menu planning monday 04.27.09

Life has been a little hectic lately now that we are in the full swing of baseball season.  I don't even remember if I cooked a meal at all last week.  We ate out too much -- I know that much...too many calories!  

So, I asked Chef D (my sweet husband, for those who are new to the blog), to help me out this week.  And, he obliged:) He even did the grocery shopping tonight so that we have everything we need.  I love that man.

Monday:  Alton Brown's Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes (Chef D preparing while I take one child to baseball practice and the other to his school's art fair)

Tuesday:  Grilled pork chops with long-grain/wild rice and a tossed salad

Apprehension-Free Wednesday:  Pork roast, vegetable medley, sweet potato casserole, salad and dessert will be served at church (with pizza for the kiddos).

Thursday:  Grilled portobello mushrooms, grilled pineapple and leftover rice from Tuesday (I always make too much!)

Friday:  Scrapbooking night for me/Boy's night out for 'the boys'!

Check out OrgJunkie for more menu planning ideas!

our take on tapas

A few months ago a friend told us she had been to a tapas bar -- we initially thought she said topless bar!  A few weeks later we drove by the restaurant she mentioned and decided that we would try it sometime soon, sans children.  Last night provided just that opportunity.  It was an enjoyable time where we shared (with friends) the following tapas:  

• dry-cured italian sausage, meatballs, parmesan, mahon, and sofrito sauce flatbread
  
• lobster and shrimp salad lettuce wraps
  
• pacific rim tuna nachos
  
• west indies crab-gulf shrimp napoleon
  
• bacon wrapped swordfish skewers
  
• fried manchego cheese
  
• escargot
  

It was such a fun time and we loved the tapas idea, so we decided to try it out at home for dinner tonight.  We had a bosc pear with cheese plate (Chef D had bleu cheese while I had some soft swiss) and an assortment of our own tuna nachos. 

For the nachos, we cut wonton wrappers into triangle halves and deep-fried very quickly to make a crisp base (they are in the white bowl in the middle of the picture).  To the right of the white bowl are the three bowls with the different versions of tuna (sashimi) -- sesame oil with sesame seeds, olive oil with balsamic vinegar, and chinese chicken salad dressing.  In the front you see diced grape tomatoes, pickled ginger, and avocado to add to the 'taco'.  The bottles in the back show some of the sauces used: Tamari soy sauce, Williams-Sonoma chinese chicken salad dressing, and Capelli olive oil with juniper and rosemary.

We decided this was definitely something we will do again, especially with guests. 

menu planning monday 04.13.09

I am very lacking in the motivation department this week when it comes to menu planning.  Chef D picked up some lamb last week that we did not use, so it is currently resting in the freezer.  I need to figure out a way to use some of it this week.

Monday: Fish Tacos (still trying use up some of the white fish from the freezer!) with pinto beans

Tuesday: Spaghetti, salad and garlic bread

Apprehension-Free Wednesday:  roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad and dessert will be served at church.

Thursday: Salmon cakes with steamed asparagus

Friday:  Mimi's sticky chicken with grilled veggies

Saturday:  Chef D can work his magic with the lamb tonight.  I will edit the post when I get his recipe plans.

Don't forget to check out all the other menu plans at OrgJunkie!

menu planning monday 04.06.09

Another busy week is ahead with baseball practices, pictures and games.  

Monday:  Spiral-cut ham with sauteed fingerling potatoes and tossed salad

Tuesday:  Lamb Stew

Apprehension-Free Wednesday:  Meatloaf, roasted potatoes, cabbage and dessert will be served at church.  

Thursday: Sandwiches/Wraps to take to the ballfield (game at 6 pm)

Friday: Dining out with the littles

doorbell = takeout?

What do you think happens when the doorbell rings while you are cooking your planned dinner?

Well, when the doorbell rang tonight, I ended up going out to the porch to see what new and exciting things the contractor had completed today.  I was thrilled to see the new cedar plank paneling that had been installed and then began a discussion on the new windows.  I was feeling the joy until, about 10 minutes later, I remembered a very important thing -- right before the bell rang, I turned the stove on to warm up the chicken mixture that was going to be added to the rice stick noodles.  I ran back to the kitchen to find the chicken now 'blackened', and not in the delicious way.  There was no way to save it, and I now wish I had photographed it to prove it.  So, I did what anyone would do (?) and called Chef D to pick up something to replace our dinner while he was at The Fresh Market.

This is what he came home with.  I love that man.

[fyi:  that is not tea with lemon -- care to make a guess on what it is?]