What's for Dinner?

[blessedw2]

I have halibut for dh... just for the halibut.
I don't feel like doing major cooking for me - vegetarian takes work - but dh bought me a boneless chicken breast and mushrooms.

[Harriet]

I need to cook just for me and not wait until I am hungry.

Very true for me, too. I always make mistakes when I either wait or hurry, or in any way depend on HRH to make decisions for MY meals and especially about WHEN we're going to eat. For instance, he can eat a high-sodium meal such as too much soy sauce in a stir-fry and do fine. I can't. Also he can go a long time on a project here at home and forget that, of course I'm assuming we'll eat together and assuming he would like some input! By the time he gets around to thinking about it, I'm starving and willing to make poor decisions. I just need to go ahead and cook "the right thing at the right time" and assume he'll either have some with me or one of us can have it for leftovers.

I've decided to avoid the Beech mushrooms. So pretty, super healthy, but the aroma bothers HRH, and I must admit, it is an "acquired smell", for sure. There have been times I've had to admit to myself the Beech are a bit disappointing in a dish I was really counting on - it's hard to remember they're going to taste good when the aroma says, "no they're not". I'll stick with the shitake (always my first choice for taste) and the maitake hen-of-the-woods (a close second).

[blessedw2]

I don't know if I ever had beech mushrooms. (I can't even imagine the smell ) I do like hen in the woods as well. I looked into a class where you pick morels and cook in the same class but it was pretty far north. The problems with morels at the grocery store is that it is $24.99 a pound. Too steep for my taste. i bought them once for a chicken and morel dish and thought I would like other mushrooms instead.

I found the beech mushrooms at my store -they are pretty!!! here they are 24.99 a pound right now and the shiitake are 10.99 (Heinens)

have you every tried adding dried ground mushrooms to a dish... I heard about that but have never tried that.

I went to the grocery store today and bought some organic plum tomatoes, organic basil, organic red onions and some tiny fresh mozzarella for lunch tomorrow. I will make the polenta with mushrooms Tuesday.

I made Jacques Pepin's asparagus with mustard sauce - delicious - it's asparagus cooked - put out on the counter to cool off, with this salad was tomatoes, capers, parsley, kalamata olives with a lemon juice/olive oil/s/p/dijon mustard dressing.
walleye with lemon, brown rice

[blessedw2]

dinner the beet salad with arugula and goat cheese (little bits) and some avocado, polenta with mushroom ragu, fruit for dessert

[Harriet]

blessed, your meal sounds de-lish! Now I want some beets. I love beets. Appetizing. Was the avocado in the salad - how did you slice or cube it? I've wondered about those avocado slicers in the stores. Wondering - would I really use it enough to make it worthwhile.

We had veggie tacos with red onion and Romaine last evening. (Whoops, turned out our tomato was bad, but that was okay, just enjoyed more of other things.)

I was interested in the prices of mushrooms you mentioned. Here I find mushrooms are usually packaged, either from the company or packaged by the store like other produce. I get either brown or white Beech OR Hen-of-the-Woods OR the King Trumpet Oyster for less than $5 (maybe $4.50? - have seen them as low as $4). These are packages that take up a space the size of, say, an ordinary can of beans, and come the way they grow - the bunch (?) still all attached at the base. Their brand is "Hokto". Shitake are less expensive in packages, just the caps. At Whole Foods or Earth Fare I can buy shitake loose with the stem, choosing one-by-one from a bin. I believe they have regular oyster mushrooms like that, too, and the full grown Bella.

I am thinking that over beside the bins, there are smaller bins of dried mushrooms. I think I pondered the regular oyster in dried form in bins one time, because I couldn't find what I'd planned. But like you, I've never tried using them.

All of them are good for us, especially the Japanese ones - super, super for inhibiting growth/multiplication of cancer cells, and for all immunity. I tried the Beech because it's been tested so much regarding inflammation/heart disease, and came out with such good results. But they're all good - it was just a little better, so I figure I can eat more of one I like! The one I can't find a use for is the King Trumpet Oyster. Large cylinders. Just don't know what to do with it, and the taste is no better than others. Maybe for hor'dourves, sliced very thin after sauteing in butter, on crackers with something else more flavorful - each would be a perfect, almost identical circle. Could be a conversation starter. (Hey. maybe I just invented something?)

[blessedw2]

D harriet.. veggie tacos (even without the tomato) sounds wonderful!

re: beet salad - I once at a beet salad at Biaggi's (a chain restaurant) - it had arugula with roasted beets, goat cheese, cubed avocado, fine chopped shallots, dried cherries and almonds slivers on top with a balsamic vinaigrette. I thought it was delicious so I keep making my own except without the dried cherries and almonds as dd younger has terrible allergies to nuts. My d mil used to love this salad


so so interesting. I am learning a lot from you! I didn't know that these mushrooms have anti inflammatory and anti-cancer cell properties!

I also can't believe that your mushrooms are so cheap! wow! We have a whole foods by us and I will check to see if I can get these mushrooms at a reasonable price!

I had looked into mushroom picking adventures in Wisconsin but they are way up north. Wisconsin foodie tv show had a morel picking show http://wisconsinfoodie.com/2012/01/30/morel-hunt/ and it looked fun.

I am not eating at home tonight as we have a family meeting.

I saw a chickpea greek salad recipe the other day - I am thinking about having it for lunch.

Can't wait to learn more from you d harriet!

[blessedw2]

last night I went to a gourmet store (why they call it that I will never know) and bought some good things:

a kale/zucchini/ricotta pattie with lemon aioli really good - I saved one for lunch today.
a risotto and cauliflower ball - also great (ate way too much - I should have had that tomorrow)
really really good. I never would have thought about those combinations.

so lunch: left over beet salad, one kale patty

dinner: left overs - polenta and mushrooms, just a plain salad

snacks: fruit

truthfully I am still eating way more than my body needs at night. I bought grapes so I hope that I don't over eat dinner and if I nibble I will eat those instead. I also have been eating by the tv... not not not what I want to do.

I am out of chicken and beef stock so I think I may make that tomorrow if I am home all day and then freeze it.

I saw a cool recipe where they drained a block of tofu and then shredded and used it as ground beef - they added s/p, onions and some spices for a shepherd pie base. Then they used zucchini, onions and potatoes by sautéing them and then blending them for the top of the tofu. Interesting. I know I have to try it. chipotle fast food does this with tofu and mexican seasonings. very interesting.

Happy cooking d harriet!

[blessedw2]

saturday bc of headache i decided to push regular dinner making to sunday

tonight had a tomato salad w red minced onion, basil, my grandmothers vinegar/oil dijon etc dressing i had sitting in the fridge - also a boiled egg and ezekiel bread


trying gyros with tofu sunday with greek cucumber salsa and tiziki sauce on pita - don't know if the tofu will work but I saw this on Facebook where he used lamb with onion, oregano s/p, tomato paste, wine a bit. So I shall see.
I might buy a 1/4 lb. of meat for dh.

dh liked the mushroom ragout on the polenta the other day. I was shocked.

[blessedw2]

things I have in the fridge that needs using: arugula, boston lettuce, grapes, feta, cucumber, tomato, goat cheese, eggs, carrots, onion, parsley, olives, strawberries, oranges, old bananas, pie crust

time to start being creative.

thinking this week a dutch baby with fruit.
gyro me tofu marinated and grilled /dh I will figure it out for him, greek salad for gyro
I love lentil salad for lunch
maybe a strawberry, arugula poppy seed dressing
ina garten's zucchini pie - crust, goat cheese, zucchini etc

[blessedw2]

I am marinating the tofu:
1. greek - a couple pieces for today
2. mexican - 2 pieces tomorrow for lunch with mexican salad: corn, black beans etc.
3. french with herbs du provence

pulled recipe for greek panzanella salad recipe from Ina Garten (I probably will leave out the panzanella part and just make it a greek salad for the top of pita and tofu (for me) dh gyro meat. taziki sauce make for topping