You Are What You Eat: June 13 through June 19
There's been a lot of air fryer experimentation this past week. Let's break it down.
Thursday, June 13 - I tapped the June 2019 Eating Well for Creamy Lemon Pasta with Shrimp. It fell solidly in the "that's fine" category and won't replace some of my other shrimp and pasta combos.
Friday, June 14 - It often seems kind of criminal to me how few places in Cleveland there are to eat on the water. M found a new one to us on Friday when we went to the E55 On the Lake, which like Merwin's Wharf is operated by the Metroparks. It's on a sheltered marina, but the lake is a 2 minute walk away. It was a nice night to be on the water, and my portobello sandwich wasn't bad at all. The fries were A+.
Saturday, June 15 - M and I took my aunt and cousin out for my aunt's birthday. We went to a new place in Beachwood called Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, which is apparently part of a chain. I had a very nice piece of barramundi, but on the whole I feel that it was a bit overprice for what it was. It falls squarely in the "if someone else really wanted to go I wouldn't fight it, but I'd never suggest it" bucket.
Sunday, June 16 - We still had a few tortillas from the tacos we had the previous two weeks, so I googled a few recipes and the improved some chilaquiles with black beans, which M really enjoyed.
Speaking of Merwin's Wharf, there was a Print Room event there so I swung by and had a few tacos and fancy cupcakes. I'm counting this as "Parties / Friends / Family Cooked" as I have with similar events in the past. I also won't count it as a repeat for the same reason.
Then I came home and made M tilapia fish sticks recipe that came with our air fryer. Since she likes things she can dip in sauces, this was a winner. I think the air fryer does a very good job of imitating oil frying, but isn't necessarily great for other recipes that aren't imitating the oil frying experience.
In addition, M made a chickpea salad that as far as I can tell she improvised with tomatoes, mint and other things.
Monday, June 17 - Overnight I made the Slow Cooker Dal Makhani from the September/October 2016 Eating Well for the second time this year, which helpfully generated multiple days worth of lunches.
Then, when I came home I made Chicken Masala, which I got from a weird AllRecipes paper mailing some year ago. It's nice and easy and delicious with broccoli and pasta.
Tuesday, June 18 - For quite a few years I read Nutrition Action magazine. One of the few recipes I clipped from that was Green Beans & Shiitake with a balsamic and soy sauce glaze. That came from an issue back in late 2012, and it's still good today.
We used the air fryer to make crispy potatoes, which is to say I chunked up some small potatoes, tossed them in spices and a little olive oil and then put the in the air fryer. They tasted like the fried potato cubes you can get at some diners, which is to say they were a winner.
Wednesday, June 19 - Our main course was one of M's favorites, the Red Cabbage Salad with Blue Cheese & Maple-Glazed Walnuts from the March/April 2014 Eating Well. My only trivial complaint about this recipe is that it is sometimes a pain to wash solidified maple syrup leavings out of the pan.
As a side, I had put the Curried Chickpeas from the September/October 2016 Eating Well on my list, but then I realized that this would probably work well in the air fryer. Some quick googling later I had adjusted the recipe, which cut the prep time by 2/3 with the same delicious flavor. That was pretty good.
Totals For This Post
Days Covered: 7
Meals / Dishes Cooked: 7 / 10
New Recipes: 5
Leftover Nights: 0
Eating Out / Take Out Meals: 2
Eating Out Drinks/Dessert Only: 0
New To Me Restaurants: 2
Repeated Restaurants in 2019: 0
Parties / Friends / Family Cooked: 1
Repeated Recipes: 1
Overall Totals 2019 (less January 1)
Days Covered: 169
Meals / Dishes Cooked: 116 / 152
New Recipes: 66
Leftover Nights: 6
Eating Out / Take Out Meals: 66
Eating Out Drinks/Dessert Only: 24
New To Me Restaurants: 27
Repeated Restaurants in 2019: 15
Parties / Friends / Family Cooked: 13
Repeated Recipes: 6
Thursday, June 13 - I tapped the June 2019 Eating Well for Creamy Lemon Pasta with Shrimp. It fell solidly in the "that's fine" category and won't replace some of my other shrimp and pasta combos.
Friday, June 14 - It often seems kind of criminal to me how few places in Cleveland there are to eat on the water. M found a new one to us on Friday when we went to the E55 On the Lake, which like Merwin's Wharf is operated by the Metroparks. It's on a sheltered marina, but the lake is a 2 minute walk away. It was a nice night to be on the water, and my portobello sandwich wasn't bad at all. The fries were A+.
Saturday, June 15 - M and I took my aunt and cousin out for my aunt's birthday. We went to a new place in Beachwood called Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, which is apparently part of a chain. I had a very nice piece of barramundi, but on the whole I feel that it was a bit overprice for what it was. It falls squarely in the "if someone else really wanted to go I wouldn't fight it, but I'd never suggest it" bucket.
Sunday, June 16 - We still had a few tortillas from the tacos we had the previous two weeks, so I googled a few recipes and the improved some chilaquiles with black beans, which M really enjoyed.
Speaking of Merwin's Wharf, there was a Print Room event there so I swung by and had a few tacos and fancy cupcakes. I'm counting this as "Parties / Friends / Family Cooked" as I have with similar events in the past. I also won't count it as a repeat for the same reason.
Then I came home and made M tilapia fish sticks recipe that came with our air fryer. Since she likes things she can dip in sauces, this was a winner. I think the air fryer does a very good job of imitating oil frying, but isn't necessarily great for other recipes that aren't imitating the oil frying experience.
In addition, M made a chickpea salad that as far as I can tell she improvised with tomatoes, mint and other things.
Monday, June 17 - Overnight I made the Slow Cooker Dal Makhani from the September/October 2016 Eating Well for the second time this year, which helpfully generated multiple days worth of lunches.
Then, when I came home I made Chicken Masala, which I got from a weird AllRecipes paper mailing some year ago. It's nice and easy and delicious with broccoli and pasta.
Tuesday, June 18 - For quite a few years I read Nutrition Action magazine. One of the few recipes I clipped from that was Green Beans & Shiitake with a balsamic and soy sauce glaze. That came from an issue back in late 2012, and it's still good today.
We used the air fryer to make crispy potatoes, which is to say I chunked up some small potatoes, tossed them in spices and a little olive oil and then put the in the air fryer. They tasted like the fried potato cubes you can get at some diners, which is to say they were a winner.
Wednesday, June 19 - Our main course was one of M's favorites, the Red Cabbage Salad with Blue Cheese & Maple-Glazed Walnuts from the March/April 2014 Eating Well. My only trivial complaint about this recipe is that it is sometimes a pain to wash solidified maple syrup leavings out of the pan.
As a side, I had put the Curried Chickpeas from the September/October 2016 Eating Well on my list, but then I realized that this would probably work well in the air fryer. Some quick googling later I had adjusted the recipe, which cut the prep time by 2/3 with the same delicious flavor. That was pretty good.
Totals For This Post
Days Covered: 7
Meals / Dishes Cooked: 7 / 10
New Recipes: 5
Leftover Nights: 0
Eating Out / Take Out Meals: 2
Eating Out Drinks/Dessert Only: 0
New To Me Restaurants: 2
Repeated Restaurants in 2019: 0
Parties / Friends / Family Cooked: 1
Repeated Recipes: 1
Overall Totals 2019 (less January 1)
Days Covered: 169
Meals / Dishes Cooked: 116 / 152
New Recipes: 66
Leftover Nights: 6
Eating Out / Take Out Meals: 66
Eating Out Drinks/Dessert Only: 24
New To Me Restaurants: 27
Repeated Restaurants in 2019: 15
Parties / Friends / Family Cooked: 13
Repeated Recipes: 6