The KISS principle in Sunday Dinners. (Keep It Simple, Stupid): Sous vide boneless ribeye, baked potato with sour cream, French dinner toll, wilted lettuce, and sweet tea.
potato
Dinner Menu: Cream of Potato Cheese Soup And Blueberry Crisp
![DSC_5785 [1600x1200]](https://whats4dinnersolutions.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/dsc_5785-1600x1200.jpg)
Yummy JeffreyW photo
I have an abundance of potatoes that I need to use up. I’m loving my convection oven because I can bake up potatoes in about 30 minutes. So that’s using up a few. And I’m having guests over for pot roast on Sunday, which will use up a few more.
Still, I have a big bag of potatoes from my brother’s garden that I don’t want to go to waste. It’s blustery cold here, so soup sounded like a great idea. So creamy potato soup (mmm, with cheese) it is, with a complete dinner menu, to boot.
On the board:
- Cream of Potato Cheese Soup
- Orange-Walnut Spinach Salad
- Blueberry Crisp
Cream of Potato Cheese Soup
- 6 large potatoes, cubed (peeling opt)
- 2 cups water
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tsp crushed garlic
- ½ tsp ea: sage, rosemary, basil
- 4 cups milk
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
- 4 tbsp flour
- 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt & pepper to taste
Lg. saucepan (2 to 4 qt)
In saucepan or Dutch oven, cover potatoes with water and boil until fork tender, drain all but 2 cups water. Add onions, garlic and spices to potatoes*. In a bowl mix together milk, flour, salt & pepper. Mix well, no lumps, add melted butter. Add to potatoes and mix well. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly, add cheese, reduce to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
*A great trick is to remove about ½ cup of the cooked potatoes and mash, then add back into soup, this gives you an extra creamy texture.
Orange-Walnut Spinach Salad
- 10 oz spinach, washed
- 2 oranges, peeled, remove white skin & cut into chunks (you can substitute equivalent canned mandarin orange slices)
- ½ red onion, sliced in rings
- 1 oz bleu cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- Raspberry-walnut dressing
large salad bowl
Tear spinach leaves. Layer in a large salad bowl. Top with orange chunks, onion, sprinkle blue cheese and walnuts. Add dressing & toss before serving.
Blueberry Crisp
Topping:
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
Combine dry ingredients and cut in butter until mixture is crumbly
Filling:
- 1 tbsp butter, melted and spread on bottom of baking dish
- 16 oz frozen blueberries
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup sugar
- dash of lemon juice
8×8 baking dish, greased
Combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice & cornstarch. Spread in buttered baking dish. Top fruit mixture with flour topping. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, until top is golden and blueberries are bubbly.
Shopping List:
- 6 large potatoes
- 1 onion
- 1 red onion
- 4 cups milk
- 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- 10 oz spinach
- 2 oranges
- 1 oz bleu cheese,
- 4 oz chopped walnuts
- Raspberry-walnut dressing
- 1 stick + 3 tbsp butter
- 12 oz frozen blueberries
Also: cornstarch, sugar, brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, sage, rosemary, basil, garlic
Dinner Menu: Food for a Fall Evening
JeffW sends along some garlic bread. ETA: JeffreyW posted recipe in the comments
Tonight’s menu is pretty simple. Use the soup recipe as a starter and add whatever inspires you to supe it up (hee-hee, see what I did there?). I like the ease of frozen vegetables, but use fresh if you’re so inclined. Squash is a nice addition, put it in when you are simmering the meat, it will need the extra cooking time. Turnips, parsnips, maybe some barley. Go crazy.
On the board tonight:
- Beef Vegetable Soup
- Hearty Bread
- Pumpkin Apple Butter
Beef Vegetable Soup
- 1 lb chuck or stew meat, small cubes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 8 cups water
- 1 tsp crushed rosemary
- 1 tsp crushed basil
- ½ tsp dry dill
- ½ tsp crushed garlic
- ½ tsp fennel seed (opt)
- 1 bay leaf (remove before serving)
- 2 large potatoes, cut into 8-10 pieces
- 16 oz frozen mixed vegetables
large saucepan
Heat oil in saucepan, add onions and sauté, add beef and brown. Add water, spices and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook 20-25 minutes, until beef is tender. Add vegetables and simmer 10 minutes.
Pumpkin Apple Butter
- 15 oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 8 oz apple sauce
- ½ cup apple cider
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
saucepan
Add all ingredients to saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and let cook down for 1 to 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally. Store in the refrigerator. Serve on bread.
Shopping List:
- Hearty Bread
- 1 lb chuck or stew meat
- 1 small onion
- 2 large potatoes
- 16 oz frozen mixed vegetables
- 15 oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 8 oz applesauce
- ½ cup apple cider
- ½ cup brown sugar
Also: ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, bay leaf, rosemary, basil, dry dill, olive oil crushed garlic, fennel seed
Sweet Olathe Corn Finally Arrives and Dinner Menu
![DSC_2554 [1024x768]](https://whats4dinnersolutions.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/dsc_2554-1024x768.jpg)
Photo by JeffreyW
How is it Thursday already?
It was a big day today. Took a friend out to lunch at the new Tapas bar and Olathe Sweet Corn finally arrived in the store. Seems the rainy spring delayed the crop. I made a special trip to the store today to ‘stalk’ up.
Before that, we sampled the new Tapas bistro, SAMPLES. Really wanted to check out the roof top patio, but it was much too hot for that, so we settled for a sidewalk table. It was a pleasant experience. Good food, good beer and super nice staff. I think the consensus was that we would go back for more ‘samples’.
I had two completely new taste experiences (well four if you count the beer samples): truffle butter (on the bacon and grilled onions flatbread) and poutine (spare rib poutine to be exact). They were both fun and flavorful. I’d add spaetzle in brown butter, but my friend tells me it wasn’t true spaetzle, even though it was still delicious. Tasted like chicken mac ‘n cheese.
We finished down the road with Funnel Cake Strawberry Sundaes, offered in honor of county fair season. It was yummy.
Freddy’s Funnel Cake Sundae
Later in the day I stopped at the grocery store, picked up a dozen ears of corn and steamed a few for dinner. I’ll prep the rest tomorrow and remove from the cob and serve cold on salads.
In honor of that arrival, grilled corn is on tonight’s Dinner Menu. It is one of the first menus I ever wrote.
On the board tonight:
Tidbits
We had a fox looking the backyard over the other night. We see them occasionally but I think coyotes are more common these days. I hope to catch a bobcat one of these nights, Mrs J has seen them nearby but they are very secretive.
Mrs J says they have a number of kittens that are ready for adoption, and several puppies have been taken in, as well:
This is a ten week old MinPin x hound dog, one of seven in a litter. Four of the tan color like this one, and three black and tans. Mrs J says they are really calm and laid back for puppies, not as squirmy as most.
I bought another tablet the other day, a Kindle 7″ HDX. It is the best e-reader I’ve used, that’s pretty much what it was built to do along with viewing videos. It’s a bother that it won’t let me access the Google play store but you can sideload many of the apps. I’ve loaded the Chrome browser, and one called Dolphin that is very good. The included browser, Silk, is pretty good but lacks a way to import bookmarks from other browsers. For almost everything but reading e-books I still prefer my Nexus tablets.
Steak! And a baked potato with the store brand French onion dip. We almost never buy straight sour cream. This particular dip has a very mild flavor that subs very well for sour cream almost everywhere.
Here’s a blueberry pie that I nagged Mrs J into making for Pi day (3/4/14). We had a little trouble with the over/unders but there was no impact on the taste.
Here’s Homer, hiding under the credenza, where he was chased by Toby, up with whom he will not put.
Dinner Menu: Crispy Potato Chicken and Banana Foster Ice Cream
A while back I played around with Potato Encrusted Chicken and Fish. It is fairly easy to prepare, tastes great and looks very pretty on a plate. But it can be challenging and tonight’s menu offers a simpler version of the same style of chicken. Perfect for a quick week night dinner. On the board tonight:
- Crispy Potato Chicken
- Steamed Carrots in butter
- Banana Foster Ice Cream
This recipe originally called for Dijon mustard, I am not a fan, so I always omit it, but I kept it in for this incarnation. You can also add grated Parmesan or shredded cheddar to the potato mixture if you want to change things up a bit. Crispy Potato Chicken
- 2-3 large potatoes, peeled
- 4 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (opt)
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- ¼ tsp ea. salt & pepper
- ½ tsp fresh parsley
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ice water
2 bowls & baking dish (8×8), lightly oiled Shred potato, transfer to bowl of ice water. Rinse & dry breasts, place in baking dish and spread with garlic and optional Dijon mustard. Drain potatoes, pat dry and mix with oil & seasoning in bowl. Spread mixture over the top of the chicken pieces. Bake at 425° for 35-40 minutes, until potatoes are golden brown and chicken’s internal temperature is 185° This is a quick and alcohol-free banana foster, if you want the real deal, try this Alton Brown recipe Banana Foster Ice Cream
- 2 large,firm bananas, sliced
- 2 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp orange peel
- dash cinnamon & nutmeg
- 2 tbsp orange juice or pineapple juice
- 6 oz sliced almonds
- 4 cups vanilla ice cream
skillet and 4 dessert bowls Melt butter in saucepan, add bananas, sauté quickly until lightly brown. Add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel and juice. Boil until syrupy, stirring constantly to keep from burning. Add ice cream to dishes, top with ¼ of banana mixture each and garnish with almonds. Shopping List:
- 1 lb carrots
- 3 large potatoes
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 2 large, firm bananas
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp orange juice or pineapple juice
- 6 oz sliced almonds
- 1 quart premium vanilla ice cream
Also: butter, garlic, salt & pepper, fresh parsley, dried rosemary, olive oil, orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, optional: Dijon mustard, Parmesan or cheddar cheese
Hearty Turkey Soup on a Cold December Day
It’s still chilly here, though the Arctic blast has moved on. I decided to use up the leftover turkey and test out my new mandolin at the same time and make a big pot of soup for lunches this week.
When I roast a turkey, I always save the wings and legs, freezing them for soup later on. You can also save the carcass, which I do sometimes, but really most times it seems like too much trouble. You can also freeze leftovers, but I find dark meat works best because the white meat tends to get tough once it’s frozen, even when simmered for hours in soup.
You can add anything you want. I didn’t have beans, so I substituted whole wheat egg noodles. I cook them separately, so they don’t get too mushy and add them to the bowl and pour the soup over them.
Hearty Turkey Soup
- Wings and Legs of turkey, cooked
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- 4 carrots, julienned (frozen ok)
- 2 stalk of celery and celery leaves, julienned
1 cup green beans, frozen or canned- 6 green onions, chopped
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced
- 1 15 oz can Cannellini beans*
- 2 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp celery seed
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- salt & pepper to taste
In a large saucepan, add turkey, broth and water. Bring to a boil and let boil 10 minutes. Reduce heat and add remaining ingredients. Let simmer for 20 minutes, remove legs and wings, let cool enough to remove remaining meat (most will have fallen off). Add meat back to soup and let simmer another 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve with Buttermilk Biscuits and Cranberry Sauce.
*Cannellini beans are large and have that traditional kidney shape. With a slightly nutty taste and mild earthiness, they have a relatively thin skin and tender, creamy flesh. They hold their shape well and are one of the best white beans for salads and ragouts.
Originally posted November 2011
Dinner Menu: Fruit Juice Marinated Grilled Chicken
JeffreyW grills up some corn
I’m still on the road, travelling through Nebraska, where corn is king. We had some great grilled corn this weekend and made the fruit salad for a family get-together yesterday. Both always go great with marinated chicken breasts. This marinade works best on the grill because it caramelizes well over an open flame and that gives its signature flavor.
Enjoy!
On the board tonight:
- Fruit Juice Marinated Chicken Breasts
- Corn on the Cob (pull husks back, clean off silk, wash, pull husks up & grill-yum!)
- Grilled Potatoes
- Ambrosia
Fruit Juice Marinated Chicken Breasts
- 4 chicken boneless breasts
- ½ cup grape or cranberry juice
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup wine (non-alcoholic is ok)
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- zip lock bag
Add all ingredients into zip-lock bag and thoroughly coat & let marinate overnight. Grill (or roast in the oven at 375° in a large baking dish). 15 minutes each side, 185° internal temp. When grilling, to avoid drying chicken out, sear for 5 minutes each side, cook additional 10 minutes, then move away from high heat for rest of cooking time.
To make ahead, add chicken and marinade ingredients together and freeze. Pull out and thaw in the refrigerator the night before.
Grilled Potatoes
- 4 large potatoes
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 to 2 tbsp butter
- parsley or chives
- salt & pepper
- foil
Thinly slice each potato, layer one on each piece of foil, then layer sliced onion and parsley or chives. Melt butter and add garlic, drizzle equally over each potato. Wrap and seal foil. Grill, turning halfway through (about 15 minutes each side). Cook until potatoes are tender and onions crispy.
Ambrosia
Mix pineapple, sliced banana, orange slices, grapes & shredded coconut with 4 oz ginger ale.
Shopping List:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 4 oz grape or cranberry juice
- 4 oz soy sauce
- 4 oz wine (non-alcoholic is ok)
- 4 large potatoes
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 4 ears of corn
- 8 oz fresh pineapple
- 2 bananas
- 2 oranges
- 2 cups grapes
- 2 oz shredded coconut
- 4 oz ginger ale
Also: crushed garlic, butter, parsley, chives
Menu originally posted July 2009
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