We are not big fish eaters at all but we’ve been trying to eat healthier and lose weight. Fish is definitely a good choice when it comes to low calorie meals.
Sea Cuisine tortilla crusted tilapia + Steamfresh Brown & Wild Rice with Broccoli & Carrots + Goya Adobo seasoning with cumin = a 400 calorie meal. I sprinkle the seasoning over the rice for flavor. While it’s not my favorite seafood meal I’d eat it again.
Yesterday was our Thanksgiving with the kids.
Our menu:
Market Pantry turkey breast
Pioneer Woman’s sweet potatos
Jiffy corn muffins
Bush’s collard greens
Del Monte whole-kernal corn
Green bean casserole
Ore Ida steam n’ mash potatos
Stove Top stuffing w/ Campbell’s cream of chicken soup as gravy
Heinz HomeStyle turkey gravy (for the turkey and mashed potatoes)
Velveeta shells & cheese
Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce
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Aside: This is the method we used to cook the turkey this year although we used 350 degrees instead of 325. It took almost four hours to cook but the turkey was juicier than any turkey I’ve had before. While I do not care for hot turkey, I was impressed with the moisture.
Foil Tent Method
The traditional method of roasting turkey uses a foil tent of heavy duty aluminum foil to keep the turkey moist. Slow oven roasting ensures a roasted flavor.
Appearance—even golden brown and crisp exterior.
Advantage—often preferred for carving at the table.
How To:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a roasting pan, at least 2 inches deep, with heavy duty aluminum foil.
Remove neck and giblets from both cavities of defrosted turkey. Rinse turkey, pat dry and brush with vegetable oil. Insert meat thermometer into inner thigh for whole turkey or into thickest part of breast for turkey breast. Place turkey, breast side up, in foil-lined roasting pan.
Make foil tent by tearing off a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Crease foil crosswise through center. Place over turkey, leaving 1 inch between top of turkey and foil tent for heat circulation. Crimp foil onto long sides of pan to hold in place.
Roast until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees to 185 degrees F for whole turkey, or 170 degrees to 175 degrees F for turkey breast. For stuffed turkey, add 30 minutes to roasting time. To brown turkey, remove foil tent after the first 1 hour of roasting time. The approximate roasting times are: 2-1/2 to 3 hours for 8 to 12 lb. turkey; 3 to 3-1/2 hours for 12 to 16 lb. turkey; 3-1/2 to 4 hours for 16 to 20 lb. turkey; 4 to 5 hours for 20 to 24 lb. turkey.
For easy slicing, cover turkey with foil and let stand 15 minutes after removing from oven.
Read more: Stuffing a Turkey and Foil Tent Method http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/foodday/fd1197/fd111997.html#tent#ixzz1eq52pqS7
It was just Joe, me, my parents and my brothers for Thanksgiving this year. I brought my green bean casserole and among all the delicious food my mom served super yummy cordon blue appetizers she got from Market Day which I couldn’t stop eating. Is it a surprise that I gained a pound since yesterday and have a stomach ache?
We played a new game we recently acquired – Know It or Blow It. I enjoyed it even though I’m not great at trivia games. We also played our newest favorite – What’s Yours Like? In fact we didn’t have time to play our old standby, Aggravation, but I didn’t mind. And best yet we didn’t work on anyone’s computer problems. It was nice.
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For future self-reference – one can of French’s fried onions is enough for the green bean casserole recipe because even though the can is only 6 oz and the recipe calls for 1 1/3 cups which is more than 6 oz, the can is sold by weight whereas the recipe goes by volume. Needless to say I didn’t need to buy three cans to make two casseroles. Lesson learned for next year.
My friend/co-worker and I went out to lunch two weeks ago at Meatheads. I posted this review on Yelp shortly thereafter:
I had a chicken meathead recently which was ok. However, I paid $0.50 extra for swiss cheese and it didn’t even dawn on me until later that day that they never put any cheese on my sandwich! I bet this is how they make extra moolah. Well played, Meatheads, well played, but I won’t be fooled again!
A week ago I received a message via Yelp from the owner apologizing and offering a gift card for my inconvenience. Today an envelope arrived containing a hand-written apology and a $25 gift card! I was not expecting that much for a complaint regarding $0.50. I love when businesses show they care.
Speaking of burger places, a Smashburger just opened near us and we stopped by on their “preview” night only to learn it was by invitation only. They were nice enough to give us $10 in Smashbucks just for showing up though so it wasn’t a total loss.
I’m going to get fat eating free burgers.
A few weeks ago I decided we should do something different, so I purchased tickets on Goldstar to see the Chicago Slaughter, an indoor football team who plays at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.
After a busy work week we were rather dreading that decision since we were both tired and didn’t know what to expect having never been to the arena before. I’m glad we didn’t stay home, though, because we had a great time.
Parking was reasonable at $10 (it varies depending on the event). Our spot wasn’t a far walk from the arena, but we arrived an hour before the event so I’m sure that was a contributing factor besides the fact that the arena ended up only being about 1/5th full. It was a breeze getting out of the lot because we took off during the 4th quarter right before they finally caught up and ended up winning by one point.
We picked up our tickets at Will Call which was easy to find. I like that the Box Office is inside the arena so you don’t freeze your butt off unlike Allstate Arena where it’s across the street. All the staff we encountered were friendly too.
The food was overpriced, as is all food at events like these, which is why we had dinner at the nearby Panera beforehand. We’re just too cheap to drop $4 for a hot dog.
Our seats (Section 118, Row 7) were pretty damn good for the price. The seats themselves are cushioned for maximum booty comfort. The view is even better at a higher level which we learned as we were leaving. In fact, I think I’d rather sit a little further back the next time because it offers a better vantage point.
It was a little cold inside, but not unbearable; I just kept my jacket on. You should have seen the family sitting in front of us. Talk about a stereo-typical Italian family – the dad had the slicked back hair and the mom had the teased hair and reeked of perfume. They were nice people, but it would have been better if I wasn’t breathing in the woman’s nasty perfume all night. It wasn’t at all pleasant.
The game was interesting, but I’m not a football fan, and in fact this is the first time I’ve ever seen a football game live. I found the entertainment between plays much more alluring. They really do make a lot of effort for everyone to have a good time and I appreciate that. I’d even go see another game, that’s how much I enjoyed it.
After we left we stopped at Sonic for a hot dog and what they call a CreamSlush. I tried the lemon-berry flavor and fell in love. I actually made Joe drive us back there the next day to get another one. Lord help us if they ever build one closer to home.