Weekly Menu Planning - December 2022

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Turning in grades and mailing off packages tomorrow. Then I shall hide under my weighted blanket until the spring semester starts.

For one or two adults in San Diego:

This week’s breakfasts: Finishing off scones, likely picking up bakery indulgences later in the week.

S: takeout - Chinese food

Su: (tonight) More takeout - pizza, because my husband had a sub-par pizza experience while he was away. Poor dude. :joy: We’ll eat the leftovers for lunch the next few days.

M: Spicy chicken alfredo with spinach, onions and peppers

T: Chicken quesadillas

W: Pumpkin pancakes with chicken breakfast sausage

Th: Chicken in a mustard, shallot, wine sauce over mashed potatoes with peas.

F: TBD - dinner out for my birthday.

Have a good week!

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Happy birthday!

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Oh, Autumm2 - What an eventful week. Glad the fire alarm was a nuisance rather than a loss-of-use situation. Is big kiddo turning teen early? Maybe she heard “or no dinner” when you said “before dinner”?

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Thanks!

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WARNING: LONG POST!

Greetings, People and Happy Holidays!

Our final week of a month of No Meal Plan, starting with the actuals for two adults for last week:

FRI: Roasted sausages. Leftover potato gratin. Sauteed spinach and leeks.

SAT: Red beans and rice.

SUN: Leftover pizza from the freezer. Caesar salad.

MON: Roasted kielbasa. Beans and greens.

TUE: Pork chops. Roasted pumpkin. Green beans. Applesauce.

WED: Clam chowder.

THU: Chicken diavolo. Caesar salad.

Then, starting tomorrow – back to a plan! The break was nice, but I’m happy to return to a routine – it feels much more efficient, is certainly more economical, and provides the foundation for more variety with our food.

FRI: Lemony chicken soup with spinach and orzo (will sub dill for the oregano and thyme).

SAT: We celebrate Christmas at home. Applewood smoked tri-tip on the grill. Cougar Gold mac and cheese. Garden green beans from the freezer. Brandied fruit and fancy chocolates for dessert.

SUN: We celebrate Christmas at my sister’s house. No doubt it will be roast beef, veggies, spuds of some sort, and Caesar salad. Whatever choices there will be for dessert, there will be way too many (in a good and generous way).

MON: Leftover tri-tip. Mac and cheese. Veg TBD.

TUE: Caldo verde.

WED: Roberta’s Bee Sting pizza.

THUR: Fried chicken (by special request for the holidays). Caesar salad.

I’m grateful for this community - seasonal best wishes to all!

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Happy holidays to you too! Your week of meals sound delicious.

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The winter storm that had been predicted all week is finally here. I woke up to rain and lightning (in December!) and the wind is howling around the windows so I am now curled up on the sofa with a mug of tea and am taking refuge in my apartment for the day. Yesterday’s and today’s museum visits have been kaiboshed since yesterday I decided to pick up provisions for the next few days and today I am waiting for the storm to pass. My menu plans for this week for a solo diner in Ottawa, Canada looks like this:

Tonight: Stir-fried udon noodles with scallions and pork.

Saturday: Thai cod green curry using basa fillets since that’s what I have.

Sunday: Merry Christmas! Christmas dinner out with my dinner club.

Monday: Chicken wings in black bean sauce, stirfried veggies with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger.

Tuesday: Off to Homesense and Winners to look for a blanket. I will be tying in a trip to metro (grocery store) for Rachel’s butter tarts (locally made and very addictive) then off to Costco. I will be buying lunch en route so I will have a salad for dinner.

Wednesday: Repeat of last Friday to finish up the last of the ground pork in the freezer.

Thursday: A planned trip to the Canadian Museum of History since it is free after 4:00 on Thursdays. I will get take out for dinner.

Happy holidays everyone!

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Glad to hear you’re safe and cozy and can stay inside all day. Will the rain be turning to snow? Our power was out for most of the morning- not sure what caused it, but the wind is going crazy and bringing very cold air with it. Think I’ll join you in hunkering down.

Saturday and Monday sound especially good to me. Where did you find the wing recipe please?

Merry Christmas!

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Yes the rain will be turning to snow this afternoon. I live in a high-rise apartment and I went downstairs just before lunch and the roads and sidewalks are covered in puddles of water and slush. We have been getting sporadic black outs here too but it’s from the wind. My building hasn’t lost power yet but my neighbour told me he went out earlier to walk his dog and the next street over lost power.

The chicken wing recipe comes from epicurious: www.epicurious.com/chicken-wings-with-black-bean-sauce-237583

I found the curry recipe on the website of a local nutritionist. She was a guest on a morning show awhile ago so when I went to look up the recipe she made I found the curry recipe. I don’t even remember which recipe I was looking for :wink: but the curry is awfully good https://kaynutrition.com/2017/03/thai-cod-green-curry

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Thanks so much for the recipes, and I hope your power stays on!

eta: the epicurious one is giving me a problem, but the curry one works and looks great!

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If you ever look up recipes on epicurious and you don’t have a subscription you van only view a certain number of recipes for free - I think it’s 10 - maybe that’s why?

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I clear the browser and that gets a reset for whatever the allocation is. Kind of a pain to do, but better than paying. Or use a different browser.

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I was annoyed with Epicurious too when I looked up my regular xmas biscotti recipe and got hit up for money. I always felt they should have offered emeritus status to those of is who paid for years of Gourmet and had to settle for Bon Apetit.

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I had an account on epicurious for YEARS, and suddenly I can’t get into the site. I’d have been ok with paying if they’d let me know. Like ginny, I had subscriptions to Gourmet, and then Bon Appetit.

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LLM - I can forward you my daily email from Epicurious offering a subscription. :grinning: If you’re a gmail user those notifications probably went to the “Promotions” tab/folder.

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They probably did. I feel like the site has been getting less and less useful over the years. How much are they asking?

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$30 per year is the fee in my emails

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Last night’s birthday dinner was so many dumplings from Din Tai Fung. Mmm… The rest of the week will have a hard time following that up. We’ve decided to do a snacks week from Christmas to New Year’s. There will be a lot of cheese, but we’ll try to eat in moderation. :joy:

For two adults in San Diego:

This week’s breakfasts: finishing off purchased cinnamon bread loaf as toast.

S: (tonight) TJs chicken and beef tamales, “Christmas”-style. Using up cans of Hatch red and green enchilada sauce. Topped with cheese and guacamole. Easy, tasty dinner.

Su: Breakfast - eggs, sausage, potatoes, toasted cinnamon bread. Dinner - deconstructed chicken cordon bleu (braised chicken breasts, ham, aged Swiss in a creamy sauce), peas, pasta

M: Cured meat and cheese board. A friend gave us a gift card to a local cheese monger, so this should be fun. Will include bread, fruit, nuts, and maybe pickles.

T: Pollo asado fries, to use up leftover chicken and potatoes. Topped with cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.

W: A variety of TJs snacks - veggie samosas? Veggie spring rolls? - vegetarian

Th: My husband has requested beer cheese. Will use this recipe as inspiration: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/beer-cheese-dip/. Bread and apples to dip in it. - vegetarian

F: Spinach and shrimp dip, with bread. - seafood

S: NYE - empanadas from a local eatery, a recent tradition for us.

Su: New Year’s Day - more empanadas because why not start the new year off with tasty, savory, spicy pies.

Have a good week! I hope you have peaceful, restful mid-winter holidays. May the upcoming new year be a good one!

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Actuals for Dec 19 week, thru Christmas Day. Cooking for 2 in MN, where plates of cookies got taken to friends, between snowstorms, blizzard winds and sub-zero (F) cold. Two friends will get their cookies as New Years gifts. Our cards got mailed out Wednesday around lunch time, ahead of the major winds. I’d intended to also bring home take-out for lunch. The road in front of our house looked fine as I headed out, but I quickly realized main roads were snow-packed and ice glazed. I called from my car to announce a change-of-plan for lunch and when I arrived home I found my dear husband had braved the (overpacked) freezer to get out and heat the meal. Santa brought him extra cookies this year. :wink:

Mon: Rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, fresh apples (3 varieties – Ginger Gold, Paula Red, Cosmic Crisp) Fig & ginger jam over cream cheese, with crackers
Tues: French dip: Marinated beef sirloin roast in bun, with beef/onion broth for dip, tater tots, red grapes
Wed: Chicken meatballs marsala with egg noodles, from Smitten Kitchen Every Day cookbook

fresh spinach salad. Note that recipe calls for WAY more noodles than needed. 4 oz. would probably be enough.
Thurs: Salmon, Wild rice & apple in a butternut squash bowl
Fri: Fast 35-minute chicken noodle soup (which was good, but better next-day for lunch), naan bread
Sat: Chili, corn bread in Snowflake pan
Sun/CHRISTMAS: Steak & lobster, spinach souffle, mushrooms, baked potato, fresh pear
BAKED / griddled a full batch of Krumkake (added cardamom to half)

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Cooking for 1 at the Jersey Shore

Tuesday: buttermilk-brined boneless skinless chicken breast (roasted), box stuffing, steamed green beans
Wednesday: Green spaghetti from the newest Smitten Kitchen cookbook (Smitten Kitchen Keepers)
Thursday: bolognese from the freezer over penne
Friday: marinated pork chop, baked potato, roasted carrots with thyme
Saturday: mojitos hehehehe
Sunday: homemade meatballs from the freezer (red sauce is my hangover cure) over penne
Monday: tacos with creamy zucchini, corn, and poblano rajas in flour tortillas

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