I have decided to continue on with “documenting our dinners” (and occasional breakfasts); if nothing else, I can look back and remind myself of recipe ideas…many are repeats but I will link to a recipe here and there if I find something shareable.
May 1st fell on a Friday….we had started doing carryout on Fridays but decided to have a “we didn’t get to go to the beach this year and eat seafood” meal instead. Scallops with Lemon Caper Pasta, crab cakes (frozen) and roasted asparagus were on the menu.
Scallops over pasta recipe: https://www.jessicagavin.com/pan-seared-scallops-lemon-caper-pasta/
My oven was finally repaired on Friday so Saturday morning we had the biscuits I had prepped and frozen the week before. Bacon gravy this time as I had no sausage.
Saturday night was pizza night – same routine, different toppings. The usual artichokes and spinach on the garlic oil pie and tomato, green pepper, artichokes, onion, and pepperoni on the other. A combination of fresh mozzarella, bagged mozzarella, and freshly grated parmesan cheeses.
Red Pizza 
Garlic Oil Pizza
I used this recipe for the crusts: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-pizza-crust-recipe/
Sunday, May 3rd was a “clean out the cabinet and fridge carbonara” with bacon and asparagus, frozen rolls zhuzhed up with garlic and Parmesan cheese and the last few crab cakes. I managed not to scramble the eggs this time.
Monday night was the weekly chicken tacos – I have to say, the Great Value brand chicken strips from Walmart are quite good for what they are!
On Tuesday, I roasted Cornish hens for the first and last time. At the beginning of “quarantine” I was having issues finding fresh chicken and beef . I knew a Cornish hen was not the size of a full size chicken for roasting but I thought maybe I could cook one and pull off the meat for a meal. Imagine my surprise when I unloaded a teeny tiny little guy (or rather gal) from my grocery bags! I thought no problem, I’ll just order more, but at the time there was a limit of two of the same item per order. So I was up to three. Then I kept forgetting to defrost them after I had the fourth. I finally cooked them last night and the prep and the yuck just weren’t worth me doing it again. Give me one big chicken any day! Also, I roasted them upside down!!! In any event, they tasted good, but are not worth the effort. Rounded out the meal with parmesan garlic mashed potatoes and canned green beans.
Hen prep – clean puppy pads! 
Cornish Hens – Never Again!
On Wednesday night, we had burgers and chips. And on Thursday, I tried a new recipe that was called a Cumin Beef Stir Fry. I overcooked the veggies so it seemed a little bit more like steak and peppers over rice. Recipe if anyone is interested.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/cumin-beef-stir-fry-8125693
Friday night was takeout night again – Chinese from Chef Lin’s, Taco Bell for the girls, and contactless pizza delivery from Domino’s. And we were gone all day on Saturday up to the cabin with my mom. So we violated the once per week carryout rule and picked up Steak N Shake on the way home.
Breakfast Bagels 
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Sunday, May 10th was Mother’s Day. I prepared bacon, egg, and cheese bagels in the morning and that night we had a pretty simple meal of Chicken Tortilla Soup from a mix my friend Tricia gave me from The Kitchen Store; we combined that with some quick cheese quesadillas. The soup mix was so good and easy – check out The Kitchen Store’s website below:
On Monday, we had a spinach, potato and bacon hash, which wasn’t memorable or photogenic enough for me to take a picture. Then on Tuesday, we had beef tacos with my new favorite – Black Bean Skillet.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020705-cheesy-spicy-black-bean-bake
Wednesday night, we had a roasted chicken; I think it must have been partially frozen because it did not get cooked all the way through! I was able to salvage that chicken the next night though by making chicken and dumplings.
On Friday, we picked up food from the Southern Hibachi food truck for our carryout night. https://www.facebook.com/SouthernHibachiExpress1/
Saturday morning was an experiment with sourdough discard. We had sourdough pancakes with our bacon and eggs. I liked them but I think I prefer reagular buttermilk pancakes.
Saturday night, as usual, was pizza night.
Sunday May 17th, we had chicken gnocchi soup. I have made this many times, but this time it just didn’t hit the mark.
On Monday, we had chicken breasts, mashed potatoes and beans and on Tuesday, we had the black bean bake again with chicken tacos. Wednesday was a broccoli chicken casserole and Thursday night, we had my mom’s 70th birthday over at my brother and sister-in-law’s house. I know Friday was carryout but I can’t recall what we had. Here is a link to the broccoli chicken casserole I made although I didn’t take a picture.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/chicken-broccoli-casserole-2797797
Saturday through Monday the girls and I were at the cabin in north Arkansas with my mom. I had prepared and brought food with us so we wouldn’t have to cook much so that evening we had a white chicken chili that I had prepared ahead of time which we ate with some sourddough bread. The only issue I had with this chicken chili recipe was the the cream cheese didn’t fully incorporate.
https://www.cookingclassy.com/white-chicken-chili/
I also prepared a really wonderful danish that I had baked and brought with us. So easy and really delicious:
White Chicken Chili 
Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish
Sunday night, we kept it simple with loaded baked potatoes. I think I was tired once we got home Monday, which was Memorial Day – I have nothing listed as a meal in my journal – maybe we ordered a pizza?
On Tuesday night, I made my first attempt at turnip greens thanks to friends Nathan and Jerusalem – they turned out pretty well and I sauteed some chicken to go with them.
Nathaniel’s Greens with Bacon and Chicken 
Nathan’s Recipe
Wednesday was a frozen Parmesan Tilapia over rice; while it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t the best meal I have ever made. But Thursday was great – a twist on a recipe I have made several times that I rechristened Roasted Veggie and Chicken Tostadas. I fried corn tortillas to make tostada shells, topped with canned black beans, fried chicken strips (from frozen), roasted veggies (zucchini, butternut squash) and cheese. I mixed sour cream with some seasonings and adobo chilis to make the sauce.
Parmesan Tilapia over Rice 
Roasted Veggie and Chicken Tostadas
Friday night was carryout night – we all had Chinese from Chef Lin’s.
Satruday was steak night – Trever christened his new grill and we had steaks with baked potatoes, some deviled eggs, cucumber salad, and potato salad and mustard greens from the Greers.
Sunday, May 31st was the end of the month and we had pizza delivery!
These were the meals of May, some new things, some repeats, and some carryout…onward to June and maybe more grilling incorporated into our recipes and meals!
-Karri Temple Brackett
May 2020