It feels like the month of February went quickly, but I believe it lasted what it was suppose to, it was just that I was busy with projects - both old and new. It can even be seen in my February Monthly Menu. See the FFYS aka Hunger Games, the take out and leftovers? What makes it better, is that you can't see the March entries. We had Taco Bell one night and cereal another night. All because I had full days where either I lost my energy required to prepare supper - or because I was too caught up in a project to want to spend the needed time away from it to prepare a meal for the household.
That's something I don't really see on other food/cooking blogs a lot; the nights where you just don't feel like cooking, the nights you are so tired from the day's activities or the nights where life happens.
That is something that everyone needs to remember. Life happens. You aren't going to create outstanding meals after outstanding meals every day. (Minus if you are a chef and that is your job.- I'm talking people who don't do that for a living.)
One of the best things I have found for using the monthly layout in my Erin Condren Life Planner is that I can go back and see what I served with what and it usually reminds me of the flavors of the meal to which I can then think about other dishes that could be prepared with it the next time. Plus, I like to try not to repeat meals within the same month. This and last month were not good examples basically because we were trying to eat all the pork we had stored from a previous slaughter and needed the room for fresh meat. It will be awhile before I make several meals.
Just remember that sometimes it is perfectly okay to decided a bowl of Capn' Crunch or Raisin Bran is dinner. You have no reason you must defend it to anyone at any time.
Comfort food is one of my most favorite things to make; basically because I get to eat it. This past week has been pretty much all about comfort food. It wasn't intentional, but no one in the house complained about it.
The first menu item this week was a Scooby Sandwich. These things are fabulous and I do not think I have EVER had the same sandwich twice. They are not cheap to make, but are certainly fun to look forward to. I'm sure you know what it is? It's the monster sandwiches Shaggy and Scooby make most every time they find a kitchen or have serious munchies.
These sandwiches they make come in various forms and ingredients, but all have one thing in common. THEY ARE HUGE! I began making these when my kids began middle school and their appetites began to seriously grow. After some trial and error, I found the best thing to do once it was made was to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap & have it hang out in the fridge for a bit.
This gave the time to the plastic wrap to squish the sandwich down into a manageable size for biting. This proved to be a very important step in creating the sandwich because you want ALL the flavors in every bite. The reason for the cost being high is that it I purchase anywhere from 5-7 different types of meat from the deli and 2-3 cheeses, then bread. The bread 99% of the time is an onion roll because we really like them. Also depending on the mood of the person eating it, it can have onions, lettuce/spinach, tomatoes, pickles, mayo, mustard, ketchup or those with a more adventurous flair, salad dressings and French Onion dip. When I made this one, I also made a second for my lunch the next day.
The next day, I made Cubanos. The recipe I use, is pretty much the one from Rachel Ray on 30 minute meals.
I only change the relish because I find I like what I make better than the one she made. I used red onion this time because I had enough left from making our Scooby Sandwiches. My relish is a jar of roasted red peppers, an entire bunch of green onions and finely chopped dill pickles. Mix it together and let it hang out in the fridge for a while. As for the sweet rolls she uses, I just buy regular hoagie bread, brush it with water then sprinkle it with sugar and toast it in the oven while the meat is finishing up cooking. My biggest issue comes with the pressing of the sandwich. My kitchen is small so I don't have lots of kitchen toys.
So, I when the sandwich is assembled, I wrap them tightly in foil then press on them until they flatten out and stick them in the oven for a bit until the cheese is melted.
Blue Ribbon Ham Casserole original recipe by Kraft. My changes since first making this: 1 bunch of green onions, Virginia Ham (from the deli), no green peppers, Yukon or Russet potatoes, a decent amount of pepper to counteract the salt in the Velveeta. The recipe is a great jumping off point to make changes as you see fit.
Friday evening, we had homemade Stromboli. Guy's recipe for Stromboli is pretty awesome. Of course I made changes because I don't live in an area where I can get some stuff with out the need of selling a kidney. The best part about this is the garlic, butter, black pepper and basil on the dough before you add the meat and cheese. I keep it simple, ham, genoa salami, sandwich pepperoni from the deli and mozzarella cheese. Below, there is a link to see the notes and some pictures of when I made it a previous time.
Everyone has a different thought when it comes to comfort food, as we are all comforted by different things. I do not normally consider what we did for dinner on Wednesday comfort food, however it fits this week because I helped my mom cook then we all ate dinner together.
Sunday: Scooby Sandwiches & chips
Monday: Cubanos
Tuesday: Blue Ribbon Ham Casserole
Wednesday: Ribs, BBQ Chicken, potato salad, baked beans, deviled eggs
Thursday: Nana's Mexican Steak or Chicken & Easy Mexican Rice
Friday: Stromboli (my notes from making this)
Saturday: Smoked Sausage with onion & peppers, creamed potatoes
The other day, I wanted to make 2 new recipes and I didn't have a spice blend it called for. So, instead of running to the store, I Googled how to make it. I have a cabinet full of spices, so I figured that if I can make my on Not Lipton Onion Soup Mix, I can make spice blends too!
I searched and read and searched and read and came up with a mixture that would work for my family and I proceeded to make it! Now I have an abundance of Cajun Seasoning in my cabinet!
Later in the week, I didn't realized I had used all my McCormick's Montreal Seasoning. So, I did the Google thing again, and made my own.
The best part about doing this is that I know exactly what is in the blend and I am able to control the salt. The jar for the cajun seasoning is a 4oz jelly jar and was plum full. The extra was in a small dish that I used for the Lemon Thyme Pork Chops and Scalloped Potato Casserole.
The jar the Montreal Season is something I wanted to reuse since the lid was nice and tight. I used it on Hamburger Steaks and then again later for some Smashburgers with some other things like dill weed and more garlic powder added to it. As soon as I am out of another seasoning blend, I will make a homemade version up and share!
I LOVE my cookbooks. I LOVE for searching and collecting for recipes online. However, one of the things I run into the most, is not knowing what to pair with what or what else to serve with a dish I've chosen. One of the things I am personally working on is creating a meals that are new (to my family) recipes plus some ideas that I come across when I see the same recipe continually float up on my FB.
I have in the past made an entire meal from one cookbook (see WWF Cookbook Meal) and it turned out pretty good. I even did it two Christmases ago. It was fun. But I can't do that EVERY MEAL with the other stuff going on in my life. So, I am going to start small and TRY to remember to share once a week with the meals we had this week so that I can possible help others who may get in a rut and not know what to serve with what. Maybe in the process, I will research and see what some of the others in the food industry say about pair foods together at a meal.
Changes to the recipes I have linked:
Honey-Lime Shrimp: I used 1lb of medium shrimp, 5 drops of Young Living Lime Essential Oil instead of fresh lime juice and sautéed them instead of grilling this time. Fried rice is homemade and is still in the process of getting it where I want it. It was good, but I want it better.
Chicken Penne Pasta: I make it all on the stove top in a dutch oven. I use a can of fire-roasted tomatoes and break them up, use veggie broth in place of chicken broth but the rest of the pasta part I do pretty much as written. I don't even follow the recipe anymore. I do the chicken on the side for those who like chicken.
Balsamic Glazed Chicken: I also make pork since I don't like chicken. After it comes out of the oven, I reduce the glaze more on the stove top then pour it on the meat.
*Recipe links are under the menu but above the pictures*
Honey-Lime Shrimp
Chicken Penne Pasta
Balsamic Glazed Chicken
