Sunday, January 06, 2013

Weekend Cooking 1/6

Each weekend, Beth Fish Reads hosts Weekend Cooking.  This is perfect for me since I love food and cooking almost as much as I love books!

This week our focus was on quick and easy comfort meals. We returned from a trip to Oklahoma late Tuesday night and jumped right into a hectic schedule of school, work, and evening appointments, so we stuck with old favorites.

Wednesday, with no fresh food in the house, we just had a favorite Trader Joe's meal, Chicken Serranada. Eight minutes in the microwave, and it tastes like a restaurant meal! We added some couscous with peas and fruit and had a complete meal.

Thursday, my husband made good old basic spaghetti with meat sauce while my younger son and I got haircuts. It was wonderful to come home to a delicious meal, hot and ready to eat! And spaghetti is such a comfort food.

Friday, I tried a quick favorite of ours, Roasted Italian Sausage, Potatoes, Onions, and Bell Peppers...but it took over an hour to cook a meal that usually takes 20 minutes. Well, at least that explains our undercooked turkey disaster on Christmas Day - looks like our oven is not working (we think maybe the bottom heating element is out). I'll have to call the repair service tomorrow, but this could get expensive - the oven is about 25 years old!

Last night, we had our all-time family favorite and the ultimate in comfort food, Red Beans and Rice, a recipe I created after we lived in New Orleans. I made a double-batch, so now we have dinner for our busy Monday evening, too (which is when Red Beans and Rice is traditionally eaten in Louisiana).

And, tonight, we will have a delicious Cooking Light recipe, Chinese Hot Pot of Beef & Vegetables, which we've enjoyed before. That should be just right for a day that began with a surprise dusting of snow on the ground!  And, more importantly, it doesn't require an oven.

That was our week of quick meals...what have you been cooking and eating this week?

6 comments:

  1. I just pinned the Red Beans & Rice and Hot Pot recipes. Both of those sound so good, especially on a snowy day like today. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Sounds like a wonderful week of homey eating and winding down from holidays. I love red beans and rice--NOLA knows a good tradition when it sees it. :)

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  3. i made Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole using leftover turkey from New Year's Day and today I have Slow Cooker Brisket with Onion Gravy cooking up.

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  4. Your red beans & rice recipe is similar to the one I use out of River Road Recipes, my first cookbook purhase as a student. The Hot Pot combines some interesting flavors. Just pinned it. Looks good.

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  5. hmmm...that hot pot sounds so cozy.

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  6. Wow, you're so organized with your meals! My husband is only home five nights out of seven, so on those nights it's either a sandwich or cereal for me. The rest of the nights are either leftovers, something quick (tacos, pasta), or we go out. I get home between 7 and 8pm, and my pantry is usually always bare...I should really make a resolution to do more meal planning--you're an inspiration.

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