Last night my gf made an adult macaroni and cheese dish. She used the last wedge of a Dutch Gouda wheel that I brought back from Sint Maarten in my backpack last year. Because the cold cheese was wrapped in a plastic garbage bag there was condensation that freaked out security (they thought explosives).
Very cheesy, very tasty, with noodles, cheese, peas, and shredded chicken.
Served with a side of pickled Italian Pole Beans that have been pickling in the fridge for two weeks.
Last night was an amazing meal. My gf was impressed (and she doesn’t impress easily).
I started with an amuse bouche. She had recently mentioned how her grandmother would make stewed prunes all the time, and she liked them as a kid. I made stewed prunes with cinnamon and vanilla extract. In a little crème brûlée dish I put a tablespoon of Greek yogurt topped with a dollop of chilled stewed prunes. It left her wanting more.
Next was a small side of zucchini and onions in tomato sauce. I made the sauce from scratch and there was just enough for the two of us to each have a small dish.
The main course I spent two days on. I had read somewhere (Reddit maybe) about a chicken dish I’d never heard of called Chicken Marbella. It was supposedly popular in upscale restaurants in the 70s, but had disappeared from menus since then. The chicken marinade is made up of oil, vinegar, Spanish olives, a ton of capers, lots of pureed garlic, prunes, etc. The chicken and marinade chilled over night. Before putting it in the oven, brown sugar and white wine are added. It was outstanding!
Chicken Marbella is great. There’s lots of dishes from earlier times that restaurants have abandoned in the chase for trendiness, and that’s one of them.
Re: prunes: apparently when I was a baby, I loved prune baby food and it was a fruit food I would reliably eat, so my mom bought it for me until I was 5 or 6 years old. I wonder what I would think of it now?
A few weeks ago I went to Trader Joe’s after not having been there for an extended period of time (I mentioned their Cinnamon Bun Spread in an earlier post).
Dinner last night was what I call Easy Meal, and of course TJ’s was involved. Steamed TJ’s shrimp potstickers, chopped Asian salad kit from Wallyworld (we used the ginger sesame dressing included as a dipping sauce for the potstickers) and Sea-Pak shrimp eggrolls. Pretty decent Easy Meal.
Last night was another first-time recipe.
Cheesy Kielbasa Hashbrown Casserole
INGREDIENTS
2 packages (12-14 oz) Kielbasa or smoked sausage, cut into chunks
1 (32 oz) bag frozen hash browns
1 small onion, diced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup
STEPS
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, diced onion, cheddar cheese, sour cream, milk, and cream soup. Mix well.
Stir in the sausage chunks until everything is evenly coated.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly. Serve warm.
NOTES
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On my last grocery shop I picked up all the stuff for a repeat performance of Oven-Baked Chorizo Sausages a la Wolfpup, this time with both baked mac & cheese and rosemary and garlic roast potatoes as sides, along with some Cobb salad and, to finish off the variety, sausage buns to have some of the sausages hot-dog style with the fried onions that they’re baked in and Dijon mustard.
But dinner last night was late and I just wanted some fast comfort food, so just had half the mac & cheese by itself. Tonight will be the baked sausage with either mac & cheese or roast potatoes, and if it’s roast potatoes, I’m gonna do some cremini mushrooms with garlic butter in the air fryer to go with them. There’s something especially lovely about roast potatoes and garlicky fried mushrooms tossed together. BBQ beans and a few sausages on a bun would complete a fine late-summer buffet!
Last night we had jumbo shrimp on a bed of polenta. I made the polenta, my gf made the shrimp. It was outstanding. Served with Sauvignon Blanc.
Lasagna tonight. I had a meeting so I ate early and I put the second slice in for mr. romans before I left. The recipe I usually use is for a ‘diet’ lasagna - the fillings are modest - but I decided this time around to make extra filling, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be full until dinner tomorrow.
I also made some Ispahan Sablés because TJ’s had the freeze dried raspberries one needs to make them. These little cookies are like flavor explosions and I love 'em.
Last night was a Pittsburgh Tradition! Growing up in Pittsburgh everyone loved a deli chain called Isaly’s. They sold ham barbecues made with chipped/chopped ham.
I bought the sauce and a pound of chipped ham and we had sandwiches with a side of potato salad.
My oven-baked chorizo sausages, originally intended to be had with mac & cheese or roast potatoes and beans, work great on a sausage bun, too. The stuff I baked them on top of – in a casserole dish coated with a bit of pasta sauce, rings of white onion, and coarsely chopped green pepper – turn out to be an excellent condiment to stuff into a toasted sausage bun after anointing the sausage with Dijon mustard. Makes a great snack with a nice chorizo-spicy kick!
Dinner tonight might be one leftover chorizo sausage with mac & cheese, one sausage on a bun, and a Cobb salad. But I have a feeling that one or both of the last two may be held over for lunch tomorrow!
Did I mention that I’m a big fan of comfort foods? 
I’m trying out egg rolls from Aldi in the air fryer tonight. We shall see how they are.
Salad. Lettuce, sliced hard-boiled egg, dried red peppers, rustic cut cheddar, shredded chicken with French dressing. And a Manhattan, cuz it’s Friday.
We had the last of the pulled pork I made awhile ago, and the last can of Batchelors Baked Beans I had ordered from a UK foods site. I found a very similar recipe to them so I won’t need to order them any more, so it was a fond farewell. Had a couple little bitty mandarins as well - mr. romans can peel one and pop the whole thing in his mouth, but they are very flavorful.
Chili is on deck for tomorrow. I made it with turkey instead of beef - not sure I’ll be pleased with that, but we’ll see. Now that the weather is cooling, there’s a lot of beef-dependent things I want to make and lightening things up a bit when possible is in order.
A salad I’ve posted about before, from a favorite nearby spot, where everybody knows your name, or at least your regular order:
“Tofu marinated with Sambal Olek and flash seared, spring mix blend with cucumbers, candied almonds, pickled carrots, daikon, and white balsamic sesame vinaigrette.”
It was extra spicy tonight, which I like! Had a fresh hops IPA to accompany it. I’ll be eating leftovers for at least one more meal.
That looks great (and I say this even as someone who isn’t a tofu fan).
Chili tonight was good - I think making it the day before and letting the spices meld was key to making sure the turkey worked. Got plenty more to eat in the coming days. Also had some more of the tiny mandarins and some kinda crappy chianti. Will not get that again.
Tonight (and for the rest of the week, as long as it lasts) is French onion soup with a side of hanger meat marinated in Worchestershire, garlic, and fig creme balsamic vinegar.
Another Easy Meal here tonight, mainly because I forgot to take anything out of the freezer last night.
TJ’s Kung Pao Chicken, tarted up with some frozen vegs (peas and corn) that needed to be used up anyway. Throw some basmati rice in the rice cooker and stick some Phillips Crab Rangoon apps in the air fryer and all done.
Insta-cup of black bean soup, tarted up with slices of kielbasa & green onion.
I may go nutz and add a bit of sour cream.
To start, some slices of oscypek (a smoked sheep’s milk cheese from Poland, and the absolute essence of my childhood).
So much yum.
Today I made some good ol’ authentic Cajun jambalaya, meaning brown jambalaya, no tomatoes. I made mine with cubes of pork shoulder, sausage, and some smoked jowls, all cooked on lard instead of oil. The key to this one is producing a really good fond to flavor your jambalaya. Damn, it turned out well. I think I actually prefer this to the standard Creole red jambalaya. There is just such a depth of meaty flavor in it.
I’m attempting an alfredo with sausage linguini.
ETA Diamond Crystal Kosher salt is terrible.