Weekly Menu Planning - January 2023

Cooking Discussions Cooking, Cookbooks, Ingredients
49

Hello to everyone from the slowly melting Twin Cities of MN where just above freezing day time temps are making a dent in the snow pack (foot plus!) but refreezing every night. I think I need ice skates to get to my car safely. My parents keep asking when they can come visit and help paint the house- I keep deferring because they will loose their collective marbles at the state of my driveway- the dumpster and porta potty means all snow has to go to one side only- and the workers have the fancy big trucks so they just drive over everything.

Good news is the reno is progressing: cabinets went in this week and they are soooo pretty I was scared to touch them. Also super relieved I liked them- was a bit worried about color. Regretting life choice of “we can handle the priming and painting to save money” but what can we do at this point. I am considering it a low impact total body workout. We should be back home in less than 6 weeks! Freaking out about packing up the apartment to move. . . but so looking forwards to getting away from this *($Y(@ radiant electric stove top. Thanks for reading my venting!

Not as much cooking as I would like for 2 adults and 2 growing girls where we said we would have both upstairs bathrooms primed by Tuesday also the only functioning bathroom we have is the porta potty in the front yard:

Mon 9: Both girls skated. Leftover takeout pizza. Mr Autumm ate all of the extra salad. Grumpy!

Tues 10: Breakfast for dinner! Leftover sheet pan pancakes (Freezer) with scrambled eggs

Weds 11: Blue box for them, not much for me: We had from 2 on Weds afternoon till Thurs morning to get the kitchen sheet rock primed before cabinets went in. GAH! Mr Autumm’s first time in a long time solo on dinner and bedtime

Thurs 12: Lazy mommy’s shrimp tacos with black beans, guac, salad from a sack

Fri 13: Tonight! Drive through takeout after both girls skated back to back

Sat 14: Some prep of leftover prime rib from Christmas (freezer), hot crashed potatoes, salad, other veg possibly depending on how priming the bathroom drywall goes

Sun 15: Leaning towards take out pizza as much priming will be happening (also leftover pizza is a good thing)

Mon 16; No school day. I think both kiddos will skate back to back. I have frozen ravioli in the freezer. Big kiddo is doing vestibular training on the spinner to work on her spins/jumps so I really don’t want her eating before

I need to get a plan in place for later this week Big kiddo competes in Duluth but Mr Autumm and little kiddo won’t join us until Saturday so need a meal plan for them. Also need to plan for all the snacks and everything for us as its a 25 minute walk to the rink from our hotel and her practice ice is at 635 AM. . .

17 Likes
50

Good luck to the big girl in Duluth. And in a month or two you’ll forget about all this work and be loving your new kitchen.

3 Likes
51

Lawd have mercy!

I almost had to go lie down after reading all that.
You all are the most hard working family with the activities, renovation, and keeping up with the cooking! Especially with the only functioning restroom outside over a huge snowpack?

Yes, this will soon pass, you will enjoy the lovely new house and the remarkable memories. All the best!

11 Likes
52

Hi, all! Cooking for 2 in Chattanooga again, where I’m thrilled to be back in the kitchen! Travel is great, but I really do love puttering around at home…
Saturday, January 14: Vegetarian chili, cornbread, pear and burrata salad
Sunday: Butternut squash galette, orange and yogurt parfaits, maybe oatmeal shortbread
Monday: Chicken in cider vinegar sauce, rice, more salad
Tuesday: Scrounge
Wednesday: Pasta with zucchini pesto, probably with leftover burrata incorporated somehow
Thursday: Scrounge
Friday: Baked potatoes, Ottolenghi cabbage

Have a great week, stay warm, and happy cooking!

15 Likes
53

Thanks for linking to that Ottolenghi cabbage article!

2 Likes
54

Sorry, realized I didn’t answer the question! Did you use the Hungarian sausage already? In addition to the Hungarian Lentil Soup, or the Breton beans, you could make Lecsó, which is like a pepper heavy ratatouille with sausage added or on the side.

55

Yes, we have a couple of pounds of it in the freezer. It’s a bit dry, and heavy on the paprika for eating plain-roasted. I like the idea of a lentil stew, and also am thinking some goulashy kind of soup or stew. It’s made by my favorite sausage maker (Uli’s in Seattle), but I don’t think I’ll purchase this particular variety again.

1 Like
56

I was googling a little. I suppose this is somewhat similar to the Polish sausage/kraut/noodle casserole, in terms of cabbage, sausage and noodles coming together.

2 Likes
57

Thanks for that link! I’ve got everything on the list on hand (bonus points). :smile:

1 Like
58

If you’re thinking about making the sausage cabbage noodle dish, I would omit the paprika, since your sausages will have it. I’m always watching hidden salt so I’d also substitute water for chicken broth in this kind of dish that has lots of flavours already.

Looks like Tiny NYC Kitchen’s recipe is identical to this Food Network recipe😂

2 Likes
59

Agree on the paprika. I’ll make a note of the chicken stock. I’m a salt junky, however, so 50/50 stock and water may yet work for me. I’ll have to taste as I go.

2 Likes
60

I’ve been really bad about cooking on a whim rather than to the ingredients in my freezer and pantry. The next couple of weeks are planned based on what we already have (my shopping list is literally five items). Cooking for two adults who will eat anything and a 5-year-old who is gradually learning to expand his palate.

Saturday (today): quesabirria tacos out

Sunday: meatloaf with mashed potatoes and/or sweet potato fries (assuming my husband doesn’t eat all the leftover meatloaf before then!)

Monday: beer-battered fish tacos (filets from frozen)

Tuesday: pork tonkatsu with Japanese curry and leftover rice

Wednesday: Martha Stewart’s pappardelle with chicken, mascarpone, Parmesan and spinach

Thursday: ants climbing a tree

Friday: Turkish chicken thighs with pita bread, yogurt, salad

Saturday: cheesesteak stromboli

Sunday: one-pot Greek chicken thighs with pearl couscous (riffing on this recipe using b/s thighs and adding oregano, bay leaf, more garlic, lemon juice, and crumbled feta)

Monday: blackened salmon tacos with chipotle crema

Tuesday: spiced Impossible Meatballs in lavash with tahini sauce, salad

Wednesday: Sichuan black bean steamed butternut squash (Fuschia Dunlop), edamame, pressed tofu, and pickled mustard green stir-fry with rice (Woks of Life p. 65)

Thursday: al-pastor spiced ground pork tacos, fresh pineapple

Friday: daily dal (Meera Sodha), pan-fried [flounder], naan

Several of these will inevitably get pushed out/rearranged as we opt for going out, leftovers, or just aren’t in the mood. And I have frozen dumplings and buns in the freezer for when I just can’t be bothered.

I haven’t figured out the sides/vegetables for most of these yet, but it’s a framework.

15 Likes
61

Best wishes to you. Damn I feel old!!

1 Like
62

For breakfast-type snacks with that early morning ice time, these sausage/cheddar breakfast muffins have been enjoyed here. https://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.com/sausage-breakfast-muffins/

I don’t keep boxed pancake mix on hand so used the equivalent:1 C biscuit mix to a home-made equivalent : 7/8 C flour (1 C minus 2 T), 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 3/8 t. salt, 1 T plus 1/2 t. butter.

4 Likes
63

I’m bad at following through on the planned preparation. I did follow through on the choice of which animal protein this week.

Chouriço & bacon instead of roast pork shoulder.

Salmon on Friday- Veracruz instead of Maple Ginger.

We do ribeye most Saturdays, so that’s what’s for dinner tonight.

5 Likes
64

For two adults in San Diego:

This week’s breakfasts: Chocolate chip scones

S (tonight): takeout - chicken kebab, rice, hummus, veggies, pita

Su: Soup with spinach tortellini, in a mixture of leftover tomato soup and vegetable stock, with veggies - vegetarian

M: Pasta with chicken and garlicky spinach in a light cream sauce

T: Chicken with TJs sweet potato gnocchi and green beans or peas

W: Fish tacos - seafood

Th: Chicken pot pies, using up peas au gratin from freezer as the base.

F: Perhaps something inspired by this: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a20064275/crack-noodles-recipe/ with added chicken and veggies

Have a good week!

14 Likes
65

Actuals for Jan 9 week, cooking for 2 in MN. Where cleaning/sorting ambitions continued in my quest to regain space in the freezer and eventually the pantry, too. This week reconfirmed that even with lunches of leftovers planned I should only count on cooking 4 main dish recipes weekly. And clear-out ambition took hold elsewhere in the house. I have at last slimmed down the excessive “save in case our taxes get audited” bags of detailed receipts from all but the past 2 years.

Mon: Reheat – Liver & mushrooms over rice, broccoli
Tues: Egg Bake from freezer
Wed noon: Chicken Lasagna roll ups, fresh spinach salad. Old favorite I haven’t made in a while. Glad I kept notes since you need double the butter and flour (2 T each) to actually get a thickened white-sauce with 1 C of milk. I also use jarred basil pesto, and cottage cheese in place of ricotta. http://www.thebrewerandthebaker.com/archives/6965
Wed dinner: New batch of Egg Bake, recipe from my niece who modified it substantially from this starting point http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2015/09/18/easy-make-ahead-breakfast-casserole/. “Our way”: all of a medium onion, about 1 C. diced bell peppers, frozen spinach thawed & squeezed dry, tsp garlic salt in the egg mixture, more milk (so 1.5 C total), 2X cheese (so 2 C total). Put cooked sausage in pan first, top with bread and remaining ingredients.
Squares from one 8x8 pan re-stocked the freezer. Some of the other 8x8 pan served as dinner and the rest was refrigerated for meals later in the week.
Thurs: BAKED mid-morning: Crescent roll meatball sub cupcakes. Sampled, then kept some out for a Fri/Sat meal, rest frozen for future. https://www.plainchicken.com/meatball-sub-cupcakes/
Thurs dinner: Reheat- Egg bake, tater tots, fresh pear, fresh orange slices
Fri: - Reheat – Chicken lasagna rollups, bag salad Lemony Caesar. Red grapes
Sat: Reheat – Crescent roll meatball subs, Sunflower Crisp bag salad. Dessert: Oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwich.
Sun: (today)- Salmon, sweet potato, mangos, carrot/apple salad OR cold peas with h.b. egg salad

13 Likes
66

Hopefully I will cook closer to the plan this week!

Sunday: whole roasted chicken, green beans, white beans (soaking now, they will be served for 3 days), cheese ravioli with jarred tomato sauce, figuring out what to make with treviso radicchio

Monday: probably Country Captain or Coronation Chicken with the leftover chicken

Tue: pork shoulder with fennel and rosemary, maybe a soft polenta.

Wed: tuna niçoise or tuna niçoise Spaghetti

Thu: lamb, preparationTBD

Fri: cod or haddock, preparation TBD

13 Likes
67

Sounds good. Saving!

2 Likes
68

Forgot the recipe link:

2 Likes