Weekly Menu Planning - January 2026

Cooking Discussions
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I had my post-surgery appointment today, and the surgeon gave me the best news ever: I can keep my arm out of the sling while awake, and even sleep on my (left) side!!! I can’t think of any news that would’ve made me happier… OK, turns out I totes can, but that would veer into thematic territory generally frowned upon here.

My PIC has been helping out wherever & however he can, despite being terribly busy with the semester — feeding us every day, and even trying to master The Art Of The Ponytail with far more patience than I’ve been able to muster :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

I’m still no use in the kitchen, so near future meals will be kept simple.

Last night was another fabulous Sichuan jour fixe with friends.

Tonight will be leftover Sichuan food, possibly augmented with a few har gow & other delectable dumplings from the deep freeze. Speaking of deep-freeze, next week’s gonna be a nasty one in Happy Valley. A good time to stay home, continue to recover & keep warm :cold_face:

Tomorrow, one of casa lingua’s favorite meals: TCC aka Trini-Chinese chicken with stir-fried baby bok choy.

Saturday friends are hosting our weekly poker game, dinner will be delivery/takeout as usual.

Sunday I’m thinking papppppardellllle with those weird-ass jarred Aldi truffles & a buncha mixed mushrooms, plus a salad on the side — likely arugula with parm & lemon dressing, i.e. simples.

Monday will have to make up for the non-sssspicy Sssssunday. Perhaps a warming, comforting curry.

Tuesday Tuscan soup? Mabez. Def some kinda soup with the ample amounts of frozen chicken stock at the ready.

Wednesday I’ve invited my girl posse over for drinks, snacks & an exchange of beauty products/clothes/whatever. Saves us all $$$ on multiple levels, and I don’t have to get dressed :zany_face:

Thursday I’ll need a ride to the dentist in the morning to start the next bridge project :partying_face: :roll_eyes:. Don’t remember how sore my mouf/teef were last time, so maybe soft-ish food is in order… and something simple, since it’s my PIC’s long day again.

Btw, have those of you who aren’t active in the WFD thread considered sharing your actual meals with us? Some of your plans sound so tasty, and it would be swell to see them :slight_smile:

Cheers from two cold peeps in Central PA :face_blowing_a_kiss:

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63

I meant to add the ingredients

Sea salt, paprika, tomato, garlic, rosemary, coriander, fennel seed, crushed chili flakes, mustard powder and oregano.

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This is the Piri Piri Blend I am currently using.

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64

Yes, that is yesterday’s chicken, or at least some of it (I’ve asked - it may also appear in pot pies and the chicken noodle soup). If you do buy it, I advise rinsing it off and patting dry before portioning and freezing - there’s something in it that I don’t love when it’s frozen and thawed.

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65

Oh! Thank you for that information. I hadn’t stopped to think it might be something other than straight off the bone. :thinking:

ETA: It’s been a while since I actually looked at all that Costco was offering. Normally we have a fixed list and just run in and purchase a few things in bulk. I was surprised this time to see how much of what they were selling was in the “convenience food” section - prepackaged dishes, smaller portions but in bulk packs, etc. Pretty much grab-and-go for those seeking that alternative.

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66

I noticed the same with the Costco I shop at. For the last four or five years I’ve noticed they’ve been selling lots of kits, ramen kits in particular, and they are so high in sodium.

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67

I use to buy Costco rotisserie chicken. I would make chicken stock with the leftovers and refrigerate my stock to skim the fat. The amount of fat was unbelievable and there would be little green specks floating in it.

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Green specks? :scream:

We bought Sam’s Club roti chicken 3 times now & I’ve made stock from each one. Only the first one had maybe a half inch fat layer on top after cooling in the garage overnight. It was also heavenly gelatinous from all the skin. The last two were surprisingly (if not a disappointingly) lean. Fat can always be skimmed off, but I miss the gelatinous richness of that first stock.

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69

do you think the specks were dehydrated parsley, perhaps from powdered chicken soup base, that is used as the brine?

I seem to remember hearing from a coworker that Swiss chalet essentially brines and pre cooks the chickens in a solution before putting them on the rotisserie, rather than putting raw chicken on the rotisserie. I wonder if Costco’s methods are similar.

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I don’t know. The green was kind of slimy. Also the amount of fat was unacceptable. Maybe things have changed. Things at least 10 years ago.

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71

Hi folks it’s been a week. I found out earlier this week my position will be cut so I have been busy filling out the paperwork to buy back years of service so I can retire earlier than anticipated. I will have to work another 10 years to be eligible for a full pension and if I buy back years of service I can whittle it down to two years. I am also hoping HR will sweeten the pot so I can retire now. I am actually looking forward to retiring but there are a lot of hoops to jump through :frowning: I’ve been busy filling out paperwork this week so I haven’t put any thought into what I would like to do this weekend but I hope to get out to a museum visit or matinée movie or something to clear my head. This is what I have on the menu for this week:

Tonight: I ran over to the grocery store at lunch to pick up a few provisions this week - there is so little I need I decided to go at lunchtime so I don’t have to grocery shop over the weekend - so I stopped by the take-out counter while I was there. I had a repeat of the mac 'n cheese and fried chicken I bought a couple of weeks ago so I will make a cabbage potato soup for dinner. We are starting another cold snap so I look forward to having something warm for dinner.

Saturday: Stuffed squash, green beans.

Sunday: Shrimp salad.

Monday: Fried cabbage and noodles.

Tuesday: Sausage, squash, green beans.

Wednesday: My drawing class is tonight so I will heat up some leftover chana saag tonight.

Thursday: I signed up for a mocktail class at the Italian grocer I shop at and we will have some nibblies to have with our drinks so no dinner at home.

Have a nice week everyone! I hope you all survive the cold.

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One family friend uses Costco chicken for Coronation Chicken Salad, even for company. She made a massive Coronation Chicken Salad for a bridal shower.

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I gave up my own Costco membership in 2016. I haven’t purchased one of their chickens since 2014 or 2015. I was a Costco enthusiast from 2006-2015.

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You have some great food ahead, and you got that planned during such a stressful paperwork week! I hope it turns out you can retire with full pension without having to do those two more years! Best wishes to you!

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75

Hi, all! Cooking for 2 in Chattanooga, where we’re waiting with bated breath to see if we’ll get 3 feet of snow, 1 inch of ice, or a little rain–all predictions over the last 24 hours :roll_eyes:
Assuming the power stays on, here are the plans for our meals this week:
Breakfast: Oatmeal biscuits from The Breakfast Book
Saturday, January 24: Parmesan chicken cutlets, melting potatoes, kale
Sunday: Red beans and rice (although I will not be using traditional red beans so that I can use up some of my Rancho Gordo stash), baked squash, chocolate chip cookies
Monday: Assuming we’ll still be stuck at home, green bean tahini casserole from Family, green salad
Thursday: Kimchi grilled cheese (can’t believe I’m using a recipe, haha)
The rest of the week is TBD. Hope everyone does OK in this storm! Happy cooking!

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Wow, I’m so sorry for those shitty news! OTOH, sounds like you’re handling it well, and retirement is something to look forward to :slight_smile:

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77

If I can make a suggestion re kimchi grilled cheese, in my experience for the ultimate version of this, use an aged cheddar or gruyère (for its nuttiness) and add thin slices of Asian pear or crisp apple. Especially good on whole-grain bread.

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Thanks. I just don’t have the energy to job hunt anymore and they are laying off so many employees at my workplace, I’m sure they will be willing to sweeten the pot. Half of my division got layoff notices so we will be going through some tough times ahead.

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Ugh. Vent away whenever you need to, but here’s hoping for a very sweetened pot :crossed_fingers:t2:

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Oh sorry to hear Ottawaoperadiva: it’s a very hard time to be in the federal civil service as these cuts are made.

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81

Here’s my take on the KAF flaky pizza: :-1: (sadly).

I was so looking forward to this one, but it turned out to be a pretty odd dish. I followed the recipe exactly, making a half-pie in a 9”x12” Lloyd pan (KAF recommended). While just slightly crispy (and nowhere close to what the video would have you believe), the crust also was greasy and a strange fit for traditional pizza toppings. It def did not scratch that pizza itch, despite all the extra attention required by laminating the crust. The whole house smells great after baking, but I attribute that to the pesto drizzle on top. I won’t be making it again (at least not with pizza fixings as the topping). :frowning:

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