More about the griddle on Monday’s meal.
RIP, griddle.
What I Spent
Well, I got a $25 Hungry Harvest box.
Mr. FG made a $45 BJ’s trip.
He and I made a quick stop at Lidl (my first time in the store!) and we spent $6.
And then we spent $22 at Harris Teeter on a few things.
That adds up to $98, so an inexpensive start to May!
What We Ate
Saturday
Mr. FG and I took our vaccinated selves to a restaurant and ate inside for the first time since February 2020!
(Oddly, we happened to be the only ones eating in the restaurant, so it was extremely socially distanced anyway.)
Takeout is fine, but eating your food as soon as it comes out of the restaurant kitchen is most definitely an improvement.
Sunday
We used a mish-mash of my birthday discounts to some nearby restaurants; a free sub here, a free pizza there and so on.
Monday
I made BLT’s, which I usually do on our big countertop griddle.
(Fry the bacon, then toast the bread in the bacon grease, then assemble the sandwiches. Lisey came up with this method!)
This BLT used up a random mayo packet from the cabinet.
But alas, our BroilKing griddle is dead. The main element went bad and caused electrical smoking.
I talked to the manufacturer and confirmed that there is no way to fix it. Sigh.
I’m kind of annoyed by this because it wasn’t a cheap griddle!
Mr. FG did some super thorough research for another brand to try, and we are going to give the Zojirushi griddle a try. This one isn’t cheap either, but it seems like it might last a long time.
Fingers crossed!
And I usually figure that kitchen tools pay for themselves in fairly short order because they facilitate home-cooking. It doesn’t take many takeout nights to add up to the cost of a small appliance.
Anyway, I made our BLTs on the stovetop this go-round because my new griddle is not here yet.
Tuesday
Sonia made a Thai chicken and sweet potato curry from Dinner Illustrated, and we ate that over rice, topped with limes, cilantro, and green onions.
I peeled some clementines to eat with our curry.
(Here’s my full review of Dinner Illustrated. Definitely a cookbook to consider buying!)
Wednesday
I tried a new recipe for chicken spiedies, which are sandwiches made with marinated, grilled chicken chunks in a sub roll with a mayo-based sauce.
I found the recipe on the Cook’s Country site when I was poring through everything in the sandwich category, and I’ll add this one into our regular rotation.
Easy, no allergy issues, and we all liked it; those are things that make a keeper!
Thursday
I made one-pan chicken and veggie ramen bowls because Lisey doesn’t care for them, and she wasn’t here for dinner.
Friday
I have book club tomorrow night, so I think Mr. FG and I will do our date night tonight instead. And the girls will fend for themselves!
Anne
Friday 14th of May 2021
I am super eager to hear your reviews of the new griddle! We have been looking for one that cooks evenly :)
Millicent
Saturday 8th of May 2021
Funny thing! A few years ago I was reading an article and they mentioned Spiedies, so I looked them up and made them and they were a big hit--
Who invented Spiedies? Camillo Iacovelli created the spiedie in Endwell, New York, and was serving them in 1938 at his Parkview Restaurant on Oak Hill Ave in Endicott. His brother, Agostino "Augie" Iacovelli, popularized spiedies when he introduced them in his Endicott restaurant Augie's in 1939. Iacovelli's marinade, which he called "zuzu", originally was made simply from wine vinegar, water, lemon juice, garlic and mint. Italian spices, olive oil and minced onion were added later as regional tastes and the choice of meat began to vary.[1] Augie Iacovelli's son Guido continued in the spiedie business into the 1990s, owning as many as 26 restaurants at the peak of his career.[1]
The term "spiedie" is derived from the Italian spiedo meaning spit.[1] The regional dish called spiedini or spidducci in Abruzzo, Italy, most closely resembling spiedie, uses cubes or balls of goat meat, lamb, chicken or beef on a skewer. (Wiki)
Debated History The original idea for the spiedie was brought by Italian immigrants to upstate New York in the early 1920s made with lamb, pork and chicken. The specific origin of the spiedie is disputed. The "chicken category" was added to the Spiedie Fest cook-off in 1987, and quickly became the most popular meat choice.
Lauren
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
Thanks for posting this! I first had spiedies when I was a kid visiting my parents' friends in upstate New York (35 years ago?!). We liked them so much that we brought some spiedie sauce home! :) I love local food!!
Linda
Friday 7th of May 2021
I wish I had gotten the gas stove top that includes a griddle. I'm sorry to hear about your loss.
Kris
Friday 7th of May 2021
Sorry about your deceased griddle. I would be super sad if mine bit the dust. I have no input on the Zojirushi griddle, however, we received a thermal coffee carafe of the same brand as a wedding gift 20 years ago and it's still going strong .... hopefully all their products are made well.
Meanwhile .... Greek chicken wraps with naan .... coney dogs ..... Mexican takeout for my birthday which happens to fall on, you guessed it, Cinco de Mayo, chicken soup with leftover ravioli instead of tortellini and with homemade bread, and hubby had pulled pork sandwiches that were liberated from the freezer for supper tonight.
Kristen
Saturday 8th of May 2021
Well, that's a good recommendation for the brand at least. I know people like their Zojirushi bread machines too, so I am hopeful.
Felicia
Friday 7th of May 2021
I have really got to cave in and get a Cooks Country subscription, the recipes you share always look so good.
Slowly getting the hand of eating out of an RV (very little room to cook or store meals) and this week we had
grilled burgers pizza casserole enjoyed outside dining at a local catfish place date night/mothers day dinner fend for yourself dirty rice, roast broccoli, and rolls