I really want to come hang out in your garden!
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All visitors welcome!
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This week has gone from spring to winter then back to spring over the weekend. It started raining on Wednesday afternoon as predicted then turned to snow so we now have a layer of wet, soggy, slushy snow which it typical at this time of year. I suspect this will be our last snow fall of the season - I’m just glad I don’t have to shovel it! I am now stylishly dressed in cotton pants and a t-shirt with matching boots and parka to trade in the shoes and spring jacket I was wearing earlier this week. I’m sure I will be back into spring outerwear this weekend but I like being optimistic! This weekend’s plans involve going back to the gallery to see the last couple of rooms of the Riopelle exhibition before it closes on Sunday. I didn’t realize he used so many different media (paintings, bronze statues, collages, etc.) so even the 2 1/2 hours I spent at the gallery last weekend wasn’t enough to see everything. Riopelle is a Canadian abstract artist which is not really my cup of tea but I like keeping an open mind and learning new things. Onto my menu for this week:
Today: A rare Friday in the office. I have to work in the office two days a week choosing to go in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. However last Tuesday I had a French test so I asked to work from home that day so I can do my test undisturbed. So I am in the office today to put in my second day. There are actually a lot of people in the office today! Even when I went to the food court to pick up lunch it was crowded. There were line ups at the restaurants and the seating area was at almost full capacity. Take out lunch is a falafel wrap with potatoes on the side. The toum they serve it with is very addictive. I plan on straying from the usual salad for dinner tonight so I can make a cream of spinach soup to finish up some of the bumper crop of spinach I have in the fridge. This is what happens when veggies go on sale! 
Saturday: Clean out the fridge and freezer day. Fettucine with portobello mushrooms, spinach and pine nuts. (The recipe is from epicurious for those that have a subscription.)
Sunday: I’m going to a late afternoon movie with one of my meetup groups. We are going to see “The Old Oak” about a British pub owner who fights to keep open the last pub in his community. The meetup organizer would like to have dinner after at a British pub after although I think he will have a hard time finding one since I don’t think there are any such restaurants near the movie theatre we are going to. I could recommend a nearby Carribean restaurant though!
Monday: Ginger bok choy soup again to finish up the last of the bok choy.
Tuesday: Repeat of last Tuesday - pork chop, squash, baked potato.
Wednesday: Rice noodles with ground pork and mushrooms.
Thursday: Off to another film society screening. I will have a bite to eat on the way to the theatre.
Have a nice, snow free (hopefully!) weekend everyone.
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It all sounds delightful! Sorry about your cat, though.
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Hi, all! Cooking for 2 in Chattanooga, where for mysterious reasons, we’ve been struggling to keep the power on…here’s hoping the power company has figured it out!
Friday, April 5 (tonight!): pasta with beans, salmon, and snow peas (ATK)
Weekend breakfast: Old-school coffee cake with spices and raisins from my mom’s Sunset cookbook
Saturday: Leading a bread-baking workshop in the morning, going to a food and wine festival in the evening.
Sunday: Lamb enchiladas, some kind of green veg, baked apples
Monday: Tomato and bean soup with kale chips from Family, maybe cheese biscuits if work allows
Tuesday: scrounge
Wednesday: Pasta al limone (Milk Street) and maybe a salad or other veg
Thursday/Friday: scrounge or out
Hope everyone gets at least one day of their favorite spring weather this week! Happy cooking!
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Back to planning after several weeks of travel and discombobulation.
Picked up some fresh groceries from an Asian market yesterday, so a lot of the week’s plan will involve utilizing them. Plus a pile of chicken I bought for a potluck last week and didn’t use.
Ideas:
– Pad see ew with fresh ho fun noodles and greens
– Spanish-flavored OR Zuni-style chicken thighs with bread salad + snow pea leaf salad
– Pan-fried noodles with mixed mushrooms
– Soy sauce chicken with baby bok choy
– Wonton wrapper lasagna stack (have to make the bolognese first)
– Asian chicken salad with homemade alioli
– Tomato fish (frozen barramundi) or Bengali mustard fish + rice + greens
– Green chicken pulao / biryani
– Curry chicken noodle soup with fresh lemongrass and greens
No baking planned though I do have a bit of a sweet tooth at the moment, so maybe I’ll be inspired by the baking thread.
Wish everyone a restful weekend, an exciting eclipse, and a great week!
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Tonight, Friday: I’ll be making some streamed clams and some Mediterranean sea bass from Greece. This Mediterranean sea bass Recipe from Mediterranean Dish calls for coriander and cumin, I’ll try that as a change from my usual dill and oregano .
Or I might head in an Alexandrian / Egyptian Singari direction, which also falls for cumin and coriander. Samak singari fish, served in the Egyptian style
Green beans- which are aging quickly 
, not sure how many I’ll salvage. Cannellini beans that will have Mediterranean seasoning, maybe fagioli all’uccelletto/ tuscan stewed beans.
Maroulosalata to use that huge head of lettuce that’s been in my fridge a week.
Sat: Ribeye, maybe some pierogies from the freezer
Sunday: roast lamb. I’ve been doing rosemary or Greek seasoning a lot, so I might do something different on Sunday. Still avoiding sodium so that keeps me from going in the soy direction right now. We all really enjoyed a lamb rendang before the sodium restrictions, and I enjoyed experimenting with a lamb barbacoa and a Chinese cumin lamb, as well.
Monday: roast chicken thighs with lemon, oregano, pepper, paprika.
I’m so repetitive lately.
One of my dining companions wants simpler foods lately and less sauces, so this has been a big change from the one pot meals I was making up until a year or 2 ago. I’ve been posting less photos in WFD because I’m so repetitive and not doing too many new things.
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I hope you are right about getting your spring things on again soon! I read a good review of The Old Oak. Hope you enjoy it.
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In case it’s helpful, I’m obsessed with this one: https://www.food.com/recipe/black-bean-soup-244561
I reduce the water, onion, and lime juice and omit the chipotle chili (but not the adobo sauce). I add the ham only at the end. Before adding the ham, I puree for a few seconds with the immersion blender just to give it some body. No cornstarch; I like a brothy base. I’m planning to make this for a teacher luncheon where they need gluten-free, vegan options (minus the ham of course!).
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Copying. Yum. I just put a hold on her latest cookbook at the library.
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I just made up the sauce for tonight’s dinner (half recipe will be plenty for us). I ended up adding the equivalent of 1/2 t. powdered buttermilk to the full recipe. While I rarely use full fat mayo, I did here as there is so little called for. Makes all the difference. 
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Thanks for the suggestion. I ended up using a Rachael Ray recipe I printed a while back; the online version now calls for way more beans and broth. I used 2 cans and about 1.5 C, respectively. I also whirred it with the immersion blender to get rid of the big veggie chunks (and hide the celery…).
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Hi, everyone. Cooking for three in the Boston burbs, where the world has been so weird lately! We got a few inches of slushy snow on Thursday, then felt vibrations from the NJ earthquake on Friday, and are gearing up to (safely) watch the eclipse at 93% totality on Monday afternoon.
Sun: chicken souvlaki, green beans with lemon and oregano. I’ll make extra to have for my lunches this week.
Mon: pasta with ham (left over from Easter), Parmesan, and toasted walnuts; asparagus
Tues: fish tacos, beans
Weds: pork tenderloin (roasted with some sort of herb/spice mix), socca, vegetable tbd
Thurs: meatballs, red sauce, polenta; roasted broccoli
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Meatballs and polenta sound so good!
Socca too!
I had no idea the NJ shocks were felt in boston — my friends said they “felt” it via zoom calls where the other person in ny/nj suddenly started shaking, lol.
Re pork — you might like this milk street recipe.
It’s easy — and easy to adjust for any ingredients that might offend too I made it last week. (There’s also a pork tenderloin ideas thread.)
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Actuals for the first week of April, cooking for 2 in MN. Where garden rhubarb leaves are up, so the six-week countdown to first upside down cake of the season has started - ETA May 17. It’s been a high-sodium week featuring leftover ham, lunches out, carryout pizza and prepared entrees. Only 2 freshly-cooked mains (Wed & Fri).
Mon: Celebration carry-pizza – taxes DONE.
Tues: Ham with glaze, sweet potatoes, asparagus, pea salad, devilled eggs.
Wed: Salmon, pea salad, sweet potatoes
Thurs: Chicken/ginger/coconut/mango meatballs with white rice (from freezer), sugar snap peas
Fri: An R&D meal – Chicken Maryland Rolls – P. 70 The Book of Sandwiches by Louise Steele. “Maryland” refers to the fried bananas that are included in the multi-layer stack on a bun (poppy seed roll in recipe). A surprisingly great combo! A fried potato/corn/onion patty stacked on bun & lettuce leaves (spinach for us), topped with sauteed sliced chicken breast, sliced tomatoes and the bananas. Makes a VERY tall sandwich with the top bun on. I put the fried bananas in a side bowl, we tasted the sandwich without them first, then cautiously added some to another bite. And quickly loaded the rest on our sandwiches.
Sat: Pizza – Carry out. Monday’s was so good, we wanted another.
Sun: (today) - Gyros, naan, cucumber sauce, ripe olive slices, tomatoes. Barely lemon bunny Bundt cakelet (frozen last weekend) with strawberries.
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Jealous of the rhubarb. Did the book explain what bananas might have to do with Maryland??
Hi everyone! I’m slightly losing my mind over the stress of Lulu’s college decision. Pretty sure she’s ruled out Duke - too close to home, and who wants to run into their dad (he teaches there) when they’re being a grown up college student? I fully understand this. We’re headed to visit the last two options this coming weekend, hoping that will help make the decision easier. They aren’t in the same area, so it will be a hectic weekend. Here is what we ate:
Mon: LLD made crabcakes, tater tots, and … his signature arugula salad!
Tues: chile crisp fettuccine alfredo with spinach and mushrooms from the NYT. If you make this, and you should as it is easy and delicious, you definitely want to add garlic at the start.
Wed: white chicken chile, tortilla chips
Thurs: carry out
Fri: inspired by munchkin, asparagus goat cheese tart, salad
Sat: sushi feast for straight A report card. Only one non college report card left!
Sun: LLD said he’s to exhausted to cook, so I think it will be carry out. Enjoying my day off.
Spring is in full bloom and it is beautiful here in Chapel Hill. Hope you have a beautiful spring week too.
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Congratulations to Lulu for the straight A’s! You must be very proud of her.
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The intro to this Chicken Maryland recipe says:
Escoffier’s Chicken Maryland is a breaded, pan-fried chicken garnished with bananas. According to Francis Beirne’s 1951 classic “The Amiable Baltimoreans,” bananas were one of the Port of Baltimore’s 10 leading imports, and they made their way into all sorts of dishes.
Did you know that in Australia, chicken marylands means leg quarters?
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I had no idea. Very interesting, thank you!
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