It sort of makes a meatball in the pepper… it’s not loose/fluffy as you’d get with browning the meat first. But the meatball is nice and juicy, and we like it, so I’ll take the win and save the extra step. (Though I am making stuffed peppers later this week, maybe I’ll give the other way a try…)
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Wed
Thu
Roast chicken
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Greetings, People.
Last week’s “no shop” menu was so successful in helping clear out our freezer and garden surplus (as well as providing me with extra time) that we’re repeating it again this week. Lots of coleslaw/stirfry fixings (cabbage-carrot-scallion) and new-crop potatoes on the menu. I will be making a trip to the farmer’s market for good cucumbers, and will need to pick up a few bags of baking flour at the grocery, but that will see us through the week.
FRI: Leftover pizza from the freezer. Caesar salad.
SAT: Leftover tri-tip. Creamed spinach from the freezer. New crop spuds.
SUN: The last of the 2023 halibut from the freezer. Potatoes of some variety. Cucumber salad.
MON: Washington Post’s Spicy Bang Bang Chicken Kebabs with peanut sauce. Rice. Cucumber salad.
TUE: Cabbage, carrot, and scallion stir-fry – final form TBD.
WED: Roasted King salmon. Spuds. Coleslaw.
THUR: Zucchini pizza – a seasonal favorite – I’m thinking I’ll add leeks and basil to this one.
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Back in my kitchen, craving vegetables and some simple stuff in this heat, plus things I haven’t eaten in a while.
Did a very small grocery shop for vegetables and fruit today, resisting going overboard until I remind myself what I stuck in the freeEr before leaving, and know how many meals I’m actually home for in the back-home-catch-up-with-everyone phase.
Ideas for the weekend / coming week:
— Fennel and arugula salad, capellini with raw tomato sauce
— Chicken satay bowls
— Lemon pesto capellini, roasted zucchini
— Roasted salmon, fennel panzanella
— Tortilla espanola, arugula panzanella
— Miso black cod (marinated and frozen), tbd veg, rice
— Scallop Brown Butter nigiri / chirashi, arugula salad with japanese dressing
— Turkey Larb (sautéed & frozen ground), Viet slaw, rice
Some of this will likely get switched up based on how the jet lag and related food mood go.
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Welcome back!
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Hello friends it’s another lovely warm day in Ottawa. It cooled off yesterday and the temperature went down to 16 degrees Celsius/61 Fahrenheit overnight. It rarely gets that cool out but it was nice sleeping weather. It’s getting really hot out there now though. The morning show I listen to said it was 62 degrees in Dubai today and just as I was thinking “that must be Fahrenheit!” she specified that that tempoerature is in Celsius. So it was 143 Fahrenheit in Dubai today - I can’t imagine how hot that is. The only activity on my plate this past week was to take in a jazz concert by a new-to-me jazz singer last Wednesday but I wasn’t terribly inspired by her music. It was quite a slow tempo and the lyrics were mostly about heartbreak and losing partners so I felt quite depressed by the end of the show. The band playing next week is a funk/soul band so hopefully the music will be more lively 
Onto my menus for this week:
Today: Spaghetti and meatballs from the deli down the street. Salad for dinner.
Saturday: Fridge and freezer clean out day. Hamburger casserole for dinner. Not sure where I got the recipe from but it’s a computer printout and I didn’t make note of the source. It consists of ground beef and stirfried veggies. I can’t remember the last time I made it but I must have liked it since I saved it in my recipe file.
Sunday: Off to see a matinée screening of Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. It’s a three hour movie so I probably be looking forward to the 45 minute walk home from the cinema to stretch my legs Salade nicoise for dinner.
Monday: Kale salad using the recipe from a raw vegan book I have (“Simply Raw” by Natasha Kyssa).
Tuesday: Pork chop, squash, green beans.
Wednesday: I will be having a quick dinner tonight. Chicken casserole heated up in the microwave, egg noodles and spring mix on the side. Off to see another jazz band tonight.
Thursday: Linguine with sardines, capers and olives from another cookbook (“Disc Cookery” by Jurgen Gothe.) Spring mix on the side. For the Canadians out there, Jurgen Gothe was a well-known broadcaster with CBC Radio and a wine and food enthusiast. The cookbook includes recipes he developed and suggests wine pairings.
Have a nice week everyone.
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Hi, all! Cooking for 2 in Chattanooga, where we are crossing our fingers for rain and plenty of it! Planning meals with cozy rainy-day vibes, hope I’m not too disappointed!
Friday, July 19: A corn/avocado/couscous salad from Family
Breakfast: Hawaj-spiced barmbrack
Saturday: Smoked fish pie, chopped salad from Falastin
Sunday: Pork stir-fry (carried over from when we were in France, haha), rice, braised green beans, M& M cookies
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Baked potatoes with spinach
Wednesday: Fancy meal out for our anniversary
Thursday/Friday: TBD
Have a good week, everyone! Happy cooking!
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That Ottolenghi potato recipe looks awesome. Thanks for the link!
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Actuals for July 15 week, cooking for 2 in MN. Where my “maybe finish Monday” in-office volunteering project took all week to complete, but a long day Friday gave the satisfaction of DONE. Re-confirming that I’m still not at all good at estimating how long things take. For the upcoming week we’re looking forward to daily EAA Airventure afternoon and evening airshows, viewed online from comfy chairs at home. These overlap my usual meal-prep time so evening meals are TBD - maybe rotate pizza, sandwiches and salads.
Mon: Reheated leftover One Pan French Onion Smothered Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, peas and cashews.
Tues: Rotisserie chicken, corn, tater tots, red grapes
Wed: Nachos using leftover beef/bean mixture and last half of an onion pork chop, lettuce, diced tomatoes, rice. Blueberries w whipped cream
Thurs: Chicken salad on croissants, lettuce
Fri: Hot ham & Swiss on homemade buns, Ranch Bacon Rotini cold pasta salad
Sat: (Inspired by Beefeater Rocks SOTD) Tuna salad over baby romaine halves, red onion, cherry tomatoes, with sliced pimento stuffed olives and hard boiled egg. Dab each of leftover chicken salad. Naan.
Sun (today): BAKE – blueberry pecan whole wheat muffin tops.
Mixed fruit salad. (commercial) Egg rolls. Fried rice with chicken, peas, scrambled egg, 5 spice.
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Hi everyone, I’m back from a month of mostly no cooking, first in Des Moines for Lulu’s last national debate event (she made semis) and then a two week odyssey (ha) in Greece. We had a wonderful time. When we got home I came down with a cold. Then they both left town, so I’ve had a lovely week on my own. Getting to watch all sorts of tv that I would otherwise not see. Here is what I’ve cooked:
Sun: angel hair with raw tomato sauce
Mon: sardine toasts with tomatoes and sweet onion (NYT, and so good)
Tues: cheesy green chile black bean bake (also NYT, and ridiculously good and easy) with tortilla chips
Wed: dinner out with a friend
Thurs: seared tuna and avocado (skinny taste, also really good) over rice
Fri: there was a pot luck after water aerobics, so I wasn’t very hungry. A little pasta with some bottled sauce
Sat: at a wake. There was food.
I have 6 more night on my own. I miss my family, but I am having a blast. Hope everyone has a happy week!
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Curious minds want to know what’s being watched!
Love that angel hair with raw tomato. Going to look up the sardine toasts as I have lots of sardines and am not excited at the moment by my usual prep.
Enjoy the alone time, though I’m sure it’s a little bittersweet this year.
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Congrats again to Lulu and it’s wonderful you got in a fantastic Greek odyssey in her last summer before starting college. Thanks for the NYT black bean bake, which we’ll use for the rest of our just cooked Rancho Gordo black beans.
Enjoy the rest of your time alone!
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I’ve finished Ripley, which is visually stunning. Watched the Brat Pack documentary, and the Diane von Furstenberg one, Mr Bates vs the Post Office, and I’m halfway through My Lady Jane, which is fun. Was planning to watch Past Lives this evening, but life and news events are making that feel impossible. It’s been a blast.
I’ve been using the grilled sardines from TJs for the toasts, and really like them. Also, of course, make sure to use tasty tomatoes.
I’ve tried to give Lulu lots of space while she’s away, but you can imagine how thrilled I was when she FaceTimed me last night. 
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Hi everyone, feeding two adults and a teen in the Boston burbs. I have some holes in this week’s plan so it’s anyone’s guess what we end up doing! I have a busy week ahead at work and DS is CITing again.
Sun (tonight): lasagna, salad
Mon: marinated baked chicken, fries, roasted broccoli. Hoping that the new oven behaves itself (it hasn’t been, per my other thread).
Tues: lasagna again, green beans, maybe garlic bread for the guys if we have some in the freezer
Weds: fish tacos, black beans
Thurs: ??? but I’m feeling risotto since I found not one but two packages of Arborio rice in the pantry.
Fri: ???
Sat: we are taking DS and some friends to the movies at 6pm so theater food for dinner (which for me means popcorn and maybe some smuggled candy)
Sun: our wedding anniversary! Not sure what we will do to celebrate, but I think DH will like his gift - I got tickets for us to see Louise Penny speak/read from her new book in November.
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I have to get back to Ripley when I’m in the mood. Also haven’t had the attention span to watch Mr Bates yet. Looking forward to them. Just saw a preview of My Lady Jane, plan to start it soon.
Good to know – I’ve got a bit of a Costco stockpile (as in, I bought a 6-pack and still have all 6) to use up. I found this toast recipe, but this sandwich recipe with spinach sounds good too. Le Pain Q used to have a tartine that sounded bizarre but was really good – grated beets topped with whole sardines. Somehow the combination worked.
All the
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I’m not full on recommending Ripley, although I did enjoy it, but it is so beautifully lit and filmed. LLD wasn’t interested in Mr Bates, but I really liked it. Very old fashioned story telling- little guys vs big bad guys.
That’s the sardine toast recipe. Highly prefer sweet onion vs red having tried both. Beets and sardines does seem like it could be good!
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Updating to add that tonight’s supper featured this delicious Grain and vegetables salad that @ottawaoperadiva posted over on Salad of The Day (SOTD -TM) discussion. I used cooked farro in place of barley, fresh parsley snipped from my flower planters, and 1 tsp dried mint in my 1/3 sized recipe. It’s hearty enough to be a maindish but for the sake of my “where’s the meat” husband I heated a previously made & frozen individual meat loaves. Fresh diced peaches, fresh strawberries and cottage cheese finished the meal.
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When you can get to it, it is a really lovely film.
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oh wow, I am so jealous of your Louise Penny tickets. Happy Anniversary and such a great gift for a fan. She’s one of my favorite authors and I can’t wait for the new book coming out in November. I would so love to visit that area of Quebec, where the series is set. Did you see the Boston Globe article a while back on the “Three Pines” tours?
I just finished with deep pleasure the final book of another favorite series, Maisie Dobbs.
I hope you figure out the oven issue. We here in Somerville at the Boston line are eagerly awaiting cooler temps and more cooking. Sadly, our 25 year old oven/stove exhaust fan finally quit over a month ago. The older adult male here says he’s working on finding a solution. It hasn’t happened yet so I am extra glad the equally old a/c system, which will have to be replaced soon, is still working well because it’s pulling extra weight with all the hot air in the kitchen.
Not to mention the hot air coming from my mind that here we are with no solution in sight.
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Yes, so sweet from LL to LLM!
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