When He Fends for Himself: When He Makes Dinner

The wife has been very hard at work on a paper for her graduate school class and needed some help preparing dinner Sunday night. I vacated the house during the day to give her some peace and quiet to concentrate. I went to a sports bar, watched all the early NFL games, and got to see in real time my fantasy football year go down the tubes. On the way home I was asked to stop at the grocery to get some staples for the week and to find something for dinner.

The grocery store was a process of elimination. I stopped early to grab the salad ingredients because I knew I'd be chastised if I didn't come home with some vegetable to go with dinner. After that I scouted out the main course. Knowing that anything too easy (like snack dinner) or too complicated (for me, tacos) were out of the question, I checked out the meat case and looked at the beef, chicken, and lamb. We've been trying to cut down on our beef intake because it seems like a good thing to do, and the chicken and lamb didn't really excite me. Also, I thought if I went with a meat course, I'd have to get another vegetable to go on the side. So all I was left with was pasta.

I went to the fresh pasta case and looked at the selections. At this particular store, we've purchased the trofie and the various raviolis before so I went with the pumpkin tortellini. As I came home I announced what I purchased and said I thought we could mix it with one Pestos with Panache we had on hand. It turns out, pumpkin chipotle was in stock and sounded like a perfect match.

I went into the kitchen and expertly started to boil water. Once that got going, I cut some cucumbers, washed the lettuce, and opened the bag of baby carrots. Also, the pesto was taken out of the freezer and proportional amount was nuked in the microwave for 15 seconds for it to thaw out. Once the salad was ready, the water was at a boil and I put in the tortellini. As it cooked, I cleared off and set the table. The tortellini was finished and I drained the water, added the pesto, and mixed it in.

As I served the food, I could tell that the wife was impressed. It really was a gourmet dinner that I produced. The spice of the chipolte pesto really added a nice kick to the sort of sweet tortellini. The salad was classy and the water to drink was from MWRA! What more could you want? I guess I could have got a dessert too, but I'll have to save that for next time.

Preparation recap from the wife:
1 1b. fresh pumpkin tortellini
2 tablespoons pumpkin chipotle pesto
Splash of pasta water

Microwave frozen pesto for 15 seconds on power level 7 (just to soften, not too cook)
Ask the hubby why he is trying to boil water with the heat on medium and the pot uncovered. Adjust, and then return to your paper writing because you are not supposed to be making dinner tonight.
Eat the delicious meal and give the cook a 5 star review!

Thanksgiving with the Family

This year we spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my family in St. Louis. It was a great weekend full of family, friends, and fun! It was a gathering of the many good cooks in the family and there was no shortage of food for the weekend.  Everyone contributed dishes to the big meal, to Friday dinner, Sunday brunch, and more.  We even had time to visit my grandmother's favorite restaurant and a few other family favorites.  I'll write up my contribution to dinner in the next post. For tonight, here's an introduction to the talented family cooks & a look at some of our tasty eats!

Place cards ready and waiting!

My mom perfecting her maple-apple cider turkey glaze.

Uncle Rick and Uncle Joel - talented artists
who designed the Good Cook Doris header.

My brother carving up the juicy turkey cooked by mom.

Aunt Shirley is a master potato masher & snipper of chives.

New Thanksgiving tradition: beet pickled deviled eggs.

Grandma's famous jello mold!
Top layer = lime with sour cream and pineapple.
Bottom layer = raspberry with raspberries.

A look at some of the spread from above. Sweet potatoes, green bean casserole,
mashed potatoes, Marilyn's southern style dressing, & more!

Grandpa's delicious pecan pie.

Grandpa's fantastic apple pie.

Leftovers part 1 - turkey sliders! One with  cranberry chipotle cheddar and
one with mashed potatoes & fresh cranberry sauce.

My grandmother's favorite place - White Castle! The whole family went for the
experience. 14 people, 50 burgers, 10 fries, 4 chicken sliders, 20 chicken rings,
12 sodas, and an unforgettable experience!

Sunday brunch: my brother's smoked salmon,
a healthy dose of fruit, and other delicious dishes.

Celebrating with family! 

Editor's note: Forgot to add this last photo of my favorite cousin (don't tell the others), Leslie!

 

Local Luxury Dinner Party Leftovers: Lunch & Dinner

This is the seventh, and final, post in the Local Luxury Dinner Party series, and the second in the Local Luxury Dinner Party Leftovers series! The dinner party was part of the Next Food Blog Star competition hosted by Foodbuzz. While I didn't advance in the competition, the party was still fabulous! After dinner, I had a refrigerator full of leftovers and this series covers the creation of new and delicious dishes made with the leftovers.

In addition to the delicious breakfasts we made from the dinner party leftovers, we also had a tasty lunch and dinner.  We had enough steak and broccoli romanesco for another meal and some tomatoes and plenty of ricotta.

First on the agenda was a Saturday afternoon lunch.  I sliced a few pieces of leftover sesame bread and laid them out on two plates. Instead of using mayo or mustard, I spread the leftover roasted garlic cloves onto the bread before adding the sliced steak and topping with another piece of bread.  A quick trip into a 350 degree oven yielded a warm and flavorful sandwich. The romanesco was delicious reheated - because it has more of a cauliflower texture it doesn't get as mushy as reheated broccoli.

After a busy day of errands we were ready for dinner!  I surveyed the remaining leftovers and found tomatoes and ricotta.  There was also a package of Nella Pasta's whole wheat linguine in the refrigerator. I checked the freezer for vegetables and came up with a frozen homemade pesto cube from my summer herb harvest.  I put everything on the counter and starting brainstorming on what to create.

The result? Whole wheat linguine with a creamy pesto heirloom tomato sauce.  This was quick, easy and healthy!  One dish = plenty of whole grains, calcium, nutrients & flavor!  Just look at the whole wheat goodness in the Nella pasta:

I hope you've enjoyed the dinner party & leftovers series.  It's been a lot of fun to put together.  We had a wonderful party and great leftovers! I challenge you to turn your leftovers into something creative and delicious the next time you're faced with a fridge full of the same.  I can't wait to hear about your favorite leftover creations!

Creamy Tomato Herb Sauce
A cup or two of diced heirloom tomatoes
1 frozen pesto cube (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Puree tomatoes in a food processor until almost smooth
Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet or sauce pan over medium heat
Add pureed tomatoes and saute until cooked through (about 10 minutes)
Stir in pesto cube and cook until melted, stirring often
Remove from heat and stir in ricotta
Spoon over pasta and serve!

Summary: 
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: Sauce - 15-20 minutes; Pasta - 3-4 minutes for fresh pasta
Food processor, sauce pan, spoon, serving dishes