Sunday dinner (brunch) Easter weekend edition

 

sunday dinner - this and the last of us

 we found this new to us cheese at the store and it was really really good.

boiled some potatos, roughed them up, tossed with olive oil and seasoning and cooked in the air fryer.  bacon wrapped steaks on the bbq.

 

 

for dessert, i cried and cried over the last of us.  can't believe there is only one more eposide and that was the last of joel.

last weeks sunday dinner was sunday brunch

 and it was as good as it looked!

 

sunday dinners and other dinners too

 Part of one of our dinners for a hockey night in Canada

Bahn Mi smash tacos

Peanut butter-almond flour-oat flour-chocolate squares

Honey butter corn

 

Crispy smashed potato salad

sunday dinner - copycat alice springs chicken

 I hardly go onto facebook any more.  Ever.  I'd love to delete it entirely, but not only does The Girls school and one of their activities communicate via fb, it's the only way I'm in contact with some family members, so I check in from time to time.

During one of my check ins, some random recipes posts popped up, and I found a couple of things that looked worth trying, including this copycat alice springs chicken recipe from Outback Steakhouse.  I THINK The Mister and I went to an Outback years and years ago in Edmonton.  We had the signature blooming onion, which was NOT very good, and I was super disappointed.  

I am sure neither of us ordered this chicken dish, and once I read the recipe to The Mister he was on board for it for Sunday Dinner.

It was really easy to put together, and SO GOOD.  Everyone, including the kids loved it, and the leftovers were all gone by the next day.  Almost unheard of in this house.

a delicious dinner from Masala Fusion Meats

 

We finally got over to the North Shore to visit Masala Fusion Meats and it was as great as I'd hoped.  We picked up 3 kinds of chicken - Tandoori, Pudina Mint and Malai.  The very lovely staff assured us that the Mint and Malai were not spicy, but the Tandoori would have a kick.  We also picked up 2 butter chicken samosas for The Mister and I for a treat.

We grilled the chicken up for Sunday Dinner with The Grandpa, along with some veggies, a mint yogurt sauce, a tomato salad and some mini naans.

It was all AMAZING, although the Mint was a bit kicky, the Malai was just flavorful, and the Tandoori was just spicy enough to make you reach for your water glass.

I thought, in my humble opinion, that the 2 sauces went extremely well with all the flavors, and the naan and anything else you wanted to serve it with.  The tomato salad - Kachumbar -  from Made in India by Meera Sodha, and the mint yogurt sauce will become staples in my kitchen.

 

 

Sunday and Monday and Thursday dinners

 

We were reminiscing with The Grandpa one night about the Millarville farmers market just outside Calgary, that we went to regularly when we lived there, and I (of course) remembered the food concession that was run by the locals - coffee, pancakes and sausages, and back bacon on a bun sandwiches with fried onions.  It was so good.

We've made the sandwiches ourselves a number of times since we moved away, but the ones this Sunday were probably the best we've ever had.  The Mister made the onions and bacon and I'm pretty sure his secret was way more butter than I would ever use, but they were so dang good.

The next night to combat all that butter I made a healthy(ish) spinach and pasta dish - Creamy Spinach Orzo.  Easy and delicious - even the kids ate it without complaint!

Cooking every day is bloody exhausting, so we went simple for Thursday - beef stew in the crockpot.  This recipe is a winner every time.

Sunday dinner - turkey joes on chive brioche buns

 Immediately yes. 

Turkey Joes on Chive Brioche Buns 

Sunday dinner - dan dan noodles

 

 

We made these absolutely amazing dan dan noodles for Sunday dinner, and for once, it was a dinner that everyone loved and not one person complained.  A truly special time.

I didn't make the chile oil as only The Mister and I like spicy foods and we have plenty of chile sauces in the fridge.  The Boy was interested in cooking that day so he helped out and we were all happy and full and I was happy that there were leftovers for lunch too.

Sunday dinner - Smothered Chicken

We really haven't had a lot going on over here lately; still staying home a lot and avoiding people, still working lots.  The kids got sick and passed it to us for a while.  I am not reading as much as I was earlier this year.  Haven't been trying many new recipes, and the couple I did try recently weren't hits with any of us.  

We've now had the time change (which I HATE with a fiery passion) so it's dark and cold all the time which makes me want to do things - anything - even less.  It's all very blah right now.

But I did make this lovely smothered chicken for last Sunday dinner, and it was a hit with me and The Mister, and a moderate hit with everyone else.  What I like about this dish is that it was easy, and other than being paranoid that the liquid would evaporate away and the chicken and veggies would burn - you just need to check on it a couple of times during the 2 hours cooking time.  The recipe calls for onions, celery and bell pepper, but I think carrots would be great in there too, maybe sweet potato?  Or zucchini?  Endless options and a really good Fall or Winter meal.

Smothered Chicken

 

I cooked a pork roast

 I don't like to cook things like roast chickens or turkeys, or beef or pork roasts because I have convinced myself I can't do and I will ruin them if I try.  And a few times over the years I certainly haven't done a good job on a roast and that just cements the idea further that I should stay away from this sort of cooking.

The store recently had a 2 for 1 sale on some pork roasts and I couldn't pass up that deal.  I had planned on cutting the roasts into slices or cubes for cooking but then I thought - what if I tried again?  How bad could it be?  And yay, the answer is - This time, not bad at all!

I used this Ultimate Garlic Pork Loin Roast recipe and it came out perfectly.  The plate of sliced roast is not the star of the photo below, but thankfully I got the photo while it was still partially in the shot.

 

good soup - lasagna soup

 

Sometimes you just need some soup when the weather turns and the days are getting shorter and it's Fall now and less than 3 months to the new year and how is that even possible.

I made this lasagna soup with shells instead of broken lasagna noodles because that's what I had, and omitted the ricotta because we didn't have any.  We offered some shaky cheese at the table along with bread and salad for a delicious, satisfying dinner.

sunday dinner - lettuce wraps and noodle salad

 It has continued to be hot here, we've been over 30'c every day but one for over a month, I believe.  It's hot; the smoke from the fires is gross, everything is covered in ash; the Interior is SO dry; I hate cooking.  

We made some lettuce wraps, summer rolls and noodle salad for a recent Sunday dinner, and my favorite part was the crispy rice paper wraps.  I saw these made on Tik Tok last year but was skeptical, but I am here to tell you they are super easy and delicious.

 We had some chicken and salmon for the wraps, as well as a plate with cucumber, carrot, bell pepper, and pea shoots.  Since I bought rice paper wraps to make the crisps, I made a few summer rolls for the kids with their toppings of choice wrapped in softened rice wraps.  I haven't made those for years!  So delicious.

 I found this Saigon sauce at Fresh Street Market; not sure where the peanut coconut sauce was purchased, but they were both AMAZING. 

 I made a noodle salad as well, and instead of buying a head of cabbage to shred to add to the salad with other veg, I bought a bag of coleslaw mix and used that.  A nice time saver.

 The wraps were inspired by this Lettuce wraps with rice crisps recipe from Chrissy Tiegen's Cravings website, should you be interested.

sunday dinner - soup and brownies

 Spring is finally here, although it is still coming and going.... we've had lots of gloomy days and lots of strong wind, which I hate, and not nearly enough rain.  We need a couple of good rainy days to wash away the grime and water the grass and trees.

I was hoping to put a rainy day vibe out there for Mother Nature with this Sunday dinner - a nice light but hearty soup and decadent brownies for dessert, but sadly, there was just more wind.

I wish I'd taken a photo of the greens, orzo and meatball soup I made from Smitten Kitchen.  Absolutely delicious!  I made a few changes; the grocery store didn't have any ground poultry for the meatballs so I used ground pork, and I broiled the meatballs before adding them to the soup.  It just felt right that day.  It was a pretty soup, and so tasty.  The kids enjoyed the meatballs and the orzo, but complained about "the green stuff" (spinach).  They didn't complain too much though, because they had both seen dessert and wanted to stay on our good sides so they would get a piece of - 

 

Chocolate Mousse Brownie - so good!  So easy!

I unfortunately slightly overcooked the brownie, so the crispy edges were VERY crispy, but it was very nice and the mousse on top was mmmmmmm good.

Happy May 1!  May.  I can't believe it.

Sunday Dinner - french onion soup casserole

 I made a really good soup in the Fall, and, drunk with power, I announced that I would be making soup every week to have for a quick dinner, or a fast lunch, and I think that lasted one week.  Maybe less?  Part of the problem is that my work days are long and by the evening I am fighting to stay awake and the idea of sitting and looking up soup recipes is not appealing.  I also try to not leave the house as much as I can, so my ingredients are often limited for a spur of the moment soup, unless they involve noodles and cans of tomatos, which seems to make up 70% of the pantry.

Then once you factor in allllllllll the foods my kids hate, and.....what's the point.

 They also hate onion soup, but the grown ups love it, so when I found this recipe for an onion soup casserole, I thought maybe the tiny tyrants might like it if it looked slightly different?

The answer was NO, of course but the dinner was still pretty good, even with all the complaining.  

I added more stock than the recipe called for, because The Mister and I thought it should be a bit more soupy, and I think we made the right call.  This was easy, pretty fast (other than cooking down the onions) and we will definitely make this again.

Recipe - french onion soup casserole

 

Sunday Dinner - no bake cookie bar

This was a HUGE hit at Sunday dinner.  Everyone loved them and repeatedly asked me to make sure I had saved the recipe so I could make them again (soon).

I made these no bake cookie bars in a slightly bigger pan - 8x10 or so, to make it a bit thinner, which is our preference for bars like this.  You get more that way.

This is a good summertime treat as you don't have to turn on the oven - and who doesn't love peanut butter, oats, graham and chocolate?????

Sunday Dinner - A very good cheesecake

A blurry picture of a deeeelicious cheesecake.

After our sad Thanksgiving cheesecake fail, I had cheesecake on my mind big time.  And also, chocolate.  Always chocolate.

I decided to make a cheesecake for Sunday dinner for my family and then also so I could have some leftovers to take to work for treats.

This cheesecake is easy and delicious and so chocolaty.  Everything you want in a cheesecake.

Recipe:  No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

Sunday Dinner - Onion Soup and Oatmeal Cookies

We had onion soup with cheesy croutons and sliced meats and cheese and raw veggies on the side, and a new bread - The Mister has taken up bread baking and is excelling at it. 

He made a rye bread from Dan Lepards the handmade loaf.  It had pickle juice and dill in it and was so good.

We also had some cheese we bought at the farmers market.  The one bottom right was called Tom.  It was strong but delicious.  Unlike Toms I know.

For dessert I made a batch of Copycat Potbelly Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Cookies which were easy and good and made a ton.

I feel like I should drink gallons of water and eat nothing but greens after that delicious cheese filled meal.  Worth it!

Sunday Dinner - Instant Pot Beef Ribs

(We did have more than just ribs and taters.......there was some bbq corn and....carrots?  Cauliflower?  Something else for sure.)

On a trip to Costco I got to talking to this lady in front of a cooler of beef ribs.  She was telling me that she buys them and cooks them in coconut milk with lots of onions and garlic and hot peppers.  It sounded so good that The Grandpa picked up a package, even though I insisted that I didn't know how you would cook ribs in coconut milk.  Boil?  Bake?  

So in the end I went on a hunt for a beef rib recipe that would make delicious ribs (of course) but wouldn't take up too much time because we had plans that Sunday too.

I found some instant pot recipes, but The Grandpa was skeptical.  I can't blame him since the first recipe we made him with our IP was truly hideous, a dish not mentioned and best forgotten immediately.  But he left the choosing in my hands and with much prodding from The Mister I chose this recipe for Instant Pot Beef Ribs.

It was super easy, and took less than 2 hours, and we had gorgeous fall off the bone ribs.

A few things I did differently that I liked for me:

I browned the ribs in a frying pan so I could do them all at once rather than in batches, but while I was frying them, I added the broth and rosemary to the IP on saute.  By the time the ribs were browned and I had cooked the onions and garlic, the sauce was simmering which cut down on the amount of time it took the IP to get to pressure (about 20 minutes).

I also didn't thicken the sauce because I am ok with a thin sauce.

I got impatient waiting for the IP to release all the pressure naturally, so after 20 minutes of "natural release" (ew) I vented it out.

These were so good - so flavorful and tender.  Beef ribs and the instant pot go together well.

A blast from the past - the first and last time I cooked beef ribs - so long ago!

Sunday Dinner - Trying out a new pizza dough

We had big plans for the Sunday of the Labour Day Long Weekend (how is it September already.....) that involved a visit to the Fall Fair in Barriere, and the first of two Back To School Dinners. 

The Boy was up first for his choosing of the Back To School Dinner - The Girl gets the next Sunday which makes sense because of the loooooong gradual entry into Kindergarten, and also she couldn't care less about choosing a dinner, because she exists on air and baby corn. 

He chose homemade pizza and brownies for dessert. 

 I wasn't sure what to do about the pizza dough - should I make it in the morning and hope it didn't over proof? Or should I chance that we would be home early enough from the fair to make the dough right before dinner? 

I decided I better not leave the dough to chance and that I should make it in the morning, and I turned to the internet to find a slow rising dough that could wait all day for us. 

Introducing a new favorite here - the Now or Later Pizza Crust!

 

This is a super simple dough that you mix, let sit on the counter to rise for 45 minutes, then pop it in the fridge for up to a day and a half.  

The recipe, from King Arthur Bread, had an optional ingredient of "Pizza Dough Flavor" so I tossed in some mixed Italian spice and some extra basil and oregano.  It added a nice flavor and a pretty design to the crust.

We made a ham and pineapple - The Boys current favorite pizza, and a salami, green pepper and black olive.

They were delicious and the crust was crispy - pretty darn crispy - so if you aren't a fan of super crispy, watch your baking time.

The dough was a hit and I'll be keeping this recipe close for an easy weeknight dinner.