They are pretty imperceptible. Gives it a bit of a sweet/smoky flavor, so I don’t know how it’ll be without them. Maybe more smoked paprika if you omit them?
I detest beans of any sort. I just omit them and add bourbon for that smoky flavor.
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I made the Cowboy Stew last night (sans beans and potato), and it was a big hit with DH, but I did get him a small can of baked beans to swirl into his own bowl (I averted my eyes). I have put this one in our rotation as an alternative to the chili we frequently make when the weather’s cold.
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I think tonight or tomorrow will be French onion soup. Need to get the cheese!
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I’ve marinated meat oodles of times but was looking for something different and flavorful for some chicken tenderloins I was planning to grill yesterday.
This was excellent and flavorful and the meat stayed moist. Highly recommend to do as the recipe says and reserve some of the marinade for brushing onto the meat on the grill.
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I’m glad your dh liked it! I lol-ed about your averting your eyes on the beans 
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I marinate chicken breasts in Cardini’s Caesar salad dressing for grilling.
I pound them before marinating.
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I make chicken kabobs… marinate the chicken breast chunks in a splash of soy sauce and some EVO and balsamic with onions.
That’s similar to mine!
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I think onions vs garlic is what makes a small difference. I use onions like I do in meat kabobs: one thinly sliced medium sized onion per pound of meat.
Had a real treat last night - D20 offered to prepare dinner!
She made this: Viral TikTok Salmon and Rice Bowl - Pound Dropper
It was so good! Served it with the mini seaweed sheets and it definitely gave sushi vibes.
She cooked the salmon from frozen in the air fryer and the rice in the rice cooker and had the whole thing on the table in about 40 minutes.
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I have this chopper. I use it frequently. I have a larger one that’s fancier, but rarely use. I gave one to each my kids for Christmas one year, so I don’t have to take mine if I’m cooking at their house.
I never put it in the dishwasher. I broke my first one, on my second. Vidallia onion chopper.
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Kind of proud of myself for this one. Dinner last night at our house could have come straight from a “Chopped” episode. The challenge was to make some room in my overcrowded freezer and use up some fridge items that were getting long in the tooth. So, with 2 bags of frozen spinach, 1/3 of an onion, a handful of “mixed Italian” shredded cheese, the last dregs of goat cheese crumbles, a scoop of cottage cheese, 4 eggs and three sheets of phyllo dough that had been thawed and then refrozen and languishing in the freezer for months…I made a spinach pie.
Thawed and drained the spinach.
Sauteed the onion until soft
Mixed all ingredients (except for phyllo), seasoned with salt & pepper and bit of dried dill.
Spread in a greased 9x6” baking tray.
Layered the phyllo over the top, brushing each sheet with olive oil and folding excess over again to create a top layer six sheets thick. Tucked excess and edges into sides.
Scored the top to make serving easier.
Baked uncovered at 325 for about an hour.
It was good! I wasn’t sure how it would be using random cheese and not feta, but it definitely passed as a Greek dish. It really looked fantastic and like it had taken more planning and effort than it actually did.
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I love these types of creations!
I saw a video of an interesting omelet I want to try.
A spoon of chili crisp in a non stick pan.
Top with leftover rice to cover the bottom of the pan.
Top with 3 scrambled eggs, uncooked. Top with some cheese, furikake and scallions.
Cook with lid on till eggs are set and rice bottom is crispy.
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My D20, who is living with us again, makes something very similar. She doesn’t use cheese or furikake, but tops with kimchi and serves with mini seaweed sheets on the side. The crispy rice is chef’s kiss!
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I made Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese tonight–simmered for 3 hours and it was great. Recipe is from her 1976 book (Classic Italian Cooking). I found an original copy at my town library book sale about 10 years ago. I hadn’t made Bolognese for a very long time–this really hit the spot.
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I have always wanted to make this - I NEED to do it! 
Here’s the recipe from The NY Times Cooking site:
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Speaking of the onion chopper, I found a great use for it recently! I was about to make quince jam from my homegrown lemon quinces, using the recipe calling for 6 cups of shredded quince. Which one makes using a grater. And which is hard labor 
! Then I had an idea 
: sliced each cored quince thinly and chunked the slices using the chopper! Quince has a density of a cannonball, so this would not work with thicker pieces, but 1/8” worked so well. I ended up with quince crumbles, if one can call it that, which worked great and resulted in a beautifully hued jam. Yum! 
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Tonight I’m making a tried and true family favorite - hot chicken salad. Not “salad” in it, but the idea of cooked chicken mixed with creamy stuff and some chopped vegetables (celery, onion and water chestnuts at minimum but also good with broccoli or mushrooms) and baked as a hot casserole.
Question: doing my own informal poll. My favorite comfort meal is spaghetti with red sauce - meatballs or meat sauce or Italian sausage is a plus.
When you make spaghetti with a red sauce do you serve the sauce OVER the pasta or do you mix the sauce and cooked spaghetti together before serving?
I’ve always served the sauce OVER the pasta. It’s come to my attention that many people mix them together in a pot. 
. I prefer separate to control how much sauce (I like more, my H likes less) and also so that the sauce doesn’t absorb into the pasta when there are leftovers.
What do you do??
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