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| by DBPSmith on Wikimedia |
Although I have cooked a couple of times this week, breakfast for supper wasn't done by me. I was invited to my landlord's for supper on Tuesday and they were having dried beef gravy with toast (aka creamed chipped beef or SOS). I love dried beef gravy, so I accepted the invite. I had my gravy in a bowl and dunked my toast rather than soaking my toast under the gravy. I like the combination of the toasty crunch of the bread with the thick sauciness of the gravy.
My friend who made the kedgeree the other day was there and decided in the middle of us getting our food that he would make another batch of kedgeree. Kedgeree is a British breakfast dish that consists of smoked fish boiled with the water used to cook the Basmati rice that goes in the dish all of which is blended together with diced cooked onions and boiled eggs, curry powder (or garam masala), cumin and turmeric. The first time he made it, he didn't get all the bones out of the fish, so the pleasure of eating was ruined by the concern over when the next piece of bone would appear in my mouth. And, there was just a bit too much heat the first time because he put a bit more garam masala in that it called for. So, he decided the night I was there eating another breakfast dish for supper to make another batch of kedgeree. Don't ask because I can tell you I don't have the answer. All I can say is that the second batch was far superior to the first batch. And, he hadn't even used smoked fish. He bought boneless whiting and made it with that and used the proper amount of garam masala. It was delicious! Of course, I was a bit too full when I left the house that night since I had eaten two different dishes (the "some" he gave me to try was a bowlful!) The curry flavor was obvious, it wasn't fishy, there were no bones, it didn't taste "eggy" (which is good because I detest hard boiled eggs) and the cumin and turmeric added just enough smoky flavor that I didn't know he didn't use smoked fish until after I'd eaten it.
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| Image from RecipeKey.com |
But, just so you know, I have cooked this week, even if it wasn't much. I made scrambled eggs with cheese and salsa on Monday for breakfast, grilled cheese for supper using shredded cheese I had on hand (no sliced cheese on hand) and then apple-cinnamon oatmeal pancakes for breakfast this morning. I want to share with you that adding fiber to your pancakes is so easy! And, heart healthy, too. The thing I like is that the texture of the pancakes doesn't change at all. They're still the light and fluffy pancakes you would expect to get from a mix (I use the complete kind of mix - just add water), but they get an added element of fiber and oats when I add the dry oatmeal (or in this case, Irish porridge). I don't do anything special - I just mix the oats in with the mix and cinnamon before adding water. So, it's a great way to "sneak" added fiber and nutrition into pancakes for your family. Unless they see you making them, they won't know.
Wow. I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted here. I haven't wanted to cook and because of that I haven't written anything. This lack of motivation hasn't really let up. I'm sure part of it is because I hate cooking for just me. My daughter rarely eats what I make or doesn't come home in time for dinner. I don't like putting out the effort to make something no one will eat, or not eat much of.
But, I have eaten. And, I've enjoyed what I ate.
We wanted to go to Red Lobster for their $15 four-course special, but there were so many people there that they were standing outside waiting for their numbers to be called. That's not for me. So, we went to Don Pablo's Tex-Mex instead. I usually have something traditionally Mexican, but this time I went for one of their Texas barbecue choices. I got their half-slab of ribs and the grilled chicken breast. They were delicious!! Lots of meat on the rib bones and juicy and tender boneless chicken. I might opt out of the BBQ beans next time because they were not quite what I expected, but everything else was great.
Then I had the opportunity to go to Texas Roadhouse. I swear, I died and went to heaven that night!! I had the pulled pork and grilled chicken combo. The chicken breast was butterflied (about twice the size of what I'd had at Don Pablo's) and slathered in a rich, spicy BBQ sauce. The pulled pork was tender, smoky and saturated in the same sauce. I had the option of two sides, so I chose salad and a baked sweet potato. All this for the same price Don Pablo's charged me for the meal I had there. The salad was crisp and fresh, but I was disappointed with the ranch dressing. It was very sour-creamy, as though it had been thinned too much with buttermilk. Otherwise, it was a very nice salad with shredded cheese, chopped hard boiled egg and croutons. The baked potato came with cinnamon butter and brown sugar, but I only used the cinnamon butter. The potato was so perfectly cooked there was nothing left but the skin when I was done.
A couple days ago, we went to Bassett's Memphis BBQ that just opened near us. I had pulled brisket and pulled pork with macaroni and cheese and collard greens. The macaroni and cheese and the collard greens were outstanding! I love collards cooked like they cook them. I'll take them any day over spinach. The meats were smoky and tender with loads of spicy BBQ sauce and more on the table if we wanted it. The meal was just about as heavenly as the one I'd had at Texas Roadhouse.
Then there's tonight. Again, I wasn't in the mood to cook. But, this time, my guy friend cooked for me. He'd been wanting to make Kedgeree for a while now. It didn't sound too appealing to me, but I reserved judgment until tasting it since it contained Basmati rice (I love it), garam masala (I love it, too), smoked fish (never had it - couldn't pass judgment) and hard boiled eggs (I don't love them at all). It actually wasn't half bad. Even with the eggs in it - the flavor of the eggs wasn't noticeable and the fish having been smoked didn't taste fishy. But, there were bones and that really detracted from the pleasures of eating it for me. I had to be on constant alert to make sure I didn't swallow any fish bones. If there was a way to make it with boneless smoked fish, I'm sure I'd enjoy it a whole lot more.
