I really feel for you and all the farmers who have to struggle with unpredictable weather.
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Greeting! Cooking for 2 adults and 1 cat in the Greater Boston area. I am happy to report that we mostly followed last week’s meal plan, falling off the wagon only once to cave into delivery (sushi, earlier than the anticipated Friday. The spaghetti pie became lunches and Friday became a night out at a local steakhouse!). Here’s the plan for this week:
Sun. (3/27) - I discovered some feta that needs to be used up, so it will be the Shrimp and Orzo from Ottolenghi Simple. I think I am going to add some diced up fennel bulb to it as well. If the store is out of fennel, it’ll be green beans or asparagus.
Mon. (3/28)-Tues. (3/29) - Kurobuta pork short ribs cooked following the recipe in the X’ian Famous Foods cookbook, but will adapt for my slow cooker (probably start the base on Sunday). They will need to go for between 9-11 hours on low, so I expect the house will smell amazing when I get home from work! Either bok choy or chard and some rice to go with. Leftovers on Tuesday may get some kind of fusion taco treatment. We’ll see.
Wed. (3/30)-Thurs. (3/1) - Ravioli casserole, loosely following this recipe from Taste of Home. I have mushroom ravioli in the freezer to use up, as well as the Marcella Hazan Tomato and Onion (and butter!) sauce. Will probably just use shredded cheese and leave out the cottage cheese. I don’t think it needs it.
Fri. (4/1) - Taking the day off work to take my mom to appointments. Am requesting pizza delivery for my return.
Sat. (4/2) - TBD
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(post deleted by author)
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Heading into spring break, although I have to be on-campus for a few things on Monday.
For two adults in San Diego:
This week’s breakfasts: Chocolate chip scones, most likely
S: (tonight) takeout - Chicken pot pies
Su: Chile colorado postponed from a few weeks ago, tortillas and guacamole
M: Soup with spinach tortellini, veggie broth, carrots, celery, spinach, green onion - vegetarian
T: French toast, eggs, sausage - been too long since we had breakfast for dinner
W: BBQ chicken thighs, potatoes baked with smoked gouda, spinach, and shallots
Th: Nasi goreng ayam
F: Tacos with shrimp and all the trimmings - seafood
Have a good week!
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Monday sounds good (as does Friday). Is there a recipe for the tortellini soup you can link to?
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Hi everyone
Hope you’re enjoying the weekend — it’s getting hotter and muggier in Mumbai as we approach the summer hell of April and May… silver lining: MANGO SEASON!
There are mangoes or mango-related items at every meal now, as the season is short and everyone is obsessed with maximizing consumption while it lasts 
. So sliced mangoes, mango pulp, mango in anything you can dream it could possibly be added to — it’s there.
And 90% of all discussions everywhere have to do with mangoes as well - pricing (it’s still a luxury item, until the glut in peak summer, but not cheap even then), sources, were they naturally ripened, are they appropriately flavorful or “bland” , and on and on and on. I haven’t come across anything that is approached with quite as much passion as Indian mango season.
Oh, I should specify that in Mumbai and environs, “mango” usually only means Alphonso / Haphoos — the King of all mangoes. It won’t grow anywhere else — in the country or the world, because: terroir and climate (diaspora Indians have tried and tried and tried, because it still cannot be imported into the US). Notoriously finicky too — people read the news with bated breath as the crop reports start rolling in, to prepare themselves mentally if there’s a bad season coming 
.
All other mangoes have their own place, but are considered less-than by those whose frame of reference is the Alphonso (some are for pulp, some for sucking, some for cooking, and the rest because Alphonso season is done and you still want to eat mangoes so what choice is there… or because you didn’t grow up in Alphonso land and don’t know any better…)
Writing up actuals for the past week. We are still working our way through leftovers from the rest of the family visit, woven through a normal menu,
Lunches are usually a balanced Indian vegetarian meal — vegetable, dal or beans, chapati, rice occasionally, and yogurt. Dinners vary significantly. ( Also imagine that I wrote “MANGO” every day, because it was definitely consumed.)
Mon - Can’t remember.
Tues - A rare treat of offal (my WFD report is here).
Wed - Potato chops, one of my top favorites from our family meals — baby goat or lamb chops coated with mashed potato and pan-fried. A bit laborious (labor was mine because everyone else was exhausted) but absolutely delicious. Tomato salad on the side
Thurs - Swedish meatballs (Hej! ikea opened up a downtown store in Mumbai!), truffled mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, sliced tomatoes.
Fri - Kababs and butter chicken (leftover takeout), naan or roomali roti (fresh takeout), homemade paneer bhurji for the vegetarian (the milk suddenly curdled, so fresh paneer!)
Sat - Kheema aloo with fresh Pav (dinner rolls) and rice, beet salad (vegetarian option was leftover paneer bhurji)
Sun - Baby lima bean pulao for lunch (the season for fresh baby lima beans is at an end so we are enjoying our last few meals of them); dinner of leftovers and takeout — potato chops (leftover), tandoori chicken (takeout), chicken farcha (takeout)
I am currently an object of annoyance because I am not consuming my weight in mangoes, even though I haven’t been here for mango season in 25 years.
I will try to do better… 
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LOVE mangos.
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Hi friends, cooking for two adults and an 11yo in the Boston burbs. We had a few days of spring, but winter is coming back tomorrow/Monday. I’m hoping that this is the end of winter and we can empty out the snowblower for storage.
Big news: DS survived play auditions and callbacks! He was cast as “Mall Boy” in the ensemble of one of the two plays, and rehearsals start this week. I’m so proud of him for pushing outside of his comfort zone. It’s going to be interesting seeing how we manage scheduling around his rehearsals, soccer practice (which starts in a couple weeks), boxing lessons, and oh yeah - schoolwork.
My broken toe is healing; doc said no surgery required. The bruising is down to a lovely shade of purple-green and I’m back in sneakers (no boot). I will be in the office on Mon and Tues - getting to meet my new coworkers in person! - which is simultaneously exciting and terrifying. I have to people for several hours at a time… do I remember how to do that??
Sun: DH’s birthday! Homemade pan pizza (SE), salad, and a Boston cream pie for dessert (NYT for the custard and chocolate, Martha Stewart vanilla cake… DS is working on it as we speak). I’m also making the broth and pork for ramen tomorrow.
Mon: pork ramen https://thefoodcharlatan.com/wprm_print/32289 with some modifications - I bought a 7.5 lb pork shoulder so I’m cooking it separately from the broth. I’m also trying dried ramen noodles and will probably not cook them in the broth, so I can just make what we need. Last time the leftover noodles absorbed all the broth so the leftovers were more noodley than soupy.
Tues: IP spaghetti and meatballs (Melissa Clark), green beans
Weds: Chicken shawarma and Greek potatoes
https://www.thechunkychef.com/wprm_print/12888
Thurs: leftovers
Fri: tbd, I’m meeting my old boss for a drink so I might let DH and DS figure it out themselves
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We loved this dish too. I’ve made it several times. My notes say; use two cans of rinsed beans. Cook the shrimp first, remove and add a splash of white wine to reduce.
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OOps This is a response to the Lemon Bean Shrimp dish from the NYTimes website.
Congratulations to DS, happy birthday to DH, and good luck peopling.
I really want a slice of the Boston Cream Pie.
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Actuals for March 21 week, cooking for 2 in Minnesota. Where the year-long excitement of city construction on the corner of our block - tearing down and replacing a fire station - has just begun. We think we’ll have fewer meals outside on the back deck this season, since the non-stop beeping of construction equipment can’t really be called “musical”. Closed windows and louder settings on the stereo speakers is our current coping strategy. However, “techy” husband managed to get an outdoor webcam working and we can watch the construction site from any screen in the house.
Mon - OUT with a friend we’d not seen in person for two years– Husband and I split a seafood platter – salmon with lobster sauce, grilled scallops, breaded shrimp, rice, baked potato, salad, biscuits
Tues - (Schwan’s) breaded hake (white fish), macaroni & cheese, fresh orange slices. (Schwans’s) Key Lime Pie nibbles
Wed - Sushi, Baked potato half with tonnato (tuna) sauce and egg from Ottolenghi Simple https://www.theguardian.com/global/2016/apr/18/easy-ottolenghi-fish-recipes
Thurs - One pan pork chops with apples and onions, using apple cider instead of broth and dried herbs not fresh.
https://www.thechunkychef.com/one-pan-pork-chops-apples-onions/ Recommended in 2018 on WFD by Cerise1. We’ve had several times – half recipe gives us 2 meals
Fri - Oven Italian Beef “my way” shredded for sandwiches. Recipe posted on HO What's For Dinner #79 - the Carly Simon "An-ti-ci-pay-yay-shun" Edition - March 2022 - #670 by MidwesternerTT with fresh apple/orange salad and chips
Sat - Skillet-cooked cod fillet in lemon oil with lemon-pepper. Side of brown rice/black beans/ Rotel casserole. Recipe posted on HO What's For Dinner #79 - the Carly Simon "An-ti-ci-pay-yay-shun" Edition - March 2022 - #702 by MidwesternerTT
Sun (today) - Marinated pork tenderloin, brown rice/black beans/rotel side dish, fresh apple & oranges salad. Dessert pumpkin muffin
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Truman, I met a friend for lunch in a restaurant last week for the first time in two years. I realized I had forgotten how to “people”. It went really well and it was great to meet at a restaurant by the ocean in Swampscott (Mission Bay) with great water views.
So glad the toe is healing and no surgery, and YES to son getting the part and trying out beyond comfort zone, which has now had its boundaries expanded!
It’s so great DS is helping with DH’s birthday, and enjoy that meeting with old boss, too.
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I don’t really use recipes for soup, sorry! In this case, I will brown the veggies first to get a little caramelization, add the broth and seasonings, simmer till the flavors blend, then I pour it over the cooked tortellini to ensure they don’t get overcooked.
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Close enough - thanks!
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This made me so happy to read!
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@truman I missed the broken big toe on your earlier post - ouch! Wish you good recovery!
I was surprised about the boot - I’ve broken a big toe multiple times (as also my little toe, including a few days into packing for my parents’ move last month when it was an obstacle course… but no one knows that happened…), and every time they wouldn’t put a splint or boot or anything.
With the little toe the only thing they said one time (after I pushed) was that I could tape it to the one next to it — not for medical reasons, but so other people could see I was hurt and they would be less likely to step on my foot 
Anyway - careful about other people and I hope it heals soon!
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Hello everyone! Updates from last week: salmon with “bedazzle rice” was good. posted here
@sallyt I made the Bars of Fame on Thursday! I texted my neighbor to ask if she wanted some and she replied “I love getting this kind of text from you”.
Husband’s report on unicycle riding class: “I still haven’t ridden a unicycle but I came a lot closer than ever before.” he will keep practicing.
Last Friday we went out! I really wanted a fried fish sandwich so we went to our local burger type place and sat in the cold, drafty covered porch area.
For this week: We thought it was spring but today is gray and chilly again in STL. Daughter will be at a robotics competition Thu-Sat so may or may not be joining us for dinner.
Sun 3/27: chicken Reuben skillet from Simply Julia with roasted broccoli, extra-crispy by accident, and roasted potatoes
Mon 3/28: asparagus cacio e pepe, I think this is from Dinner Changing the Game. super easy.
Tue 3/29: deferred from last week: perfect poached eggs with spiced chickpeas and smothered pita chips from Cook This Book, green beans
Wed 3/30: mystery freezer soup. there are a few quart jars of unlabeled soup in the freezer that are a few/many years old and I pull one out about every 6 weeks so we can use them up. Either grilled cheese sandwiches or biscuits to go with. roasted cauliflower
Thu 3/31: I am really not sure yet, and it bothers me to not have a plan! Daughter may or may not be home for dinner.
Fri 4/1: takeout or maybe eating in an actual restaurant again. Husband has a credit for a nice dinner from work.
Hope you all have a great and delicious week!
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YAY to eating out and to the bars of fame! Did you like them? A friend made them after I posted on IG and was like, they are SO RICH. They really need to a healthy dose of Maldon sea salt and I think that they taste best like 5-10 minutes after being stored in the fridge.
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