Weekly Menu Planning - September 2022

Cooking Discussions Cooking, Cookbooks, Ingredients
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Hi everyone, I’m cooking for 2 in the UK and this is what has been planned.

Tuesday: Chicken Kra Pow served over rice. Just need to find a way to sneak in the oyster and fish sauces for my partner.

Wednesday: A smoked mackerel and bean soup as it’s now cold here. Fiance will probably have something from the freezer as he won’t eat fish.

Thursday: Fried chicken breast topped with Gouda cheese and served with savoury cheddar cheese and chive scones.

Friday: Coconut Lentil Curry with Smoked sausage and served with naan bread. https://www.theendlessmeal.com/creamy-coconut-lentil-curry/

Saturday: Busy day so probably just some fancied up ramen noodles. I like mine with a poached egg and we put cooked chicken through it too.

Sunday: Homemade pepperoni pizza. I’ll put capers on mine as we’re trying to get rid of the countless jars I like to stuff the fridge with.

Monday: Will be leftovers of some kind.

I’m also baking Nigella’s Sweet and Salty Chocolate Cookies this week so hope it tastes as good as it sounds.

Have a good week everyone!

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I bought the book but haven’t cracked it yet. Really looking forward to having time to go through it.

Enjoy your solo weekend!

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Hello to everyone from the July like Twin Cities of MN with a record high today (and pop up thunderstorms with Mr Autumm out with his 2 year old car in hail bringing big kiddo home from skating. . .) where things are supposed to turn fall like. I love fall! We are mostly settled into our apartment and school/activity routines. The destruction of our house is ongoing- kitchen is very open concept now and the original wall paper in our bathroom was very 80’s grandma floral. They go after the original 1958 peachy salmon basement bathroom tomorrow.

Actuals and plans for 2 adults and 2 growing girls who are feeling the state of confusion (I took the girls into the house during a laundry stop and they were like "what happened to the wall?!?- um, it’s in the dumpster) As of right now I still have my washer/dryer functional so I’m hauling laundry to the house as it’s $4 per load at the apartment. Also trying to use up the last remains from our upright freezer as the power is going to be cut to it eventually.

Fri 16: Gyros (Costco) on naan, assorted odds and ends leftovers to clear out space

Sat 17: My parents here so my dad could disassemble the former built in bookcase for other purposes and give big kiddo her (Very generous) birthday gift of a new used clarinet. After furniture moving to exhausted so take out pizza from a place near our apartment. We will order again

Sun 18: Red sauce from the house freezer over polenta (TJ’s) and noodles as I didn’t have enough of either

Mon 19: Leftover potato salad, fancy brussels sprouts, turkey sausage, peas (frozen) an odds and ends kinda night

Tonight 20: Leftover red sauce on leftover polenta/noodles after both girls skated at different rinks. Salads. I was completely decisioned out as I had a design meeting earlier and we re-arranged the future kitchen. Again. Budget is hemorrhaging but thankfully cabinets have not gone into production so now is the time to make changes ( 16 inches on either side of the new cooktop is not enough for me to manage. Design was pretty, but not user friendly)

Weds 21: Mr Autumm has an invite to have a beer with the CEO of his company after work. Big kiddo skates. Hoping I get the pork shoulder freezer find in the crock pot in time for something for dinner. Probably add some BBQ sauce and a bun and call it good. Green beans CSA

Thurs 22: Bruschetta toasts, shrimp scampi and green beans CSA. Not sure and trying to keep ahead of CSA veggies and freezer use up along with reno stuff is overwhelming my poor brain

Fri 23: Little kiddo skates. Something involving the pulled pork. Some kind of slaw for using up the cabbage CSA. Thinking an “Asian” flavor profile but will see

Sat/Sun: Found some ground lamb in the freezer so going to attempt to recreate a meal we had out this summer. Harissa lamb meatballs in a roasted red pepper tomato sauce over soft polenta with pickled red onions. Other night probably takeout vs use up CSA veggies and odds and ends

Take care everyone! Hoping in a week or 2 I will be more settled and this will be more about food instead of life, but thanks for being the awesome support group you all are!

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Hang in there! Renovations and decision making are exhausting, I agree! But counter space is really key! (and so is takeout :slight_smile: )

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It’s nearly the end of September and it’s decidedly fall in Ottawa, Canada. It’s now a little cooler and the leaves are really starting to change. I live on the 11th floor of a high rise apartment and I get a lovely view of all the glorious fall colours from up here. I am so lucky to live in Ottawa since it is so green here - lots of trees to see and flower gardens to admire when I go out for my lunchtime walks and lots of parks. My activities are in full swing now - mostly screenings with the film society - but the galleries are starting to bring in some new exhibitions and opening receptions are being planned. It’s nice having some degree of normalcy. During the last two weeks I went to my first two screenings with the film society - I didn’t like the first one too much (it was a period piece and I’m tired of watching them) and the other was a really eye opening film about Scarborough (suburb of Toronto, lots of low income families) so I now feel thankful for everything I have. I also tried a new-to-me pub before last night’s screening and I had the best beer and best burger and fries I’ve ever had. On to my meal plan for this week:

Tonight: I had a home made lunch today (salmon boat to use up the last cuke from my CSA) since I will be meeting up with a friend for dinner tonight. We are still negotiating where to go :slight_smile:

Saturday: dinner is open. We have an Asian Night Market this weekend and the weatherman is predicting that tomorrow will be the warmest day of the weekend. If it is I may run up and get some bbq’d squid. If not, I will improvise.

Sunday: “fish in egg sauce”. Another recipe from my mom which involves poaching a fish fillet in milk then when the fillet is cooked. remove it and add a little flour to thicken. Serve garnished with a hard boiled egg and rice on the side. Side dish will be a corn and tomato salad.

Monday: Stir fried Chinese style vegetables, probably rice on the side. The recipe is from the Moosewood cookbook so I may have to rifle through my spices to see what I might like to add 😉

Tuesday: Chicken and vegetable stew. Another one of my mom’s recipes and I guess the closest way I could describe it is chicken en papillotte. Sliced potato is layered on the bottom of the casserole, add a bunch more vegetables, then a chicken breast. Bake in the oven until cooked.

Wednesday: out with my dinner club for the first time since last November. We will be going to a Filipino restaurant for a kamayan feast. This will be my first time participating in one so I am very excited!

Thursday: fettucine with an onion sauce served with feta cheese. Sliced cucumber and tomato on the side.

Just a note about my mom’s recipes: When I first moved out on my own she sent me off with some of her recipes that I liked (and her slow cooker because she didn’t want it!). Whenever I would visit she would give me another recipe or two that she thought I would like, either written by hand or using her typewriter, and on a recipe card. She never made note of where she found them although most likely from cookbooks. My mom was a really good cook but she needed an actual recipe to follow as opposed to freestyling it. I take after her in that respect.

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Hi, all! Cooking for 2-6 in Chattanooga. It’s IronMan weekend, and my sister and some dear family friends are coming to participate and cheer. Lots of fun, but also chaos with everyone coming and leaving on different days–many airport runs!
Breakfast: Banana cinnamon rolls from Bravetart
Saturday, September 24: Pasta with mushrooms and roasted tomatoes; lemon tart. I will figure out some more carb-y light meals to get our athletes ready; I’m sure my sister will have ideas
Sunday: Probably pizza from the volunteer tent for me; everyone else will have to figure it out…
Monday: If we don’t go out, I’m thinking potato pancakes and roasted cauliflower. We’ll see…
The rest of the week is TBD/flexibility until the crew clears out, and then I’ll make the sausage cream pasta that I planned long ago but didn’t get around to making.
Hopefully I’ll start October with more of a plan! Have a great week, all, and happy cooking!

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I bet you’ll have wonderful meals cooking from your mom’s recipes. Taste can really put you in another place and time (hi Proust!). I’m also excited for you about the best beer, burger, and fries.

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I’m married to a diehard Buckeye. He still hasn’t taken me and Spring Onion to a game. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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I do. My mom passed away over 20 years ago so cooking from the recipes she gave me brings back memories of us cooking together.

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Um, October will be really busy for us, so I’m kinda sorry this is the last week of September already. looks at October calendar :scream:

For two adults in San Diego:

This week’s breakfasts: I will bake breakfasts, after a couple of weeks off. I swear. Chocolate chip scones.

S: (tonight) takeout burritos

Su: takeout TBD with a friend before an outdoor concert.

M: Beans and greens alla vodka (inspired by https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023024-beans-and-greens-alla-vodka) with sourdough - vegetarian

T: Fettuccini Alfredo with grilled chicken and peas

W: Piroshky - Picking up a box from the back of a Uhaul at an Elks lodge again as Piroshky Piroshky does one more (final?) San Diego pop up.

Th: Grilled chicken with Santa Maria rub, creamed spinach, and garlic bread.

F: Fish tacos - seafood

Have a good week!

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That NYT beans and greens recipe looks really good. Thanks for the link!

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I’ve made the beans and greens recipe twice- once over pasta and once with toast. It’s delicious and easy.

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Hi everyone

The weather suddenly turned cold here in nyc, which was a bit puzzling. But it expands the food choices, so there’s that.

Not much of a plan last week, but here’s what I ate:

Sat - I was ready to eat something Chinese again using the last of the Chinatown vegetables — tried my hand at vegetable pan-fried noodles.

Sun - Spent the afternoon and evening catching up with a friend who was away all summer. Dinner was a quick assembly — COTM “Fish
Stick” (Hash brown) bhorta with mustard salmon en papillote, chapatis, and rice

Mon - Friend of brain surgery repute went back in for the other side. Went to the hospital in the afternoon, and dinner after was a delicious meal of kababs and biryani in little India with his brother in law and friend who are here for caregiving.

Tues - Saw another friend I haven’t seen in person in almost 3 years. Mediterranean bistro — we both had branzino with maitake mushrooms and potato compote (I wanted steak but the fish sides sounded much better, and they were indeed delicious).

Wed - Sichuan takeout at the recovering friend’s place — dry hot pot fish, mixed pepper chicken, snow pea leaves, cumin and Sichuan pepper chicken wings — so good! I baked a simple chocolate cake for all of them, half of which was eaten while waiting for the delivery to arrive

Thurs - Black tie gala.

Fri - Made chicken curry and warm carrot salad and took over to the recovering friend’s.

Sat - Impromptu dinner at another friend’s - Turkish delivery.

Sun - TBD. Maybe pasta. Or I’ve been craving steak for 2 weeks, and have some in the freezer, but will need to go get potatoes. Roasted cauliflower will be constant, because I bought a head the other day.

I have to clean out the fridge and do some freezer arranging, so hopefully that will bring some inspiration for a plan for next week.

Happy Sunday, and have a lovely week!

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Voting is underway right for Cookbook of the Month, Cuisine of the Quarter, and Dish of the Quarter — come join in and cook along!

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I hope your friend recovers well after this gruelling and long drawn out ordeal. You are a great friend to keep them stocked with delicious sustenance.

What did they feed you at the black tie gala? Not food related - what did you wear for this upscale event? (I love people-watching for clothes.)

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He’s doing really well, thanks. I think the procedure on other side has already had a really beneficial effect, so this recovery has been a lot easier and faster. Fingers crossed the end result is as desired (it’s for early onset Parkinson’s, don’t know if I mentioned that) because it will transform his life.

I was going to write this, but then didn’t. The food was surprisingly good for this type of event! Started with a mysterious plate of what appeared to be shredded mushrooms and potatoes covered with a cheesy sauce and broiled — heavy but delicious! The main was Chilean sea bass (I’m surprised this is still selected for events) simply baked, and vegetable sides of Brussels sprouts and sautéed peppers. I missed a carb! The vegetarian alternative was risotto (I’m sure they missed a protein!)

Dessert was a bit odd - some kind of creamy layered cake. But they also circulated plates of mini bites like tarts and biscotti.

Haha me too! It was an event for an Asian organization, so a lot of people were dressed “festively” (saris and the like) while others were in usual cocktail garb. It was pouring earlier in the day so I went with something easy — a black satin cocktail dress, accessorized with an indian brocade shawl and jewellery.

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cooking for 1 at the Jersey Shore

Sunday: Pork Tinga tacos https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/pork-tinga-with-potatoes-avocado-and-fresh-cheese/
Monday: Sunday leftovers
Tuesday: Chipotle shrimp https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/chipotle-shrimp/, Gulf coast style white rice (also Bayless)
Wednesday: Mexican Chicken Salad from Pati Jinich. It is in Pati’s Mexican Table and is a riff on Chicken Caesar Salad but with guacamole.
Thursday: leftovers from Tuesday
Friday: chipotle beef tacos https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/grilled-chipotle-beef-tacos-with-onions/, refried beans from Mexican Everyday, leftover salad
Saturday: Friday leftovers

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Greetings, people.

Abandoning summer. The days now are sunny, cool and crisp. Formations of geese have been flying low over the house, honking in a loud farewell to the season.

New dishwasher arrives on Tuesday!

Cooking for two adults in the PNW:

FRI: Chicken Caesar salad utilizing leftover scallion-roasted chicken.

SAT: Roast pumpkin with home-smoked bacon. Green beans. Sauteed apples.

SUN: Mark Bittman’s veggie ribollita with cheesy croutons.

MON: Homemade cherry vareniki from the freezer. Cucumber salad with sour cream and dill.

TUE: One-pan rice and beans with homemade kielbasa. Dorie’s quick cornbread. Garden veg TBD.

WED: Cantonese ground beef stir-fry with peas, rice, and eggs.

THUR: French onion soup. Pan-roasted chicken thighs. Veg TBD.

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Well, went with the lazy option and used what I had vs a trip to the store :joy:

Porchetta seasoned pork chop with mashed cauliflower and the bottom of a bag of arugula.

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Yep - October is a week away. Here’s the topic start, to use when your plan is more for October than September Weekly Menu Planning – October 2022

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