Posted in Cooking, tagged menu on February 16, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Monday – Whole Wheat Spaghetti Primavera (with Surimi), Sliced Peaches
Tuesday – Skillet Red Beans, Quinoa, Turnip Greens, Silver Dollar Corncakes
Wednesday – Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Corn, Mixed Green Salad
Thursday – Oven-fried Chicken, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Green Beans
Friday – New York Strips, Mixed Green Salad, Baked Potatoes, Carrot Cake
Saturday – out to dinner for Valentine’s Day. Kids ate pizza.
Sunday – Grilled Salmon, Spinach Salad, Lyonnaise Potatoes
Posted in Cooking, tagged menu on February 9, 2009| Leave a Comment »
For those of you who are paying attention, I’ve gone through several gyrations of what we ate “this” week VS what we ate “last” week. For some reason, unknown to me (and it could very well have been the fault of a pack of M&M’s) I switched from “last” to “this” on my December 15, 2008 post, after proclaiming to all the world that I liked “last” better than “this”. If you’re confused, so am I. I vow to stick with “last” because this really is what we ate “last” week. Now you can vote me off the island.
Monday – 15 Bean Soup, Winter Chopped Salad, Leftover Pork Shoulder Barbecue, and Potato Salad
Tuesday – Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Veggie Burgers, One Pan Brownies
Wednesday – Chicken and Olives, Sweet and Hot Brussels Sprouts
Thursday – Pork Tortilla Soup, Chopped Avocado
Friday – Hot Italian Hoagies, Chickpea Salad, Marinara Sauce (thanks to the best male cook I know)
Saturday – out to dinner.
Sunday – Flat Iron Steak with Brown Sugar Rub, Sauteed Mushrooms, Smashed New Red Potatoes, Mixed Greens Salad, One Pan Blondies.
Posted in Cooking, tagged menu on January 12, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Monday – Pasta Primavera
Tuesday – Chicken Pot Pie
Wednesday – Leftovers: Shredded Pork Shoulder, Cole Slaw and Baked Beans
Thursday – Oven-fried chicken fingers, Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Spinach
Friday – Pizza (not homemade. There I said it.)
Saturday – Tortilla Espanola (Potato Omelet), Salsa, Green Beans
Sunday – Baked Ravioli, Bread, Green Peas
Posted in Cooking, tagged menu on January 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Monday – Leftovers – White Bean Soup, Vegetable Soup, Flat Iron Steak, Roasted Potatoes
Tuesday – Lasagna, Salad, Bread
Wednesday – New Year’s Eve graze – Pizza, Sweet and Spicy Chicken Bites, Celery Sticks, Caviar on Toast Points, Bagel Dip
Thursday – New Year’s Day Brunch – Finger Sandwiches (Egg Salad, Cucumber, Smoked Salmon), Surimi Salad, Roasted Asparagus, Cherry Chocolate Chip Scones, Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Lil’ Smokies with Barbecue Sauce
Friday – Smoked Pork Shoulder, Eastern Carolina Cole Slaw, Baked Beans, Texas Toast, Relish Platter
Saturday – Marinara Sauce over Whole-wheat Spaghetti, Green Beans
Sunday – Black Eyed Peas, Turnip Greens, Cornbread Pancakes
Posted in Cooking, tagged menu on December 28, 2008| 2 Comments »
Monday – Smoky Chile Con Carne, Spinach and Colby Jack Quesadillas
Tuesday – Homemade Pizza with Mushrooms, Spinach, and Goat Cheese
Wednesday – Bison Burgers, Vegetable Soup, Mixed Greens Salad
Thursday – Country Ham, Baked Cheese Grits, Green Beans with Bacon and Shallots, Chopped Winter Salad, and Christmas cookies – lots of cookies
Friday – Ohio Farmhouse Sausage Chili, Chile Cheddar Cornbread, Spinach Salad
Saturday – Grilled Flat Iron Steak, Roasted Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts
Sunday – Southwestern Breakfast Casserole, Fresh Fruit Salad
Posted in Cooking, tagged menu on December 15, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Warning: Brace yourself. We ate out twice this week. This was a shock, even to me.
Monday – Pasta Fagioli
Tuesday – Chicken, Mushroom and Brown Rice Soup
Wednesday – Sloppy Joes, Broccoli with Lemon Zest
Thursday – Garlic Pork and Vegetable Lo Mein
Friday – out to dinner at Frishes with kids (used Halloween coupons before expiration)
Saturday – out to dinner at Amol Indian Restaurant (Punjabi-style meal) to celebrate the birthday of the best male cook I know. More about food at Indian restaurants later, but just let me say this – flavorful yes, mushy yes, rich and greasy, yes. (Can you say ghee.) I need a fresh apple, maybe a salad. Enough said.
Sunday – Refrigerator Vegetable Soup, Surimi Salad with Diced Avocado
Posted in Cooking, tagged menu on December 8, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Monday – Pasta with Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Chard
Tuesday – Huevos Rancheros, Refried Beans, Cinnamon Applesauce
Wednesday – Dinner with Santa – Pizza and Salad (school event)
Thursday – Chili Con Carne
Friday – Chili Dogs, Macaroni and Cheese, Apple Slices
Saturday – Chicken Pot Pies, Breaded Calamari, Marinara Sauce, One Large Pomello
Sunday – New York Strip Steak, Sauteed Brussels Sprouts, Fingerling Potatoes, Arugula Salad, Yellow Cake with Raspberry Filling
Posted in General, tagged grocery shopping, menu on December 3, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Grocery shopping is a necessary activity whether you cook or not. Unless you eat out all the time (expensive), or retain your own private chef (lucky), grocery shopping is something we all have to face. I thought I’d share what I do in preparation for my weekly trip to the grocery. It works for me, maybe it will work for you too?
1. Every week hang a preprinted grocery list on the front of your refrigerator. When you run out of a staple, circle that item on the grocery list so your brain doesn’t forget. Use this same list when you make your weekly menu. (Note about my preprinted grocery list: The order of the ingredients matches the aisles of the grocery store where I shop. The food isn’t organized in specific categories. In my grocery store the toilet paper and paper towels are not in the same aisle as the napkins, so on my list they are in different aisles, rather than in a section headed “Paper Goods”. My list also contains mostly ingredients, not many processed or ready-to-eat foods. For these reasons you may need to customize the list. Let me know if you see anything I need to add to the list.)
2. One the day before you head to the supermarket gather the following tools: the preprinted grocery list that’s hanging on your refrigerator, weekly bones of our menu guide, weekly ads for your supermarket, a copy of your calendar, and your favorite writing instrument.
3. Using my suggested “bones of our menu” (or write your own), make and take the time to create a complete menu that includes all the food you’ll need during the upcoming week: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and if necessary, party food, special occasion meals, or food for a potluck at work. (Yes, you might have to make time. Even if you have to get up from reading this blog – go make some time to write your menu.) Make the menu as complete as possible. Having on hand all the food you’ll need for the upcoming week depends on the thoroughness of this menu. If you’re preparing a new recipe (and I limit myself to one, at the most two, new recipes a week), include all ingredients you need to buy. Try to remember to ask the others who live with you if there’s anything they know you need. It’s quite possible someone has emptied the peanut butter jar and you haven’t noticed.
4. Glance through the weekly ad for your supermarket and if pork tenderloin or chicken breasts are on sale, work those into the menu. Take advantage of 10/$10 specials, but only buy 1 or 2 at $1.00/each. Saving money at the grocery is a lot like painting – it’s 3/5 preparation. Prepare a thorough list and know what you’re going to buy, and by all means, know what’s on sale. Use coupons for items you normally purchase. Try not to let coupons lure you into spending money on something you don’t typically buy or need – the latest gummy fruit rope or the newest Pop-Tart for example.
5. Next step, shopping. We’ll cover that process on another day. Don’t forget to download the grocery list to help you get started.
Posted in Cooking, tagged menu on November 24, 2008| 1 Comment »
Monday – Baked Ravioli, Bread, Salad with Avocado Miso Dressing
Tuesday – Smoky Black Beans with Yellow Rice, Salad
Wednesday -Roasted Chicken, Olive Oil Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, Citrus and Arugula Salad
Thursday -Meatloaf, Carrots
Friday -Homemade Pizza Night
Saturday -Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp
Sunday -Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Posted in Cooking, tagged menu on November 17, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Monday – Sloppy Joes, Leftover Chicken Noodle Soup
Tuesday – Smoky Chili Non Carne
Wednesday – Cavatelli Carbonara, Fresh Broccoli Spears, Fococcia Bread, Leftover Oven-fried Chicken Thighs
Thursday – Fresh Salmon Filets, Oven Roasted Carrots and Parsnips, Arugula Salad
Friday -Dinner at Indigo
Saturday – Chicago-style Hot Dogs (complete with Super Green Sweet Pickle Relish from Puckered Pickle Company, Celery Salt, Tomato Wedges, Yellow Mustard, and Dill Slices)
Sunday – Barbecued Chicken, Baked Beans, Cole Slaw
From My Kitchen Table