Weekly Menu Planning - May 2026

Cooking Discussions
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Hello friends it continues being cool and overcast in Ottawa. I long for sunshine and going out in my shirt sleeves but I guess I’ll have to wait a bit longer for that. There’s been a couple of small bumps in my plans this week so this is what I have on tap:

Last Saturday I went out to do my grocery shopping and came home to some water that was flooding into my kitchen. The pipe on the floor directly above me had sprung a leak and the water flooded the floor and came gushing into my apartment through the ceiling fan. My kitchen counter, floor and stove top were covered in water. I called the on-duty super who came up to inspect the damage and cleaned the floor with a mop and bucket instead of the usual suction machine they use to suck up water on the floor so it took a little longer. Then he decided he would “help” clean by wiping the counter and the stove making things worse in the process. I kept telling him to stop I will clean up myself and when he realized how long it will take he finally stopped. So cooking got kaiboshed for the time being since I felt it wouldn’t be safe turning on the burners. So Saturday night I ordered a pizza for dinner, on Sunday I had some bbq’d ribs that I bought in Chinatown and an improvised no-cook chow mein. First thing Monday morning I submitted a work order for a new stove then popped into the grocery store on the way home for some kale so I could make a kale salad for dinner and came home to a new stove! I had the salad anyway since I already had the kale so on Tuesday I made the dal that I planned on making on Monday night. On Wednesday I had another kale salad to finish up the kale I had left in the fridge and last night I had a spinach salad. So the three dishes that got bumped from last week are fish, ham and rice skillet and a chicken noodle salad so they will make an appearance on the menus this week.

In the meantime, @mbcraw4d and her sister are in town for a few days so another foodie friend and I met up with them yesterday. We had lunch at an Indian restaurant then went for a drive to show them around Ottawa so all in all it was a lovely day.

Today: I ran up to the library to pick up a book on hold and was going to pop into the grocery store on the way home to pick up some sushi but realized when I left the library there is a relatively new sandwich shop across the street from the library. It’s take out only and they have a short menu - maybe half a dozen paninis on the menu - but it smelled reaaallllly good in there so I was sold! I ordered a panino with an Italian sausage, roasted red pepper, lettuce, tomato, havarti, mayo and mustard. They have a special of sorts so for an extra $5 you can buy a drink and a cookie or chips so I ordered a soda and a white chocolate macadamia cookie which I inhaled as soon as I had my panino. I am obviously enamoured with this sandwich shop now :slight_smile: so I hope to go back many more times. I will have a Greek salad for dinner.

Saturday: Ham and rice skillet bumped from last week. I will be following a recipe from my Harrowsmith cookbook and it’s basically a fried rice recipe with ham, mushrooms and raisins.

Sunday: I will be volunteering at an art sale this afternoon. I was going to stay on for a paint night after but it was cancelled since only two of us signed up for it :frowning: Too bad I was really looking forward to it. I will have a basa fillet livornaise for dinner with either crusty bread or rice on the side.

Monday: Hamburger casserole. I copied and pasted the recipe from somewhere but I didn’t make note of where. It includes sautéed zucchini, tomato, pepper, celery and ground beef sautéed in a skillet.

Tuesday: Leftover dal.

Wednesday: Chicken noodle salad.

Thursday: Up in the air. I work in the office on Thursdays then I have to pick up my CSA so I will be getting home a little later than usual. There is a poetry slam on tonight that I would really like to go to but it starts at 7:00. Having dinner when I get home at 10:00ish is too late for me so I will think about making something over the weekend that I can heat up in the microwave when I get home.

Have a nice week everyone!

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Hello! We mostly stuck to the plan last week, except for one night. Not too bad!

For two adults in San Diego:

Breakfasts: Granola and fruit with almond milk. I hope to get back into the habit of baking this summer. We’ll see.

S: dinner out (pizza)

Su: Potstickers with veggies in broth

M: Roasted veggies (carrots, asparagus) with scalloped potatoes (husband’s request)

T: Red sauce pasta with ground beef, cheese, and spinach

W: Omelettes with leftover veggies and Boursin cheese, fruit and toast or potatoes on the side

Th: Leftover pasta (after commencement for me)

F: TJ’s orange chicken and veggies with rice

Take care of yourselves.

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Yay, school’s about to be out!!

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This is a nice idea – I’m always trying to think of interesting ways to use up balance roast chicken that ends up in the freezer. Just saw another repurpose into musakhan with onions & sumac which I need to remember as well.

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Hi everyone

Hope you’re having a little taste of spring wherever you are. It’s been mostly lovely here in nyc, even though still cool, except this weekend, when we have had a brief hit of summer heat. Allergies are in peak force, boo.

Didn’t get to everything I had planned for this week as I worked my way through leftovers, but I did get to a few things on my list of ideas.

Actuals:

– Midye Dolmasi / Turkish rice-stuffed mussels, deconstructed into a pilaf.

– German Creamy Leek Tart from Luisa Weiss (an old COTM favorite from Chowhound that I finally got around to trying).

– Mangalorean Mutton Gravy from COTM Serious Eats + cabbage + chapatis + rice.

– Salmon Skordalia Cakes (inspired by COTM Jose Andres), eaten plain, with steamed broccoli, and finally rolled up into TJ’s new Lefse / potato flatbreads.

– Homey Indian food cooked by friends after Chinatown snacks provided by me — pork and chive dumplings, spicy beef bun, cabbage and pork bun early on, followed by homestyle chicken, cauliflower sabzi, dal parathas, and rice for dinner. Chocolate Chantilly crepe cake and Japanese style cheesecake for dessert, also from Chinatown.

– Pulled lamb over pita and roasted fennel over labne at an Israeli wine bar, with a deconstructed baklava cheesecake to finish. Everything was so delicious – I need to remember to roast fennel, it’s delicious!

– Pickings from a Jackson Heights visit – chicken samosa, seekh kabab, naan, with leftovers from other meals.

.

Will continue to play it by ear this week and focus on using up things I stowed in the freezer and forgot about, including tuna (tiradito maybe) and roast chicken (quesadillas), along with some things I’ve had in mind for a while (Peruvian chicken stew with aji amarillo, asparagus ricotta sformato / custard or galette, cauliflower cheese). I also picked up some lovely fresh Indian vegetables from Jackson Heights that I’ll be working in – tender okra, guvar / cluster beans, and tindola / ivy gourd. Yum.

Wish you all a peaceful week ahead, with good eats.

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Works really well with fish or roast pork. And, cooled, can be a good salad ingredient (although I think you lose something of the aniseed flavour. from raw)

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I love raw shaved fennel salad (as I’ve shared many times).

Roasted is such a different rendition – this was silky, with a very light anise flavor, texture towards an artichoke heart.

Braised and gratineed are also good, but this way is lighter.

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Hi, friends. We’re adjusting to our new normal - I’m also in a cooking slump, so I figure as long as we eat meals that include a protein and a vegetable, it’s all good.

This morning I dragged DS with me to a work event (fundraiser walk) along one of the beaches in South Boston. We’ve lived here for almost 11 years and had never been to a city beach! It was gorgeous and sunny and very people-y, and I had a nice time watching him awkwardly shmooze with my coworkers. :laughing:

Sun: this “viral” sheet pan chicken parm* made with ground chicken - messy but tasty, DS said it looked like pizza and he wasn’t wrong. Salad on the side for me, peas for him.

*to clarify - look for “giant crispy chicken cutlet” - the recipe I followed was gluten-free and the poster (maryswholelife) turned it into chicken parm.

Mon: sticky rainbow beef, rice or ramen noodles tbd

(I’ve made this before and really like it but it needs at least 2 peppers to count as a vegetable.)

Tues: chipotle-honey chicken tacos (NYT)

Weds: long day for me - dentist followed by a day in the office followed by family meeting at memory care. Leftovers for dinner.

Thurs: baked spaghetti (NYT)

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Cannot wait for this semester to be over!

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That’s a long semester! Ours ended a couple weeks ago.

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Really?

Our local university does not close until 12 June and local schools not until 20 July. Both back in early/mid September.

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It varies widely in the US, mostly in May or June. I was specifically responding to @dustchick saying she would be attending commencement on Thursday. A neighbor’s son graduated from his college last week and came home Saturday.

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Still cooking for two in northwest England and, this week, herself being advised by our doctor to eat a bland diet for a couple of weeks, so as not to irritate a little problem in her oesophagus.

Thursday - Salmon marinated in olive oil, lime juice and zest, tarragon (home grown), basil and parsley then probably grilled. With salad and crusty bread

Friday - pasta with tinned sardines, garlic, tomatoes capers

Saturday - Asparagus to start. Roast lamb, Jersey Royal spuds, veg, mint sauce (mint home grown). Sticky treacle pudding & ice cream

Sunday - pasta & beef ragu

Monday - gammon steaks, lentils, spinach

Tuesday - Chicken breasts, jar of red peppers, tin of cannellini beans, pouch of mixed grains, tahini, lemon, basil. Hopefully this new recipe works

Wednesday - out to new restaurant which I suppose I could call “East European Fusion”. I already feel this will be a one-off visit.

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Salmon + tarragon is such a good pairing!

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I love tarragon. I tried to grow it some years back but the winter would always kill it off. With warmer winters, I decided to have another try and the plant is now in its third year.

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It’s interesting, we had one of our coldest winters in Boston in years and the tarragon came back, really flourishing.

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We started the first week of February. More time for winter baking, but now I’m envious of everyone who finished already!

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Re irritation / anti inflammatory foods, tomatoes and peppers are always on the avoid list for me if I’m dealing with any kind of flare-up.

All your lamb meals always tempt me!

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Our semester started later in January than usual, but it’s almost always over the first or second week of May :slight_smile:

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Happy Coosday, everyone.

Tonight, striploin Fiorentina, based on this recipe. potato salad.

Wed: curried tuna cakes

Thu: sour cherry soup, roasted chicken

Fri: beer battered pickerel.

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