Quarantine Day #22, Quarantine Cooking

I am adjusting to a whole new way of shopping and therefore, cooking. I am a very hands-on shopper. I like to smell, touch and squeeze. Virtual shopping sucks. I am trying to not waste a single thing if possible. Yesterday was 'clean out the fridge' day and make something with whatever needed to be used. I found a few zucchini that were waving goodbye but yet they inspired me. I've never made a tian at this time of year but I went for it

But first take a look at my Fall Flowering Cherry. This is one of my favorite trees; it flowers twice each year.

Back to the tian. I prepped a bunch of peppers, 1 large onion and 6 cloves of garlic and sauteed them in olive oil until they began to soften. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and some pepper flakes. I used my favorite Urfa pepper and a couple tablespoons of tomato paste.

I added some elderly cherry tomatoes and continued to cook this until it began to thicken. It doesn't take long, just a few minutes. I missed a few pics but I also sauteed a bunch of kale, arugula and spinach in another pan, sprinkled with salt and pepper.

This tian was very different than my usual one especially since I used potatoes in it. I sliced them very thin and lined a casserole pan with them. Then I cleaned out my cheese drawer and found some provolone, and mozzarella and layered that on.

Oh look...I do have a pic of the kale mixture!

I layered the kale on top of the potatoes and cheese and added some smoked provolone.

I sliced the zucchini and added a layer of it and then the pepper mix.

I added very thin slices of potatoes.

Totally covering the top.

More cheese.

This was aged provolone. It's a good way to use up the last of any cheese you have.

You can top it with whatever you have on hand. I used artichoke hearts, green and kalamata olives and some sliced pepperoni. This bakes at 375 degrees until brown and bubbling around the edges. About 1 hour. And OMG the smell!

Let it sit for a while before cutting into it.

I usually make it hours or a day ahead to give it a chance to firm up before slicing.

My daughter said that she liked this better than my regular tians. Or at least she thinks I should always add kale.

Next up I cleaned out my freezer and found some ground beef, hot sausage and ground pork.

I mixed them with grated onions, garlic, pamesan, fresh herbs, eggs, panko, milk and seasonings and made....

Meatballs!

I made about 100 of them. My kids love to keep them in their freezers and pop them out to eat for snacks, to make sandwiches or to add to soup.

I roasted a chicken for The W's and made stock from the bones and all of the vegetables that were close to being tossed. The pups only get the white meat so I used the dark meat to make this creamy garlic pasta. I used fettuccine but normally I would use angel hair or spaghetti.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

3 teaspoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 diced shallot or small onion
1-2 Cups of diced cooked chicken
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Cups chicken stock
1/2 Box angel hair pasta
1 Cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 Cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 Cups diced kale

Instructions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and stir for 1 minute. Season with some salt and pepper.
Add the chicken stock, the kale and diced chicken.
Turn the heat up to high and let it come to a boil.
Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes.
Take the saucepan off the heat and add the Parmesan cheese and stir until completely melted.
Add the milk.
Let stand for 5 minutes to continue thickening. If it's too thick, add more milk.