Whats For Dinner?

I often think about the types of things I would eat if I lived by myself. Ironically, I have never lived by myself. It doesn’t stop me from thinking about it though (maybe it’s fantasizing).

My main meals would be a meat with peppers and onions. Tonight, I had some chicken breast with green peppers that were frozen from my garden this summer. I topped it with a little Italian dressing for flavor.

I could eat dinners like this almost every night. I’d probably lose some weight too. I’d also probably eat a lot of salad and soups too. In the summer, there would be a lot of tomatoes and cucumbers and meats would be grilled.

I’d probably be able to afford better cuts of steaks since I wouldn’t need a whole lot of meat. This whole idea is starting to sound pretty good except for the fact I’d have to have a full time real job.

I guess I need to put some more thought into this. I guess it’s never wrong to want to eat better and more healthy.

So, I’ve been spending a lot of time planning my Christmas menu. I’ve been thinking a lot about food. Of course, the question pops up What is Food?

Food is defined as any substance, usually carbohydrates, fats, water and/or proteins that can be eaten by humans or animals for nutrition or pleasure.

Items that are considered food include plants and animals or other things like fungi or alcohol.

Most cultures have their own food customs with a set of cooking traditions or practices. A meal is food prepared to be eaten at a certain time. Most food is cooked, although some are eaten raw.

Next time you are making dinner, think about where all the food came from. Think about how it is prepared and the past generations that shaped each dish before you. It can make you feel small but the meal seems larger than life.

Have you checked out the website of your favorite store? It’s more than just a store locator. Now, most have meal ideas, recipes and printable shopping lists.

I was looking at the website for Hannaford’s. They have money saving recipes that include the price per serving if you bought the ingredients at their store. Just print out the recipe and the shopping list and you’re good to go.

Stores are really competing for your business. Although, I find that most people are loyal to one store. It becomes a habit and it feels like a time saver if you know where most of the items are. Things like printable recipes and lists might not convert me  but if something looked interesting, I might make a special trip.

Before your next shopping trip, check out your store’s website. You might run across good meal ideas and money savings too.

So, the Good Seasons Italian Dressing is one of my favorite salad dressings. There are so many more uses for those packets than just salad dressing.

For years, I have used the dressing as a marinade, mostly for steak. It’s one of my favorite marinades. If you check out the Kraft Foods website, there are so many more uses.

I’m actually thinking of making the green beans they have a recipe for as a side dish on Christmas. I like to do things a little different than normal vegetables for special occasions.

I’ve also made roasted potatoes using the dry ingredients of the package. Those came out great too. It’s really a no brainer on pasta salad.

I know people make things with the packets of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix too. That goes great on chicken.

The next time you are looking to spice things up, think outside the box and into the packet.

So, I’m working on my Christmas menu. The centerpiece (well, besides the beef tenderloin that someone else is bringing) is the spiral ham.

I love spiral ham. You don’t really have to cook it, it’s more of just heating it up. Then adding the glaze on top. There’s nothing better.

A spiral ham can be the center of a meal or just part of the meal. Nothing goes better with the ham than scalloped potatoes. Green beans are the preferred vegetable too.

The leftover possibilities are endless. When it gets down to the end of the ham, I’ll make ham salad. I put the ham into a food processor to chop it. I add mayonaise and mustard along with relish.

I also like to make ham and cheese omlettes with some leftover ham. I haven’t made it in a while, but I used to make a ham and noodle casserole.

I’m really looking forward to the ham on Christmas, not just that day but all the days to follow.

Did you know that you can get dinner delivered? I’m not talking pizza and Chinese food. There are places that will send you complete dinners that arrive frozen, in oven safe packaging.

All you do is heat and eat. There are a number of entrees, side dishes and desserts. I would have to wonder if it’s the same as eating the frozen dinners that you can buy at the supermarket each night.

Most of these companies have high minimum orders. Most dinners serve 2 adults.

Although most of us are looking for an easier way to make dinner each night, I don’t know if I’d like a service like this. If I want to eat frozen meals each night, I could go to the store and get one for about $3.

Most of these services claim that a chef prepares each meal. Although it would be nice to believe, I really doubt that happens.

When it comes to dinner, there are a lot of options out there and I guess these types of services fulfill a need or they wouldn’t be in business.

Week 14 is moving toward a close. In the Sunday night game, the Ravens defeated the Redskins. It was the first time in over 30 years that the Redskins played a game in Baltimore. The two stadiums are less than 40 miles apart. Hopefully it won’t be another 30 years before they play again.

The game of the week is happening right now. At the half, Carolina leads Tampa Bay 10-3. As the second half opens, the Bucs just made a circus catch interception. The winner of this game takes the lead in the NFC South.

As I mentioned yesterday, it looks like the Colts will grab a Wild Card spot in the AFC. They have won 6 games in a row and are now starting to get healthy while most other teams are suffering injuries.

Well, the Bucs just tied the game. I’m going to watch the rest and I’ll see you tomorrow.

There are a ton of meals that can be made in a crock pot. They are especially good on cold winter days, like it was here today.

I’ve made great pulled pork sandwiches in the crock pot. I start with a pork roast. Then I use a dry rub for seasoning. I cook it on low until the meat is cooked. Then shred with 2 forks. Put the meat back in the crock pot and add barbeque sauce. Heat again until warmed through. I freeze the leftovers in individual portions so I can just use enough for 1 sandwich.

Another great crock pot meal is meatballs. I use frozen meatballs and add a jar of grape jelly and a bottle of chili sauce. These cook for hours also and are so sweet and delicious.

Chicken drumsticks also come out great. You can add barbeque sauce or make them oriental style by adding soy sauce and honey. By the time the chicken’s ready, the meat just falls off the bone.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with the crock pot. Usually the best creations are just something that was thrown together.

Sliders are small sized hamburgers. They say that they are called sliders because they slide right down.

The key to making great sliders is to find the small rolls that you’ll use and form your patties to fit those rolls.

Racheal Ray makes lots of these types of burgers on 30 Minute Meals on the Food Network. It’s one of her favorite things to make.

You can really let your imagination go wild with these burgers. You can mix things in with the meat or have different toppings. A great idea is to put the cheese inside the meat so it melts while it’s cooking.

These are great to make with kids. The smaller burgers mean they will probably eat the whole thing. They like them because they are fun looking. They are tasty too.

Sliders don’t have to be hamburger only. You can use ground chicken or turkey. The ground poultry usually needs more seasonings. They can tend to be a little dry too.

Have some fun and cook up a batch of sliders soon.

There’s really nothing easier than a beef brisket. The way I like to make mine is that first you “dry cook” the meat. Put the brisket in a baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour per pound. For the last hour of cooking, slice the beef and return to the dish.

Cover with a 50/50 mixture of barbeque sauce and water. Recover the dish with the foil for the last hour of cooking.

This comes out so moist and tasty. You could have it as a main dish or as a sandwich. Whichever you choose, crispy onion rings make a great side. If I serve this as a meal then mashed potatoes go great with this.

Leftovers are great from this. Maybe have it as a dinner one night and make sandwiches the next night. Either way, you can’t go wrong.