Here I am at the airport, waiting to fly to Chicago for the FemCatholic Conference! I can even list all the many things I’m looking forward do about this weekend. It’s going to be awesome.
But first, the food! Here’s what I’m having for lunch right now:
Bland, but not terrible. I did dribble tzatziki sauce all over my shirt. And here’s what else we dribbled on ourselves this week:
SATURDAY
Grilled ham and cheese, sweet peppers and dip
Nothing to report. I didn’t take a picture.
SUNDAY
Birthday pizza and cake
Yes, Corrie’s birthday! She asked for only one present: A Chompo bar. I know Chompo Bars have a soft nougat part inside, and there is a chewy caramel part around that, and the outside is chocolate with nuts; but Corrie said they are all chocolate with no nuts and with a green wrapper, and when you’re the birthday girl, you get to say what’s q-p-m and what’s c-r-n. So I printed out a wrapper and glued it to a Hershey bar
and she ate the whole thing herself, because she was the birthday girl.
She had also asked for a Puffin Rock cake, but without any puffins or anything on it.
I’m not gonna claim it wasn’t 40% tin foil, but she liked it. Bababa boo!
She also requested pizza and Abba. Can do.
MONDAY
Chicken quesadillas, nacho chips
I coated the chicken breasts with olive oil, then dusted them generously with chili lime powder, and roasted them, then cut them into thin slices, and sprinkled it in with the cheese in the quesadillas. Quesadillas are awesome. They are another food I never ate until I was in college, or possibly in my 30’s. It just goes to show.
I forgot to take a picture of this as well, so here’s a photo of quesadillas of yesteryear, back when there was still a sun.
TUESDAY
Out for pizza!
Because it’s vacation, that’s why. We got almost all the way through the meal before Corrie discovered that one wall was entirely covered with mirrors.
WEDNESDAY
Fettuccine with ragù, garlic bread
Damien made this. He always uses this Deadspin recipe, but it turns out different every time! I liked this iteration a lot. Very tender but you could really taste the wine, and the anchovies could not be denied. It’s ground meat, milk, vegetables, a little tomato paste, wine, and misc. If you thought a pasta meat sauce needed to be red, prepare to be the wrongest person in the world, that’s all.
Clara made enough garlic bread to . . . I can’t think of something that you need a lot of things for. It was good garlic bread.
THURSDAY
Beef skewers with chimichurri, honey goat cheese, fig paste, cranberries, snap peas, and crackers
Some much-anticipated guests had their travel plans derailed, so that was a bummer, but we did have a good meal. This beef is much better threaded on skewers and grilled over the coals, but it was still far to Februaryish to send Damien out into the yard, so I just sliced the beef thin, doused it in olive oil and salt and pepper, and roasted it in the over right under the broiler.Then I just set out bowls of everything else and let people put together their own combinations.
Chimichurri:
Pickled onions:
Yum.
FRIDAY
Tuna noodle casserole again, because (a) it’s vacation and I will say yes to anything, as long as it’s not a lot of trouble, and (b) I won’t even be in the same time zone by dinner time!
Here’s some recipe cards:
Beef skewers
We used a cheap cut of oven roast and it turned out just great (but I'm sure steak would be good, too!). Serve with chimichurri and pickled onions for a wonderful treat.
Ingredients
- beef
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
-
Soak wooden skewers in water for at least half an hour before skewering meat.
-
Slice beef across the grain into wide strips, trimming off fat if necessary. Thread them, accordion style, onto the skewers.
-
Build the fire and let it die down to coals.
Just before cooking, drizzle the skewers with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then lay the skewers over the grill, turning occasionally, until they are sizzling. -
Serve with chimichurri and pickled red onions.
Chimichurri
Dipping sauce, marinade, you name it
Ingredients
- 2 cups curly parsley
- 1 cup Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup dried oregano (or fresh if you have it)
- 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 cup olive oil
Instructions
-
Put all ingredients except olive oil in food processor. Whir until it's blended but a little chunky.
-
Slowly pour olive oil in while continuing to blend.
Pickled red onions
A nice side dish for beef skewers with chimichurri
Ingredients
- 2 red onions, sliced thin
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 cup red wine or cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- water
Instructions
-
Dissolve sugar into vinegar. Add onions and cilantro. Add water if necessary to cover onions. Cover and let sit for several hours before serving.
Chompo bars have been a birthday request around here too, but you did better at that than I did. (I mean, we gave them candy, but we didn’t label it.)
What we ate this week:
Sat: pancakes, bacon, and eggs.
Sun: orange chicken from Tasty Kitchen https://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/better-than-takeout-orange-chicken/
We only dredged it in the egg/panko, but it was really good. Forgot to tell husband that the comments said to reduce the sugar, so he didn’t, but we thought it was good as written (and he doesn’t usually like sweet stuff).
Mon: that Cuban pork you posted some time ago. It smelled so full of garlicky promise, but was too tart for us. Maybe it would have been better with orange juice instead of the lemon the recipe said one could substitute? It was a big boneless pork shoulder though so we had a lot of it.
Tues: leftover orange chicken
Wed: pasta with sourdough garlic rolls. Both red sauce and white, because some will only eat red, some will only eat white, and some will only eat their pasta with both. The 9 y-o made the rolls and they were delicious.
Thurs: leftover pork which was actually really good with the sauce we had left from the orange chicken, so that worked out well.
Fri: grilled cheese and tomato soup. No complaints, except from the 7 y-o who cried because his sandwich had gotten too cold, so we warmed it up and then there were tears because it was too hot.
What about the gum balls? Did she get gum balls, too, or did Frances eat them all?
Happy birthday Corrie!
I have no Frances fans in the house, maybe because they’re all boys. Boo.
Life lately has felt like somebody has a tennis-ball serving machine in front of me, and they keep turning the speed up and down variably, and I’m just doing my best to swat the balls away before they hit me in the face.
Sunday I made pulled beef in the crockpot, which nearly everyone loves. It’s so simple, too. I like mine on rice with broccoli and coconut amino sauce.
Monday was burgers, per usual, and oven fries–I finally got up the nerve to preheat the oil on the baking sheets in the oven, and I didn’t cause a house fire, and they came out pretty nice and crispy. I salted them enough this time, too.
Tuesday, Taco Tuesday per usual, and we had/have lots of leftover beef…so I’m thinking this next Tuesday I’m going to make something different to give everybody a break. Maybe this: https://www.sustainablecooks.com/greek-chicken-thighs/ with rice on the side.
Wednesday we were kind of beat and tired, so I just put out taco leftovers for those who would like them, and made chicken nuggets and chicken strips for them who don’t.
Thursday I had three of the kids with me an hour away for debate club, and I took two of them to a deli for dinner and let them have candy for dessert at the movies. The other one packed a dinner.
Tonight is baked penne which I really should get in the oven, like, now. *ducks to avoid flying tennis ball*
Awww…. Chompo bars :-). We love the Francis books too!!! So sweet 🙂