What's For Dinner?

SkyChaser

SkyChaser

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SkyChaser
What's on the menu for tonight? Or just some favorite dinners? Pictures and recipes are not necessary but are happily received. I've been in a bit of a rut recently food-wise and it's hard to find good suggestions online that aren't just pasta dishes or twelve different ways to prepare chick peas (blech). Take-out and restaurant food is also fair game if that is what is on the menu!

We've got a super simple pizza crust rising for a few minutes in the oven in preparation for some sausage and garlic and tomato sauce with cheese for tonight. I was going to try a white sauce and chicken as toppings, but I forgot to throw the chicken in the oven earlier. Maybe another day...if I remember. :crazy:





(Yes, I know there's a thread (or a few) somewhere around here, but it's easier to make a new one than find the old ones and I'm lazy so... :redface: )
 
SkyChaser said:
(Yes, I know there's a thread (or a few) somewhere around here, but it's easier to make a new one than find the old ones and I'm lazy so... :redface: )
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But there are a wealth of ideas!

Spaghetti appears to be on the agenda for tonight. Sauce is a couple pounds of hamburger with dry mix spaghetti sauce mix. I think some water is involved too. And spaghetti. I try to avoid pasta but sometimes I can't. Maybe if the sauce isn't mixed in with the pasta I'll put it over salad instead.
 
Last night was steak and tried this potato recipe. My adult son who is not big on potatoes came back for seconds:
www.allrecipes.com

Iron Skillet Baked Potatoes

Potatoes are placed in a cast iron skillet with seasoned oil and baked crispy and golden, resulting in a delicious roasted flavor and a great side dish for any meal.
www.allrecipes.com www.allrecipes.com

I brushed the skins with oil and sprinkled with Cajun seasoning before cooking.
 
eman1200 said:
failed attempt at a smash burger. didn't get the pan hot enough and didn't get the burger smashed enough. oh well.
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Did you punch it with your fist? C’mon man, you gotta up your game.
 
Went for take out at a restaurant that sells Fair food. Waffle fries and hot dogs tonight.
 
Were havin fried chicken so crisp and hot,
With tatters and gravy make sure and take a lot.
There’s green beans and fatback and biscuits with butter,
And cold cold milk, straight from the udder.
And fer desert, get ya some pie,
There’s sweet tater, apple and of course yer favorite shoo-fly...
 
SkyChaser said:
What's on the menu for tonight? Or just some favorite dinners? Pictures and recipes are not necessary but are happily received. I've been in a bit of a rut recently food-wise and it's hard to find good suggestions online that aren't just pasta dishes or twelve different ways to prepare chick peas (blech). Take-out and restaurant food is also fair game if that is what is on the menu!
Click to expand...
Your post reminds me of a meme I saw somewhere recently. It was something like:

"The worst part of being an adult,
is that you have to figure out what to have for dinner,
every night,
for the rest of your life".

That is so true.
 
Sac Arrow said:
But there are a wealth of ideas!
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That is a good point. I'll guess I'll have to go search them up anyway. Sigh. :biggrin:
455 Bravo Uniform said:
Last night was steak and tried this potato recipe. My adult son who is not big on potatoes came back for seconds:
www.allrecipes.com

Iron Skillet Baked Potatoes

Potatoes are placed in a cast iron skillet with seasoned oil and baked crispy and golden, resulting in a delicious roasted flavor and a great side dish for any meal.
www.allrecipes.com www.allrecipes.com

I brushed the skins with oil and sprinkled with Cajun seasoning before cooking.
Click to expand...
I usually just rub the oil and spices on the skin and then wrap with foil before baking, but that looks delicious and simple.
JOhnH said:
Your post reminds me of a meme I saw somewhere recently. It was something like:

"The worst part of being an adult,
is that you have to figure out what to have for dinner,
every night,
for the rest of your life".

That is so true.
Click to expand...
I've got one somewhere that says, "Being married is just asking each other what you want to eat until one of you dies", and I'm not sure they were wrong! :goofy: Figuring out dinner may be one of the sole exceptions to the "practice makes perfect" rule...
 
SkyChaser said:
I've got one somewhere that says, "Being married is just asking each other what you want to eat until one of you dies", and I'm not sure they were wrong! :goofy: Figuring out dinner may be one of the sole exceptions to the "practice makes perfect" rule...
Click to expand...
That conversation at my house usually goes like this:

Her: What do you want for dinner?
Me: How about ribs?
Her: No
Me: Chicken wings?
Her: No.
Me: Pizza?
Her: No.
Me: Steak?
Her: No.
Me. Rice and carrots?
Her: Ok. If that's what you really want.
 
Today, nothing to write home about. Yesterday, I made lamb steak in garlic butter and rosemary with grilled corn. Was pretty good. If takeout, any BBQ place that has fried okra as a side would work just fine for me.
 
JOhnH said:
That conversation at my house usually goes like this:

Her: What do you want for dinner?
Me: How about ribs?
Her: No
Me: Chicken wings?
Her: No.
Me: Pizza?
Her: No.
Me: Steak?
Her: No.
Me. Rice and carrots?
Her: Ok. If that's what you really want.
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How it goes at my house:
Me: Hey Honey, what do you want for dinner?
Nearly always, that question is followed by one of two equally unhelpful response options:
Him: "Food!" or "My wife's cooking!"
Usually at this point, I try thinking up something to make. It doesn't work. So then I say:
"Is there anything you don't want?"
And very lovingly (but again, extremely unhelpful), he replies: "I don't think so. I like just about everything you cook."
After which I experience the following emotions: :raspberry::mad2::crazy: and then throw something together that we've eaten at least once in the preceding week...which is why I made this thread. :biggrin:

(P.S. Rice and carrots sound nasty. Maybe you should just start saying, "I'm hungry for steak (or whatever you desire). Do you want some, too?" and then make her come up with her own dinner if she doesn't. :devil: )
 
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Here's a few of our faves:

Shrimp Scampi

Coconut Curry Chicken

Maple Glazed Salmon

Honest-to-Minnesota Tater Tot Hotdish

Macaroni and Cheese (not from a box)

Ree Drummond's Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Rachel Ray's Spaghetti and Meatballs

Lemon Chicken Piccata

This one predates the internet, so I'll type it out.

Ingredients:

7 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, white and green parts, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces

2 chicken breast halves
Cornstarch
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Cooked rice

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and cayenne pepper, set aside.

Cut the chicken into 1/2 inch dice, dredge in cornstarch. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and the garlic, stir fry until the chicken is opaque, usually 5-6 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture, cook for two minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in the sliced greed onions, cook for 30 seconds. Serve over rice. I usually saute some zucchini in another skilled to serve with this, but it's not necessary.
 
Leavin's from trimming a rack of St Louis ribs. Sides are green beans & mushroom plus Yukon gold potatoes cut into fries and cooked in a toaster oven masquerading as an air fryer.

Sometime later this week, I'll probably whiz up some pasta dough in the Cuisinart Mini-Prep, roll it out and cut it into linguini. Maybe prepare it a la aglio e olio.
 
Leftover burnt ends from the last brisket I smoked, with leftover maque choux (a Cajun corn, peppers, and bacon side), leftover from a belated Mardis Gras dinner, and French fries.
 
SkyChaser said:
Rice and carrots sound nasty.
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On the contrary, it forms the basis for fried rice. Hopefully the rice is leftover and not fresh (a day or three in the fridge sets the starches and dries out the grain).
 
asicer said:
On the contrary, it forms the basis for fried rice. Hopefully the rice is leftover and not fresh (a day or three in the fridge sets the starches and dries out the grain).
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As part of a dish, sure. As a standalone dinner...not so much. :)
 
Doc Holliday said:
A six course dinner
View attachment 125656
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a flight of burgers!

Tonight was boring. Pizza, because I wanted to eat quickly and get some wiring done.

Yesterday was nice - tuna noodle casserole. Some people aren't fans, but to me it's comfort food, and I like comfortable food.

Day before that I think was ribeye, baked potato, roasted asparagus. I did the first two, gf did the asparagus, really simple. A little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and 5 min on a rack in a preheated 425 oven.

Before that was tacos I think. I like a little bit of Cholula sauce on top. Tomorrow? More wiring, so I think we settled on breakfast for dinner, probably eggs, bacon, toast.

My existence is pretty boring, and I suppose dinner usually is, too, but we mix it up a bit and I'm ok with boring food. In her teenage years she was a short order cook at a diner, so between the two of us...mostly her...there's some skill in putting together different things.
 
Cooked salmon for the first time. It was long overdue for this inlander to learn how to cook fish, although the learning part will continue at a later date as I made a few minor mistakes. Side was sweet potato cooked like home fries, seasoned with salt and chili powder.
 
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Last night was Sonny’s Barbeque.
But we use a cookbook (old school, I know) called the 5 O’Clock Grill quite a bit. I recommend it.
 
Grilled chicken on a little weber charcoal grill.
IMG_9250.JPG

Since this picture I have graduated to a real coffee table and real plates.
 
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Zeldman said:
Were havin fried chicken so crisp and hot,
With tatters and gravy make sure and take a lot.
There’s green beans and fatback and biscuits with butter,
And cold cold milk, straight from the udder.
And fer desert, get ya some pie,
There’s sweet tater, apple and of course yer favorite shoo-fly...
Click to expand...

latest
 
Our conversation usually goes like this:

SWMBO: What would you like for dinner?​
ME: Cup of clam chowder, plateful of steamed oysters, fresh fruit, a cold beer, and key lime pie and coffee for desert.​
SWMBO: I think we have coffee.​
ME: So what are my real choices?​
SWMBO: Hamburger helper.​
ME: Then I guess I want hamburger helper.​
SWMBO: Stroganoff or lasagna?​
ME: Lasagna​
SWMBO: We only have stroganoff. Or we can go out.​
ME: So you want to go out for dinner?​
SWMBO: I guess, if that's what you want.​
ME: Pizza?​
SWMBO: How about barbecue?​

A feller could starve to death at this rate....
 
SkyChaser said:
I've been in a bit of a rut recently food-wise....
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Try doing a taco salad but use Fritos or Doritos instead of plain nacho chips.

Or try walking tacos.
www.southernliving.com

Walking Tacos

Make tonight's dinner fun with walking tacos, a DIY version of taco salad made inside a chip bag. This Walking Taco Recipe uses ground turkey and corn chips, but you can switch up ingredients to fit your family's tastes.
www.southernliving.com www.southernliving.com
 
1. Download ads from all the local supermarkets
2. Arrange all items by category (meats, vegetables, dairy, etc)
3. Sort each category by price per pound.
4. Make a list of items by picking from each category how much can be eaten in a week, starting from the cheapest.
5. Figure out how to prepare a week's worth of meals from the list.
6. Plan when to cook/eat each meal throughout the week (e.g. Sundays have the most time available for cooking, Mondays the least time)
7. Shop and execute.
8. Repeat the following week.
 
Here's a plan for something you haven't tried yet:

Your place backs onto some lovely thick woods. So hand hubby a shotgun, shove him out the door to fetch dinner, cook whatever he brings back.
 
Half Fast said:
Our conversation usually goes like this:

SWMBO: What would you like for dinner?​
ME: Cup of clam chowder, plateful of steamed oysters, fresh fruit, a cold beer, and key lime pie and coffee for desert.​
SWMBO: I think we have coffee.​
ME: So what are my real choices?​
SWMBO: Hamburger helper.​
ME: Then I guess I want hamburger helper.​
SWMBO: Stroganoff or lasagna?​
ME: Lasagna​
SWMBO: We only have stroganoff. Or we can go out.​
ME: So you want to go out for dinner?​
SWMBO: I guess, if that's what you want.​
ME: Pizza?​
SWMBO: How about barbecue?​

A feller could starve to death at this rate....
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1708529606880.jpeg
 
My best advice for "what's for dinner" is what I usually do these days.
Note: I do most of the shopping and cooking. She does most of the cleaning up.

I go to Farmers Markets and produce stands or grocery store and buy whatever looks good or is on sale (as long as it is something we like). Publix has a lot of good BOGO deals.

I get it home, cut it up into bite sized pieces, drizzle some olive oil or avocado oil over. Sprinkle it with salt, pepper and garlic (I keep a jar of SPG in spice shelf). Sometimes I add cayenne or chili power.
Roast it all in one sheet pan at around 400degrees for about 30 minutes, turning once. It doesn't really matter what it is. Almost everything tastes good if it is oiled, roasted and (lightly) salted.
Sometimes it will be sort of Mediterranean. (Red bell pepper, zuchini, onion mushrooms, maybe some eggplant).
Some times is will be potatoes (Red, White or Sweet). Maybe cut up a winter squash to add to it.
Sometimes I will have some boneless, skinless chicken that I cut up and add. And maybe sprinkle some fresh grated parmesan over it.

If I find greens on sale they either get sauteed or massaged with olive oil and eaten in a salad.

We don't eat as much meat as we used to (which probably explains the 40 pounds I lost last year). But when we do it goes on the grill. Usually 3 minute per side. If it needs more than that I fire up the smoker.

By buying what is on sale you not only save money, but it really helps remove the agony of trying to decide what to cook. If it's in the house,cook it.

edit: I do NOT like or follow the advice of eating before going to the store. If I do that I don't buy much then at dinnertime we don't have anything and wind up going out to eat. I go when I am hungry and we always have good stuff in the house to cook.
 
Last night was tangerine chicken with rice.

Other ideas:
Sweet and sour pork on rice
Chicken quesadillas
Chicken and rice
Chili with fritos
Fajitas
Pasta salad

There used to be an app out there where you could put your fridge and pantry inventory in it and it would give you recipes. That still has to exist right?
 
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