Day three of Dine-In Week went well and was especially easy, as back spasms kept me from wanting to venture out into the big wide world. (Really wish I hadn’t fallen down my porch steps two years ago!)
I did make a quick run to the grocery store, as I have an interview running in the current National Enquirer about the No Heat Challenge. Sadly, it does not appear to be online, so I bought three copies for my stash. Otherwise, I only bought the essentials, as next week will bring the $10 off $50 Safeway coupon that I depend on.
I had been to the Asian mega supermarket the day before looking for refrigerated flat rice noodles, as I’m trying to recreate a favorite dish from my favorite restaurant, but they were sold out. *Sob* Instead, I bought a packet of Yakisoba noodles which transformed the leftover chicken from Tuesday into a to die for delicious meal. (I added chunks of broccoli and cauliflower as well, and then drizzled in orange sauce at the last minute.)
I then boiled up the remains of the chicken carcass to make chicken stock, and will most likely assemble a chicken soup for tomorrow. I always make dumplings when chicken soup is on the menu, as it transforms the meal into a more satisfying/filling experience. Keep in my mind that my 11 and 14-year-old sons are at the age when they take thirds at dinner and still eat another mini-meal before bedtime. If nothing else, I have to make sure that dinner is filling!
Are you continuing with the Dine-In Challenge? Please share your updates in the comments section below.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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You betcha! For lunch today I had a grilled cheese sandwich, a few tortilla chips, and half an apple. For dinner, I’m recycling the northern beans for me and cooking pork chops for my husband along with a veggie or two.
I mentioned on Tuesday that I was worried about lunch for Wednesday since I was starting a new job. I forgot to pack a lunch so I had to eat out, but it turned out to be not too bad. Under $6.00. Now that I have experienced the offerings in the cafeteria, I know that I will be bringing my lunch from now on! Tonight we are having leftovers!
I’m one of those for whom the dine-in challenge is not only not a challenge; it’s the status quo (we hardly ever eat out any more). However, the plan for today may interest those of you in warmer climates. I made a gigantic turkey noodle soup yesterday: turkey stock off bones; carrots and kale from my garden (yes, I still have a few homegrown veggies even here in Syracuse, NY–the carrots were dug during the last thaw, and the kale is incredibly still hanging on outside); garlic and dried dill from last summer; locally grown onions; and noodles straight out of a plastic bag . I’m making rye bread today and having some of the neighbors over for an “orphans of the storm” dinner (we’ve had 8-9″ of new snow since dawn, as best I could judge just now when I waded out to the compost bin). Katy, I’m glad to hear you’re making stock too. As I’ve noted in earlier comments, soup is my favorite way of cleaning out the refrigerator and cooking creatively.
I hear you about that teenage boy ravenous hunger. It only gets worse. Mine are 16 and 18 and both are over 6 feet tall. They eat and eat and no matter how much I feed them they still stay skinny. They come home from high school and college and scarf down leftovers or whatever they can find, go out to do their sports or whatever (sometimes bring a buddy or two home with them) eat enormous dinners, then do homework and they’ll each eat again before retiring for the night.I have no idea how they stay skinny. They think nothing of eating two bananas from the counter, inhaling a 16 ounce tumbler of milk, grab something like a brownie or a muffin,then open my cupboard and say there’s nothing ever anything good to eat around here with their mouths full. I cook most every meal at home. A trip to McDonalds for our family of six (I have 2 younger good appetite daughters too ) can cost over $30, so we only do the fast food thing when traveling en route to vacation or visiting relatives out of state a few times a year. I try and bring lots of food that won’t spoil too quickly when we do car trips, but sometimes you have to get out and stretch the legs and give into the salty fries temptation. I buy good healthy food, milk, veggies, fruit, meat and lots of carbs to fill the kids up……….potatoes, macaroni, noodles, rice, etc. Casseroles are my thing these days. Hearty, healthy comfort food. They wouldn’t do too well at Kristin’s house though. They just aren’t into bread at all. Most weeks I spend around $2oo; when the boys were small I could get away spending 1/2 that, but no more. I wish that Frugal Girl’s 4 kids were teens already so I could get a peek at her grocery spending and get some pointers,lol. They’re breaking the bank.
Normally this challenge would be so easy for me, since it is the norm to dine in. But, when a friend called and invited me out for breakfast, sadly, I accepted. My only rational was that I needed to get a filling yesterday and the last time I went to the dentist, I was so anxious, they could not numb me. I figured getting my mind off things by going out the breakfast would help…and it did! I was able to get my filling. But, failure is an event, not a person! So, onward I go!
Is your Asian mega-market by any chance Fubonn? Or Uwajimaya? And, do you have a good recipe for those wide noodlesif you find them? I have looked and looked and haven’t found a good and/or authentic recipe, especially one with the sauce that’s poured over them. They are one of our favorites when we go out for dim sum.
Yes– Fubonn!
I haven’t figured out a sauce yet, and I’m trying to recreate the “wide flat noodles” from Jade Teahouse in Sellwood, which is hands down the best restaurant I’ve EVER been to!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
The Non-Consumer Advocate
We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Jade Teahouse! It’s our designated “girly restaurant” that my daughters and I go to when we want to celebrate or just go out to eat. I haven’t tried their wide flat noodles though–I usually get the grilled eggplant there, but will give the noodles a try next time (which may be next year–SOB).
I’m trying to find a recipe for the wide noodles with beef like they serve at Wongs King.