This is so true. And lbs of radishes!
5 Likes
Greetings, People.
Enjoying while it lasts the glut of late summer produce: green beans, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, tomatoes, peaches, and plums. In our garden I picked the first apples this week and rolled over the largest pumpkin, a harbinger of things to come (fall is just around the corner).
Cooking for two adults in the PNW:
FRI: NYT’s skillet meatballs with peaches, basil and lime. Roasted green beans.
SAT: Homemade potstickers. ATK’s Sichuan green bean stir fry. Steamed rice.
SUN: Woks of Life green bean chicken stir-fry.
MON: Pan-fried salmon. Coleslaw with carrot ginger dressing.
TUE: Thomas Keller’s quiche. Green salad.
WED: Zucchini pizza with fresh garden tomatoes.
THUR: NYT’s olive-oil baked salmon. Peach and blue-cheese salad.
12 Likes
Pardon the interruption, but I’ve started a new topic asking about the rhyme or reason behind your dinner menus: Do you have a rotating set dinner menu/framework?
3 Likes
Hello everyone and happy Friday. The weather has been gloomy all week and it has been raining off and on most days. Things could be worse. The city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories is on fire right now and the residents were given until noon today to evacuate. Apparently two thirds of northern Canada is on fire right now. It makes me feel grateful for what I have. There’s nothing much to report this week other than the fact that the property management company that owns our office building had a tenant appreciation bbq last Wednesday. They used to have one every year then COVID happened so this is the first time since 2019 they’ve had a bbq. They had a good turnout so much so that when I went down with two colleagues there was nowhere to sit outside since all the seating area was taken up but we managed to score the last table in the food court. The sausage I had was very good and it was nice having some social time with my colleagues instead of focusing on work all the time. Onto my menu for this week for a singleton in Ottawa, Canada:
Today: take out was sushi from Farm Boy. Farm Boy is a grocery store chain in Ontario and they have a take-out section with hot and cold buffet bars, pizzas, sandwiches, etc. They also have some really good sushi so I got one which included a summer roll and some California rolls. Tonight’s dinner will be the usual salad.
Saturday: Korean short rib and chow mein.
Sunday: Basa fillet and rice pilaf from the Seductions of Rice cookbook.
Monday: Fried cabbage and noodles using up the last little bit of cabbage I found in the fridge.
Tuesday: Chicken salad with potatoes and beans
Wednesday: Out with my dinner club for the first time in months. They usually have a couple of regularly scheduled meetups a couple of times a month but I’ve been too cash poor to afford dinners out this spring. I now have some disposable income so off I go.
Thursday: Campanelle pasta with sweet corn, tomato and basil.
Have a nice week everyone and I hope you are all surviving the heat/flooding/smoke.
12 Likes
All meals assume we have power to cook. Otherwise, the plan involves peanut butter sandwiches and apples.
For two adults in San Diego:
This week’s breakfasts: Chocolate chip scones. Already baked.
S: (tonight) takeout - Chile verde burrito
Su: Boboli topped with ham, spinach and Boursin cheese. Salad on the side.
M: Pasta with pink sauce, Italian sausage, spinach, and parmesan
T: Ramen with assorted veggies (carrots, spinach, cabbage, green onions) and soft boiled egg - vegetarian - postponed from last week
W: Eggs scrambled with ham, spinach, and cheese, served with hash browns
Th: Tuna melts on English muffins, served with fruit - seafood
F: Chicken and esquites on a bed of greens, chipotle ranch dressing - salad
Have a good week!
12 Likes
Actuals for Aug 14 week, cooking for 2 in MN. Where tuna melts got made and happily enjoyed. I learned Friday at a followup that when I heard “walking is good” at my first knee appointment two weeks ago, they didn’t mean hour(s) of walking. Scaling back the recreational walking to 5 minutes, gradually increasing to 7 minutes and on up should give improved results, along with the assigned leg exercises. I managed to get in some baking this week, despite the achy knee.
Mon: Chimichanga, peaches, red grapes
Tues: BAKED cottage cheese biscuits from Baking with Dorie, Lunch- (from freezer) Chicken hot dish, added broth for soup, crackers, Chick Fil A salad. Chocolate cake and ice cream. Dinner - Caprese chicken panini (idea from my baking buddy who made these last week) - tomato/basil/fresh Mozzarella cheese with rotisserie chicken and balsamic grilled in Foreman sandwich press, red grapes, lemon zucchini cake w/ whipped cream
Wed: Ricotta meatballs on hoagie rolls (meatball recipe recommended by H O poster mig as her favorite) served with green salad, red grapes. Ambitiously also prepped & froze farro. And mixed/bagged dry ingredients for flour mill waffle mix.
Thurs: John Wayne casserole (made with homemade taco seasoning, homemade Bisquick equivalent and homemade chive onion cheese) Sides of sliced avocado, chopped cucumber, small tomatoes, caprese salad
Fri: BAKED – lemon ricotta cake Dinner - Reheat John Wayne casserole
Sat: Lunch - open face tuna melts on French bread, sliced fresh orange
Dinner- Corn on the cob, oriental coleslaw (shredded cabbage, uncooked Ramen noodles, almonds, sesame seed, topped with rotisserie chicken, sweet vinaigrette dressing)
Sun: (today) - Leftovers, fresh peaches. Dinner will be OUT at an outdoor car show event with friends. We’re not “into” cars the way they are, but it’s always a fun summer event.
11 Likes
Caprese chicken panini…
Yum!
2 Likes
Ah yes, the post-knee-repair desire to get moving… been there, overdone that. Take it easy!
Your chicken panini reminds me of a sandwich I had at a restaurant years ago: sliced chicken, Granny Smith apple, and cheddar, with apricot preserves brushed on the bread.
5 Likes
Hello! Cooking for 2 back in Chattanooga after a lovely (but hot!) week visiting the girls in California. We ate a lot of nice meals out, but I got to do a little cooking as well, including a big batch of apricot jam from apricots the girls had bought in June and frozen for the occasion 
Actuals from last week and plans for the coming week:
Saturday, August 11: Went to 2 farmers markets and then made corn and sesame fritters (needed some flour/cornstarch to hold together better), sautéed grated zucchini, ice cream pie
Sunday: Tofu curry (I would season the tofu before pressing) and tomato and corn salad after wine tasting
Monday: Out to celebrate daughter’s and BF’s domestic partnership (!)
Tuesday: Spinach and ricotta pie from Moosewood and then ice cream out
Wednesday: Dinner at the Ferry building in SF
Thursday: Burgers from the old-school joint near my dad’s house
Friday: Out for Dad’s birthday dinner
Saturday: Sandwich in the plane
Sunday (today): IP short ribs with fennel and pickled grapes, roasted potatoes
Monday: Pasta salad with odd bits from the fridge and pantry
Tuesday: Pizza and trivia, if DH isn’t too wiped out from first day of classes
Wednesday: White bean polenta bowl
Thursday/Friday: TBD. I have some gnocchi in the freezer that I might haul out and serve with homemade tomato sauce, since it is the season…
Stay safe, Southern California friends! Have a good week and happy cooking!
11 Likes
This sounds great - any recollection as to what type of bread?
It’s been a while but my gut instinct is saying challah or brioche…
1 Like
Thanks!
Hi everyone! Last week was mostly just me and Lulu, and I didn’t take much advantage of Madrid’s blank check on doing carry out. But we had fun with our beans, watching Gossip Girl together over our dinners, so it is all good. OttawaOperaDiva, LLD had a couple really good bike rides: one along the river, and one in Gateneau (sp?) park, and he had a fun sounding dinner at a Peruvian place. I’m excited about my upcoming trip. They’re calling for rain for a week starting the day I get there. Unlikely to be raining the whole time, and even if it is I will find a cozy spot to read my book and eat chocolate and fondue! Here is what we ate, and my plans for the next two nights:
Sun: kidney bean curry (Made in India), basmati, cucumber raita
Mon: capellini with raw tomatoes, capers, and a splash of sherry vinegar. Lulu sold on this one, which is wonderful since I love it so much.
Tues: soyrizo, avocado, roasted pepper, bean salad (Diana Henry’s Simple, but she uses chorizo, of course). Delicious.
Wed: dinner out at a fancy sushi place in Durham
Thurs: black bean tacos with feta and cabbage
Fri: picked LLD up at airport and we brought home pizza
Sat: L at an overnight school thing, so we had date night at a local steakhouse. The duck was fantastic.
Sun: LLD cooked: grilled swordfish, naan, salad
Mon: cod and corn with Old Bay butter, NYT recipe, trying for first time. I have high hopes
Tues: farfalle with blue cheese and baby spinach, salad
Hope everyone is well, and getting ready for all the Fall things to happen. I love this time of year. Have a great week!
16 Likes
Fri: salmon cakes and tomato pie
Sat: Steak for some, me, I had a take-out ebi sando and then a takeout Taiwanese chicken salad. Then toast 
Sun (yesterday) take-out dark meat fried chicken, potatoes, coleslaw, corn , baked beans from a can, bakery bought plum tart
Mon: freekeh stuffed tomatoes,farçous (French Swiss chard fritters), from frozen Dutch beef frikadeller, Waldorf
Tue: shrimp not sure how yet, maybe a pasta
Wed: roast pork- maybe porchetta- inspired
Thu: probably more roast pork
Fri: some sort of fish Niçoise
15 Likes
Glad to hear LLD was able to squeeze in some cycling. Ottawa is a nice spot for it! Hmm Peruvian restaurant in Gatineau. The only one I know is Le Petit Peru since I worked in Gatineau last year and it was near the office.
Book+chocolate+fondue sounds like a lovely vacation!
4 Likes
Mazel tov!
4 Likes
Not sure the Peruvian place was in Gatineau, will try to get the name.
I’m very happy with my rain plan!
3 Likes
If you’ve the inclination, toasting the crumbled noodles, almonds, and sesame seeds - either in a dry skillet or with butter/oil - really adds another dimension of flavor. (Once they’re nutty smelling, remove from the skillet, else they go to scorched insanely fast.)
6 Likes
The sliced almonds get toasted. I’ll try also toasting the ramen noodles and the sesame seeds next time.
Seems like this favorite summer salad only gets made about once a year now; it used to get made at least 5 times per summer when we still had potlucks in our social life and this was my bring-to dish. Those larger club/group potluck gatherings have faded away.
5 Likes
One of my favorite pot luck salads too. My mom started making it, with poached chicken, around 1980 after a recipe appeared in the LA Times. Still as good as ever though I make it without chicken and with shredded carrots, jalapeno, and cilantro. In fact…pulling out a package of ramen noodles for tonight…
3 Likes
