Saturday, May 29, 2010

Meal 78

Tonight I made asparagus pasta again with sauteed ham.  This was a full farmer's market rich meal.  The asparagus & garlic came from yesterday's market.  The complete recipe for this dish is on meal 68.

Meal 78 done!

Meal 77

Meal 77 was ham, green beans, smashed potatoes & cornbread.
I picked up a $4 - fully cooked ham at our local grocery....stuck it in the crock pot while we were gone to discipleship for about an hour.  When we got back home I simmered home-canned green beans with a little of that ham & boiled some potatoes, while mixing up the cornbread batter.

The kids LOVE the smashed potatoes I make, which is based on my version of Racheal Ray's smashed ones.  After they are boiled I drain them, add some butter & sour cream, salt & pepper, and slice up a whole green onion.  I use an old fashioned potato smasher & just give them a quick smash to incorporate everything in the pot.  They are NOT like mashed potatoes at all - but they are delicious.

Meal 77 done - 223 meals to go.

Meal 76

Spaghetti prepped in 15 minutes.
Opened can of spaghetti sauce & a can of mushrooms, boiled some rigatoni, and browned some ground beef.  Sprinkled on some parmesan.  Meal done.

224 meals to go!

Meal 75

Meal 75 was spinach, onion & mushroom omelettes with buttery yeast rolls.  Our family sells fresh vegetables, fruit & baked goods at our local farmer's market and sometimes we get to bring home some left-overs.  It was left-over spinach & onions that filled these wonderful omelettes.  We also sprinkled them while warm with a little fresh parmesan.

75 down....225 to go.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Meal 74

Today's meal began 2 years ago....literally.
Our son brought home a rooster that his class had hatched out from an incubator exactly 2 years ago. 


I did some research on how to cook a rooster because they are notoriously tough....and came up with a variation on the classic french "coq au vin."  Here's the recipe link.  I followed it almost exactly.  It was fairly simple.
 
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/coq_au_vin/
 
I also baked some kale for the first time.  Washed & dried the leaves, laid them on a greased baking sheet, sprayed them with olive oil & sprinkled a little salt.  I baked them for just a few minutes, then turned them & baked them a little longer.  They were a big hit...they were crispy, just like potato chips.
 
Then I also baked some strawberry shortcakes.  I just followed the recipe on a box of biscuit mix, except I added a little more sugar accidently.  They were wonderful with our fresh strawberries!
 

74 meals complete....226 to go.

Meal 73

Since I'm so far behind on meals, I'm gonna' start including lunches if I've done any real preparation for them.

Today I took some leftover chicken & chopped it up for chicken salad....with toasted almond slivers & chopped up grapes.  I added just a little mayo and sour cream.  Tony & I hardly ever eat lunch together because he rarely takes time to eat & if he does it's inhaled quickly....but he even took time to eat this today.  It was wonderful.

Meal 73 done.

Meal 72

Roasted chicken & bruschetta.
This was a quick grocery pull together meal.
I went to the grocery after Bible study & got a large can of diced chicken, 2 rotisserie chickens & a loaf of italian bread.  I came home, sliced the bread, bushed it with olive oil & grilled it in our saute pan.  At the same time, I drained the tomatos, added balsamic vinegar & some garlic powder.  Then I chopped up some fresh basil & grated some parmesan.
We all built our own bruschetta & ate them with the rotisseries chicken.  It was quick & wonderful.
Meal 72 done.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Meal 71

Frog legs!!  It's time here in Kentucky for frog season & it's definately a local delicacy.  Tonight was our first pan of fried legs for the year.  I don't fry but I have done everything else to prepare for them to be fried....I have skinned them (can you imagine pulling that slimy skin off?? yuck!)...washed them, soaked them in milk & prepped the flour to roll them in with black pepper, salt and garlic powder.  I even added the oil to the pan & put it on the stove.  But, the frying, have I mentioned?  I just DON'T fry.  That part is up to Tony....just like the actual gigging is. 


I added a very plain side of mac & cheese.  And, some savory herb muffins.
71 meals done!!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Meal 70

Tonight we had a feast of things available at our local farmer's market.  Fresh pork bratwurst from Barbour Farms, spinach from our garden, pinto beans (now those were from the grocery) and habanero cornbread.

It was wonderful....230 more meals to go!

Meal 69

I sell some home-grown produce at our local Farmer's Market.  And since the market has opened we have had these amazing samples provided by our local extension staff.  Our extension staff, representing the University of Kentucky, is top notch....and their samples have made our market so much fun & more educational for the customer.

One of the samples last week was highlighting asparagus & Saturday afternoon I made that meal for us.  It was a super hit with the guys, the girls thought it was good too, just not quite as thrilled.



Here's the "Asparagus & Pasta" recipe:
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound fresh asparagus, cut into one inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 pound of pasta, cooked & drained

In a non-stick skillet, cook garlic, red pepper and hot sauce in oil & butter for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add asparagus and pepper; satue until asparagus is crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Pour over hot pasta, sprinkle on cheese and toss to coat.

Yield: six 1 1/2 cup servings
Nutrional Analysis: 280 calories, 12 g fat, 3 g sat fat., 8 g protein, 32 gram carbohydrate, 10 mg cholesterol, 105 mg sodium

Week in review

May 8th - day of the wedding.  It was a gorgeous outside wedding.  We ate at the reception & then grazed some that night.  Not enough to really call a meal?!?

May 9th - I made buffalo burgers & potato soup for Tony & I (date night) and I also fixed enough to take a meal to my mom's for Mother's Day. Meal 67!

May 10th - ??

May 11th - El Mazatlan

May 12th - Ms. Patty Smith made us a meatloaf.  It was a wonderful recipe that included corn & green peas in the meatloaf itself.  Never had eaten it that way before.  I added spinach & cornbread to go with this, so I'm counting it as a meal. Meal 68!

May 13th - This was the night that our kids had a technology fair & baseball game. My mom fixed a pork shoulder & hashbrown casserole for us.  It was wonderful.  There was no "occasion" here, I think she was just feeling sorry for us because we are so behind.

May 14th - Pizza Hut

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Catch up...

It has been 8 days since I've blogged & am very thankful for a friend who messaged me & said "Have you all not eaten this week?"  I so need accountability!!

May 2 - We took our kids for an afternoon shopping trip & ate in the malls' food court (that always seems like such a bad idea after you've done it!)
May 3 - I actually have NO memory of this night.
May 4 - We ate deer tenderloin, cooked spinach, corn bread & rolls.  Our kids have eaten this so much lately that they finally said...."please stop cooking that for awhile."  I agreed.
May 5 - We had what we call "bean dip."  It's a quick open the can meal that Tony learned from an aunt before we got married.  Open a can of refried beans, smear a big dollop or two on a dinner plate, top with salsa, cheese, hot sauce, olives, green onions (whatever you have)...microwave that for a minute & then add some sour cream & lettuce if you have it.  Eat with chips.  It is a wonderful go to meal when time is slim.  The kids also fixed some quesadillas that night.
May 6 - FFA banquet with steak, rolls & baked potatoes!!
May 7 - We ate supper at our niece's wedding rehearsal

That was prepared meals for this entire week....that's not great, but it's better than nothing.  And, I'm pretty sure we ate at home on Monday....I just can't remember what it was?!?

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Meal 63

Sauteed deer tenderloin, spinach salad & homemade dill-onion bread.
This meal was amazing....237 meals to go.