Zucchini and Chicken and Corn, Oh My!

If you recall, I ended last month’s food rundown with the hopes that I would cook more and have less takeout in August. However, the month did not have an auspicious start. The first fell on a Saturday and we had just returned from the cabin so we just grabbed some takeout. On Sunday, August 2nd, we had what I referred to in my journal as “sub-par Taco Casserole”, and I have nothing recorded for the next day, Monday.

One Pan Chicken Thighs with Coconut Creamed Corn

By Tuesday, I was back on track with a new recipe. One Pan Chicken Thighs with Coconut Creamed Corn. I would have liked a crispier skin on the chicken but overall, it was a solid recipe that I’ll make again.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021157-one-pan-chicken-thighs-with-coconut-creamed-corn?fbclid=IwAR2iPGZv1P4Zth7LX7iFdgh_rPQrkR4oJrmMhM_bpXXIHskxi1ELOsseKes

Takeout pizza called my name after a long day on Wednesday and Thursday night was a recipe I have made several times – it’s called “Crantastic Turkey Burgers” and even though I didn’t have the ingredients for the sauce/spread, I improvised. As the side, we had roasted potatoes and…radishes! Surprisingly good. https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/crantastic-turkey-burgers-59669b10043c3c7d9e0e9da2

Friday was takeout and Saturday was pizza night. Pretty much like every other pizza night’s pictures so I will spare the reader!

Sunday, August 9th, I kept it simple – I just heated up some frozen chicken strips and salvaged some refrigerated tortillas that were about to go bad (since they don’t have preservative, they were getting moldy on the edges. I just cut that off!) and we had chicken wraps. Fried okra rounded this meal out.


“Style over Substance” unfortunately

I assumed we ate Monday but I have no idea what! The next night, Tuesday, I made a chicken pot pie – it was just “okay”….a standard recipe I found online but it didn’t seem to have much flavor.

Summer Corn Chowder with Chicken Apple Sausages

Wednesday night was a new recipe and it was delish. A corn chowder with a chicken apple sausage (precooked, just heat and eat). I will make this again very soon.

Recipe for Summer Corn Chowder: https://www.cookingclassy.com/summer-corn-chowder/

Not again!

Thursday was the second recipe fail of the week. I had a few things on hand – zucchini, lemon and pasta – and had a very few scallops left in a bag in the freezer. So I pulled a recipe off the internet and it was just not good. The lemon was cooked so the entire dish had a bitter, acrid flavor. Not a repeat.

Friday was takeout – Chili’s this week for a change and Saturday night, we took a break from the usual homemade pizza and had a charcuterie board – a couple in fact! A variety of meats – prosciutto, salami, pastrami – cheeses, a few dips and jams and some breads and crackers. Eclairs for dessert rounded out our meal.

Several charcuterie boards and an assortment of dips and dessert!
Zucchini Lasagna

Sunday, August 17th was a new recipe. I have an excess of zucchini so I made this zucchini lasagna. Although it was good the first night, it was really delicious for lunch the next day after it had time to set up and the flavors melded together! Recipe can be found here: https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/zucchini-lasagna/?fbclid=IwAR2J73fzDduR5p7v3XEqijSgwxiR6bwiFNUNEiDPLT5qiOKjEaTbl4KP6cU

Swedish Meatballs minus the lingonberry jam

Monday was Swedish Meatballs and broccoli…this is a go to recipe for me and the link is in the Meals for a Pandemic Post that I did for the months of March and April.

Looking back on my journal entries for Tuesday, it seems I had a “bad day” and we ordered pizza. On Wednesday, I prepared a disappointing corn chowder; it was a recipe I had made before (above) but something was off about it. Thursday was another takeout night since Sarah and I were going to be gone for the weekend.

On Friday, Sarah, Mama, Jack the cat, and I headed up to the cabin. That night we had fajitas she had prepped before hand and for breakfast the next day we had an apple bread. Quite good. Saturday night was a three cheese pasta which did not reheat well; it was quite dry.

Sunday night, the 23rd we were back home but Sunday must have been takeout. On Monday, I made the Three Cheese Pasta again with Zucchini Fritters – it wasn’t nearly as good as the first time and I realized it was because I had used bacon to make it before! As you see, the recipe doesn’t even call for bacon! https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/three-cheese-pasta-bake. I fried up some zucchini fritters to go with the pasta and that recipe is in the June post about meals.

On Tuesday, we had Chicken and Waffles – waffles from a mix, chicken from a package and an attempt at gravy. Not the best, not the worst.

Wednesday we had pork carnitas…no real recipe, just pork in a crockpot all day with spices and seasonings.

Shrimp Scampi with Broccoli and Potatoes

A favorite of mine from back in the day is a packaged shrimp scampi by SeaPak. Add some lemon garlic broccoli and mash some potatoes and you have an easy Thursday night meal! (I used the prewashed, precut broccoli in a bag and steamed as a shortcut!) https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/steamed-broccoli-with-olive-oil-garlic-and-lemon-101153

Friday was carryout and Saturday we had homemade pizzas with all of the things!

Sunday, August 30th was a dump all the pasta and leftovers in a dish and add some cheese. A side of green beans and bread and we called it good. Monday night was Shrimp and Grits and a side of Xanax as I had an oncology appt the next day. And that was August!

-Karri Temple Brackett
August 2020

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