What does that look like?
Hi everyone! Sorry to have sort of dropped out of sight. As mentioned on this thread, Lulu has a crazy schedule, lots of debate stuff after school, and nothing is set in stone so every week is different, and I don’t find out about it until that day. Frustrating, but I’m getting good at going with the flow. Or maybe I should say I’m getting better. I’m going to try to start doing this weekly again. Here is what we’ve eaten this past week:
Sunday: Mother’s Day, but LLD had to take part in graduation/hooding stuff at Duke. So it was carry out night.
Monday: celebrated my mother by taking her to her favorite place in town.
Tuesday: LLD left town for the next week and a half. Beanapalooza begins! Black bean tacos with feta and cabbage.
Wednesday: Lulu had debate practice, so I made a tuna salad from this month’s COTM (Venice); served on toast. Easy to have at different times.
Thursday: burritos
Friday: creamy braised white beans with spinach (NYTimes)
Saturday: penne with beans and artichoke hearts
Sunday: soyrizo, chickpea, tomato skillet with a fried egg on top, toast.
Wishing everyone a delicious, happy week!
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Great to hear from you! I hope you and Lulu enjoy the beanapalooza! How time flies…does she start college applications this fall? I got some sorrel at the farmers market that just opened recently in Boston area (also two weeks in a row of the very fleeting local asparagus crop). Now looking into adding sorrel to some creamy braised white beans, so thanks.
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Hi, everyone. We had huge rainstorms yesterday that cleaned off the pollen layer from - well, everything - so I’m thrilled. The rain was all day, which meant we watched DS’s soccer game from the car. They thoroughly trounced the opposing team (the one they tied in the rooster/mental hospital game a few weeks ago) so emotions were riding high on the way home.
This morning our town held a 5k that DS decided around 4pm yesterday he and I should run together. Then at 9pm he changed to “we’re not running.” Then at 7am today he decided to run it on his own. So I got to cheer him on! He did great… and the best part is that he finished a few minutes ahead of his soccer coach. 
Sun: meatballs and polenta, broccoli
https://walestable.com/wprm_print/1755
Mon: potato crusted grouper, roasted asparagus
Tues: baked potato bar and salads
Weds: Mexican chicken casserole (didn’t make it last week, we just had tacos instead)
Thurs: French bread pizza for the guys, I was supposed to go out with a friend (rescheduled from a few weeks ago) but she just rescheduled so I’ll have pizza on TJ’s GF crust
Fri: leftover meatballs and polenta
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Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without TJs.
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Yes! We spent spring break looking at colleges. Unfortunately her spring break was also when there was horrible weather in the NE. Today is her last “real” day of 11th grade.
Those beans were delicious. I roasted the garlic for the toasts ahead of time, and then just tossed a minced clove of uncooked garlic in at the beginning with the butter. And I used lots of chilies. Such an easy one dish meal with a slice of toast. Hope you enjoy!
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Still wishing we had one in NW Rockies. On our travels west we try to hit the ones we see.
In the early 90’s they sold a wonderful frozen key lime pie and Cajun peanuts. Two-buck Chuck/Chug was a popular purchase, too. Sigh.
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Happy Victoria Day to the fellow Canadians on this thread! Writing from our family cottage at the lake, and headed home after lunch.
Cooking for two adults and a 10 yo in SW Ontario. This week is about keeping it simple. Stores are closed today so I am picking up my online grocery order on the way home from work tomorrow - means tonight’s dinner needs to come from food we already have in the freezer, and tomorrow’s breakfast and lunch will be improvised.
Monday: Homemade burgers (I made a double-batch last time, and will just defrost frozen patties when we get home this afternoon), salad, fries (McCain Extra Crispy frozen fries for my daughter, my husband and I usually have Farm Boy frozen rainbow root veggie fries, with sriracha mayo for dipping)
Tuesday: Taco kit soft tacos. I’ll use ground turkey. I’ll probably make my serving as a salad
Wednesday: Lemony brown butter shrimp rolls, chips, salad (Caro Chambers, behind paywall)
Thursday: One-skillet roasted chicken and peaches with pesto rice, salad (more Caro Chambers, sorry for being a broken record)
Friday: Takeout
Breakfast: Overnight oats with berries
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More like three/four-buck chuck now, but still perfect for cooking. They didn’t raise egg prices this past winter, either. We’re so spoiled.
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Welcome back, and week looks great, especially all the beans, lol. BUT - tell us about Sicily!
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Sicily was fantastic! I’m already trying to figure out how/when to get back, maybe do the other (west) side of the island, either on my own again, or with LLD and/or Lulu. I think it may be my favorite vacation ever. The food was spectacular, and, being near the sea, I had a wealth of choice when it came to menus. People were so friendly. I’m now that annoying person who cannot shut up about their vacation spot. Everyone drop what you’re doing, and book a trip there, especially to Ortigia.
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Still cooking with herself, here in North Cheshire, where the weather has been very pleasant, with temps at around 20. We’ve had lunch on the patio once but not yet warm enough to be out there for dinner. So, upcoming plans:-
Friday - sausage & bean casserole (moved from current week - see above - due to change in plans)
Saturday - a South Asian theme. Kashmiri lamb and an aubergine curry (both recipes from Madhur Jaffrey’s “Curry Easy”). Rice, naan, homemade chutneys. Mango fool to follow
Sunday - marinated prawn salad. We’ve been doing this Delia Smith recipe since 1985 when she published “One is Fun”.
Monday - lamb chops, Jersey Royal spuds, veg
Tuesday - Smoked salmon & asparagus risotto
Wednesday - out (local bistro - menu here)
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Actuals for May 15 week, cooking for 2 in MN. Where meals were tucked in amid a busy week of planting container-flowers and shrubs (the plant kind…). 70 plants, 19 containers and 2 shrubs in-ground later, I’m enjoying seeing everything quickly settle and leaf out. Wednesday’s baked spaghetti was a first for me, and we enjoyed it. Very similar technique (and number of prep dishes needed) to lasagna, just using cooked spaghetti mixed with butter, eggs and parm as the pasta layer. A 3/4 recipe completely filled my 9x13 pan, so I’m thinking a full-recipe would need a side 8x8 pan. The extra servings are now frozen for future easy meals.
Mon: Stir fry rice with cabbage & surimi. (Schwans) chicken egg rolls.
Tues: PLANTING Baked smoked-turkey Chimichangas
Wed: PLANTING. Baked spaghetti, garlic bread, spinach salad
Thurs: Chicken burger, sliced tomatoes, grapes
Fri: Mushroom Swiss burgers, sliced tomatoes, corn on the cob
Sat: Chimichangas, corn/black bean salad with feta and green pepper. Strawberry cream cake
PLANTED SHRUBS - 2 small hydrangeas. Sure hope I did these right since it took me 4.5 hours including moving rocks “mulch”, and cutting thru old roots.
Sunday: Crusted Cod (Costco), mashed potatoes, coleslaw, sliced tomato. PLANTED the final plants in a cute ceramic giant tea cup found at a garage sale BAKED Rhubarb upside down cake. (first of the season)
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Greetings, People.
Continuing my drill-down of the freezers and pantry, augmented by the tail end of this year’s asparagus harvest, along with the last of the fresh spinach. Kale and fresh herbs are to be had in abundance. I see lettuce, peas and strawberries on the horizon!
FRI: Inspired by a WFD post from @honkman : Kiymali Ispanak, with lamb and garden spinach.
SAT: Kale souffle with bacon and cheddar. Roasted squash from the freezer.
SUN: Caldo Verde with halibut, chorizo, and kale. Homemade baguette.
MON: Chicken and asparagus stir-fry, with thanks to @ottawaoperadiva for the link.
TUE: Lentils with chorizo and kale. Yellow rice.
WED: Beef on the grill. Creamed spinach. Grilled asparagus (if any still coming in from the garden) with green sauce.
THUR: Homemade chive and pork pot-stickers. Scallion pancakes from the freezer. Dipping sauce.
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Hello to everyone from the sunny and seasonably warm (and getting warmer!) Twin Cities of MN where we survived the skate competition! Volunteer hours have been tabulated and submitted to the board- kinda afraid as the competition chair said I did a great job and they want me on the club board next year. Oops? Switching gears and having my parents over this weekend as our first house guests since the reno. Found the guest pillows but the mattress pad is still hiding. Part of me isn’t ready for house guests but I really want to borrow their truck so let’s do this!
Actuals and plans for 2 adults, 2 growing girls, and 2 visiting grandparents
Thurs 18-Sat 20: Not really sure what they ate. I made the serious eats Cuban pork roast with mojo which is a big hit around here and ? I’m the volunteer chair for the club’s skating competition so I was on duty- set up, hospitality support (I soooo want a Hobart commercial dishwasher. . .) and just running around making sure things are running smoothly. Not going to lie- it was pretty nice to have the ID which could get me everywhere (including backstage with my kiddos) whenever I wanted
Sun 21: Little one competed. Not her best but she had so much fun. Thai Take out
Mon 22: Both kiddos skated. PTA Dine to donate (takeout) from a local pizza place.
Tues 23: Use up assorted odds and ends. Roasted broccoli
Weds 24: Little one having a rough evening. Mr Autumm grilled brats, coleslaw, leftover roasted broccoli
Thurs 25: Mr Autumm met up with some friends, the girls and I searched home depot for shop vac filters (drywall dust!) and spend an additional small fortune on plants. Chipotle for the girls, Mr Autumm brought me home some food truck egg rolls
Fri 26: My parents here. Both kiddos skate back to back. Red sauce from freezer with noodles, side salads
Sat 27: Full day of family bonding and projects. Grilled chicken marinade TBD, asparagus from my mom’s garden, some form of potatoes. Rhubarb desert TBD if the gnats don’t eat me during harvest
Sun 28: My parents go home after lunch. Probably take out or leftovers
Mon 29: Grilling TBD See what’s in the freezer.
Happy almost Summer everyone!
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Congratulations for being volunteer chair for your girls’ skating club! During the competition, did you have do take down stuff too (hopefully not!) or just set up? I volunteered for a local opera company a few years ago and we would have cast parties after the last production. Lots of people volunteered to show up early to set up tables and chairs and put food out but they would all take off after so the volunteer coordinator was left behind to put away the tables and chairs herself. I negotiated with our guild president if I can forgo setting up then I can stay late to help put everything away and the volunteer coordinator was happy to have the help.
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Happy Friday everyone! It is now sunny and warming up in Ottawa, Canada. The temperature is expected to go up to 30 degrees celsius by early next week so we will be going straight from fall to summer in a few days! 
I hope to go for a stroll through Chinatown on Sunday and it looks like I will have a nice day for it so I plan on taking pictures of some new sculptures in the area and doing a little shopping while I’m there. Onto my menu plan for a solo diner for this week:
Today: Today’s take out lunch is a bento box from a nearby Asian restaurant. It’s a repeat of a takeout lunch from a couple of weeks ago and I enjoyed it so much I went back today. Tonight will be the usual salad.
Saturday: Fridge and freezer cleanout day. I am banishing myself from the meat and fish counter at the grocery store again. I did that last January and was making tremendous progress emptying the freezer out but then it somehow filled up again! So I will start over and try to finish up the fish and meats I have in there. Dinner will be angel hair pasta with cilantro, sundried tomatoes and feta using some of the cilantro I got in this week’s CSA and the last bit of feta in the fridge.
Sunday: Off to Chinatown! Spring roll bowl for dinner. More cilantro from my CSA.
Monday: Time to move onto asparagus. Asparagus and sundried tomato risotto.
Tuesday: Pork and asparagus stir-fry. Starch tbd.
Wednesday: Next up cukes. Peanut butter noodles with cucumbers.
Thursday: Fried cabbage and noodles. Time to work on the pre-CSA cabbage in the fridge.
Lunches will alternate between tabouli and balsamic blue cheese salad.
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If you have any smoked salmon lurking in the fridge. throw this in. It works well (and is an upcoming dinner at Harters Hall)
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I hope you all have a great weekend! Its always fun to break in a new place with your favorite family members.
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Our new fridge is on back order while the old one chugs along wth warmer temps in the forecast threatening. I have been doing day by day meal planning which will resume next week but we are retired and I can combine shopping and dog walking plus the weather has been beautiful.
We are having my son and his family tomorrow and he is bringing taco makings for dinner. I have been baking cookies and coffee cake plus making potato salad and cole slaw. I am voting for eating breakfast at the diner with burgers on the grill Sunday. Monday morning we will have a short order breakfast and go to the Memorial Day Parade which is a short walk from our house.
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