What’s For Dinner? ~ A Baker’s Dozen

I’ve got thirteen dinners for you this time. It does seem that all I do is cook and wash dishes these days. I hear others saying the same thing. I hope these What’s For Dinner posts give you some ideas or at the very least remind you that you aren’t alone in all this. 

 

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Stuffed bell peppers, candied carrots and salad: I stuffed the bell peppers with a mixture of rice, black beans and corn rather than the usual ground beef. We all agree we like this version every bit as well. The carrots are browned slightly in butter in a cast iron pan, deglazed with a bit of whiskey and cooked until tender with butter and brown sugar. I really ought to do a recipe post for these. They are a family favorite. 

 

Burgers, baked potatoes and corn on the cob: It was a beautiful evening so I grilled burgers. I know fries are the more common accompaniment but there are a couple of restaurants in New Orleans that serve baked potatoes with their burgers. It’s a tasty alternative. 

 

Haluski, steamed peas and cooked apples: If you haven’t tried haluski (cabbage and noodles) you need to give it a try. I would have added a dollop of sour cream but we were out. The peas were from the freezer and I used up some apples that were a bit past their prime by cooking them in butter, brown sugar and a bit of water until tender. 

 

Grilled hot dogs, baked beans, grapes and Doritos: The hot dog buns from our grocery order were moldy even though the date was still good. But we had hamburger buns so that worked just fine. I just cut the hot dog in half and then split lengthwise to fit the bun. And yes, I like ALL the things on my hot dog – mayonnaise, mustard, relish, lettuce, tomato, grated cheddar, celery salt and black pepper. 

 

Waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon and smoothies: Sunday means homemade waffles these days. We pull out David’s grandmother’s old waffle iron and enjoy breakfast for dinner. 

 

Beef and Beans, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies and salad: This was a new recipe and we all loved it. It’s great way to extend a small amount of beef. I served it over homemade mashed potatoes. The salad is topped with my simple Homemade Thousand Island Dressing. 

 

Taco Tuesday: I kept it very simple this night. I cooked up a pot of rice and heated up a can of refried beans. I also drained and heated a can of black beans to which I added some salsa, frozen corn and seasoned with chili powder, garlic salt and cumin. I then fried up a bunch of corn tortillas. We made our tacos with a combination of the rice, refried beans and black beans then topped them with grated cheddar, lettuce and tomato. I was out of sour cream but had some leftover Thousand Island Dressing with I put on mine – quite tasty! We were out of tortilla chips but had a few Doritos left. 

 

Leftover soup and quesadillas: This is one of those soups I make that can’t be recreated. I used the leftover Beef and Beans along with various other leftovers (rice, mixed veggies, red onion and refried beans) to make a delicious pot of soup. I served it with quesadillas which I cooked in a little butter in my cast iron skillet. 

 

Homemade macaroni and cheese, candied carrots and broccoli: I prefer to make a baked macaroni and cheese (with caramelized onions on top – yum!) but I opted for an easy Instant Pot version this night. I served it with carrots and broccoli. 

 

Chicken with artichoke hearts, pasta, California blend veggies, garlic toast and salad: I dredged the chicken tenders in seasoned flour and cooked in butter and olive oil. The sauce included white wine, chicken broth, drained artichoke hearts, lemon juice and a splash of cream. I had some bread that was a bit too stale for sandwiches so I toasted it and buttered it, and sprinkled with garlic salt. 

 

Chicken artichoke casserole and salad: This is one of those times the leftovers were better than the original dish. I took the leftover chicken and artichokes plus the pasta from the previous night’s dinner and turned it into a casserole. I cut up the spaghetti and chicken tenders and sauce, placed them in a greased baking dish and topped with grated cheese, French fried onions and bread crumbs. I then baked until hot and bubbly. The salad was a combination of iceberg and spinach, feta cheese, grape tomatoes, and blueberries tossed in a poppyseed dressing. 

 

Pizza and salad: I had a different plan for dinner but after working outdoors building a greenhouse and raking a huge pile of leaves I decided this was a good night to pull out the frozen pizzas David had picked up a couple of weeks ago. I did make a salad to go with the pizza. We watched Groundhog Day while we ate dinner. 

 

Red beans and rice, coleslaw and cornbread: A traditional choice for Mondays. I cooked the dried red beans in my Instant Pot and cooked the rice in my rice cooker. I sautéed the onion, celery, pepper and andouille sausage in my cast iron skillet and added it to the beans. I had baked the cornbread and mixed up some coleslaw earlier in the afternoon. 

 

And that, my friends, is what we’ve had for dinner the past 13 nights. The meals have been good but I’m really ready for lots of fresh, seasonal produce. I did manage to get some asparagus and zucchini in my last grocery haul so you’ll see those in my next What’s For Dinner post. I read that our local Farmers Market is working on a plan to open soon. I hope they’ll figure out a way to do so safely because I really need some local, seasonal produce. I can pretty much live on new potatoes, summer squash, green beans, corn on the cob and peaches all summer. 

 

What have you been eating lately? Anything you are missing right now? And can I just say that I never fully appreciated the wonder of a good Mexican restaurant and giant margaritas? I will never take them for granted again. 

 

 

You may also enjoy: 

Create a Beautiful Life: Cloth Napkins and Real Dishes

Slow Down and Savor Life

5 Ways to Create a Better Day