The Lazy Gourmet

[Unorthodox]

Far from lazy, made homemade meatballs for tomorrow.  First time ever trying that, but damn did they turn out good. 

[Rusty Edge]

Started a new diet yesterday. So, if I stay on it I may not have much to offer to this thread in the future. On the other hand, my wife wouldn't take to this diet. So I'll still be cooking regular stuff. If I find something special I'll let you know.

Last night was a mixed grill. My wife had chicken, steak, and some steak fries. I cut a potato lengthwise into six pieces, then sprinkled them with my go to Montreal seasoning. Grilled them and gave them a coupled minutes in the microwave while the steak rested.  She loved it. I figure whatever seasoning blend you favor would work best.

I had grilled green beens and grilled tuna.

I grilled extra chicken and steak for use in salads..
I'm finishing a bed of spinach with steak, and a litttle oive oil and basil.

[Buster's Uncle]

Momma, of late and in a spontaneous development in which I take delight, has been occasionally cutting up 'taters into strips and frying instead of her traditional lame waste of 'tater trying to bake french fries.

This is anti-diet, mind, 'cause I gots the scarey-high triglicerides - but I can't help that my occasional craving for french fries has been sated lately, and being happy about it anyway.

[Rusty Edge]

My diet at this stage basically excludes sugars, starches, and anything sweet. But my plan is to not bother anyone with the details unless and until I get and sustain results. In the long run my previous lifestyle averages a pound gain each month. I've made up my mind to change that. If this doesn't work, I'll try something else.

[Buster's Uncle]

I don't know that you shouldn't talk about it, at least as regards your cooking...

[Unorthodox]

I’ve been on a new diet since being in the ER 2 weeks ago.  (We don’t know still other than not heart, liver, or diabetes, meaning likely gall bladder)

Fairly radical departure from my previous daily on one hand but easy so far with the exception of cold turkey soda withdrawal.  Immediate thoughts of “success” for weight seem to even out the second week.

[Buster's Uncle]

If the soda you're not drinking had caffeine in it, that's not going to help the diet at all...

[Unorthodox]

Caffeine is amongst the things my body doesn't metabolize normal, so it doesn't act as a stimulant in me like most people, it works as a depressant.  (some of the go to sleep drugs being others.  Real funny to see the doctors confused why I'm not asleep) 


It's the sugars in soda that were killing me.  Coupled with increased stress at work and another year working on the house and not Halloween meant I had been diving pretty damn hard into the soda as a coping mechanism.  1/2 case + a day, hard to get exact measurements as I'm a fountain snob.  I wasn't particular caffeine vs non a lot of the time either, though Dr Pepper had been the go-to. 

The leaving work for breakfast and lunch to sit and eat and drink just to get away from people also didn't help. 

I've got that worked for another few weeks since I'm 80% of the time alone, again, but I'll be back co-bunked with dumbass after that.  That's when my willpower to not go find somewhere to sit and eat again will be tested. 

[Rusty Edge]

Okay this counts as lazy gourmet, I was supposed to be dining out tonight but life doesn't read plans very well-

I sautéed some spinach with almonds and portobella mushrooms. Placed the grilled chicken on top. Looked great, tasted great, had a nice mix of textures. The particular piece of chicken was a little dry because I over multitasked last night, but the spinach moisture made up for it. I probably should have photographed it.

[Geo]

Momma, of late and in a spontaneous development in which I take delight, has been occasionally cutting up 'taters into strips and frying instead of her traditional lame waste of 'tater trying to bake french fries.

This is anti-diet, mind, 'cause I gots the scarey-high triglicerides - but I can't help that my occasional craving for french fries has been sated lately, and being happy about it anyway.

French fries... baked?!

[Buster's Uncle]

I know, right?

[Geo]

How can she not realize the... abomination... of that??!

Day-old baked potatoes, all you want, but fries? baked? 

(no offense to your significant parent who managed to let me eat well)

[Buster's Uncle]

She doesn't realize.

-I do tell her to be genuinely flattered that her biscuits were good enough for a Euro.  One imagines that you were surprised to find an American making good bread.

[Geo]

I was.
Of course, she's from an earlier generation that still knew how to eat well.

[Buster's Uncle]

I can actually make a decent biscuit - though you were the beneficiary of the best recipe she knows and a neighbor dying.


Now, if I'd been on my game and a genuinely good host, you'd have gotten an Incarnation of the Pizza God on Earth -of which, I was told at many a pizza party in college, the thick, bready, crust was the best part and I should open a pizzeria- but I'm decades out of steady practice, and I doubt a traveler on a budget has lacked a lot for pizza when he wanted...