Weekly Menu Planning - April 2024

Cooking Discussions Cooking, Cookbooks, Ingredients
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Happy Monday folks! Cooking for two in the burbs outside of Philly. Weather is supposed to be fairly warm most of the week though there is rain in the forecast for the latter half of the week.

Monday 04/08- Mississippi Pot Roast made in the Instant Pot. Matthew will likely have his as sandwiches (with provolone) while I will have mine with some roasted cauliflower.

Tuesday 04/09- Udon Soup with assorted dumplings and spring rolls from the freezer stash.

Wednesday 04/10- Jambalaya w/ andouille and chicken

Thursday 04/11- Take out or delivery of some sort

Friday 04/12- Breakfast for dinner using leftover ham from Easter.

Saturday 04/13- Arayes; not sure what we will do on the side. Definitely some kind of yogurt-y dipping situation.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

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Sunday: oven roasted lamb souvlaki, salad

Monday, satay-influenced roasted chicken thighs, with curry powder, coriander seed, turmeric, brown sugar and garlic.
Maybe a minimalist gado gado
I have celery root, cauliflower and green beans on hand

Tuesday
Pork rib chops
Käsespätzle
Red cabbage (from a jar, clearing out the fridge!)

Wednesday
English cut beef short rib, maybe Galbi- ish

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Back after a week’s vacation in Florida. Didn’t make much of the plan last time as we were trying to use up everything we could before we left, not buy new groceries.

Here’s how things are looking so far for two adults and a kid in Asheville:

Sunday: spaghetti and frozen meatballs in the slow cooker, garlicky garden spinach

Monday: Cuban sandwiches using prepared carnitas and ham from the freezer, whatever veg I can cobble together (salad/slaw of celery, grapes, walnuts, and apple in mustrardy vinaigrette?)

Tuesday: bibim guksu garnished with HB egg, cucumber, lettuce, kimchi, and radish; crispy battered chicken bites, pickled carrot and radish from previous Vietnamese meals

Wednesday: taquitos enchiladas verdes (loose interpretation of TikTok trending recipe)

Thursday: ham, goat cheese, and asparagus crostada (riffing on the trending NYT tart), salad; kiddo may have spaghetti if there’s still any left over

Friday: hopefully finally going to make Azin Nsonou (Peanut Stew) and Bay leaf-infused fonio

These days may get shifted around but I think this will be the general menu as I only need to buy a few groceries to supplement. Have a nice spring week, everyone!

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Adding one more seasonal meal: lightly smoked seared salmon, feta/Parm Regg pea puree, and sauteed sugar snaps. Some type of starch - likely pasta to appease kiddo.

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This is really nice lightly truffled too (salt or oil) and topped with mushrooms too.

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I meant galette. Always confuse them. I’m so happy with how it looks! :crossed_fingers:t2:it tastes good.

PXL_20240410_202003396.MP
PXL_20240410_202003396.MP3072×4080 1.71 MB

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The freezer and pantry are my best friends this week.

For two adults in San Diego:

Breakfasts: Alright, I haven’t had a chance to bake or go to the store due to traveling for the eclipse, so there will be a few days of frosted raspberry Pop Tarts this week to tide me over. :joy:

S, Su, M: meals out while in Indianapolis.

T: Leftover soup and garlic bread - vegetarian/soup

W: Leftover orange chicken, veggies, and rice

Th: Leftover chicken and bean tostadas

F: Macaroni and cheese with crab and peas

Have a good week and clear skies!

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48

Greetings People:

Chilly weather last week meant not as much asparagus coming in from the garden as I had hoped. I managed to make the tart (yay!), but the tempura feast got pushed back to this week. The sequence of this week’s planned meals is subject to change for the same reason, but here’s what’s on the agenda.

Cooking for two adults in the PNW:

FRI: Asparagus and shrimp tempura. Rice. Dipping sauce.

SAT: Spring herb khachapuri. Salad greens.

SUN: Marcella’s roast chicken with two lemons (first time making it). Pasta salad.

MON: French dip sandwiches on homemade baguette. Leftover pasta salad.

TUE: Roasted asparagus quiche (DOTQ). Pasta or green salad.

WED: Steak on the grill. Grilled potatoes. Sauteed garden spinach.

THUR: A repeat of the Skinnytaste Food-cart Chicken. This one rang all my bells – so tasty. The recipe is going into permanent rotation.

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In the book, Marcella says not to squeeze the pierced lemon after roasting because it might squirt at you. I say pfft, just use tongs and don’t stand right over it. The lemon and pan juices are great on the carved chicken.

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Great tip - thank you!

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51

Hello friends. It is now drizzling and VERY WINDY out. Last Monday’s solar eclipse was spectacular. I did not watch it live since I was not able to score a pair of special eclipse glasses so I settled for watching it broadcast live on tv. I did go up to the roof of my apartment building at one point since there is a small patio up there. I stood back and stayed under the awning to keep my eyes sheltered from the direct sunlight. It got very quiet, very dark and cool out. I noticed a lot of people in the nearby houses/apartment buildings spilling out on the streets and gazing upwards. I hope they had glasses on…

Today: Take out lunch is from a nearby deli. They sell mostly sandwiches however on rare occasion they will have a pasta dish on offer. Today they had beef ravioli available so that’s what I had and it’s very good. Tonight I will have a salad for dinner.

Saturday: I will have the mac 'n cheese that I bought from the pricey butcher a year ago and it keeps getting bumped. So today I face the music and have it for dinner. It’s big enough for two servings so I will have one serving tonight with a salad and leftovers tomorrow night.

Sunday: Off to an art gallery to attend an artist talk. Dinner will be a repeat of yesterday.

Monday: Coconut poached fish with bok choy from NYT, rice on the side.

Tuesday: pork chop, squash, baked potato.

Wednesday: Pancakes leftover from pancake Tuesday last February, salad on the side.

Thursday: Fettucine al pesto, salad on the side.

Have a nice week everyone.

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Hi, all! Cooking for 2 in sunny Chattanooga. Not very inspired this week, but I think it’ll be good anyway :-).

Breakfast: Pineapple-macadamia muffins
Saturday, April 13: Kale and lentil stew from Smitten Kitchen Keepers; grilled or roasted carrots with feta dip from Cook’s Country
Sunday: Ziti with chicken and broccoli, coconut shortbread
Monday: Curried tuna salad on a busy day
Tuesday: scrounge
Wednesday: Pasta with herbed tahini and peas from Family
Thursday-Friday: scrounge/out. Trying to get out more often to discover and support the many good restaurants we have here!
Hope everyone has a good week. Happy cooking!

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Friday: fish tonight. I like the look of this soup.

Waldorf
Green salad
Maybe a spin on Kuku Sabzi to use up the herbs and cooked veg in the fridge.

Saturday: ribeye, scrounge

Sun: roast chicken, sides TBD, freezer scrounge. I might use up some frozen peas in this type of dish https://cucinacaruso.com/artichokes-a-la-polita/

Mon: lamb with rhubarb mint sauce

Tue: tuna cakes

Wed: pork chops with lemon and oregano

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That’s a looker! I will try this soon. Thank you!

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Sure! I’m making it this week for the teachers :smiling_face:

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More about that Monday “curried tuna salad” please?

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Hi, everyone. We had a pretty good week, though I wish it would just warm up already! Everyone’s flowers are so confused.

DS is leaving Monday morning at the crack of dawn for a school-sponsored trip to the Southwest national parks*. He’s sort of excited, but also a bit nervous about spending his whole vacation week with classmates and teachers (40 kids, 4 teachers). They return next Sat AM and we are taking advantage of his absence, sort of… lots of meals he would (or does) hate.

Sun: garlic line steak and rice noodle salad (SK)

Mon: going to watch the Boston Marathon at our friends’ house. Dinner will be buffalo chicken pizza and celery succotash salad (Rachael Ray)

Tues: breakfast for dinner! Pancakes (trying the Chrissy Tiegen mochi pancake boxed mix) and sausage. Maybe some fruit?

Weds: pasta with pesto and white beans, maybe salads

Thurs: DH and I are taking a quick overnight trip to Providence, RI (only an hour away). Not sure about dinner, I found two options (one fancy, one low-key) but it depends on timing as we want to do a ghost tour!

Fri: RISD art museum, food tbd. Home for dinner - Thai takeout

*footnoting for his itinerary: flying to Phoenix. Sedona, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon / rafting trip, more of the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion. Home from Las Vegas.

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Another busy week ahead. Convenience and comfort are the priorities for our meals.

For two adults in San Diego:

Breakfasts: Will likely start off with toasted bread from a favorite bakery.

S: takeout - pepperoni pizza

Su: Huevos rancheros with refried beans and Hatch sauce from freezer - vegetarian

M: Tuna melts with fruit - seafood

T: Italian chopped salad (salami, tomatoes, carrots, cheese, croutons, chickpeas) - salad

W: Salami and spinach pizza w/salad

Th: Pasta with TJ’s pesto chicken, spinach, peas

F: Soup with pesto chicken, veggies, and gnocchi - Soup

Have a good week!

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Hi everyone

I had forgotten how nice it is to have a plan when staring into nothingness or toomuchness of the fridge :joy:

The weather is slowly turning to spring, but there’s still a nip in the air and wind and rain making me want warm things.

Rolling forward a few ideas I didn’t get to last week because of way too much eating out.

Ideas for the week:
– Wonton wrapper lasagna (Marcella-ish bolognese and besciamella already made, just have to assemble but I’m out of parmesan)
– Spicy chicken salad (scallions, sriracha, sesame oil) with homemade garlic mayo, made with Cantonese-style poached chicken
– Curry chicken noodle soup with fresh lemongrass (using the poaching broth)
– Bengali mustard fish + dal + rice
– Pan-fried noodles with mixed mushrooms
– Smoked paprika and garlic seasoned roasted chicken thighs with bread salad
– Miso black cod (freezer) + snow pea salad + rice
– Something Turkish for COTQ – maybe Manti with leftover wonton wrappers, or Kisr and Chicken Adana Kabab, or Tepsi Kabab if I’m feeling really lazy
– Something eggy for DOTQ – Made chawanmushi already, possibly a souffle (this or this

I baked another orange olive oil cake to send for my cousin’s kids because my SIL was in town, which scratched my baking itch.

Wish you all a peaceful and delicious week.

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Cooking for one in Reston, VA

I’ve been kind of winging it the last couple weeks which has resulted in some rather haphazard meals (e.g., peanut butter sandwich before heading to theatre) and some produce that languished in the fridge drawer and got tossed. My CSA bag gets ordered over the weekend and arrives on Thursdays, so I am going to try hard to make my menu plan when I order rather than after it arrives. Asparagus has shown up and it is one of my favorites so it is going to feature in upcoming meals until the season is over and I am sick of it.

Sunday, Apr 14: Out to book club - someone else doing the cooking (Yea!)

Monday, Apr 15: Seared Miso Sesame Shrimp and Asparagus from “Dinner in One”

Tuesday, Apr 16: My weekly walking group in the afternoon so need something easy - Sheet pan roast cabbage and chicken sausage

Wednesday, Apr 17: Trying to make more bean dishes. Kidney Bean Curry from “Made in India”. I haven’t made this one before.
Thurday, Apr 18: Leftover curry

Friday, April 19: Bi-weekly zoom happy hour so need something easy to eat when it ends at 7. Salad and maybe soup from freezer

Saturday, April 20: Streetcart Chicken and Rice from “Smitten Kitchen Every Day”

Sunday, April 21: leftover chicken

Monday, April 22: Warm Farro Salad with Asparagus, Peas, and Feta - https://www.seriouseats.com/farro-salad-asparagus-peas-recipe
Tuesday, April 23: leftovers

Wednesday, April 23: Salmon with horseradish cream

Thursday, April 24: Crunchy Peanut-crusted Tofu with Asparagus from “Dinner in One”

Hope everyone is well and enjoying spring. Our farmers market opens in 2 weeks and I can hardly wait for some good strawberries and sugar snaps. I love spring produce!

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