Takeout from our favorite restaurant tonight. They were BUSY. There was a line of fancy cars parked at the curb waiting to pick up their orders. Those were not Ubers. Fingers crossed this place survives!!
H likes to cook, so he is having a good time. Yesterday, I saw a recipe in the Costco magazine and, since we had most of the ingredients, we made it. Halloumi cheese, asparagus and grape tomatoes cooked on our Gotham Grill, covered with homemade Zaatar and tossed with red wine vinegar and lemon. YUMMY and so easy.
We have lots of food and staples. We shopped at Costco a couple of times and the boys made a couple of trips to Restaurant Depot, which has been less crowded because of so many restaurants being closed. The only things we have to run out for (and that has meant sending son 3 to the store) are milk, fruit and veggies. I bought extra half and half and then a powdered creamer, as well as 4 bags of my favorite Dunkin coffee before I went into isolation.
The boys love Greek food, so they bought a giant box of lamb gyro strips, which they cook up on our Gotham Grill. H made homemade tzatziki sauce that is amazing. I don’t think I will ever be able to eat restaurant tzatziki ever again.
We’ve made homemade pizza (the boys put grilled lamb on theirs) and, this morning, we made bagels that came out okay.
I have to say that I feel so lucky to be able to have enough food, a job and three of my five kids home with me; the other 2 are safely sheltering in place elsewhere. I hope that everyone else is doing well and staying safe.
Can we refrain from talking about “take-out” on this thread?
Tonight is pulled pork sandwiches, pork and beans, tator tots and some canned vegetable!
I put a rub on my pork loin and refrigerate for 24 hours. Cook in the crockpot all day. Take out, shred the meat and put back in the in the crockpot with just enough barbecue sauce (so it’s not so wet) Yum… if anyone is interested in the rub…which really makes a difference, let me know.
I also do a coleslaw topping to put on it.
Tonight was Panang Curry which was a repeat from a couple of weeks ago that everyone loved. Since it was Saturday night we ate and watched the movie The Aueronauts!
@conmama, I’m interested in hearing about what you use on your pork rub!
I like hearing all the things people are cooking - from the most simple to the more complex!
I posted an Instant Pot easy peasy recipe in the Instant Pot thread that we made last night that was really good - and quick - and not intense ingredients.
This morning I made a sour cream (actually part sour cream, part whole milk yogurt) coffee cake - I’ll drop some off on the front porch of my son’s house who is just a mile-ish down the road. It turned out great!
We are baking more - probably because my D2 is home - but we are also sharing our baked goods so for each baked item we are only eating a portion of it.
Today, I am planning to cook a proper south Indian meal. Pearl onion lentil stew (sambar), with
spiced potatoes and onions (potato kari) and sauteed spinach. We will eat this with quinoa.
@abasket , here it is. Can be used up to a 5 lb. loin.
1/4 brown sugar
1 T Chili Powder
1 T Paprika
2 teas garlic powder
2 teas kosher salt
1 teas pepper
1 teas cayenne pepper
Mix all together well and rub all over pork. Cover in Saran Wrap and refrigerate 24 hours.
Oh, I forget. When it’s time to add the BarbequecSsuce, add some sliced onion for flavor.
@techmom99 …care to share your H’s amazing tzatziki recipe?
@abasket I’ll be trying your instant pot ziti recipe tomorrow (meatless Monday)…
sounds delicious. Carbs be damned…
I must say, I’m enjoying this thread…I can get in such a rut with cooking, so it’s inspiring to see all the creative possibilities everyone has shared…
My brother gave us a lot of venison at Thanksgiving (not sure what part of we’re vegetarian he doesn’t understand) that we need to deal with as we need the freezer space, so DH is going to grill the roast tonight and we’ll have it with steamed artichokes and a spinach salad. I grew up among hunters, and I do love venison, so we don’t give it away, we just slip it in here and there throughout the year until it’s gone. I guess I don’t protest loudly enough for my brother to hear. 
^^^OMG this makes me laugh! “Well, venison isn’t MEAT it’s deer!” You are very good natured about it. 
Thanks @conmama ! I’ll try it - when I get a piece of pork!
One thing I have “enjoyed” is working out substitutes and not letting the absence of an ingredient or two stop me from making a dish.
Does anyone use an app that is good for plugging in food substitutions? For instance, if you don’t have A, try B.
@abasket, I just google “ what can I substitute for Thyme” for example.
My husband and I both love to cook but unfortunately our teen boys are a little picky so that factors into menu ideas. My girls are easy to please thankfully. I wish we could use this time to do more elaborate cooking/try out new interesting looking recipes but I’d rather cook things my boys are most likely going to eat so we aren’t wasting anything.
Last night we had burgers on the grill; one son know how to start our charcoal grill but the other doesn’t so last night he showed that son, start to finish, how to make and grill burgers.
I found some frozen mahi mahi buried in my freezer so tonight we are making fish tacos. I use Bobby Flay’s recipe for the marinade and am kicking myself that I didn’t buy the jalapeño peppers I saw at the store earlier this week. I won’t be using the salsa part of the recipe but will make fresh guacamole. Tonight will be my 15 y/o’s turn to make dinner - she loves fish tacos so she gets to learn how to make them tonight.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/fish-tacos-recipe-1940773
Yes, I google too but because I’m cooking and baking daily with more needed ingredients than a soup and grilled cheese meal, I find myself looking for substitutions often. Google is fine- but I like apps and thought there might be a good one out there.
Made my first every curry chicken salad yesterday. Used my sous-vide to do the chicken breast at 140F for 90 mins.
I was planning on something simple with celery and grapes but then went a little overboard with caramelized onions, roasted bell peppers, sautéed jalapeños and garlic, and oh yeah the celery, and grapes. Tossed in lemon juice, greek yogurt and various curry spices. Turned out great and very healthy.
Why? Does it rub you the wrong way that some of us choose to support our local restaurants during this uncertain for their business time? As far as posting in this thread or elsewhere, this is a forum. Threads meander. As long as TOS are observed, all is well.
Yes, our “cooking” last night was reheating a takeout beef dish. 
@abasket I am also modifying recipes to better distribute my resources. Ironically, I also made coffee cake this morning and altered the recipe to use what I was willing to spare. Mine calls for.butter. I cut the butter in 1/2 and replaced with 1/2 oil and made sure my eggs were room temperature. I made buttermilk instead of just using milk by adding vinegar and letting it sit until curdled. I was hoping those 2 steps would make up for the loss of fat from the butter. It was delicious! Moist and yummy!!
If you want to increase the chance that they’ll at least try something, here’s the #1 thing that works in our house with the boys. Eat dinner later. Seriously. I’ve found if they’re good and hungry, they’re more willing to try new foods. So if dinner’s normally at 7 and I’m making something adventurous, that night dinner might mysteriously be delayed until 8.
Simple and a little evil but very effective.
@milee30 we always eat late but now, with being home all day, they are snacking if they are hungry so that wouldn’t work. They do try new things, but I don’t force them to eat things they don’t like.
One of my sons just asked if we were having fish tacos b/c he saw the fish defrosting. He then made a face and asked if he could use shredded chicken to have a chicken quesadilla for dinner instead. Older son then complained the shredded chicken is for him (he’s been making buffalo chicken quesadillas for lunch every day). All this managing of food is making me crazy (first it was me rationing eggs as older son was eating 2-3 eggs/day for breakfast, then it was bread, then milk…). I mostly say this in jest-they are being good natured about everything, but so not used to all of us eating so many meals and snacks at home with no end in sight!
A friend of my neighbor’s has chickens and my neighbor asked if I wanted any eggs. She dropped off a dozen and H made a great deviled egg recipe. This recipe is from a local chef who serves these in her restaurant. They were excellent.
We had leftovers today and my D just mixed everything together to make egg salad, which we put on greens for lunch. So–if you don’t want to make deviled eggs, you can just make this into an egg salad to eat in a sandwich or put on top of greens.
https://growcookeat.com/index.php/2009/06/24/free-range-eggs-recipe-oleanas-deviled-eggs/