What's cooking at your house?

[Bucky]

You know that feeling when you walk in somewhere and the aroma of food cooking smells sooooo good?  There's that Pillsbury saying: "nothing says lovin', like something from the oven".  How true!

One of my favorite food smells is bread baking . . . mmmmm, yum!  I don't bake my own bread, I'm just sayin'. 

Here in Central IL, it's the middle of winter right now.  A cold, frigid, windy, rainy, icy, with snow coming this weekend winter.  Brrrrrrrrr!  A perfect time to warm up the house with homemade food to warm our stomachs and feed our souls (or is it the other way around??).

As I contemplate what to fix for dinner tonight . . . . hmmm, what will it be??!!??  Good question!  Between using the stovetop, oven, toaster oven and crock pot - I have a lot of options to cook something.  I love using the convenience of the crock pot - put all the ingredients in, turn it on low, and let it cook slowly for hours . . . ahhh, the aroma fills the house.  I've waited too late today to put anything in the crock pot - I'll have to use the stovetop or oven for dinner tonight.  Again, "whatever" that is.   

What are all of you cooking at your house these days?  What's your favorite meal that you prepare?

If you have any really good recipes to share too, would love to see them.

Bucky

[irish]

I don't have a recipe but I have a throw together that I just made up that is good. I haven't cooked very good for myself for a long time. Since my surgery I feel better and have had a huge craving for pasta, as in spaghetti. I do't make mine with meat but here it is. I use olive oil in a dutch oven or big deep frying pan. A coated pan works the best. I brown leeks, raw onions, finely cut up celery and along the way I had some spaghetti sauce and let the flavor absorb and ooh up. I then add a fair amount of water---maybe close to a quart and break up the thin spaghetti into the pan. Stir it up and cook awhile. Add more spices and salt and pepper. You can do anything you want but keep tasting til you find it. I have found that adding some dried onion even adds more flavor,. I do't add huge amounts of the raw onion like some people do so I have to kind up work up to the flavor I like.

Basil is good and anything you like. I soon add more spaghetti sauce and cook slowly covered stirring ofte. I turns out so yummy . Oh, I add dried dill and parsley also plus a clove of fresh garlic. This is comfort food and it is even better the next day.

FYI if you want a really good brownie mix try the gluten free one at Aldies. It is awesome. My family all eat it and say it is the best ever. It is lower in carbs then the ones made by all the major companies plus you can tell it is lower in the sugar. Also has more coca and is very dark choc. It is expensive but it is worth it for a treat at family picnics....ice cream is really good with it.

Bucky, I haven't had s piece of good home made bread in years. I used to make it often when the boys were young. Put it on the wood stove to rise. Those were the good old days. Take care. Irish

[Joe S.]

I do not know Jan's recipe but this weekend she made a batch of Velveeta Fudge. Everyone that had it at two meetings went back for more. It used to be one of my favorites when my mom made it. (I do not eat it as it messes with my sugars). 

[SjoGirl]

Chicken curry, found the recipe on the Food Network and tried it yesterday. The aromatic spices are so fragrant and those same spices can also help with pain. Tonight it's hash.

[Carolina]

Oh dear, these days what's cooking at our house, is down the street at one of the nearby restaurants.

I don't cook now (takes too much standing and walking to and fro) but my husband makes things like Thai coconut soup, or vegetable beef, or Hot and Sour Soup, in large-ish quantities for now and later.

However, he is up to his eyebrows in Master Bath Remodel, so it has been far too long since he's made burrito filling, or a meat sauce to be used on pasta or any of the things he likes to fix.

I've been dealing with IBS-D since last Spring, so some days I have scrambled eggs, protein bars, and rice cakes spread with peanut butter.   

Gourmet it is not.

Elaine

[Bucky]

For once, at 8:30 in the morning, I know what I'm fixing for dinner tonight - chili.  It has been so cold here in recent weeks, I just can't warm up - especially this morning as the current temperature is 1 degree and the "real feel" temperature -20 degrees.  Brrrrrrrr!

The other night when I didn't know what I was cooking for dinner, I ended up making hamburgers - no big deal.  With that being said, for some strange reason, those were the best burgers I have ever fixed.  I don't know that I did anything different than I normally do . . . but, even my hubby commented on how good they were.  Maybe it was the cut of meat I used??  Don't know.

Irish - your spaghetti recipe sounds good (except too many onions for me . . but, that's just me).  I like pasta / spaghetti.  For my spaghetti sauce I just open a can of Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce and add meat - I've never tried making my own sauce.  I don't go to Aldi's very often, but the next time I'm in there, I'll have to check out those brownies.  I haven't had brownies in a really long time.  As you know, it's hard to buy food, etc. for one or two people.  Most quantities are too large and especially with sweets, my husband isn't suppose to have them, so I don't buy/make them very often.  If one brownie is good, he'd have two or three or four . . . so, I try not to go there.

Joe - I'll have to Google the Velveeta fudge - never heard of it.  Sounds rather "cheesy" to me.   

SjoGirl - I've never had chicken curry, I'll have to check it out.  I never really learned how to cook with spices.  My mom pretty much just used salt and pepper as her spices.  My husband on the other hand, has a whole bunch of spices he uses when he's doctoring up his food (for instance, the chili I am making tonight - I don't like it spicy, so I just make the basic chili recipe, then he takes his bowl full and doctors it up to his tastes).

Elaine - dining out works for me!!     We usually eat out once a week - lunch after church.  It's nice to have someone fix the meal and clean the dishes besides me!  We did get several restaurant gift cards for Christmas this year where we'll enjoying someone else cooking the meal.

Have a good day.

Bucky

[irish]

Bucky, I always made my own spaghetti sauce for years but made big batches when kids were home. Always had to make one batch regular spaghetti and one batch of brown rice gluten free spaghetti so it took time.

This recipe I added above on this thread it with a bottled spaghetti sauce. I had the water(maybe not a quart) according to how much spaghetti I am going to cook and add the small amount of sauce for the spaghetti to soak up., Keep stirring and adding the spices and then the rest of sauce that you need. I actually like my homemade sauce better and never had a recipe just threw it together.

Joe, that Velvetta fudge is really good and I haven't had it for years.

I'm another one who has never had curried chicken and will have to try it some time. There are so many spices that are good for us. Irish

[Lah]

We're a bit snowed in, so eating whatever we can find in the fridge and pantry. We  no longer live in a condo. so I planted some herbs and veggies the last two summers. I only have a very small garden box and some planters, so our bounty wasn't huge.  Yesterday we ate beets and green beans from the garden and the bean soup we had tonight had tomatoes my two plants produced.

Off topic of this subject, but do want to say hello to all the names from years ago when I was more active and also to people who are new to me. Do really like the change in the website. Hugs to everyone.

[Bucky]

Hi Lah - welcome back to Sjogren's World.  If you are using the same screen name you used before, I've heard Aliendog talk about a Lah.  You must have been before my time - and I've been here 10 yrs. this coming July. 

We have updated our forum in recent years and as you can see, there have been lots and lots of new members.

Some times I wish I had a garden, but my family wouldn't eat half of what was planted in there - and the deer and other wildlife think the garden is for them, so I wouldn't get to harvest much of anything - so I don't bother.  In the summer months, there is a gentlemen who owns a barber shop on the square and he puts surplus vegetables from his garden out on a bench outside his business, with a sign "FREE",  for anyone to help themselves.  I've gotten a few tomatoes from him.

On a cold snowy night, soup sounds perfect!

Again, welcome . . . look forward to getting to know you.

Bucky

[Lah]

Yes, Bucky. C'est moi! Please tell Alien I've registered again.  I hope she only said nice things. ha! I believe you became a moderator soon after I stopped because I do recognize your name.

As you can guess, I still have Sjogrens. haha That's a joke, but people have asked me if I still have it, as though it is going to go away. Oh yes and several other AI and health related problems now, but I'm still above the grass at 73 and enjoying my busy, retired life.

So what are we eating tonight? A very strange combination of leftovers...we always seem to have bits left and I do not throw out anything that is still edible. I know there's some leftover Chipotle, some lasagna, and dabs of sweet potatoes, green beans, mashed potatoes, and corn pudding. There might be some lentil soup in there, too. When we eat leftovers, I don't worry about a balanced diet, as you can see. Have a great weekend!!

[Linda196]

Hi Lah, welcome back! Great to see you!

Tonight's menu is a classic Maritime Province's Saturday night-- baked beans with pork hocks,molasses and maple syrup; fresh baked oatmeal brown bread, and homemade green tomato chowchow from our own tomatoes this summer. It doesn't happen as often anymore, but I love to put a meal on the table that's all homemade and I know the source of just about everything on the table.

[Joe S.]

Jan made Pizza rounds. These are English muffin halves with spaghetti sauce, cheese and toppings to taste. (Canadian bacon and mushrooms tonight).

We started this when the kids were small and let them put their toppings on. Two of our grandkids still do this.

[Carolina]

My husband made chicken soup with rice, carrots and celery.  The stock was Japanese miso soup, some with spinach, some with tofu (Kikkoman).    He put some in the freezer for later.

Nice while looking out the window at the rapidly diminishing snow.

Regards, Elaine

[Bucky]

Mmmm, everything sounds good that y'all are making! 

Leftovers are some of my favorite meals.  Years ago, my SIL and I would do that - we would call each other up and say it's potluck leftover night and we'd bring whatever we had in the fridge.  (We can't do that anymore as we have one obstacle in the way . . . 500 miles distance between us!!)

It seems like the winter months are perfect for soup . . . something to warm us up when it's cold outside.

I think tonight might be a spaghetti night with a salad.  Some times I just crave pasta . . yum!

One of these nights, I need to put something in the crock pot and let it cook all day - the house smells so good when it's cooking.

Enjoy your day and whatever you whip up in the kitchen to eat (or eat out) . . both work!   

Bucky

[Carebear]

I haven't been cooking much these days, so you've motivated me to dust myself off and rediscover the kitchen!

Chili is doing it's thing in the slow cooker right now.  It's late, which makes this supper for tomorrow.

Tonight I made fish sticks and potato wedges.  Now, that may sound gross and boring but it's the first time I've eaten this since being diagnosed with Celiac disease...that is about 17 years now.  Was it delicious?  Well, the ketchup was!

So Thursday is chili, buns and green salad.  And there will be lots of leftovers to freeze for later on. 

Good eats!