Can you source Patak’s pastes rather than the sauces? I find their pastes produce a better approximation to restaurant dishes.
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You reminded me that I forgot to mention tacos above. As an aggregate class of dish (pork/carnitas, fish/shrimp, shredded beef or chicken), they do get twice or more per month.
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Only 2 things at the moment. Both 2-3x/month. Poke from our local joint that we learned in Dec is closing for good on labor day. Huge sad. Also, a bread/cold cut/cheese/pickled things/spreads thing, where everything gets tossed on the table and we make a million finger sandwiches, all different from each other. This is where I learned that my kids will put 3 diff cheeses on a single piece of bread - a blue, an aged gouda, a goat… they are weird!
Otherwise, not too much repetition. Dishes get cooked 2-3x/yr when I cook, bc I like variety. Although certainly many variations on a theme, like dinner salads or soups with a chicken base broth. When my husband cooks for extended periods (like when I worked out of state), he is a repeater. He used to do roast chicken, chili, tuna macaroni salad, some type of meat/veg stir fry almost weekly.
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I’ve been enjoying the kits, that come with 2 or 3 pouches, usually one with spice paste, one with herbs and spices, and one with coconut milk. Either Pataks or Spice Tailor brand.
I like the kits better than some restaurant versions I’ve paid for. I usually get tikka masala, korma or butter chicken. I don’t like vindaloo that much so I wouldn’t buy that for home cooking.
There’s also Thai kits imported from Thailand that I like.
The Siam brand Thai Kits are better (and spicier) than the Blue Dragon brand.
Blue Dragon is easier to find- I’ve found it at FarmBoy and I think it may be sold at Walmart. I buy the Penang kit.
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My most important meal is breakfast.
I almost always have an English Muffin or toast and one cup of rich Colombian, with eggs (5 days) or Oatmeal/dry cereal (2 days). One of the egg days can be french toast–or Swedish pancakes. Other days, eggs are prepared every way: fried (up or over), scrambled, poached (in my Demeyere poacher), or soft boiled. I always add fruit (berries and/or bannana) and frequently add grapefruit juice. Omelettes are for lunch or dinner.
For in-between and lunch I have various snacks, soups, noodles, and beans. Most serious is soup and sandwich.
For dinner, one day is always fish day with salmon (or sardines) and roasted baby potatoes and various roots–including sweet potatoes, rutabagas, and squash.
Another day is often a meat and potatoes pasty and appropriate side dish.
When I do pasta, it’s three days worth, with spaghetti, ziti, and gnocchi–in my special sauce. I occasionally order a personal pizza delivered.
When I do a microwave pot pie or entre’ , I always add steamed asparagus, spinach, or broccoli as side dishes.
My irregular, more exotic dishes can be most anything, but usually are one pot, long simmering, and multi meal specials, like chicken parisienne, seafood bouillabaise, or paella.
When I add in a side soup, it’s often New England clam chowder. My salads are mostly chopped fresh leafy vegetables with no dressing.
I eat out twice a week for a cross section of cuisines and dishes–many Asian with chicken, shrimp, and rice.
On a whim, I might switch to something completely different.
Ray
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Yes lately have used their curry paste and also Tandoori paste. Unfortunately they both taste the same (to me) despite different ingredients.
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When I’ve been in a hurry I’ve tried some supermarkt versions. I’m not sure if it was the same brand as you mention or not, but I agree they tend to have basically the same flavor. That said, if daughter #3 wasn’t around (she’s the best at Indian Flavors type food) and I was in a hurry, I’ve found these grocery mass market sauces to be an OK substitute.
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Once a Midwesterner, always a Midwesterner!
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We love The NY Times Lemon Bean Shrimp. I’ve made it numerous times.
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Same! It’s a real keeper. I love to add a bag of spinach to up the veg content 
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Oh so true! You can take me out of the Midwest, but you can’t take…
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Love it!
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We enjoy:
• Modified “Eggs El Tovar” for weekend brunch or dinner. It is like an eggs benny with lox, a more lemony Hollandaise with steamed asparagus on the side. Served on an English muffin. Not a 30 minute meal!
• Build your own steak salad with balsamic dressing and bleu cheese amomg fresh veggies. Blue cheese dressing for the roomate.
• Build your own enhanced Shrimp Louis salad
• Chile Verde or Carnitas with roasted tomatillo salsa or homemade ‘soup meat’ enchiladas. Not all at once.
•Canlis’ Shrimp Scampi with rice or fettucine
• Pierre Franey’s grilled chicken breast (lime, rosemary, garlic and tumeric) usually with rice and a green salad
• Mushroom’s St. Thomas ( spinach, mushrooms, mild Italian sausage, mornay sauce) with a green salad and a slice of pizza dough garlic bread
• Lemon and black pepper marinated grilled chicken with ‘Italian Potato Bake’ (hashed brown potatoes, sliced onionsand tomatos, Italian seasoning and grated mozzarella). It is our summer ‘bbq’ dinner choice.
• Soup meat soup (chuck roast, lots of veggies and tomatoes) with a ‘Red Tractor’ style cat’s head cheddar biscuit. Durkees dressing as a condiment.
We rarely eat out and if we do it is for a family celebration, and usually Japanese Fusion fare because I can’t make it as fine as those chefs can.
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Some places call their Smoked Salmon Benny a Eggs Natasha or Norvegienne around here.
I like doing Bennys with smoked salmon and sautéed spinach.
I also like Eggs Blackstone, a Benny made with streaky bacon/rashers and tomato.
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Mac & Ham & Cheese
Spaghetti & Sawce
Mom’s Lemon Pot Roast
Seared Sea Scallops
Grilled Steak Tips, Baked Tater with TPSTOB&SC, and some green veg
Roasted chicken (either whole or a big-ass chickie boobie)
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I forgot Pollo Al Mattone or alla Diavola or similar.
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The title came from the El Tovar in Grand Canyon NP, Arizona. I’ve had similar with so-so hot smoked salmon, not lox. I prefer lox. The Hollandaise has to be extra lemony too.
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I’ve been to El Tovar. 
. When I was 10. I had the gazpacho, chilled spoon. Nice place.
I’ve used good quality smoked salmon at home. I like gravlax, Nova or other smoked salmon more than most lox available here in Canada. The lox tends to be saltier than the Nova.
Quite a few places that offer lox and a schmear are using smoked salmon in Toronto, as far as I can tell.
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I think the extra lemon in the sauce helps to cut the saltiness of the lox. I’m Jonesin’ for some right now.
