Steak Dinner

J got some steaks from Costco tonight so we BBQ'd these.

PARENTS:
Steak
Potatoes
Stuffing (John)

KIDS:
Chicken Nuggets
Stuffing
Grapes

Stir-Fry

We had a pretty good dinner Thursday night. Stir-fryed steak and brocoli with some Thai seasonings (nam prik phao, soy sauce, oyster sauce). Served with jasmine rice and it was a good dinner. I don't have the recipe right now but will post it next time I make this.

KIDS & PARENTS:
Broccoli and steak thai stir-fry.

Busy Night

I had to go to a school meeting tonight so J picked up the girls and I didn't get home until almost 7:30. So J took them to Taco Bell for dinner and I ate some Trader Joe's appetizers out of the freezer with wine (I REALLY needed wine tonight!!!). We'll get back on track with a good meal tomorrow since we've had two nights of junk.

Pizza Night

J and I were both tired tonight after work so we ended up with a pizza from Round Table; half pepperoni and half cheese. Intended to make a salad but just couldn't get to it!

Meatloaf and Potatoes

We had some meatloaf in the freezer so I took that out yesterday to defrost and reheated it. It's from a Cooks Illustrated recipe and you bake it on a cookie sheet free-form instead of in a loaf pan. This allows the fat the drain out during cooking so it is a lot less greasy than other meatloafs that I've tried. John like it but thought that the ketchup glaze was too sweet. I also did some "smashed potatoes" which are really easy - boil small red potatoes until fork tender, spread olive oil on a cookie sheet, put the potatoes on the cookie sheet and smash with a potato masher, drizzles with a little more olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary, and bake at 450 for 20 to 25 minutes.

KIDS:

Trader Joe's microwavable macaroni & cheese
Ham
Asparagus

ADULTS:
Meatloaf
Smashed Potatoes
Steamed Asparagus with lemon and parmesan

Provencal Pizza

Tonight's dinner was pretty easy. We were out all day but got home at 3:30 and this dinner was a good mix of what was in the pantry and frigge so it came together pretty easily.

KIDS:
Trader Joe's frozen mini pepperoni pizzas
Baby Carrots
Salad

ADULTS:

Trader Joe's fresh pizza dough. Drizzled it with olive oil and added anchovies, carmelized onions, and kalamata olives.
Salad.

Pretty easy dinner. J thought the pizza was a good mix of sweet (the carmelized onions) and salty (anchovies and onions) but of course he could have used more meat on the pizza! Maybe add proscuitto next time to the pizza.

TIME: Very quick and easy. Good for weeknights
TASTE: Very good!
WILL I MAKE IT AGAIN: Definately!

Spicy Mexican Shredded Pork Tostados

Saw this recipe in the latest issue of Cooks Illustrated, one of my favorite magazines for new recipes. Thought that it looked good so we tried it. Wasn't quite like I thought it would be and took more time than I thought but it was good and we saved enough for a second meal in the freezer. Unfortunately it was too spicy for the kids so they ended up having to have something different even though I am trying really hard to have them eat what we eat (which is not always successful). Here's tonight's dinner:

KIDS:
Chicken nuggets
Trader Joe's microwavable brown rice (love this!)
Baby carrots

PARENTS:

Spicy Mexican Shredded Pork (from Cooks Illustrated)

2 pounds boneless pork butt, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch pieces (should weigh about 1.5 pounds after trimming)
2 medium onions, 1 quartered and 1 chopped fine
5 medium garlic cloves, 3 peeled and smashed and 2 minced or pressed through a garlic press
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (14.5-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon ground chipotle powder
2 bay leaves

Package of prepared (crispy) tostados.

1. Bring pork, quartered onion, smashed garlic cloves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 6 cups water to simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, skimming off foam that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook until pork is tender, 75 to 90 minutes. Drain pork, reserving one cup cooking liquid. Discard onion, garlic, and thyme. Return park to saucepan and shred into rough pieces. Set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shredded pork, chopped onion, and oregano; cook, stirring often, until pork is well browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Stir in tomato sauce, chipotle powder, reserved pork cooking liquid, and bay leaves; simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and season with salt to taste.

4. To serve: spoon pork on top of tostados and garnish with chopped cilantro and a dash of lime juice. Other garnishes (which I didn't use) could be queso fresco cheese, sour cream, or diced avocado.

Ratings:
Time: Took more time than I expected. Definately a weekend recipe.
Taste: Tasted better than I thought. Liked it.
Will I make it again: Maybe. I want to see if I can adapt this to the slow cooker.