Just got dinner out of the ol’ toaster oven. I went to Trader Joe’s today, and as long as I was getting my lunch I picked up dinner as well.
Frozen artichoke hearts
Bread crumbs
Quattro Formaggio
Black olives (I meant to use Kalamata, only I picked up the wrong container)
Earth Balance buttery spread
Water
I have no measurements. Only I used the whole pack of artichoke hearts. Basically I used the TLAR method. I mixed everything up in my cookpot, and then popped it into the convection toaster oven at 375ºF for about half an hour. Mmm… Tasty!
I also picked up some focaccia rolls and a tin of refried black beans and some fresh gree onions. They will be combined thusly (although not tonight):
Slice the focaccia rolls in half like a bagel. Spread some refried black beans on the halves. Sprinkle with the Quattro Formaggio and chopped green onions. Pop into the toaster oven at 375ºF until it’s done.
Hey, I was at Trader Joe’s in San Jose this afternoon, and noticed that they are now selling individual apples, as opposed to the usual 4-packs. I know that the “pre-packed” produce has been an issue for some customers–it’s nice to think that TJ’s is listening!
pilot141 is correct. I put the artichoke hearts in a pot and then added the other ingredients so that they looked right.
I didn’t add any salt, as the black olives were salty enough. Kalamata olives would be a little more saltier, which I don’t think would hurt it any. I thought about getting some milk to use instead of water, but using water to moisten the concoction worked well.
One of my favorite Trader Joe’s dinners is eggplant parmesan. I get a box of the frozen breaded eggplant (often cheaper per pound than whole eggplants at other grocery stores), a bottle of the marinara sauce, a wedge of Parmesan, and a bag of shredded mozzarella. Cook the eggplant slices for half the recommended time in the oven. Then layer them with sauce and Parmesan in an 8x8 glass baking dish, and top it with shredded mozzarella. Cook for the rest of the time to cook the eggplant slices, or until the mozzarella melts, whichever is longer. Serves two.
I’m not sure this counts, since I didn’t actually ‘make’ anything. But I went to TJ’s today and got the Australian rack of lamb. It’s preseasoned, so all I did was pop it in the oven.
I haven’t had lamb (except in souvlaki) since I was a kid. I mean child. Oddly, TJ’s didn’t have any mint jelly. So I had one rib with just the seasoning it came with, one rib with some TJ’s mango chutney, and one rib with Tapatio. It was a little weird with the mango chutney, but good. I also liked the plain and Tapatio versions. I think next time I may try the lamb chops, and see if I can find some mint jelly somewhere.
I do now. But I’m back in SoCal for a while. There’s supposed to be one opening at home next summer. I hope that’s true, since the nearest one to my northern home is 80 miles away.
