No discernible theme came together for the week. So, I just rolled with what was in the fridge added to a little of what I was craving with a dash of lazy.
Friday: We were surprised to find out that two of our friends (they do seasonal work at resorts in fun, exotic places) were in town earlier than scheduled. So, we had an impromptu dinner at Abbey Inn on the Square in Denton. It was such a nice surprise and a great way to spend a Friday evening.
Saturday: I had the remainder of a half gallon of organic milk in the fridge that was threatening to go bad. Rather than allowing bad things to happen to good milk, I turned the milk into paneer using the same method as last time. I assume it’s because I used 2% instead of whole milk, but the paneer was far crumblier than the first go-round. I sautéed a bag of frozen broccoli and cauliflower plus onion the bulk of the curry, then added the paneer and a bag of Tasty Bites Good Korma sauce. As usual, I added extra spices to the pre-made sauce. Now, I’ve used this sauce before and loved it. This time, though, the flavor was just a tad off. Still delicious, but not earth-shattering like I was aiming for. The homemade naan on the other hand, was delicious and oh-so simple. I served the curry over brown Texmati rice with the naan for dipping. The naan was my favorite part!
Friday: We were surprised to find out that two of our friends (they do seasonal work at resorts in fun, exotic places) were in town earlier than scheduled. So, we had an impromptu dinner at Abbey Inn on the Square in Denton. It was such a nice surprise and a great way to spend a Friday evening.
Saturday: I had the remainder of a half gallon of organic milk in the fridge that was threatening to go bad. Rather than allowing bad things to happen to good milk, I turned the milk into paneer using the same method as last time. I assume it’s because I used 2% instead of whole milk, but the paneer was far crumblier than the first go-round. I sautéed a bag of frozen broccoli and cauliflower plus onion the bulk of the curry, then added the paneer and a bag of Tasty Bites Good Korma sauce. As usual, I added extra spices to the pre-made sauce. Now, I’ve used this sauce before and loved it. This time, though, the flavor was just a tad off. Still delicious, but not earth-shattering like I was aiming for. The homemade naan on the other hand, was delicious and oh-so simple. I served the curry over brown Texmati rice with the naan for dipping. The naan was my favorite part!
Sunday: I wanted to make a dish that I could use over a couple of times during the week, but not anything I’ve made recently. Enter: meatloaf. I made my meatloaf with lean ground sirloin and added a Tex-Mex flare with dice onion, pablano pepper, cumin, garlic, and hot smoked paprika. For the binder, I added an egg and ground up rolled oats. Bread crumbs seemed boring for some odd reason. I topped the loaf with adobo sauce and baked at 350 until my thermometer read 160. A pan of chunked-up sweet potato seasoned with olive oil, salt, and smoked paprika roasted along with the meatloaf. Both dishes were amazing. The meatloaf was spicy and super-moist. The sweet potatoes were crisp on the outside and extremely creamy on the inside. Totally hit the comfort food spot!
Monday: Meatloaf reinvention was in order. I grilled slices of meatloaf in a skillet them melted Vermont extra sharp white cheddar over them. The perfectly cheesed meatloaf slices went atop a split dark wheat roll with sour cream and salsa. One the side, I made a little salad of left over brown rice topped with seasoned black beans, tomato, cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream. The bun ended up being a little too much bread for me, so I ate mine open-faced. The hubby did not. He ate every bite.
Tuesday: I googled “recipes for leftover meatloaf” for ideas for dinner. One of the suggestions was hash, so I ran with it. Our hash contained a one-pound russet potato, half a yellow onion, and a quarter head of red cabbage, all sliced very thin using the slicing blade on my food processor. I sautéed the onion until translucent then added the potato. I let the potato brown in a couple spot then added a lid so that the potato would steam until cooked through, stirring quite often. Once the potatoes were soft, I added the cabbage and let it soften a bit too. Lastly, the remaining three slices of meatloaf got thrown on top of the veggie mixture and chopped up with my spatula. I allowed it to warm through and added a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. One the side, we had some whole wheat buttermilk biscuits that I made from scratch….but rolled out far too thin to look like biscuits! Now, looks are totally deceiving on this meal. It looks like a pile of slop. The taste, however, was amazing. I was honestly shocked that it tasted this good. This will be my new go-to leftover recipe for meatloaf. We both devoured it in near-utter silence.
Wednesday: The freezer was my friend. I didn’t have the time or energy to actually cook. I’ve had a side Halloween project (for work) going on all week. I like things you make, not buy, but it’s time consuming. Anyhow, I pulled ancho pork tamales out of the freezer that I got last month from the farmers market. I added an arugula salad with Caesar vinaigrette, tomatoes, and avocado. Perfect, simple, and I could do stuff while the water was boiling! Can’t beat a meal that minds itself! Plus, the Tamale Company’s tamales really are divine!
Thursday: Still working on my blasted project! The dinner I planned was scrapped in lieu of fast and easy. We had Campbell’s Italian wedding soup (totally a comfort food of mine) and grilled cheeses. Yeah, the only part of this that’s “healthy” is the whole grain bread and reduced sodium in the soup. Still, the portion wasn’t out of control or anything, so I call it a win, especially since the alternative was take out.
Happy Friday to you all! Have a happy, safe Halloween.
Riley just wants the Treats. No Tricks, thank you.
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