Category: What's For Dinner

9/28/2022 0 Comments

What's for dinner?

In my past (and sometimes present) life I was a Food Photographer. I've recently entered into a bit of an early retirement due to my health which has left me with extra time on my hands. For quite some time I have wanted to photograph my own recipes. Nothing extravagant just things our family loves. Now that I have the time I want to do this here on the blog. I would love to say that each recipe will be expertly prepared and photographed but I don't want that pressure on myself, I want to enjoy the process and know that these recipes and tips are kept someplace for years to come. I once thought I would self publish the recipes to give as gifts to the kids, and maybe I still will, but I plan to follow the outline I had created for this sticking with the title, "What's for dinner?".

I LOVE cooking. I always have. a-kid-a-kitchen.htmlThere's something about creating a meal for someone you love and seeing them enjoy that brings me an immense sense of joy and satisfaction so I think this will be a fun project.

Below is part of the outline I wrote some time ago and saved in my notes app. I don't know that this will get used, but it makes me smile so I wanted to add it here. For fun I added a song recommendation for each section. 😂. There are a couple missing.

What’s for dinner? Playlist: Jesus take the wheel by Carrie Underwood.
What’s in this? Playlist:
Are you using the crockpot to cook __________? Playlist: theme from little house on the prairie OR goodbye earl by the “chicks” aka the Dixie chicks
What time are we eating? Playlist: for the longest time, Billy Joel
Have we had this before? Playlist: scenes from an Italian restaurant, Billy Joel
Is it fend for yourself night? Playlist:
Want me to pick something up for us for dinner? (Hint: No is always the answer unless it’s lovezollas and please wear shoes to pick it up). Playlist:
Is this fat free? Yes, Toby. That’s why you’re so skinny. Playlist: Brandy
Did you get this recipe from my mom? Yes, she butt dialed it to me. Playlist: eye of the tiger
Are we having football food? Pro tip: No need to ask this on a Saturday from Sept-Jan. Playlist: Dixieland delight
Will the Ewaldsen's be there? Playlist: Theme song from splash mountain "Pretty good show me your balls"

Below are the sections and recipes I would like to document:

Desserts
Flag cake
Dump cookies ✨
Four layer delight
Pecan pie
Strawberry pie ✨
Grammy and Emma’s brownies
Grammy’s peanut butter cookies

Apps AKA “football food”
Bruschetta
Kirsten’s Salsa
Pigs in blankets ✨
Pizza rolls (very important)
Buffalo dip (opening day for college football)

Chicken
Fried chicken ✨
Chicken parm
Chicken spaghetti
BBQ chicken ✨
Franks red hot chicken ✨
Chicken noodle casserole

Pork
Pork chops (Grammy)
Oven Ribs ✨
Savannah red rice
Spaghetti carbonara (Bacon & Egg Spaghetti) ✨
Creamy Sundried tomato Parmesan pasta
Italian pork parmesan sandwiches

Soups and chilis
Baked Potato Soup ✨
Tomato basil Soup
Chili

Beef
Pooler poutine
Lomo Saltado
Pepper steak ✨
Walking tacos (Kirsten)
Mexican pizza (Kirsten)
Lasagna ✨
Meatloaf
Daddy’s giant burger (Hear that mooing?)
Spaghetti

Sides
Broccoli casserole
Squash casserole
Mac and cheese ✨
Outback noodles ✨
Fried green tomatoes
Mashed potatoes ✨
Potato casserole
Baked beans

Breakfast
Granny’s oatmeal ✨
7 up biscuits ✨
Uncle Mac’s biscuits ✨
Grits ✨
Breakfast burritos
Sausage and egg skillet ✨
Breakfast skillet
Avocado toast

Tips and tricks section
Playlists
Memories
Brown butter Always
Saving pasta water
The Grilled chees-el
Why unsalted butter is from the devil himself

Special Disney section
Bread pudding from Ohana
Tray Potstickers ✨
Alcoholic dole whips because dreams really do come true
Bananas (pro tip: you don’t eat it you just hold it and cry)
Margaritas (pro tip: Drive to Epcot and buy there)
Le Cellier martini (pro tip: best served in a plastic cup)
Egg rolls (pro tip). Make sure Toby sits in the middle of the table when eating these so as not to miss anything)
Nachos (trigger warning: do not eat around anyone with diabetes unless there’s ample seating)
Tobys Japanese (yum yum sauce included)

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7/28/2022 0 Comments

Tips & Tricks

While I enjoy cooking and believe that it should be fun, I can be pretty serious about some things. I strongly believe that certain aspects of cooking cannot be rushed and shortcuts can result in lack of flavor. That said, there are some tips and even shortcuts that can result in more flavor in less time.

Here are a few of my favorite tips, I will add to this from time to time.

(Almost) ALWAYS save your pasta water - When cooking any sort of pasta or noodles place a bowl in the sink underneath the colander or strainer to collect the starchy leftover water. When the pasta cooks the water gets thick with the starch from the pasta and this can be used to add to your (usually cream based) pasta dish to thin it out versus just using water and therefore losing flavor. Some dishes I like to make that I always save my pasta water for are, creamy sundried tomato tortellini and spaghetti carbonara. While these are the two main dishes I will save my pasta water for, I always save it just in case and then pour out if not used. Note: This tip doesn't work for pasta dishes using a red sauce.
ALWAYS use salted butter - Recipes that call for butter will often denote wether you should use salted or unsalted butter. Land O Lakes tells the difference in the two: Both salted and unsalted butters are made of the very same Grade AA quality butter, but salted butter has salt added to it— that’s it! That's pretty straightforward. I never promised this blog would promote healthy cooking and this is no exception. Butter, when needed in a recipe, just shouldn't be substituted and salted is the way to go. You will immediately realize why one day when you accidentally buy unsalted butter.
Brown butter is better butter - Oftentimes when cooking a recipe will call for melted butter. Think pies, stews, creamy dishes or casseroles and more. I even like to brown butter for things like french toast. Essentially whenever a recipe calls for melted butter I will ask myself, "Will this taste even better it has the flavor of golden browned butter?" The answer is always YES! Browning butter is simple but a little tricky because it can go wrong very quickly. To brown butter, simply place the desired amount of butter into a skillet and turn heat on medium to medium high. It is crucial that you watch closely and stir often to avoid burning the butter. As the butter melts you will begin to notice little flecks of what appear to be tiny bits of flour. What you are seeing are tiny toasted milk solids! This is where all of the buttery goodness is stored! As the butter browns these little flecks will begin to turn golden. You will want to totally remove from the stove once those flecks are like the color of golden toast. Don't just turn off the stove, but pour the butter out of the pan, scraping out all of those yummy flecks. This will keep the butter from browning more than you want. This can take a bit of trial and error but if you will watch closely and go "low and slow" with the heat you will get the hang of it.
- While we are on the subject of butter - I like to keep a stick out on the counter in a butter dish. Butter won't go bad at room temperature and having a soft stick handy is great for toast or making grilled cheese etc, just make sure it's salted. 😂
Pre-toasting bread - When making something that involves a bun or hoagie and a sauce or cheese always pre-toast your bread. A sauce, cheese or warm piece of meat will turn a roll or hoagie soggy very quickly, likely before your second bite. By pre-toasting your bread you are creating a buffer from the soggier item and the bread. I do this by placing the bun, roll or hoagie on a cookie sheet and placing under the broiler (maybe 450°) and watch closely until lightly browned. To really step it up you could brush with butter and sprinkle a little garlic salt on before broiling. This would depend on what your recipe is, but works great for sliders, chicken parm subs and more.

I will add more tips here as they come to me!

Love,

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