So What's for Dinner Tonight? (2020 Anything Goes Edition)

For a long while, Friday has been Mexican Food And Margaritas Night; but Mrs. L.A. is getting tired of it. Beach Cat Brewery put up a pavilion (tent) over their deck, with heaters. They also have pizza by the slice now, from Bordertown Pizza. Maybe we’ll go there today?

Quite true, and I love pretty much all of them, but they are made, cooked, and served so differently that some of the distantly related cultural varieties are really entirely different foods. The wide variety of Chinese dumplings that are served dim sum style, for instance, are a completely different food than perogies, though both are delicious, and both can be technically described as “a kind of dumpling”.

Tonight I’m thinking cheater empanadas, using pre-made pie crust with rice on the side.

Last night I treated myself to one of the pre-transplant super banned meals: A massive baked potato, with real butter, bacon, cheddar, chives, and sour cream. It was so delicious.

I did the same thing, loaded baked potato. Our kitchen is being remodeled so we are using the outside kitchen and grill which making things interesting. I put the tater in microwave for 10 minutes and then drizzled it in oil and salt and put it in the air fryer for 25 mins. Came out absolutely armadillo perfect, crunchy on the outside soft in the middle.

Tonight is grilled chicken breast and grilled/roasted potatoes

Loaded baked potatoes sound great. I have some sweet potatoes that I might do that with tonight. Right now I still don’t know what I’m going to feel like.

Good old Wisconsin Friday Night Fish Fry!

Roast sweet potatoes low’n’slow until they’re dripping sweetness out of the holes you poked. Add cheese and … BBQ sauce. The sweet tanginess is amazing.

While you’re stuffing your face hole, thank my late Other Shoe it’s his idea, and a good one.

Sounds yummy. If you’re casting about someday for other ways to make sweet pots try this:

Leave skin on, slice them into 1/8"-1/4" thins, steam for ~20 minutes until soft, then mash with a scant 1/4c milk, cream, or half and half per potato to moisten and 1 to 1-1/2 tbsp of curry powder per potato. Hot or mild you can’t go wrong.

Tonight for me is another container from the big batch of pork green chili I made last weekend plus some fresh corn muffins. A fruit and cheese plate will follow later. Probably a sauv blanc will go best with the fruit & cheeses.

Change of plan , Mrs Mollusc just went to Costco and we have tamales instead. Probably quite a lot of them.

That sounds great! Usually I just roast them alone until they’re browned and caramelized, but last time I stuffed them with a tahini/hummus mixture with craisins and pumpkin seeds, and it was delicious. But I got out of work late tonight so I might settle for toast with goat cheese and honey, and a glass of Prosecco.

The Costco by me has absolutely superb tamales! Hope yours are the same. The brand is Del Real. They’re by far the best I’ve ever had, including homemade by my Mexican friend’s abuela. I’ve had the pork and the spicy chicken. I have a bag in the fridge right now. No artificial ingredients.

Instead of beer and pizza (instead of Mexican), we went to Bay Breeze had had cheeseburgers and Elysian Space Dust Double IPA.

I wish I’d thought of that. I have all the things. Instead I made a very sad and boring egg salad and tomato on toasted baguette.

Everything’s better on toasted baguette.

Padrinos
They were good, maybe a little dry, but can’t go wrong with being less than 5 minutes from a tamale.

Tonight is dinner with friends, so I’m making meatloaf. They will be doing the scalloped potatoes, green beans and dessert.

A Classic American Meal tonight:

New York Strip
Green Beans
Baked Potato
Fruit Salad

Another Classic American Meal tonight:

Loaded Nachos and beer.

Grilling cow, there may be salad, but given the Argentine nature of my wife and the kids are 1/2 Argentine, I doubt it.

Picked up some sushi. I should probably find some vegetable matter to balance it out.