The Arizona Dreaming blend is one of my favorites. I use it in cream sauces to give them a kick, and I also use it with butter and white wine with shrimp. Mmm…
How “kicky” is Arizona Dreaming? Last night I used the sample pack of Fajita Seasoning that they sent with my order, and it was a bit too spicy for DS. I’m planning to use AD for the other half of the steak later this week.
pure genius!!
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For a variety of reasons, there’s been very early planning for next week, so subject to more change than usual
Friday - salmon, lentils, broad beans and peas (from “Eat” Nigel Slater)
Saturday - our theme for this Saturday is “old favourites”. Hazelnut & beetroot salad to start. Lamb shoulder braised for 6 hours with veg & red wine. Lemon posset as dessert.
Sunday - Greens & mushroom stirfry & noodles (Slater again, from Kitchen Diaries 2)
Monday - Gammon steaks with a black eyed bean “brown gloop” from the freezer that we have no recollection making
Tuesday - chilli & rice
Wednesday - out (seafood restaurant)
Thursday - rag pudding, chips, mushy peas
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I find it more flavorful than spicy, if that makes sense? But you don’t need to use a lot to pack a lot of flavor in.
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Nominations are happening for the April Cookbook of the Month. If you are interested in participating, head on over:
Greetings, people.
Continuing to whittle down our food and supply surplus. While our grocery bill is dropping, it’s not by much. Between rising prices, stocking up on pet supplies, and restocking the bar, there just doesn’t seem to be much progress in that department. OTOH, our freezers and shelves are emptying at quite a satisfying clip, so it’s working, in any case.
Cooking for two adults in the PNW:
FRI: Lamb kofte. Greek rice. Baby peas. Marinated feta and olives.
SAT: French dip on homemade baguette. Salad. Dill pickles.
SUN: Leftover lemony chicken and bean soup from the freezer. Baguette or Italian stirato.
MON: Pan pizza. Salad.
TUE: Halibut on potato rafts. Broccolini. Meyer lemon sauce.
WED: Cashew chicken stir-fry. Long grain rice.
THUR: Pasta with bacon and peas. Greens in vinaigrette.
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I am all about the carbs… Thanks for the Greek rice recipe link.
And congrats on the continued success with pantry and freezer clear-out. I “fell off the wagon” this week with proteins purchases … Grocery BOGO ground turkey, Costco 12-pack of canned tuna, Costco rotisserie chicken, Costco 2 pounds/8-pack of frozen seasoned breaded ( “Furikake crusted”) cod portions (they were sampling this, tasty and priced right)
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But who can blame you? Coscto! I haven’t been there since last November. 
Chicken thighs are on sale for $0.77/lb. here locally this week. I feel my will-power waning…
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My meal planning has changed this month. I am cooking a lot more veg lately, and bigger batch meat/poultry 3 times a week.
Ordered tandoori chicken and Manchurian chicken with other Indian veg sides on Sunday
Monday: Coronation Chicken made with leftover tandoori chicken, roasted beets, celeriac gratin, Puerto Rican-style beans
Tue: London Broil with flank steak. Roasted beets with dill and vinegar , Puerto Rican beans, focaccia
Wed: veal schnitzel, Russian salad, braised celery, roasted red peppers, Puerto Rican beans
Thu: Italian sausage, maybe rice for a change, molasses brown sugar ginger baked beans
Fri: take-out Fish & Chips, battered scallops
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It’s finally the end of the week after a week of staycation and it’s amazing how fast I can relax when I’m off but getting back into work mode after is another story altogether. I had a lovely week off (“A Man Called Otto” is probably one of my favourite films, “The Florida Project” I didn’t care for so much), a contemporary art exhibition which was not my cup of tea, and some shopping (I bought new socks!). It’s the end of winter clothing wise and the spring fashions are just trickling in. Some of the new spring fashions are nice I will just have to wait until the sales are on. There was no menu plan this week since I made a few favourite dishes while I was off so I was crisis managing vegetables this week. The veggies I have left will last a little longer so time to incorporate them into dishes next week. Back to reality so this is what I have planned for this week for a singleton from Ottawa, Canada:
Today: It’s a dreary rainy day out so I didn’t feel like venturing out of the building for my take out lunch today. The burger place downstairs has my favourite - a bacon blue cheese burger - and they had all the ingredients this time. I tried ordering it a month or so ago but they didn’t have any blue cheese left - today I was in luck! They seem to have a bun shortage this week (either pretzel or sesame) instead of the usual multitude of options The sesame bun I have is quite tasty so I can’t complain. The usual salad for dinner.
Saturday: No outings after work this upcoming week so I’m planning on stopping at the Korean grocery store on the way home. They have some prepared meals at the back of the store so I’m hoping to score a pork bone soup for dinner for tomorrow night. Otherwise I will get take out from somewhere near home.
Sunday: Thai red curry with shrimp with baby corn, snow peas, and rice noodles.
Monday: Vegetarian peanut soup.
Tuesday: Pork lo mein.
Wednesday: Chicken smothered with mushrooms based on a “turkey smothered in mushrooms” recipe that I printed from epicurious in the before-paywall times. To paraphrase, I will sautée some cremini mushrooms (because that’s what I have left in the fridge), a shallot, and tarragon, add a boneless skinless chicken broth, then add a little sherry, and chicken broth to the mix then serve with rice.
Thursday: Linguine with marinara sauce, a salad of some sorts on the side.
I hope the Ontario parents are surviving March break with the kids.
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Thanks for the links. The pork lo mein looks great - have you made it before?
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Yes I’ve made it a few times. You really have to let the pork chops “marinate” in the baking soda-water combination first IMHO. It has a brining effect on the chops and it makes for really tender chops.
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Thank you. I’ve made a note of this one. Looks right up our alley.
Hi, all! Cooking for 2 back in Chattanooga, where we will be having the kind of food to fight the “back from spring break why is it still so cold” blues. These plans are subject to much change since I’m not fully in the groove…
Breakfast: Buttermilk biscuits from Jubilee
Saturday, March 18: Some fun project cooking with Lumpiang from Cook’s Illustrated; smashed cucumbers on the side.
Sunday: Pork roast with mustard from The Mediterranean Cookbook, potato leek gratin, asparagus?, chocolate fudge pie
Monday: Pasta with tomato-mushroom sauce
Tuesday: Scrounge (or maybe we’ll go back to pizza and trivia?)
Wednesday: Cauliflower-kale gratin; DH will be thrilled, haha
Thursday: Scrounge
Friday: Mac and cheese and whatever veg needs to be cooked
Have a great week, everyone! Happy cooking!
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Hi, everyone. Busy night/day/week ahead so I did the planning early. Not sure when the shopping will occur…
Tonight: scrounge, out for ice cream after the show (kids did great last night!)
Sun: pad Thai (recipe from From Bangkok to Bali, probably very inauthentic with all the changes I make)
Mon: oven fried wings, GF cornbread from a mix, cucumber salad (Moosewood, ages ago)
Tues: pork tenderloin, arancini, green beans (I’m planning to make my usual risotto in the IP and then I provide the fill/fry steps, we’ll see if it works)
Weds: I have an all-day-in-the-office meeting and will grab leftovers when I get home. Guys are going out for Mexican.
Thurs: cheesy chicken enchilada skillet but I usually use petite diced tomatoes (drained) for most of the salsa so it’s less spicy
Fri: pizza! I bought some Caputo GF flour that has wheat starch added, and will try the recipe on the bag (once I re-translate it because it’s not very clear).
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Spring Break starts on 3/27. Getting a bit of a head start by heading to WonderCon (Comic-Con’s mellower sibling in Anaheim) for the upcoming weekend. That means I only need to plan for the first half of the week, including using up a bunch of produce and leftovers.
For two adults in San Diego/Anaheim:
This week’s breakfasts: Finishing up scones for the first few days. Rest of the week = TBD. Deciding on if I’ll bake something to take to the hotel or not.
S:(tonight) - takeout. Red beef and bean burrito
Su: Tacos with grilled chicken, beans, onions, peppers, cheese, and salsa
M: Purchased potstickers, broth, chili crisp, lotsa veggies
T: Dutch baby pancakes topped with bananas and walnuts - vegetarian
W: Pasta with red sauce, spinach, cheese, and TJs turkey meatballs
Th: Um, Disneyland, if all goes well.
F: WonderCon - TBD
Have a good week!
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Did you get hit by the snowstorm? Thought of you and sent warming thoughts. Glad to hear the play was a success.
I remember making that cheesy enchilada skillet and loving it. Thanks for the reminder.
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Actuals for March 13 week, cooking for 2 in MN, where cold and snow continue. We enjoyed soda bread from our grocery bakery all week for breakfast and snacks; we like theirs better than my homemade. As noted above, I restocked proteins in my freezer with Costco shopping and grocery BOGO sales --I’m back to a 2-3-month supply in there.
Mon: OUT Chick Fil A – salad, sandwich & soup, ice cream cones
Tues: Breakfast Pizza for Pi day, Leftovers clear-out – salmon, broccoli, last of beef stew pureed as sandwich topping, on hoagie with cheese., Dessert: Bundt cake, lemon pudding, with fresh strawberries & whipped cream
Wed: noon -Costco chicken, bag salad with added croutons, pudding w fresh strawberries. Dinner - Chimichanga (from freezer), rice, refried beans, salsa, cheese, bag salad with added croutons
Thurs: noon - layered “Mexican Lasagna” – tortillas, refried beans, chicken, salsa, corn, cheese. Dinner-
Cod on potato planks (from Sheet Pan Suppers by Molly Gilbert p.81, which listed Sole as the fish), Crunchy roasted cabbage with Parm & breadcrumbs . Dessert: Vanilla pudding, fresh strawberries
Fri: Rachel grilled sandwiches - turkey on pumpernickel with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, thousand island dressing. Onion rings. Red grapes.
Sat: (Costco) Furikake breaded cod, lobster risotto, fresh orange segments, salad. Dessert: fresh strawberries over lemon cake with whipped cream
Sun: (today) Slow cooker Italian beef (grocery meat-dept marinated), mashed potatoes, mixed veggies. Fresh strawberries w ice cream
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Cooking for 1 at the Jersey Shore
Sunday: Stuffed Meatloaf from Molto Italiano, mashed potatoes
Monday: Sunday leftovers
Tuesday: homemade chicken pot pie
Wednesday: Baked salmon cakes https://www.skinnytaste.com/baked-salmon-cakes/ , cauliflower rice
Thursday: Wednesday leftovers
Friday: homemade pizza
Saturday: Friday leftovers
Boring but trying to use up things I already have and reduce food waste.
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