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Menu Planning

I don’t always plan menus a week at a time, but instead just usually have a folder of recipes that I’d like to try in the next couple of weeks and then will decide, day by day, which one to pull out and then thaw (and/or shop) accordingly, each morning. The good news, though, is … Continue reading “Menu Planning”

I don’t always plan menus a week at a time, but instead just usually have a folder of recipes that I’d like to try in the next couple of weeks and then will decide, day by day, which one to pull out and then thaw (and/or shop) accordingly, each morning.

The good news, though, is that when I see a recipe I know I’m going to try soon, I’ll grab the non-perishable ingredients that are necessary for it, so that I have them on hand. Yes, I do end up having to grocery-shop just about every day (and yes, I hate shopping, too), but I usually only have to grab two or three things each time. I usually do one “gigantic run” about every week to ten days, for non-perishable and staple-things.

I do find it nice, though, when I have the time, to actually plan out menus in advance. It gives me the ability to look ahead and see which nights will be busy and can prep some things in advance, as I’m cooking during the week, so that I can have less work to do on those busy nights. Sometimes, if I have one cooking-at-home night, but know that the next night will be insane, I’ll make a casserole that can be prepared ahead, so that it’s ready to go for the next night. Baked ziti is a great one for this. I won’t tell if you use bottled sauce – just use a good one – although I usually make my sauce in advance and have it ready to go in the freezer when I need it and it’s not that troublesome. Baked spaghetti casserole is another one that’s make-ahead friendly.

Anyway, to make a long story short, this week and actually am planning menus ahead and thought I would share them with you, in case you want to play along at home.

Yes, I know, this menu is a little heavy on soups, Italian greens, orange winter vegetables and Asian noodle salads, but, hey, that’s what I felt like…

Monday:
Smoky-Spicy Turkey Tamale Pies (double the recipe, which specifies two servings)
Fresh Orange Sorbet

Tuesday:
Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage and Escarole

Wednesday:
Asian Salmon and Crunchy Noodle Salad from Ina Garten’s show this morning
I may or may not make the accompanying Lemon Yogurt Cake with Blueberry sauce, depending upon how much time I have. We happen to have a lot of desserts already in the house right now (thanks, Girl Scouts!)

Thursday:
Golden Winter Soup with Gruyere toasts
(I will add a little poblano pepper, as the online reviews suggested.)
Flaky Blood Orange Tart with Salted Caramel Sauce
I already have this prepared and frozen and will bake it and make the sauce that night. I made it with Cara Cara oranges instead of the blood oranges, which I may regret. The color is not as impressive and I’m afraid that the Cara Caras will be too sweet. We’ll see.

Friday:
Grilled Chicken Thighs (with very simple seasoning, maybe just some Baby Bam, because the gnocchi are VERY rich and flavorful and I want them to be the star of the show)
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage

Saturday:
Garlic-Miso Pork Chops with Orange Bell Pepper and Arugula
and some sort of soba noodle salad that will likely be a combination of these:
Chilled Soba with Tofu and Sugar Snap Peas
Cold Soba Noodles with Vietnamese Pork (without the pork)
Sesame Soba Noodles with Cucumber, Bok Choy and mixed greens
Soba Salad with Soy-Wasabi Vinaigrette

Sunday:
Marinated London Broil, sliced and served atop a mixed green salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Cauliflower Soup with Pecans and Rye Croutons

Mexican Birthday Dinner

Yum, yum, yum! What a GREAT meal! I had a “milestone” birthday this week (one with a zero on the end of it) and this was the meal that we prepared to celebrate (I would rather be in my kitchen, preparing food, than anywhere else in the world – that IS a birthday present for … Continue reading “Mexican Birthday Dinner”

Yum, yum, yum! What a GREAT meal!

I had a “milestone” birthday this week (one with a zero on the end of it) and this was the meal that we prepared to celebrate (I would rather be in my kitchen, preparing food, than anywhere else in the world – that IS a birthday present for me.):

Mexican Martinis
(recipe here)

These were DELICIOUS. I know, I know…it’s not technically a true martini, but yummy. Imagine if a martini and a margarita had a baby. I used my favorite Catalon olives, instead of jalapeno-stuffed.

Amazing Turkey Enchiladas
(recipe here)

I’ve made this before, using leftover Thanksgiving turkey, but I used some leftover rotisserie chicken that I had on hand this time and they were FABULOUS. A bit spicy for Girl, but Hubby was in Heaven. Boy loved them so much that he had a second helping, even though he had been to a birthday party (not mine – Boy’s friend, S, shares my birthday) earlier and had already eaten pizza.

Cinnamon Cake with Chile-Chocolate Buttercream
(recipe here)

I made these into cupcakes (they took about 22 minutes to bake in my oven.) These were VERY good and rich (they smelled like a churro or a cinnamon cake doughnut as they were baking), but the buttercream doesn’t have a really strong chocolate flavor. If I make these again, I’ll omit the white chocolate and double up on the bittersweet chocolate, instead. I didn’t use the cake flour (just used regular all-purpse), because I didn’t have any in the house and didn’t want to make a special trip, but they were a little denser that I would have liked, so I’ll use it, as called for, when I make them again. These were actually a “trial run” for a dessert for my dad’s upcoming HUGE birthday party, so I will be certain to make them again soon. Every year, my folks have around 60 people and do ALL of the cooking themselves (well, I’ve made the dessert for them twice, but they do everything else.)

Cook along with me… (Indian)

Will be making both of these recipes very soon. Just a “heads up” and a shopping list, if you want to join in on the fun… Indian Cashew Chicken shopping list: 2/3 cup cashews 1 single-serving container Greek-style yogurt garam masala spice, if you don’t already have some (or find out how to make your … Continue reading “Cook along with me… (Indian)”

Will be making both of these recipes very soon. Just a “heads up” and a shopping list, if you want to join in on the fun…

Indian Cashew Chicken

shopping list:
2/3 cup cashews
1 single-serving container Greek-style yogurt
garam masala spice, if you don’t already have some
(or find out how to make your own here or here)
1 small knob fresh ginger
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 large onions
1 jar green cardamom pods, if you don’t already have some
1 bunch fresh cilantro (optional)

staples:
1 small can tomato paste
white vinegar
ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves
coriander
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups chicken broth
1 small can tomato puree or sauce
sweet paprika
salt
half-and-half

Indian Bread Pudding with Cardamom Sauce

shopping list:
1 small loaf white bread
(I realize this might be a “staple” for some folks, but I’m not one of them…)
1 can evaporated milk
1 jar of ground cardamom, if you don’t already have some
1 Tbsp finely chopped pistachios, if you don’t have some on hand
(I routinely keep them around for Hubby and Boy’s snack attacks.)

staples:
butter
cooking spray
sugar
eggs
milk (the recipe calls for whole milk)

Note: I’m planning to omit the optional rose-flower water, so I haven’t included that in the shopping list. If you want to be all flowery, go right ahead…

Not sure if I’ll be making these Saturday night or Sunday night; it depends upon how open-minded our Saturday night dinner guests are…

Giada’s Rigatoni with Sausage and Peppers and Arugula Salad with Fried Gorgonzola

I cut this menu out of Cosmopolitan magazine a long time ago (April 2007, to be exact) and just now got around to actually making it. I don’t know why I waited so long! Yum, yum! The magazine article was in conjunction with a round of publicity surrounded the release of Giada’s new (at that … Continue reading “Giada’s Rigatoni with Sausage and Peppers and Arugula Salad with Fried Gorgonzola”

I cut this menu out of Cosmopolitan magazine a long time ago (April 2007, to be exact) and just now got around to actually making it. I don’t know why I waited so long! Yum, yum!

The magazine article was in conjunction with a round of publicity surrounded the release of Giada’s new (at that time) book Everyday Pasta. Because the recipes are included in the book that she was trying to, ummmm, sell, I haven’t been able to find an “official” link to the recipes online, together. It does appear that Giada was very busy on this book publicity tour, however, because the recipes do show up, individually, in lots of places:

Here’s a link to the pasta recipe (scroll down):
Rigatoni with Sausage, Peppers and Onions

and here’s the salad:
Arugula Salad with Fried Gorgonzola

I only made a few, tiny moderations to the pasta. I only used 1/2 of one onion, because Boy isn’t a fan of huge amounts of onions and will remove them from his portion, so I didn’t want them to go to waste (there were still plenty for the rest of us – I just didn’t serve him any). If I were making this for anyone else, especially for other adults, I would add the full amount of onions in, because they get golden and sweet, almost caramelized, and absolutely delicious, as they are cooking. Mmmm…

I also used regular (pork) Italian sausage, rather than the suggested (lighter) turkey, just because that’s what I had on hand. I wouldn’t have a strong objection to turkey, but the dish was definitely not too heavy, even with the heartier sausage, so it’s really just a matter of personal preference.

As for the salad, I made it exactly as specified, but I would recommend making the cheese balls as small as possible. It’s really easy for the balls of gorgonzola to get too strongly flavored and overwhelming (although I love gorgonzola and they were delicious, the bites were just REALLY big and a bit much). Another problem is that the cheese balls started to melt and fall apart before the bread crumbs on the outside got as crisp as I would have liked. If I make the salad again, I may try to form the gorgonzola into very small patties (discs) and pan-fry them, rather than deep-fry them. I might freeze them beforehand (rather than refrigerate), just to be sure that they don’t fall apart too soon.

The other thing about the salad is that the dressing was VERY sour. For arugula (and blue cheese, for that matter), a super-sweet dressing wouldn’t work, but this was just TOO sour. Next time, I’ll had a tiny bit of honey to the dressing or substitute a little bit of balsamic vinegar for some of the lemon juice.

Overall, though, an easy and delicious meal. The pasta, especially, has earned a permanent rotation spot. Give it a try!

Rachael Ray’s Pumpkin Penne and Spinach Garlic Bread

I watch a lot of Food Network. Really, a lot. So, consequently, I’ve seen Rachael Ray’s show pretty often (and moderately enjoy it), but I’d never (until now) tried one of her recipes. Now, Rachael will be the first to tell you that she’s not a chef, but her recipes (at least when she prepares them on TV) look OK: fresh produce, fresh herbs, etc. And, of course, the “30 minute” idea appeals to me, at least for busy weeknights. She may not be professionally trained (and, my personal pet peeve, seems to have NO awareness of using what’s in season), but I also think that her recipes, for the average American home cook, are at least a step up from frozen meals or takeout and I don’t think that she deserves all of the criticism that she receives. So, anyway…this pumpkin penne recipe and this spinach garlic bread recipe looked like it had good potential, so we gave it a try recently. The pasta was…meh?…okay, but the subtle flavors of the sage and shallots were completely lost. All you could taste was pumpkin. Not a big hit with any of us. It wasn’t offensive or awful, just…not great. This is not something that I’m inspired to make again. If I’m in that much of a hurry and need a meal in 30 minutes, I’d rather open a jar of good quality tomato sauce or even make a quickie tomato sauce with canned tomato sauce.

The garlic bread, on the other hand, was delicious. It looked pretty weird, but the kids LOVED it, so if you have picky eaters that are hesitant to try spinach on its own, they might be willing to try this. The spinach flavor is completely buried in the cheese and garlic, but, again, if you have picky eater kids, that might be a good thing. We prepared the bread as slices, rather than chunks, so there was probably a good 1/4 cup of spinach in each slice.

So, for us, the jury’s still out on Rachael Ray. I’m willing to give her recipes one more shot, but this one didn’t impress us.

Salmon with Lentils and Mustard-Herb Butter

Salmon with Lentils and Mustard-Herb Butter I don’t normally cook a lot of seafood, because Girl hates it and threatens to run away from home, but Boy loves it, so every once in a while I brave the wrath and serve it, anyway. It’s kinda fun to see her wrinkle her nose and gag at … Continue reading “Salmon with Lentils and Mustard-Herb Butter”

Salmon with Lentils and Mustard-Herb Butter

I don’t normally cook a lot of seafood, because Girl hates it and threatens to run away from home, but Boy loves it, so every once in a while I brave the wrath and serve it, anyway. It’s kinda fun to see her wrinkle her nose and gag at the dinner table.

Boy was on a field trip in Dallas all day today (seeing the King Tut exhibit), so I wanted to make a special dinner for him upon his return and this one looked like it fit the bill. I wasn’t sure how the lentils would go over, since I’ve only made them once before.

But….WOW, was this yummy!!! It was much easier to actually execute than the recipe made it sound. Once I actually started cooking it, it was VERY simple. Sauteeing the fish in butter gave it a lovely, savory browned crust and wonderful flavor. I was afraid that the leek flavor would be too strong (it has a LOT of leeks in it), but the kids both loved it. A couple of other epicurious readers recommended sauteeing the fish in olive oil, to cut the butter content (why would you want to do such a thing???), but another reviewer recommended added a little pre-cooked, crumbled bacon to the lentils, to add even more sumptuous flavor. I, myself, never pass up an opportunity to monter au beurre or throw in some bacon, so I may adapt a bit when I make this again.

I really can’t recommend this dish highly enough. If your kids are a little adventuresome, they’ll love this, but it’s also “fancy” enough to impress at a dinner party. Would have been sublime with a better wine choice, but we drank what we had on hand, which was OK. If you like the idea of salmon and lentils, but want some other options, these two recipes look great, too:

Herb Crusted Salmon on Puy Lentils with Red Wine Sauce

Salmon with Bacon and Lentils

Chicken Shawarma with Fattoush Salad

Chicken Shawarma with Fattoush Salad Yummy and VERY easy. I didn’t put the tomatoes on our pitas, because we were already having a lot of tomatoes in the salad, in fact, Girl dumped her bowl of salad ONTO her pita and ate it that way. For the fattoush, I adapted a recipe for “chopped vegetable … Continue reading “Chicken Shawarma with Fattoush Salad”

Chicken Shawarma with Fattoush Salad

Yummy and VERY easy. I didn’t put the tomatoes on our pitas, because we were already having a lot of tomatoes in the salad, in fact, Girl dumped her bowl of salad ONTO her pita and ate it that way.

For the fattoush, I adapted a recipe for “chopped vegetable salad” that was in the same issue of Cooking Light, but changed it around so much that it really wasn’t the same, so here’s my version:

Fattoush

2 cups chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
(The original recipe also called for some chopped green bell pepper, but I didn’t have any on hand. It would have been a nice addition, so I’ll add some next time. Maybe some garlic, too?)

Gently fold all above ingredients to combine. In a small, separate bowl, whisk together:

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Pour over salad and toss gently to combine.

Toss in 2 cups coarsely crushed pita chips (recommended: Stacy’s brand, from Costco) and 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of ground sumac powder (If you can find it. Try Kalustyan’s, if you’re determined to find some.) and toss salad gently again to combine. Sprinkle a little more sumac on top. Serve immediately, before the pita chips get soggy. If you’re not serving it right away, reserve the pita chips separately until ready to serve.

40 garlic clove chicken

40-garlic clove chicken with roasted brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes. This recipe is from Fine Cooking magazine, which doesn’t allow free access to their online recipe forum, but I did find the recipe on another website here (please ignore the grammar and the hash-smoking references). It was absolutely delicious and will DEFINITELY be made again … Continue reading “40 garlic clove chicken”

40-garlic clove chicken with roasted brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes.

This recipe is from Fine Cooking magazine, which doesn’t allow free access to their online recipe forum, but I did find the recipe on another website here (please ignore the grammar and the hash-smoking references).

It was absolutely delicious and will DEFINITELY be made again during the winter. It’s the perfect, savory, comfort food for cooler weather. Mmmm…. The kids weren’t wild about the plain garlic on the baguette (although I thought they would be), so I will probably take the garlic and improvise a simple garlic toast next time (mix the roasted garlic cloves with butter, parmesan and herbs and spread on bread, then lightly toast it).

For dessert, I made Pumpkin Creme Brulees (which were DELICIOUS) with little maple shortbread “leaf” cookies, for garnish, and Ice Cream Sundaes with Pomegranate Caramel Sauce, topped with whipped cream and fresh pomegranate arils (for my little brother, who doesn’t like pumpkin)

Tarragon Roast Chicken, Potato Pancakes and Asparagus with Hollandaise

Although being able to make a good roast chicken is supposed to be the sign of a great cook (or maybe BECAUSE of this), I have been intimidated by roasting a whole chicken. The kids are usually a little frightened of meat that actually LOOKS like meat and prefer, boneless, skinless little portions of protein. In spite of all this, I decided to give roast chicken a try. I made this chicken by fusing together two roast chicken recipes:
the first one was included on the back of Colorado Spice Company’s Tarragon Chicken Rub and the second one is Ruth Reichl’s Roast Chicken recipe from her book Garlic and Sapphires (all three of her books are fabulous and you should read them NOW, if you haven’t already).

Basically, I followed the rub directions, but doubled the olive oil, because I was roasting two chickens, instead of one (as specified in the recipe), and then added the lemon and followed the time and temperature instructions in the Ruth Reichl recipe. My oven has a thermometer (as most ovens now do) that can be inserted into meat and then plugged into the side of the oven that will alert you when the interior of the meat has reached a certain, programmable temperature. I LOOOOVE this feature ~~because I’m lazy and forgetful~~ because it’s very helpful and convenient. The chicken turned out beautiful and juicy (although my camera flash makes it looks bland and pale). I will definitely be roasting chicken this way again.

For the potato pancakes, I used this recipe from epicurious. They were delicious, but when they tell you to press the moisture out of the potatoes, they aren’t kidding. Don’t try to save time on that step; you’ll regret it. We served them with sour cream on the side.

The hollandaise was left over from Boy’s special birthday breakfast and was delicious over some simple steamed asparagus.

We ate this dinner last night with my little brother and his wife, who announced to Boy and Girl (Hubby and I already knew) that they were going to have a new baby cousin in May! Little Brother has started a “New Dad” blog that you can check out here:
Little Brother’s “The New Dad” blog

It will be VERY exciting to have another little sprout around next year and Little Bro and his wife (who is a teacher) will make wonderful parents. We are VERY excited and plan to spoil this child rotten.

Korean-inspired dinner

Inspired by my friend, Trish! Cooking Light published an “Every Night Korean” menu in their August 2008 issue that I decided that I had to try as soon as I saw it. I made this Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak (*see note below) and this Watermelon-Ginger Punch (read the note in the link about lycopene…I didn’t know … Continue reading “Korean-inspired dinner”

Inspired by my friend, Trish!

Cooking Light published an “Every Night Korean” menu in their August 2008 issue that I decided that I had to try as soon as I saw it.

I made this Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak (*see note below) and this Watermelon-Ginger Punch (read the note in the link about lycopene…I didn’t know about that and found it interesting…lycopene is good for “boy parts”, you know…) and planned to make Kimchi-Style Cabbage to go with it. I looked through the ingredients and made sure that I either had them in the pantry or put them on my grocery list. I dutifully bought flank steak, Napa cabbage, daikon radish and got ready to cook last night. That’s when I read through the recipes, in full, and discovered a line in the Kimchi recipe that said, “Cover and refrigerate one week.”. DRAT! I thought it was kimchi STYLE cabbage, not regular old “pickle it forever” kimchi. I wasn’t trying to make the real thing! I decided to go ahead and make the steak and the punch and just made some edamame and rice to go with it. I’ll give the kimchi a try another time…

I was kind of bummed (we all really like cabbage and all of us except Boy like anything that’s pickled), but the kids probably wouldn’t have eaten it, anyway…

The steak was really good, but had a definite spicy “kick” to it. Boy loved it, but it was a little too hot for Girl. The punch was really good, but we all agreed that we would use less ginger (or maybe even leave the ginger out) if we make it again. I love ginger, so I really liked it, but the rest of the fam thought it was a little strong. This sounds crazy, too, but I might put a little pinch of salt in it next time. I really like salt on my watermelon.

* Cooking Light doesn’t have the steak recipe online, but it’s simple:
rub the steak with a little toasted sesame oil and then rub it with a blend of brown sugar, salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, freshly ground black pepper and ground ginger and then grill it. 1/4 tsp of all of the spices except salt (use 1/2 tsp). 2 tsp each of the brown sugar and oil.