Lots of pretty summer food this week! Here’s what we had (carbs at the end). I struggled mightily with the photos in this post. If they turned out sideways or upside down, it’s because WordPress is evil, and no other reason.
SATURDAY
Burgers, chips, salad
No pics, but mighty tasty, cooked on the grill.
SUNDAY
Grilled clams in wine sauce, grilled chicken, grilled corn; ice cream and berries
This was a glorious meal. Damien went out for chicken and corn to grill, and discovered that clams were a dollar a pound, so he bought many pounds.
Here cleaned the clams, then made this sauce:
Coarsely chop a big onion, and saute it lightly in a little olive oil and a small pinch of red pepper flakes. Add salt and pepper. Once cooked, add a 1/4 bottle of white wine and two sticks of melted butter.
Then put the clams on the grill and let them cook, without turning them, until they pop open. Then put them in a bowl and cover them with the sauce.
You guys, they were so good. I’m predisposed to any kind of seafood, but the flavor of that sauce was out of this world.
The chicken was also fabulous! A sweet char on the outside, juicy on the inside, and the combination worked well. Really good outdoor food.
Here’s the rub he made, for 20 chicken thighs:
1.5 cups brown sugar 1.5 cups
.5 cups white sugar
2 Tbs chili powder
2 Tbs garlic powder
salt and pepper
Then he grilled it all!
The corn, you can grill right in the husks until they’re charred, and it comes out so very sweet and juicy.
We buttered it and sprinkled it with chili lime powder.
Look at the carnage. Look at that lake of butter and wine! I completely shamed myself with the number of clams I scarfed down.
We had it with cans of Narragansett Beer, Made On Honor.
Dessert: vanilla ice cream with blueberries and strawberries. Oh sweet, sweet summertime (almost).
MONDAY
Pulled pork sandwiches, apple-cabbage-broccoli slaw, steak fries
This meal looked nicer in person, I promise. I put a pork shoulder in the crock pot with a can of beer, half a jar of jalapeno slices and juice, some minced garlic, and salt and pepper. Possibly an onion.
I really wanted to use my new used food processor, but all the recipes for broccoli slaw that I found online started with “take one bag of broccoli slaw,” and people who write stuff like that should feel bad about themselves. I guess they can follow up with a cake recipe, with first ingredient: cake. Then they can mentor some young people and advise them that the best way to find a job is to make up a resume in which they describe their current successful career. Bah!
So I took slaw matters into my own hands and made this:
I fed into the food processor:
Half a head of red cabbage
one pound of broccoli, stem and florets
two cored green apples with skin on
Then I mixed that up with:
1/4 cup lime juice
TUESDAY
Sausage, mushroom, and cheese omelettes; hash browns
Normally, I can make omelettes. The trick is not to turn it too soon, but the real trick is to have a decent pan, either nonstick or stainless steel. Then I go through a stage of self-recrimination where I demand to know why I thought it would be quick and easy to whip up twelve omelettes to order. But normally, I can make omelettes.
Well, not today! The damn things just wouldn’t hold together. This was the very best one I made, and it’s a tough little beast:
Then Damien came home and had pity on me, so he made his own. Guess what? This is how his turned out:
I think it was the eggs. I think they froze and then thawed, and they turned against us. We need this entire generation of eggs to die out before we can ever have omelettes again.
WEDNESDAY
Pork ramen
Chicken ramen with sliced pork, mixed vegetables, sriracha sesame seeds, soft boiled eggs, and a little dulse (seaweed), with crunchy noodles. Good stuff.
I took some boneless pork chops and sauteed them in olive oil. When they were almost done cooking, I gave them a good dousing with soy sauce, then finished cooking, and sliced them thinly.
THURSDAY
Chicken drumsticks; homemade tortilla chips with corn and bean salad
We had to be out around dinner time, so I made the food ahead of time and served it cold. The drumsticks, I just drizzled with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted them.
I still have a ludicrous backlog of tortillas, so I cut them into triangles, tossed them with olive oil, and sprinkled them with chili lime powder. I spread the triangles in shallow pans and baked them for . . . I dunno, a while. A good idea, but the execution left something to be desired. These really need more room, and more shuffling around, then I had time to give them. Still, not bad. I made them as a delivery device for this pretty corn salad I made:
I mixed together:
and probably 1/4 cup of lime juice
FRIDAY
Tuna noodle casserole
Shh, don’t tell the kids. We’re making steaks and eating them all by ourselves, in honor of the Sacred Heart.
Here come the carbs!
HAMBURGERS:
hamburger: 0
PULLED PORK:
pork: 1
10 steak fries: 36
OMELETTES:
2 Season’s Choice hash browns: 42
RAMEN:
1 package Top Ramen, chicken flavor: 26
Pork cooked in olive oil and sesame oil: 0
1/4 cup mixed asian veg: 2
CHICKEN, CORN SALAD:
2 medium tortillas, 16 chips: 48
Makes about 4.5 cups;
18.55g per half cup
TUNA NOODLE:
1-1/4 cups dry egg noodles: 38
tuna: 0
cream of mushroom: 1/2 c : 11
1 oz chips: 16
1-1/2 cups corn flakes: 39
mayo:0
ketchup, 1 Tbs: 5
vinegar: 0
I make something very similar to your corn/bean salad and take it to potlucks. It is always devoured, and people ask me for the recipe. 😀
As a native of Nova Scotia, I highly approve of you using dulse!
When you said the clams pop open on the grill I was overcome with emotion. I’ve never seen clams for a buck a pound in my life. I could easily be a seafooditarian. Meat only appeals if I’m really hungry.
You might like Smitten Kitchens Broccoli Slaw: https://www.smittenkitchen.com/2009/05/broccoli-slaw/
Calls for broccoli. My kids love it.
I got out of a lot of cooking this week due to the heat and an end of school year celebration. Let’s see…
Sunday: Sub shop sandwiches, chicken salad, egg salad, deli meats, chips, the fixings.
Monday: I think leftovers from Sunday.
Tuesday: Packed day, I had our homeschool asessement in the morning (passed it, yay!), went to the gym for a run, went out for lunch at Olive Garden, brought leftovers home and that was dinner. Restaurant meals fill us up so we barely want anything else.
Wednesday: Wasn’t too hot, so I made pork chops, baked potatoes and broccoli. A nice simple meal to balance out our sodium fest the day before.
Thursday: Burgers and hot dogs, watermelon.
Friday: Solemnity, so we had beef tacos.
Tonight is pizza.
Forgot to mention this is easy to make dairy and nut-free, I’ve used sunflower seeds instead of almonds, all mayonnaise instead of using buttermilk in the dressing, and it’s been great every time.
I occasionally eat fish and chips a long time ago.
I just saw Narragansett Beer up here and was wondering if it was any good?
Well, it’s . . . what kind of beer do you consider good?
Did you see he ceramic pans Aldi had recently? Wow, I am finally willing to make scrambled eggs again (I do not like stainless for eggs or nonstick pans that I’m told will kill me)…my aldi pans (which went from $15 down to 5…my aldi always has amazing leftovers/deals) are the easiest thing to clean in the whole, wide world! Your meals always look amazing.