lexxycon,
I just use mashed potatoes mixed with Parmesan cheese as the topping, like a Shepard's pie. Poach or broil the salmon; butter a casserole or pie plate, layer or mix salmon and veggies (I like steamed spinach or asparagus or broccoli, but some like plain old mixed veggies, well drained), season to taste; top with lots of potato mix; bake at 350F until bubbling.

I usually make a big batch and freeze some or later meals.

@walesmaven wrote:

lexxycon,
I just use mashed potatoes mixed with Parmesan cheese as the topping, like a Shepard's pie. Poach or broil the salmon; butter a casserole or pie plate, layer or mix salmon and veggies (I like steamed spinach or asparagus or broccoli, but some like plain old mixed veggies, well drained), season to taste; top with lots of potato mix; bake at 350F until bubbling.

I usually make a big batch and freeze some or later meals.

That should work! My Shepard's pie gets demolished within a day. Many thanks!

OMG that dish sounds fabulous!

I tried my hand at Poutine. Since my son used to live in Quebec City and then Montreal, he had been persuading me to try it.

So I bought real cheese curds at St Lawrence Market and fried some sweet potatoes, instead of using regular fries.
Then I made my own gravy with less fat. Placed some sweet potatoes on a small mug, added some homemade pulled pork, placed a handful of curds and then added two tablespoon of gravy. Voila, my very first Poutine! I gave it to my son to taste and he did not return it to me. He wanted another one. I made one for myself. I was surprised because I really liked it. And after having lived here in Canada, I have avoided even tasting it. I thought it would be too rich for me.

Moroccan chicken, marinated tomato and cucumber salad with feta, and maybe I will make hummus.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/2015 05:28PM by walesmaven.

pork loin, rice pilaf, fresh steamed green beans, corn on the cob, salad and elderberry pie

Warm chocolate chip cookies (husband baking from a tube) and ice cold milk. I ruined dinner and it's going in the trash. It was a beef and noodles crockpot recipe I found on Pinterest. Blech! I knew better, but I wanted it to work so I did it. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

Oh, I am baking Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies and Peanut Butter Oatmeal cookies. It's because I discovered I had so many jars of peanut butter which are expiring next month and in September. I learned online that the jars are good until one year after the expiry. I opened one jar and it was fine so might as well use them while it is still early, as I have so many jars in my cupboard.

That's not my dinner though. I had baked basa fillet, slices of fresh tomatoes and cucumber. Hot water with lemon was so good afterwards.

Shepherd's Pie from Trader Joe's and corn on the cob.

Risinghorizon, would you care to share the recipe for the flourless peanut butter cookies? I loooove peanut butter cookies. Or better yet, just share the cookies



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/2015 03:23AM by kimmiemae.

Sure. Here it is.

1 c peanut butter
1 c sugar (could be a combination of white and brown sugar). I actually use less sugar. And since I place vanilla beans in my sugar canister, I don't add any vanilla extract. You may, if you wish.
1 egg

Preheat oven 350°F. Blend the ingredients and drop a teaspoonful on a cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes or so.
Don't overcook. Makes a dozen so you may want to double the recipe. You can add some jam or drizzle chocolate on top if you want. Enjoy!

How was the Trader Joe's Shepherd's Pie?

@kimmiemae I tripled the recipe and took most of them to our breakfast at church. I'd love to share with you what I have in the cookie box because I intend to make more to make use of the peanut butter jars. They do melt not only in my mouth but in my hands. So I probably will bake more of the peanut butter oatmeal cookies as they tend to keep their shapes more.

@risinghorizon - you are a very sweet person. Thank you for the recipe.

@LJ - I thought the shepherd's pie was good but obviously a homemade one would be better. The meat is not crumbled ground beef that is traditionally in shepherd's pie. It was more like shredded pot roast meat or brisket? It was 2 servings. I split it with my mom who happened to come over. I served it with corn on the cob. It was good for a last second meal.

Hmmm. I agree - nothing is like homemade but sometimes you need something fast. I like having emergency food in my freezer. I tried just making bigger portions of when I cook so I'll have leftovers to freeze, but DH just goes back for seconds and eats it all up.

For lunch I made zucchini pizzas. For dinner I am having a boneless chicken breast with mushrooms and teriyaki sauce. It's a meal in a pan that I got at the grocery store that I throw in the toaster oven for half an hour. I haven't tried this variety yet but it sure smells good.

Edited to add: I am also making pineapple mango salsa with it since the store didn't have any made up.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/2015 11:58PM by kimmiemae.

LJ,

I think my favorite so far from Trader Joe's is their Mandarin Orange Chicken. I would get that over take-out from the local Chinese restaurant. Now only if they had General Tso's.

My favorite side-dish from them is their frozen Mac and Cheese. You could make a whole meal out of it I suppose. I usually have it with a ham steak and some sort of vegetable.

The Trader Joe's Orange Chicken is wonderful! Have you tried the Kung Pao and the Teriyaki Chicken?

No I haven't. I will have to. Thanks for the suggestion.

:sigh: If only my DH would eat mac & cheese that didn't come out of a blue box.

LJ, did you know you can make mac and cheese in a pressure cooker without even cooking the pasta first?

I just got a six quart electric pressure cooker and I'm trying everything.

Total time is about 25 minutes including cooking - takes less if you don't do the oven browning.

1 pound dried elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon Kosher salt (or 2 teaspoons table salt)
4 cups water
1 – 12oz can evaporated milk
16 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (Velveeta works good, too)
6 ounces shredded Parmigiano cheese

Bread Crumb Topping (optional) - 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Stir the macaroni, butter, mustard, hot pepper sauce, salt, and 4 cups water in the pressure cooker pot. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes, then quick release the pressure and remove the lid.

Turn the electric pressure cooker to simmer, and stir in the evaporated milk. Test a piece of pasta by taking a bite – it should be al dente, but cooked through. If the pasta is still tough in the middle, simmer it for a few minutes, until it is tender. Stir in the cheese one handful at a time, stirring constantly and waiting for the current handful to melt before adding the next handful.

Optional step - only if you like a toasted bread crumb topping: Pour the macaroni into a 3 quart broiler-safe dish, patting it down to level out the surface. Sprinkle the panko over the macaroni and cheese in an even layer. Broil the macaroni and cheese on high until the bread crumbs are toasted, about 5 minutes. Check the bread crumbs often – they go from pale brown to burnt in a flash. Or - put a couple of thin slices of cheese on top and broil to melt the cheese.

That sounds good; I'm tempted to try it even though I'm afraid of my pressure cooker and my DH only likes blue box mac&cheese. What other good stuff have you made? I need to get over my fear of it exploding because I want to get a pressure canner and try canning things that can't be done with the water bath method. I might as well make sure I can get over my fear of what I've already got and has been sitting in my cupboard for a couple of years.

LJ - paint the Trader Joe's box blue.

Costco $5 Rotisserie chicken. Costco Misses Out On $40M/Year Because Of $5 Rotisserie Chickens, And It’s Okay With That:
[consumerist.com]

I eat the dark meat when I take it home. Then the next day I take the white meat and make chicken salad, BBQ chicken sandwiches, Chicken Marsala over pasta, Chicken noodle soup, Chicken and rice, or anything you can imagine with the white meat.

Yesterday I ate the second half of my meal from an ACL dinner shop as it was a full bar, appetizer, salad, shrimp & steak, veggie, baked potato and desert shop. I always have leftovers for a full second meal with that job and am stuffed.

I have fallen asleep at the keyboard more than once writing the report after eating too much when shopping for them.

Sheboygan style bratwurst on a bun with mustard and relish, a side of baked beans, a few potato chips.

@walesmaven wrote:

Sheboygan style bratwurst on a bun with mustard and relish, a side of baked beans, a few potato chips.

I have worked at Sheboygan and Sheboygan Falls for a week at a time every year for several years and eaten all the restaurants and stayed at the best hotel they had in town when I worked on the road. I never saw anything special about the brats that made them any different than a brat from any other WI city?

Most Wisconsin brats are Sheboygan style!

Scanman - do you make stock out of the carcass? mmmmmmm

Tell me what you would do with an oversalted fish. Last night, my friend invited me to a restaurant that just opened. My order was whole fried tilapia fish with onion and tomatoes wrapped in banana leaves. I tasted it and it was too salty. They had a lot of sauces and I tried some of them. It was still too salty. Since they just opened I did not want to jinx them. My friend ordered a pasta and it was really good and I stopped eating my order and shared hers instead. I wanted to return the dish but my friend suggested that I recook it at home. It was hardly eaten. It's in the fridge. I don't know if the cat would eat it.

I was thinking of deboning it and making fish balls with sweet and sour sauce.

Edited for typo.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/18/2015 04:36AM by risinghorizon.

Potatoes absorb excess salt. Perhaps you should try to make a fish soup or chowder with a lot of diced potatoes.