Monday January 12, 2009 Dinner

Hot doggie! Chili dogs, to be precise. These are about as decadent good as it gets. Basic all-beef franks, white bread buns, beanless chili from a can, cheddar cheese, onions, jalapenos, and Fritos! Ole!

Sunday January 11, 2009 Dinner

Picked up some stuff from the grocery store's deli counter: pot roast, roasted veggies, and mac-n-cheese. Delicious, but not quite as good as it would've been home-made.

Saturday January 10, 2009 Dinner

Dinner out, PF Chang's, an upscale(ish) Chinese place. Great atmosphere, great service, pretty good food, though not up to expectations.

Friday January 9, 2009 Dinner

Pot pies..... Yummy, but not very exciting.

Followed by an newly invented cocktail!

The (not yet named).

• Bourbon (3 parts)
  
• Vanilla cognac (1 part)
  
• bitters
  
• soda
• ice

Garnished with lemon peel. Oh, man.

Thursday January 8, 2009 Dinner

I am a slacker. I do not remember.

Wednesday January 7, 2009 Dinner

Big Caesar salad, with skinless chicken breast and bacon crumbles.

Tuesday January 6, 2009 Dinner

Stir fry variant, using leftover hamburger.

• onion
• beef broth
• red wine
• garlic
• mushrooms
• 1/3 pound pre-cooked ground beef patty, chopped
• broccoli
• bok choy

Cooked together in the order listed. About 30 minutes total, but the first 15 was a simmer between beef and broccoli to reduce the liquids.

Enjoyed this with a glass of zinfandel. Would have been good over rice or noodles, but I am fighting a holiday bulge.

Monday January 5, 2009 Dinner

Ever had a patty melt? Well, this wasn't one of those greasy cardboard diner versions....

• One third pound of lean ground beef
• Worstchester sauce
• Salt n Pepper
• Homemade thousand island dressing (mayonnaise, catsup, Worcester sauce, finely diced onion, sweet pickle relish. Mix to taste.)
• cheddar cheese
• onion, halved and sliced thin 
• mushrooms sliced
• Dark rye bread

Mix the Worstchester into the ground beef, form patties, then salt and pepper them. Fry until one side is well-browned, then turn. Add onions and mushrooms to the pan. Cover, reduce heat, and let it go for a while (about 20 minutes). MEANWHILE, spread some dressing on two slices of bread. Make yahself a sammich. Eat it up. Yum.

Sunday January 4, 2009 Dinner

Had a very tasty Italian meat sandwich:

• ham
• salami
• pepperoni
• swiss cheese
• red onion
• stoneground mustard
• mayo
• dark whole grain molasses bread

Popped open a bottle of winter wee-strong ale (Scottish strong ale) and a few tater chips.

Saturday January 3, 2009 Dinner

Soft tacos: mixed up a little taco meat:

• quarter pound of ground beef
• diced onion
• chili powder
• fresh ground cumin
• salt & pepper
• squirt of catsup
• little water

Browned the burger and onions, then mixed everything else together and let it simmer until it looked right.

Served with olives, green onions, cheddar cheese, soft flour tortillas, homemade guacamole, sour cream, and BEER.

Friday January 2, 2009 Dinner

Hawaiian takeout: teriyaki pork, with a green salad. Salty dogs and movies. Gotta love Fridays.

Thursday January 1, 2009 Happy New Year

After the season's excesses, thought it might be good to tone things down a notch or two. Pretty much just picked and scratched all day, leftovers and such, very low quantities of everything. The closest thing to a "dinner" was a bowl of popcorn and a couple of "Harlow" old-fashioneds with a movie on the TV. Great way to spend the first day of a brand new year.

Wednesday December 31, 2008 PARTY

My lovely wife put on a New Year's Eve party, pretty much all by herself, soup to nuts. Whew! It was marvelous. The menu included: 

• Baked ham, salami & cheese sandwich with mushrooms, roasted red pepper, onion, and served with a kalmata olive tapenade
• Crab salad on celery sticks with fresh pea garnish
• Fruit salad with dates
• Bûche de Noël cake

All very yummy, with candy & cookies galore.

Tuesday December 30, 2008 Dinner

Ate out, at our favorite bbq joint, Hole in the Wall. Had a half-rack of luscious ribs with coleslaw and these cheesy "Texas Potatos" they make. Sweet tea, and good to go.

Monday December 29, 2008 Dinner

Zucchini marinara

This was a good way to use up some leftover homemade marinara. Just sauteed some fresh zucchini with an onion and a bunch of mushrooms, added the marinara with a splash of wine, and let it simmer down to a manageable consistency. Could have served it over bread, noodles, or rice, but just ate it plain with a small caesar salad and a glass of the generic red I cooked it with.

Sunday December 28, 2008 Dinner

BACT sandwiches! Sweet!

Bacon

Avocado
Cheddar cheese
Tomato

On country white bread, with mayo & butter. And a fair fist-full of Kettle Chips.

December 24-27, 2008 Feasting

It is impossible to separate the last four days into distinct dinners. Feasting has been the rule of the day, here at home and at the homes of family. Christmas dinner itself was a delightful entity shared with my wife alone (steamed crab, fruit, cheeses, dates, cold asparagus spears, chiabata, and a truly elegant meursault), but it continued through to Boxing Day, and seemed to blend right in from Christmas Eve dinner buffet and Christmas morning breakfast. Not to mention non-stop snacking upon a host of treats and lovelies of rare delight. sigh. I believe I am ready for month of salad and meager fare.

Monday December 22, 2008 Dinner

Found some nice fresh raviolis at the market—stuffed with four cheeses—and served it with a quick and easy marinara and some fresh Parmesan.

Easy Marinara

• 1/4 cup of diced onion
• dash of olive oil
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped black olives
• dried basil & oregano (fresh would've been better, but hell, it's winter)
• salt & pepper
• one regular-sized can of tomato sauce (I used organic, but any kind would be fine)
• Parmesan cheese to taste

Just saute the onion for a minute in the oil, then add the sauce and all the other stuff, and let it simmer on low for 15-20 minutes.

Sunday December 21, 2008 Dinner

I baked a halibut fillet thusly:

• Drizzle of olive oil in a baking dish
• salt & pepper fillet, very light dusting of dill weed
• lay fillet in dish
• cover with juice of one lemon, then a bit of grated lemon rind
• generous layer of capers atop
• few tablespoons of viognier
• Cover tightly with aluminium foil and bake at 325 for about 35 minutes.

Served it with broccoli, and a glass or two of the viognier.

Saturday, December 20, 2008 Dinner

Ate at a very popular Italian chain restaurant. I had a seafood thing over fettucini. I was a pretty tasty dish, but they snuck something milk-ish in there and I paid a price.