Last meal cooked

[Dead2009]

Roast with corn and carrots

 

[Dead2009]

CHicken NUGGS and mac & cheese

 

[ElegantAura]

Haha, the picture didn’t turn out great.... I couldn’t hold the food and take a decent shot at the same time, and I didn’t want to fuss with it too long.
Anyway, you can sort of see it’s a homemade burger.

Here it is.......the last meal I made!

 

[a fairy]

Pasta. Was really good

 

[passenger]

Breakfast for dinner.
Ham, scrambled eggs w/capers & cheese, sour dough toast & pink grapefruit.
Pretty good.

 

[ElegantAura]

@passenger Sometimes, nothing beats a good breakfast meal for dinner.


...............................
I’ve been flat out, so I’m keeping the food simple, not really focusing on presentation right now, but here we go…

Last meal, I made , spaghetti Bolognese, and I also prepped a few extras for myself at the same time, just some peppers and shiitake mushrooms for another meal.

 

[ElegantAura]

The last thing I cooked was chicken soup with filini pasta.

 

[ElegantAura]

Didn’t really cook this, more just threw it together. So last thing I made was a salad....nothing special, just whatever I had around.
Could’ve called it a garden salad, but there’s no carrot in it (which it usually has), so it’s more of a random mix with whatever the fu@@@ I had. 🧑‍🍳

 

[passenger]

Didn’t really cook this, more just threw it together. So last thing I made was a salad....nothing special, just whatever I had around.
Could’ve called it a garden salad, but there’s no carrot in it (which it usually has), so it’s more of a random mix with whatever the fu@@@ I had. 🧑‍🍳

Nice colors!! Looks very appetizing.

 

[passenger]

Deep South, stick-to-your ribs, solid soup: Chicken & Dumplin's.

 

[ElegantAura]

Deep South, stick-to-your ribs, solid soup: Chicken & Dumplin's.

Hmm, what kind of soup is it?
I could look it up, but there are probably loads of different versions. Maybe you could explain a bit about it instead?
....................................................

Anyway, the last thing I cooked was some oven roasted zucchini.

 

[passenger]

Anyway, the last thing I cooked was some oven roasted zucchini.

Looks great! I may have to do a couple of Zs; my husband would not touch the stuff, but I sure would!
How do you get that 'grill' pattern....just knife cuts, or something sneaky?

 

[ElegantAura]

Looks great! I may have to do a couple of Zs; my husband would not touch the stuff, but I sure would!
How do you get that 'grill' pattern....just knife cuts, or something sneaky?

Nothing sneaky, it’s just as you said, cut with a knife. I did it this way mainly to get better flavour. I rubbed on a little salt and added oil, which wouldn’t have stuck as well without the lines and would’ve mostly dripped onto the tray.

Oven roasting zucchini doesn’t easily give you those nice grill marks or colour, it takes too long and would likely overcook if the zucchini is cut in half.

Once it was cooked to my liking, I moved it to the top rack and turned on the top element the grill (or broiler, as you call it in the US) to get that golden finish and extra flavour. This also helped avoid that boiled texture.

If I’d started with the grill (broiler) while the slices were still thick, they would’ve browned before cooking through. Doing it this way gave them a soft inside with that lovely grilled taste on top.

 

[ElegantAura]

The last thing I cooked was Slow Cooked Braised Pork, and it turned out great. Dinner will be nice I’ll prepare the sides closer to mealtime, though I’m still undecided
could be fries, rice, or pasta. But anyway, that’s what I made! 🧑‍🍳

 

[ElegantAura]

I had some leftovers, so I made toast with it for lunch. The picture isn’t great because I didn’t have time to take a better one.
The plate was gone before I could change and take a nicer shot in a better spot, as this one gets too much sun.

 

[passenger]

Hmm, what kind of soup is it?
I could look it up, but there are probably loads of different versions. Maybe you could explain a bit about it instead?

I have never used or written a recipe for Chicken & Dumplings...it's always been just an evolution from the way my grandmas & aunts made it. Mom worked a full-time job + being a single parent, so she spent very little time in the kitchen & I really don't recall her ever making this.
So, I never measure ingredients; just play it "by ear".
One small obstacle is the 'language barrier' confusion ... biscuits/cookies. So one primary ingredient here is a biscuit mix (no sugar) - NOT a cookie mix. You can make the basic dumplings with flour, baking soda & salt; but much easier to use biscuit mix & I'm thinking that you might have such a product in Australia. I use Bisquick, but the brand does not matter.

- - - - - -
There must be hundreds of various versions of Chicken & Dumplings on the 'web' & YouTube.

You can use a whole chicken or whatever parts & pieces that you like, some even use the shredded rotisserie chicken & that looks pretty interesting; and your choice & amounts of veggies & spices. Here's what I usually like to use: (for 2 servings)
------------------------------
3 or 4 bone-in drumsticks or thighs
chopped onion & celery...sauteed or not
chopped carrots
green beans (sometimes)
always salt & pepper (to taste)
sometimes summer savory or basil or a bit of season salt or onion powder
--------------------
Make a broth with the chicken or use already prepared broth.

These videos are a pretty good demo of how to prepare the dumplings.





****************************************************************************

Anyway, the last thing I cooked was some oven roasted zucchini.

350° F ---??? for about 10 minutes/or less?

 

[ElegantAura]

I have never used or written a recipe for Chicken & Dumplings...it's always been just an evolution from the way my grandmas & aunts made it. Mom worked a full-time job + being a single parent, so she spent very little time in the kitchen & I really don't recall her ever making this.
So, I never measure ingredients; just play it "by ear".
One small obstacle is the 'language barrier' confusion ... biscuits/cookies. So one primary ingredient here is a biscuit mix (no sugar) - NOT a cookie mix. You can make the basic dumplings with flour, baking soda & salt; but much easier to use biscuit mix & I'm thinking that you might have such a product in Australia. I use Bisquick, but the brand does not matter.

Don’t worry, I grew up not using recipes, so I get it. Not sure if we have anything like this here, so I’ll probably need to make the dumplings myself.

There must be hundreds of various versions of Chicken & Dumplings on the 'web' & YouTube.

You can use a whole chicken or whatever parts & pieces that you like, some even use the shredded rotisserie chicken & that looks pretty interesting; and your choice & amounts of veggies & spices. Here's what I usually like to use: (for 2 servings)
------------------------------
3 or 4 bone-in drumsticks or thighs
chopped onion & celery...sauteed or not
chopped carrots
green beans (sometimes)
always salt & pepper (to taste)
sometimes summer savory or basil or a bit of season salt or onion powder

Very nice! I like recipes with just a few ingredients, this one looks simple and lovely. Then again, chicken soup is pretty universal.....everyone has their own version with small differences.

These videos are a pretty good demo of how to prepare the dumplings.

Yeah, it’s easier with the video to follow, and the dumplings don’t seem hard to make. The second video looked better, the food was much creamier......but I’m not sure if I could handle that much milk. Usually, when I make creamy broth for chicken soup, I use egg, so maybe that would work too. Anyway, it’s a nice soup with ingredients anyone can enjoy

350° F ---??? for about 10 minutes/or less?

I think it was longer since it was cut in half. I don’t usually check the time, but it’s often more like half an hour at least, with just a few minutes under the broiler. I had it at around 360, but every oven is different. It all depends on how crunchy you like it....... I prefer it a little more well-cooked

 

[a fairy]

Cooked some greens and yams for a party I'm having on Saturday .

 

[passenger]

The second video looked better, the food was much creamier......but I’m not sure if I could handle that much milk.

1. That step: IMO adding the milk & biscuit mix to the soup is not necessary; when you add & cook the dumplings to the soup, that thickens the soup enough.

2. Canned Biscuits: Looks like some people are using refrigerated canned biscuits for the dumplings; new idea to me but looks decidedly easy & worth a try.

 

[DrLeftover]

Tomorrow I'm cooking the majority of a full traditional Thanksgiving meal for about 50 people.

I'll let you know how it goes.