The produce co-op is opening a new site THIS WEEK, on an every-other-week schedule a week off from our regular site, and I am on a mission to serve up all the produce we picked up on Saturday from the old site. I think....I think I can do it! We will definitely still have onions, potatoes, and sweet potatoes left over, but I'm OK with storing them. What is your favorite thing to do with sweet potatoes? My husband loathes them in all forms except deep-fried, so he's promised he's OK with taking his "no thank you" bite and eating bread and butter for dinner when I serve them. Haha!
Monday: carnitas and bean dip, with rice and tortillas or corn chips
Tuesday: fried rice with garlic scapes, kimchi, and spinach, stir fried romaine, and pan fried eggplant
Wednesday: salsa chicken soup with corn and tortilla chips, wheat bread
Thursday: spaghetti, sautéed zucchini with onions
Friday: popcorn and movie night!
Snacks: cauliflower with miso dip, corn chips with black bean dip and cotija, sliced fruit (apples, pears, honey dew melon, mangos, and kiwi)
Showing posts with label MPM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MPM. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Meals for the Week
I did it, I wrote it down...so this is me, making sure I don't forget that I have ACTUALLY planned meals for this week! (Plus....I admit that I forget that I know how to cook sometimes, and come to read these archives to remind myself: "Oh yeah! I DO know some good recipes!"
So. There's a lot more meat this week than I normally include, but my freezers are out of control*, and I'm trying to work on that before summer passes me by and I haven't done any stocking up!
Saturday: glass noodles with shrimp and cucumbers
So. There's a lot more meat this week than I normally include, but my freezers are out of control*, and I'm trying to work on that before summer passes me by and I haven't done any stocking up!
Saturday: glass noodles with shrimp and cucumbers
Sunday: marmalade roast chicken, green salad with vinaigrette, boiled potatoes with green onions and sour cream, cherry (?) pie, mint ice cream (Shred extra chicken for frozen casseroles)
Monday: (bread making day) grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, mochi for dessert
Tuesday: (egg day- I trade piano lessons for eggs) biscuits and fried eggs, sausage
Wednesday: spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread
Thursday: fish sticks and mac and cheese
Friday: sandwiches?
Into the Freezer: chicken for casseroles
Out of the freezer: cherries, shrimp, mint, chicken, cooked ground beef, fish sticks, sausage
*It's so bad, I'm going to write an entire post about it.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Meals These Day
...or "How to feed yourself without really trying." Heh. Life around here has slowed WAY down.
First, Aunt LoLo moved back. That whole week was kind of a free-for-all. And just in case you were curious, trading babysitting for pizzas is a totally valid way to plan meals. Hey, it worked for us! And then there was the night we traded babysitting for take-out Chinese...and the day Dad brought a trunkful of hotdogs and fruit just as an excuse to come see all his grandkids.... it's a rough life, I know!!
How about the night we had smoothies for dinner? (frozen berries, soy milk, and SPINACH. Totally healthy dinner.) (OK, this is what I ate for dinner....it was the kids' dessert, after Wonder Daddy made them a fabulous dinner that I wasn't here to eat.)
Can't forget tortilla chips and bean dip (drain and rinse a can of black beans, and blend with half a jar of salsa. My kids eat this by the cupful, I've made two batches since last week.)
Then there was the night I let Ernie choose: corn on the cob, bread and butter pickles, and milk. Umm...WOW. Wonder Daddy?? THANK YOU for making fried egg sandwiches for you and I that night. From the bottom of my gut, thank you.
However, last night I redeemed myself: fried eggs, grits with cheese, and a huge skillet of braised collards with onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. (That's Monday.) As a side note, Ernie surprised us and ate THREE helpings of grits and eggs! Big shock, another "white" food that she adores...but it's new, and she tried it, and that earns total points in my book.
Tuesday, I have a big tub of pinto beans defrosting (always cook extra beans!!) I'll mix it with the leftover greens from last night, and add a few cut up sausages*. With farofa on the top (seasoned, sauteed mandioca flour. Kind of like bacon flavored bread crumbs, they're Brazilian.) I made bread yesterday, so the kids can eat that, or the rice that I'll make to serve with the beans.
After tonight? Here are some ideas kicking around of things to make:
White bean with tuna dip/spread. Because chips/crackers with dip is just GOOD right now.
Grilled tofu. I have a carton of extra-firm clunking around the back of the refrigerator that really needs using up. Little spicy-little salty-little sweet sounds pretty good, no?
Homemade udon. OK, no, not really. I do NOT have the patience to make noodles right now. But I wouldn't mind if someone else did....
(And yes, a more realistic list of what I'd LIKE right now would be takeout Mussamun curry, fried chicken from the deli at the grocery store by my old house... Oh, and maybe a banh mi from the asian market in the same neighborhood....Bad Myrnie! :) (Sheesh guys- NOT in the same meal. Eww :)
We have some special foods to plan this week, too.
I'm thinking this cake, with strawberries and whipped cream. The special girl is rooting for carrot sticks, carrot soup, and cheese pizza for dinner.... I'm getting ready to stage an intervention. I think. (If it were her favorite foods, I'd totally go for it, but she's never eaten soup OR pizza willingly, so..???) Oh, and her love of carrot sticks has reached it's end. Dinner sounds like a dud. Wracking my brain for what she really likes....contemplating boiling up 15 pouches of ramen noodles, just to rock her world. We don't buy them very often, they're a treat....)
This site is inspiring me, though. What's inspiring you these days?
--Myrnie
*"Ballpark" brand. ahem.
First, Aunt LoLo moved back. That whole week was kind of a free-for-all. And just in case you were curious, trading babysitting for pizzas is a totally valid way to plan meals. Hey, it worked for us! And then there was the night we traded babysitting for take-out Chinese...and the day Dad brought a trunkful of hotdogs and fruit just as an excuse to come see all his grandkids.... it's a rough life, I know!!
How about the night we had smoothies for dinner? (frozen berries, soy milk, and SPINACH. Totally healthy dinner.) (OK, this is what I ate for dinner....it was the kids' dessert, after Wonder Daddy made them a fabulous dinner that I wasn't here to eat.)
Can't forget tortilla chips and bean dip (drain and rinse a can of black beans, and blend with half a jar of salsa. My kids eat this by the cupful, I've made two batches since last week.)
Then there was the night I let Ernie choose: corn on the cob, bread and butter pickles, and milk. Umm...WOW. Wonder Daddy?? THANK YOU for making fried egg sandwiches for you and I that night. From the bottom of my gut, thank you.
However, last night I redeemed myself: fried eggs, grits with cheese, and a huge skillet of braised collards with onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. (That's Monday.) As a side note, Ernie surprised us and ate THREE helpings of grits and eggs! Big shock, another "white" food that she adores...but it's new, and she tried it, and that earns total points in my book.
Tuesday, I have a big tub of pinto beans defrosting (always cook extra beans!!) I'll mix it with the leftover greens from last night, and add a few cut up sausages*. With farofa on the top (seasoned, sauteed mandioca flour. Kind of like bacon flavored bread crumbs, they're Brazilian.) I made bread yesterday, so the kids can eat that, or the rice that I'll make to serve with the beans.
After tonight? Here are some ideas kicking around of things to make:
White bean with tuna dip/spread. Because chips/crackers with dip is just GOOD right now.
Grilled tofu. I have a carton of extra-firm clunking around the back of the refrigerator that really needs using up. Little spicy-little salty-little sweet sounds pretty good, no?
Homemade udon. OK, no, not really. I do NOT have the patience to make noodles right now. But I wouldn't mind if someone else did....
(And yes, a more realistic list of what I'd LIKE right now would be takeout Mussamun curry, fried chicken from the deli at the grocery store by my old house... Oh, and maybe a banh mi from the asian market in the same neighborhood....Bad Myrnie! :) (Sheesh guys- NOT in the same meal. Eww :)
We have some special foods to plan this week, too.
I'm thinking this cake, with strawberries and whipped cream. The special girl is rooting for carrot sticks, carrot soup, and cheese pizza for dinner.... I'm getting ready to stage an intervention. I think. (If it were her favorite foods, I'd totally go for it, but she's never eaten soup OR pizza willingly, so..???) Oh, and her love of carrot sticks has reached it's end. Dinner sounds like a dud. Wracking my brain for what she really likes....contemplating boiling up 15 pouches of ramen noodles, just to rock her world. We don't buy them very often, they're a treat....)
This site is inspiring me, though. What's inspiring you these days?
--Myrnie
*"Ballpark" brand. ahem.
Monday, May 31, 2010
What We Ate
Thought about not posting...but I'm kind of on a roll with this, and I like to have a written record for when people say "but what do you EAT?" You'd be surprised how many people ask me that, and it kind of makes me giggle.
Onward!
Monday: Grilled cheese sandwiches. You can tell this is going to be a fancy week.
Tuesday: A quick-ish lentil dish. I won't bother with a recipe, because it lacked depth, and it made Ernie cry. No joke, I've never seen her break into tears after closing her mouth around a spoon. When I try it again with a few different flavors, I'll post a recipe.
Wednesday: Beef-Vegetable-Barley soup from the freezer. Yay for eating down the stash!
Thursday: Joy School graduation! Hotdogs, chips, fruit, and potato salad for everyone!
Friday: Spaghetti with a quick chunky sauce- sauteed ground beef, onions, and celery, and our last jar of purchased spaghetti sauce. (Note to my summer garden: I'm counting on you to produce tomatoes. The end.)
Saturday: BBQ at Grandma and Grandpa's- it's not every day hubby's grandpa turns 80! Steaks, hot dogs, salads- very good.
Sunday: Another big family meal at Grandma and Grandpa's, because 2 sets of aunts/uncles/cousins are in town for the weekend. Lots of ham, and leftover salads.
OK, so obviously dinner time was kind of a bust this week. BUT, we had house guests for the weekend (yay!!) and we had some pretty great breakfasts so maybe that could compensate?
***On a side note, both my husband and I were sick the first half of Sunday, although no one else was. My husband thinks it might be all the meat we ate- hot dogs on Thursday, meat sauce on Friday, steaks on Saturday. We ate more meat in those three days than we normally eat in a month, I think. I don't know, because it isn't uncommon for me to be sick quite often. But my Dad often says that animal fats upset his stomach, so maybe??***
Saturday: Marion Cunningham's overnight yeasted waffles. Great freaking crispy goodness. Thank you Molly for pointing out the way. Make them. And cut the butter in half...or less. I used half as what was called for, and they were amazing still. (Aunt S said they were like scones, I'm assuming she meant fried bread, because otherwise she would have said scohns, right?) So, yeah- these are like fried bread: crispy on the outside, steamed on the inside. Slight bite from the yeast, and all the sweet comes from the syrup you pour on top (or lemon juice and powdered sugar in my case.) ALSO, you mix them up the night before. The only thing you have to do in the morning is whisk together 2 eggs and a bit of baking soda to stir into the mix before you cook them up. Any morning that doesn't involve measuring cups is easier than a morning that DOES. (And now I'm wondering how similar these are to sourdough waffles?) Recipe here. And all over the internet actually, these are getting to be quite famous. (If you follow that link, there are two recipes. I tried the "WIG" or Waffles of Insane Greatness. They're good, and you wouldn't regret making them. But if you have time and remember to get ready the night before...these are better.)
Sunday: Early morning, with our guests scrambling for showers before their church meetings. Followed Mary Ostyn's advice and made a big batch of oatmeal in the rice cooker- no stirring, no adjusting of temperature, no waiting for the water to boil, AND it keeps itself warm for stragglers. Sold. (Just follow the regular oats recipe- 1 cup water, 1/2 cup oats, pinch of salt, if you're making quick oats. A friend said you can melt a bit of butter in there, saute your steel cut oats for a few minutes, then add the water and turn it on. The rice cooker will turn off when the water is gone.) And when you've made your oatmeal, please stir in peanut butter and brown sugar. Your tummy will thank you.
Monday: Our guests left this day, and J's uncle had mentioned he'd had a soft spot for grits ever since his mission in the Southern states of the US. Wish granted. Plus biscuits, fried eggs, toast, juice, milk, and fried ham (from our Sunday dinner.) Never let it be said that a guest left my kitchen hungry!
Saturday morning was busy, and this is the second weekend in a row I missed the farmer's market. If the kids and I can snag the car, we'll try and hit another local market- there's one almost every day of the week within half an hour of here now. If we don't...well, there are onions, carrots, celery, avocados, strawberries, burger patties, potato salad, mozz cheese, blue cheese, sour cream, and lettuce....all screaming to be used up. It all sounds a bit heavy, but with all the rain we've been having, heavy is pretty good right now. We can make it another week without greens. In fact, I'm sure the kids don't mind at all. (My mind is drawing a blank...do farmers markets around here ever sell anything BUT greens and onions? I mean, besides the $5/lb tomatoes that I can't afford. Because a $10 tomato is not going to grace my table, sorry farmer with a fancy greenhouse that sells tomatoes in April.)
Onward!
Monday: Grilled cheese sandwiches. You can tell this is going to be a fancy week.
Tuesday: A quick-ish lentil dish. I won't bother with a recipe, because it lacked depth, and it made Ernie cry. No joke, I've never seen her break into tears after closing her mouth around a spoon. When I try it again with a few different flavors, I'll post a recipe.
Wednesday: Beef-Vegetable-Barley soup from the freezer. Yay for eating down the stash!
Thursday: Joy School graduation! Hotdogs, chips, fruit, and potato salad for everyone!
Friday: Spaghetti with a quick chunky sauce- sauteed ground beef, onions, and celery, and our last jar of purchased spaghetti sauce. (Note to my summer garden: I'm counting on you to produce tomatoes. The end.)
Saturday: BBQ at Grandma and Grandpa's- it's not every day hubby's grandpa turns 80! Steaks, hot dogs, salads- very good.
Sunday: Another big family meal at Grandma and Grandpa's, because 2 sets of aunts/uncles/cousins are in town for the weekend. Lots of ham, and leftover salads.
OK, so obviously dinner time was kind of a bust this week. BUT, we had house guests for the weekend (yay!!) and we had some pretty great breakfasts so maybe that could compensate?
***On a side note, both my husband and I were sick the first half of Sunday, although no one else was. My husband thinks it might be all the meat we ate- hot dogs on Thursday, meat sauce on Friday, steaks on Saturday. We ate more meat in those three days than we normally eat in a month, I think. I don't know, because it isn't uncommon for me to be sick quite often. But my Dad often says that animal fats upset his stomach, so maybe??***
Saturday: Marion Cunningham's overnight yeasted waffles. Great freaking crispy goodness. Thank you Molly for pointing out the way. Make them. And cut the butter in half...or less. I used half as what was called for, and they were amazing still. (Aunt S said they were like scones, I'm assuming she meant fried bread, because otherwise she would have said scohns, right?) So, yeah- these are like fried bread: crispy on the outside, steamed on the inside. Slight bite from the yeast, and all the sweet comes from the syrup you pour on top (or lemon juice and powdered sugar in my case.) ALSO, you mix them up the night before. The only thing you have to do in the morning is whisk together 2 eggs and a bit of baking soda to stir into the mix before you cook them up. Any morning that doesn't involve measuring cups is easier than a morning that DOES. (And now I'm wondering how similar these are to sourdough waffles?) Recipe here. And all over the internet actually, these are getting to be quite famous. (If you follow that link, there are two recipes. I tried the "WIG" or Waffles of Insane Greatness. They're good, and you wouldn't regret making them. But if you have time and remember to get ready the night before...these are better.)
Sunday: Early morning, with our guests scrambling for showers before their church meetings. Followed Mary Ostyn's advice and made a big batch of oatmeal in the rice cooker- no stirring, no adjusting of temperature, no waiting for the water to boil, AND it keeps itself warm for stragglers. Sold. (Just follow the regular oats recipe- 1 cup water, 1/2 cup oats, pinch of salt, if you're making quick oats. A friend said you can melt a bit of butter in there, saute your steel cut oats for a few minutes, then add the water and turn it on. The rice cooker will turn off when the water is gone.) And when you've made your oatmeal, please stir in peanut butter and brown sugar. Your tummy will thank you.
Monday: Our guests left this day, and J's uncle had mentioned he'd had a soft spot for grits ever since his mission in the Southern states of the US. Wish granted. Plus biscuits, fried eggs, toast, juice, milk, and fried ham (from our Sunday dinner.) Never let it be said that a guest left my kitchen hungry!
Saturday morning was busy, and this is the second weekend in a row I missed the farmer's market. If the kids and I can snag the car, we'll try and hit another local market- there's one almost every day of the week within half an hour of here now. If we don't...well, there are onions, carrots, celery, avocados, strawberries, burger patties, potato salad, mozz cheese, blue cheese, sour cream, and lettuce....all screaming to be used up. It all sounds a bit heavy, but with all the rain we've been having, heavy is pretty good right now. We can make it another week without greens. In fact, I'm sure the kids don't mind at all. (My mind is drawing a blank...do farmers markets around here ever sell anything BUT greens and onions? I mean, besides the $5/lb tomatoes that I can't afford. Because a $10 tomato is not going to grace my table, sorry farmer with a fancy greenhouse that sells tomatoes in April.)
Monday, May 24, 2010
What We Ate
Quick run down of the eats around here. Living proof that leftovers, pantry staples, and $20 worth of farmer's market veggies can go a long, delicious way. Oh, and some blue cheese.
Monday was leftover redo night- rice and salmon from Sunday's dinner with my parents. My sister walked me through the first part- the trick is to lightly cook a little garlic and ginger in hot oil before adding your veggies, meat, and rice (in order of longest cooking time to shortest.) I threw in a fat bundle of pea vines for the veggie.
Tuesday, I finally remembered to start dinner early enough to make Ernie's long requested and long awaited sushi. (Spicy tuna salad, avocado, and steamed asparagus were the fillings tonight.)
Wednesday was hot and sour soup night. (Chicken broth based, with bok choy and tofu- I changed the recipe up a bit.) Wonder Daddy wasn't home. One of those nights where I was left wondering "Why do I bother cooking?" Then I ate my soup, and remembered: I really, really like good food.
Lots of bread this week. Thursday I made a double batch of my cinnamon swirl bread- roll the bread dough out really flat, dump a bunch of brown sugar and cinnamon on, and roll up tight as you can. This was HUGE hit at the piano recital, especially with the dads. At least, the dads were the only ones gutsy enough to run at me yelling "This is FANTASTIC!" One was hungry enough to be giddy when I pointed to an entire extra loaf on the counter and told him to help himself when the plate was empty. Awwww...I love feeding people :)
Tried out a new kind of swirled loaf, on a whim. FLIPPIN' FANTASTIC. Stupid delicious out of the oven, and still addicting even when it was cold. Wheat dough + blue cheese + sliced almonds. Just try it, you'll love it.
(The sun has officially left for the week- look how gray this picture is!!)
Friday was scrambled eggs with garlic chives, and stir-fried pea vines. (I won't be getting pea vines again- no one else in this house would eat them.) Girls wouldn't eat the eggs, and when I set leftovers out with out breakfast on Saturday, they got left on the counter for hours while I went to a baby shower. Hmmm.... my kids don't like scrambled eggs anymore, and I think....everyone is getting tired of my huge batches of greens from the market. Kale all winter, now bok choy, garlic chives, asparagus...I totally understand- they have a strong taste, they're (mostly) leaves (Ernie has never willingly eaten a leaf in her life), they're new....but I think I have to press on anyway. If we're going to have produce in our diets, and there's a cheap/plentiful/local option...I'm going to take the local option.
Monday was leftover redo night- rice and salmon from Sunday's dinner with my parents. My sister walked me through the first part- the trick is to lightly cook a little garlic and ginger in hot oil before adding your veggies, meat, and rice (in order of longest cooking time to shortest.) I threw in a fat bundle of pea vines for the veggie.
Tuesday, I finally remembered to start dinner early enough to make Ernie's long requested and long awaited sushi. (Spicy tuna salad, avocado, and steamed asparagus were the fillings tonight.)
Wednesday was hot and sour soup night. (Chicken broth based, with bok choy and tofu- I changed the recipe up a bit.) Wonder Daddy wasn't home. One of those nights where I was left wondering "Why do I bother cooking?" Then I ate my soup, and remembered: I really, really like good food.
My dinner:
Mimi's Dinner:
Ernie's Dinner:
Leftover sushi rice, ochazuke wakame furikake, and spicy tuna salad
Lots of bread this week. Thursday I made a double batch of my cinnamon swirl bread- roll the bread dough out really flat, dump a bunch of brown sugar and cinnamon on, and roll up tight as you can. This was HUGE hit at the piano recital, especially with the dads. At least, the dads were the only ones gutsy enough to run at me yelling "This is FANTASTIC!" One was hungry enough to be giddy when I pointed to an entire extra loaf on the counter and told him to help himself when the plate was empty. Awwww...I love feeding people :)
Tried out a new kind of swirled loaf, on a whim. FLIPPIN' FANTASTIC. Stupid delicious out of the oven, and still addicting even when it was cold. Wheat dough + blue cheese + sliced almonds. Just try it, you'll love it.
(The sun has officially left for the week- look how gray this picture is!!)
Friday was scrambled eggs with garlic chives, and stir-fried pea vines. (I won't be getting pea vines again- no one else in this house would eat them.) Girls wouldn't eat the eggs, and when I set leftovers out with out breakfast on Saturday, they got left on the counter for hours while I went to a baby shower. Hmmm.... my kids don't like scrambled eggs anymore, and I think....everyone is getting tired of my huge batches of greens from the market. Kale all winter, now bok choy, garlic chives, asparagus...I totally understand- they have a strong taste, they're (mostly) leaves (Ernie has never willingly eaten a leaf in her life), they're new....but I think I have to press on anyway. If we're going to have produce in our diets, and there's a cheap/plentiful/local option...I'm going to take the local option.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
What We Ate
So, my meal planning has gone by the way side. But hey- let me show you what we ate this week? It's better this way, right? No maybe's...lots of pictures.... yeah, way better.
Sunday (Mother's Day) I requested a shrimp boil, thinking it would be an easy Sunday dinner for Dad to cook. Dad? I'm sorry you spent roughly 23 hours driving around town to different grocery stores, looking for obscure ingredients (like huge tins of Old Bay), and chatting up Costco shoppers trying to discover the perfect sausage. It tasted really, really good- I think all shrimp boils should have jumbo prawns, Walla Walla sweet onions, chicken-apple sausage, and red potatoes. Nom NOM.
Monday- Leftovers from Sunday. Umm...I forgot to take a picture, until the end. Will this do?
Tuesday- Had leftover pinto beans from my parent's church party, so I kind of did a riff on this recipe, virado a paulista. Her recipe calls for black beans, kale, cracklings, pork chops, sausage, and a fried egg. So, pinto beans, potatoes, onions, prawns, sausage, and kale is pretty close, right? This was pretty good! Definitely recommend it.
Wednesday- Adapted this recipe to what we had- brought a huge pot of water to a boil and threw in a bundle of asparagus for a few minutes. Pulled them out and started throwing in handfuls/chunks of butternut squash gnocchi I had stashed in the freezer. (The gnocchi might have been this recipe.) Browned a bit of butter in a sauce pan, then threw in olive oil, lemon juice, leeks sliced thin, and a bit of white balsamic vinegar. The sauce went over the plate of asparagus, and the gnocchi. OH BOY, amazing. I love hot vinaigrette, so this was superb. (If you like german potato salad, try this.)
Thursday- Daddy was out, it was leftover night. I chose gnocchi, kids chose bread and cheese. Different strokes for different folks.
Friday- The end of the leftovers. Finally.
Saturday- It was a long day, the kids deserved pancakes. I felt all "pioneer"- our water main was shut off, so I used "emergency storage" water. We were out of milk, so I used powdered. I even made a quadruple batch of mix, so we have our own "pancake mix" in the cupboard. Booyah.
There you have it. The easiest week of cooking EVER. I cooked a batch of kale.....and boiled some stuff...and made a sauce. And pancakes.
Oh, and snickerdoodle bars. Not quite a success, they were awfully crunchy. But when you don't have 45 minutes to roll cookie dough into balls, and watch a toddler and a preschooler finagle their way through dunking the balls in cinnamon-sugar...well, a 9x13 pyrex is your best friend. Kids still loved them, anyways. I used my regular snickerdoodle recipe, smashed it into a pan, and sprinkled liberally with cinnamon and sugar.
I made it to the farmer's market today, and came home with asparagus, garlic chives, bok choy, and 2 fat bundles of pea vines. I have firm tofu, leeks, sweet onions, red potatoes, blue cheese, and a bit of sour cream that needs using up. Why does that last list sound to patriotic? red potatoes....white tofu....blue cheese....hmm.
(Market breakdown:
asparagus @ $2/lb.....$7
garlic chives.....$1
bok choy @ $2/bundle....$4
pea vines @ $2/bundle....$4
Total: $16)
Nikujaga is sounding really good for this week, with the potatoes and onions. Sauteed greens are definitely on the top of the list. Eggs with garlic chives, and maybe scramble in the sour cream before I cook. Marinated tofu is sounding good, too. I'll let you know what we come up with.
Sunday (Mother's Day) I requested a shrimp boil, thinking it would be an easy Sunday dinner for Dad to cook. Dad? I'm sorry you spent roughly 23 hours driving around town to different grocery stores, looking for obscure ingredients (like huge tins of Old Bay), and chatting up Costco shoppers trying to discover the perfect sausage. It tasted really, really good- I think all shrimp boils should have jumbo prawns, Walla Walla sweet onions, chicken-apple sausage, and red potatoes. Nom NOM.
Monday- Leftovers from Sunday. Umm...I forgot to take a picture, until the end. Will this do?
Tuesday- Had leftover pinto beans from my parent's church party, so I kind of did a riff on this recipe, virado a paulista. Her recipe calls for black beans, kale, cracklings, pork chops, sausage, and a fried egg. So, pinto beans, potatoes, onions, prawns, sausage, and kale is pretty close, right? This was pretty good! Definitely recommend it.
Wednesday- Adapted this recipe to what we had- brought a huge pot of water to a boil and threw in a bundle of asparagus for a few minutes. Pulled them out and started throwing in handfuls/chunks of butternut squash gnocchi I had stashed in the freezer. (The gnocchi might have been this recipe.) Browned a bit of butter in a sauce pan, then threw in olive oil, lemon juice, leeks sliced thin, and a bit of white balsamic vinegar. The sauce went over the plate of asparagus, and the gnocchi. OH BOY, amazing. I love hot vinaigrette, so this was superb. (If you like german potato salad, try this.)
Thursday- Daddy was out, it was leftover night. I chose gnocchi, kids chose bread and cheese. Different strokes for different folks.
Friday- The end of the leftovers. Finally.
Saturday- It was a long day, the kids deserved pancakes. I felt all "pioneer"- our water main was shut off, so I used "emergency storage" water. We were out of milk, so I used powdered. I even made a quadruple batch of mix, so we have our own "pancake mix" in the cupboard. Booyah.
There you have it. The easiest week of cooking EVER. I cooked a batch of kale.....and boiled some stuff...and made a sauce. And pancakes.
Oh, and snickerdoodle bars. Not quite a success, they were awfully crunchy. But when you don't have 45 minutes to roll cookie dough into balls, and watch a toddler and a preschooler finagle their way through dunking the balls in cinnamon-sugar...well, a 9x13 pyrex is your best friend. Kids still loved them, anyways. I used my regular snickerdoodle recipe, smashed it into a pan, and sprinkled liberally with cinnamon and sugar.
I made it to the farmer's market today, and came home with asparagus, garlic chives, bok choy, and 2 fat bundles of pea vines. I have firm tofu, leeks, sweet onions, red potatoes, blue cheese, and a bit of sour cream that needs using up. Why does that last list sound to patriotic? red potatoes....white tofu....blue cheese....hmm.
(Market breakdown:
asparagus @ $2/lb.....$7
garlic chives.....$1
bok choy @ $2/bundle....$4
pea vines @ $2/bundle....$4
Total: $16)
Nikujaga is sounding really good for this week, with the potatoes and onions. Sauteed greens are definitely on the top of the list. Eggs with garlic chives, and maybe scramble in the sour cream before I cook. Marinated tofu is sounding good, too. I'll let you know what we come up with.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
This Week's Meals
Totally missed the boat on Meal Planning Monday- I forgot to ever plan anything!
But, we've had some good (and bad) stuff this week. Here it is!
Our treat for the week was snickerdoodles. I love snickerdoodles. (I see I haven't posted our recipe- I'll try and fix that soon. They're awesome.)
Made bread to replace Tuesdays doughy batch. Forgot the oven was at 400 for the snickerdoodles- they're a bit dark! Still haven't re-found my baking mojo.
Monday's dinner was eaten at the Costco food court, until Mimi spilled her lemonade, my purse fell off my lap into the puddle when I stood up, and I yelled ENOUGH! and shoved everyone's food into my (soggy) purse. We bought 4 pounds of strawberries, along with flour, sugar, rice, bullion, milk, butter, pajamas, brown sugar, and powdered sugar. We ate about half of the strawberries when we got home, along with the remainders of everyone's hot dogs. It was an interesting night.
Tuesday was peanut butter and bread, with a little tuna salad thrown in for the lucky (quick) ones. Remember, that was a rough day too.
Wednesday was a lot better. Fresh biscuits, pan grilled asparagus from the market, and scrambled duck eggs with garlic chives. Yum.
After dinner, my brother-in-law, parents, and 2 siblings came over for strawberry shortcake, with the rest of the biscuits, and fresh whipped cream. It was very, very good, but no pictures. Sad.
This...is just lunch. But it's in a muffin tin! Why is it in a muffin tin, Mom? Are we pretending the muffin tin is a plate? My daughter is so literal sometimes- whimsy is lost on her :)
Mmmm....THIS is good stuff. The last bits of my yogurt are always soupy- the longer yogurt sits, the more it separates. (Ok, that link takes you to how I used to make yogurt. It's changed and I need to update! Way easier now.) I try and pour off the whey, for Mimi's sake, as we go along but at the end of the batch it's nothing but soup. I threw it in a colander lined with a paper towel and let it strain for an hour or two, then twisted up the towel and squeezed out as much liquid as I could. I ended up with something similar to cream cheese- slightly sweet, vanilla, a little tangy. Good stuff!
The vanilla yogurt cheese was especially good on french toast (when life gives you dark loaves and lots of eggs, make french toast!) I smeared last summer's figs over the top and enjoyed this a lot. So did Mimi, but she mostly licked off the yogurt cheese, shoved fistfuls of figs in her mouth, and then grinned happily. It wasn't a pretty sight...but it was a beautiful thing. You know? (Figs are a family specialty- Grandma used to bring home pints of them from Alabama when she visited her sisters, and I tried a few recipes last summer with Mom's bumper crop of backyard figs. This batch we're eating tonight turned out the best.)
I still have some asparagus, leeks, and kale to work through from last Saturday's market. I think the kale will become a smoothie for Saturday morning. Bwahaha, the kids will never know! Hubby is home late again Friday night (he was late on the french toast night, too. No-Dad nights are breakfast nights!) So I'm not sure what we'll have Friday night. Might just go crazy and make pancakes. Do you have any favorite ways to use asparagus? I can't eat a whole bundle by myself! (Umm...Dad, if you're reading this...I have some asparagus for you :)
But, we've had some good (and bad) stuff this week. Here it is!
Our treat for the week was snickerdoodles. I love snickerdoodles. (I see I haven't posted our recipe- I'll try and fix that soon. They're awesome.)
Made bread to replace Tuesdays doughy batch. Forgot the oven was at 400 for the snickerdoodles- they're a bit dark! Still haven't re-found my baking mojo.
Monday's dinner was eaten at the Costco food court, until Mimi spilled her lemonade, my purse fell off my lap into the puddle when I stood up, and I yelled ENOUGH! and shoved everyone's food into my (soggy) purse. We bought 4 pounds of strawberries, along with flour, sugar, rice, bullion, milk, butter, pajamas, brown sugar, and powdered sugar. We ate about half of the strawberries when we got home, along with the remainders of everyone's hot dogs. It was an interesting night.
Tuesday was peanut butter and bread, with a little tuna salad thrown in for the lucky (quick) ones. Remember, that was a rough day too.
Wednesday was a lot better. Fresh biscuits, pan grilled asparagus from the market, and scrambled duck eggs with garlic chives. Yum.
After dinner, my brother-in-law, parents, and 2 siblings came over for strawberry shortcake, with the rest of the biscuits, and fresh whipped cream. It was very, very good, but no pictures. Sad.
This...is just lunch. But it's in a muffin tin! Why is it in a muffin tin, Mom? Are we pretending the muffin tin is a plate? My daughter is so literal sometimes- whimsy is lost on her :)
Mmmm....THIS is good stuff. The last bits of my yogurt are always soupy- the longer yogurt sits, the more it separates. (Ok, that link takes you to how I used to make yogurt. It's changed and I need to update! Way easier now.) I try and pour off the whey, for Mimi's sake, as we go along but at the end of the batch it's nothing but soup. I threw it in a colander lined with a paper towel and let it strain for an hour or two, then twisted up the towel and squeezed out as much liquid as I could. I ended up with something similar to cream cheese- slightly sweet, vanilla, a little tangy. Good stuff!
The vanilla yogurt cheese was especially good on french toast (when life gives you dark loaves and lots of eggs, make french toast!) I smeared last summer's figs over the top and enjoyed this a lot. So did Mimi, but she mostly licked off the yogurt cheese, shoved fistfuls of figs in her mouth, and then grinned happily. It wasn't a pretty sight...but it was a beautiful thing. You know? (Figs are a family specialty- Grandma used to bring home pints of them from Alabama when she visited her sisters, and I tried a few recipes last summer with Mom's bumper crop of backyard figs. This batch we're eating tonight turned out the best.)
I still have some asparagus, leeks, and kale to work through from last Saturday's market. I think the kale will become a smoothie for Saturday morning. Bwahaha, the kids will never know! Hubby is home late again Friday night (he was late on the french toast night, too. No-Dad nights are breakfast nights!) So I'm not sure what we'll have Friday night. Might just go crazy and make pancakes. Do you have any favorite ways to use asparagus? I can't eat a whole bundle by myself! (Umm...Dad, if you're reading this...I have some asparagus for you :)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Meal Planning Monday
Well, Saturday was a bust errands-wise, so let's see what we can come up with for this week...considering that both my freezers are FULL, and I'd like to get them cleared out before mid-summer, I'm sure we can do something!
Sunday: We had potato-broccoli soup from the freezer, green salad, pesto pasta leftover from the night before (green garbanzo and basil pesto- very yummy! Mimi eats these noodles by the bowlful.) Oh, and garlic bread made from a loaf of Ezekial 4:9 bread that my dad bought me as a joke- a loaf of bread that's based on scripture? Unfortunately, not even a thick smearing of butter, garlic, parmesan, and parsley could save it. Oh, and cherry pie for dessert, with sweet cherries from last summer. AMAZING.
Monday: leftover soup, salad, and I made bread this morning.
Tuesday: Meeting Wonder Daddy for dinner in town for dinner with friends. Two men are planning this meal...they're going on the assumption that Italian food is best. Because we have kids, and kids like pasta. (I normally strip Mimi down to her skivvies when I serve her pasta with sauce... this should be great! :) Seriously though, I'm excited- I get to talk to adults!
Wednesday: I know it's spring, but I think beans are in order. I'm preparing a huge load of pintos for a ward party for my parents in 2 weeks, and I haven't made them in a while. So beans, rice...and if I'm feeling ambitious during naptime, pao de quiejo. I'll serve veggie sticks alongside, we have lots of carrots and celery to work through.
Thursday: Beans might make a second appearance. I like to blend beans with salsa for a quick bean dip- Mimi especially adores this. Maybe we'll have bean and cheese quesadillas?
Friday: Date night. Oh yeah.
Saturday: Hmm....Saturdays always get the short end of the stick, I think. Wonder Daddy and Ernie have a breakfast date that morning with her preschool friends, and hopefully we'll be in the yard for the afternoon. I know it's not very healthy etc.... but I think the kids might get barbecued hotdogs that night if the weather is nice, and we'll have a picnic on the lawn. Smoothies for dessert- I've been blending up last summer's bounteous cherries, blueberries, and strawberries with a little soy milk, and some ground flax seed (because I have a Costco bucket of it that's only half-gone, that's why!!) The kids LOVE these. If we go shopping this week, I'll pick up some more kale or spinach and throw it in. Can't wait for our spring garden to start producing our greens for us!
Sunday: We had potato-broccoli soup from the freezer, green salad, pesto pasta leftover from the night before (green garbanzo and basil pesto- very yummy! Mimi eats these noodles by the bowlful.) Oh, and garlic bread made from a loaf of Ezekial 4:9 bread that my dad bought me as a joke- a loaf of bread that's based on scripture? Unfortunately, not even a thick smearing of butter, garlic, parmesan, and parsley could save it. Oh, and cherry pie for dessert, with sweet cherries from last summer. AMAZING.
Monday: leftover soup, salad, and I made bread this morning.
Tuesday: Meeting Wonder Daddy for dinner in town for dinner with friends. Two men are planning this meal...they're going on the assumption that Italian food is best. Because we have kids, and kids like pasta. (I normally strip Mimi down to her skivvies when I serve her pasta with sauce... this should be great! :) Seriously though, I'm excited- I get to talk to adults!
Wednesday: I know it's spring, but I think beans are in order. I'm preparing a huge load of pintos for a ward party for my parents in 2 weeks, and I haven't made them in a while. So beans, rice...and if I'm feeling ambitious during naptime, pao de quiejo. I'll serve veggie sticks alongside, we have lots of carrots and celery to work through.
Thursday: Beans might make a second appearance. I like to blend beans with salsa for a quick bean dip- Mimi especially adores this. Maybe we'll have bean and cheese quesadillas?
Friday: Date night. Oh yeah.
Saturday: Hmm....Saturdays always get the short end of the stick, I think. Wonder Daddy and Ernie have a breakfast date that morning with her preschool friends, and hopefully we'll be in the yard for the afternoon. I know it's not very healthy etc.... but I think the kids might get barbecued hotdogs that night if the weather is nice, and we'll have a picnic on the lawn. Smoothies for dessert- I've been blending up last summer's bounteous cherries, blueberries, and strawberries with a little soy milk, and some ground flax seed (because I have a Costco bucket of it that's only half-gone, that's why!!) The kids LOVE these. If we go shopping this week, I'll pick up some more kale or spinach and throw it in. Can't wait for our spring garden to start producing our greens for us!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Meal Planning Monday and Brigadeiros
First off, I have to tell you about the amazing meal we had last night. OK, maybe our standards have been slipping...but it was DARN good!
Sunday: spaghetti with red sauce (lots of sauteed onions, carrots, and celery, then browned a pound of ground beef, then added more garlic, basil, sage, oregano, and a jar of canned sauce. It would have been wonderful with canned tomatoes, etc., but I had a jar of sauce and I was short on time.) The last time I made bread I made a triple batch, and one of those batches turned into 2 round loaves. We wrapped them in foil and warmed them in the oven, and served the bread with softened butter doctored up with garlic and parsley- that was Wonder Daddy's idea. It's must more garlicky today...and therefore, much better *grin* Make it a day ahead! We made brigadeiros for dessert- brazilian chocolate candies. Cook two cans of sweetened condensed milk, 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder, and 2 Tbsp. butter until it makes a very thick batter that doesn't stick to the pan when you tilt it. (You can stir constantly on the stove, medium heat, for 20 minutes, or we found that you can microwave it for a minute at a time for about 6 minutes, stirring in between.) Let it cool to room temp, roll into little balls, and roll into sprinkles. We have no sprinkles left in the house now, and I can't see my toes. My gracious, are those little balls good! Like perfectly fudgy brownies, without the bother of flour. Even better the second day.
Monday: We have leftover sauce, so I'll throw in another can of crushed tomatoes and bake a spaghetti bake.
Tuesday: I don't finish teaching till 5- I'll put a pot of rice on before lessons start, and thaw some beans from the freezer.
Wednesday: Scouts night for Daddy, so that would make it Girls night! We always have pancakes. (Long teaching day, so again: easy.) If I make them whole-grain, it's not so bad, right?
Thursday: The kids love salmon- I'll make salmon cakes and see if they like those, too! Quinoa on the side and canned corn.
Friday: Date night :o)
Saturday: Up in the air- we're hoping to have a work party for our yard, so I'm kind of planing on feeding the world that day. I'm thinking pizzas and a veggie tray, and a couple boxes of Krispy Kremes. Men around here will do a lot for a box of Krispy Kremes. Or Top Pot donuts (they're "Hand Forged" and simply ginormous.) Or maybe a chocolate sheet cake.... or maybe I should see how many people are coming and then make my plans *grin* Anyone want to come and move dirt?
Sunday: spaghetti with red sauce (lots of sauteed onions, carrots, and celery, then browned a pound of ground beef, then added more garlic, basil, sage, oregano, and a jar of canned sauce. It would have been wonderful with canned tomatoes, etc., but I had a jar of sauce and I was short on time.) The last time I made bread I made a triple batch, and one of those batches turned into 2 round loaves. We wrapped them in foil and warmed them in the oven, and served the bread with softened butter doctored up with garlic and parsley- that was Wonder Daddy's idea. It's must more garlicky today...and therefore, much better *grin* Make it a day ahead! We made brigadeiros for dessert- brazilian chocolate candies. Cook two cans of sweetened condensed milk, 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder, and 2 Tbsp. butter until it makes a very thick batter that doesn't stick to the pan when you tilt it. (You can stir constantly on the stove, medium heat, for 20 minutes, or we found that you can microwave it for a minute at a time for about 6 minutes, stirring in between.) Let it cool to room temp, roll into little balls, and roll into sprinkles. We have no sprinkles left in the house now, and I can't see my toes. My gracious, are those little balls good! Like perfectly fudgy brownies, without the bother of flour. Even better the second day.
Monday: We have leftover sauce, so I'll throw in another can of crushed tomatoes and bake a spaghetti bake.
Tuesday: I don't finish teaching till 5- I'll put a pot of rice on before lessons start, and thaw some beans from the freezer.
Wednesday: Scouts night for Daddy, so that would make it Girls night! We always have pancakes. (Long teaching day, so again: easy.) If I make them whole-grain, it's not so bad, right?
Thursday: The kids love salmon- I'll make salmon cakes and see if they like those, too! Quinoa on the side and canned corn.
Friday: Date night :o)
Saturday: Up in the air- we're hoping to have a work party for our yard, so I'm kind of planing on feeding the world that day. I'm thinking pizzas and a veggie tray, and a couple boxes of Krispy Kremes. Men around here will do a lot for a box of Krispy Kremes. Or Top Pot donuts (they're "Hand Forged" and simply ginormous.) Or maybe a chocolate sheet cake.... or maybe I should see how many people are coming and then make my plans *grin* Anyone want to come and move dirt?
Monday, February 8, 2010
Meal Planning Monday with Easy Ice Cream
We have been pretty bad about sticking to our menu plans! I either make way too much of something, so we eat it for days, or just make pancakes :o)
So, to use:
carrots
onions
parsnips
potatoes
tofu
cream
cheese (pepper jack, Parmesan)
Not a lot that's fresh in the refrigerator, but I need to work on "eating down" our freezers before summer.
In the freezer, that I want to use up:
berries (cherries, strawberries, blueberries, grapes)
cooked broccoli (I had thought to use this for broccoli cheddar soup, but want to find a dairy-free use instead)
plum chutney
various meats (whole chicken, ground beef)
mint
I also need to go through our canned things from last summer- my goal is to can every summer, and restock every summer.
Peaches
Apple Pie Filling
Salsa
Jams (fig, blueberry, plum, marmalade, apple butter)
Applesauce
So, to use:
carrots
onions
parsnips
potatoes
tofu
cream
cheese (pepper jack, Parmesan)
Not a lot that's fresh in the refrigerator, but I need to work on "eating down" our freezers before summer.
In the freezer, that I want to use up:
berries (cherries, strawberries, blueberries, grapes)
cooked broccoli (I had thought to use this for broccoli cheddar soup, but want to find a dairy-free use instead)
plum chutney
various meats (whole chicken, ground beef)
mint
I also need to go through our canned things from last summer- my goal is to can every summer, and restock every summer.
Peaches
Apple Pie Filling
Salsa
Jams (fig, blueberry, plum, marmalade, apple butter)
Applesauce
Sunday: sliced pork loin, skillet potatoes, home-canned peaches
Monday: pinto beans and rice- I'll freeze the leftovers
Tuesday: crockpot roast chicken with roast vegetables (carrots, onions, parsnips, potatoes)
Wednesday: Daddy won't be home till late, so we'll have breakfast- pancakes or french toast, eggs.
Thursday: Chicken-salsa pizza with pepper jack cheese (with chicken from Tuesday night)
Friday: no dinner- date night! Thanks, Mom and Dad!
Saturday: to appease the four-year-old, sushi. (Or leftovers, depending on what's in the fridge)
Sunday: It will be our first "Big Family Meal" in a few weeks, so we'll do something festive. Shrimp Coconut Curry! I'll have to make everything early, because I'll just have time to reheat between church and dinner time. I'll make an apple crumble for dessert, with the easiest vanilla ice cream ever. Or maybe mint ice cream, because it's Mom's favorite? (Skip the vanilla, and let 2 cups of mint leaves marinate in the combined milks for 30 minutes to a few hours, depending on how strong you want it. Strain out the leaves before churning.)
Easy Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk (I use skim)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pour all ingredients into an ice cream freezer, and let it churn until thick (it won't be quite as thick as soft-serve) Takes about 20 minutes.
Pack into a freezer-proof container with a lid, smooth saran wrap over the surface of the ice cream, and store in the freezer for a few hours to "ripen."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)