The Lazy Gourmet

[E_T]

let me know how it turns out.  We have someone whom makes a Shepards Pie at times and if it comes out good, I'll see if he wants to try it with the leftover turkey that we will be having...

[Rusty Edge]

let me know how it turns out.  We have someone whom makes a Shepards Pie at times and if it comes out good, I'll see if he wants to try it with the leftover turkey that we will be having...

I won't be doing this. There is less turkey than I thought, and it expired Christmas eve. Also, my wife is not into this idea. The word "hideodious" was used.

[E_T]

k...  And I can't imagine her saying that, either, so she must have felt very strongly about it, as well....   Still sounded like a possible variation to a basic dish...

[Rusty Edge]

She's not into KFC bowls ,either.  Just turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes on her plate at any one time. Anything else is literally a side dish. I should have known.

[Rusty Edge]

I've been experimenting with grilling pizzas. I'll probably post more on this once I am over my cold/sinusitis/bronchitis and can smell and taste properly again.

[Unorthodox]

Baked Ziti is among my new favorite things for being lazy.  Largely because it can be made several batches ahead for pull out and go meals. 

Start boiling water, and cook a box of ziti (or Penne). 

Brown some spicy sausage, add onions and red bell peppers, diced and sautee with the sausage, add in a jar of tomato/marinara.  I use my home canned jars, but store bought would work.  Remove from heat and toss with the pasta. 

In a 9x13 pan, layer the ziti mix, then cheese (mix it up, but parmesean and provolone is my go to, most recipes call for riccota), then ziti, akin to a lasagna.  Bake for ~30 minutes in a medium oven if your going to cook it straight away.  Or refridgerate and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.  Or freeze and bake for 1.5-2 hours. 

[Rusty Edge]

And since someone will ask - cheddar, mozzarella, monterey jack, gouda, provolone, muenster, romano and parmesan are what I remember off the top of my head.

They're all white or orange, and it's not a bad idea at all to segregate colors and do something decorative when applying toppings.  If you have bell peppers gone green yellow and red, likewise for those - I improvised a very pretty one with peppers a roommate chipped in a few years after college.  Also, really delicious with a lot of bell peppers that time...

My wife requested grilled pizza tonight, and I think I have it dialed in. Melted cheese, slightly browned. Oak. I warm the grill up to 450 degrees, then open the lid and add the pizza(s). Reduce temp setting to 400 and set a timer for 15 minutes. At 15 minutes I rotated the pizza 180 degrees and gave it another 5 minutes. When the lid is open it loses heat down to around 380 something, then climbs. I suppose that could change when winter is over.  Anyway, the in-laws are into thin and crispy and this fits the bill.

I bumped the pizza god cheese list for future reference. We promised to have in-laws over once I got more familiar with this grill, so I guess I'm ready.

[Rusty Edge]

Tonight I made pizza and then I smoked some oats and made oatmeal-date cookies  in the grill. Enjoyable.

[Unorthodox]

I've been experimenting with old french style braising quite a bit lately.  Chicken, pork, Beef.  Just generally playing with the concept. 

One of the better ones, however, was a mish mash that I ended up making insert mexican dish chicken out of.  (tacos, enchiladas, whatever).

Rub chicken breasts with a good spicy rub.  I used a garlic chile rub.  Do a quick pan sear on it and remove to a roaster pan.  Cover the chicken in a mix of tomatillo salsa, chicken broth, onions, and bell peppers.  Bake on 350 for 3 hours.  Shred the chicken.

[Rusty Edge]

Today I experimented with a slow cooked pulled pork thing. About 20 hours of marinade and 6plus hours to cook. It was a resounding success.

I also experimented with some other things simultaneously for briefer stretches. Chicken tenders, pretzels, candied bacon.
The chicken cooked fine, but was over-seasoned (lemon-pepper) for my wife's taste. The pretzels were too crunchy for her to eat safely. Neither of us were wild about the bacon.

[Buster's Uncle]

Yesterday, Momma was going to roast one of those long, narrow, lean pork roasts - and I don't recall either of us doing a good job with one; they always come out under-browned, too dry inside, or usually, both.  I talked her into chunking it up and boiling like beef stew.  All the same ingredients, only I was right; it was good boiled.

[Rusty Edge]

I was involved in home improvement/repair projects today and scrapped my dinner plans. I went the salad route, but I was still hungry or more likely, still anxious about the implications of the pandemic, and anxiety makes me want to eat and drink.

I filled a serving bowl with Normandy mix, added some meatballs, microwaved it, added cheese and microwaved for another 45 seconds. Lazy and tasty.

[Rusty Edge]

I've been trying to re-create some of my wife's favorite restaurant dishes because it's her birthday month, and all of our travel plans and dinner reservations have been canceled, one way or the other.

The may be gourmet, but they certainly aren't lazy or free of special ingredients.

[Unorthodox]

Sounds fun.  Anything of interest? 

[Buster's Uncle]

I figured out satisfactory egg-drop  soup last year...  Did I post about it?