What's for Dinner ~ Tuesday March 20th

[Lucinda]

♥

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. pulled some beef and barley stew from the freezer

and I think I'll make fresh biscuits

[Lucinda]

15. Stew sounds sooo good to me.

I made some a week or so ago and never managed to have any of it.
Double win with fresh biscuits!

[Cairycat]

2. Hoppin' John

it's good all year 'round, not just New Years!

[Lucinda]

14. It is!

[cbayer]

3. Taco Tuesday at the local bar!

Hope you are feeling better today, Lucinda.

[Lucinda]

9. Thank you! I am just trying to get lots of rest

and eat when I can.

[maddezmom]

4. Bratwurst

Tommy is having it on a roll(or I should say with a roll because he pulls out the sausage). Maddie likes hers cut up and will have it with corn on the cob and raw carrots and cucumber. I'm having mine with peppers and onions and a salad.

[Lucinda]

13. We usually do the same thing with most brats and Italian sausages that get cooked around here....

We cook them and then serve them different ways. I rarely eat spaghetti, so Bill will have his Italian Sausage with noodles and I just thicken my portion of the sauce and have it with the sausage and garlic bread.

[eridani]

5. I'll be fed tonight at my local Dem meeting

It's usually pretty good, and for only $6.00. A hamburger for DH at home--I keep a stock of patties and some buns for nights like this.

[eridani]

8. Well, crap!! The new chair forgot to ask someone to bring the food!

Stopped by Taco Time on the way home and got a chicken burrito.

[Lucinda]

12. Glad you had a tasty fast food option.

Hope the meeting went well!

[eridani]

16. Let's just say that the new chair also has some things to learn about cat herding n/t

[Lucinda]

17. LOL. Hopefully they will be a quick study.

[yellerpup]

6. Chicken thighs roasted with thyme.

Leftover jasmine rice, steamed asparagus, and a small French roll. Raspberry sorbet in chocolate shell for dessert.

[Lucinda]

11. I do love jasmine rice.

Such yummy stuff! Dinner sounds perfect.

[yellerpup]

18. Jasmine rice sounds romantic, doesn't it?

The scent is so exotic.

[Lucinda]

20. It's perfection.

And the flavor isn't too shabby either.

[freshwest]

7. Made an unusual beef stew in the crockpot.

Tossed in a very small piece of steak I was given with a lot of olive oil, baby carrots, diced onions, whole yukons, and beef stuff from COSTCO in a jar.

Then added a whole bunch of sauted mushrooms since I bought a flat last week. Added some warm water, garlic powder and seasoned pepper.

After a few hours, I poured in some red wine. Kind of a 'just get rid of it and clear the refrigerator' meal. It tasted much better than I expected.

I wonder if it was the wine or the mushrooms that made it so good?

[Lucinda]

10. Probably both!

Mushrooms are just magic in stews, and the wine would add a lot of depth.
Sounds delicious!

[freshwest]

19. It really was good. And so simple. Just used a bag of baby carrots ready to go from the store, then

Rinsed but didn't peel the potatoes, and even the diced onions were a buy from the store as well so there was no work involved, really. I found a place to get a flat of sliced button mushrooms for about $11 instead of buying them whole or sliced in tiny packages or separately. I estimated the cost would have been well over $60 buying that much the other way.

I came straight home and cooked them a bit in a lot of olive oil, in batches, after reading that freezing them cooked was okay. I don't have a dehydrator, which is supposed to be better, but fresh ones don't last long in the refrigerator and I didn't want to lose the money on them anymore and often they weren't that fresh in the stores, either. These were just a day or so from wherever they come from, at a commercial food supply.

I was amazed after cooking a few batches that they made this wonderful sort of gravy, a lovely reddish brown, and realized that was where mushroom gravy came from-- cooking a lot of them. I'd usually only cooked a handful at a time, nothing like that. I think I'll make this again, with nothing but the mushrooms, since they seem to make an excellent beef substitute even for stew.

And the wine was just an idea. I haven't had or cooked with it for a long time, it just has been sitting in the refrigerator door forever. And it did give a great flavor. Maybe I'll add some thyme or parsley next time.

[Lucinda]

21. I love cooking with mushrooms, but Bill isn't a fan so I

usually make them when I know I'll be having dinner by myself. I've often used the big portobellos as a burger substitute. the make excellent sandwiches.

[freshwest]

22. I posted a portabella burger video on VVAR but I don't think anyone wants them. No replies. I can

Post it here, but it's much like ones you can buy at the stores. I make those with sauted red onions and peppers, with greens on the side. Very tasty.

Does Bill like button mushrooms?

They aren't as strong as the portabellas. It takes a while to get used to the taste. Some people just buy the huge ones and grill them as they are for their vegetarian friends, not ground up.

[Lucinda]

23. Nope. He really doesn't like buttons at all.

His mushroom defect is one of his few culinary flaws.

I'd love to see your video...I still haven't come up with a favorite recipe for the portoburgers.

[freshwest]

24. Okay, it's pretty simple. I went to his blog and snagged the recipe too. Here goes:

I went to his website for ingredients:

http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/

I snagged this, in case you don't want to watch the video:

Mushroom Veggie Burger

(Mix together, the video shows how)

4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/2 finely chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

I always keep these on hand in the freezer:

http://www.gardenburger.com/product.aspx?id=11750

Unfortunately neither of these are vegan, but they are quick and satisfying.

[freshwest]

25. You know, I think this could be made into meatballs for spaghetti, too.