I love love love the WFD thread, gives me great inspirations, especially when I am trying to find a framework for the monthly menus. I don't always stick to it, but it gives me shove to look at what I thought about cooking sometimes, or to look forward to eating something terrific. I don't have a camera any more, so that's why I don't post. Like Annie claims (I like her pictures too, they have a warm home feel to them), I post what I consider not-so-good pictures, but I post.

I had Ohiomom's Chicken Stew (MMM!) made with the last of the white meat leftover turkey and without celery (didn't have any on hand after dressing!), and used chicken stock. Yep, don't like turkey stock either. So it's potatoes, carrots, basil, rosemary, salt, pepper, stock, a bit of cream and the turkey. Easy-peasy. I miss Ohiomom.

LindaC, you nailed it for me - taking a picture when I am already rushed never is accomplished. The WFD thread is very inspiring. I kinda feel like those who wouldn't help the hen grind the flour, make the bread, and bake the bread, but were first in line to eat it. (That was a little tale about a often recounted when I was young to get kids to help.) No guilt here on What's on the Menu. It is easy to be disorganized and still contribute.

So..... big rush last night to get dinner on the table, eat and be out the door in 20 minutes. We split fettuccine alfredo (Trader Joe's frozen). Satiety didn't last the evening. The 'second course' was a steamed potato topped with black-eyed peas, onions and gravy. And I still lost weight last night, lol.

Beanthere, here's a pasta with tuna dish I like. Once the prep work is done, it's fast and easy to make.

FUSILLI PROVENCALE (serves 4)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound fresh tuna fillet, skin discarded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup very finely chopped onions
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained and cut into julienne strips
One 16 oz. can Italian plum tomatoes, undrained but slightly squished
One 6 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and cut into 1/4 inch lengthwise pieces
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped, or 1 tsp. dried
3/4 cup Nicoise or other flavorful black olives pitted and halved
Pinch of hot pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound fusilli pasta

Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the tuna and cook, stirring, until the cubes are lightly browned on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and reserve.

Heat the remaining oil in a 1 1/2 to 2 quart heavy saucepan. Add the garlic and onions and cook over low heat until they are softened but not browned, about 10-15 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and continue cooking over low heat until they start to soften, about 1 or 2 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients except the pasta one at a time, stirring. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until all the elements have come together and sauce is slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Add the reserved tuna and season with salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm on low heat while you cook the pasta. Divide the pasta into 4 warmed oversized soup bowl and top with the sauce. Note: Sometimes I also add a tablespoon of drained tiny capers and use less olives.

Based on a recipe from La Bonne Soupe-55th St. - NYC

Last night was French dip sandwiches with roast beef from the deli, purchased sourdough rolls and the au jus from a mix (Knorr, but I like Lawry's better). Served with roasted red potato wedges and fruit. I topped the sandwiches with tomato slices and carmelized onions so I would feel like we had some vegies, then ran them under the broiler to melt some Swiss cheese.

The night before I made a soup with chicken thighs from the freezer that I cooked in canned chicken broth, then added the usual vegies and some leftover wild rice mix (from a box)and some cream. Call it cream of whatever soup LOL. We had it with what I call finger salad - whatever vegies are around cut up into pieces, and in the case of the celery, stuffed with the remainder of the pimento cheese from last week.

Tonight is pizza on our favorite crust (which I made last night) - probably one pepperoni and one vegie with whatever's in the fridge. I'll also make a Caesar salad, but it's not the main attraction.

So now there's dibs and dabs of everything in the fridge - my husband comes home frequently for lunch and loves leftovers, so that works out well.

I'm taking tomorrow night off since I'll be gone most of the day, then we're planning to go to a holiday concert in the evening. Sounds like an excellent night to go out for Mexican :-)

Becky

Thank you Sharon!

I have been negligent in thanking Sharon for her fabulous tutorials on photography. Hearing our/my whoas about less than stellar photography skills being the reason for not actively participating in the WFD threads, she put a lot of work into that project for us. The skills taught certainly go beyond the CF.

I think I will post a picture of tonight's peanut butter and jelly sandwich (elegantly served on a paper plate) on the WFD thread just to make sure everyone feels comfortable :o)

LOL Bobby!

Tonight is pizza night...one way or the other. Maybe I'll make it, maybe I'll order it. Depends on how Happy Hour goes!

Last night, we pulled a semi-homecooking gig...doctored up canned baked beans with chili sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, sauteed onions, & crumbled bacon. Served over grilled hot dogs/buns w/shredded cheddar on top. Sorta like a gigantic chili dog. Yum!

/tricia

Vacuumfreak,

One of my most favorite foods is a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a cold glass of whole milk.

Give me a good whole grain wheat bread, creamy peanut butter and homemade strawberry preserves and I am in heaven. I love it just as much as any gourmet meal I have ever had :)

Cathy,
please do post the recipe for TeresaNC's "Awesome Oven Ribs". I have some boneless beef ribs defrosting.

Just to comment on the WFD thread, I love that thread too but seldom look at it because.... well, because I mostly visit the forum while at work. (bad girl) And I do not sit in a private office, I sit on a trading floor where all the world can see what is displaying on my screens if they choose to. So, when I pull up a thread showing gorgeous pictures of food... it's obvious that has nothing to do with real work! LOL

By the time I get home, after staring at a computer for 8-9+ hours, I just have to admit, I don't visit the forum much in the evenings.

Last night: Halibut filets (mayo and Panko coated), nuked some carrots and brown rice.

Tonight: Leftover pork loin, green beans and baked or roasted potatoes, depending on how I feel when I get home.

Weekend cooking: I'll bake some chicken for meals next week, I need a great potluck dish for church on Sunday, maybe beef roast or steaks too.

Prepping my "McMuffins" for work day breakfasts and trying out a marinated veggies recipes for a "Day after Christmas" get together.

It's supposed to stay cold here, so I'll be inside cooking!

Deanna

Gina, I couldn't have said it better. Will you marry me?

I may not be here every day, but after 12 years as a member, I still enjoy this forum. And I don't believe this, or any other thread would cause the WFD thread to go by the wayside.

I mean, Food Porn is exactly that, creative and stimulating to the senses. I enjoy looking at pictures that 'arouse' such reactions.

Would you rather see a picture of a baked potato or a picture of a filet mignon over gratin dauphinoise? Steamed cauliflower or Cauliflower Gratin?
Hugh Jackman, or Woodie Allen?
You catch my drift.

As for the folks who enjoy sharing pictures on 'WFD' (myself included), yes, it is a little bit of work, but most of us enjoy it. The same way some folks enjoy sharing pictures of their quilting, canning, painting, or wood carving.
They are all time-consuming. But they are all a time-consuming passion.

That said, I'm not one to cook every blessed day. And I'm not the only person here who has 37 jobs.
So, on those days when I'm too tired to drag my carcass into the kitchen, I'll reach for simple ingredients like pasta, fresh vegetables, and even eggs, that can be turned into a quick omelet, or Tortilla Española, the latter, my mom taught me to make, and it's quick and delicious.
Simply grilled salmon (or chicken) over mashed is another favorite. And there is no shame in serving soup and a sandwich.
It takes little time to cook good, nourishing meals on the quick.
But on those really, really bad days, I'll reach for my cell phone and order Chinese.

Sol

For May's eyes only:

Notes:
-This makes a lot so I have included my halving of the recipe.

-Since you are using boneless, don't cook as long.

-After the ribs are cooked, I pour the juice and sauce from the roasting pan to a sauce pan and boil it down to make a thick, rich sauce to pour over the ribs.

Awesome Oven Ribs

Ingredients
3 lbs pork back ribs

Whole Recipe
8 ounces honey
12 ounces barbecue sauce
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Half Recipe:
4 ounces honey
6 ounces barbecue sauce
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/8 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Directions
1. Place all ingredients together in large roasting pan (like turkey roaster).
2. Remove membrane and cut ribs apart for easier serving.
3. Mix together making sure to coat all ribs with this semi-dry paste.
4. Spread ribs out evenly on bottom of pan. Cover lightly with foil.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 1 hour. Or slow cooker for 4 hours on low, 1 1//2 on high.
6. Turn and stir occasionally.

Tonight we're having thin sliced beef tenderloin gently cooked with rosemary and garlic. Also potato pancakes with applesauce/sour cream. I've got bread rising on the counter. I'm into the artisan in 5 stuff. It's supposed to get down into the 20's tonight, a rare occasion, so we'll have salad from the garden - again. It might all be mush in the a.m.

I didn't cook last night at all. We just had leftovers and leftovers.

OOO! Potato pancakes....yum!!

Datn! I wish I'd checked in this morning! I had a chance to go to the grocery today (which I do about once every two weeks), and would have added the ingredients for that tuna pasta dish! Ruthanna, thanks for poting it. I'm going to cut/paste for my next grocery trip.

One of my treats on grocery trips is to pick up a take-and-bake pizza. I usuually add my own mushroom, red peppers and olives to one of their spinach and white sauce pizzas. That will be lunch...and probably dinner tonight.

Cathy thank you for your kind comment. I hope the tutorials were able to give a little help to those who were asking for it.
The new version is being blogged with a few added-on extras and will go on a little further with some hints on using a DSLR camera.

I'm sure that the WFD thread is in no danger and that two dinner threads can coexist quite happily here, especially since the whole forum is about preparing food.

Yesterday I made liver and onion with veg, and will put the pic over on the WFD. :-)

SharonCb

We had cashew chicken last night based on the current thread and it was really good.

Gina, you are my hero! LOL

I don't think we ate last night.

Last night was one of those "side by side" dinners of the cauliflower casserole I made on Thursday and a big salad of red leaf lettuce, roasted beets, apple chunks, golden raisins and pecans with canarybird's orange-balsamic dressing. That was a new dressing for us and it was just right for the salad contents. Thanks.

I didn't anticipate cooking tonight because we were going to a party tonight but it was postponed because the roads will be icy. DH stopped to get a boneless chicken breast for stir fying but came home with a whole capon breast instead, so I'll stick some lemon slices and stuff under the skin and roast it tonight. Looks like sliced chicken sandwiches will be on the lunch menu this week.

We are decorating the tree tonight and I had visions of a hearty beef stew simmering away and a crusty bread and salad, but the guys decided to derail my plans and requested burgers on the grill, corn on the cob (frozen last summer), potato salad and cole slaw!

I guess we will be grilling in the snow tonight! LOL!

Alexa

Last night was road food while driving back from being out of town...jerky, sunflower seeds, and m&m's.

"I don't think we ate last night." Mmmm....was there wine involved? LOL

Alexa, what time is dinner? YUM! We had the last of our summer corn last month. : (

I'm a huge fan of WFD and all of the pics posted on this forum. I've always had positvie responses to my point and shoot pics I've posted over the years. I do appreciate the time and effort some put into their pictures....I see it as a hobbie/form of art that they enjoy doing and sharing with everyone. It's all good people!

David

Tonight's menu is grilled salmon (Bless the DH 'cause it's POURING rain & 41 degrees outside!) with fresh pineapple salsa served with black beans.

Dessert is soft & chewy molasses cookies.

/tricia

I have my hands on my knees and am staring into the freezer....think I'll thaw that tilapia and see what I find to go with it....likely just lettuce....Oh yeah with my dressing and some blue cheese of course!...but there's that lovely red pepper sitting there....

Linda C

"I don't think we ate last night." Mmmm....was there wine involved? LOL "

David there really wasn't wine involved...(grin). It was vodka! J/K

I'm just saying that sometimes 'I' try to not make food so important in my life. Living in coastal Louisiana we tend to arrange everyday life around our food. I'm trying to change that mindset within myself. I've lost 15 lbs. by eating when I feel hungry and not until then. Now, the family just has to get used to it! LOL

My husbands employer gave them a smithfield spiral sliced ham and smoked turkeys fri.Turkey went into the freezer and ham is in the oven.So its ham ,mac and cheese,green beans w/bacon and onion and rolls.The leftover ham will become ham sandwiches and split pea soup.

Shelley

Well, Raymond and I have both lost our appetite after the Gator game. Going to bed without dinner, something we both should do more of.

Congratulations Karen.

David, thanks for the email. "..jerky, sunflower seeds, and m&m's"--were they touching?

We had the Gator game on here too. Bummer, losing in prime time.

I made Eileen's Sunday gravy today. It got 2 thumbs up. I cut her recipe in half and if filled my 9qt Le crueset 3/4 full. She must have a HUGE pot. I might make that for Christmas Eve. I might need a bigger pot. LOL

This is the post I used as inspiration

From Eileen

I take 2 large yellow onion and dice them with 8-10 cloves of garlic whacked and chopped. In a very large pot I add 1/4 cup of Evoo and saute the onion almost translucent then I add the garlic. I use 4 cans 28 oz Puree(Redpack) 3 cans of water(use empty Redpack Can) pour into pot mix and add 1/2 cup dry red wine S&P to taste and 1/4 cup sugar. I add 1 bay leaf and aprox 1/2 cup chif Fresh Basil. In a seperate fry pan I add 1/4 cup evoo and fry up the following...Meatballs, Sweet skinny Sausage ring, Braciole (Pork & Beef), Pork neck Bones and 2 to 4 bone in Pork Chops. As they fry and get a crust i just keep adding to the pot. Bring the pot to a low boil then reduce and simmer on very low for at least 4 hours. This is how i was taught by Grandma Spagnuolo (Hubby's Grandma) when I was a new bride. This is how we like it but everyone has there own idea of "Gravy". We always serve the meat is a big bowl and 3-4 pounds of macaroni depending upon how many come for dinner. Im sure most of you make it very similar to mine....REMEMBER to remove the Bay Leaf!!!

Congrats to you Karen! I HOPE you know I was just razzin ya pal. : )

LOL Cathy....touching and we were all in the front seat of the truck together. Nothing compared to being in the back seat with a member of the forum! LOL! I've got a few nothces in my belt..LOL! Raymond may be on to something with the NE/TX game...OY, what a 1st quarter!

Triciae, great to see you back too!

David

David, you weren't just in the back seat with a forum member, you were riding in the middle, with me on one side and KatieC on the other. It probably would have scared a lesser man, LOL.

Annie

okay the other day I roasted a Costco rack of pork chops(which also included smashed garlic potatoes, steamed cabbage and a "sauce" made with the pork drippings the last of the turkey gravy and a spoonful of Cherry Honey Mustard and a little bit of turkey stock to thin)...tonight some of the meat became cubed and tossed in a sauce pan with a can of ground tomatoes and a couple of palm fulls of chili type seasonings...and 2 cans of pintos...a tablespoon of honey...and 2 pressed garlic cloves..

oh and served with hot dog buns opened, spread with butter, dusted with garlic powder and sprinkled generously with a local Parm...

FOAS:
You like fast meals. Had a Quickie last night.

Put a large can of Del Monte's vegetables in a pot, to simmer.
Added some Turkey pieces , frozen from Thanksgiving, plus Garlic and Onion Powder and Old Bay.

Thickeed it with Trio Chicken Gravy mix. It is in powder form made by Nestle's.
Had a Turkey Stew in 5 minutes
LOU

I need 'Roasts 101'. bought a chuck roast for Fri night w/intent to simmer in my dutch oven on top of the stove.

DH came home and decided he wanted to play with his probe. The Wolf oven probe, people. getchermindsouttadagutter.

I thought chuck roasts were supposed to be wet cooked. This one was dry cooked. Set temp to 145, 'Roast' setting, rested 10 minutes, perfect and delish. WTF (foolishness).

Made turkey gravy w/stock (too much flour says DH, thats what he gets for blasting Eminem in the kitchen while I'm making it) and steamed broccoli. Carnivore heaven.

I have a big pot of split pea soup simmering away.Some for dinner tonight,lunches during the week and some into the freezer.

Shelley

Jessica, I have a PRIME! cross rib chuck roast that I would like to try roasting. I made one as a pot roast and it was fabulous. I can cook it with a probe, but what temp is the "roast" setting on your oven?

Thanks,

Lee

Last night was one of my 'quick & easies'.
Some ground meat crumbled & browned in the pan.
Add some diced sweet onion & a smashed clove of garlic.
When that is tender, add a can of diced tomatoes, a couple of shakes of Tony Cacheries's seasoning, and about a cup or so of water. Beef broth would work well here, too, if you have any on hand, I didn't.
Throw in a couple of handfuls of the pasta product of your choice (I used a funny, new-to-me shape that I can't spell) and simmer until pasta is done to your taste, and has absorbed all the liquid. (You may need to add a bit more water as it simmers.).
Serve with some green salad & some crusty, buttered bread.

Easy, quick & tasty.

Rusty

I forgot to add,
I like to buy ground beef in bulk, then crumble & cook the whole amount just until it is no longer pink.
Then vacumm seal into meal sized (approx a pound for us) portions, and freeze.
Really handy to have on hand.
Just take it out of the freezer, remove from the bag, toss it in a pan over low heat, & it will be thawed and on it's way to being cooked while you prep whatever else you are going to add for your one-dish meal.

Rusty

Jessica, I have a PRIME! cross rib chuck roast that I would like to try roasting. I made one as a pot roast and it was fabulous. I can cook it with a probe, but what temp is the "roast" setting on your oven?

Lee: bleep if I know. We can set ours to whatever we want - so DH set it to 145 internal temp, set the oven at 320. I think 'roast' uses different heating elements from 'bake'.

Tonight's dinner will be Swedish meatballs over wide egg noodles with a green salad. Deep dish Dutch apple pie for dessert. We've been having a lot of comfort food lately. We're getting cold coastal rain storms every 3-5 days the past month & we're just chilled to the bone. Comfort food tastes wonderful in this weather!

DH is making the pie & watching football...

/tricia

Well we ate turkey a few different ways after Thanksgiving. We went out to a rest. on Thanks. day and I cooked a turkey for us after the day was over. We had a usual Thanks. turkey dinner, next night open faced turkey sandwiches with gravy, cranberry sauce and beans, the next night I made turkey with gravy, peas and onions, etc. and served over rice (kind of like a chicken a-la-king) which is funny because when reading through some threads from a few days ago I see that Linda mentioned that and I actually had already done that! Oh I'm leaving out stuffing - we ate that too along with lots of other stuff. Carcass, etc. frozen for me to make broth down the road. Too much going on right now.

After the turkey was gone we had pizza and salad. Last night was pork chops that I baked in the oven along with a black bean and corn salsa that I made. I opened up a can of refried beans and added the rest of the salsa to it along with shredded cheedar cheese. Cooked up until heated and cheese melted and plated with the pork chops on top and served with a salad with orange sections and poppy seed dressing.

Tonight is Ribeye Steaks on the grill - rubbed with fresh garlic on each side along with salt and pepper. Pasta with Parmesan Cheese and spinach salad will round out the meal. M&M Cookies for dessert (my hubby's favorite).

This thread makes me hungry!

I didn't get to make roast, rice and gravy on Thursday (like I said earlier) so I'm making it for tonight. It's in the oven right now, just the way my mom always did it. Dusted with cajun seasoning and flour. Topped with garlic, onions, and bell pepper. It makes it's own thin, cajun style gravy to put over plain white rice. We had this meal practically every Sunday while I was growing up. It was one of the few meals I actually looked forward to, lol. Mom hated to cook.

We had a ton of peppers to pick a couple weeks ago. I made vats of green and red salsa, and I refrigerator pickled a condiment of chopped peppers, onions, and garlic. That's the perfect thing for rice and gravy. Can't wait.

We'll have left over cauliflouwer (steamed with a little butter) and probably frozen green beans to go along with it.

Depressed here because our Steelers lost again today and haven't been looking too good lately :(

Meals for the last few days have been: homemade pizza, broccoli and cheese soup with homemade french bread, and today was Mexican for our football party - lots of munchies, then chicken and cheese or black bean quesadillas, with guacamole and salsa on the side.

I was going to grill a burger as a last defiant gesture before the storm, which "they" say is bearing down on us, but I had some stuff to get at Walmart....and they had 1 pound bags of frozen medium sized shrimp....and at that moment it looked good ( I know! I know....but it was almost 5 and I was hungry!)....so I will either stir fry some red pepper and onion and add the shrimp and put it on some rice...with whatever bottled sauce I can find in the refrig, or make a remoulade sort of and chop up some iceberg lettuce and make a salad...I love crisp fresh iceberg lettuce!!

LOL Annie! EJ and Ellen "put" me in the back seat on our way to MI from Chicago, you and Katie, and I ended up in the back seat with Karen in TN. I see a trend going on here..lolol. Peppi did let ride up front with her on the way to the outlet malls....brave lady.

I'm making turkey stock for soup with the TG turkey, have a pot roast in the over, and chex mix in the oven out in the garage. The whole house smells great...even the garage!

David

Thanks Jessica, I'm not sure when I'll cook the cross rib roast but I'll post how it comes out.

Lee

Then there was the back seat of the cab in NYC....I think I was there.

Wow, David, you've been in the back seat with an awful lot of the forum ladies!!

Annie

LOL Sharon! How could I forget the MM weekend with you, Woodie, and Alexa?! Complete with a naked cowboy no less! Yes, we were all there....thankfully we took pics so we could remember....

David

Grilled Rib Eyes, Roasted Garlic mashed potatoes, fried mushrooms and fresh asparagus.

Chicken breasts rolled in egg/matzo meal/herbes de provence, mashed potatoes/gravy, carrots and green beans.