Thanks so much @LulusMom1 for highlighting the Six Seasons farro with roasted carrots and whipped ricotta side dish. We really enjoyed that beside roasted chicken thighs tonight. My farro was simply cooked in water & salt (no toasting, garlic or bay leaf). I whipped 1/2 C. ricotta with 1 T. olive oil and that was plenty (who could use up 1 1/2 C. within a week??? which is his suggested storage time in fridge.). My finishing stir in of olive oil for the full dish was 2 T, not 1/4 C., and I cut way back on the red onion to just 1/8 of a large one. Topped with crumbled feta cheese. The whipped ricotta spread on the plate before topping it with the farro side dish did add a nice creamy cool down of the bite from the red onion.
Is there much of a flavor difference for you between flat leaf and curly parsley? I did get the flat leaf listed as an ingredient for this recipe, at 2x price per bundle from curly. And I have most of the bundle left over.
Hi everyone, cooking for two adults and a teen in the Boston burbs, where the holiday countdown has begun! I’m ready to be done planning gifts and I’m looking forward to the break.
Last week’s work holiday gathering, the one where we cooked our own dinner, was interesting. I was amused to see everyone’s cooking style - who was a stickler for the recipe, who tasted off the same spoon repeatedly (glad that was a dish I wasn’t eating!), who was extra bossy, and who picked the easy jobs. The food actually turned out pretty tasty and we all got souvenir aprons!
On to the meals…
Sun: pasta, meatballs, and red sauce - based on a Serious Eats recipe (but pork instead of sausage, and less wine), salad on the side
We are out of homemade chicken stock in the freezer! I’ll need to buy a chicken and put my husband to work.
For two adults in San Diego:
Breakfasts: Will start off with a jelly donut! Then I might bake the TJs chocolate croissants, to clear some room in the freezer.
S: (tonight) takeout - green chile burrito
Su: Fish tacos (battered fish from the freezer) - seafood
M: “Grilled cheese soup” - inspired by an Instagram reel, I will add some gruyere to TJ’s roasted red pepper & tomato soup and top with homemade croutons - soup/vegetarian
T: Chicken caesar pizza - Boboli topped with salad dressing, chicken, cheese, and Caesar salad.
W: Purchased savory pies (Thanksgiving filling) before an evening event
Th: Macaroni and cheese, with peas and chicken
F: Chicken and bean tacos, topped with cheese, salsa, and guacamole
Actuals for Dec 11 week, cooking for 2 in MN. Where cookie hand offs to friends allowed for 15-30 minute in person conversations without requiring restaurant reservations or meal-prep/house cleaning by anyone. I am, however, still baking cookies in my dreams - last night it was a “nightmare” of rolling out dough for cut-out sugar cookies. Which I don’t do anymore; fun as a group activity but too much darn work solo.
Mon: Burgers w BBQ sauce, sweet potato puffs, grits, spinach salad
BAKED the last portion of One Dough into Lemon Poppyseed Pillows. Next time, I’ll boil the poppyseeds before baking with that much of them; the unfrosted cookies are bitter, and just-OK when frosted.
Tues: Salmon, cheesy potatoes, broccoli. Cookie hand offs to two households, nice visits.
Wed: Pork chops in tomato/garlic/honey/balsamic sauce, over egg noodles. Bag salad.
Thurs: Seven Layer Russian salad, naan bread, bag salad. From New Midwestern Table cookbook
Cookie plates exchanged with my baking buddy, whose beautifully decorated tasty selection was sampled for dessert.
Fri: Ham & cheese sandwich, wild rice soup (commercial frozen). Cookies hand off to the neighbors who gratifyingly oohed and aahed as they unpacked the small box.
Sat & Sun: Roasted chicken thighs, cold side of farro/apricot/roasted carrots/pistachios w whipped ricotta (from Six Seasons).
We were gifted a HUGE slice of a delicious and impressively tall 3-layer bakery chocolate cake. Sent back via my husband by a friend to whom we gifted a plate of cookies. Net sugar into our house was greater than net sugar out. A fraction of it with vanilla ice cream was a wonderful dessert.
Yeah, interesting is definitely the right word for it. On the one hand, it was interactive and kept us engaged. On the other hand… if I have to go to a work event, I don’t want to do the same chores I would do if I was at home! I missed being waited on!
Seeing your colleagues work on a completely different activity outside of the workplace can be quite revealing! I haven’t experienced it myself except seeing colleagues in someone’s home handling pot luck set up, sharing, and clean up, including a few stashing away leftovers without asking from someone else’s potluck dish when they thought no one was looking…
My husband’s work group from a pharma had a pre pandemic work event at Urban Axes in Somerville. Beer, wine, and food were served after the axe throwing ended. Axe throwing as team building…?
Sounds like the Sunday afternoon team building at the rifle range we were asked to join many years ago. I’d rather do something at the gym, the ice rink or at the lake.
That’s been trendy for a while. If I worked for a non-remote company that still held company events, I would totally be down with axe-throwing. The last fun company party I participated in was a curling party (in Sudbury for GBA folks). Crazy fun. And lots of beer. I want to get my Spring Onion into curling.
Curling is a lot more appealing to me than axe throwing. I grew up in NC and I love ice and snow, and the outdoor ice sports have always been of great interest to me. However, I am extremely orthopedically challenged so throwing sharp heavy things at targets is not safe for me or for anyone around me. Definitely looking for curling opps for our family (husband is from Iowa; experienced ice skating and hockey but not curling) and our son has been parkour training for years now. I think we’d love curling, and the husband, the beer and me, something hot with alcohol.
“Orthopedically challenged” and “something hot with alcohol”. I cherry-picked your paragraph and applied it to fit my place in life. Thanks for making me laugh!!
Hi everyone! Somewhat more organized and ready this week. Lulu has been put in charge of decorating the tree, and she wants to make breakfast and dessert for Christmas, so yay! I’m considering myself done with gift shopping, just have a few things to mail out (I type that as if it won’t be a problem at all). Thanks to Madrid and Christina for the thrush tips. My doctor gave me the mouthwash stuff, and it is almost cleared up. Here is what we ate this week:
Mon: linguine with clam sauce, fennel salad. I used canned clams (I know, I know) and it was so easy. This is one of my very favorite things, and I rarely make it. Why?? Will start doing so.
Tues: roasted sausages and cauliflower with cumin and garlicky yogurt, pita
Wed: one pan chicken piccata with orzo, spinach, peas. (I dream of Dinner).
Thurs: salad with soyrizo, roasted peppers, avocado, beans, and croutons in a sherry vinaigrette. Diana Henry, I think Simple.
Fri: pizza carry out
Sat: Indian carry out
Sun: LLD made salmon, roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted potatoes
Mon: Leftover potato, chickpea and cauliflower korma served over rice.
Tue: Lemony Spinach Chicken Curry served with Rice.
Wed: Leftovers.
Fri: Chicken and Mushroom Pie served with Mashed Potatoes.
Sat: Leftovers.
Sun: We’re supposed to spend Christmas Eve with my partner’s sister’s family but if that falls through for whatever reason, I’ll make a Chicken Paella.
