The Thanksgiving thread is up!
2 Likes
I had a wonderful vacation on the West Coast, saw my oldest girlfriend and it was like we’d just been together the day before. Ditto my brother. Saw other friends and family and loved every moment. Came back to Ian ravaging Chapel Hill, and Lulu out of town, so there were a few days of carry out from the restaurants that were open. Now LLD is away on a biking adventure in Mallorca, and Lulu and I are getting girl time. Here’s what we’ve had this week:
Mon: farfalle with creamy mushroom and chicken sausage sauce
Tues: baked potatoes and salad
Wed: Greek-style braised chickpeas with orange and honey over toast (Milk Street based on a Diane Kochilas recipe - Lulu looooooves DK)
Thurs: burritos
Fri: carryout sushi feast
Sat: kidney bean curry, basmati, maybe cabbage salad
Sun: thinking of trying a new to me Diana Henry recipe fro From the Oven to the Table that involves roasted grape tomatoes and white beans. Kind of excited about it.
Hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful fall weekend.
17 Likes
Welcome home! It sounds like you had a lovely trip. Hopefully you didn’t get much property damage from Ian? Fiona flattened many parts of Nova Scotia and they are predicting it will take weeks to clean up.
Thar kidney bean curry sounds intriguing. Have you made it before? And can you share the recipe or say which cookbook it is from if that is your source?
2 Likes
Thanks OOD. We were lucky, and mostly just had a mess from the trees in our yard. I’ve seen pictures from Nova Scotia and it is unbelievable.
I should have said - the kidney bean curry comes from Made in India, and it is my favorite from the book. Here is a link to it: https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2019/10/easy-weeknight-kidney-bean-curry-rajma.html
5 Likes
Wow! That’s quite a compliment. I will have to try it. Do you cook your own beans first?
No, I’m much too lazy for that these days. But it’s still great.
1 Like
The Diana Henry recipe is SO good. Roasted cherry tomatoes and white beans (canned for me) in a garlicky, mustardy vinaigrette with chilies, capers, and basil. I served it over polenta.
9 Likes
For some reason I read your original post as “beans and grapes” and I was not excited by that, but tomatoes makes sense and it sounds lovely. Especially the polenta part!
(And your trip sounds like it was wonderful!)
3 Likes
Hi, everyone. Cooking for two adults and a 12yo in the Boston burbs. Said 12yo is being a little fussy these days so I’m trying to simplify our menu for the week.
Sun: cheesy chicken enchiladas (Ina Garten’s Modern Comfort Food, minus spicy ingredients)
Mon: bbq pulled chicken sandwiches, carrot sticks, and maybe chips
Tues: “Korean meatballs” https://food52.com/recipes/21537-spicy-korean-style-gochujang-meatballs (very light on the gochujang) with rice and snow peas (another missing grocery item)
Weds: cheese ravioli with asparagus and cheesy white sauce - originally a Rachael Ray recipe for ravioli vegetable lasagna but I’ve made some changes and will leave the spinach out
Thurs: nachos (DS requested)
Fri: tbd as always
15 Likes
So tired. So very tired.
For two adults in San Diego:
This week’s breakfasts: TJs chocolate croissants, if I can work up the energy.
S/Su: Takeout with my mom up in Sacramento
M: Old school tacos, back in San Diego
T: TJ’s pumpkin ravioli, spinach, garlic butter sage sauce - vegetarian
W: Piroshky (purchased)
Th: Risotto, with sautéed shrimp and peas/spinach - seafood
F: Pasta inspired by https://smittenkitchen.com/2022/09/turkey-pesto-meatballs-and-orecchiette. Using TJs turkey meatballs, but with pesto cream sauce and veggies
Have a good week!
16 Likes
Actuals for Oct 3 week, cooking for 2 in MN. Where we had a delightful, exhausting weekend in WI visiting grand-nieces (and their parents). It was relaxing to have meals planned / prepared by my niece, with me just doing some veggies prep/dishwashing. Saturday baking “assisted” by the 2 and 5 year old was masterfully managed, with my niece instructing them on taking turns putting the measured-by-her cups/spoons of dry ingredients in the bowl. She’d put pizza dough in her bread machine to mix/rise while we all took a Sunday morning hike in the colorful fall woodlands, and we all helped top the patted-out crusts for a late lunch.
Mon: Pizza (commercial frozen)
Tues: Mushroom/Swiss burgers, tater tots, red grapes
(and made/baked taco stuffed shells Julia Pacheco recipe a half-recipe, for Wed/Thurs meals)
Wed : Sushi. Skillet “bag meal” – PF Chang’s orange chicken, over (from frozen) rice & mixed veggies.
Thurs: reheat Taco-stuffed shells
Fri: In WI – niece cooked - Homemade garden-tomato soup, pork tenderloin, garden green beans & carrots
Sat : In WI – niece cooked Pot roast (instant pot) with potatoes, carrots & onions. Homemade applesauce
BAKED in the morning– cranberry orange muffins, sugar cookies
Sun: back in MN - Greek-seasoned broiled chicken breasts, Rice/Pasta pilaf with sliced almonds and tarragon (Dinner a Day)
14 Likes
Actuals from the past week or so after some travel. 2 adults, 2 kids NJ suburbs of NYC:
Mon: takeout Sichuan after returning from airport
Tues: meat ravioli w/mushrooms, peas, truffle butter; salad
Wed: out for fancy dinner in the city for kiddo birthday
Thurs: bday dinner for kiddo at home (cast iron seared steaks - ribeye and filet mignon w/salsa verde or peppercorn horseradish cream; potatoes gratin; roasted broccoli; chocolate silk pie in oreo crust)
Fri: Homemade pizzas, salad, crudite
Sat: out for mediocre Italian at new place
Sun: out for sushi at our usual spot
Plan for this week:
Mon: salmon basted with a combo of peri peri & hot honey; mashed potatoes; roasted broccolini; air fried brussel sprouts
Tues: (planned around older kid volleyball game) TJ’s chicken samosas; slow cooker chicken (thighs) curry w/chickpeas, kale and a Maya Kaimal prepared simmer sauce; brown rice; roasted masala caulini
Wed: out for work event; takeout or out for the others
Thurs: TBD likely taco bar/ burrito bowls
Fri: going out or takeout after late volleyball game
Sat: smoked lamb shoulder, homemade baba ganoush (from smoked eggplant), hummus, tzaziki, pitas, salad; roasted asparagus
Sun: out
13 Likes
This sounds like a good way to use up a languishing bottle of peri peri (which I happen to have).
3 Likes
exactly how I ended up with that combo.
1 Like
Greetings, People.
Another week, another menu. With cooler days on the calendar, I’m craving red-sauce Italian. Cabbage is on the menu, also, as ours were recently harvested.
Cooking for two adults in the PNW.
FRI: Beef on the grill. Marinated mozzarella, with olives and cherry tomatoes. Grilled zucchini.
SAT: Leftover 15 Bean Soup from the freezer. Homemade tortilla chips.
SUN: Cabbage and pork stir fry. So many good recipes from which to choose.
MON: ATK’s manicotti with Italian sausage and no-boil lasagna noodles. Green salad.
TUE: Veggie calzone. Marinara. Green salad.
WED: Fish tacos with cabbage slaw.
THUR: Kielbasa-cabbage-potato soup.
13 Likes
Hello from Ottawa where we are having a glorious sunny warm day. It has been raining the last couple of days but it continues to be warm. I’m not complaining! We will be wearing our winter coats and boots soon enough. This past week has been fairly quiet with only one outing to for my film society night and I went back to a pub that I went to last month that had the most amazing burgers, fries and beer on the menu. Tomorrow I plan on taking out the rest of my winter clothes. I got started last Saturday and realized a lot of my summer pants are threadbare so I started doing a purge before packing them up in my trunk for the winter. I plan on heading up to the market on Sunday to do my grocery shopping. The veggie stands have closed up for the season but there are a few stores there that I frequent when I’m in the area. My menu for this week for a solo diner in Ottawa, Canada:
Today: meatball sandwich for lunch from a nearby deli so I will have a Greek salad for dinner:
Saturday: A bbq’d chicken breast that I bought at ribfest last June. I will make roasted peppers and leeks on the side and a short pasta noodles on the side.
Sunday: linguine with scallops and leeks that was intended for last Tuesday. I had a half hour wait for the bus on the way home from work that day and I was too tired to even stirfry dinner ingredients. Thankfully I had a pasta sauce in the freezer that I could warm up in the microwave while the noodles were boiling. I have gotten out of the habit of commuting 
Monday: Lemon risotto with leeks.
Tuesday: Spring roll bowl to use up some veggies and Thanksgiving chicken. https://pinchofyum.com/spring-roll-bowls
Wednesday: short ribs and chow mein.
Thursday: off to another film society screening so I will be eating out before the show.
Have a nice week everyone!
14 Likes
Actuals for Oct 10 week, cooking for 2 in MN between volunteer work: campaign tasks/events and semi-annual statistical reporting for a nonprofit. We’ll be travelling Sun/Mon for a family funeral (my husband’s uncle, at age 94) so today’s meals will be “CORN” - Clear Out Refrigerator Now. We got our first snow of the season overnight Thursday and woke to find white lawns and snow-covered leaves on the trees. Noting that MunchkinRedux and I have similar cabbage soup recipes - great minds…
Mon: Taco Soup (made/frozen in Sept),tortilla chips, red grapes
Tues: Reheat Greek chicken w rice/pasta
Wed: Tuna melt sandwiches on buns, chips, giant dill pickles
Thurs: Salmon, baked potato, fresh spinach salad, fresh kiwi halves
Fri: noon - French Cabbage soup w/kielbasa and naan http://www.food.com/recipe/french-cabbage-soup-from-door-county-wi-36797 I make a half-recipe for 4-5 generous servings.
dinner - Roasted butternut squash (gifted from a gardener) stuffed with wild rice, cheddar and pulled pork (from freezer). Red grapes. I cooked the whole package (3 C, uncooked) of wild rice and froze the rest so I’m ready for future soup-making and fast-assembly sides.
Sat (Today): Leftover soup, leftover squash & pulled pork, peach and grapes
Sun: Travel
13 Likes
Hi, everyone. Cooking for two adults and a grumpy tween… I’m tired. The coming week will involve a lot of people-ing for work and somehow a very meat-forward menu. 
Sun: steaks on the grill, baked potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts
Mon: roasted turkey breast (honey-brined from Wegmans), sweet potatoes, glazed carrots. Very monochromatic. Oops.
Tues: cowboy spaghetti, garlicky spinach
Weds: fried chicken salads, cornbread croutons if I remember to make cornbread on Tues
Thurs: beef and broccoli (Mark Bittman), rice
12 Likes
Nice too see you again @MAH!
I like the birthday kid’s meal choice! Where was the fancy dinner?
2 Likes
I’m eyeing your cabbage ideas as I apparently bought a small head a while back and forgot about it in the back of the fridge… oops.
