Cooking for two adults and a tween in the Boston burbs. I ran out of planning energy mix-week…
Sun: baby back ribs, cornbread, cherry tomatoes
Mon: burgers and brats on the grill, German potato salad, zucchini
Tues: stuffed peppers (NYT), carrot sticks
Weds: leftover ribs, sides tbd
Thurs: probably tuna nicoise pasta (old Cooking Light recipe)
Fri: tbd
Looks good to me. As I’ve said before, my plans get changed often enough to look like football-play diagrams. Those tbd nights always seem to eventually have something jotted in a couple of days ahead of time. (Who knows, maybe a 3rd night of ribs…)
Sun: At grandaughter’s for July 4th celebration.
Mon: Actuallly had a Hamburger with Bacon, Mushrooms, & Swiss Cheese and All Fixings, Whole Sour Pickled, French Fries
Tue: Ate remaining 1/2 hamburger, Sour Pickle, French fries
Wed: Bacon that was left over, Soft Fried Eggs, Hash Browns, Toasted English Muffin
Thu: Jambalaya with Smoked Sausage, Green Salad, Hot Rolls
Fri: Catfish Nuggets, Collard Greens, Southwest Corn, Cornbread
Sat: Pizza, Green Salad with Italian Dressing
Hey there everyone From the muggy Twin Cities of MN where the new AC is working overtime- and soooo much quieter than the old one- and more energy efficient as well! I haven’t posted for awhile as June was all over the place- both life and menu planning both highs (camping! swim lessons! Skating! CSA starting!) and lows (Contractor/designer for reno is on leave and nobody told us, BIL announced we are not part of the family anymore cause we didn’t show up to events we weren’t invited to?) Getting into the summer routine and managing activities which are of course right over the dinner hour. But July is starting off on a much better foot so all is good!
Actuals and Plans for 2 adults and 2 growing girls!
Fri 1: Car picnic on the way to my parents
Sat 2: Met up with friends I haven’t seen in forever. So good. My mom grilled brats, pasta salad
Sun 3: Back home. Low cooking mojo and empty fridge: Omelettes and avocado toast
Mon 4: Grilled green harissa chicken, sautéed bok choy (CSA), steamed pea pods (CSA) Austrian style potato salad - serious eats. No swimming lessons thanks to the 4th!
TUes 5: Skating! Freestyle of a “beans and greens” using lentils and kale (CSA) cooked stovetop and simmered in crockpot. it was okay- a little salty but big kiddo asked for a lime wedge and that helped a lot!
Weds 6: Tonight! Was going to grill steak with pea pods (CSA) leftover potato salad, and green salad (CSA) but Mr Autumm has a consulting “emergency” he needs to go into the office for- the lab’s entire server crashed and the on-call tech company can’t come out till Monday. . . so might be improvising depending on how things time out
Thurs 7: More skating! Probably leftovers
Fri 8: Freezer dive and more veggies!
Take care everyone!
Highs and lows indeed! Hope July continues to be better.
Hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend.
After eating out most of last week, I hunkered down for the weekend trying to get going on long-delayed organization and clean-up before I have family to stay in a couple of weeks.
Some cooking to go along, and break up the procrastination followed by spurts of work 
Mix of actuals and plan:
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Fri - Unfortunately named but delicious Umami Noodles alongside steamed ginger-soy yellowtail. Really good on both counts.
Sat - Mustard-green chilli salmon, dal, and rice.
Sun - Char siu pork with egg and scallion fried rice. Had a big mug of cauliflower soup earlier.
Mon - I probably need to get out of the house after a weekend of being a hermit, so maybe I’ll get drinks and a bite somewhere with a friend. Otherwise one of the meals planned for later.
Tues - Planned Hoppin John somehow turned into Biryani.
Wed - Leftovers of steamed yellowtail with ginger and soy, basmati+quinoa, added sautéed bok choy.
Thurs - Delivery - Thai green currry chicken (love this version because they load it with mushrooms too, and the curry paste is very fresh).
Fri - Probably out to meet a friend, otherwise leftovers or something easy from the freezer. (I need to finish the fish fingers and chicken fingers and random other junk I seem to have collected!)
Weekend - TBD but maybe I’ll finally get to the ground turkey ideas for the package I froze (two or three from: kheema, shepherds pie, larb, merguez, korean patties, kababs).
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I also baked after ages because I was craving something sweet - orange olive oil cake. Eating my way through it now!
This is what happens when you write up a plan and then forget to post…
Mon was the Black-eyed pea Biryani, Tues was leftovers.
I see you’ve got a few ideas for your ground turkey, but let me toss in this one that “made the rounds” over on ChowHound 6 years ago and quickly became an “add to the rotation” meal for many of us, using ground turkey in place of ground pork. I make a half recipe of the meatballs using 1 pound of turkey, with a full recipe of the broth (everybody wanted extra broth – it’s that good).
These ginger meatballs in coconut broth from Food and Wine are outstanding.
Thank you @MidwesternerTT - I remember this well, but never got around to making it. Thanks for the reminder and the link!
Hi, all! Cooking for 2-4 back in Chattanooga! We had a lovely time working/vacationing in Europe in May and June and are now getting back to our regular routine. I am very excited to be back in my kitchen for sure! A few actuals and plans:
Last weekend, back in France, at the in-laws’ house without them there, I made a few meals:
Grilled Dijon salmon with a tomato/cucumber salad and fresh fruit with crème fraîche
Grilled pork tenderloin with leftovers from the day before
Wednesday, July 6: Zucchini pasta
Thursday: Shrimp and broccoli stir-fry from Cook’s Illustrated
Friday (today): Tomato and ricotta tart, salad with peaches and grilled onions, birthday cake! Kids came out as a surprise, and it’s so delightful!
Saturday: I was going to make the Chicken Meatballs with Molokieh from Falastin, but need to figure out a veggie alternative for DD, maybe Beyond Burger?
Sunday: Eggplant sandwiches from Cook’s Country and chocolate Floating Islands
Monday: TBD
Tuesday: Marinated peppers with fresh corn polenta
Wednesday: Roast Berbere vegetables with chickpeas
Thursday-Friday: Sulk and scrounge after daughters leave
Have a great week, and happy cooking!
Hi everyone! Rounding into the end of week 2 of summer break from school. BF is back from his Texas business trip and the contractors still have not quite managed to finish everything in the scope of work for the master bathroom 
On the upside, I have managed to get some house tidying done and took a two hour video conference with my building principal today about odds and ends. I also got some financial stuff (bill payments and health care stuff) sorted out for my mom, so all and all it’s been a pretty productive week. I even managed to use the exercise bike a few times!
Here are the actuals for 2 adults and 1 cat located just outside of Boston:
Fri. (7/1) - Platter of munchies in front of the TV to celebrate BF’s return: burrata, tomato, basil, hot pickled cherry peppers, salami, rosemary bread
Sat. (7/2) - Acapulco style shrimp cocktail with tortilla chips (more grazing in front of the TV)
Sun. (7/3) - Pimiento cheese and crackers (we’re developing a theme here)
Mon. (7/4) - Nueske’s cheddar bratwursts on rolls with onions and hot cherry peppers
Tues. (7/5) - Wed. (7/6) - The brats came in a package of 5 so the leftover one got cut up and added to a quarter batch of Chrissy Teigen’s mac and cheese with garlic cheese breadcrumbs. Oh how I love this recipe! Despite it being a quarter batch, there were definitely more than 2 servings, so the meal was repeated Wednesday. I also made a batch of collard greens that I braised with confit duck legs from the freezer and a couple toasted morita chiles. For an improvised dish, I was really pleased with it and will make it again at some point (after I confit some more duck!).
Thurs. (7/7) - Tried another recipe from At Home In The Kitchen by David Kinch, Trout with Fennel and Grapefruit. BF was dubious but was trusting based on the savory success of the previously made strawberry chutney. This one pan meal was a success as well, the grapefruit, fennel, and thyme turning into a kind of relish that complimented the fish nicely. We had it with angel hair pasta that I tossed with grapefruit zest, Calabrian chiles, and fennel fronds (and olive oil!).
Fri. (7/8) - Here is where the week begins to run into a kink. The contractor said that his staff would be coming by on Saturday to finish up. Well, one of them just showed up to deal with some repairs that were on the punch list. It involves kitchen access. No idea how long he will be here. Sigh. So, what is planned is Twice-Cooked Pork With Leeks And Peppers from The Woks of Life. Whether it will actually happen or become a delivery night remains to be seen.
I wish you all a week of happy cooking!
They actually make formed meatballs that we used all the time.
Love fresh corn polenta! (Not ottolenghi’s version - there’s an Indian breakfast dish that almost exactly the same. But I’m going to try un-spicing it one of these days as a side.)
So sorry to hear about all the trouble you’ve been having with your contractor. You are very patient. Your menus look delicious.
Good luck with completion of the project!
Do you make your pimiento cheese? (I’ve only seen pub cheese at the store - it’s good, but not as good.)
Thanks! I am trying to keep in perspective that having four small things on a punch list, while seemingly something they should be able to bang out quickly to bring this to a conclusion, in reality is four small things they have to schedule in and around whatever larger projects they are also working on. We’ll get there. The shower and toilet have been usable and have been delightful! I am looking forward to the rest of it! Cooking has been a great stress reliever too 
Thanks! I generally do make my own, although I improvise a lot. This is what I used this time (roughly):
8oz pkg of cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sour cream
1/4 c. mayo
1/2 T. Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb seasoning (this is mostly dehydrated, flaked onion with some spices, no salt)
a splash of pickled jalapeno brine
1 large jarred roasted red pepper (happened to have some in the fridge), medium diced
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar
1 package of chives, minced (not sure how big those plastic clamshells are, maybe 2/3 to 1 oz.?)
salt and pepper to taste (it didn’t need much, if any salt)
Mix the first 5 ingredients until well combined. Fold the cheese, peppers, and chives in. Add a little more jalapeno (or other pickle) brine to loosen if you think it needs it. Check to see if it needs salt and/or pepper. Let sit in fridge for about an hour to meld. Serve with crackers and crudites. This made about 4 cups of pimiento cheese.
Greetings, People.
Took a few days off for a road trip to the the mountains last week. Back now, relaxed and refreshed, and playing catch-up in home and garden.
Cooking for two adults in the PNW:
FRI: Pan-roasted, fresh sockeye salmon. Farm stand corn on the cob. The last of a pasta salad.
SAT: Pushed from last week, the Budget Bytes cabbage stir fry – will use ground chicken for the protein, and cabbage, carrots and scallions from the garden.
SUN: A repeat of the salmon (it’s on sale!). Cucumber salad.
MON: Bacon, gruyere and herb quiche. Garden salad.
TUE: Beef kebabs with mushrooms, tomatoes, and peppers. Rice or couscous.
WED: My one creative cooking project this week: sweet cherry vareniki.
Thank you! I will report back when I make it!
I also need to make a copycat of Stonewall Kitchen’s Jalapeño Artichoke dip, which is ridiculously good if you haven’t tried it yet!
Awesome!
The Jalapeño Artichoke dip is on my list of things to make. I’ve got all summer!
Update - the contractors have left for the day (but will be back tomorrow for painting things! Fun!). I am functioning on 2 Kind breakfast bars, so I am compromising with myself by braising the pork belly today so that it will be cooled and ready to slice when I do make the dish (at this point, Sunday). Am consoling myself tonight with spicy wonton dumplings, pork and vegetable gyoza, copious amounts of chili oil, and a couple bottles of Vermentino.
