What's For Dinner? - 2020

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Willowy

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I wouldn't use rubbery to describe them.
I've definitely had some that are! The ones on Domino's pizza used to be terrible. Maybe avoid the off brands.
You try olives and I'll try capers.
If you like olives you'll like capers, I think. But they aren't really something you eat right out of the jar (not even me!). They're more to add a salty punch to various dishes. My favorite dish with capers is a this: Johnny Carino’s Angel Hair Pasta with Artichokes | CopyKat Recipes

. . .hmm, I haven't had that in ages, maybe that should be dinner tonight.
 

Winchester

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M maggiedemi Here you go. It's a very forgiving recipe. I didn't have zucchini, so I used extra summer squash. Didn't have the cheeses mentioned, so I used an Italian mix, along with mozz and a good dose of Parm. Didn't have fresh mushrooms. Didn't have penne, so I used the larger elbows. It worked. I suppose if one wanted to, some sausage or ground beef would be good. But there's nothing wrong with it the way it is.

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cremini mushrooms, halved
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
1 pound penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.

NOTE: These vegetables don't really tend to "roast down" in size so use a large pan to roast them in. Also, have a very large bowl to mix all the ingredients before pouring it into the 9 x 13 pan to bake.
 

Winchester

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Confession: I really hate olives. Any and all olives. :paperbag: When my sister and BIL come over for pizza, I have to add black olives to theirs. It's the only time I have any kind of olives in the house. As much as I love pickles, I really can't eat olives.

I'm thinking it's a good night for pizza. I'll let Rick choose what flavor he wants and he can get it out of the freezer and make it.
 

rubysmama

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It sounds like people either love olives or hate them, with no in between. I've heard the same thing about okra, which I've also never tried.

You try olives and I'll try capers. :lol:
I thought capers were fish, but per Google I see they're not. They're also not that appealing looking either, so I can understand you not rushing to try them. And no worries, as I'm in no hurry to try olives, you won't have to try capers anytime soon. ;)
 

Willowy

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Capers are actually pickled flower buds! Now that I google, I see they also sell pickled caper berries, but I've never tried them. I'll try (almost) anything once.

Okra, if prepared wrong, can be slimy. I think it's probably like brussels sprouts---great if prepared properly, nasty if not. I particularly like pickled okra, but like I said, I enjoy salty stuff.
 

maggiedemi

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So what do olives taste like? Salty? Sweet? Chewy? Crunchy?
Olives & Capers are good in recipes. I wouldn't just eat them by themselves, just like I wouldn't eat a spoonful of soy sauce.

Here's a couple links that might be helpful:
Thank you. I'll watch the video later, maybe that will help with my technique.

Here you go. It's a very forgiving recipe.
Thank you! I need to start following recipes. My cooking stinks.

Breakfast: Target Good & Gather vanilla almond granola, Aldi Southern Grove dried fruit medley, and cow milk. I wish they wouldn't put sugar on dried fruit!

Lunch: Veggie sammich on Great Value Honey Wheat Bread untoasted, mayo, red jalapeno hot sauce, raw cabbage, celery, tomato, onion, hard boiled egg, Aldi sharp cheese. Should have toasted it, it fell apart!

Dinner: Baked Potato, Green Beans with Butter, Tortilla Chips, Red Jalapeno Hot Sauce
 

Mamanyt1953

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Duke's is a southern brand. You won't find a low fat version because that is a crime in the south. :lol:
Duke's is a VERY southern brand, and a Deep Southern brand, to boot! There are Junior Leagues in the Deep South who would never admit a prospective member who did not use Duke's mayonnaise in their chicken salad, or, GOD FORBID, dark meat! Just as well I never had the first aspriation to join the Junior League, much to my mother's disgust. I'm ok with white meat, but I find Duke's mayonnaise to be a little bland. I like a tart mayo.

I've heard the same thing about okra, which I've also never tried.
Well, for goodness' sake, if you try it, go for the breaded, fried style! If you don't know what you're doing with boiling okra, you will not like the final product one bit...although sliced about 1/2 inch thick and added to stews, they're fine. No slime that way. Fried, they're GREAT! Just add a little salt. LOL, I eat them instead of popcorn sometimes!

Tonight...oh, probably hot pastrami and Swiss cheese sandwiches.
 

Winchester

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On Duke commercials on tv, they talk about its "lemony edge". I never tasted that and it is kind of bland. But we buy whatever Rick wants when we need mayo. We've had Duke's because Rick wanted to try it when it first got here.

Rick called for pizza last night instead of making one from the freezer. He asked me to choose, so I picked Black and Blue; it's a cheesesteak-type pizza with blue cheese. He was not amused, but hey, he told me it was my choice.

Tonight I'm doing chicken quarters in the NFG. Not sure how yet. Maybe with salt and vinegar smashed potatoes. Or sweet potato fries. Or.....oh, I don't know, maybe some hot dogs with the fries tonight for a Sat night supper and save the chicken for tomorrow. As you can see, I'm very undecided about today's dinner!
 

Mamanyt1953

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I have no clue. It's actually still last night to me. Don't ask why I'm still up, I just am. Figured I'd do my posting on here now, just in case I'm not capable of doing anything but drooling tonight. Come to think of it, maybe just a ham sandwich. That's a minimal-effort meal, AND I did back a loaf of pumpkin pie spice bread earlier, so dessert is done!
 

Willowy

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Johnny Carino’s Angel Hair Pasta with Artichokes | CopyKat Recipes
hmm, I haven't had that in ages, maybe that should be dinner tonight.
I ended up making it! Delicious. I did make some substitutions due to availability---canned tomatoes, not fresh, frozen garlic, not fresh (fresh garlic goes to sprouts too fast for me to use it. The frozen kind is really very good, much better than jarred), and I used butter instead of olive oil because I found out my olive oil went rancid :/. It was just as good as ever.
Olives & Capers are good in recipes. I wouldn't just eat them by themselves, just like I wouldn't eat a spoonful of soy sauce.
I agree about capers (I ate some out of the jar while making the recipe. Nope! They are not for casual snacking, lol) but I grew up on a can of black olives being an acceptable snack---eaten off one's fingertips, of course! And when I got older, I liked green olives even more. My mom and her best friend once gave each other cans of black olives as Christmas presents, though, so she must have passed down the affinity.
 
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maggiedemi

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Breakfast: 2 Slices Great Value Honey Wheat toast, Target Good & Gather honey almond butter sample packet, 1/4 cup Aldi dried fruit medley

Lunch: Veggie sandwich on Great Value Honey Wheat toasted, mayo, red french, red jalapeno hot sauce, raw cabbage, raw cauliflower, tomato, onion, celery, sharp cheese

Dinner: I practiced simmering with another Knorr Pasta Sides packet. I discovered that the pasta sides cook better without a cover and the heat needs to be a little higher than it was for the rice sides. I'm glad I got 6 packets to experiment with. This is fun learning.
 

Kat0121

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i am the only one in my family that eats olives and pickles. they turn up their noses at them because of their salt content. i love my salt.
Me too. I much prefer salty over sweet things. My DH gave our DD whole kosher dill pickles to gnaw on when she was teething. They are firm enough that she couldn't bite a piece off and cold so it helped her sore gums. She loved them. She'd gnaw on them until all the juice was gone and it was a blob of mush. She still adores pickles to this day. Not the sweet ones though.

I'm having pizza tonight. I'm thinking an Amy's roasted vegetable one. I will add black olives, onions and crushed red pepper. IMO this is the most underrated frozen pizza ever. It's so good.
 
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