Cooking when you’re Staying home

Lol, I remembered the name of one of the chicken dishes I watched on YouTube when I couldn’t sleep.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs…I made them tonight. Very VERY good! I omitted the honey because I"m trying to reduce sugar consumption. I think the burned looking sear she got on the chicken was perhaps due to the honey. Mine just got a beautiful golden brown sear and we didn’t miss any sweetness. I made wild rice for DH and small side salads for both of us.

DH was a happy camper-took the edge of the pathetic Cowboys game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9W8SR3a5Cs&t=18s

That ^^^ chicken sounds delicious! Not sure H would warm up to the lime and cilantro though. I and my other family members would love it!

And there’s another recipe using chicken thighs!

Sunday dinner, wife and I made ropa vieja, arroz con frijoles negros, tostones, yucca, Flan and Tres Leches for dessert.

Schmikes !

I have fresh cilantro and limes left over from my chicken dish the other day. So I found a grilled lime cilantro shrimp recipe, so I’ve go the skewers loaded and the marinade waiting to brushed on them as soon as I get the call from DH that his meeting is over and he is headed home.

I think this will be a winner. I love cilantro.

This is the soup I made yesterday:

https://www.beinspired2day.com/wellness-blog/2019/3/27/nyr-week-10-chicken-cannellini-soup

It was quick, easy and tasty. I also made some corn muffins to go with it,

I froze the leftover soup. It will be nice to have on hand when it gets colder.

I’m decided to make stew tonight. I made it once before and it was great.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015300-roy-chois-braised-short-rib-stew

We’re having dinner outside on the deck (there will be 5 of us). It’s getting cold, but H is going to get a fire going in the fireplace, which is on the deck near the table. H figured out that he could tip the large patio umbrella in a way that captured the heat.

Cooking at home for work tomorrow for 10 people, as we have a heavy training day scheduled. For 29 years, every Sunday is meatball and sausage sandwiches for lunch. Sausage and meatballs over pasta for dinner with salad and fresh garlic bread. Love my second family❤️

Sounds delicious. I’m sure that second family love you back and appreciates the home cooking!

Sounds delicious @BmacNJ

Cooking today for the first time all week (have been dealing with a stomach bug). Making hoisin chicken in the slow cooker, an Asian Red cabbage pickle and coconut steamed bao.

We had another couple over for a socially distanced outdoor dinner. H made a great fire in the fire pit and it was a good way to get rid of the boxes from our new kitchen cabinets and other things.

We had grilled shrimp and salmon with a “mush” of grilled zucchini and tomato (both from our garden) with onions and peas. We seasoned it with a small portion of a packet of biryani mix, which gave it an Indian tang. The appetizer was tomatoes from the garden with red onion and balsamic vinegar. I usually serve this with fresh mozzarella cheese, but our friends have gone dairy free for health reasons. For dessert, I served a medley of fresh fruit and H supplied Mallomars from his supply. My friend brought home made black bean dip, but it was too spicy for me… she and her H are far more adventuresome eaters than I.

I have learned to make both pasta and rice in the microwave and my H (who is a bit of a gourmand, as well as a gourmet chef) approves of both. Prior to the pandemic, he would never have considered either to be real cooking. Now, he acts like it’s his idea!

We are having the four thousandth’s iteration of tomatoes, peppers, basil from the garden, this time a stew-ish thing with onions, veggie scramble, and various other flavorings. Realized I should have thrown in one of the million squash, but too late now.

yesterday was tomato salad and Bittman green beans and tomatos (and veggie burgers).

We have a LOT of tomatoes.

I still have lots of green tomatoes on my plants. I’m giving them another week or two at the most. Our nights are cool or downright cold now. I will then pick them all and see if I can ripen inside. I don’t really have desire for oodles of green tomatoes!

Both my kids are home for the weekend - daughter and her boyfriend are staying through next weekend. Son stays in the finished basement and we hang out outside together for meals since he works outside the home. D and her BF are able to quarantine before they come visit.

Yesterday my folks joined us for a socially distance meal in the backyard. We had a nice harvest meal. Warm, glorious fall day. I cooked a lot - Crown Roast of pork with cider gravy, cornbread stuffing w/sausage, dried cranberries and apricots, mashed potatoes, braised red cabbage, salad w/candied pecans, red onion, apple and stilton. Dutch apple pie and caramel & chocolate chip pecan pie with sour cream whipped cream. Everyone else drank lots of wine, beer, and aged rum while I drank water. Son made Vietnamese Egg Coffee.

Tonight is a big pot of chili with fixins and cornbread.

^^^ Holy moly - I hope you had some leftovers so you can eat all that twice! - better than Thanksgiving!!

My mother used to make a tasty dish from the garden bounty (zuc, tomatoes, peppers), sometimes with broiled mozzarella cheese on top. She’d always freeze the last batch to have with our Thanksgiving dinner, to have one last reflection upon our harvest.

Goodness, @doschicos --that sounds amazing. Please send directions; i will be right over!

Had some for lunch today and leftover pie tonight.

That lime cilantro chicken looks like a keeper. Probably work , adapted, for fish tacos, too. I’m loving the zucchini and yellow squash this season, just plain, a little Italian spice mix, 30 seconds sauteed in olive oil. SIde dish, in a wrap, or a nifty healthy casserole recipe that’s a bit like a squash bread pudding. Not adding salt or sugar to anything.

About comfort food and dark meat. I make meatloaf with dark ground turkey, about 50% meat, the rest chopped vegetables (onions, sometimes raw, sometimes cooked, diced celery, then what strikes my fancy.) A little Worcestershire, maybe Mrs Dash. No salt or pepper. For some magic reason, this holds together (I do use a loaf pan or small casserole.) To me, it’s just delicious. The juices make a nice sort-of gravy, with a little corn starch.

I still make my mom’s meatloaf. No cooked celery inside( not my taste), but mustard, an egg, bread crumbs, ketchup on top. Pan surrounded by little potatoes and pearl onions. Probably only make it a few times a year, cuz red meat.