Our shopping in LA netted us some good finds. I have two pounds of Plugra unsalted butter and a pound of artisan European-style butter, a bag of Demerara sugar, and a pound of whole wheat elbows from Whole Foods. We bought pistachios galore, fresh brats, extra sharp cheddar, and spinach-cheese ravioli at Trader Joes. I see whole wheat mac-and-cheese in my future.
Sunday
It’s a cold gray day (39˚ F, cold for us). With a bowl of grapefruit, oranges, and tangerines, and a slice of cinnamon raisin toast under … er, make that over … my belt, my thoughts turn to dinner. I’ve got an eggplant that needs using, and I’m jonesing for comfort food … and meat.
Aha! Inspiration strikes. In the freezer is a bag of mixed ground beef, ground pork and mild Italian sausage. Meatloaf – just the thing! That with a small Table Queen squash, couple of small baking potatoes, some spinach, and the fine loaf of olive bread I picked up at Trader Joe’s yesterday will be dinner.
For lunch, I’ll get Hubby to make his eggplant gratin. I never get tired of it. (He did make it. And get this – after I finished my lunch, the cat licked my plate! Never knew she liked marinara sauce.)
When we bake meatloaf, we cover a rack with foil, poke holes in the foil, and rest the meatloaf on the rack in a pan. That way any fat cooks out and drains to the bottom of the pan. We also like to top the meatloaf with barbecue sauce. This one we learned years and years ago from friend Gerry, who makes the best meatloaf ever. We generally add some dried minced onion and garlic, salt and pepper, no fillers.
Spinach is simple. Soften chopped shallots in butter or oil. Add spinach, stir and fold, until spinach is soft. Add a little salt and pepper – voila!
Monday
Today is pasta day: the cheese and spinach ravioli from TJ’s and some of our fresh tomato sauce from the freezer, along with fresh shiitake mushrooms. Top with grated parmesan -- delish. For the guys, we grilled a sausage on the side.
Tuesday Dinner with Friends
Tonight is easy. I bought a lovely hunk of chuck roast last week. I’ll brown that and then braise it in red wine. Then I’ll roast onions along with some of the free potatoes and carrots I scored with the roast. I have a great big bag of green beans from Charles Drew that I’ll blanch and finish with a little butter and toasted sliced almonds.
And I think it’s time to make a pecan pie with brother Harry’s beautiful pecans. This Pecan-Fig Pie recipe is one that Hubby made a few years ago for Thanksgiving. That was the year I broke my ankle. Janice took over the scallion crepes and hoison sauce and sides, hubby grilled the ducks and made the pie. Even through pain meds, it was a delightful dinner.
So, three years later, I finally get around to making this pie. And the brandied whipped cream. Ummmm. It’s at least as good as I remembered.
Wednesday
Wednesday is always a bit of a letdown after a hectic Tuesday evening dinner. I started the day by roasting a butternut squash. After it cooled, I made my second batch of Molly O’Neill’s Squash Soup with Cumin. You can’t miss with this recipe, from “the wednesday chef” blog. And check the current post there: Maria Speck’s Artichoke Tart with Polenta Crust. Oh, oh – may have to make!
And there’s another sign of approaching spring – asparagus is in the stores at a reasonable price. I also got some ground lamb, so we’ll have “Slipper Burgers” from Steve Raichlen’s Barbecue! Bible. The lamb is spiced with grated ginger, ground coriander and cumin (I roast seeds and grind my own), minced onion and garlic, and a minced chile. Tonight I’ve got a big fat jalapeño; it will do, although I prefer to use Serrano chiles. I also splurged on a ripe red tomato. I’m making cheeseburgers for Adam, too.
Hubby will grill the asparagus – just snap it, bathe in olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and cook over direct heat. Crispy, savory, delicious.
By the way, have you noticed how huge hamburger buns are these days, even whole wheat ones? I’ve started buying round whole-wheat dinner rolls. They aren’t split, but that’s minor. They sure fit a 4 or 5 ounce burger much better.
Thursday
Yesterday’s soup became today’s lunch, along with leftover burgers. It’s grey and cloudy outside, although not cold. A hearty lunch with hot soup seemed just the thing. And I do love cumin.
Tonight we’ll have Green Shawarma Salmon. I was reminded of this recipe in conversation with Zach, who took us to a Mediterranean restaurant for lunch last Saturday. The chicken shawarma was quite good. This recipe, with all that cilantro, sounds delicious. I’ll only need half the marinade, as my piece of coho salmon is just under a pound.
Along with the salmon, hubby will grill zucchini slices until they are sweet and tender. Salmon, zucchini, asiago cheese bread = dinner.
The strawberry guys are back in town, and I have a half-flat of berries to enliven our morning fruit bowls, or just to eat. They are so sweet – no sugar needed.
Mac & Cheese Friday
Market day in our little town. The citrus guys have tangelos – tart and tasty. Charles has asparagus for $2/bunch and the biggest Butternut squash I’ve ever seen. This one weighs 4 pounds 7 ½ ounces and is bigger than the coffee pot!
Today is mac and cheese day, using this recipe – Beecher’s World’s Best Mac & Cheese. I have whole wheat pasta, cheddar (regrettably not Beecher’s) and gruyere. I’m making a big dish – a whole pound of elbows, 14 ounces of cheddar and 2 ounces of gruyere, plus more for the top. And of course we’ll have grilled asparagus.
So many mac & cheese recipes. Which one next?
Slacker Saturday
Hubby is off working at the latest Habitat house and Adam has gone off with friends to see a movie and do Lancaster. I’m thinking pizza.
But what did Hubby have for lunch at Habitat? You guessed it – pizza. Baked potatoes and guacamole and roast beef sandwiches will have to do.
