. I snug the enchiladas close to each other. I can fit 9 in a pan. I usually make 2 dishes so we will have plenty of leftovers. Over top of the enchiladas I pour the rest of the sauce, onions, and cheese. I bake them in a 350F oven for 45 minutes until they are hot and bubbly, around 45 minutes.
Since the enchiladas do not take a pretty picture I added some chopped kale on top. Cilantro would be a better choice but I did not have any. They were really tasty and the three of us ate 10 enchiladas so there are still 8 left for lunches.
Sorry for the messy looking bowl. As usual when presented with a bowl of pasta, all I want to do is eat it, not take its picture. Tonight was Sarah’s night to cook. She often makes such delicious smelling dinners that I yearn for while bent over my piece of fish, rice, and broccoli.
This dish has some sort of creamy, cheesy sauce, leeks, pork sausage, and kale. It is very good. It is also very filling. When I got my bowl I was thinking, is that all? By the time I had eaten 2/3 of it I was so full that I passed the rest over to John.
I am hoping that she will make one dinner each week. It will be fun to have something new and exciting to look forward to.
I will happily eat anything potato. We have only made this once before and I find it hard to believe this dish is not in our monthly rotation. It is quick and easy to make. It has a hardiness and spiciness that is great for a chilly winter’s night.
I am including the recipe below which comes from The NY Times cooking site. Changes I made to the recipe which are not reflected below are to omit the honey (I don’t like sweet), to add an additional russet potato to the baby/fingerling potato mix to add creaminess (so 1 lb. baby/fingerling plus the russet potato in a fairly small dice), and to not serve it over rice. After all it already has potatoes and beans in it! Try it! I bet you will like it too!
We were supposed to be having our classic chicken dinner tonight but we started watching a cooking program where the contestants were making chicken wings. I knew we had a couple of wings from the chicken we bought today and also some pre-made frozen ones. I could not pass up the lure of chicken wings. I cut up carrots and cauliflower to serve with the wings. The two sauces are Buffalo sauce from the pre-made package and blue cheese dressing. Yum!
I seem to be having trouble getting back into the routine of taking pictures of my dinners! Trust me, John baked the fish and made the rice. I prepared the mustard sauce and cooked the broccoli. Hopefully I will remember to take a picture tomorrow!
This week we have three events. Our daughter, Sarah, is going to start making one shared dinner per week. We do not know what it will be yet. The other event is our grandson’s birthday. We are meeting at our son’s house in the late afternoon so I am thinking it will be an hors d’oeuvres party. I have volunteered to bring shrimp cocktail. This week also begins our healthy eating regimen.
Although I grew up close to New York City I never, ever had Manhattan clam chowder. My father had an iron rule against any type of seafood. He hated it and it was not allowed in our house, period, end of discussion. So my first exposure to New England clam chowder and any type of seafood was while I attended college and through various boyfriends in Boston. John was one of them.
We change it up a bit each time we make this chowder. This time we used shrimp stock instead of bottled clam juice and half and half instead of full fat heavy cream. It turned out really tasty!
Light clam chowder
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 ribs of celery, diced
2 leeks, dark, woody green parts removed, ¼” coins
10 ounces russet and new potatoes, medium dice
2 sprigs thyme, picked
2 sprigs tarragon
6 ounces dry white wine
2 bottles/16 ounces clam juice
Juice from 2 cans chopped clams (~8 oz.)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons to 1/2 cup heavy cream (your choice)
12 ounces chopped clams (2 cans, reserved liquid, see above)
3-4 slices of toasted hearty bread or oyster crackers (optional)
In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil, and add onion, celery, leeks, potatoes, tarragon, and thyme, stirring to coat. Season with salt, and cook over low heat until the vegetables have just started to soften, taking care not to brown, about 5 minutes. Deglaze with white wine and then add the clam juice and reserved clam liquid. Simmer until potatoes and vegetables are cooked through.
Stir in the cream taking care not to boil. Add the chopped clams, and season to taste with salt and ground black pepper. Remove from heat.
Serve with toasted bread, saltines, or oyster crackers (optional)
Our salmon is thawed and is the partial star of our dinner on Friday night. I say partial because the Brussels sprouts and mustard sauce are both stars too. John cooks the salmon in a 400F oven for about 15 minutes. It is cooked through but not dried out. The rice and the mustard sauce were made earlier in the day. At the same time as these other components were being made I prepped the Brussels sprouts so all I have to do is cook them while John roasts the fish. It is a very successful dinner with everything hot and ready at the same time.
Omnivore 