Yet another Food Post (II)

Back to my pandemic related food focused posts…dining at home, keeping it simple, while consuming both take out and prepared food items and avoiding waste.  Sometimes we even eat healthy!  Minimal clean-up is an ancillary goal as well.

Note: All Omaha Steak products noted in this post were gifted to me either for Father’s Day or my birthday back in July.  Sure keeps costs down!

We’d had mac ‘n cheese for dinner one night…with baby peas and sections of all Omaha Steak’s all beef hot dogs all mixed in.  It was only natural that I’d have to warm up some leftovers in a frying pan before adding a couple of easy-over eggs and Tabasco for a great breakfast!

This meal started out basically healthy… Both of our salads included fresh mixed greens and cucumbers with Laurie adding some parmesan cheese and a balsamic dressing to finish hers off.  I used a not as healthy Marie’s creamy Asiago Peppercorn to top mine.

For our entrée, we reverted back to our childhood!  We’d purchased a family size box of Stouffer’s Creamed Chipped Beef…a true old time classic. 

Classically, creamed chipped beef is served over toast or a plain slice of bread but some folks serve it over rice or potatoes.  We chose the traditional bread.  The only difference between Laurie’s plate and mine are the red dots from my Tabasco sauce…

We both had fond memories of this creamy treat!  The first appearance of a creamed chipped beef recipe may have been in the 1910 Manual for US Army Cooks.  It was listed as “stewed, chipped beef” and it featured 15 lbs. of beef to feed 60 men.  In the military it is colloquially referred to as “s--t on a shingle”.   It is found on many menus as a breakfast staple in the Northeastern United States.  

For another meal Laurie lightly breaded and baked a couple of thick pork chops that we’d purchased at Costco.  We sided it with some quick microwavable packages of frozen squash and potatoes au gratin from Omaha Steaks.

The pork chops were a bit too done for Laurie’s taste but I was happy.  The squash was just OK but those Omaha Steaks’ au gratin potatoes were very nice indeed.

This was some garlic toast that we had recently with some grilled BBQ pork steaks.  It was from the frozen food section of our local Food Lion grocery store…but then Laurie kicked it up a notch with some cheese.  Not just any cheese, but rather almost a whole 5 oz. container of Stella ‘freshly shredded’ cheese.  It was a blend of parmesan, asiago and Romano cheeses.  Yum!

Time for take out!  We called Z Fish House in Loudon Tennessee a full day in advance to ensure that we could have what Laurie wanted for dinner.  This was the result... Laurie loves lobster!  Her dinner consisted of 2 lobster rolls (grilled buns) and a large serving of potato salad. 

She was happy with her choice although these lobster rolls were really a lobster salad sandwich.  Her preference would be chunks of lobster with melted butter on a grilled bun.  She did enjoy the potato salad too over a few days.

Both of our meals came with these nice little corn muffins.  We saved them for later.  They served as a dessert with Amish butter and either strawberry or peach jam.  Very nice…

For my dinner from Z Fish House, I’d ordered the fried shrimp.  There were 6 nice large shrimp and they were excellent!  For my side I’d chosen white rice.  What I didn’t know is that the white rice came with red beans that were loaded with pieces of country ham.  I mixed the rice and beans and it was like a second course…worthy as a meal of its own!

Z Fish House is located at 846 Mulberry Street in Loudon Tennessee.  Due to the pandemic, they are only open on Thursday and Friday from 11 AM until 8 PM and on Saturday from Noon until 8 PM.  Phone: 865-657-6200.  They are on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ZFishHouse/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping for a visit!

Stay Safe and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave