What did you eat today?
Quote: billryanDinner was a craft cheeseburger with all the fixings, and a side of curly fries.
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Next time you take a picture try and reduce the number of before dinner drinks so your hand is not shaking uncontrollably and take the picture before you start eating. You never see a picture in Bon Appetit magazine of a half eaten plate of food. As bad as it is this picture is a gigantic Improvement over just talking about what you're eating. Food without pictures is it like going to a travel lecture where he just talks about where he was and has no pictures of it.
"The modern use of the phrase 'a picture is worth a thousand words' is
generally attributed to Fred R. Barnard. He wrote this phrase in the 1920's
in the advertising trade journal Printers' Ink, promoting the use of images
in advertisements that appeared on the sides of streetcars."
Quote: EvenBobChicken with sauteed cauliflower topped with cheese sauce. You can put cheese sauce on an old shoe and it would taste good. This is the thick cheese sauce like you find in a fondue.
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Weird. I’d have thunk you would have eaten a large portion of crow today.
Quote: billryanMargarita-style pizza on naan bread. It's a bit smallish in appearance but very filling.
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Because there's no picture what I see in my mind is something about the size of the plate that goes under a teacup.
Quote: ThatDonGuyToday was a rather special day as, barring a last-minute change in my work schedule or my retirement plans, it was the last Friday where I would be working - my schedule is mainly 9-hour days, so I take every other Friday off, and I collect so much vacation time that I have to burn off ("use or lose," it is called) that I start taking every Friday off near the end of the year. I went to a local deli and had a halfway decent roast beef au jus sandwich with Swiss on a french roll. For dinner, I made some basic lasagne (layer of tomato sauce, noodles - the "no boil" kind - then ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, noodles, sauce, ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, a third layer of each, a fourth layer of noodles, and top it with more sauce and mozzarella. No, I didn't "forget" the meat; I never could make a meat sauce that I liked very much.
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Congrats on the impending retirement. I am very jealous.
Quote: ThatDonGuyToday was a rather special day as, barring a last-minute change in my work schedule or my retirement plans, it was the last Friday where I would be working - my schedule is mainly 9-hour days, so I take every other Friday off, and I collect so much vacation time that I have to burn off ("use or lose," it is called) that I start taking every Friday off near the end of the year. I went to a local deli and had a halfway decent roast beef au jus sandwich with Swiss on a french roll. For dinner, I made some basic lasagne (layer of tomato sauce, noodles - the "no boil" kind - then ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, noodles, sauce, ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, a third layer of each, a fourth layer of noodles, and top it with more sauce and mozzarella. No, I didn't "forget" the meat; I never could make a meat sauce that I liked very much.
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Sounds like a great lasagna.
The Fridays off bit doesn't sound too bad, either.
picture obtained from internet, surleplat.com
Quote: EvenBobChinese chicken thighs in the slow cooker.
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"Chinese"? Are we to believe that those thighs belong to a Chinese chicken? How could you tell?
tuttigym
Quote: ThatDonGuyToday was a rather special day as, barring a last-minute change in my work schedule or my retirement plans, it was the last Friday where I would be working - my schedule is mainly 9-hour days, so I take every other Friday off, and I collect so much vacation time that I have to burn off ("use or lose," it is called) that I start taking every Friday off near the end of the year. I went to a local deli and had a halfway decent roast beef au jus sandwich with Swiss on a french roll. For dinner, I made some basic lasagne (layer of tomato sauce, noodles - the "no boil" kind - then ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, noodles, sauce, ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, a third layer of each, a fourth layer of noodles, and top it with more sauce and mozzarella. No, I didn't "forget" the meat; I never could make a meat sauce that I liked very much.
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Congrats on reaching retirement. I am pretty sure it will be rewarding for you.
U Tube has some really easy recipes for meat sauce. I tries a couple of them and they were better than most restaurant offerings. The prep is simple and easy to do. Also, not complicated with tons of ingredients. I have learned alot from the U Tube offerings on all kinds of food preps and dishes.
tuttigym
Quote: DieterQuote: ThatDonGuyToday was a rather special day as, barring a last-minute change in my work schedule or my retirement plans, it was the last Friday where I would be working - my schedule is mainly 9-hour days, so I take every other Friday off, and I collect so much vacation time that I have to burn off ("use or lose," it is called) that I start taking every Friday off near the end of the year. I went to a local deli and had a halfway decent roast beef au jus sandwich with Swiss on a french roll. For dinner, I made some basic lasagne (layer of tomato sauce, noodles - the "no boil" kind - then ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, noodles, sauce, ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, a third layer of each, a fourth layer of noodles, and top it with more sauce and mozzarella. No, I didn't "forget" the meat; I never could make a meat sauce that I liked very much.
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Sounds like a great lasagna.
The Fridays off bit doesn't sound too bad, either.
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Don't congratulate me just yet - I'm not planning on retiring before February (and that assumes that there isn't a mess in Washington that results in my federal job being closed because there's no budget); it's just that I have so much leave saved up that I can take every Friday off (including the ones I normally get off on my schedule) until then.
As for the lasagne (and note that "lasagna" actually refers to just one noodle, like "spaghetto" and "raviolo"),
It takes:
1 box of Barilla "no boiling required" lasagne noodles
2 cans of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
2 tbsp or so garlic powder
2 tbsp or so Italian spice mix
4 cups shredded Mozzarella (actually, I use 2 cups Mozzarella and 2 cups "six-cheese Italian blend")
1 container ricotta cheese
1 egg (or 1/4 cup of "liquid egg-like product")
1 of those plastic Albertson's / Safeway / Vons containers of spinach leaves
Combine the ricotta and egg
Combine the sauce, paste, and spices (usually, I start with one can of sauce, then half of the spices, mix those, then the paste, mix again, then the other can, then the rest of the spices, and one more mixing)
Construct the lasagne in a baking dish in layers:
1/3 cup sauce
3 noodles
1/3 of the ricotta mixture
2/3 cup sauce
A layer of spinach leaves
1 cup cheese
Repeat the noodles, ricotta, sauce, spinach, cheese two more times
Finish with one more layer of noodles, then 1/3 cup sauce, then 1/2 cup cheese (there should be 1/2 cup remaining)
Cover with foil: bake at 375 F for 25 minutes
Remove foil, spoon the liquid that is on the sides of the dish over the top, add the remaining cheese on top, and bake another 5 minutes
Why, yes, this is pretty the recipe that is on the box, isn't it?
Quote: ThatDonGuyQuote: DieterQuote: ThatDonGuyToday was a rather special day as, barring a last-minute change in my work schedule or my retirement plans, it was the last Friday where I would be working - my schedule is mainly 9-hour days, so I take every other Friday off, and I collect so much vacation time that I have to burn off ("use or lose," it is called) that I start taking every Friday off near the end of the year. I went to a local deli and had a halfway decent roast beef au jus sandwich with Swiss on a french roll. For dinner, I made some basic lasagne (layer of tomato sauce, noodles - the "no boil" kind - then ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, noodles, sauce, ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, a third layer of each, a fourth layer of noodles, and top it with more sauce and mozzarella. No, I didn't "forget" the meat; I never could make a meat sauce that I liked very much.
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Sounds like a great lasagna.
The Fridays off bit doesn't sound too bad, either.
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Don't congratulate me just yet - I'm not planning on retiring before February (and that assumes that there isn't a mess in Washington that results in my federal job being closed because there's no budget); it's just that I have so much leave saved up that I can take every Friday off (including the ones I normally get off on my schedule) until then.
As for the lasagne (and note that "lasagna" actually refers to just one noodle, like "spaghetto" and "raviolo"),
It takes:
1 box of Barilla "no boiling required" lasagne noodles
2 cans of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
2 tbsp or so garlic powder
2 tbsp or so Italian spice mix
4 cups shredded Mozzarella (actually, I use 2 cups Mozzarella and 2 cups "six-cheese Italian blend")
1 container ricotta cheese
1 egg (or 1/4 cup of "liquid egg-like product")
1 of those plastic Albertson's / Safeway / Vons containers of spinach leaves
Combine the ricotta and egg
Combine the sauce, paste, and spices (usually, I start with one can of sauce, then half of the spices, mix those, then the paste, mix again, then the other can, then the rest of the spices, and one more mixing)
Construct the lasagne in a baking dish in layers:
1/3 cup sauce
3 noodles
1/3 of the ricotta mixture
2/3 cup sauce
A layer of spinach leaves
1 cup cheese
Repeat the noodles, ricotta, sauce, spinach, cheese two more times
Finish with one more layer of noodles, then 1/3 cup sauce, then 1/2 cup cheese (there should be 1/2 cup remaining)
Cover with foil: bake at 375 F for 25 minutes
Remove foil, spoon the liquid that is on the sides of the dish over the top, add the remaining cheese on top, and bake another 5 minutes
Why, yes, this is pretty the recipe that is on the box, isn't it?
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No congratulations!
Just... Fridays off sounds pretty OK.
;)
Quote: billryanI use meat sauce in my lasagna and substitute eggplant for the third layer of noodles. Blending cottage cheese and ricotta has a surprising effect, especially if you add a raw egg to the mix.
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I use Italian sausage and pepperoni in my lasagna.
A well rounded diet encompassing the majority of the food pyramid. BTW, there were peanuts in the ice cream to satisfy my vegetable component. I also consumed about 3 liters of sweet tea.
One of the better neighborhood sushi places recently moved into new digs with a new name, and converted their old location and name to a poke bowl shop. We went into the poke shop, saw what they had done, and went across the street to the new restaurant.
Apparently we were one of the first to order omakase in the new location, and most of the kitchen staff decided to pose with our platter for their instagram.
The sea urchin roe was good, as was the salmon roe in a cucumber carved like a flower. Ashly was a fan of the barbecued shrimp heads. All the sashimi was good, but most was sliced a lot thicker than I usually enjoy.
I get the distinct feeling we lucked out because they wanted to flex a little on their feed.
Quote: EvenBobHere's what my cats eat everyday. Today was chicken day, every 6th day is chicken day in my house. It's when I cook 5 lb of chicken leg quarters in the pressure cooker and I get enough meat to feed them for 6 days and almost a gallon of broth to mix with their wet and dry food. It's a pain to keep doing this but they really love it and it's good for them.
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That is awesome. I have never cooked for any of our cats. On Thanksgiving they do get the whole turkey carcass.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5iKhh8l5eYo
Quote: EvenBobHere is a Cook Unity video. They show the food in extreme close-ups to make it look bigger then about 9 seconds in there's a guy with glasses holding one in his hand and eating it. Look fast because he's the only on the screen for exactly 3 seconds and then he's gone. Now you have perspective and you can see how tiny this thing is. It has to be tiny how else are they going to make money. I read the typical weight of one of their entrees is 9 to 12 oz. You cannot go buy what it says on the package, you have to actually take the food out of the container and weigh it yourself cuz it will always be way less then what it says on the container. By anybody's standards 9 to 12 oz is not a lot of food. Certainly not for the amount of money they charge for it.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5iKhh8l5eYo
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I know that I eat a lot less than most people, but you don't think 9oz-12oz is enough food for a meal?
The difference between a CU dinner and eating out is that the side dishes aren't as big. A burger and fries from Peter Lugars would feature a similar-sized burger but include more fries. One customer may foolishly pay half price, cook a few fries of their own, and think they are getting over, while only the wisest consumers will recognize that the rest of us are being ripped off.
Quote: DRichQuote: EvenBobHere is a Cook Unity video. They show the food in extreme close-ups to make it look bigger then about 9 seconds in there's a guy with glasses holding one in his hand and eating it. Look fast because he's the only on the screen for exactly 3 seconds and then he's gone. Now you have perspective and you can see how tiny this thing is. It has to be tiny how else are they going to make money. I read the typical weight of one of their entrees is 9 to 12 oz. You cannot go buy what it says on the package, you have to actually take the food out of the container and weigh it yourself cuz it will always be way less then what it says on the container. By anybody's standards 9 to 12 oz is not a lot of food. Certainly not for the amount of money they charge for it.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5iKhh8l5eYo
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I know that I eat a lot less than most people, but you don't think 9oz-12oz is enough food for a meal?
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It's probably not enough if you're a vegetable-eater.
Also going to depend on appetite.
Small portions seem to be right if you're only moderately active and trying not to gain weight.
Quote: Dieter
It's probably not enough if you're a vegetable-eater.
Also going to depend on appetite.
Small portions seem to be right if you're only moderately active and trying not to gain weight.
I might agree if you are only eating one meal a day, but if you eat three meals 27oz-36oz seems like more than enough for most people.
I only eat one meal a day and it is almost always less than 8oz. Of course, I eat a lot of Dorito's and snacks all day.
Quote: DRichQuote: Dieter
It's probably not enough if you're a vegetable-eater.
Also going to depend on appetite.
Small portions seem to be right if you're only moderately active and trying not to gain weight.
I might agree if you are only eating one meal a day, but if you eat three meals 27oz-36oz seems like more than enough for most people.
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Two meals yesterday was a struggle.
I couldn't finish what used to be a reasonably portioned breakfast this morning.
The pickled quail eggs were quite lovely, with a peppery finish.
Quote: billryanAnyone who knows me knows I have a huge appetite, which begs the question: Am I praising Cook Unity so much because it is good, or is this another conspiracy against EB? Using my food scale, a tray of lasagna weighs 17.2 ounces, whereas its stated weight is 16 ounces. The empty tray weighs just over 1.2 ounces. It appears Cook Unity is lying and advertising a pound of lasagna when the food is no more than 15.95 ounces. That's how they get you.
The difference between a CU dinner and eating out is that the side dishes aren't as big. A burger and fries from Peter Lugars would feature a similar-sized burger but include more fries. One customer may foolishly pay half price, cook a few fries of their own, and think they are getting over, while only the wisest consumers will recognize that the rest of us are being ripped off.
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I forgot to mention that anything with pasta in it is going to weigh more because pasta cost nothing and it weighs a ton. So lasagna and macaroni and cheese and all that crap they make with pasta will have the weight.
I'd weigh the meat portions, but no matter what I posted, you'll make stuff up.
I love the meals, especially at this price, and the fact that it bothers you somehow just makes them all the sweeter.
Still snacking on pumpkin seeds.
Last night made a salmon fillet. Slathered it in olive oil, covered it in Old Bay seasoning. Broiled til edges crispy. Center was still moist.
A few days ago I made some veggies that look like one of EB’s concoctions.
Large container of dry sliced mushrooms. Two large sliced onions. 1/2 pound of baby carrots. A few tablespoons of minced garlic. Some sesame oil. Lots of olive oil. Some sriracha. And paprika. Fried it up.
Added mix of seafood…. shrimp, calamari, scallop, mussels.
Wife was out of town. She doesn’t eat seafood…
Quote: SOOPOO
Last night made a salmon fillet. Slathered it in olive oil, covered it in Old Bay seasoning. Broiled til edges crispy. Center was still moist.
I do like Old Bay seasoning but it is very salty when you over do it which I tend to do. I even like it as a rub for chicken wings.
Quote: DRichQuote: SOOPOO
Last night made a salmon fillet. Slathered it in olive oil, covered it in Old Bay seasoning. Broiled til edges crispy. Center was still moist.
I do like Old Bay seasoning but it is very salty when you over do it which I tend to do. I even like it as a rub for chicken wings.
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The number one ingredient in Old Bay seasoning is celery salt which is super salty salt. The flavor of it overwhelms every other ingredient. The reason it's so salty is because it's very finely ground and mixed with celery seed. The finer the salt is ground the smaller the crystals are and the saltier it tastes. This is why coarse ground sea salt doesn't taste as salty because the crystals are way bigger and not that much of the salt is making contact with your taste buds.
Quote: billryanLooking at my backorders, I did find one nine-ounce entree—three delicious chicken empanadas that were surprisingly filling.
I'd weigh the meat portions, but no matter what I posted, you'll make stuff up.
I love the meals, especially at this price, and the fact that it bothers you somehow just makes them all the sweeter.
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So, what’s the average time between pulling a meal out of the fridge/feezer and ready to eat?
Quote: rxwineQuote: billryanLooking at my backorders, I did find one nine-ounce entree—three delicious chicken empanadas that were surprisingly filling.
I'd weigh the meat portions, but no matter what I posted, you'll make stuff up.
I love the meals, especially at this price, and the fact that it bothers you somehow just makes them all the sweeter.
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So, what’s the average time between pulling a meal out of the fridge/feezer and ready to eat?
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My routine- take it out of the freezer and leave it in the fridge for a few days. Take it out of the fridge and remove the plastic, pre-heat oven to 350, cook for 12-15 minutes. I like to let the food get close to room temp before I cook, but others disagree.
You can also microwave them, but I don't.
I live alone and get 12 meals a week. I eat eight or nine and freeze the others. Eventually, they have to stop this promotion if they are to survive.
one of the first thing grocery store workers learn on the job is to rotate the stock
so, when the meat comes out - they move the older meat out of the way and then put the fresh meat in the back and then put the older meat in the front for the customer to grab
they do this so they don't get stuck having to throw away old meat that is out of date
so, if when you shop, you take the time to pull your meat from the very back you will often be getting the freshest meat the store has for sale
.
Quote: lilredrooster.
one of the first thing grocery store workers learn on the job is to rotate the stock
so, when the meat comes out - they move the older meat out of the way and then put the fresh meat in the back and then put the older meat in the front for the customer to grab
they do this so they don't get stuck having to throw away old meat that is out of date
so, if when you shop, you take the time to pull your meat from the very back you will often be getting the freshest meat the store has for sale
.
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I worked two shifts as an overnight cashier at a gas station/convenience store. One of my tasks was to go through the diary, pull the oldest to the front, and set the milk so the date was on the side facing away from the public.
Quote: billryan
I worked two shifts as an overnight cashier at a gas station/convenience store. One of my tasks was to go through the diary, pull the oldest to the front, and set the milk so the date was on the side facing away from the public.
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Interesting. I knew they would move the older stuff to the front but I did not realize they were told to turn the date away from the customer.
Pretty good, but I think the sandwich overwhelmed me for the rest of the day.
Fries were odd, so I junked them after tasting a few.
Quote: DRichQuote: billryan
I worked two shifts as an overnight cashier at a gas station/convenience store. One of my tasks was to go through the diary, pull the oldest to the front, and set the milk so the date was on the side facing away from the public.
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Interesting. I knew they would move the older stuff to the front but I did not realize they were told to turn the date away from the customer.
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I can only speak for the one AM/PM I worked at in the early 1980s. I doubt it was unique but can't speak for all of them.
Quote: billryanQuote: DRichQuote: billryan
I worked two shifts as an overnight cashier at a gas station/convenience store. One of my tasks was to go through the diary, pull the oldest to the front, and set the milk so the date was on the side facing away from the public.
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Interesting. I knew they would move the older stuff to the front but I did not realize they were told to turn the date away from the customer.
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I can only speak for the one AM/PM I worked at in the early 1980s. I doubt it was unique but can't speak for all of them.
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Until I just Googled it I didn't know that AM/PM is now owned by British Petroleum. The Vegas ones were mostly branded as ARCO gas but obviously switched when Atlantic Richfield sold it.
