JULY, 2013 - what's for dinner ???

Imelda HL wrote:

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:I made Shells with onions and beans tonight.
The darn things are addicting. Can't stop eating them. Like Eating Popcorn.

did I see the shells smiling at me    I'm going to cook it too, add hot sausages.. yum...  gotta go to Walmart to get that shell pasta... they have the lowest price in town.. and I need some peaches too, price matching for 2 lbs/98 cents

Yes... They are smiling at you, and are crying for me; because I ate so many of them.
I love shells when they spoon together and especially when they hide a bean inside.
It is like a surprise...like a fortune cookie, but with another bean.
The fortune in the cookie says..." You are going to have a great surprise Jimmy!"
The fortune Shell bean says..."You are going to get a tummy ache and feel like a piggy!"  

And I'm just wondering if you thought God would take away your suffering of an overfull belly if you composed a lovely prayer to him......

But it IS good that He allows us such pleasure.

Imelda, your roulades came out very nice...they look really tasty. You have become so much more adventurous in your cooking lately, making up dishes with what is available and what you know from experience will taste good.

Once in a while, even now, I'll make something and it won't taste as I expected and that just teaches me the value of peanutbutter and jelly.....lol

I know this isn't exactly the place, but I know she'll see my message if I put it here......

Evelyn, I'm hoping all is going well with you. Gosh, but I am SO anticipating some great cooking conversations and pictures when you are back in your cooking groove!

Drop us a note when you can...we're all still thinking of you and hope your treatment is going well.

I pulled a container of jambalaya sauce out of the freezer. I have 3 smoked beef brats left in the package I opened to have with my beans over the weekend. So, the smoked sausage will get sliced and browned to render out most of the excess fat and then I'll brown up some cut chicken. The sauce will get added and maybe I'll even add a few raw shrimps...probably cut through the middle so it looks like there's much more than there really is (a sneaky trick I've used for years).

Everything will get spooned over a pile of rice and dinner will be done.

When I'm cutting up chicken I always save the little bits, maybe add some cut up pieces so there is enough little pieces to use for the jambalaya or a chicken stir fry. I just package it up in a single layer and then it thaws in minutes.

Playing with your food.  

I found a pack of gd turkey ? How old? That is  not known.

I had to spice it up,so I kept on going.


OH & turkey on a fish plate  

Gosh Imelda that looks so good.I am only seeing this morning. Don't know why It didn't post before.




2 lbs/98 cents wow. sure isn't that price here. Its like $2 lb & over.

Barb, your "catch of the day" looks good !

Andrea gave me a recipe for turkey burgers that's really good...Panko and buttermilk, spices and lots of fresh chopped parsley to take away from the bland taste.  Oh, and Worcestershire sauce for the color.  Sometimes I think it's the color of ground turkey or chicken that puts people off....kind of like that green ketchup that tastes like the red.

I'm thinking of making some stuffed zucchini for tonight with spicy breakfast sausage and leftover rice...with some other add ins, I'm sure. I was thinking of chicken thighs but its cool enough today to do an oven meal. I remembered the zucchini and thought that sounded good.

I'm hungry for a nice tossed salad, too, and I also have a cucumber so now I think my menu plan is set. I hope I don't change my mind...or, worse, forget what I want! Hahahahahahaha!

Yes, Imelda, I make it all the time. Barb can post a pic of the tool we use (please, Barb) because she was the one to find it first and let me know about it. OXO and Zyiss (s&p?) both make a julienne cutter and its about $10. It looks like a vegetable peeler with little cuttin edges attached to the peeler blade. The whole thing is super sharp so if you get one, be careful....I've sliced my finger more than once.

Or, there are julienne slicer attachment blades to the V-Slicers you can buy. I've got an old one I've had for years in the cupboard. OR...go to steamy kitchen.com and Jaden has a video about spiral cutters. I just remembered seeing that. She shows how to use both I've mentioned as well as a pricey one that looks like fun.

The main thing is to only cut the zucchini down to where the seeds start. Then stop. The seedy part is too watery to use. Oh, I suppose if you were making a sauce to go over your vegetable spaghetti you could use the seedy part, but I usually toss it. I like to cut a green and a yellow zucchini and also a carrot with the julienne slicer. Then I thinly slice some sweet onion into strips, pole to pole thin planks instead of rounds...just because then it's more like the shape of the straight vegetables. I sauté the carrot and onion for a minute or two before I add the zucchini because its denser than the squash. And I only cook it until its tender crisp because I like the flavor and texture better than when it's well done and soggy. It's all personal preference so play around with it and see what you like.

I like it more as a side dish with just the butter I cook with and s&p, maybe some chili flakes but its also good with a marinara or some other sort of sauce. I was surprised that even Dane likes it and will have seconds when I make it.

Oh, another way to do it is what Jeff Smith, from the old Frugal Gourmet series, taught me. Just use a vegetable peeler and peel off thin slices, rotating your zucchinis and carrots into nice long, thin strips. They are like wide vegetable noodles when quickly sauted.

Imelda, I'm going to try to post an old pic of my vegetable spaghetti....a meal of pork cutlets, grilled peaches and the zucchini,carrot, onion spaghetti.....er, I mean, shrimp and asparagus...lol


Darn - I didn't get it....I'll come back after I try again....

bethk wrote:Imelda, I'm going to try to post an old pic of my vegetable spaghetti....a meal of pork cutlets, grilled peaches and the zucchini,carrot, onion spaghetti.....er, I mean, shrimp and asparagus...lol


Darn - I didn't get it....I'll come back after I try again....

thank you.. I'll look for it on my next trip to the stores (I'd try thrift stores first  ).. I do see your picture.. a beautiful meal

Oh, I forgot to mention, if you have a Bed, Bath & Beyond or a Kohl's store you can use the 20% or 30% off coupons to bring down the price to $7 or $8.

I was sautéing my vegetables for my stuffed zucchini and got them going, decided I needed to take a break in the "ladies room"..... I washed my hands and heard the buzzer for the dryer, my clothes were dry. So, of course, I went out to the utility room to get my clothes. I dropped the warm clothes on the bed and started to fold them, when,,,,,,,,sniff, sniff - what's burning ???

DARN IT !!! My VEGETABLES. I get so disgusted with myself when I do stuff like that. It must be old age creeping up on me, my short term memory is terrible. I was just talking to "what's-his-name" the other day that we'll be in need of live-in help just to remind us to go to bed at night and wake up in the morning.

Oh we'll, it was just a little bit of vegetables. I've got enough to start over so he won't notice a "blackened" stuffing in the zucchini.

That pic is on my old gone to pc heaven.I can find one tho.

Thanks, Barb. It takes me try after try to copy a pic to post. And I've not been able to add to my Photobucket album since I've been here in Ohio. I feel so bad asking for your help when it comes to pics I want posted...you're a pal, that's for sure!

it is called a julianne peeler. I call it a zester lol

killed 2 birds lol

I had 2 -8oz cream cheese to be used,so I made herb cheese.
I had a cucumber to be used asap.

besides I don't feel like cooking.I may go ahead & slice a red pepper & spoon on herb cheese.

If you have some mushrooms you can fill them with the cream cheese and bake....add a bit of bacon.

Really good.

thanks Barb.. I know what to look for now and your cucumber looks so good.. I bet it tastes so fresh

so Beth.. how was your stuffed zucchini doing? anybody noticed the blackened veggies?  

I did not change my mind.. I cooked small shell pasta, red bean, hot sausage, and kale.. one dish meal.. topped with lots of Parmesan cheese.. DH was a happy camper  



and I cooked this spicy chicken for my dinner tomorrow ( I;m not sure if my DH wants it, but I have leftover pasta for him   ).. I browned the chickens in a non stick pan, then baked in oven, seasoned with salt only, after they were done, I cooked them in a pan with my chili sauce, added tomatoes, vinegar and sugar, let them simmered for 30 minutes..