Category Archives: Food

Monday Menu and Recipe Review

Posted by Melissa in Food, Monday Menu

After a couple days of decadent, slothful relaxation at the American Club Resort in Kohler, Wisconsin (a birthday/anniversary present to ourselves), we are back to reality. If you can swing it, a few days away from every responsibility is a miraculous thing. We are immensely lucky to have willing grandparents to move in with the kids for a few days while we try to read as many novels as possible in 48 hours without dropping the Kindle into the hot tub.

I’m not sure that the massaging and pampering has done much to increase my patience, but at least that nagging ache in my hip is much improved. Today I’m going to whirl through the dishes and the laundry and the piles of wet swim gear on the floor to the dulcet tones of clarinet scales, and then bribe a couple kids through their piano practice. If I’m still feeling energetic, I’ll bake some banana poppy seed bars for an afternoon snack. Alas, there’s no staff setting out afternoon tea in the Greenhouse, but maybe I’ll switch on the kettle.

This week

Monday: Roast pork, polenta, salad

Tuesday: Red Lentil Dal, rice, fruit salad

Wednesday: Grilled Kofta Kebabs (though I’m using a similar recipe from Cooks’ Illustrated), pita, grilled eggplant salad

Thursday: Cubanos

Friday: hmmm…a quickie pasta, probably, with whatever produce needs to be used up

Last week

Monday: Salmon and Roasted Vegetable Salad (to swap)

This was so good. No, the kids didn’t touch it–they ate leftover hamburgers. I roasted farmer’s market turnips, kohlrabi, fingerling potatoes, carrots and beets, then tossed them in a salad with butter lettuce, scallions and canned salmon. Fresh salmon would put this over the top.

Tuesday: Black Bean Burgers, sweet potato fries, guacamole, pico de gallo (from Jen)

We flipped over these black bean burgers. Plenty of flavor, super moist. All the kids like these, so expect them to go into heavy rotation. In fact, this would be a good meal for the kids to prepare themselves.

Wednesday: Lemon Pepper grilled chicken; barley salad, grilled zucchini and asparagus

I marinated the chicken overnight, and Papa did the grilling while I stirred together the barley salad (barley cooked in plenty of salted water, chopped tomatoes, scallions, red wine vinegar, olive oil, pepper). I heard the extra chicken went into fajitas.

Thursday: Turkey Chili

I made this pot of chili ahead of time so the kids and grandparents would have a couple meals already made. Chauffeuring these kids around can take a lot out of you if you’re not used to it!

Friday: Chicken Adobo, rice, broccoli

My dad saw this Filipino recipe on America’s Test Kitchen and decided to try it. He added extra coconut milk to increase the sauce, and a few teaspoons of sugar to balance the acidity. Many thumbs up!

Monday Menu and Recipe Review

Posted by Melissa in Food, Kids, Monday Menu and tagged with , ,

I hope all you fathers out there celebrated well yesterday. We all enjoyed the day, and for the first time, the kids really took charge of the festivities. They planned the menu, helped shop, and prepped most of the food, too. (The key to success was doing all the chopping and mixing possible the day before, restaurant kitchen style, so that the actual cooking took very little time away from the fun–a long afternoon at the pool–on Sunday.) They also helped smell every cologne in the store to help me choose a new bottle for dad. Dad had breakfast in bed, while the crew picnicked on the floor alongside.

This week

Monday: Salmon and Roasted Vegetable Salad (to swap)

Tuesday: Black Bean Burgers (from Jen)

Wednesday: Red Lentil Dal, rice, fruit salad (mango & pineapple?)

Thursday: Turkey Chili

Friday: Lemon Pepper grilled chicken; barley salad

Last week

Monday: Shrimp salad wraps, cabbage salad with ramen noodles and almonds

Leftover green curry shrimp salad in whole wheat tortillas and extra cabbage salad from Jen. Great quick summer meal!

Tuesday: Belgian endive and ham gratin, rice, salad

Memories of Belgium, all in one dish. Two hints: steam the endive instead of boiling, so they don’t get so waterlogged, and the extra step of browning them in butter really adds flavor. I subbed some hard sheep’s milk cheese and Parmesan for the gruyère.

Wednesday: Chicken Milanese, salad, curried carrots with butter

As the kids grow and eat more, I have to think about how to stretch our meals a little further. Pounding the chicken breasts thin and breading them makes one pound of meat just enough for the five of us. I save all the heels of bread and make fresh breadcrumbs whenever I need them.

Thursday: Blue Cheese, Caramelized Onion and Bacon Galette, salad (swap with Jen)

I used the recipe as more of a suggestion, and just used what ingredients I had. I made a simple crust with half multigrain flour and butter, mixed the blue cheese with ricotta and sour cream, and sprinkled a little chopped thyme over the onions and bacon. I hope I remember to make this again!

Friday: Turkey Kielbasa with Peppers and Onions, blue cheese coleslaw (from Jen)

At Jen’s suggestion, I put the sausage and pepper mixture on a baguette, topped it with cheddar, and ran it under the broiler. And slaw with blue cheese dressing and bacon? Yum.

Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Marinara

Posted by Melissa in Food, Kids, Recipe and tagged with , , ,

Two weeks of summer vacation are already gone, and quickly, too. We’ve kept busy–in a good way–but I’m finding it difficult to blog, even if I have something to blog about. Someone is always hanging over my shoulder, or needing my attention RIGHT NOW, MOM, or just generally being noisy. Last night while supervising the brushing of teeth, I asked, “Why do you have to be so loud all the time?” Little Five answered, “We can’t help it. We’re kids.”

This morning’s noise involves repeatedly knocking wooden astronauts to the floor, accompanied by some maraca-like shaking of a plastic piggy bank. Also, yelling. Oh, and slamming doors. But I promised you a recipe, so I’m going to deliver.

I really love eggplant. Unfortunately, some of the best eggplant recipes take time, and then the kids won’t eat it anyway. Eggplant Parmesan, Moussaka….But in my experience, most of the time kids are more picky about texture than about taste. Maybe this is true of adults, too. (Exhibit #1: Miss Seven doesn’t like tomatoes, but will eat tomato soup. Exhibit #2: Pot roast? “Too chewy. Do you have any meatballs?” Exhibit #3: Liver and onions? “Ew.” Chicken liver pâté on a cracker? “Yes, please.”)

In short, if I puree it, they will eat it.

I adapted this recipe from an old Rachael Ray cookbook. I always found the cooking time way off, and the sauce was under seasoned, but the basic idea was great. Roast an eggplant, puree it, and swirl it into some garlicky tomato sauce. I roasted a red pepper, too. The combination gives a basic marinara a meatier, smokier flavor, and the eggplant even balances some of the acidity from the tomatoes and makes it a little creamy. I didn’t plan it, but all three–tomato, eggplant and pepper–belong to the nightshade family.

Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Marinara

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil (for easy clean up). Prick a large eggplant several times with a fork or sharp knife, and roast the eggplant and one red pepper until the eggplant is soft, the red pepper has browned all over (you may want to turn the pepper a few times during roasting for even browning), and both have begun to slump (45 minutes-1 hour). Let them cool on the baking pan until you can handle them.

With your fingers, peel the skin from the pepper and remove the stem and seeds. Cut off the stem end of the eggplant, slit it down the side with the knife, and scrape the flesh from the skin into the bowl of the food processor. Add the peeled red pepper and puree until smooth.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a deep saucepan and cook 3-5 cloves of minced garlic, just until golden, about a minute. Stir in one 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (mine were diced, so I pureed them with the immersion blender) and bring to a simmer. Stir in the eggplant and pepper puree, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat through. Serve over the pasta of your choice with a good sprinkling of grated Parmesan.

 

 

 

Monday Menu and Recipe Review

Posted by Melissa in Food, Monday Menu and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Despite the cloudy skies, today felt like the first real day of summer vacation. The younger kids suited up and had swim lessons in the morning, and we’re going to turn off the tv and head back to the pool for a couple more hours this afternoon.

If this week’s menu seems a little fancy, that’s just because it’s mostly based on ingredients left over from the fabulous spread the Hub put on for my birthday this weekend. I should have taken some pictures, but I was too busy trying new cocktails and tasting every appetizer multiple times–just for quality control, you understand. He even made an incredible Swedish Meringue Cake with Strawberries and Orange Filling that was possibly the best birthday cake I’ve ever had. Fruity, tender, creamy, not too sweet. I’d better start planning his birthday cake right now.

This week

Monday: Shrimp salad wraps, cabbage salad with ramen noodles and almonds

Tuesday: Belgian endive and ham gratin, rice, salad

Wednesday: Chicken Milanese, salad, carrots

Thursday: Blue Cheese, Caramelized Onion and Bacon Galette, salad (swap with Jen)

Friday: Turkey Kielbasa with Peppers and Onions, blue cheese coleslaw (from Jen), roasted Yukon Gold potatoes

Last week

Monday: Salad Nicoise, bread, fresh fruit

Otherwise known as Salad the Kids Will Eat. Fresh greens, green beans, boiled potatoes, sliced tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, olives, Italian canned tuna, all piled artfully on a platter, with dressing in a pitcher on the side. 

Tuesday: Thai-style ground pork, coconut rice, edamame

A quick weeknight meal that has become a favorite (I’ve used turkey, pork or beef). I double the sauce and skip the chilies in favor of a squirt of Sriracha. Coconut rice is just basmati rice cooked with a can of lite coconut milk in place of some of the water.

Wednesday: Waldorf Chicken wraps, fruit salad

We eat a lot of soft tacos, and I often use tortillas instead of bread in the kids’ lunches, but this time I used whole wheat flour tortillas, which were flavorful and sturdy enough for a filling of chicken salad and veggies (greens, beans and tomatoes left from Monday). Also a kid winner.

Thursday: Creamy Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Pasta (swap with Jen)

I made this sauce up as I went along–it’s an easy sauce packed with veggies. The kids ate theirs on cheese tortellini, and the adults had rigatoni. I’ll share the recipe later this week!

Friday: Italian Turkey Meatball Soup, cabbage salad (from Jen)

Delicious with a little grated Parmesan on top.

Kids Bake: Birthday Cupcakes

Posted by Melissa in Baking, Food, Kids and tagged with , ,

It’s my birthday today. My 40th birthday. Aside from all the lovely cards, Facebook birthday messages, and a 14-layer Lego cake, it’s pretty much a regular day. The Hub is at work, the kids are squabbling over who gets to occupy which room in their mega blanket fort, and I still have to chair a board meeting tonight. We have a little celebration planned for the weekend–featuring cocktails and grown ups–but this morning the kids worked together to bake some birthday cupcakes.

I hung around in the background, but Mr. Ten directed the operation and only solicited my help when instructed to by the recipe (mostly for handling the hot stuff).

They followed a recipe from Honest Pretzels by Mollie Katzen, which is perfect for guiding kids to be independent in the kitchen, making real food. Nothing “semi-homemade” here. The instructions are clear and complete, and broken down into numbered steps. Now that I have kids who don’t need a stool to reach the counter and can read and measure, I’m looking forward to stepping back and letting them cook for me. It takes a little longer, but that’s not a bad thing when we have long summer hours to fill.

These vanilla cupcakes are supposed to have chocolate kisses pressed into their centers, but all we had in the pantry was chocolate chips, which make a fine substitute.

If you want your kids to bake these, do yourself a favor and get the actual cookbook. If you’re a grown up and just want to bake some quick and easy cupcakes, here you go.

Birthday Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

chocolate kisses or chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in the sugar. In a small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup, whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Beat 2 minutes at low speed with the electric mixer. Scrape down the bowl, and beat for another 2 minutes at medium speed. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups and then press a chocolate kiss, upside down, into the center of each unbaked cupcake (or press several chocolate chips into the batter).

Bake for 20 minutes.

Monday Menu and Recipe Review

Posted by Melissa in Food, Monday Menu and tagged with , , , , , , ,

June is the new Rainy Season, it seems. Our backyard is so marshy that we can’t mow it, which of course only makes it marshier. A pair of ducks visits regularly. We ate all of our radishes and I’m going to have to pull on my wellies to wade out and plant some more, along with the mint and lemon balm I bought at the local garden club plant sale on Saturday.

Although it’s too cold for the pool, I did blend up a batch of strawberry watermelon ice pops this morning. The watermelon was so sweet, I skipped the sugar. Tomorrow I have big plans to take the kids for free lunch at Ikea, where I might pick up another popsicle mold. Miss Seven and Little Five have tired of smoothies, but are happy to slurp them down in ice pop form. It’s a good start to the day if I can say, “Popsicles for breakfast!”

This week I also tried my hand at homemade yogurt. I always thought making yogurt would be a little fussy, but boy, was I wrong. Last night I heated the milk while making dinner, and then left the jar–swaddled in a dish towel and stuffed into a tea cozy–to ferment overnight in the oven, which held some residual warmth from when I had roasted some beets. I’m going to get Mr. Ten to make the next batch–he ought to enjoy monitoring the candy thermometer. I used organic whole milk, and the resulting yogurt is creamy and gorgeous. I want to drizzle it on everything. Even Miss Seven liked it with her granola, and she usually turns up her nose at plain yogurt.

This week

Monday: Salad Nicoise

Tuesday: Thai-style ground pork, coconut rice, edamame

Wednesday: Waldorf Chicken wraps, fruit salad

Thursday: Creamy Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Pasta (swap with Jen)

Friday: Italian Turkey Meatball Soup (from Jen)

Last week

Tuesday: Ceylonese Cashew Coconut Chicken, basmati rice (doubled to swap with Jen)

This chicken was delicious, but needed to be spicier (though the kids liked it as is). I’m looking forward to making it again and adjusting the heat.

Wednesday: Tomato Soup, grilled cheese (with roasted garlic Amish cheese from Shipshewana, Indiana), green salad (from the garden)

Miles better than canned soup and American cheese on white bread, and it doesn’t take much longer too make. I used a loaf of crusty whole wheat bread for the sandwiches.

Thursday: Spontaneous night out at Wok’n Fire to celebrate some excellent report cards. Sushi, pad thai, basil beef, wrinkled green beans. Happy eaters all around.

Friday: Chicken Basil Sausage, Kale and Caramelized Onion Lasagna (from Jen)

I especially liked the caramelized onions in this lasagna, and Jen substituted a white sauce for the ricotta, which made it lush and creamy. The kids picked out most of the kale, but were otherwise much more polite because they knew Jen made dinner!

Saturday: Ramp Pizza and Meatball Pizza

For the first time, I tried some ready-made pizza dough because I got so busy I forgot to make the dough ahead of time. It was fine, but I missed the flavor of homemade dough that has aged a few days in the refrigerator. The ramps were excellent, though next time I’d add even more to the pizza. I found a small container of two meatballs plus their sauce in the freezer–just enough for topping a single pizza for the kids.

Sunday:  Wheat berry salad with roasted beets and feta, grilled Italian sausages, broccoli

I dressed the cooked wheat berries with red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, and stirred in a big pile of chopped scallions–it’s my new favorite way to eat grains, warm or cold.

Monday Menu & Recipe Review

Posted by Melissa in Food, Monday Menu

I know it’s Wednesday, but the Memorial Day weekend threw me off completely. Yesterday at 3:15 I realized that Mr. Ten did not get off the school bus, at which point I called the school to inquire, in a slightly panicked voice, where my son might be. The secretary suggested–in a voice that implied that I was not the first panicked parent ever to call the office–that perhaps he was at the Crafty Creations after school club. “Crafty Creations! Yes! He is! Thank you!” was all I could manage. Then I looked at my Google Calendar for the first time in four days.

And though I didn’t even begin on the weekend’s teetering pile of dirty laundry–Mr. Ten had to dig his wrinkled karate gi out from the bottom of the bin–I did put together a menu and managed to grocery shop (turns out Little Five is a big help in the bulk section of Whole Foods, especially when raspberry yogurt pretzels are involved). I also unclogged the shower drain (long overdue) and cleaned the rest of the master bathroom at the Hub’s request. Though he’s usually the first volunteer to clean a bathroom, he’s putting in some long hours at the office this week. Nothing says love like a clean bathroom.

This week

Tuesday: Ceylonese Cashew Coconut Chicken, basmati rice (doubled to swap with Jen)

Wednesday: Tomato Soup, grilled cheese (with roasted garlic Amish cheese from Shipshewana, Indiana), green salad (from the garden)

Thursday: Chicken Basil Sausage, Kale and Caramelized Onion Lasagna (from Jen)

Friday: Wheat berry salad with radishes, feta and grilled Italian sausage

Last week

Monday: Indian Butter Chicken curry, rice, roasted cauliflower

Time to order more curry paste! Such a great way to serve chicken breast. I roasted the cauliflower with cumin seeds, but didn’t make the rest of the salad.

Tuesday: Chickpea and Artichoke Heart Stew, bread (swap with Jen)

I really enjoyed this soup, especially with a good squeeze of lemon and some shaved Parmesan. I made it with homemade chicken broth, so it wasn’t vegetarian, but the brothy soup was surprisingly hearty.

Wednesday: Meatball subs, spinach salad (from the garden!)

We had an early dinner so we could get to the school talent show on time, so meatballs and sauce from the freezer were the perfect quick meal. The lesson: Always, ALWAYS make a double recipe of meatballs.

Thursday: Cumin and Smoked Paprika Chicken with Potatoes (from Jen)

Delicious. I’ll be stealing this recipe for sure. Juicy boneless chicken thighs, sliced potatoes and a flavorful sauce. We all loved it.

Monday Menu and Recipe Review

Posted by Melissa in Food, Monday Menu and tagged with , , , , , , ,

It’s strangely quiet in the house this morning. No chattering television, no rattle of marbles or crash of Hotwheels on the hardwood floor. I can hear the cat snoring on the back of the couch and the clocks ticking. Little Five is taking a “vacation” at Grandma and Papa’s house this week, and I just sent the older kids off to school. In about an hour, I will sneak into the school assembly and applaud as Mr. Ten receives a Student of the Month award. After that, I’ll have FIVE hours in which to contemplate my overly ambitious to-do list and possibly cross a few things off. And then four more days of the same!

Miss Seven’s First Communion party was a great success: a happy girl, beautiful weather, lots of family and friends, and plenty of food left over. We didn’t cook again all weekend. And the cake–oh, the cake! I made the S’more Layer Cake from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Miss Seven picked it out, and it seemed to go well with the BBQ theme (ribs, slaw, mac-n-cheese, green beans, cornbread). The recipe is really perfect, though I scaled it up by 50% to make it a 10-inch cake. I also used a slightly different frosting method (Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Light Italian Meringue, from The Cake Bible), because I know how to make it in the stand mixer and I was confident that it would hold up nicely if I made it the night before. As you can see, it held up beautifully. The cake didn’t last the weekend, so no worries about deflated meringue after that!

This week

Monday: Indian Butter Chicken curry, roasted cauliflower, spinach salad (never got around to making it last week)

Tuesday: Chickpea and Artichoke Heart Stew, bread (swap with Jen)

Wednesday: Lazy Spanakopita

Thursday: Cumin and Smoked Paprika Chicken with Potatoes (from Jen)

Friday: Kitchen Closed!

Last week

Monday: Spaghetti with cheese and black pepper

Little Five and I were suffering from a stomach virus, so this spaghetti was quick and easy to make from pantry staples, and comforting as well.

Tuesday: Meatballs and polenta, broccoli with lemon zest and olive oil

I love this lazy meatball and sauce recipe. I doubled it and stashed the extra in the freezer for another busy day.

Wednesday: Sesame Noodles, edamame, potstickers (swap with Jen)

A stand-by. We eat this at least once a month. Frozen potstickers (gyoza) from Trader Joe’s are our favorite convenience freezer food.

Thursday: Asian Chicken Sandwiches, fruit salad (from Jen)

Such tender, juicy chicken! Kids ate it dipped in ketchup, but the adults had it with a tangy slaw on a whole wheat bun–yum.

Friday: Tabbouleh with garlicky pan-fried shrimp

SO GOOD. The shrimp turned the tabbouleh into a main course, but it would also be a great side for a summer barbeque. We’ve been eating the leftovers for lunch.

Monday Menu and Recipe Review

Posted by Melissa in Food, Monday Menu

I had big plans for today. (You can see where this is going, can’t you? It’s not even 9 a.m. and my plans are in the past tense.) Little Five was scheduled for his final day at preschool (just two hours for a picnic, but it would have been a good window in which to grocery shop), and I have lots of preparation for Miss Seven’s First Communion party this weekend. Instead, we are both suffering from some kind of stomach bug, and I’m just crossing my fingers that nobody else in the house catches it. My misery does NOT love company.

Fortunately, I felt just fine yesterday and had a lovely Mother’s Day. We stayed home–Little Five had been sick since Saturday afternoon–and alternately relaxed and did a few little projects. I received breakfast in bed, original Mother’s Day poetry–a haiku and an acrostic poem–as well as a beautiful bookmark and a note paper caddy constructed from popsicle sticks. The Hub got me a book I’ve wanted to read, and I had time to read it while he cooked. Miss Seven and I took a long walk around the neighborhood, we played some games, and Mr. Ten did his homework with a minimum of complaint. I planted the rest of the flowers and vegetables, and we hauled Miss Seven’s old dresser out of her room and replaced it with the newly refinished one. A very satisfactory day.

I made a menu for this week, too, but I suspect I’ll be shuffling things around depending on how I feel and when I make it to the store. Today I might toss some noodles into some chicken broth and call it dinner.

This week

Monday: Spaghetti and Meatballs, broccoli with lemon and olive oil

Tuesday: Indian Butter Chicken, rice, roasted cauliflower

Wednesday: Sesame Noodles, edamame, potstickers (swap with Jen)

Thursday: Asian Chicken Sandwiches (from Jen)

Friday: Tabbouleh with grilled shrimp

Last week

Monday: Cod in Parchment Packets, green beans and yellow squash, Israeli couscous

These are so easy to make, and the fish is so tender. I should have made another vegetable side dish, though–one pound of fish doesn’t go far for five people.

Tuesday: Corn, Scallion and Potato Frittata, green salad

A variation on a Spanish tortilla. Instead of frying the potatoes in a lot of oil, they are diced very small and then I poured boiling water over them and let them sit while I prepped the other ingredients. A nice light dinner, with leftovers good for breakfast or lunch.

Wednesday: Vietnamese Chicken Sandwich (Banh Mi), fruit salad (swap with Jen)

These Banh Mi sandwiches were a big hit with everyone. A great way to stretch a single little rotisserie chicken into a meal for two families.

Thursday: Turkey Burgers and Quinoa salad (from Jen)

Jen put spinach and romano cheese in the turkey burgers, and they were delicious. I loved the quinoa salad she made with tomatoes, corn and scallions. 

Friday: Homemade pizza

I went back to pre-baking the crust for a few minutes before adding the toppings, and for the first time in a couple of months, the crust was not underbaked. It’s so much easier to slide the pizza with toppings in and out of the oven, too. Sometimes I just need to stick with what works!

Monday Menu and Recipe Review

Posted by Melissa in Food, Monday Menu and tagged with

Can I take a moment to praise the dinner swap one more time?

We pride ourselves on trying to serve home cooked meals most every night of the week, saving our restaurant budget for a few well-chosen outings instead of last-minute takeout or a run through the drive-thru. But I’m not going to tell you that it doesn’t get tiring sometimes. It takes advance planning, careful shopping, and a daily commitment to an hour of cooking and eating. Oh, and there are always dirty dishes. ALWAYS.

So I have to thank Jen one more time for initiating our dinner swap arrangement. Having a night off from cooking but still having a home cooked meal is such a boost. Today I’m looking forward to an unusually lazy evening in which I don’t have to cook dinner or go to choir practice. Maybe we’ll play a game after dinner and I’ll listen to Mr. Ten read aloud some more of The Mysterious Benedict Society. Maybe we’ll ride bikes around the block. WHO KNOWS?

This week

Sunday: Hoisin-glazed salmon, new potatoes, broccoli, arugula salad with toasted walnuts and goat cheese

Monday: Crock-Pot Chicken, Rice and Green Chile Casserole (from Jen)

Tuesday: Skillet Lasagna with Italian Sausage

Wednesday: Silky Tortilla Soup, fruit salad

Thursday: Turkey Kibbe Kebabs with two sauces (but I plan to make them into meatballs and skip the skewers), pita, salad (swap with Jen)

Friday: Black Bean Quesadillas, salad

 

Last week

Monday: Chicken chopped salad (I think I’m going to set out all the components–leftover chicken, hard-boiled eggs, lettuce, carrots, etc.–and let everyone assemble their own bowls)

This was so much more successful than I expected! I lined up all the salad components on a big platter, put the dressing in a pitcher, and let everyone serve themselves. We also added some crackers and cheese to the mix. The kids ate a little of everything, and there was a nice salad left for the Hub’s lunch the next day!

Tuesday: Black Bean Burgers (out of the freezer), kale chips

I’m looking forward to making these burgers again, adding a little more moisture. But they were still good, with a sauce of plain yogurt and some roasted plum tomatoes and garlic that I found in the freezer, blended smooth.

Wednesday: Ecuadorean pork stew (the recipe linked is for chicken, but I’ll streamline the recipe, just searing the cubed pork and then adding the sauce–omitting the beer–straight from the blender), rice, fried plantains (double for Jen)

So delicious, and a great make-ahead meal. The achiote paste (or annatto-infused oil) gives a unique flavor, but it wouldn’t be terrible without it. You can follow this recipe with whatever meat you have…chicken, beef, pork, mutton, goat…

Thursday: Crockpot beef and broccoli, rice

I didn’t follow that recipe at all, and instead made a quick beef and broccoli stir fry, using a little garlic black bean sauce from the jar.

Friday: Buttermilk pancakes, apple slices

The Hub was not home for dinner, so we got crazy and had breakfast for dinner. I always use the pancake recipe from the King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook, but there isn’t a link online except for this scaled up version for a crowd. I try to keep buttermilk always on hand, and if I’m afraid it’s going to go bad before we use it up, I freeze it in 2-cup portions for pancakes.

Saturday:  Creamy Baked Pasta with Chicken (by request of Mr. Ten), salad

I simplified this recipe, didn’t add any topping and didn’t really bake it (just kept it hot in a warm oven for a few minutes), but it was still tasty. Mr. Ten was happy and we had some extra for Sunday lunch.

 

What was your favorite home cooked meal last week?