What Do You Want to Do About Dinner?

July 4, 2012 Off By Lisa

Wish I had a more clever title for this post.  I don’t.  The only thing remarkable about it, in fact, is that my husband and I (each) probably asked one another this question at least ten times yesterday.  You see, there was no plan.  And around here, no plan has traditionally meant junk food. But not today.  We have made a choice to eat well, eat healthy, and eat responsibly as much as possible for lots of reasons.  So 1-800-bring-me-food was out.

The “what do you want to do about dinner” conversation usually starts out like this:

Me: “What do you want to do about dinner?”

He: “I dunno.  What do you want to do about dinner”?

(Insert note: The man I married is brilliant.  Brilliant.  But he will not answer this question.  I am the executive chef in the house; my husband is the executive diner.  He does not select or prepare the menu here.  He claims that if he attempts to prepare meals outside of cereal, mac & cheese, or his signature dish, Oregano-Teriyaki Chicken, the kitchen will explode.  I’ve seen the man in action.  I’ve had the Oregano-Teriyaki Chicken.  I am the executive chef in the house; my husband is the executive diner.  It works best this way.)

The conversation continues…

Me: “Honey, I am asking you.  What do you want for dinner?”

He: “Something good.”

Me: “Hon.  Please.  Help me out here.”

He: “I am helping.”

Me: “This is not helping.”

He: “I’m cute.”

Me: “You are.”  (He is.)  “But this is not helping me decide what to feed us tonight.  Please just tell me what you want for dinner.”

He: “Whatever you want to make.  I’m sure it will be great.”

Me: “Oh. My. God.”

He: “You love me.”

Indeed.

Dinnertime.  The debate is still open.  The fridge, pantry, and cupboards are open.  Since we are five days past the day we intended to hit the grocery store, options are sparse.  I came up with the following ingredients: frozen pierogies, fresh tomatoes, a slightly wounded yellow pepper (probably served in the same unit as the avocado soldier), some very old frozen edamame beans, and a couple of shallots.

Twenty minutes later…dinner!

OK, it may not look like much, but it was great!  The result with the veggies was sort of a mildly tangy salsa (but warmer), but not quite a sauce.  The rice vinegar and cilantro made it want to lean Asian, but not heavily.  It was flavorful, fresh, and colorful.  And not only was this meal fast and easy, it was also wicked inexpensive.  I liked it.  He liked it.  The four year old budding gourmet liked it. Three empty dinner plates later, we declared it a success.  I would make it again.

I am a humble home chef who loves good food and loves to cook good food, but I submit for your dining pleasure, the, uh, “recipe,” such as it is.  Since I did this absolutely on the spot with what we had available, I’ll simply give the amounts I used.  Adjust accordingly!  This made two-ish servings.  The grownups each had three pierogies with the veggie mixture on top; Kidzilla had one plus veggies, but asked for a second. (Settled for a fresh watermelon chaser, instead.)

Pierogies with Tri-Color Veggies

Ingredients:

  • grapeseed or olive oil
  • 7 frozen pierogies (use a nice, hearty homemade variety)
  • 1 medium tomato, diced
  • 1 yellow pepper, diced
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • 1-2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp dried cilantro
  • 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
  • 1 cup frozen edamame, shelled

Directions:

Thaw edamame beans and pierogies.

In a medium bowl, combined the diced tomatoes, diced pepper, and minced shallots.  Add rice wine vinegar and salt/pepper to taste.  Set aside and let the veggies soak up that flavor while you prepare the pierogies.

Cook pierogies according to directions/preference.  We like ours lightly pan-fried in just a little bit of grapeseed oil.

While the pierogies are doing their thing, heat another bit of oil in a second skillet.  I used about 1-2 Tbsp.  Add minced garlic and cook for just a minute or two.

Add the tomato/pepper/shallot mixture to the skillet and let it cook down for 5-8 minutes, depending on your preference.  (I wanted these to be just slightly warm, but still hold their firmness.)

When your veggies are just about ready, toss in the edamame beans.  Add cilantro.  Let mixture cook about 3-5 minutes.

Taste and adjust salt/pepper, if needed.

Plate pierogies, then pour your lovely veggie mixture on top.  Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro, if you happen to have any.

Enjoy!

CategoryLife
Tagsdinner food funny stuff marriage quick meals

About The Author

Lisa A. Listwa is a self-employed writer with experience in education, publishing, and the martial arts. Believing there was more to life than punching someone else’s time clock and inspired by the words of Henry David Thoreau, she traded her life as a high school educator for a life as a writer and hasn’t looked back. She is mother to one glorious handful of a daughter, wife to the nicest guy on the planet, and reluctant but devoted owner of three Rotten Cats. You can find her adventures and thoughts on living life deliberately here on the blog.

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