![\"whats](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/358\/2015\/09\/whats-for-supper.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nQuestion of the week:<\/h3>\n
What\u2019s your \u201cYay, It\u2019s Finally Fall Weather!\u201d dish? Something that you only cook or bake or eat at this time of year. It\u2019s okay if it\u2019s some kind of pumpkin spice bullshit. This is a safe space. Here\u2019s what our week in food looked like:<\/p>\n
SATURDAY<\/span> Cheeseburgers; homemade fries; salad; cookies<\/span><\/h3>\nToday it\u2019s raining, and we\u2019ve had a few frosts already, and have turned on the heat for the year. Love that cozy smell of toasted dust. But last Saturday, it was still warm, and Mr. Husband cooked the burgers outside: ![\"food](\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/simchafisher\/files\/2015\/10\/food-blog-burgers-grill-575x1024.jpg\")
<\/a> About a month ago, Aldi had this American cheese on sale for ten cents a package, so I bought an armful. Check it out: it has pictures on it<\/em>. Not only that, but it looks like this one one side: ![\"food](\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/simchafisher\/files\/2015\/10\/food-blog-cheese-2-1024x764.jpg\")
<\/a> and this on the other side: ![\"food](\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/simchafisher\/files\/2015\/10\/food-blog-cheese-1-1024x764.jpg\")
<\/a> THESE ARE THE SAME TWO PIECES OF CHEESE, FOLKS. God bless America. I made fries using this cold oil method\u00a0<\/a>I just heard about. It\u2019s supposed to be easier, less smoky, and just less hassle all around. ![\"food](\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/simchafisher\/files\/2015\/10\/food-blog-fries-cooking-1024x764.jpg\")
<\/a> The first batch definitely was less hassle;\u00a0but then I had to make about five more batches, and the oil was already hot, so no more newfangled cold oil method for me.\u00a0But they were good! And I never would have taken the plunge if I hadn\u2019t thought the recipe would make things easier, so I\u2019m glad. ![\"food](\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/simchafisher\/files\/2015\/10\/food-blog-fries-1024x764.jpg\")
<\/a> Some of the kids sprinkled vinegar on their hot fries. Here I am, dealing with one of the slightly overdone ones: ![\"food](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/358\/2015\/10\/food-blog-burning-fry1.jpg\")
<\/a> If you squint, it looks almost liturgical.<\/p>\n<\/h3>\nSUNDAY<\/span> Beef stew; popovers; apple pie<\/span><\/h3>\nBeef stew and apple pie are my \u201cYay, it\u2019s Fall!\u201d dishes. For stew, I use a pretty basic\u00a0recipe: Cut beef into small chunks, and shake them up in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.<\/em> In a heavy pot, fry up some crushed garlic in a little oil, then throw the floured meat in, plus the extra flour. Fry it up until it\u2019s slightly browned.<\/em> Add some combination of water, beef broth, and red wine*.<\/em> Add in cubed potatoes, chopped onions and carrots, diced tomatoes with juice (canned is fine), and string beans (frozen is fine).<\/em> Add a few bay leaves, and add more liquid if necessary; or, if it\u2019s not thick enough, make a little roux (flour and butter paste) and stir that in. Cover and simmer for several hours. If you have mushrooms, add them in an hour or so before serving.<\/em> Oh, here\u2019s a tip for feeding hot foods to babies: mix in a few frozen vegetables. This cools the food without diluting it: ![\"food](\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/simchafisher\/files\/2015\/10\/food-blog-corrie-stew.jpg\")
<\/a> Tried this\u00a0popover recipe<\/a>\u00a0for the first time. You make the batter in a blender. I ended up using the standing mixer with the whisk attachment, because a triple recipe of batter didn\u2019t fit in the blender. Popovers are supposed to be light and airy, and they are supposed to puff up to great heights and then collapse when you pull them out of the oven. Mine were kind of dense and hearty, and just kind of sat there looking eggy. Everyone loved them anyway, and they sure were easy to throw together, so I will probably make them again, even if I don\u2019t get the hang of it. ![\"food](\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/simchafisher\/files\/2015\/10\/food-blog-popovers-1024x764.jpg\")
<\/a> I have now used that mini muffin pan exactly three times in six years: once to make mini quiches for a baby shower, once to make bacon roses<\/a> for father\u2019s day, and once for these popovers. I can\u2019t use the spots in the middle, because I drilled holes in them to let out the grease for the bacon roses. I should have a TV cooking show called \u201cThe Stupid Kitchen.\u201d So, pie! I had to make at least one pie before we ran out of apple orchard apples. I think Cortland apples are technically best for pie, since they are flavorful and keep their shape, but I love the taste of Mackintosh the best, so that\u2019s what I use, even though they get mushy. I have plateaued in my pie crust-making skills, so I just bought some frozen ones and threw in a bunch of apple slices with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, a little flour, and some butter. Irene helped with the apple prep, but quickly discerned that there were too many damn apples ![\"food](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/358\/2015\/10\/food-blog-irene-apples-764x1024.jpg\")
<\/a> and went to watch Spiderman.<\/em> *Pinecroft. It\u2019s crazy cheap \u2013 maybe $3 a bottle \u2013 and it tastes completely okay for all your okay-wine-drinking needs.<\/p>\nMONDAY<\/span> One-pan roasted chicken thighs with fall vegetables<\/span><\/h3>\nA new recipe for me<\/a>\u00a0from Damn Delicious. I had to buy Brussels sprouts, which are unreasonably expensive, because a woodchuck ate pretty much everything in my garden this year. I planted peas, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, radicchio, spinach, basil, pumpkins, cucumbers, and Brussels sprouts, and every time I went out to weed or water, something else would be gone. Just chewed into oblivion, everything except one pumpkin. It was infuriating. ![\"garden](\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/simchafisher\/files\/2015\/10\/garden-pumpkin1.jpg\")
<\/a> Next year, I\u2019m buying a gun, and I\u2019ll share my recipe for pan roasted friggin woodchuck with the vegetables of vengeance. Anyway, this recipe was a big hit. \u00a0My family loves anything with a balsamic vinegar taste. I associate balsamic vinegar\u00a0with light, summery, Italian dishes, but it went really well with this cozy, autumnal meal. It was a really good dish for putting together in the morning and then chucking\u00a0in the oven in the evening. And it looked GORGEOUS. And it\u2019s a smorgasbord of vitamins, too. I felt like sending a picture to my pediatrician with the heading, \u201cSEE?\u201d ![\"food](\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/simchafisher\/files\/2015\/10\/food-blog-fall-veg-764x1024.jpg\")
<\/a> Oh, so butternut squash is much easier to peel if you cut the shaft off the round part, and peel them separately. I tried peeling the whole thing, and Benny thought\u00a0it looked like a phone. I wanted to take a picture of her talking on the squash phone, but she wouldn\u2019t let me, and insisted that she take a picture of me talking on the squash phone. So I let her,\u00a0while thinking, \u201cThis is the kind of precious, overstaged nonsense that makes people hate mommy\u00a0bloggers.\u201d ![\"food](\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/simchafisher\/files\/2015\/10\/food-blog-squash-phone-764x1024.jpg\")
<\/a> I\u2019m posting it here because the dog intervened. Also, plus, real reason: look how skinny I look! This is a trick of perspective. I\u2019m super fat right now. Hey, here\u2019s some chicken: ![\"food](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/358\/2015\/10\/food-blog-chicken-and-veg-1024x764.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nTUESDAY<\/span> Taco Tuesday!<\/span><\/h3>\nJust regular old tacos with ground beef and spice from a packet, nothing to write home about. I stopped taking pictures at this point in the week, because it was mainly me driving around for hours and hours, and then me lying down and playing Tokyo to Corrie\u2019s Godzilla: ![\"food](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/358\/2015\/10\/food-blog-kids-1024x764.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAnd yes, that is a treadmill with clothes draped on it.<\/p>\n
<\/h3>\nWEDNESDAY<\/span> Penne with sausage, peppers, and cheese<\/span><\/h3>\nCooked up some sweet sausages, fried up some peppers and onions, added a few cans of diced tomatoes, and mixed it up with pasta, jarred sauce, shredded mozzarella, and grated parmesan, and heated the whole thing in a casserole dish. We ate this meal\u00a0approximately 946\u00a0times after I had the baby, so I\u2019ve shied away from it for a while, but I think it\u2019s time to put it back in the rotation. Another good make-ahead dish.<\/p>\n
THURSDAY<\/span> Hot dogs and beans for the kids; bruschetta and calamari for the adults.<\/span><\/h3>\nWe went out on the spur of the moment. Three cheers for having four teenagers in the house!<\/p>\n
FRIDAY<\/span> Ricotta spinach pasta<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a> About a month ago, Aldi had this American cheese on sale for ten cents a package, so I bought an armful. Check it out: it has pictures on it<\/em>. Not only that, but it looks like this one one side: <\/a> and this on the other side: <\/a> THESE ARE THE SAME TWO PIECES OF CHEESE, FOLKS. God bless America. I made fries using this cold oil method\u00a0<\/a>I just heard about. It\u2019s supposed to be easier, less smoky, and just less hassle all around. <\/a> The first batch definitely was less hassle;\u00a0but then I had to make about five more batches, and the oil was already hot, so no more newfangled cold oil method for me.\u00a0But they were good! And I never would have taken the plunge if I hadn\u2019t thought the recipe would make things easier, so I\u2019m glad. <\/a> Some of the kids sprinkled vinegar on their hot fries. Here I am, dealing with one of the slightly overdone ones: <\/a> If you squint, it looks almost liturgical.<\/p>\n<\/h3>\nSUNDAY<\/span> Beef stew; popovers; apple pie<\/span><\/h3>\nBeef stew and apple pie are my \u201cYay, it\u2019s Fall!\u201d dishes. For stew, I use a pretty basic\u00a0recipe: Cut beef into small chunks, and shake them up in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.<\/em> In a heavy pot, fry up some crushed garlic in a little oil, then throw the floured meat in, plus the extra flour. Fry it up until it\u2019s slightly browned.<\/em> Add some combination of water, beef broth, and red wine*.<\/em> Add in cubed potatoes, chopped onions and carrots, diced tomatoes with juice (canned is fine), and string beans (frozen is fine).<\/em> Add a few bay leaves, and add more liquid if necessary; or, if it\u2019s not thick enough, make a little roux (flour and butter paste) and stir that in. Cover and simmer for several hours. If you have mushrooms, add them in an hour or so before serving.<\/em> Oh, here\u2019s a tip for feeding hot foods to babies: mix in a few frozen vegetables. This cools the food without diluting it: <\/a> Tried this\u00a0popover recipe<\/a>\u00a0for the first time. You make the batter in a blender. I ended up using the standing mixer with the whisk attachment, because a triple recipe of batter didn\u2019t fit in the blender. Popovers are supposed to be light and airy, and they are supposed to puff up to great heights and then collapse when you pull them out of the oven. Mine were kind of dense and hearty, and just kind of sat there looking eggy. Everyone loved them anyway, and they sure were easy to throw together, so I will probably make them again, even if I don\u2019t get the hang of it. <\/a> I have now used that mini muffin pan exactly three times in six years: once to make mini quiches for a baby shower, once to make bacon roses<\/a> for father\u2019s day, and once for these popovers. I can\u2019t use the spots in the middle, because I drilled holes in them to let out the grease for the bacon roses. I should have a TV cooking show called \u201cThe Stupid Kitchen.\u201d So, pie! I had to make at least one pie before we ran out of apple orchard apples. I think Cortland apples are technically best for pie, since they are flavorful and keep their shape, but I love the taste of Mackintosh the best, so that\u2019s what I use, even though they get mushy. I have plateaued in my pie crust-making skills, so I just bought some frozen ones and threw in a bunch of apple slices with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, a little flour, and some butter. Irene helped with the apple prep, but quickly discerned that there were too many damn apples <\/a> and went to watch Spiderman.<\/em> *Pinecroft. It\u2019s crazy cheap \u2013 maybe $3 a bottle \u2013 and it tastes completely okay for all your okay-wine-drinking needs.<\/p>\nMONDAY<\/span> One-pan roasted chicken thighs with fall vegetables<\/span><\/h3>\nA new recipe for me<\/a>\u00a0from Damn Delicious. I had to buy Brussels sprouts, which are unreasonably expensive, because a woodchuck ate pretty much everything in my garden this year. I planted peas, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, radicchio, spinach, basil, pumpkins, cucumbers, and Brussels sprouts, and every time I went out to weed or water, something else would be gone. Just chewed into oblivion, everything except one pumpkin. It was infuriating. <\/a> Next year, I\u2019m buying a gun, and I\u2019ll share my recipe for pan roasted friggin woodchuck with the vegetables of vengeance. Anyway, this recipe was a big hit. \u00a0My family loves anything with a balsamic vinegar taste. I associate balsamic vinegar\u00a0with light, summery, Italian dishes, but it went really well with this cozy, autumnal meal. It was a really good dish for putting together in the morning and then chucking\u00a0in the oven in the evening. And it looked GORGEOUS. And it\u2019s a smorgasbord of vitamins, too. I felt like sending a picture to my pediatrician with the heading, \u201cSEE?\u201d <\/a> Oh, so butternut squash is much easier to peel if you cut the shaft off the round part, and peel them separately. I tried peeling the whole thing, and Benny thought\u00a0it looked like a phone. I wanted to take a picture of her talking on the squash phone, but she wouldn\u2019t let me, and insisted that she take a picture of me talking on the squash phone. So I let her,\u00a0while thinking, \u201cThis is the kind of precious, overstaged nonsense that makes people hate mommy\u00a0bloggers.\u201d <\/a> I\u2019m posting it here because the dog intervened. Also, plus, real reason: look how skinny I look! This is a trick of perspective. I\u2019m super fat right now. Hey, here\u2019s some chicken: <\/a><\/p>\nTUESDAY<\/span> Taco Tuesday!<\/span><\/h3>\nJust regular old tacos with ground beef and spice from a packet, nothing to write home about. I stopped taking pictures at this point in the week, because it was mainly me driving around for hours and hours, and then me lying down and playing Tokyo to Corrie\u2019s Godzilla: <\/a><\/p>\nAnd yes, that is a treadmill with clothes draped on it.<\/p>\n
<\/h3>\nWEDNESDAY<\/span> Penne with sausage, peppers, and cheese<\/span><\/h3>\nCooked up some sweet sausages, fried up some peppers and onions, added a few cans of diced tomatoes, and mixed it up with pasta, jarred sauce, shredded mozzarella, and grated parmesan, and heated the whole thing in a casserole dish. We ate this meal\u00a0approximately 946\u00a0times after I had the baby, so I\u2019ve shied away from it for a while, but I think it\u2019s time to put it back in the rotation. Another good make-ahead dish.<\/p>\n
THURSDAY<\/span> Hot dogs and beans for the kids; bruschetta and calamari for the adults.<\/span><\/h3>\nWe went out on the spur of the moment. Three cheers for having four teenagers in the house!<\/p>\n
FRIDAY<\/span> Ricotta spinach pasta<\/span><\/h3>\n
Beef stew and apple pie are my \u201cYay, it\u2019s Fall!\u201d dishes. For stew, I use a pretty basic\u00a0recipe: Cut beef into small chunks, and shake them up in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.<\/em> In a heavy pot, fry up some crushed garlic in a little oil, then throw the floured meat in, plus the extra flour. Fry it up until it\u2019s slightly browned.<\/em> Add some combination of water, beef broth, and red wine*.<\/em> Add in cubed potatoes, chopped onions and carrots, diced tomatoes with juice (canned is fine), and string beans (frozen is fine).<\/em> Add a few bay leaves, and add more liquid if necessary; or, if it\u2019s not thick enough, make a little roux (flour and butter paste) and stir that in. Cover and simmer for several hours. If you have mushrooms, add them in an hour or so before serving.<\/em> Oh, here\u2019s a tip for feeding hot foods to babies: mix in a few frozen vegetables. This cools the food without diluting it: A new recipe for me<\/a>\u00a0from Damn Delicious. I had to buy Brussels sprouts, which are unreasonably expensive, because a woodchuck ate pretty much everything in my garden this year. I planted peas, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, radicchio, spinach, basil, pumpkins, cucumbers, and Brussels sprouts, and every time I went out to weed or water, something else would be gone. Just chewed into oblivion, everything except one pumpkin. It was infuriating. Just regular old tacos with ground beef and spice from a packet, nothing to write home about. I stopped taking pictures at this point in the week, because it was mainly me driving around for hours and hours, and then me lying down and playing Tokyo to Corrie\u2019s Godzilla: And yes, that is a treadmill with clothes draped on it.<\/p>\n Cooked up some sweet sausages, fried up some peppers and onions, added a few cans of diced tomatoes, and mixed it up with pasta, jarred sauce, shredded mozzarella, and grated parmesan, and heated the whole thing in a casserole dish. We ate this meal\u00a0approximately 946\u00a0times after I had the baby, so I\u2019ve shied away from it for a while, but I think it\u2019s time to put it back in the rotation. Another good make-ahead dish.<\/p>\n We went out on the spur of the moment. Three cheers for having four teenagers in the house!<\/p>\n<\/a> Tried this\u00a0popover recipe<\/a>\u00a0for the first time. You make the batter in a blender. I ended up using the standing mixer with the whisk attachment, because a triple recipe of batter didn\u2019t fit in the blender. Popovers are supposed to be light and airy, and they are supposed to puff up to great heights and then collapse when you pull them out of the oven. Mine were kind of dense and hearty, and just kind of sat there looking eggy. Everyone loved them anyway, and they sure were easy to throw together, so I will probably make them again, even if I don\u2019t get the hang of it. <\/a> I have now used that mini muffin pan exactly three times in six years: once to make mini quiches for a baby shower, once to make bacon roses<\/a> for father\u2019s day, and once for these popovers. I can\u2019t use the spots in the middle, because I drilled holes in them to let out the grease for the bacon roses. I should have a TV cooking show called \u201cThe Stupid Kitchen.\u201d So, pie! I had to make at least one pie before we ran out of apple orchard apples. I think Cortland apples are technically best for pie, since they are flavorful and keep their shape, but I love the taste of Mackintosh the best, so that\u2019s what I use, even though they get mushy. I have plateaued in my pie crust-making skills, so I just bought some frozen ones and threw in a bunch of apple slices with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, a little flour, and some butter. Irene helped with the apple prep, but quickly discerned that there were too many damn apples <\/a> and went to watch Spiderman.<\/em> *Pinecroft. It\u2019s crazy cheap \u2013 maybe $3 a bottle \u2013 and it tastes completely okay for all your okay-wine-drinking needs.<\/p>\nMONDAY<\/span> One-pan roasted chicken thighs with fall vegetables<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a> Next year, I\u2019m buying a gun, and I\u2019ll share my recipe for pan roasted friggin woodchuck with the vegetables of vengeance. Anyway, this recipe was a big hit. \u00a0My family loves anything with a balsamic vinegar taste. I associate balsamic vinegar\u00a0with light, summery, Italian dishes, but it went really well with this cozy, autumnal meal. It was a really good dish for putting together in the morning and then chucking\u00a0in the oven in the evening. And it looked GORGEOUS. And it\u2019s a smorgasbord of vitamins, too. I felt like sending a picture to my pediatrician with the heading, \u201cSEE?\u201d <\/a> Oh, so butternut squash is much easier to peel if you cut the shaft off the round part, and peel them separately. I tried peeling the whole thing, and Benny thought\u00a0it looked like a phone. I wanted to take a picture of her talking on the squash phone, but she wouldn\u2019t let me, and insisted that she take a picture of me talking on the squash phone. So I let her,\u00a0while thinking, \u201cThis is the kind of precious, overstaged nonsense that makes people hate mommy\u00a0bloggers.\u201d <\/a> I\u2019m posting it here because the dog intervened. Also, plus, real reason: look how skinny I look! This is a trick of perspective. I\u2019m super fat right now. Hey, here\u2019s some chicken: <\/a><\/p>\nTUESDAY<\/span> Taco Tuesday!<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
WEDNESDAY<\/span> Penne with sausage, peppers, and cheese<\/span><\/h3>\n
THURSDAY<\/span> Hot dogs and beans for the kids; bruschetta and calamari for the adults.<\/span><\/h3>\n
FRIDAY<\/span> Ricotta spinach pasta<\/span><\/h3>\n