Fish tacos

Tonight's Menu

• fish tacos, deconstructed or not according to taste
  

Okay, so here's the deal. I made panko-breaded tilapia in the usual way, and also coleslaw (ditto). Then I warmed some flour tortillas in the microwave and set out a bowl of shredded cheese. Diners had the option of filling their tortillas with crispy fish fillets, cheese and coleslaw, or eating any combination of those items separately.

I was surprised to see the kids really going for it, loading up their tacos! The girl ended up not liking hers and took it apart to eat piece-by-piece. The boy opted for just a fish and cheese taco with coleslaw on the side, and didn't eat much, but he's been sick for the past few days so he doesn't have much of an appetite anyway.

I, of course, thought they were delicious.

Spicy!

Tonight's Menu

• spiced pork tenderloin w/mango salsa
  
• whipped chipotle-orange sweet potatoes
• whole-grain tortilla chips
  
• green salad "bar" w/homemade ranch-style dressing
  

Dudes! I know, I have not posted in forever. Sorry about that. We've had a stressful couple of weeks here in the Badger household, and for simplicity's sake I reverted to a lot of old standby meals that I've already told you about ad nauseum.

Tonight's spiced pork tenderloin was this recipe, broiled in the oven for 10 minutes per side (for a total of 20 minutes). I actually made this and the mango salsa (this recipe but without the peaches) a couple of days ago and just warmed up the pork tonight.

In last week's CSA box we got three tiny little sweet potatoes, not enough to make fries with, and I've been trying to think of a way to use them. I ended up chopping them into chunks (without peeling) and simmering them in water until they were tender, then peeling them and dumping them into the food processor with a canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (I didn't add any extra sauce, though), some salt, and about a teaspoon or so of orange zest (the oranges were also from the CSA box, whee!). This made a nice, slightly spicy puree which I dumped into a serving bowl and drizzled with a teeny bit of really good EVOO. I thought it was fabulous but DH didn't care for it because he doesn't like chipotle. More for me!

Tonight's salad bar was just mixed greens from the CSA along with grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and sliced baby carrots. However, we were nearly out of ranch dressing and I haven't had a chance to get out to the store to buy more (did I mention STRESSFUL WEEK?) so I made my own. It was so easy, too! I don't have measurements because I just kind of winged it, but basically I took some mayo and whisked in enough buttermilk to get it to the consistency I wanted it. Most of the recipes I saw online called for sour cream, but we were pretty much out of that too (I KNOW! I'm going shopping tomorrow, I swear) so I added a little bit of plain yogurt for extra tang. Then I whisked in some garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill, dried parsley, salt and pepper. I'm really happy with how it came out, except that I added a little too much dill.

Alrighty! Tomorrow, grocery shopping! And Wednesday, another CSA box!

Eating locally (at least partially)

Tonight's Menu

• sauteed tilapia fillets
  
• red quinoa
  
• green salad "bar"
  

Okay, this was pretty easy. The tilapia fillets were just seasoned with salt and pepper and sauteed in a pan with EVOO. My family has come to prefer the panko-breaded version but it was a long day and I couldn't be arsed. The sauteed version is delicious too, so bite me. (Did I mention it was a long day? Yeah. A REALLY long day.)

The red quinoa is Ancient Harvest brand. It's supposed to be just like regular quinoa, I think, but it tastes different to me and has a slightly different texture (crunchier and a wee bit bitter, to my palate). Frankly, I prefer the traditional ("blonde") version. But this one was okay, too. I tossed my individual portion with a bit of EVOO, salt and pepper and that made it a bit more palatable.

Tonight's salad bar was quite an exciting affair, owing to the fact that we picked up our first CSA share today! I've been wanting to get involved with a CSA for ages, but most of the ones in my area have long waiting lists and/or no distribution points that are convenient to my house (I mean, saving fuel IS part of the point, right?). We finally found one with no waiting list and a relatively close pickup point, so YAY! Fresh, local, organic produce! Can you tell I'm excited about this? (Incidentally, if you're in the Austin area and want the scoop on this particular CSA, feel free to email me at makeyourowndinner AT gmail DOT com.)

Anyway, so tonight's salad bar was mixed salad greens (from the CSA) and diced raw kohlrabi (ditto), along with cucumber, baby carrots, and mixed cherry/pear tomatoes, all of which were from the supermarket. It won't be long until we have lettuce and veggies from our own backyard salad garden, though! Hooray for spring!

No corned beef here

Tonight's Menu

• Guinness roast beef
  
• mashed potatoes
  
• buttered cabbage
  

I literally dreamed up this beef recipe. At night, while I was asleep. I know. I'm a freak.

What I did was take a big ol' beef roast (I think it was either chuck or shoulder), season it with salt and pepper, and brown it on both sides in a skillet. Then I whomped it in a baking pan with about a tablespoon of whole peppercorns, one chopped onion, three large bay leaves and a bottle of Guinness stout. Cover, cook in the oven at 250 degrees F for about 4-5 hours, then remove from oven. Take the beef out of the pan (it will be falling apart, if you're lucky) and set it aside to keep warm. Then pour the pan juices through a mesh strainer into a saucepan, discarding the onion, peppercorns and bay leaves. Whisk a bit of flour and water into the pan juices, bring to a boil, and cook until the gravy has thickened. Serve alongside beef.

The mashed potatoes were Ore-Ida frozen, jazzed up with butter, salt and pepper. I know, my Irish ancestors are all rolling in their graves.

The cabbage was half a head of savoy, chopped into large-ish chunks, then steamed in a pan on the stove (just add a couple of tablespoons of water to the cabbage, then cover and simmer) until crisp-tender. Then I tossed in a big knob of butter, some salt and freshly ground pepper. Then I poured myself a Guinness and forgot that I'd left the stove on. Heh. It didn't burn, thank goodness, but it got a bit more caramelized than I was really going for. Oh well, it was still good.

I don't usually talk about dessert on here, but you all have to bear witness to the degree that I half-assed this thing. I knew I should make SOME sort of special dessert, it being St. Patrick's Day and all, but I didn't want to mess with cookies or cake or anything like that. Besides, by the time I thought of dessert, the meat was already in the oven on low heat so I couldn't have baked anything anyway. I had just about decided to run to the corner drugstore and pray that they had a box of lime Jello (what? it's green!) when I remembered some no-bake cookies that I used to make for my kids when they were little. I knew they involved oatmeal somehow, and oatmeal = Irish! It does! Shut up!

Anyway, I found the recipe! (If that link doesn't work, search Allrecipes.com for Carolina Delights.) So I made them. I couldn't even be arsed to make them into drop cookies; I just dumped the pot of goo into a 9x13-inch baking dish (which made for REALLY thin bar cookies -- you might want to go with an 8- or 9-inch square pan instead if you try this at home).

For an extra measure of Irish-osity, I drizzled them with an icing made from powdered sugar, milk and green food coloring. Oh hell yeah, I did.

If I were Catholic, I'd have to go to confession over this, y'all. But I'm not, so I believe I'll just have another Guinness!

Slainte!

Pork two ways

Tonight's Menu

• grilled pork tenderloin, two ways
  
• coleslaw
  
• sweet potato fries
  

Holy cow, y'all, I can't believe it's been so long since I posted! Sorry about that! I guess I've been really tired in the evenings or something. Too pooped to post.

ANYWAY, it has been really warm here the past few days so I am grilling YET AGAIN. Tonight I did pork tenderloins two different ways, which sounds all fancy until you find out that only the marinades/rubs were different. They cooked the same amount of time at the same temperature.

I used this recipe on one of the tenderloins. I've been making this all winter in my oven broiler (just broil for the same amount of time you'd grill it -- about 20 minutes or so) but grilling adds an extra smokiness that is just SO GOOD.

For the other tenderloin, I crushed about four cloves of garlic with my mortar and pestle, then added the juice of one lemon, about 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest, maybe a teaspoon of dried oregano, some sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and a bit of EVOO. Then I just poured it into a big plastic zipper bag with the tenderloin and marinated it for about an hour before grilling alongside the spiced tenderloin.

I made the latter marinade because I was craving something nice and garlicky. My kids have complained in the past that my garlicky dishes make their throats itch, which is why I made them the spiced one above (which they've eaten many times with no problems). So, guess which tenderloin had NO leftovers and which one was barely touched? Yeah. Apparently they can tolerate garlic again. If I'd known that, I'd have made BOTH tenderloins with the garlic/lemon marinade! Oh well. Next time.

Pretty sure we've already discussed sweet potato fries.

And coleslaw.

Crispy fish, take two

Tonight's Menu

• pan-fried tilapia in panko
  
• coleslaw
  
• green salad "bar"
  

Yeah, this was pretty much a repeat of our dinner from January 23 but with last night's salad bar instead of the warm veggie salad. (And also, I used the food processor to chop the cabbage and shred the carrots tonight.)

No leftovers tonight! The girl had seconds on fish and the boy had thirds on coleslaw!

Grilled sausages

Tonight's Menu

• grilled sweet Italian sausages
  
• onions caramelized on the grill
  
• green salad "bar"
  

Yep, I'm grilling again. But now that it's March, it seems less wrong somehow. And besides, today was a beautiful weather oasis in what is otherwise supposed to be a chilly, nasty, rainy week.

Okay, these were fresh sausages (not cured/smoked/dried) so I did my usual deal of simmering them in a pan of water for about 15 minutes before slapping them on the grill to crisp and brown the skins. They were completely delicious. Grilled sausages rock my world, y'all.

I cut a large, sweet yellow onion (think Texas 1015, Vidalia, or something of that ilk) into half-inch wedges, laid the wedges on a piece of heavy-duty foil so that they were BARELY overlapping, dotted with butter, seasoned with a little salt and freshly ground pepper, then folded the foil around the onion so it made a sort of packet. I slapped this on the grill as soon as I lit it and just left it alone while the grill warmed up for the sausages. When I turned the sausages, I also flipped the packet over. It ended up cooking for around 20 minutes or so, I think, and the onions came out tender, sweet and delicious. I actually crave onions this way from time to time!

Incidentally, if it's not grilling weather yet where you are, you could make this whole meal in the oven. Prepare the foil packet of onions and put it in a 400 degree oven (either on a cookie sheet or right on the rack) before you put the sausages on to simmer. When the sausages are through simmering, remove the foil packet of onions and turn on the broiler. Then just broil the sausages, turning occasionally, until the skins are crisp and nicely browned. Your house will smell AMAZING, I promise!

Tonight's salad bar was mixed greens with sliced carrots, sliced cucumber, and a medley of cherry-sized tomatoes. My local sucky supermarket had assortments of red and yellow pear tomatoes along with some that looked like tiny watermelons, so I figured what the heck? They were good, but I can't WAIT until I have my own fresh tomatoes from the garden! Only a few more months, I hope!

Another (delicious!) take on cabbage

Tonight's Menu

• sauteed rainbow trout fillets
  
• mixed-grain rice
  
• savoy cabbage with bacon and mustard
  

Yes, I know. I'm talking about cabbage again. But hey! Don't run away! This time there was BACON!

All I did was lop off about half a head of savoy cabbage and cut it into 1-inch wide strips (more or less). Then I chopped up a few thick strips of bacon and cooked them in a large skillet until they were not quite crisp and had rendered out quite a bit of fat. I tossed in the cabbage, stirring until it had wilted down a bit and the bacon had crisped up. I ended up having not QUITE enough bacon fat to really wilt down the cabbage, so I added just a few tablespoons of water to get some braising/steaming action happening. When the cabbage was tender, I stirred in a teensy amount of stone-ground mustard (like maybe half a teaspoon) and some freshly ground pepper. I didn't add salt because both the bacon and mustard were salty.

This was absolutely DELICIOUS, I am not kidding. You couldn't really taste the mustard at all, but it gave the dish a nice depth and provided some acidity to balance out the richness of the bacon. The crinkly texture of the savoy cabbage (as opposed to my usual plain green cabbage) was a perfect vehicle for the crunchy mustard seeds and crispy bits of bacon. SO GOOD! I will make it this way again for sure.

The trout fillets were just seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper, then sauteed in a large skillet with some EVOO (that's extra virgin olive oil, for those who don't know). I started them skin-side down and then flipped them halfway through. They really only take about five minutes total, if that.

The grain thing was something new. My favorite skincare company, DHC, also sells a few high-end food items and when I placed my last order for moisturizer I decided to give the multi-grain rice a try. It was kind of a pain, actually -- you have to soak it for 30 minutes, then cook it for 15. Not all of the water got absorbed so I let it sit, covered, for a while and then ended up draining it. It was actually really good, though! It has barley and rye berries in addition to a couple of different types of rice, and it has a lot more flavor and texture than plain rice. With a little salt and pepper, it makes a really tasty side dish. DH even liked it, and the boy had multiple helpings!

It was SO cold and windy and nasty today, but I'm hoping this is winter's last hurrah. I have a bunch more GRILLING to do, yo! Stay tuned!

MORE grilling in February

Tonight's Menu

• grilled chicken drumsticks & thighs
  
• grilled sweet onion
  
• green salad "bar"
  

Oh dudes. This very nearly went terribly wrong.

Remember when I said it was really warm this weekend? Yeah, yesterday it got up into the 90s. Which is just insane, but it made me want to grill that much more. Now, I read the weather forecast. I knew a cold front was supposed to come through last night, and that today it would be chilly and windy. I just didn't realize HOW chilly and windy. But I had promised my kids grilled chicken for dinner (DH the poultry-allergic guy was working late) and I was determined to deliver.

So, it took forever to light the grill because of the wind. And also because of the wind, the inside of the grill didn't get nearly as hot as I really needed it to. And so everything took FOREVER to cook, but it all worked out okay in the end.

First I rinsed and dried the chicken parts, then I sprinkled them on both sides with Jane's Krazy Salt and freshly ground pepper. Long story short (I had to check them A LOT for doneness, and of course every time I opened the grill, the temperature dropped FURTHER) I ended up cooking them for about 18 minutes skin side down, and another 20 or so skin side up. They actually came out really juicy and delicious with crisp, flavorful skin, but it took about twice as long as usual to get them to that point.

The onion was a good idea in theory. In practice, the lower temperature of the grill kind of worked against me. What I did was peel and slice a sweet yellow onion (a 1015 or Walla Walla or Maui or something like that), layer the slices with dabs of butter, salt and freshly ground pepper, wrap it in heavy-duty foil, and cook it alongside the chicken, turning it halfway through the cooking time. It ended up not cooking and caramelizing as much as I was hoping. Maybe it would have worked better if I'd laid it out in a single layer inside the foil instead of re-assembling it into a round onion shape. Oh well. It was still flavorful, and even the girl child, who NEVER eats onions, thought it was good. Go figure!

Tonight's salad bar was mixed greens, sliced carrots, sliced cucumber, and grape tomatoes.

Come back, warm weather! I'm not done grilling!

Grilling in February

Tonight's Menu

• grilled boneless pork chops
  
• steamed red potatoes
  
• grilled asparagus
  

It was a gorgeous weekend here in central Texas -- brilliantly sunny and in the 70s both Saturday and today -- so I rather sheepishly asked DH to pick up some propane when he was out running errands this morning (I had used the last of ours back in October). This led to a super easy, if not exactly seasonal, dinner.

The thick, boneless pork chops were just sprinkled with Jane's Krazy Salt and garlic pepper and then grilled about 4 minutes per side over high heat. Easy-peasy.

I cut some small red-skinned potatoes in half, then tossed them in a bowl with a bit of water, covered with plastic wrap, and steamed them in the microwave (I used my microwave's "smart" setting for hard fresh veggies). When they were done steaming I just tossed them with a little bit of butter, salt and freshly ground pepper.

For the asparagus, I just snapped off the woody ends, tossed them with some EVOO, salt and pepper, and grilled them on a veggie screen over high heat, tossing them around every couple of minutes. It took maybe 7 minutes total for them to reach the crisp-tender stage.

So easy, and SO yummy! I can't promise I won't be grilling from here on out -- it's been a REALLY warm winter around here and I'm itching for some summery dinner fare. Of course, now that I've said that and we've bought the propane and all, it'll probably snow next week!

Eat your cabbage

Tonight's Menu

• grilled NY strip steaks
  
• chuffed potatoes
  
• steamed cabbage
  

Super easy dinner tonight, y'all.

I had some nice, thick NY strip steaks that I just seasoned with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, then grilled over high heat on my IKEA grill pan. Since the boys like their steak cooked medium, I stuck theirs into the oven for a couple of minutes at 350 degrees to finish them off. They came out tender, juicy and SO yummy. We haven't had much beef the past couple of weeks and I think we were all going through withdrawal!

The chuffed potatoes were the usual -- small red potatoes parboiled for 15 minutes, then drained and chuffed up in a hot pan with butter until golden brown and crispy on the outside.

I usually saute the cabbage, but I had two burners going already so I did things a little differently this time. I just cut about half a head of green cabbage into roughly 1-inch chunks, stuck them in a bowl with a bit of water, covered with plastic wrap and steamed them in the microwave. Then I tossed them with a bit of butter (REAL butter), salt and freshly ground pepper. The cabbage doesn't caramelize this way, but it does come out really tender and sweet.

I swear, I could eat cabbage at every meal. It's so incredibly cheap and believe it or not, it's REALLY good for you. For real. Common green cabbage is packed with fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, B vitamins, calcium, potassium and all sorts of cancer-fighting phytonutrients. It's a nutritional powerhouse, yo!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Tonight's Menu

• red beans and rice with sausage
  
• cornbread
  
• sauteed spinach
• banana bread pudding with caramel-rum sauce
• hurricanes (virgin, or not)
  

So hey, everyone! It's Mardi Gras! And I am SO STUFFED. Let's get right to it.

The red beans and rice were from a mix (Vigo). I KNOW. Shut up, it's only once a year. I've tried making them from scratch and I actually like the mix better. I did add half a pound of sliced beef sausage to them, though.

I've given you the cornbread recipe before.

Fresh baby spinach was just sauteed in a skillet with EVOO until wilted, then seasoned with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Okay, now the bread pudding! This was sort of an experiment. I was going for Bananas Foster flavors, without having to flambe anything. This is how I made it:

1 loaf stale French bread, cubed
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup butter, melted
5 eggs
1/2 - 3/4 cup brown sugar (I didn't measure it)
1/4 cup dark rum
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
2.5 cups hot milk
cinnamon
nutmeg

Okay, toss the bread cubes and bananas into a casserole dish, pour the melted butter on top, toss with your hands or a big spoon, and set aside.

In a mixing bowl beat the eggs until well combined. Beat in the brown sugar, rum, vanilla and salt. Slowly add the hot milk, beating constantly. Pour this mixture over the bread cubes and bananas, pushing the bread down into the egg mixture to make sure it's all covered. Let sit for about 5 minutes so the bread can absorb the eggs/milk.

Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg, then bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for about 35 minutes or until set. It will poof up like a souffle and be a bit jiggly, but it shouldn't be runny once it's cooked.

For the caramel-rum sauce, just combine one can of sweetened condensed milk with a tablespoon or so of dark rum in a saucepan. Put it over VERY low heat (or use a double boiler) and stir occasionally until the mixture has thickened and become a light golden brown. This will take a while. If it gets lumpy (mine did), just push it through a sieve. Serve alongside the bread pudding. This is a really easy way to make caramel sauce if you don't have any heavy cream lying around.

The hurricanes were also kind of an experiment because I didn't have some of the necessary ingredients (like passion fruit syrup). So here's how I made those.

6 oz. pineapple juice
6 oz. orange juice
4 oz. guava nectar
juice of one lime
2 oz. grenadine

Combine all of the above for a "virgin" version of the drink. Strain over crushed ice into a hurricane glass and garnish with a wedge of orange and a maraschino cherry. This makes a couple of servings.

For the non-virgin version, add 1 oz. each dark and light rum to each glass and stir.


I am not claiming that this is in any way an "authentic" Mardi Gras meal, but it was yummy!

Crispy chicken

Tonight's Menu

• pan-fried chicken tenders
  
• leftover sweet potato fries
  
• green salad "bar"
  

When I made tilapia breaded in panko recently, the girl child mentioned that the same treatment might be good with chicken. She was so right! I used raw chicken tenders but you could easily use boneless, skinless breasts -- just cut them in long strips. I made them the exact same way I made the tilapia, but this time I seasoned the flour with salt, pepper, dried thyme and a dash of paprika. They were SO GOOD and both of the kids went back for seconds.

I'm not going to lie; this is more trouble than dumping a bunch of frozen, breaded chicken nuggets or strips or whatever onto a cookie sheet and sticking them in the oven. HOWEVER, just like the pan-fried tilapia vs. frozen fish sticks, you control what's in these things. (Seriously, READ THE LABEL on the frozen, breaded chicken bits the next time you're at the store.) Cut back the salt, adjust the seasonings, use whole-wheat flour, use whatever kind of oil you feel comfortable with -- whatever you're into!

Do try the panko, though. I think it makes all the difference in terms of crispness.

Salmon and sweet potatoes

Tonight's Menu

• baked salmon
  
• oven sweet potato fries
  
• green salad "bar"
  

I love salmon but I am pretty much the only one in the family who does, so I don't make it very often. However, last night I made a double batch (er, can you call it a "batch" if it's meat?) of spiced pork tenderloin (broiled for 20 minutes instead of grilled) and decided that anyone who didn't want salmon tonight could have leftover pork. So there!

Anyhoo, the salmon was one of those big fillets, so I just sprinkled it generously with Jane's Krazy Salt and some garlic pepper, then popped it into the oven for about 20 minutes (it was thick -- do 10 minutes per inch) at 450 degrees F. This is my favorite way to make it. I'm not fancy with my fish, as you all know.

Sweet potato fries were made the same way as usual. I took them out of the oven before I cranked it up for the fish.

A couple of people have asked about the salad bar idea, and I explained it in the comments but I'll clarify it here, too. All I do is put the greens/lettuces in a big bowl, then put all the other salad ingredients in separate bowls alongside, kind of like a restaurant salad bar (but on a much smaller scale). That way everyone can mix their salad however they like.

This came about when the boy child, who apparently got tired of picking the stuff he didn't like out of our tossed salads, requested it. It does use up more dishes (and table/counter space) than simply tossing all the salad ingredients together in one large bowl, but aside from that it's really no more trouble to do.

An interesting side effect of this has been that sometimes the kids ignore the lettuce/greens altogether and just pile their plates with the raw chopped veggies/fruits instead. In fact, I think they've both been eating more fruits/veggies at dinner since we started this!

Skirt steak

Tonight's Menu

• broiled skirt steak with roasted salsa verde
  
• multigrain tortilla chips
  
• green salad "bar"
  

Fajitas are a staple for us during the summer months, and I've discovered that while the kids don't usually like assembling and eating the actual fajitas (I know -- freaks!), they do love the meat and will happily scarf down large quantities of that on its own.

So, I prepared the skirt steak pretty much the way I do when I'm making fajitas -- rub on both sides with a prepared fajita spice rub, then whisk some fresh lime juice with EVOO and pour that over the steak, marinating for at least a couple of hours in the fridge (I put it in a large plastic zipper bag -- you could use any non-reactive container). But instead of grilling it for four minutes or so per side over high heat, I stuck it under the broiler for the same amount of time. Not QUITE as good as grilled, but pretty darn close! I sliced it very thin across the grain and the kids both had seconds. In fact, there were no leftovers, which is rare for us!

I actually made the salsa verde ahead of time and just stuck it in the fridge until dinner was ready. All I did was remove the papery husks from several tomatillos, give them a rinse, and stick them on a cookie sheet with a huge anaheim pepper (you could also use a poblano) and several unpeeled garlic cloves. Drizzle with EVOO and stick in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until they get soft and a teensy bit brownish. Let cool, then remove the stem and seeds from the pepper and the papery peel from the garlic cloves. Then just whizz it all up in a food processor, adding a bit of lime juice if you like, and a bit of EVOO, and seasoning with salt to taste. I wish I had put some cilantro in this too, but we were all out. Oh well, it was still very yummy! I actually served this alongside the meat, picking up forkfuls of each for every bite, but it's great with chips, too (we LOVE Tostitos Multigrain tortilla chips)(they are not paying me to say that, but they totally SHOULD).

Tonight's salad bar was mixed green lettuces (romaine and butter, I think?) along with grape tomatoes, sliced carrots, sliced cucumber, and julienned jicama. If you've never had jicama, give it a try! All you do is peel it (like a potato) and then cut it into whatever shapes you like. It's very crunchy and juicy and to my palate tastes like a cross between an apple and a raw potato. The girl thought it tasted a bit like celery, and the boy said it was similar to cucumber, but "without the tang". He must have liked it, though -- he ate a HUGE quantity of it!

Delicious chicken

Tonight's Menu

• roasted chicken thighs & drumsticks
  
• roasted Brussels sprouts
• green salad "bar"
  

Oh dudes. I loves me some chicken legs.

I had six thighs and six drumsticks (bone-in, skin-on in both cases). I rinsed them, patted them dry, stuck them in a roasting pan, sprinkled them liberally with coarse salt, gave them a few shakes of freshly ground pepper, scattered some fresh thyme leaves and snipped fresh rosemary on top, then roasted them at 425 degrees F for about 45 minutes. Perfection.

I got the Brussels sprouts recipe from a recent post on Slashfood. Except I did them at 425 degrees instead of 400, because I cooked them alongside the chicken. I should have knocked back the cooking time accordingly, but I didn't, and they were a bit overdone (but still edible, especially for someone like me who will eat damn near anything).

Tonight's salad bar was butter lettuce and radicchio with sliced baby carrots and grape tomatoes on the side.

Lazy dinner

Tonight's Menu

• slow-cooker barbecued pork on buns
  
• leftover coleslaw
  

This could not have been easier if we'd ordered takeout. All I did was dump a pork roast (sirloin, I think? or shoulder? you could use any cut you like) into the slow cooker, pour a bottle of Carolina-style barbecue sauce on top, cover and cook on low for about 8 hours. When it's done just shred the meat with two forks and ladle some of the sauce on top. Serve with some sandwich buns and thinly sliced sweet onion, and Bob's your uncle.

The coleslaw was leftover from Wednesday.

The girl child ate a pork sandwich AND some coleslaw. Unbelievable! I don't know who kidnapped my daughter and replaced her with this changeling who actually LIKES TO EAT, but I'm sorry, I'm keeping this one.

Crispy fishy

Tonight's Menu

• pan-fried tilapia
  
• coleslaw
  
• leftover warm salad of caramelized veggies and spinach
  

Okay, so I was a little bored with my usual tilapia sauteed in EVOO and decided to try something a little different. It was a bit more time-consuming than usual but not at all difficult (because, you know, I don't DO difficult). Here are the steps as I went through them:

1. Cut some boneless, skinless tilapia fillets in half lengthwise and put them in a shallow dish/pan of milk. Yes, milk. Stay with me here.
2. Take another shallow dish/pan and put in some flour mixed with salt, pepper, dry mustard, dried dill, basically whatever herbs and spices your little heart desires.
   
3. Take yet ANOTHER dish/pan (incidentally, pie pans and round cake pans work great for stuff like this), crack an egg into it, add about a tablespoon of water, and whisk to combine.
4. Take a fourth dish/pan and pour a bunch of panko into it. (You should be able to find panko at your local market -- look in the Asian/ethnic food section or in the baking section with the bread crumbs and cornmeal and whatnot -- but if not you can order it from Amazon or some other online retailer.)
5. Now you want to get a heavy-bottomed skillet with relatively high sides and pour in enough canola oil to cover the bottom about a half-inch deep. (You COULD do this in a deep-fryer, but deep-frying scares the hell out of me. I am a pan-fry kind of gal.) Heat the oil over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes.
6. Okay, now the fun part! Take a (half) fillet out of the milk, dredge it in the seasoned flour, swish it in the egg mixture, then dredge it in the panko until it's entirely coated. Then oh-so-carefully place it into the hot oil.
7. Repeat with other fillets, working in batches so as not to crowd the pan (that lowers the temperature of the oil and makes everything soggy). Watch fillets closely and turn when golden brown on the bottom (this only takes about 2-3 minutes, tops).
8. Remove from pan when both sides are a nice, golden brown. Place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

That's all there is to it! It sounds like a lot of steps, but once you get all your little pans o' stuff ready it's an absolute breeze. The fish comes out moist on the inside and crispy-crunchy outside, not at all greasy, and because you made it from scratch, YOU control how much salt and fat is in this stuff (hello, have you ever read the label on a box of frozen, breaded fish? it ain't pretty, y'all).

Everyone absolutely raved about this fish tonight, and you longtime readers might want to sit down for this one: The girl. Had. SECONDS! The child who lives on cheese and crackers and air actually went back for more of this stuff! You KNOW it has to be good.

We've discussed coleslaw before, right? Just shred up some cabbage with a knife, combine a little mayo with equal parts sugar and white vinegar, maybe throw in a little celery seed, toss and chill? It's like the easiest salad in the world, y'all. I was feeling fancy today and added some grated carrot! WOO! We live on the edge around here.

Brown sugar makes everything better

Tonight's Menu

• grilled ham steaks
  
• yet more beer bread
  
• warm salad of caramelized veggies and spinach
  

I used to make this caramelized veggie salad all the time, but for some reason it's been ages since I've served it. It's actually pretty easy and REALLY delicious. The original recipe came from a Betty Crocker vegetarian cookbook, if you can believe it!

What I do is take some small red-skinned potatoes, cut them in halves or quarters, stick them in a big pot with about an inch of water, and bring it to a boil. While the water is heating I rinse some green beans, trim the stem ends, and cut them in half, adding them to the boiling water. Bring it all back up to the boil if necessary, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and leave them alone for about 10 minutes or until they're just tender. Drain and set aside.

Then cut up some sweet yellow onion and saute it in a skillet with about a third of a cup of butter until the onion is nice and golden and soft. Add equal amounts of balsamic vinegar and brown sugar (for a pound each of potatoes and beans, I use 1/4 cup each of the sugar and vinegar) along with a pinch or two of salt, and stir just until everything is combined and the sugar has dissolved a bit (but DON'T LET THE SUGAR BURN). Add the potatoes/beans to the skillet and toss to coat, then turn out onto a bed of baby spinach leaves. This is a nice, hearty side dish and the sweet, caramelly goodness really compliments a salty/cured meat like ham.

The ham itself was just grilled on the stovetop in my beloved IKEA grill pan.

And yes, we had beer bread AGAIN! We're not eating this every single night, I swear. It's just so damn EASY, and everyone loves it. This time I made it with Saint Arnold Texas Wheat beer and it was SO good -- not quite as sweet as when I used Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat and more, er, bread-like.

My favorite food

Tonight's Menu

• grilled fresh Italian sausages
  
• "kitchen sink" veggie saute
  
• green salad "bar"
  

Oh dudes. I do so love me some sausages. These were fresh (non-cured/non-dried) Italian sausages that were labeled as "sweet" but were actually pretty dang spicy. I didn't mind, but DH and the boy were not altogether happy with them, I don't think. More for me! I just simmered these in water for about 20 minutes to cook them through, then finished them on the grill pan to crisp up the skins a bit with some sexy grill marks. Dead easy.

The saute was one of those clean-out-the-vegetable-crisper deals. I cut up some sweet yellow onion, a red bell pepper, a couple of little zucchinis, and a hunk of green cabbage and just sauteed the whole lot in EVOO, adding a bit of fresh thyme, salt and freshly ground pepper near the end. Again, very easy, apart from all the chopping. I absolutely love sauteed veggies and could eat them at every meal, regardless of the actual veggies involved.

Salad was the usual -- a bowl of mixed lettuces, with small bowls of grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and sliced carrots alongside so folks can mix their own.