We have a rotation of about 35+ “favorites” that I keep (adding to) in a binder. Sometime over the weekend, DH and I will pull out what we want to have for the week and one of us shops on Monday for any missing ingredients. We like soup/stew recipes like the one above because they cover multiple nights.
Last night I really wanted good Mexican. We weren’t going to go out to eat and I just can’t justify (or enjoy) the cost of food delivery for just H and I to have restaurant food (my own hangup). SO I made cheater enchiladas. Browned some ground chicken and added some enchilada sauce and taco seasoning. Took some fresh tortillas (Costco) and layered them in a square 9x9 each layer having some refried beans, the seasoned ground chicken, fresh shredded sharp cheddar and a spooned some salsa over each layer. Nice layer of cheddar on top. Covered with foil and baked at 375 for 30 minutes and a few minutes with foil off. Made myself some guacamole and had some leftover cilantro creama I had made in the refrig. VERY satisfying. Best of all, leftovers for today!
I always love leftover enchiladas the next day. Sometimes I need to add more sauce when reheating, but I think the flavors are so good after sitting overnight.
I call that, “Mexican Lasagna.”
We are going out of town tomorrow, so I’m trying to eat up the leftovers in the fridge and not make anything new. My plan was to do a version of the above cheater enchiladas but someone ate the rest of the tortillas when I wasn’t looking. That same someone is probably the person who ate the majority of the leftover mexican chicken (a couple breasts in the instapot, with some chicken broth, a packet of Kevin’s taco seasoning liquid, and some extra powdered taco sauce, then shred) I had in the fridge.
So when I got home late and was starving this meal pivoted to cheater huevos rancheros nachos… leftover refried beans, cheddar, the tiny bit of chicken that was left, a scrambled egg with more cheddar, half a diced pepper that needed to go, and salsa. With chips. It was so surprisingly pleasing. Also, I’m happy to have an excuse to each nachos any day. I should have put it on lettuce and made it a taco salad (and used up some of the lettuce) but I was cooking dinner at 9:15 at night after a crazy day and nachos are just way more comforting than salad…
@OctoberKate I love those kind of meals - something like that is what I’d make myself when I’m the only one home.
Speaking of home alone, dh and my sons are headed to the Masters today and won’t be back until after super late on Sunday.
I’m making myself shrimp scampi orzo with asparagus tonight. Dh can’t eat shrimp so I always make it when he travels. I’ll have enough leftovers for at least one lunch and maybe one more dinner.
It’s supposed to be cold and rainy here Friday and Saturday so I’m planning to make sausage tortellini soup.Friday will be a very busy and long work day for me. I say “planning” b/c I may get lazy and just have something like nachos!
Same here; DH is allergic to shrimp and scallops so those are usually my treats at restaurants. I made Ina Garten’s roasted shrimp and orzo salad yesterday for lunch because DH was out with friends, and I’m trying to use as many lemons off our tree as I can before we leave for the summer. I use It’s Skinny orzo and also add celery (for crunch) and artichoke hearts. This is one of my favorite recipes
H does not eat any fish or shellfish so I always order fish when we eat out. H is on travel this week and I made a shrimp scampi one night, fish tacos for lunch and last night D2 and I went out for sushi!
I could have written that post!!
Fortunately my husband is not allergic to shellfish - it’s only shrimp he avoids because it gives him gout. I, however, am allergic to scallops so we typically don’t have either at home, but we do have mussels, clams, etc. Sometimes when he is grilling steak, I’ll have grilled shrimp. My kids all like shrimp so it stinks we can’t have it as the center of a meal as it is so easy to defrost, cooks quickly and can be added to many pasta, stir fry, etc dishes.
The gout only started a few years ago fortunately so we had many years of enjoying it together!
I am allergic to scallops also, and it sounds like that’s the only shellfish you’re allergic too? People say I’m “weird” when I confirm, but I love crab, shrimp, and lobster, just can’t eat scallops.
Yes, for me, only scallops, since I was a toddler. No rash or hives, but violently stomach sick.
For a brief time in my late 30s, I twice had similar episodes after eating calamari at restaurants. First time, we had to leave a play early. The second time we had been at a big group dinner the night before an Army-Navy game, on a rare weekend away from our young kids. I spent the entire night on the marble floor of a beautiful Ritz Carlton bathroom! Later, dh realized that night and the previous occasion I had had calamari both times. So I thought maybe I’d developed an allergy to that also and then avoided it for years. I tentatively tried it again about 10 years ago and had no reaction so I now eat it occasionally. Scallops though…had a reaction after cross contamination in my teens and 20s so decided I probably would never outgrow that one.
Me too.
I am allergic to shrimp (which I love, sadly), and my brother is allergic to lobster. We can both eat (and enjoy) all other shellfish. Weird.
Same with DH, only shrimp and scallops. No issue with any other shellfish.
I’m looking for a vegetarian mushroom based dish to make for Easter. I’d like it to be a little “hearty” as it may serve as a main dish of sorts for our vegetarian. Maybe have some rice in it? Not be overly complicated but of course, delicious.
A mushroom-barley soup with potatoes and lots of greens?
Looking for more of a side dish than a soup.
Though that sounds good!
A side dish? I halve mini bellas, toss with a bunch of finely chopped garlic, rosemary, EVOO, and balsamic vinegar,
salt/pepper to taste, and let marinate for a couple of hours or so. Then I roast all of that. Every time I make these, the meat eaters dig in as much as the vegetarian guests!
Sorry, no exact recipe.
This probably isn’t what you’re looking for, but I remember thinking it sounded really good when someone else posted it on CC