I will be grilling:
eggplant
zucchini
corn
hamburgers
there could even be hot dogs
I also have:
tzatziki sauce
tomatoes
whole wheat pita bread
awesome pickles
There could be:
bread pudding with apples
(if you don’t come, I’ll be forced to keep the meat frozen and eat all the yummy vegetables by myself)
This weekend I went to the farmers’ market, which I have missed for the last thousand weekends. Also, it was finally cool enough to do some real cooking – I roasted some lamb and made stock from its bony bits!
Food I have
Produce
a big purple eggplant that needs to be eaten soon
1 small white eggplant
3 small zucchini
2 ears of corn
tomatoes
mushrooms
apples from the tree in my backyard (suited to cooking)
1 plum
1 banana
Meat
beef roast leftovers (these need to be used soon)
lamb leftovers! (about enough for 2 large meals, or 5-6 smaller meals – and since I am a little short of freezer space at the moment, I might go with small meals… but I have greatly decreased my backlog of stored lunches)
Dairy
tzatziki sauce
yogurt
moldy cheese
a little bit of chevre left, but it ended up being kinda soapy
Miscellaneous
my almonds are getting old
mashed potato leftovers (pretty much a full meal)
1/2 a carton of creamy butternut squash soup
lamb stock (still needs to be cooked a little longer and strained)
Meal planning
Monday, August 14 (supposedly the hottest day of the week)
roast eggplant until the skin is crusty. Grill onions and cumin in ghee – add eggplant – add some tomatoes – figure out whether you want it more like spicy indian food or mediterranean with some oregano and cinnamon
– cook the mushrooms as a side dish
Tuesday, August 15
beef leftovers sliced thin and put with gravy.
make a lot of rice and thaw chicken creole and stew in fridge to make lunches
Wednesday, August 16
Lamb & zucchini with pasta and breadcrumbs. That was amazing last time I made it, and it reheated well.
Thursday, August 17
Grilling – any leftover zucchini, the eggplant, the corn (if it’s starchy, I’ll sautee it with butter and salt, instead), some onion, and maybe hamburgers as well
Fresh Grocer – buy oil-cured olives for Saturday
Friday, August 18
go to grocery store – buy two bolar roasts, if they are pretty ($1/99/lb!)
pack up the chicken in my freezer
go to my parents’ house
eat with them
Make blue jello
Saturday, August 19
Lemon Chicken
Blue Jello
something resembling a vegetable
(go to parents’ farmers market early enough to get eggs)
My mother has recently been told by her doctor to eat more fiber, and she ended up hating my favorite of the high fiber cereals. So, at least as long as that box lasts, I am trying to eat breakfast on weekdays.
I tell you, that stuff about not skipping breakfast is crap! I doesn’t make me any less hungry throughout the morning. It doesn’t give me any more energy, either. If anything, it makes me more hungry since my body is all, “Oooo… so we’ve started eating already? Let’s keep that up.”
Okay – so the plan for the July 4th moot, is to have [Host] write fic. Lots of fic.
Therefore, we have planned a coup.
I will be organizing. Anyone interested in producing food, let me know.
(Also, it will be [Hosts]’ anniversary)
Meanwhile, here are some of my ideas:
Friday: Thai Food
theme beverage: thai iced tea
Yeah, I totally have to look up the recipes before I have any idea what we’ll make. Let me know what are your favorite dishes (and be guaranteed that it’ll be an amateur version) – and let me know if there is anything you can not tolerate.
Saturday: Southern Food
theme beverage: Mint Julep
Breakfast
– Biscuits and gravy (made by [redacted])
– Bacon (made by [redacted])
– Eggs to order (made by Livia)
Appetizers/Lunch
– caramellized bell peppers (made by [redacted]) on cornbread (made ahead by [host])
– crab dip (made by [redacted])
– pimento cheese (made by Livia) on something (made by [host])
– shrimp remoulade (made by Livia or bought from Trader Joes)
– hush puppies (made by Molly) very last appetizer, so we can eat them with the dinner, too
First Course
Pecan-crusted pan-fried fish (made by [redacted])
Rosemary potatoes (made by [redacted])
Chicken Creole over rice (made by Livia)
Collard greens w/ bacon (made by [redacted])
Green beans (made by [redacted])
Salad Course
Salad
either balsamic or blue cheese dressing
Long-term noshing
Mac’n’cheese (made by [redacted])
Green bean salad (made by [redacted])
Red beans & rice (made by Livia)
Jambalya shrimp (made by Livia)
Dessert
Rum pears & rum apples (made by [redacted])
Chess Pie (made by Livia or someone with more baking affinity) with crust (made by Molly)
Sunday: Pig & Dairy day
theme beverage: beer
breakfast
Bacon (made by [redacted])
Eggs to order (made by Livia)
Eggs benedict (made by [redacted] plus others?)
English muffins (made by any ole person)
Appetizers/lunch
angels on horseback
Dinner
Pork medallions & cream sauce (made by [redacted])
Dessert
Custard? Zabaglione?
Monday: Mexican
theme beverage: tequila / Coors
Breakfast
yeah, whatever – feel free to volunteer to wrangle this
Appetizer/Lunch
Guacamole
Dinner
Saucy meats, condiments, and tortillas
Rice
Dessert
gluten-free churros?
fried ice cream (made by [redacted])
So who else wants to add to this?
A shopping list and further planning will come later.
Recipes for possible reference – (note: these recipes were here to use this weekend, but I don’t think I have every gotten around to trying any of them. Sources were not recorded)
Coconut Shortbread Cookies
1 c butter, softened
1.4 c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 c all-purpose (gluten-free) flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 c flaked coconut
about 1 c powdered sugar
In a large bowl or electric mixer, beat butter until creamy; add granulated sugar and beat until smooth. Mix in vanilla. In another bowl, stir together flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, blending thoroughly. Add coconut and mix well until combined. Shape dough into a roll about 1 1/2 inches in diameter; wrap in wax paper and refrigerate until firm (2 hours MIN! to 3 days).
Unwrap dough. Using a sharp knife, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place slices slightly apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes or until cookies are firm to the touch and lightly browned on bottoms. Transfer to racks and let cool for 5 minutes. Sift hald the powdered sugar onto wax paper and transfer cookies to it in a single layer; sift additional powdered sugar on to to cover cookies lightly. Let cookies cool completely. Store airtight.
Cheese Straws (makes 5 1/2 dozen)
1/2 pound grated sharp cheddar cheese, grated at room temp
8 T (1 stick) butter, softened
1 3/4 c sifted flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t tabasco sauce
In a bowl, beat together the cheese and butter until well blended.
Sift the flour along with the salt, cayenne pepper directly into the cheese-butter mixture, add the Tabasco sauce, then mix until thoroughly blended. Form the dough into two large patties, cover, and refrigerate one hour.
Preheat the oven to 425F
One at a time, roll out the two portions of dough until they are about 1/4″ thick. Cut the dough into 5″x1/2″ strips and carefully place the strips on [lined] cookie sheets.
Bake cheese straws for 8 minutes. Then remove them from the oven and let them cool. (Also good served fresh and hot)
Andean Tamales
5 c water
1 c regular (not instant) hominy grits
1 t salt
1/4 pound mild pork sausage
1/2 pound lean pork
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 t whole aniseed
1 onion, about 2″ in diameter, finely chopped
one 4″ long fresh chili pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
1-2 hard cooked eggs, cut into lengthwise strips
about 30 peanuts, roasted, shelled, and skinned
In a heavy, 2-quart saucepan, bring the water to a boil and slowly stir in the grits. Lower the heat, add the salt, cover and cook slowly for 25-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Meanwhile, put the sausage, either whole or cut in half, into a colf frying pan, set it over medium heat, and cook until it begins to render a little fat.
Add the pork, either whole or cut into several pieces of equal thickness, and cook, turning occasionally, until the juices no longer run pink
Add the garlic, aniseed, onion, and pepper strips, stirring to brown and flavor the meat.
Turn off the heat; remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and cut both the sausage and the lean pork into 1/4″x3″ strips. Set them aside on a plate together wih the egg strips and peanuts.
With a wooden spoon, mix the pan drippings and fat into the cooked grits
Cut lightweight aluminum foil into ten 10″x12″ strips
Divide the grits into equal portions. Pat half of each portion into the shape of a long, narrow rectangle down the middle of each foil strip. Run a strip of pork and one of sausage down the center of the grits, leaving room at both ends. Top with 3 peanuts and 1 or 2 strips of egg
Pat a half portion of grits over each strip of filling to completely cover it. Then seal the foil package by wrapping it like a present.
When you are ready to cook the tamales, place them in a skillet large enough to hold them in a single layer, cover them with boiling water and cook gently for 2 to 2-1/2 hours
Remove the tamales from the water with a slotted spoon, cool to room temperature, and serve right in foil packets
Delicate Eggplant Balls
1 medium eggplant, whole
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c grates Swiss cheese
4 T bread crumbs
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t lemon juice
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
Cook eggplant in boiling water until tender (20-25 minutes). Peel, and mash pulp with fork. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. If mixture is too thin, add more breadcrumbs. Shape into small balls and refrigerate 1 hour. Roll balls in flour and deep fry until crisp. Serve hot.
Huevos Rancheros (makes 4)
4 tortillas
3 eggs
*2 c canned tomatoes
*1/4 c ketchup
*1/4 c barbecue sauce
*1/4 onion diced
*hot chile peppers to taste
*salt to taste
simmer all the starred ingredients for 10 minutes, breaking tomatoes into fine pieces. Heat sauce to boiling. In a generous amount of hot oil in a frying pan, fry tortillas lightly on each side. Set aside to drain. Fry eggs in the same pan, sunny-side up or over easy. Add salt to taste. Place one egg on each tortilla and pour a quarter of the sauce over all.
In ten minutes there will be freshly baked bread coming out of my oven – and then there will be freshly roasted eggplants and fresh tomatoes going inside.
Yeah, so the bread came in a tube – shuttup.
ETA: MMMMmmmm… tasty sammich all gone.
****
Bad news: No sooner have a gotten rid of the squirrels than I find I have mice.
Good News: My silly, fluffy thinks-she’s-a-person cat *caught* a mouse. Of all the cats my family has had, she’s the first to ever catch a mouse. I’ve been coddling her all day and calling her a mighty hunter.
Okay, so she didn’t kill it, but she got it worn down and paralysed with fear, so it was easy for me to trap it. YAY!
***
I have no idea how I am going to pack for a nine day trip in my suitcase – I’ve managed seven days, but that was a bit of a stretch… and I wasn’t seeing anyone I knew.
This was a thought experiment. I can’t remember whether I actually made this.
Greek-ish Eggplant (not served at moot)
Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants, trimmed, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon salt
2 medium-size red bell peppers
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 canned tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
(maybe olives, but in a removable format)
Dice eggplant.
Roast peppers. Peel and seed peppers; cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips and set aside.
Heat 6 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until light golden, about 10 minutes. Mix in garlic. Add eggplant, tomatoes, half of parsley, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon pepper, sugar, oregano, and cumin. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Add bell peppers and olives; cook uncovered 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Chill. Rewarm before continuing.)
Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.