Food and Recipes while under Coronavirus quarantine #3

[BetteDavisEyes]

I’ve considered that option, I am tired of shopping, prepping, cooking and cleaning up afterwards too. I used to enjoy cooking but with everything else that is going on - I just want easy and tasty. Lol

Thank you (and Mickey) for sharing this I'm relieved to know that I'm not the only one who feels drained after two years of pandemic kitchen duty.

 

[PayrollNerd]

I also have food prep fatigue but with food allergies so severe, me and the girls have very few options. On the weeks I don't feel like food prepping, I eat what is in the freezer. If that isn't appealing, I buy lunch meat and eat sandwiches. After a few days of that, I'm ready to cook again.

If I won the lottery, I think the first thing I would do is hire a chef!! One that makes the menu, buys the food, preps and prepares it, then parks it in front of me. Of course, this requires me to actually play the lottery..... LOL!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I also have food prep fatigue but with food allergies so severe, me and the girls have very few options. On the weeks I don't feel like food prepping, I eat what is in the freezer. If that isn't appealing, I buy lunch meat and eat sandwiches. After a few days of that, I'm ready to cook again...

We don't have food allergies, but I'm lactose intolerant and have to be very careful about possible hidden dairy in prepared foods. That is one of the issues that I would have with a meal delivery service and why I avoid prepackaged or processed foods, in general. Clean eating works best for me What is clean eating? - Mayo Clinic

 

[mickey2942]

We must have had the same conversation with our respective spouses I told DH last week that I was tired of planning meals and menus, making grocery lists, prepping and cooking most days of the week. DH likes to cook, but I feel like the burden of meal planning and preparation is on me. During the pandemic, we've continued once-a-week takeout, but we are limited with local options. One of the restaurants on our regular rotation is closing, and we have no idea what the new Mexican place will be like. We like PF Chang's, Alibi, and Jets, but these options have become boring. Due to the pandemic, we've rarely gone to restaurants for the better part of two years. We could go out to eat more and not have to worry so much about always cooking, but with mask and social distancing mandates in the history books, I don't know if restaurant dining is the best option. I've perused some of the meal delivery services, but they seem pricy for what you get and require a lot of freezer space that we don't have. I will look forward to your reviews of Blue Apron.

Wow! Thanks.

I just seem to be an "impulse shopper", so is my husband. We end up with a ton of spices, sauces, that we may only use 1 or 2 times, or weird random food. He buys the strangest stuff...the pantry is full! I hate wasting food. With only 2 of us now, I thought that this might be different.

I admit to some skepticism, I sort of like picking my own veggies, and stuff. But I thought this might be okay. I am literally beat exhausted when I get home from work. Cooking, meal planning is beyond me lately. But for some reason my husband isn't happy with a bowl of cereal. Yeah, he can cook his own food, he would end up eating Ramen every night. Sort of want him around awhile longer.

He drives me crazy, he goes shopping, and buys random stuff, green onions, cilantro, hot dog buns, eggs, milk, a can of Spam? What the heck?

I am starting in 2 weeks. Will let you guys know how it works. My friend is doing it, and thinks it is great.

 

[PayrollNerd]

When you’re given a 10 lb bag of “yellowbella” potatoes and 1 was yellow. Some random white potatoes. Some huge baking potatoes. So, Roasted Rosemary potatoes it is.

Youngest still has her right hand in a brace so she can’t prep much. She sick of eating out of cans. So I’m fixing her some veggies. Baked her a spaghetti squash. Chopped up 2 heads of cabbage and sliced up 2 bags of the fattest baby carrots I’ve ever seen. That way she can fix them how she wants to.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Whenever we go to Costco, we always get a couple of packages of their beautiful sockeye salmon. We'd probably get more, but the packages are large, and we have limited freezer space. Most of the time, the salmon fillets are about a pound each, sometimes a little bigger. We had half of a larger fillet last night, and I will make salmon cakes with the other half for tomorrow. I will put the salmon in the food processor with celery, onion, red pepper, an egg, breadcrumbs, remoulade, and Old Bay. I will form the cakes, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and chill overnight. We sear them in a little vegetable oil and finish in the oven. We like Nino's salmon cakes, but I think mine are just as good

 

[anneg]

Whenever we go to Costco, we always get a couple of packages of their beautiful sockeye salmon. We'd probably get more, but the packages are large, and we have limited freezer space. Most of the time, the salmon fillets are about a pound each, sometimes a little bigger. We had half of a larger fillet last night, and I will make salmon cakes with the other half for tomorrow. I will put the salmon in the food processor with celery, onion, red pepper, an egg, breadcrumbs, remoulade, and Old Bay. I will form the cakes, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and chill overnight. We sear them in a little vegetable oil and finish in the oven. We like Nino's salmon cakes, but I think mine are just as good

The salmon cakes sound good. Sometimes I make leftover salmon chowder— it’s good too!

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Having a v lazy food week here. We’re on holiday from work and rented a house on the coast. Mostly eating take out from a local deli, which I have to confess includes a Devon cream tea or two

The rest from routine and sea air is doing us both the power of good and my long Covid symptoms are so much better here.

Big hugs to my foodie friends xX

 

[anneg]

Having a v lazy food week here. We’re on holiday from work and rented a house on the coast. Mostly eating take out from a local deli, which I have to confess includes a Devon cream tea or two

The rest from routine and sea air is doing us both the power of good and my long Covid symptoms are so much better here.

Big hugs to my foodie friends xX

I'm glad you are getting such a lovely break and your health is benefitting. A Devon cream tea sounds wonderful!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I was reading this the other day when you posted about it. Sounds tasty! I was asking my uncle what herbs I should plant. He mentioned tarragon. I can’t ever remember hearing about it. I had no idea what it was used for.

Tarragon is used frequently in French cooking. It's used in sauces like Bearnaise, and pairs well with chicken, mild fishes, and eggs. It has a licoricey flavor, so if you're not a fan of licorice, you might not like it.

I made herb butter for Chicken Kiev that is chilling in the fridge so I can wrap it in plastic and freeze. The chicken breasts are still thawing, so I will pound them, season, and roll with the herb butter later today. They need to chill overnight so they can be dredged in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs before searing in a skillet and finished in the oven. We're having salmon cakes tonight. Kept things simple last night with Caprese naan pizzas.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

A Culinary Guide to Tarragon, Plus 9 Recipes Using Tarragon - 2022 - MasterClass

Throughout history, tarragon has gained a reputation as natural medicine—ancient Roman soldiers used to stuff tarragon in their shoes to boost vitality. Now, tarragon is most commonly used in the kitchen to dress up salads and fish sauces. Regardless, it's still the "king of herbs" in France.

What Is Tarragon?
Tarragon is a sturdy, perennial herb that grows on tall, slender stems that produce glossy leaves and edible yellow, green, or white flowers. Tarragon is also known as estragon (artemisia dracunculus); it was first cultivated in Siberia thousands of years ago. Today, it grows in dry, sunny regions across the northern hemisphere, stretching from Asia to the United States...

 

[mickey2942]

On the weekends we usually enjoy a lazy brunch together. I have been putting the eggs in the Vitamix to whip up with a bit of water, I really like how fluffy and light they come out.

We had scrambled eggs yesterday, with cheese. Just a quick zap in the blender makes a huge difference. And it doesn't take but an extra minute or two. I also "made" cinnamon rolls, we buy a 3 pack of Amy's Cinnamon rolls at Costco, one package makes 5, which is perfect for Saturday and heat them up on Sunday. Not too big, I skip the icing for me.

Enjoy Sunday!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

We had scrambled eggs with pepperoni this morning. We have leftover pepperoni from the last time we made homemade pizza with Nino's pre-packaged ingredients. They must think that people want to cover their pizzas with wall-to-wall pepperoni, but we barely use half the carton.

Chicken Kiev has been chilling in the fridge overnight. I will make a light sauce with butter and herbs. Roasted potatoes will be a nice accompaniment.

It's 61* here now but temps will drop by evening. We are under a high-wind warning that will expire at 4:00PM.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

We had scrambled eggs with pepperoni this morning. We have leftover pepperoni from the last time we made homemade pizza with Nino's pre-packaged ingredients. They must think that people want to cover their pizzas with wall-to-wall pepperoni, but we barely use half the carton.

Chicken Kiev has been chilling in the fridge overnight. I will make a light sauce with butter and herbs. Roasted potatoes will be a nice accompaniment.

It's 61* here now but temps will drop by evening. We are under a high-wind warning that will expire at 4:00PM.

Stay safe in those winds Bette. The chicken sounds lovely.

Home from holidays here and felt energised to have a little tidy up in and outdoors so I set a beef, mustard and chestnut mushroom stew going in the slow cooker this morning. It was really nice earlier, out in the cold tidying the garden with smells of the beef cooking. We’re having it with colcannon potatoes and brussel sprouts. I have bought the colcannon ready made - never used to do that, but cutting corners where I can to be easier on myself some days.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Stay safe in those winds Bette. The chicken sounds lovely.

Home from holidays here and felt energised to have a little tidy up in and outdoors so I set a beef, mustard and chestnut mushroom stew going in the slow cooker this morning. It was really nice earlier, out in the cold tidying the garden with smells of the beef cooking. We’re having it with colcannon potatoes and brussel sprouts. I have bought the colcannon ready made - never used to do that, but cutting corners where I can to be easier on myself some days.

It seems that the worst of the high winds are done, but temperature is dropping quickly. Hope you had a nice holiday

I've been thinking about what to cook for St. Patrick's Day and decided on corned beef with colcannon. I usually make Shepherd's Pie but haven't cooked corned beef for a long time. I'm not crazy about cabbage, but I've made colcannon with kale that was delicious.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

The Chicken Kiev turned out beautifully, and we would definitely have it again. Preparation is similar to Chicken Cordon Bleu (chicken breast stuffed with ham and cheese, dredged in flour, egg, Panko) which we haven't had for a while. Here's a basic recipe for Cordon Bleu that is pretty much how I've made it in the past. Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe | Tyler Florence | Food Network One think that we learned from making the Chicken Kiev was chilling the rolled chicken overnight. When we make Chicken Cordon Bleu in the future, we will prep and chill overnight. The rolls stay together when they are well-chilled.

We had takeout from Alibi last night: Shared a nacho appetizer and an order of fish & chips. Might make matzoh ball soup (mix) tonight.

We learned a little more about the new Mexican restaurant that is going into the former Honey Tree Grille space. It will be run by the same Greek family that started the Honey Tree franchises in the mid-70s. The owners got a city building permit for $250K renovation and have applied for a liquor license. Meshico is "coming soon" but no specific date has been announced. We will definitely give the new Mexican place a try.

 

[Shamrock1]

On the weekends we usually enjoy a lazy brunch together. I have been putting the eggs in the Vitamix to whip up with a bit of water, I really like how fluffy and light they come out.

We had scrambled eggs yesterday, with cheese. Just a quick zap in the blender makes a huge difference. And it doesn't take but an extra minute or two. I also "made" cinnamon rolls, we buy a 3 pack of Amy's Cinnamon rolls at Costco, one package makes 5, which is perfect for Saturday and heat them up on Sunday. Not too big, I skip the icing for me.

Enjoy Sunday!

A tiny bit of baking powder will also make them fluffy. It is a tiny amount - like an eighth of a teaspoon, I think. Tiny bit! Can you tell I've learned my lesson haha.

 

[mickey2942]

A tiny bit of baking powder will also make them fluffy. It is a tiny amount - like an eighth of a teaspoon, I think. Tiny bit! Can you tell I've learned my lesson haha.

My Mom is not much of a cook, she made cornbread one time. I took a bite, and spit it out. A mouthful of baking powder. Yeah, you are supposed to actually MIX the dry ingredients a few times.

Some Moms are better at takeout.

 

[IceIce9]

I have signed up with a program that delivers food to our house. I am so over shopping, thinking, cooking. It is "Blue Apron". I will keep you posted. Apparently, all of the ingredients are sent with the recipes in a box. Should be interesting.

We tried Hello Fresh for a while, I think it was 8 weeks, a special introductory price and free shipping. They sent a box each week with food and recipe cards for 3 meals. The recipes were all very good, but the produce they sent wasn’t always the best. A couple times the produce was so bad that I had to run to the store and buy it in order to make the recipes, which defeats the purpose of meal delivery.

I probably would have kept using Hello Fresh but after the introductory period the price jumped way up, and they began tacking on a shipping charge too. It became too expensive for our budget.

I still like the recipes though, but now I just buy my own ingredients to make them.

 

[IceIce9]

I'm glad you found cat food and that you stocked up. While we experience product shortages and supply chain issues, it's probably a good idea to buy something when you see it even if it's not urgent. If you wait, you might not be able to get what you need.

Our frozen food aisles are empty. One empty freezer case after another. I seldom buy any frozen foods but notice the empty aisles because I walk thorough the freezer area as a shortcut to get to the produce section.

Yesterday when I shopped there were no frozen entrees. All the Stouffer’s, Lean Cuisine, etc. freezer shelves were completely empty. Very strange.