Your dinner dilemma sounds like what I went through last week, I knew I took leftover frozen lasagna out of the freezer, and it was in a zip lock bag so it was all sorts of mushy. The main ingredient on that lasagna was ground beef (pork sausage was about item 7 on the list) so the spaghetti sauce I had in the fridge was not going to be enough so I took some frozen mushroom soup , about 4 oz out of the freezer and added that and it worked. I would do that again. I thought if it was saucy enough I might top it with leftover spaghetti, but didn’t. I found leftover spaghetti made with whole wheat noodles soaks up all the sauce so when I did it the next day I added water and that worked. Talk about food on the cheap. Meanwhile, after 3 trips to Costco in 3 weeks I have 5 kinds of pasta sauce on the kitchen floor looking for projects (the pantry is too stuffed to put the sauces away just now). I am going to actually find a way to get Costco to deliver cat food, it is too tempting to go into the store. I have stuff all over the kitchen.. My Independence Day dinner turned out unexpectedly to be canned baked beans mixed with black beans, crumbled bacon and sautéed onion , then simmered with 3 country style ribs I had cooked I think in May and that turned out to be better than it should have. Meanwhile, I have 5 cobs of corn on the floor in a bag that I don’t have room in the freezer for, That was the plan, not the bean and pork rib stuff, but it will all turn out.
I know that quandary about the oven vs air conditioning. I only have a little window unit so it can’t do the whole house so in the past I would fix up a casserole or something and my husband would bake it in one of his big smokers or the big barbecue (no direct heat) so maybe break out the barbecue for non-standard duty. I no longer have that option so I am making do as best I can; cook once, eat it all week long, interspersed with more stuff I semi made.
As it turned out, I procrastinated so long over the curry decision that it was getting late and I was tired and just wanted something quick. So I just put a General Tao chicken dinner in the microwave, and the curry will be tonight.
Not a lot of oven time required, really. My SOP is putting the aluminum tray containing two chicken breasts and marinade in a 400F oven for 12-15 minutes, taking one out, and cutting it up to simmer in the curry sauce while the other one finishes cooking for another 15 minutes and the rice is cooked.
The second chicken breast then gets put away in the fridge. It’s terrific cold with potato salad, or with mac & cheese or ramen noodle, or just by itself. It also makes a terrific chicken sandwich on a toasted onion bun. Damn, now that I think of it, I should have bought at least two packs of that marinated chicken! The downside is that it’s not cheap, but I have no idea how to reproduce that exquisite marinade.
Yeah, I’m trying to do at least two things in the oven whenever I use it.
It’s hot and humid here today – 29°C with a threat of thunderstorms. We had planned salad for yesterday but had BBQ ribs and rice instead, so a very simple ham salad tonight. All I have to do is cook some charlotte potatoes.
Tonight - pasta with red sauce and a hot italian sausage I got at the farmers’ market this weekend. Also salad made with bits from said market (One of the nice things about early summer produce is spring onions and garlic scapes. I like loading my salad with different varieties of allium flavors/textures).
Great chicken curry dinner last night, and the leftovers were according to plan. There’s enough rice and curry for another curry dinner tonight, but just for something different tonight, pre-baked mac & cheese that just needs nuking and some of the leftover spicy chicken breast. Gonna have the chicken cold both because (a) cold chicken is very tasty, and (b) it’s so perfectly done and tender that I don’t want to risk reheating it.
I finally tried a recipe I’ve seen a million times for Million Dollar Spaghetti, also known as baked spaghetti. I served it with garlic knots. It was good and made a boatload, but honestly, next time I’d just make lasagna which I think is easier because I’d use no boil noodles.
There are a couple different recipes for the spaghetti. I used ricotta and cream cheese rather than cottage cheese.
Fried chicken sandwich and French fries.
Pork tenderloin medallions, marinated overnight with some mead that had started to go sour, apricot preserves, salt and red pepper flakes. Seared hot and fast in a skillet, served with a side of butternut squash with a bit of brown butter and crushed, dried sage.
Dung Beetle, that actually was advice the Los Angeles TV stations broadcast in the 60s and 70s, to ensure we got all the stuff done and not have to use the oven again for days due to the strain on the energy grid. Living in San Diego county is really different, we get NO advice to shut anything off, nor even that “flush when you must” suggestions from the water authority like we had grown up with. I actually look around to see what I can cram in the oven (no matter what time of the year) to ensure I got my moneys worth. Electric down here is shocking in price. If nothing else, put in small pans of ground rice for larb and papaya salad, and wheat flour as a precursor to Roux for gumbo or gravy with meats. There is always something that can be roasted even if it is not a long time for doing it. Heck, bread for future dressing or croutons. I agree with you doing the work to make it all count.
I got home late and too lazy to concoct anything, so I cooked a frozen chicken cordon bleu.
I made a pilgrimage today to one of my favourite supermarket/deli places, somewhat further away than the local supermarkets. And came back with a fine haul of goodies, some of which I’ve frozen.
Dinner tonight will be a tomato-lobster bisque from the hot soup stand and a tuna salad sandwich, then a slice or two of pepperoni pizza from their own in-store pizzeria.
There is a big vat of potato salad and some smoky Sikorsky garlic sausage to have later on for snacking.
I still have two dinners put together from the above-mentioned supermarket’s hot food counter. Tonight will be penne pasta in marinara sauce with meatballs and mushrooms.
Tomorrow will be spicy honey-jalapeno sausages with vegetable rice. I had a taste of one of the sausages and it’s great. I should have foregone the rice and just loaded up on sausages. I could have had them with potato salad, beans, or just made my own rice.
Leftovers night! We made some Philly cheese steaks a few nights ago, and we’re out of bread, but I think the beef mixture would be good on some rice.
The butcher talked me into getting a blend they make up of ground beef mixed with ground bacon for bacon-y burgers. I’ll be cooking it in a couple of hours. Too bad I’m not grilling it outdoors - I bet it smells amazing.
Tonight will be a rice bowl – sweet and sour chicken on fried rice, while chorizo sausages thaw for tomorrow. I shouldn’t have frozen them as they were fresh and good until the 16th anyway.
We’re having friends over, and will be doing steak tacos with our new favorite steak, the bavette. Margaritas, guac, cheddar (Costco Coastal!!!), cabbage, green onion, etc. Marinade will be lime juice, fish sauce, soy, garlic and cilantro. Flour tortillas.
Pan-sautéed pork tenderloin.
Well, I done and did it – or at least, am doing it. After nappage during the day, I currently have chorizo sausages with onions and garlic tomato sauce in the oven at 1:30 AM. None will be consumed tonight, but I’ll put them in the fridge. Some will be consumed during tomorrow’s heat wave with beans and potato salad, and at least I won’t have to run the oven to fight with the A/C during the heat wave of the century!