Author Topic: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?  (Read 951622 times)

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1250 on: September 27, 2019, 11:47:18 AM »
Yesterday made mac and cheese in the Instant Pot. It was really good. However, I have to adjust the time a bit next time to keep the pasta a bit more al dente. It came out very creamy using only 4 oz. of cream cheese and shredded cheese. Both times I made it I was concerned with the water left in the pot but it all blends together with the cheeses at the end.

Today, I cooked chicken thighs in the Instant Pot and will make a quickie chicken pot pie with it using frozen mixed veggies, cream of chicken soup, onions, celery, baked with Grands refrigerated biscuits on top. Very homey old fashion meal.

Tomorrow I am making Italian stuffed eggplant using ground meat, spaghetti sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese. I am kind of winging the recipe with tips I found on YouTube.

Let me make a plug for this recipe: https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/09/stuffed-eggplant-parmesan/
(Or a variation of it). Either way, enjoy!

Linea_Norway

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1251 on: September 30, 2019, 01:10:58 AM »
Just standard spagetti with minced meat, red pepper, zucchini and tomato sauce.

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1252 on: September 30, 2019, 09:50:28 AM »
Simple summer pasta - grape or cherry-sized tomatoes and some canellini beans simmered in white wine with onions and garlic over pasta. Great way to use up our garden tomatoes!

Linea_Norway

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1253 on: October 01, 2019, 03:14:01 AM »
Vegetable burgers (home made) and cauliflower, maybe with blue cheese. And some form of potatoes.

sparkytheop

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1254 on: October 01, 2019, 10:17:19 AM »
I've got some cushion pork on the smoker right now.  I'll smoke it for two hours, and then put it in the oven to finish low and slow.  Having the oven on all day will also help heat up the house a little, fall got here way too quick and is pretending to be winter already!

CNM

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1255 on: October 01, 2019, 10:49:54 AM »
This week's plan:
Monday: Polenta with sauteed mushrooms & a few chicken meatballs (Done! And very good! I splurged at the store and bought a package of enoki mushrooms to add.)
Tuesday: Leftovers, specifically, left over baked pasta from Sunday's big family dinner
Wednesday: Roasted Red Pepper soup, might add shrimp
Thursday: Black bean burritos with cheese and avocado
Friday: Leftovers

Emergency meals/weekend meals: Dal and rice, fish sticks and tater tots

cloudsail

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1256 on: October 01, 2019, 01:22:58 PM »
Yay the forum is back up!

On Sunday we treated ourselves to Asian fusion dishes that usually cost quite a bit in restaurants.

Brunch was potstickers and honey toast, made with homemade bread. Kids and DH love this Asian dessert, and it's quite pricey when you can find it. But it's cheap and a breeze to make.

Dinner was bao with BBQ chicken. The bao was surprisingly easy to make, and I made the dough with milk and eggs for extra protein (my kids eat like birds so I'm constantly trying to get more nutrients into them).

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1257 on: October 01, 2019, 02:33:30 PM »
Tonight: tiny ravioli with tomato paste-based pesto, that'll also use a bunch of basil I just chopped down in the garden -- it's supposed to get cold tonight! Also, green beans.

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1258 on: October 06, 2019, 09:20:41 AM »
We were on vacation last week, so I’ve been a little off my game lately but am feeling inspired by the fall weather.

Friday night, we had pasta with homemade tomato-vegetable sauce (from freezer batch) and ground turkey.

Last night: baked salmon and acorn squash halves stuffed with mix of rice, frozen peas/carrots, red onion, golden raisins, and chopped pecans sautéed in olive oil and curry powder.

Tonight: split pea +ham soup.

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1259 on: October 06, 2019, 09:08:57 PM »
We were on vacation last week, so I’ve been a little off my game lately but am feeling inspired by the fall weather.

Friday night, we had pasta with homemade tomato-vegetable sauce (from freezer batch) and ground turkey.

Last night: baked salmon and acorn squash halves stuffed with mix of rice, frozen peas/carrots, red onion, golden raisins, and chopped pecans sautéed in olive oil and curry powder.

Tonight: split pea +ham soup.

The stuffed squash sound lovely -- I'll try to remember to get some at the market this week.

Tonight: Homemade pizza, so the kid can take slices for lunch this week. (We made an extra.) With Salad.
Tomorrow: A Mexican-ish tortilla casserole, with spicy black beans, mashed butternut squash, fresh (really sweet!) corn, tomatillo salsa, and melted jack cheese between layers of corn tortillas. Probably with slaw.

CNM

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1260 on: October 07, 2019, 12:51:57 PM »
Trying to eat from the pantry this week.
Tonight: Black bean and cheese burritos, apple sauce/apple pie (neighbor gave me a sack of apples that need to be eaten up!)
Other:
+ 12 bean soup from a mix I have in my pantry
+ shrimp & grits
+ back up dal and rice

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1261 on: October 07, 2019, 01:01:41 PM »
I've got some chicken in the crockpot with olive oil, red wine vinegar, bacon, and a spice mix that's roughly equivalent to ranch mix.  I'll add a block of cream cheese when I get home.  Probably eat it with some green beans.  Might make the boys some noodles to go with it.

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1262 on: October 07, 2019, 05:16:17 PM »
Fish tacooooossss!  They are a lot of work, with making the salsa and the cream sauce and breading the fish, but one of my top fave meals at home, so we make them every 6-8 weeks at the least.

EscapeVelocity2020

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1263 on: October 08, 2019, 12:30:15 AM »
One thing I love about Texas, we had a Boy Scout Court of Honor and there was plenty of: brisket, sausage, BBQ sauce, corn, baked beans, salad, pasta salad, bean salad, queso, slaws and sauces/pico de gallos/dips, and we contributed potato salad...  There is never a shortage of food!  I'm cutting waaaaay back on red meat and meat in general, but I'll count this as my cheat day.  I'm probably on some weird high right now from the cooler weather for my strenuous exercise feeling easy and the spike in protein, but also wanted to 'PTF' for future reference.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1264 on: October 08, 2019, 12:38:44 AM »
We are visiting an early theater show tonight, so we'll eat out in town. Something simple, probably a pizza. We don't eat out more than once a month normally (not counting vacations abroad).

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1265 on: October 15, 2019, 12:54:08 PM »
Mark Bittman's "Cassoulet with many vegetables" meets north africa, so it'll also have a spoonful of harissa.  Perhaps a baguette, but it's pretty much a one-pot meal.

katekat

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1266 on: October 15, 2019, 04:38:52 PM »
baked cod, baked potato, and harissa asparagus over here. Usually I make the same meals over and over, and this one is new to me, so it seemed worth a post.

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1267 on: October 15, 2019, 07:50:45 PM »
Burgers cooked on our cast iron griddle, with cheese, tomato, and red onion in lettuce wraps. Costco kettle chips on the side (I’m trying to cut back on grains but potatoes are life).

cloudsail

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1268 on: October 15, 2019, 08:43:15 PM »
Burgers for us too. Always a good quick weeknight meal. Except not very compatible with my diet so I haven't had dinner yet. Trying to figure out what I can eat.

Tyson

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1269 on: October 15, 2019, 08:51:34 PM »
Kale salad with pumpkin seeds, poppyseed dressing and over easy eggs cut up & mixed in.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1270 on: October 16, 2019, 06:39:41 AM »
Turkey pot pie. Cooked up a turkey the other day and have home made broth, leftover turkey meat, fresh veggies to chop up into it. It will go into a 9 X 13 casserole dish with buttermilk biscuits on top. A perfect dinner for tonight because we are getting lots of rain and wind.

horsepoor

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1271 on: October 16, 2019, 08:33:14 AM »
I made a "use things up" meal last night and it turned out pretty good:  onion sauteed in bacon grease, then added diced ham and leftover pork loin, garlic, fennel, caraway and mustard seed, then about 2/3 of a head of cabbage, shredded.  Braised it all in a partial bottle of beer and a little chicken stock, then mixed in some sour cream and extra whole-grain mustard at the end.  I ate mine with some sauerkraut on top.

sparkytheop

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1272 on: October 16, 2019, 11:38:31 AM »
Pinto beans are soaking now, so I can make some refried beans tonight for dinner.  Simple burritos tonight.

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1273 on: October 16, 2019, 04:09:03 PM »
Husband is off today. He found a chuck roast in the freezer and a bag of mushrooms in the vegetable drawer, so he's making Beef Bourguignon a la Julia Child's recipe. My house smells amazing right now.

It's a lot of beef this week, but I've been craving it which usually means I'm slightly anemic. We'll have chicken, fish, tofu, eggs, and/or beans as protein sources for the next several dinners.

horsepoor

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1274 on: October 16, 2019, 09:21:55 PM »
Kinda proud of myself again tonight.  I'm sure it's been done before, but I invented green chile cheeseburger spaghetti squash boats.  Steamed squash halves with seasoned ground beef mixed in, then topped with Hatch chiles and cheddar and baked.  Finally, chopped onion, pickle and tomato on top (some shredded iceberg would be nice too).  Easy, good, and going into my rotation since we have lots of ground beef in the freezer.

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1275 on: October 16, 2019, 09:55:33 PM »
Oldest kid is home from college for the week, so while I was at Parent Teacher Conferences for his brother and MrInCO was at work, he made squash and grilled poblano chili quesidillas (cook and mash the squash, then warm corn tortillas, and fill them with a layer of mashed squash, jack cheese, and roasted poblano strips. Fold and fry in a most-dry pan, and then stack in a warm oven while you make a million more.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1276 on: October 17, 2019, 01:05:36 AM »
No idea. FIL and his new GF are responsible for making dinner tonight. I have told them to take a look in the fridge and not buy the same vegetables that we already have, but use what it there is that fits with what they want to make.

FIL also wanted to take us out for a good dinner while visiting. We might do that tomorrow.

OurTown

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1277 on: October 17, 2019, 02:17:54 PM »
Chili dogs, no bun.  Costco dogs only at my house!  Also, for your side, sweet potato fries.

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1278 on: October 17, 2019, 03:24:25 PM »
Probably grilled cheese sandwich. It's a choir night and husband won't be home until after I leave, so we're each left to our own devices.

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1279 on: October 17, 2019, 04:19:39 PM »
Pot roast, roasted brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes. We're going to watch (probably part of) a soccer game, and I want dinner to be ready when we walk in the door. We'll put the roast and potatoes (in a separate covered container) in the oven on very low, so they'll be hot and ready.

horsepoor

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1280 on: October 17, 2019, 06:33:56 PM »
Potato, leek, chicken and green chile soup.  All homegrown except the chicken and sour cream I mixed in at the end.

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1281 on: October 18, 2019, 09:28:54 PM »
Lovely!  I always want to grow leeks but I have little success.

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1282 on: October 20, 2019, 06:33:51 AM »
Plan for the week:

Butternut squash soup (double batch)
Quesadillas
Chicken curry (slow cooker)
Red pepper pasta from Budget Bytes
Mushroom risotto
Chicken pitas

Roadrunner53

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1283 on: October 20, 2019, 07:18:11 AM »
Not really sure if this will be dinner tonight but I have a bunch of small tomatoes from my garden that are starting to get a pruneish appearance but are still firm. I plan to cut them up into chunks, add in some chopped garlic...LOTS OF GARLIC...some Italian spices and pour about a cup of olive oil over it all then roast it in the oven. OMG, I love roasted tomatoes with pasta and fresh mozarella. DROOL...If we don't have it tonight, it will be ready to eat tomorrow night.

horsepoor

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1284 on: October 20, 2019, 10:28:06 AM »
Smoked chicken, fried green tomatoes, ricotta-cheddar biscuits and buttered carrots.

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1285 on: October 20, 2019, 03:07:37 PM »
Chicken pot pie, if the pie crust behaves itself (I don't have a great track record with pastry). Otherwise, chicken stew over leftover spaghetti squash.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1286 on: October 21, 2019, 01:58:28 AM »
Leftover from yesterday when DH cooked:
Mashed potato, cabbage with curry spices, wild mushrooms (freshly picked yesterday) and minced meat. All put together in layers, but it ended up as a blend anyway.

Sugaree

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1287 on: October 21, 2019, 11:13:55 AM »
It's our busy night, so I've got a bacon-wrapped Boston butt in the crockpot. 

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1288 on: October 21, 2019, 04:35:50 PM »
Mussels were on sale yesterday, so we're having them tonight, cooked with white wine, shallots (or garlic and a leek) and some tomatoes. A baguette, and salad.

Probably cake and warm applesauce, in case we're still hungry.

Tyson

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1289 on: October 21, 2019, 10:30:24 PM »
Mahi Mahi was the cheapest fish on sale today, so that plus re-heated garlic potatoes and navy lima beans. 

Tomorrow I'll use the leftover fish, mixed into a salad.

OtherJen

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1290 on: October 22, 2019, 05:39:39 PM »
Vegetable soup cooked in homemade chicken stock, over ramen.
Deviled eggs with bacon and scallions.

Good way to use up various bits from the fridge (half a bell pepper, the last few slices of bacon, a couple of slightly wilted scallions).

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1291 on: October 22, 2019, 08:45:43 PM »
https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/04/sheet-pan-chicken-tikka/
I used boneless chicken breasts (on sale this week) and otherwise made the straight-up recipe, (AKA "no modifications") including finely chopped mint on the top. It'll probably get frozen later this week, so it was nice to use the mint once more this fall.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1292 on: October 23, 2019, 01:18:38 AM »
I am thinking about making this:
https://www.budgetbytes.com/autumn-kale-and-apple-salad/

I have kale in the freezer and some fresh apples.

horsepoor

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1293 on: October 23, 2019, 08:26:34 AM »
Smoked sausage, white carrot and Brussels sprouts hash tonight.

jeninco

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1294 on: October 23, 2019, 09:27:09 AM »
Tonight: It's supposed to start raining, then snowing. I'm thinking roasted beet salad with goat cheese, and polenta with meatballs.

Tomorrow: Possibly a pasta thing with a little bit of sausage and some kale. Hmm, that's sounding like a cheese sauce.

Dragonswan

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1295 on: October 23, 2019, 12:03:17 PM »
Tonight: Zuppa Tuscana with shaved Parmesan cheese garnish.
Tomorrow: Trying out a new dish - teriyaki salmon and broccoli, made in the oven.

middo

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1296 on: October 23, 2019, 03:56:01 PM »
I made this last night:  https://www.budgetbytes.com/one-pot-creamy-pesto-chicken-pasta/

I doubled the pasta because the pack was 500 grams, and I doubled the stock.  I also added a few pan fried pine nuts to it.  I substituted normal shredded tasty cheese for the cream cheese.  Fantastic!

I also have leftovers for lunch today.  Yum

OurTown

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1297 on: October 24, 2019, 02:22:15 PM »
Italian sausage, meatballs, red sauce, mushrooms, olives.  No pasta, this is the kingdom of lo-carb.

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1298 on: October 24, 2019, 04:05:30 PM »
Spaghetti squash asian-style with a peanut butter/rice vinegar/soy sauce, etc. sauce and lots of herbs and sesame seeds tossed in.

Raenia

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Re: Watcha making for dinner tonight!?
« Reply #1299 on: October 24, 2019, 04:27:15 PM »
Leek and potato soup with seedy bread to dip - not homemade bread this time, DH wanted something I don't usually make.  Great fall food, though, and I'm happy to be stocking up the freezer with soups!

 

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