Dinner tonight and in fact, every night

So I think this will become a regular feature on my blog - what I made for dinner last night or recently. Dinner is always a reality but sometimes a challenge after a long day at work. Pretty much on a daily basis I scan the web for things that sound interesting to make or to use up ingredients that I have. I look at a wide range of blogs and websites for inspiration and as I get organized will post them on the list of sites I yum.

Last week I made dinner from recipes I got from 2 different blogs - Salmon Fish Cakes from: http://eatlikeagirl.com/2007/08/14/salmon-fish-cakes/ and Marinated Baby portabellos with Spinach from: http://showmevegan.blogspot.com/search/label/mushrooms .

The fish cakes I made exactly as the recipe states except I sauteed them in a nonstick pan with a touch of oil instead of deep frying them. For the mushrooms I cooked the whole recipe instead of serving it cold. Mushrooms, handfuls of spinach and a whole red onion thinly sliced, sauteed up in that wonderful sauce. OMG they both came out so good. This time I plated it with spinach and onions on the bottom, mushrooms next, then a fishcake and drizzled some sauce over the top. Next time I would add a bed of brown rice, couscous or quinoa for something extra to sop up the sauce and Next Time I will be taking a picture. Oh yes.

Actually the whole dinner process may become fun in a new way soon; we just ordered a deep freezer and I will be able to prepare a bunch of homemade freezer meals to have for those night when I just don't feel like cooking. Z wants the freezer because he wants to buy a whole free-range, grass fed cow from a farm and have it rendered for us to save money. One freezer meal I have made so far is a combination of a freezer meal and a crockpot meal-the ultimate in using tools for those busy nights!

Easy freezer/crockpot meal

Take 3 lbs of either chicken, beef or pork and put in a gallon size freezer bag, pour in 2 cups stock/broth of your choice, 1/2 a cup of red or white wine and either a few fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme or a tablespoon dried of each. Seal bag and shake up to mix ingredients, put in freezer. Label bag with the following: Date sealed and this recipe - Step 1. Take out of freezer-do NOT defrost, take out of bag and put frozen mess in crockpot. Step 2. Add into crockpot 3 peeled and chunked carrots, 3-4 chunked red potatoes, 1 chunked yellow onion. Step 3. Put lid on crockpot and set for 8-10 hours. Step 4. Come home after work and enjoy!

And finally one last easy, yummy dinner idea.

Heat oven to 450. Make thick wedges of 2-3 baking potatoes, toss with a little olive oil, sea salt, pepper and fresh rosemary and/or thyme. Bake for 45 minutes, turning once. When there is 20 minutes left for the potatoes melt 1/2 a stick of butter in a pan, add in a whole sliced up red onion and your favorite sausage (not italian sausage, more like a blue cheese stuffed or chicken and apple) saute until onions become translucent. Serve everything and pretend you are in Paris.