“What’s for supper” was this thing
I started on a whim.
I thought it would be nice to take
A weekly break from grim
And ghastly stories all about
The Church and sex and stuff,
And write, instead, about meat loaf
And peanut butter fluff.
Well . . .
Let the happy news be thundered:
“What’s for supper” turns two hunderd.
SATURDAY
BURGERS AND CHIPS
“Burgers and chips,” the blackboard says.
So I guess that’s what we had.
Burgers and chips are always good.
They really can’t be bad.
I didn’t take a picture, though.
You know what burgers look like, bro.
SUNDAY
PEPPERONCINI BEEF SANDWICHES, MEYER LEMON MERINGUE PIE
Pepperoncini beef is great
Chunk it in the crock pot, then you wait.
Shred the meat and serve on rolls,
Dish some nice jus up in bowls,
Top with cheese and mayonnaise,
Then enjoy the songs of praise.
Finish up with lemon pie!
Sweet meringue piled nice and high.
Two cheerful pies for gloomy weather.
They took six years to put together.
MONDAY
FISH TACOS
♩ ♪ ♫ ♬♩ ♪ ♫ ♬♩ ♪ ♫ ♬♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
Fish tacos is the meal for me!
Fresh cabbage shredded cheerfully!
Lime wedges waiting plump and green!
Keep the salsa, just gimme that sour cream.
Fish tacos is an easy dish!
Fish tacos are all made with fish!
Aldi has avocados cheap!
Darling, I love you, but, oh, that cabbage heap.
♩ ♪ ♫ ♬♩ ♪ ♫ ♬♩ ♪ ♫ ♬♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
TUESDAY
SHAWARMA, FRIED EGGPLANT
Sometimes life is very dark.
Joys are feeble, pains are stark.
Wherefore all this shuck and jive?
What’s the reason we’re alive?
It’s shawarma
Cease your weeping, wipe your eyes.
Marinate those chicken thighs
In garlic, cumin, cinnamon.
Filthy eastern ways are fun
With shawarma.
Slice some eggplant, salt it well
Dredge in batter, what the hell.
Fry ’til crisp and serve it hot
With yogurt sauce. Yes, please, a lot.
And shawarma.
WEDNESDAY
PIZZA
Somewhere in my kitchen,
Is a missing ball of dough.
I had it Wednesday morning
But by noon it had to go.
I made four pizzas with the rest
And looked both high and low
But dough ball number five skipped town
Like Barry Manilow.*
*I don’t know, what do you want from me
THURSDAY
ONION SOUP, BEER BREAD, BRATS
It’s only melted butter,
Melted butter in a pot
Cuddled up with onions
And some beef broth, not a lot.
Salt and pepper and flour
And a drift of parmesan.
But it smells like heart’s desire
And it tastes like supper’s on.
FRIDAY
MAC AND CHEESE
You know what, you write a poem about mac and cheese.
***
Beef pepperoncini sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 hunk beef
- 1 jar pepperoncini
- several glugs Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- rolls
- sliced provolone
Instructions
-
Put the beef in a slow cooker with a jar of pepperoncini and the juice. If you like, cut the stems off the pepperoncini. If there isn't enough juice, add some beer. Add the worcestershire sauce if you want a slightly more savory juice.
-
Cover, set to low, and let it cook for several hours until the meat falls apart when poked with a fork.
-
Shred the meat. If you like, chop up a few of the pepperoncini.
-
Serve meat on rolls with mayo if you like. Lay sliced provolone over the meat and slide it under the broiler to toast the bread and melt the cheese. Serve the juice on the side for dipping.
Chicken shawarma
Ingredients
- 8 lbs boned, skinned chicken thighs
- 4-5 red onions
- 1.5 cups lemon juice
- 2 cups olive oil
- 4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbs, 2 tsp pepper
- 2 Tbs, 2 tsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 entire head garlic, crushed
Instructions
-
Mix marinade ingredients together, then add chicken. Put in ziplock bag and let marinate several hours or overnight.
-
Preheat the oven to 425.
-
Grease a shallow pan. Take the chicken out of the marinade and spread it in a single layer on the pan, and top with the onions (sliced or quartered). Cook for 45 minutes or more.
-
Chop up the chicken a bit, if you like, and finish cooking it so it crisps up a bit more.
-
Serve chicken and onions with pita bread triangles, cucumbers, tomatoes, assorted olives, feta cheese, fresh parsley, pomegranates or grapes, fried eggplant, and yogurt sauce.
Yogurt sauce
Ingredients
- 32 oz full fat Greek yogurt
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- fresh parsley or dill, chopped (optional)
Instructions
-
Mix all ingredients together. Use for spreading on grilled meats, dipping pita or vegetables, etc.
Fried eggplant
You can salt the eggplant slices many hours ahead of time, even overnight, to dry them before frying.
Ingredients
- 3 medium eggplants
- salt for drying out the eggplant
veg oil for frying
3 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
- 2-1/2 cups water
- 1 Tbsp veg oil
- optional: kosher salt for sprinkling
Instructions
-
Cut the ends off the eggplant and slice it into one-inch slices.
Salt them thoroughly on both sides and lay on paper towels on a tray (layering if necessary). Let sit for half an hour (or as long as overnight) to draw out some of the moisture. -
Mix flour and seasonings in a bowl, add the water and teaspoon of oil, and beat into a batter. Preheat oven for warming.
-
Put oil in heavy pan and heat until it's hot but not smoking. Prepare a tray with paper towels.
-
Dredge the eggplant slices through the batter on both sides, scraping off excess if necessary, and carefully lay them in the hot oil, and fry until crisp, turning once. Fry in batches, giving them plenty of room to fry.
-
Remove eggplant slices to tray with paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt if you like. You can keep them warm in the oven for a short time.
-
Serve with yogurt sauce or marinara sauce.
Beer bread
A rich, buttery quick bread that tastes more bready and less cake-y than many quick breads. It's so easy (just one bowl!) but you really do want to sift the flour.
This recipe makes two large loaf pan loaves.
Ingredients
- 6 cups flour, sifted
- 2 Tbsp baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 12-oz cans beer, preferably something dark
- 1 stick butter
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 375
-
Butter two large loaf pans. Melt the stick of butter.
-
I'm sorry, but you really do want to sift the flour.
-
In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients, and stir in beer until it's all combined and nice and thick.
-
Pour the batter into the loaf pans and pour the melted butter over the top.
-
Bake for about 50 minutes until it's crusty and knobbly on top.