Okay, I’m about a month behind writing this journal series. This may mean it’s about time to give it up. And yet, I kind of enjoy it even if no one else does. but let’s be honest, August was not my best cooking month. I blame the hot weather mostly, but we also had the start of school and work was pretty busy. I’m trying to make September a better month and the temperature out is definitely cooperating with me. So, let’s jump back to the beginning of the month.
Thursday (9/2) – I tried doing a sheet pan baked pork chops and potatoes thing. The potatoes were excellent and well flavored from the pork fat. Unfortunately, the pork was so dry that you needed a bottle of wine to wash it down. Lesson learned. I will cook the pork chops on the stove top or grill from now on.
Friday (9/3) – It was the end of the week, so we just did leftovers. However, dinner did not include those dried out pork chops. I’m not even sure why I saved the leftovers. I guess it’s just that whole “no food waste” mentality. Sometimes you must admit defeat.
Saturday (9/4) – My wonderful husband made us scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, bacon and hashbrowns for brunch. For dinner, we just had chili. It’s easy. It’s delicious. I like mine with oyster crackers and a ton of shredded sharp cheddar.
Sunday (9/5) – Ya, okay, I said September would be a better cooking month and maybe we’ll get there, but this first week did not start off with much cooking. We just made taquitos.
Monday (9/6) – Okay, here is where I start cooking…sort of. I tried to replicate Portillo’s cheese fries. Of course, I used frozen crinkle cut fries. But I made the cheese sauce from scratch using sharp cheddar cheese. I got it pretty close, but it needs a little work. I’m pretty sure Portillo’s is using some type of processed cheese and I don’t want to do that, but I think I can get it closer.
Tuesday (9/7) – I used the leftover cheese sauce to make cheesy mashed cauliflower and made some pinto beans and sautéed chicken for the meat eaters. Turns out the kid likes cauliflower in any form. She’s always had an aversion to the texture of mashed potatoes, but she loved this. It will definitely be back on the menu.
Wednesday (9/8) – I needed to freeze the pork I’d smoked last week, but for lunch I made the husband and I some nice pulled pork sandwiches on onion buns. My weird husband wanted cheese on his and didn’t appreciate me making a face at that. For dinner, I made another version of Israeli couscous with tomatoes, shallots, red peppers, and feta. I also roasted some asparagus, which I’m the only one who really likes.
So, I did a little cooking this week. I think the all-around favorite dish was the couscous, though I really enjoyed those fries. But let’s face it, I’ve always been nuts about fries. I once set my house on fire in an attempt to make fries. But that’s another story and not really a topic for this blog.
Foodie's Delimma 