Weekly Menu Planning - April 2024

Cooking Discussions Cooking, Cookbooks, Ingredients
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Let’s use this thread to share concise weekly dinner menus for each week in April. It’s helpful if you can include your location and how many people you are feeding. Links to recipes are always appreciated, and sources help. We all know plans can change, so it’s fine (practically expected) when your week gets rearranged from your posted plan. You may choose to report actuals for the prior week to share ideas with others.

I’ve said yes to (a few too many) volunteer commitments for April and looking at the calendar I’ll be spending 1-2 days weekly “back at work”, rotating among 3 different organizations. This could be the month to pull out my slow cooker soup recipes and specialty sandwiches cookbooks for suppertime inspiration.

The March discussion is still available for reporting the last week and follow-ups.

Reminder – Keep your comments menu / food related. And in the interest of faster viewing times, please use the knife&fork under a comment to indicate you liked it or want to echo what was said by another, rather than posting a separate comment.

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Greetings, People.

Checking in from the “no news is good news” department. Cooking for two adults in the PNW:

FRI: Red-sauce pizza (trying a new crust recipe – the ATK version). Salad greens.

SAT: Fish chowder. Leftover focaccia from the freezer. Salad greens.

SUN: ATK’s red beans and rice, with andouille and green peppers.

MON: Turkish chicken kebabs on the grill. Couscous. Sauteed spinach with lemon.

TUE: DH preparing a boneless leg of lamb on the gas-grill-rotisserie-gizmo. My part consists of the sides: homemade pita, chopped Greek salad, raita, and hummus.

WED: Bon Appetit’s pork and asparagus stir-fry. Steamed rice.

THUR: Leftover lamb and accoutrements.

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Sounds like a delicious week! What are you harvesting from your garden right now? Still have patches of snow on the ground here…

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Thank you!

We’re getting spinach and asparagus right now, but only sporadically. I had hoped to focus more on both of those this week, but it’s been chilly and growth has been slow.

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Hello everyone spring is “almost” here and I am so looking forward to putting away the woolies for the next few months. We’ve had a mild winter so I really shouldn’t complain but I am getting tired of putting on my winter gear every time I step outside…

This week has been a quiet one. Brunch last Sunday was lovely but it cost a little more than I had anticipated so I passed on the dinner and movie I had planned on Monday night. Besides, staying home one night isn’t going to kill me! :slight_smile: Easter weekend is upon us and I get tomorrow and Monday off! I will kick off the weekend with a dinner out tonight. One of our downtown restaurants has a burger special on Thursday nights (all burger platters are $10) so one of my meetup organizers made reservations for our group for tonight. We’ve been once before a couple of months ago and the burgers are very good. Also the price is reasonable and I just got paid yesterday so off I go. Onto my menus for this week from tomorrow to next Thursday:

Tomorrow: Take-out-the-summer-clothes day. I don’t care if I get frostbite I am taking my summer clothes out anyway just watch me! Linguine with zucchini and mint for dinner, spring mix on the side.

Saturday: Off to the pricey butcher to pick up Easter dinner then off to the deli down the street to get cheesecake with raisins (my new favourite dessert). Dinner tonight will be coconut poached fish with bok choy from NYT, rice on the side.

Sunday: Daytime activities will involve an afternoon walk if it’s nice out or a gallery visit or an afternoon of reading a book if the weather is not nice. Sometimes the best plans are no plans! :slight_smile: Tonight’s Easter dinner includes ham, scalloped potatoes, and two other sides. The butcher has already taken the menu down from their website most likely because they are sold out but it would be nice knowing what else I am getting. I think green beans are involved…

Monday: Off to the National Gallery of Canada to see the Riopelle exhibition (Canadian abstract painter). Masoor dal for dinner.

Tuesday: Back to work. Pork chop, squash, baked potato. I have squash and potatoes I baked then froze at the end of CSA season and they are the last of last year’s veggies to finish up. Only two more months until my CSA starts!

Wednesday: Ginger bok choy soup with noodles.

Thursday: I’m off to a film society screening tonight so I will have dinner on my way to the movie theatre.

Happy Easter everyone!

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I heard reports on how crazy cold it’s been in Quebec City, and worried that it might be equally cold for you. Sounds like maybe not so bad. Agree with you about no plan days, although I always seem to have a full road map for mine.

Hope it’s a wonderful long weekend for you.

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Our temperatures have been just above freezing (low 30s Fahrenheit) so it’s not that bad. I guess I’m just getting tired of winter :slight_smile: My weekends tend to be a full road map too but I will periodically put on the brakes and pencil in some rest time. It’s a little easier for me to do since I don’t have to take into consideration the needs of others.

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Hi, all! Cooking for 2 in sunny Chattanooga. We’re going out for dinner tonight for a change, but here are the rest of the meal plans as they stand now:
Breakfast: Hawaiian rolls, an ATK recipe. Every recipe I see online has its share of negative comments, so I hope this works out…
Saturday, March 30: Roast chicken with potatoes and olives; salad with romesco dressing
Sunday: Making muffin-tin frittatas with mushrooms and potatoes for choir brunch and then a meal of ham steak, primavera rice salad, and chocolate puddle cakes.
Monday/Tuesday: Leftovers and/or out
Wednesday: Souzutkakia (Greek meatballs), rice, cauliflower
Thursday/Friday: TBD
Happy Easter to those who celebrate, and happy long weekend to those who get one! Happy cooking to everyone :slight_smile:

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Worked almost every day of Spring Break, sadly. Did manage to get some rest, though. Headed back to work this week, counting down till the end of the semester.

For two adults in San Diego:

Breakfasts: I’ve really lost my baking energy. :frowning: Maybe I’ll pull some TJ’s frozen chocolate croissants from the freezer.

S: (tonight) takeout - Pizza

Su: Loaded baked potatoes with salad.

M: Flatbread topped with bacon, spinach, Boursin, tomatoes, with salad.

T: Lentil soup - vegetarian/soup

W: Leftovers from the freezer before an evening event.

Th: Curry shrimp and veggies over rice - seafood

F: Dinner in an airport, most likely. Starting our eclipse chase.

Have a good week and clear skies!

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Sorry Spring Break was filled with work, and good luck with the eclipse. We saw the 2017 one, and it was amazing.

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Hope you bake those chocolate croissants. They are a wonderful treat.

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Hi, everyone. Spring seems to have come to the Boston burbs! We spent the weekend celebrating DH’s birthday and are now heading back to real life.

Sun: ham, twice-baked potatoes, green beans. The ham was surprisingly fatty/gristly and I’m not excited about using it up.

Mon: lazy spinach and ricotta lasagna (NYT)

Tues: I’m supposed to meet a former coworker after work for drinks/early dinner. Guys are going to be told to make panini with the leftover ham and mozzarella, veggies tbd. We’ll see if any of that happens.

Weds: chicken ramen and some gf potstickers from the freezer

Thurs: cheese/chorizo quesadillas, black bean soup (not sure what recipe but will be quick and simple). This is basically grilled cheese and tomato soup!

Fri: leftover buffet

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The 2017 one happened on the first day of classes, so the full time faculty (including me) stayed and did partial eclipse viewings with the college and community, and we substituted for our part-time faculty who all went to totality. (I teach astronomy and physics.) I’ve never been in totality, so fingers crossed here!

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Monday:
Crab and ricotta pasta, I think! Maybe this one https://www.canadianliving.com/food/lunch-and-dinner/recipe/crab-pea-and-ricotta-spaghetti
Roasted kabocha squash
Maroulosalata

Apple salad , basically sour cream Waldorf without the celery!

Tuesday:
Roast chicken
Potatoes
Eggplant parm

I’m not planning beyond 2 or 3 days right now!

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Greetings, people.

Into the brightness of spring. The daffodils have died back, but the pear and cherry trees are in full bloom. In the veggie garden, spring seedlings are thriving: spinach, carrots, cabbage, asparagus, romaine, kale, potatoes, onions, leeks, peas, and carrots. Around the perimeter, apples, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and huckleberries are finding their way. I find the renewal of spring a time for reflection. I’ll turn 65 this summer. We’re down to one cat. Life goes on.

Cooking for two adults in the PNW:

FRI: NYT’s asparagus tart (gift link here). I’ve never made this popular dish (not yet inspired to make puff pastry from scratch), but finally found all-butter puff pastry at our local co-op. Looking forward to it. Will serve with a green salad.

SAT: Yet another recipe off my bucket list: Serious Eats mushroom and spinach lasagna. Using ricotta instead of cottage cheese, will make a half-recipe and assume it will last two meals. Green salad on the side.

SUN: Skinnytaste’s Halal cart style chicken (will do kebabs), with homemade pita, chopped salad, and white sauce

MON: Last-season’s tomato-basil sauce from the freezer over pasta. Roasted Italian sausages. Lotsa parm over everything. Green salad.

TUE: DH’s making his asparagus and shrimp tempura. Most likely to include some battered carrots and onions. Yum.

WED: Leftover veggie lasagna. Salad greens.

THUR: Homemade pelmeni with ground pork, caramelized shallots, and fresh sage. On the side, roasted carrots and some of the last of last-year’s baby garden peas from the freezer. Hope to make a few extra dumplings for the freezer.

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It all sounds delicious. We love that asparagus tart and I love tempura but I’m not confident enough to fry at home.

Very envious of your garden. Here in Boston we had a very mild winter and almost no snow, but our growing season is so very far behind yours. It actually snowed some here last night but didn’t stick because it’s not cold enough.

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Another thumbs up for that asparagus tart recipe. Hoping to make it the moment I start seeing asparagus in the stores.

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I’m excited about it. I remember you posting about it, and I’ve been wanting to make it for several years.

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Accidentally deleted my own post? It just reiterated how much I,m looking forward to making this recipe. :blush:

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You can un-delete it in a bit.

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