Monday: Zack home at 7
Lunch: Sangwiches
Dinner: Spinach Tofu Stir fry
Tuesday: Zack home at 9
Lunch:
Dinner: Sausage pizza (crust, sauce, cheese, onions, mushrooms, sausage) and salad
Wed: Both home by 5
Lunch:
Dinner: Date night!
Thursday: Zack home at 7:30
Lunch:
Dinner: oven French fries, Cajun blackened chicken, veggie medley
Friday: Both home at 5
Lunch: out for lunch?
Dinner: quesadillas and black beans
November 1, 2010
October 27, 2010
Week 4 Plain
Monday
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: Garlic naan quesadilla, with sirloin, onions, mushrooms, peppers and cheese
Tuesday
Lunch: sangwiches
Wed
Lunch: Sangwiches/salad
Thursday
Lunch: sangwiches
Dinner: April’s out
Friday
Lunch: out for lunch?
Sunday:
Dinner: Spinach tofu stir-fry
October 25, 2010
Steak Quesadillas on... Naan?
That's right. We went crazy.
Inspiration came from an odd diner we stumbled upon downtown while under direction from a Starbucks barrista. The Rattlesnake was surprisingly good and they were up to some creative things. Thus our experiment.
The Rattlesnake's version is as follows:
Oh yes, and then put on pan fried garlic naan.
And honestly? I would recommend going to the Rattlesnake instead...
If you're going to try this then learn from our mistake: you're going to want to make sure that the naan is all warmed up without bruning it, so id suggest a cover for the skillet you build the quesadilla on. And I hope you can stir fry steak better than me...
Inspiration came from an odd diner we stumbled upon downtown while under direction from a Starbucks barrista. The Rattlesnake was surprisingly good and they were up to some creative things. Thus our experiment.
The Rattlesnake's version is as follows:
Steak Quesadilla with Anaheim chiles, mushrooms & veal stock reduction in garlic naanYum. Our version was sirloin strips with onions, peppers, mushrooms stir fried and then topped with chedder cheese.
Oh yes, and then put on pan fried garlic naan.
And honestly? I would recommend going to the Rattlesnake instead...
If you're going to try this then learn from our mistake: you're going to want to make sure that the naan is all warmed up without bruning it, so id suggest a cover for the skillet you build the quesadilla on. And I hope you can stir fry steak better than me...
October 24, 2010
Week 3 grade
Not a great week for us...
We ate out twice and spent more than we should have...
Got a lot of groceries that were not part of the plan/didn't contribute to meals...
Also we had to improvise with the chicken situation though that was not necessarily a bad thing.
I think we get a generous B-
We ate out twice and spent more than we should have...
Got a lot of groceries that were not part of the plan/didn't contribute to meals...
Also we had to improvise with the chicken situation though that was not necessarily a bad thing.
I think we get a generous B-
October 23, 2010
Beef Stew, via April's mom
Very good, but I made a couple of mistakes which I'll point out as we go.
Ingredients:
1-2 pounds lean stew beef
Two medium sized russet potatoes
Three medium onions
Half a bag of baby carrots
Box of beef stock
Flour
Ideally this whole thing would be done in a Dutch Oven. Unfortunately we don’t have one, so if you don't either then you’re going to lose water which means a) you'll need to use more beef broth (a whole box was enough for us) and b) you might not need to thicken the gravy with flour at the end (we didn't). Anyway, heat olive oil in the bottom of the pot and add DRIED (a paper towel will work) stew beef with a bit of flour on it.
Try to get a single layer of meat so all of it is touching the pot; if you can't then brown the meat in shifts. When the meat has browned add beef stock until the meat is covered and throw in a bay leaf and a generous portion of thyme. SIMMER, don't boil, for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is very soft.
When the meat is done, place aside and try to keep warm. Add the onions quartered and add more stock if needed. This takes a little while. One the onion is nice and soft, set that aside with beef and add the potatoes (cut them in something like inch and a half cubes, doesn't have to be perfectly even). DON'T overcook the potatoes like I did--the nice gravy you're making will turn into potatoey broth as the potatoes disintegrate. One they're done, set aside with beef and onions and add the carrots. Once those have shimmered until their done, throw everything back in the pot, add a bit of flour if too if the broth is too thin or more broth if too thick (mine was the latter) and salt and pepper to taste.
Yummy with baguette!
Ingredients:
1-2 pounds lean stew beef
Two medium sized russet potatoes
Three medium onions
Half a bag of baby carrots
Box of beef stock
Flour
Ideally this whole thing would be done in a Dutch Oven. Unfortunately we don’t have one, so if you don't either then you’re going to lose water which means a) you'll need to use more beef broth (a whole box was enough for us) and b) you might not need to thicken the gravy with flour at the end (we didn't). Anyway, heat olive oil in the bottom of the pot and add DRIED (a paper towel will work) stew beef with a bit of flour on it.
Try to get a single layer of meat so all of it is touching the pot; if you can't then brown the meat in shifts. When the meat has browned add beef stock until the meat is covered and throw in a bay leaf and a generous portion of thyme. SIMMER, don't boil, for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is very soft.
When the meat is done, place aside and try to keep warm. Add the onions quartered and add more stock if needed. This takes a little while. One the onion is nice and soft, set that aside with beef and add the potatoes (cut them in something like inch and a half cubes, doesn't have to be perfectly even). DON'T overcook the potatoes like I did--the nice gravy you're making will turn into potatoey broth as the potatoes disintegrate. One they're done, set aside with beef and onions and add the carrots. Once those have shimmered until their done, throw everything back in the pot, add a bit of flour if too if the broth is too thin or more broth if too thick (mine was the latter) and salt and pepper to taste.
Yummy with baguette!
October 19, 2010
Baked Chicken Breast with Prosciutto
Sometimes the one we love throw us a curve ball. No, April's not pregnant.
I'm talking about this:
That is a split breast on the bone, skin on (Sale item at Whole Foods this week). So change of plans.
According to April's mother, the never ending resource for food improvisation, the best way to handle this situation is to season it, stuff it with prosciutto, and stick it in the oven for forty-five minutes. So that's what we did.
Gently separate the skin from the breast with your finger (don't take it off, just create a little pocket) and stuff it with a couple slices of prosciutto. Then sprinkle it with pepper, salt, a little flour, and drizzle a little olive oil on top. A little more olive oil on a baking pan and presto, you now just have to wait for 30-45 minutes are so. Check it often--you'll know its done when you can stick it with a knife and the juices run clear and not bloody.
We threw it on top of leftover pasta and marinara. Not bad hit for a curve ball...
I'm talking about this:
That is a split breast on the bone, skin on (Sale item at Whole Foods this week). So change of plans.
According to April's mother, the never ending resource for food improvisation, the best way to handle this situation is to season it, stuff it with prosciutto, and stick it in the oven for forty-five minutes. So that's what we did.
Gently separate the skin from the breast with your finger (don't take it off, just create a little pocket) and stuff it with a couple slices of prosciutto. Then sprinkle it with pepper, salt, a little flour, and drizzle a little olive oil on top. A little more olive oil on a baking pan and presto, you now just have to wait for 30-45 minutes are so. Check it often--you'll know its done when you can stick it with a knife and the juices run clear and not bloody.
We threw it on top of leftover pasta and marinara. Not bad hit for a curve ball...
Week 3 Plan
Monday
Lunch: OUT?
Dinner: Chicken sausage, peppers, onions, rice and black beans
Tuesday
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: pasta and sauce [use peas] + Caesar salad
Wednesday:
Lunch: Sangawiches/Salad
Dinner: Date night?
Thursday
Lunch: Sangawiches/Salad
Dinner: Salmon burgers, veggies, tater tots
Friday:
Lunch: Sangawiches/Salad
Dinner: Beef Stew
Lunch: OUT?
Dinner: Chicken sausage, peppers, onions, rice and black beans
Tuesday
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: pasta and sauce [use peas] + Caesar salad
Wednesday:
Lunch: Sangawiches/Salad
Dinner: Date night?
Thursday
Lunch: Sangawiches/Salad
Dinner: Salmon burgers, veggies, tater tots
Friday:
Lunch: Sangawiches/Salad
Dinner: Beef Stew
October 18, 2010
Week 2 Grade
So, last week we switched somethings up a bit.
I was sicky-sicky on Monday and Tuesday, so Monday night we had Chicken Noodle Soup (from a can) and toast. Tuesday night we did all sorts of left-overs.
Wednesday was date night and we headed over to Publick House Beer Bar and Kitchen in Washington Square (Brookline, MA).
Thursday we did the chicken sausage and Friday we did the pasta with roasted veggies. All in all, we followed the menu loosely and we didn't end up going out for any additional meals (all lunches, for example, were brought).
All in all, while a little disjointed. We give ourselves an A- on this week, but need to remember that ordering bad pizza while sick on the couch is never a good idea...
I was sicky-sicky on Monday and Tuesday, so Monday night we had Chicken Noodle Soup (from a can) and toast. Tuesday night we did all sorts of left-overs.
Wednesday was date night and we headed over to Publick House Beer Bar and Kitchen in Washington Square (Brookline, MA).
Thursday we did the chicken sausage and Friday we did the pasta with roasted veggies. All in all, we followed the menu loosely and we didn't end up going out for any additional meals (all lunches, for example, were brought).
All in all, while a little disjointed. We give ourselves an A- on this week, but need to remember that ordering bad pizza while sick on the couch is never a good idea...
Roasted Vegetables over Pasta
This was quite lovely. We followed the recipe pretty much exactly. Unfortunately, we were low on tomatoes (vine-ripened small tomatoes, not cherries) and we were too lazy to walk across the street to the always mobbed Whole Foods for additional tomatoey (did I mention that Friday's night weather was disssssgusting?).
We had wonderful penne: Montebello, organic and available from Whole Foods. Once you have this pasta, you will never buy Barilla again. It makes every meal it's a part of significantly better (and this is coming from April, someone who usually finds pasta to be a soggy cardboard vehicle for sauce).
The Cafe Fernando recipe was wonderful. It really did need more tomatoes (but that was our fault, not Fernando's). Neither of us usually care for eggplant and we loved it this way. Also, roasted mushrooms...are divine.
We had some of our typical Trader Joe's $4 Spanish wine (La Granja) with this lovely and simple pasta dish.
We will be making this dish again...but over quinoa next weekend! I am really looking forward to it, especially with the right amount of tomatoes.
We had wonderful penne: Montebello, organic and available from Whole Foods. Once you have this pasta, you will never buy Barilla again. It makes every meal it's a part of significantly better (and this is coming from April, someone who usually finds pasta to be a soggy cardboard vehicle for sauce).
The Cafe Fernando recipe was wonderful. It really did need more tomatoes (but that was our fault, not Fernando's). Neither of us usually care for eggplant and we loved it this way. Also, roasted mushrooms...are divine.
We had some of our typical Trader Joe's $4 Spanish wine (La Granja) with this lovely and simple pasta dish.
We will be making this dish again...but over quinoa next weekend! I am really looking forward to it, especially with the right amount of tomatoes.
October 15, 2010
Chicken Sausage and Wild Rice Pilaf
Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage, to be exact. We went off the plan a bit, hoping to avoid enriched flour and too much oil.
So we pan fried the sausage in some olive oil, and when it was done we removed them from the pan, washed out the oil, and then stir-fried onion, pepper, and some leftover mushrooms. In order to preserve the nutrients and to avoid too greasy a meal, we didn't cook the veggies too long so they were warm but still crisp. We served it over some from-the-box rice pilaf (also Trader Joe').
It was quite lovely and just as enjoyable (if not more so) than greasy peppers and onions on oversized rolls.
So we pan fried the sausage in some olive oil, and when it was done we removed them from the pan, washed out the oil, and then stir-fried onion, pepper, and some leftover mushrooms. In order to preserve the nutrients and to avoid too greasy a meal, we didn't cook the veggies too long so they were warm but still crisp. We served it over some from-the-box rice pilaf (also Trader Joe').
It was quite lovely and just as enjoyable (if not more so) than greasy peppers and onions on oversized rolls.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)