Random Thoughts...Food, Firearms, and Fun

I had my Dream Dinners session last week. Again, I ordered 72 servings, so I had to finesse the freezer to get everything to fit. We were out in Pittsburgh last weekend, so I couldn't even leave a few entrees out to thaw and cook those over the weekend. I did a Thursday evening flex-time session, and arrived right around 4:45. There was only one other customer there, and it stayed that way for much of my visit. I really enjoyed that, as I was able to breeze to/from the stations without waiting for anyone to finish until the last station. I stopped at Costco quickly on my way home, as we needed Milk-Bones for Generalissimo Geno and Empress Cobaka (Geno thinks they're the greatest, so we like to keep a nice stockpile), and we needed a few other things. I was still home by about 7 PM, which wasn't bad, considering that Costco ALWAYS has incredibly long lines.

Chicken Paella was the last May Dream Dinners meal for which I'd not written a review, and while I still have the Chicken with Honey, Garlic, and Orange in the freezer, I've previously reviewed that entree. Preparing the Chicken Paella was extremely easy. I threw everything in a large skillet, added water, as directed, brought it to a boil, and then allowed it to simmer for 25 minutes. I really enjoyed this meal, as the garlic rice added a lot of flavor and aroma. Mac was not as thrilled with it, but I think one of his issues was that it didn't use Froehlich's kielbasa, so it was generic kielbasa. The meal smelled incredible! I should add that the house smelled incredible too! I served it in a bowl, and didn't serve any sides, since we really didn't need a side with it. I brought leftovers in to work the next day, and raved to everyone about it.

I prepared the Buffalo Chicken Cavatappi Pasta from the May Dream Dinners menu recently, and yet again, it was a very easy to prepare meal. Boil water, heat the sauce in a sauce pan, add the chicken to cook while cooking the pasta, and then mix it all together. They suggest using one pan, but I opted for two. I also I served it with crescent rolls, so we had a bit of bread to sop up extra sauce. It was a very unique twist on pasta and chicken, and definitely a welcome twist. It had a nice, mild buffalo flavor, along with a nice balance with the cheese. Because of the buffalo and cheese flavor, it was very unique and enjoyable. I would definitely order this again. The sauce was the perfect quantity, which was nice. Time from start of cooking to dishing drying was less than an hour, which is always a plus for me!

At the May meeting, there was a lot of drama over practicing the opening and closing for our Shrine. The friend that invited me to join was involved in this drama, and her role in it was used to remove her from her position as Worthy Herald. I agonized, prayed, meditated, and sought advice from those both inside and outside of Masonic orders on what I should do, as I felt loyalty to my friend, plus a sense of an injustice having been committed against her. I posted in an off-topic section of FlyerTalk about the situation, so rather than retype everything, that post is below: "It was the first meeting after their national convention, and we all heard about how we'd be doing things differently, and practicing the opening and closing ceremonies at each event, unlike the last year, where they never bothered with those. However, this was not conveyed prior to the meeting, and frustrated those who were supposed to start the closing ceremony. One of those involved was the woman w...

Wow, I'm slacking on updating this! I prepared the Dream Dinners French Tarragon Chicken with Redskin Potato Wedges last week. It was extremely enjoyable, and easy to prepare. I did need 2 cookie sheets for the potatoes, due to the quantity, but I also opted to cook all of them at once, rather than cooking what we'd need for dinner first and then cooking the others while we were eating dinner. Preparation directions involved cooking the chicken, then removing it to bring the sauce to a boil before adding the chicken back, all of this while the potatoes were baking in the oven. Mac thought the sauce could have benefited from a bit more Dijon mustard flavor, and we found that the potatoes were even more enjoyable when we added a bit of sauce to them. I also added a bit of salt to the potatoes, as they had no seasoning when we baked them. The sauce was flavorful and was a nice consistency--thick, but not too thick. I would definitely order this again, and would say it's in...

I cooked the Dream Dinners Southwest Pork Carnita Wraps with Chipotle Maple Corn last night. Well, Mac and I cooked it. I was so exhausted that I didn't want to move after I arrived home, and I was only prodded into moving when Mac started cooking everything! Mac started by dumping the pork into a large skillet, and as he was struggling to get everything out of the Ziploc bag, I wandered into the kitchen and took over cooking the pork while he started on the rice. I squeezed the rest of the pork into the skillet, showing him how I did that. I then started on the corn. Once everything was cooked, I microwaved the tortillas for 20 seconds or so, and then we were ready to eat. They were slightly messy, but very enjoyable. They had a nice flavor, and I commented to Mac that while he prefers green chiles, this was nice. I don't remember if I was only supposed to have one bag of Chipotle Maple Corn or two, but I only had one. I think that, when carrying everything over to place i...

Yes, I know what I'm ordering in August... Is anyone surprised? We've tried a lot of them before, although there are a few new ones! Pub Style Chicken with Mashed Potatoes 2 6-servings (11 points) Kentucky Pork Chops (6 points) Cola and Lime Tender Pork Roast (8 points) Simmered Chinese Chicken with Jasmine Rice 2 6-servings (8 points) Rio Grande Chicken Fajitas (6 points) Buffalo Ranch Chicken 2 6-servings (4 points) Asian Barbecue Braised Ribs (10 points) Turkey Florentine Burger on a Pretzel Bun (18 points--ouch!) Arroz Con Pollo (11 points)

My July Dream Dinners order, along with Weight Watchers Points Plus values: Outlaw Chicken Sliders (15 points) Canadian Bacon Stuffed French Bread (12 points) Sweet Cider BBQ Chicken (5 points) Crispy Coconut Chicken with Jasmine Rice (10 points) Cheesy Bacon Quesadillas with Mexican Rice (15 points) Crispy Salsa Ranch Chicken (7 points) Charhouse Chicken Sandwich on a Pretzel Bun (10 points) Central Park Garlic Chicken with Roasted Heirloom Potatoes (8 points) Note that the Points Plus value for the Central Park Garlic Chicken has changed because I'm now including the Roasted Heirloom Potatoes in there. It previously did not come with the potatoes.

Wow, I've been slipping in not listing my upcoming Dream Dinners orders! Weight Watchers Points Plus values are listed, should anyone want to know! My order for June is: BBQ Chip Chicken Tenders with Dipping Sauce (9 points) Savannah Grill Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries (10 points) Chicken Soft Taco with Key Lime Corn (8 points) St. Louis Smokehouse Ribs (8 points) Savory Grilled Chicken with Sesame Honey Butter (6 points) Terracotta Chicken with Pita and Hummus--2 6-servings (10 points) California Chicken with Fettuccine (9 points) Smoky Bacon Wrapped Turkey Medallions (9 points) Grilled Bruschetta Chicken--2 6- servings (6 points) Slow Cooked BBQ Pork Loin (7 points)

I had my first full meeting as Marshal for Eastern Star last night, plus since I'm on the finance committee, I needed to be there early to sign the bills and such. Since I need to wear a white dress while there, I needed something quick for dinner. This is one of those times where while I'm not sure what I'd do without Dream Dinners, I can guarantee it would've involved takeout or fast food. Now, we can have a great meal in about the same amount of time as carryout! The directions for the Williamsburg Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes were fairly easy, although after tasting it, I should've ensured that each pork chop was covered with the marinade before dipping into the bread crumb mixture. I cooked each in a skillet while cooking the mashed potatoes, but rather than serve them as directed (top the mashed potatoes with the pork chops, then cover with gravy), I opted to plate them separately. I served them with corn, carrots, and asparagus. The pork chops were goo...

I did remember the photo of this meal! I prepared the Dream Dinners Glazed Turkey Medallions with Garlic Asparagus Spears last week, while Mac was out cutting the grass. First, I should mention that I was extremely impressed with Empress Cobaka and Generalissimo Geno that night! I told Mac when dinner would be ready in about 10 minutes, but once it was ready, he still wasn't inside yet. Dinner was on the table, plated, and ready to eat, and I had to head back outside to let him know. I was a bit afraid that one of the dogs (most likely Cobaka) would decide that the dinner on the table was for her, not us. Surprisingly, neither one of them tried it! For some reason, when I ordered it, I had visions of Dream Dinners employees wrapping each medallion with bacon, since this was a Fast Lane meal. I don't know why I didn't think that the medallions would come from their supplier already wrapped with bacon, but I didn't consider that. Preparing the meal was a bit odd. I br...

I had a photo of the Chipotle Chicken over Saucy Egg Noodles, but apparently deleted it or something. :( We had the Chipotle Chicken over Saucy Egg Noodles for dinner one day last week. My week was crazy, so I think it was on Tuesday. It was very easy to prepare--brought water to a boil, cooked the egg noodles, browned the chicken in a skillet, then added the sauce, and dinner was ready! The sauce was sweeter than what we both expected, and it was good, although I wasn't quite sure if I should cover the noodles in sauce, mix everything together, or what! The sauce was flavorful, and the meal was enjoyable, although, as Mac phrased it, we'd order it again, depending on what is on the menu, but it's not in the Top Ten Meals. Mac is eating the last of the leftovers for lunch today. I had my portion for lunch one day last week, and Mac had one of his portions on Thursday. We cut the chicken into pieces, so neither one of us needed to take a knife, and for his portion on T...

Generalissimo Geno is in the Kimpton Pet Photo Contest... I figure he's cute and sweet... So, that said, if you have a facebook account, and don't mind, please go to http://www.kimptonhotels.com/services/pet-photo-contest-2013/gallery.aspx  and search for Geno, then "Like" his photo, please!!! Thank you!!! Shameless plug, yes, I know, but I'm really hoping he wins one of the five half-month prizes! :) We'll probably end up donating a lot of it to his old shelter.