So tonight I steamed some Asian greens with lemon and olive oil and broiled a pair of boneless chicken thighs for the Ukulele Lady. I had a takeout burrito because I couldn’t be arsed to go out in the cold and rain to buy myself fresh food to cook.
It was mediocre.
I made chicken quesadillas. I have my own picante sauce I made last summer. It was pretty good. I have to say my picante is pretty good this year.
Okay, Beck, you have to share your picante recipe.
As for something to offer, here’s my “Godfather Pasta Sauce.” It is based upon the recipe given in the Godfather movies, and very basic (meaning even a kitchen klutz like me can make it), but also simply brought together from everyday ingredients, available at any supermarket–and it is very tasty:
28 oz can diced tomatoes
Good dollop of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
13 oz can tomato paste
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 lb sausage meat
Good dollop of red wine (but not that good a dollop; you need some wine to drink with your meal)
1 tablespoon sugar (If you are diabetic, you can adjust this, of course.)
I use a slow cooker, so I just add everything but the meat and oil to that.
Then, I put a skillet over a medium heat and put the olive oil in the skillet. I cook the meat in the skillet until it is fully cooked, then drain it and add it to the slow cooker. Slow cook on “Low” for about three hours, and it will be ready anytime after that. I’ve used it with spaghetti and penne, and it works well with each, but I’m sure that it would go great with any pasta cooked al dente.
This makes more than one person can eat, but it will feed maybe four at a single sitting. However, it freezes well, and can be thawed and used subsequently.
Cheese Soufflé!
Make a bechamel, add in five egg yolks, then 250gr to 300gr of cheese (cheddar, whatever else, but key: a good blue) and spices (cayenne, maybe some oregano, black pepper, maybe a little salt (I’ve found I don’t need it, the cheese is enough)), add croutons, whip up the whites and fold into the cheese sauce. Bake in oven at 220 C for 35 - 40 mins. Poof! A gigantic cheesy wonder.
Serve with a nice salad.
I think I’m having the same problem. The doctor is pretty sure I have celiac disease, probably with a side of lactose intolerance.
There is so much out there besides basic white and brown rice - black rice has always been popular in SE Asia, and red rice is gaining ground as people become more health conscious.
Both black and red rice are at least as nutritious as brown rice (black probably more so) and they are delicious. I am partial to this: https://www.amazon.com/Dragonfly-DFTRR01-Red-Rice-5-Pound/dp/B005S9TJ5U/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1546789125&sr=8-3&keywords=red+rice
Black rice is used in desserts in Indonesia and Thailand, but it’s also delicious as part of a savory meal. Generally speaking, black rice tends to be sticky, so if you prefer very separate rice grains it may not appeal, even though it has a wonderful taste and texture.
For red rice, I use 1/3 to 1/2 cup red rice, with 2/3 to 1/2 cup jasmine rice so I have 1 cup rice in total, and 2 cups water in the rice cooker. That cooks up into a pretty sticky mess, but I’m sure the package will tell you how to get a dryer result if you prefer.
Nah. Mr. Wrecker didn’t have the cash, and I don’t fly.
'Preciate your second thoughts there, friend. For whatever reason.
Last night I made a quick stroganoff.
1 lb lean ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1 can consomme soup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt
Chopped parsley for garnish
Cooked noodles or rice
Brown the meat, onions, and mushrooms. (I like to do the mushrooms separately, to get maximum browning, then add them back in.) In a separate pan, make the sauce. Melt the butter, then add flour to make a roux. Cook for a couple of minutes, then whisk in the consomme. Turn off heat and whisk in Dijon and sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste. (Watch out for the salt content in the consomme.) Pour over the meat mixture. Garnish with parsley.
Check out TheFresh20. Basically it is a menu/shopping list service, they provide you 5 dinner recipes and a shopping list. The ingredients focus on fresh/organic items. We have used them on-and-off for years when we are trying to eat more healthy and bring back variety. In one 12 month span, we never had the same dinner twice. They do have meal plans for singles so you’re not shopping or cooking for 4.
We are leaving this weekend for our yearly vacation in the Caribbean. In order to hit her ideal “bikini weight” my gf has been eating salads the last two weeks.
Last night she had a salad. I had osso buco made for one, which was more difficult than making it for four (we usually would have it several nights). But it was delicious.
My elderly mother used to say, ‘I’m so bored with food, with meat and cold cuts. Why don’t they invent some new animals?’ 
I told her I would cook her a lamb roast, or goat stew, but turkey,chicken, beef - other than fish, that seemed to be it.
I love braised, falling off the bone red meat, especially lamb shanks. But making it for one would be like making a quart of homemade soup. For some foods, you need a huge simmering pot.