What I Spent, What We Ate | 4th of July week
Well, hi!
I've been absent for two days, due partially to the holiday and also to the fact that I have been busy painting. I have things to show you next week!
What I Spent
I spent $120 at the grocery stores this week, and I accidentally did not get a Hungry Harvest.
I forgot to update the new expiration date for my credit card, so it didn't go through in time.
What We Ate
Saturday
Zoe was wanting pulled chicken, while Sonia had a hankering for grits.
So, I made the grits from this recipe and we topped them with pulled chicken.
Sunday
Mr. FG has been cooking on Sunday nights, and he chose to make a fattoush salad from Dinner Illustrated.
And I don't have a picture, unfortunately!
Monday
Mr. FG and I tried a new recipe from Cook's Country for strawberry vanilla pancakes. Verdict: we like strawberries better as a raw topping, rather than as a cooked add-in.
Also, I didn't think their buttermilk pancake base was quite as good as the usual recipe I use, and the berries made the pancakes stick to the griddle.
So I'd say, use this buttermilk pancake recipe, and top your pancakes with whipped cream and fresh berries.
Easier, and more delicious!
We had orange julius and local pork sausages with our pancakes.
Whenever Mr. FG is cooking, the girls tease him and tell him he's a domestic goddess now. So, for Father's Day, we got him this apron to make him very official. 😉
Tuesday
I tried a garlic spaghetti recipe from Dinner Illustrated. It was a vegetarian recipe, but I added in some Italian chicken sausages from Aldi (sliced and browned in a pan).
Wednesday
I grilled bratwurst and we ate those with cherries and watermelon.
By the way, I've discovered how much better burger and hot dog buns are if you toast them, either on the grill or in a buttered skillet. SO GOOD.
Thursday
I tried a quinoa taco salad recipe from Dinner Illustrated. It was good, for a vegetarian taco salad. But I think I prefer mine with beef, chicken, or shrimp.
We went to see some fireworks after dinner, of course.
Friday
Mr. FG and I have a Groupon that expires today, so we're gonna go use that tonight and then eat dinner with the girls tomorrow night (just flip-flopping our date night).
Monday: I grilled pork chops, had salads and baked potatoes
Tuesday: My wife and I went to GhibliFest so we ended up eating out. I had a roast beef slider from Arby's as I wasn't all that hungry.
Wednesday: Leftovers and cleaning out the fridge.
Thursday: At a family barbecue so we had a big lunch. When we came home we ate sandwiches for dinner.
Friday: As it's in the 90s I'm debating on either just having big salads or buying a rotisserie chicken as it's just too darn hot to cook tonight.
We've been having such hot weather down here too! Definitely does not make me feel like baking.
I planned to have Twice Baked Potatoes some day this week but yeah, it was too hot.
Sunday- DH and I flew in from New Orleans in the afternoon, kids where at the MIL- so we hit up 5 guys and stone cold.
Monday- Chicken Cutlet, pasta w/garlic and oil, corn
Tuesday- DS has soccer practice (hr away)DH took him, they got something afterwards, DD had Tortellini w/butter & cheese, I had two fried eggs, toast.
Wednesday- raviolis, salad, bread
Thursday - cook out at mom and dads, hot dog/hamburgers, potato salad, pasta salad, milkshakes. I was in charge of the desserts, cake, and peach cobbler w/ ice cream. I also contributed 2 gallons of ice cream for the shakes.
Friday- Not sure yet, might end up being breakfast! (didn't take anything out before I left for work)
I'm allllll by mysellllllf this week, so I've been steadily eating odds and ends and leftovers all week.
Sometimes we put frozen blueberries in our regular pancake batter. I think it works pretty well. (Also wondering where my most recent CC has gotten to-- maybe it will be in the mailbox when I get home today.)
Well, a week alone sounds positively fantastic. I hope you are enjoying it!
I have found that blueberries in pancake batter also tend to stick to the griddle--I'm sure it has to do with the natural sugars in the fruit. I make blueberry sauce as a topping, which I prefer.
I found these to be even stickier than blueberries, probably because they are cut up. Blueberries at least have a skin on them, which helps keep the sugar contained a bit.
Monday: Got home late after taking the kids to the zoo. My husband was working late, so we just scrounged for snacks.
Tuesday: Cheeseburgers, cherries, watermelon, broccoli with cheese
Wednesday: Tacos and grapes
Thursday: I contributed venison steaks, blueberries, and carrots. My mom made corn casserole, potato salad, and deviled eggs. I definitely got the easier end of the deal!
Friday: I planned chicken thighs, cherries, mashed potatoes, and corn... But my mom left the leftover potato salad and my husband just texted that he's bringing home a bunch of macaroni and cheese from work. So we'll see. 🙂
So much beach food. So much more to come.
Saturday: Scrambled eggs, fried ham, sauteed garlic scapes, boiled potatoes, sliced tomato
Sunday: Beach hot dogs, raw cauliflower, bread and butter pickles, s'mores
Monday: Salami sandwiches on the beach, leftovers, strawberries and rhubarb with cream
Tuesday: Various meats on the beach (hamburgers and sausage), fish caught from the beach dock, potatoes, cherries, grape tomatoes, strawberry/rhubarb pie. Who's happy it's strawberry season in New York and taking full advantage? THIS GIRL.
Wednesday: Watermelon, ice cream, leftovers, green salad. My kids mostly ate the first two items before and during an outing with their grandmother. They just love coming to Grandma's house. 🙂
Thursday: An excellent potluck family gathering at which I ate many delicious summer salads featuring mayonnaise (I love mayonnaise) and contributed only sugar snap peas. Kind of lame, yes.
Friday: Bunless hamburgers, fried potatoes, curried cauliflower, and more strawberries.
Beach food sounds so great! Enjoy your vacation. 🙂
How did those pancakes make it out of America's Test Kitchen?!? At any rate, I'll know what not to try when my CC arrives.
This was from an older issue. And I wouldn't say the pancakes were terrible...more just that cooked strawberries in my pancakes are not MY personal preference. I like my strawberries cold and raw!
I cooked a bunch of pork chops in the oven this weekend so:
Monday it was chops, fried cabbage and corn on the cob.
Tuesday was chops, mashed cauliflower and roasted sweet potatoes.
Wednesday was my last night before my husband came home so I indulged in cassava flour pancakes with maple syrup.
Thursday he was finally home and happy to eat leftover chops and cabbage and I made fresh corn on the cob.
I didn’t make it to the store; meetings with caregiver and physical therapy folks. So I pulled bacon from the freezer, gave him the last of the corn, we split the mashed cauliflower and we had applesauce. My daughter contributed a nice small watermelon which was good.
He was sure happy to eat even leftovers. He’s been gone about five weeks!
Yay! I have been reading your updates every week. I am so happy for you and your husband that he is home.
My goodness, that is a long time! I'm so glad he's back now. Yay!
Any chance of a link to the quinoa recipe? I have a lot to use up. Thanks!
I don't think it's online, except behind a paywall. But I can email you a photo of the recipe!
Are you finding the newer recipes from Cooks Illustrated to be not as good as they once were?
Those bratwurst look yummy, and I totally agree about cooked strawberries! This week we ate:
Monday - Thai Chicken Salad, fresh fruit
Tuesday - Tuna Salad on Toast, 3 Bean Salad
Wednesday -Skillet Elgin Sausage, homemade mac and cheese, carrots
Thursday - BBQ ribs, coleslaw, (freezer) pintos and brisket, queso and fritos, watermelon, chocolate chip pecan bars (mom worked)
Friday - Aztec Quiche, sauteed brussels sprouts
Saturday - maybe pizza - we are eating lunch out though
Sunday - (freezer) Pulled Pork on buns, potato salad, leftover watermelon (mom and dad to winery pick-up party until 5 p.m.)
I am trying to avoid using the oven as much as possible!
We made that fatoush salad last night. Even my little kids who are usually salad averse liked it! I’ve been pleasantly surprised how much use I’ve gotten out of Dinner Illustrated.
Clearly I had very little desire to cook this week:
Sunday - I nibbled on some cold rotisserie chicken and some fruit.
Monday - I steamed some broccoli and made a box of mac & cheese.
Tuesday - hot dogs and beans
Wednesday - I had a sandwich but I did cook up stuff for the 4th of July
Thursday - My brother smoked a pork shoulder so we had pulled pork sandwiches. I contributed homemade potato salad and key lime pie.
Friday - Sandwich and left over potato salad.
All together too many sandwiches and not enough fruit and veg. (I don't supposed key lime pie counts as a serving of fruit? Heh.) Next week will be better!
I was in Alaska for a conference, followed by a trip up to Maine with the inlaws and the bro-in-law, so we all took turns cooking.
Saturday: Alaska conference, ate out.
Sunday: airport food in Seattle
Monday: gazpacho and nuts
Tuesday: sandwich in the car
Wednesday: beef and veg kabobs, rice, salad
Thursday: pork carnitas tacos with all the fixins, grilled corn on the cob, roasted cherry sorbet (food52 recipe) and Mexican wedding cookies
Friday: out for steamers & lobster, woopie pies
Saturday: raw oysters, grilled Artic char, new potatoes, peas & peas, angel food cake with fresh berries
Sunday: leftovers
Me and DH cooked this past week. We had:
smoked chicken/mixed veg
pot roast/carrots/potatoes/garlic bread
breaded chicken/Spanish rice
grilled meats/oven fries
I can't remember what else... I know I wanted to bake but never got to it. Maybe this week.