Making Time to Grill

Here's the Week's Menu: 

MON 8/27 - Brandy Orange Chicken with baked sweet potatoes, leftover Zucchini Rice Gratin, and some corn.

TUE 8/28  - Brown Rice Chicken and Cilantro Salad.  I was just making this for the week's lunches, but then realized the leftover Lasagna Rolls had not finished defrosting, so it became dinner. Turns out it is pretty soy-sauce-heavy, so I'll adjust that next time.

WED 8/29  - Lasagna Rolls.  Last time I made these, I made twice as many as needed, to ensure an easy dinner in the future. The future is here! Serve with salad and garlic bread.  

THU 8/30 - Grilled Achiote Chicken with Zucchini Rice Gratin and a fruit salad.

FRI 8/31  - Plans.  I'll be away with the girls, so my beloved husband is on his own for dinner. Wish him well!

SAT 9/1  - Steak!  Grilled ribeye with Charred Pepper Steak Sauce, baked potatoes, grilled veggies, Cucumber Salad, wine.

SUN 9/2  - Pork Souvlaki grilled on skewers, served with Tzatsiki Sauce, brown rice, and leftover Cucumber Salad.

Sunday night, I plan to make Shrimp & Orzo Salad (idea #8 on the linked page) to have for lunch the following few days.

MON 9/3 - Plans. We'll be hanging out with the neighbors!


I'm cooking for 2 adults and one toddler, so the grocery list below may need a bit of adjustment for you.

Grocery List
2 sweet potatoes
1.5 lb zucchini
1/2 lb plum tomatoes
1 onion
4 cucumbers
cherry tomatoes
salad (lettuce, cucumber, carrot, tomato)
cilantro
cabbage
red bell pepper
veggies to grill (peppers? asparagus? mushrooms? onions?)
fruit salad items (melon? grapes? apples?)
tomato puree
wine
eggs
feta

Freezer
chicken breast (3 nights)
lasagna rolls
ribeye
corn
shrimp

Fridge
butter
greek yogurt
soy sauce
orange juice
lime juice
lemon juice
Worcestershire
Grated Parmesan cheese

Pantry
brown rice
white rice
bread
orzo pasta
garlic
sesame oil
olive oil
vegetable oil
white vinegar
balsamic vinegar
molasses
sesame seeds
table salt
allspice
annatto/achiote
black pepper
ground mustard
ground ginger
onion powder
paprika
sage
savory
thyme
fresh mint (I have a plant outside)

MENU Sun 1/2 to Sat 1/8 2011

A Winter Menu
New Recipes for the New Year

I received a subscription to Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine, so this week's menu features many new recipes from the Jan/Feb 2011 issue. Also, I received the most wonderful gift of Michael Ruhlman's Ratio, so hopefully my culinary skills and knowledge will increase as a result. Did you receive any fun kitchen related gifts this year? 


SUN 1/2 - Cold Weather Classic: Beef Stew.  I'm using Paula Deen's recipe, sort of. I had 3 or 4 cups of beef broth in the freezer (left over from my recent adventure making Boeuf Bourguignon), so I (a) replaced the water in the recipe with beef broth, and (b) left out many of the spices.
Serve with rolls and salad.
  
MON 1/3 - Asian Night: Potstickers!  I've never made them before, so wish me luck! I'm planning to use Alton Brown's recipe, served with Honey Soy Dipping Sauce. I also picked up a package of Thai Kitchen Pad Thai to try out.

TUE 1/4 - Italian Night: Calzones.  Pepperoni Calzones, Salad. Later in the week we're having another recipe that needs ricotta, so I'll separate out how much I need for that recipe & use the rest this night.

WED 1/5 - We Love Shrimp!  Spiced Shrimp with Ginger Rice and Peas (Everyday Food Jan/Feb 2011 p.70). I'll be using brown rice instead of white. I've actually run out of white rice, and I'm not buying more until I really need it. It's become our new default... and I'd rather brown be the default. Much healthier! 

Have you ever heard of a passive barrier? It's like what I'm doing with the rice. Oh, we could have white rice. But I'd have to stop at the store and pick some up. Or maybe I'll buy some and put it up on a high kitchen shelf. You're more likely to do the right thing if the wrong thing is that much harder to do... so put the TV remote on the other side of the room (instead of on the arm of the couch) and don't keep your phone right in your pocket. The Simple Dollar had a neat article about passive barriers, as did Get Rich Slowly (referenced in TSD's post).

THU 1/6 - More Seafood!  One of the easiest things you can do to eat healthier is to eat more fish. No, it doesn't count if you fry it! We're having Seared Fish with Beets and Broccoli (Everyday Food Jan/Feb 2011 p.76). Okay, I'm making it with just broccoli, no beets, but you get the idea.

FRI 1/7 - Canning Day.  I'm planning to can minestrone soup today - I'll keep some separate to have for dinner this night. Serve with ham steak and potatoes. 

Snack:  Strawberry Banana Smoothies.  While hunting around in the freezer, I found one last package of last year's strawberries - hooray! Just add some yoghurt, milk, banana, and honey, and you've got a smoothie. There's endless recipes online for smoothies. It's definitely the sort of thing you can play with - no exact recipe required. 

SAT 1/8 - 

Breakfast:  Ham and Egg Crepe Squares. I've made crepes before, but this time I'll be getting instruction from Ratio. Otherwise. the recipe is from Everyday Food Jan/Feb 2011 p. 56.

Dinner: Easy Night.  Parmesan Chicken with Mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts (Everyday Food Jan/Feb 2011 p.76).

SUN 1/9 -

Lunch: Super-Easy Meal! I canned some chili a couple weeks ago, and I also have a bunch in the freezer. It's easy to make and freezes really well. I highly recommend making a big batch and freezing a bunch for future easy meals. 

Dinner: Eggstatic about Eggs! Potato-Leek Frittata (Everyday Food Jan/Feb 2011 p.41).

Happy Cooking!

MENU Wed 9/28 through Tue 10/5

Back in the Saddle Again 
Life is so much easier when meals are planned!

So, I skipped one week of The Produce Box, and now they're on fall break - no boxes for two weeks. Then I'm skipping one more week b/c the baby and I are heading to Buffalo (Dinah will still be here - feel free to feed him good food on my behalf). After 4 weeks off, I can't wait to see what will be in the fall boxes from The Produce Box, though! Alas, I have to wait a while yet. There's still all kinds of good stuff at the Farmers' Market. 


Here's the Week's Menu: 

WED 9/29 - Birthday Meal.  My birthday's not 'til next Wednesday, but we're celebrating early for convenience. Not sure yet what we're having, but I know it will be good! 

THU 9/30 - I <3 Lamb!  Roast Leg of Lamb served with Tzatsiki Sauce, Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes, and Steamed Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce.    

FRI 10/1 - Shrimp + Pasta.  Grilled Shrimp Mediterranean over Pasta.

Cool Shrimp Salad

Last time I made granola, I made way too much. So, I'm trying out Fudgy Granola Brownies to use some of it.   

SAT 10/2 - I Still <3 Lamb!  Lamb Pitas with Mint Yogurt Dressing. 
Lunch: Cool Shrimp Salad 

SUN 10/3 - Grilling.  Grilled Achiote Chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, and peas. I'm thinking about Vanilla Roasted Pears for dessert, too.
On the subject of achiote (aka annatto), if you've never tried Puerco Pibil, give it a try! The leftovers are fabulous, too. Hmm. Going to have to fit that one in the menu sometime soon.  

Breakfast for the week:  I have plenty of bagels frozen for me, and I'll make Zucchini Bread for Dinah, subbing applesauce for the oil. I just used this Recipe Calculator to find out that recipe's nutrition facts... eek. I'll be working on that one. Tasty as the original recipe is, it's not the healthiest breakfast.

MON 10/4 - Trying out Jamaican Flavors.  Jamaican Jerk Chicken served with Cuban Black Beans and rice. I'll freeze the extra beans for help with easy meals later on. I'll broil some pineapple to go with it as well.  

TUE 10/5 - Easy Meal!  Asparagus with Chorizo and Croutons, with green beans subbed in for the asparagus, since they are in season.  

And it turns out that chocolate souffle is not nearly as difficult as it's made out to be. Check it out at Cooking for Engineers. It was puffier, but the first photo ops didn't work out as well. Very tasty, though. The key most certainly is to use good chocolate. Really good chocolate. It's like cooking with wine - if you wouldn't drink the wine, don't cook with it. If you wouldn't eat the chocolate (provided you like dark chocolate), don't cook with it.


The only thing that will make a souffle fall is if it knows you are afraid of it. 
 - - James Beard

MENU Wed 9/8 through Tue 9/14

Leftovers Week!
.... Three goals achieved: no waste, cleaner kitchen, and low grocery bill!

I was excited to receive this week's delivery from The Produce Box. Apples and peaches and all sorts of wonderful things. Even a jar of pickled squash... not sure what I'm going to do with that one just yet.  The Produce Box is Raleigh's local Community Supported Agriculture group that provides a box of farm-fresh, local fruits and vegetables right to my door. To find a CSA near you, check out LocalHarvest.org.

This week, I received:

• 5 Cucumbers (3 lb) 
• 2 Zucchini (1.75 lb)  
• 4 Field Tomatoes (1.75 lb) 
• 1 pint Okra (6 oz)  
• Apples (2.5 lb) 
• 5 Peaches (2.25 lb) 
• Pickled Squash (1 pint jar) 

Last week had a couple of menu changes - we did takeout on Friday night (yes, even I give in sometimes) and I was out of town Monday, so Dinah made his own dinner. Between those decisions and the general, inevitable buildup of ingredients, it's time to have a cleanup week!


Here's the Week's Menu: 

WED 9/8 - Nothing Says Summer Like...  Cheeseburgers, Sweet Potato Fries, Fresh Cucumber Salad, and Watermelon.

Lunches: I'm going to pre-cook some bacon tonight, to enable me to have BLTs for lunch the next few days.

THU 9/9 - Easy Dinner Night.  Enchiladas made from shredded chicken (previously frozen). Leftover (previously frozen) black beans on the side. These are the same ingredients that, along with some salsa, made Burritos earlier in the week. There's a lot of overlap between burritos and enchiladas - a different sauce, and different cooking & assembly, but same base ingredients.

Bagels: Attempt No. 2 ... and this time, I'm taking pictures. The process overall takes a long time, but it's mostly waiting time. There's not that much time spent actively working on the bagels. Keep your eyes out for a future post with details.

Blueberry-Banana Smoothie

FRI 9/10 - Fishy Friday is Back Again!  Cajun Blackened Catfish, Zucchini Fritters, Corn (frozen), and Watermelon. I'll use the rest of that zucchini to make baby food for Rosie.

SAT 9/11 - Cajun.  Shrimp and Okra Gumbo, using fresh Roma tomatoes from last week's Produce Box. 

Snack Idea: If you have yoghurt, fruit, honey, and ice, you can make smoothies! Smoothies work well with frozen berries - or even this week's peaches! I decided this would be a great use for the yoghurt I have hanging out in the fridge.

Saturday, Late Night:  After baby goes to bed, I'm making Gougeres - Cheesy Puffs of Goodness with Bleu Cheese and Rosemary. I think I'm going to serve these with chunks of blue cheese and lovely glasses of Port. I love Saturday nights! They're just made for staying up late (with a great snack like this, of course!).

SUN 9/12 - Fancy Dinner Night.  Cedar-Planked Salmon, wild rice mix, grilled vegetable skewers. Dessert: Apple Dumplings. I've made them before (picture here is of mine), but I can't find the recipe!

Weekly Muffins: Use a zucchini bread batter to make muffins instead of bread.

MON 9/13 - Good Food, Easy Recipes. Pan-Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops, Rosemary Roasties, cucumber salad of some sort. 

TUE 9/14 - Italian Night.  Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss.

And, at some point, I'll be making apple pie. 


Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness. 
  - - Jane Austen

MENU Wed 9/1 to Tue 9/7

Local Apples Have Arrived!


This week, I received:

• McIntosh Apples (1.25 lb)
• Gala Apples (0.75 lb)
• Yellow Delicious Apples (1 lb)
• 4 Peaches (1.75 lb)
• 3 Field Tomatoes (1.25 lb)
• 1 Personal Watermelon
• 1 Sprite melon
• 5 Cucumbers (2 lb)

I'm excited about all the apples! I miss the orchard in my hometown... we'd buy "seconds" by the bushel. They were a bit bruised or just misshapen, so they were much cheaper. If you've never made apple butter, you should give it a try!

Apple Ideas:

• Put one inside a roasting chicken to add flavor
• Toss one in your purse or backpack - next time you're tempted for the drive-thru, it may save the day!
• Slice and add to salads... try with tossed salad or something like Chicken Waldorf Salad.
• Quick Snack: Microwave Baked Apple
• Apple Pie, of course!
• Apple Crisp
• Applesauce goes great with Pork Chops!
• Apple Bread Pudding
• Slice for packed lunches

Fancy meals can be easy! Last week's Chicken Marsala was fabulous. It's a great recipe - and really not difficult. Really. Sprinkle flour and some spices on the chicken, cook it in a little butter or oil in a frying pan, then take it out. Add garlic and lots of mushrooms, then once they're soft add about 1/2 cup of Marsala wine and a bit of lemon juice; simmer until the wine reduces down quite a bit. Then put the chicken back in, sprinkle it with some Parmesan, and you're done! See? Not so bad, eh? Serve it with some pasta and salad, and you have a very fancy meal for very little work.


Here's the Week's Menu: 

WED 9/1 - Trying Again for Shrimp!  Shrimp and Black Bean Salad is on the menu b/c I didn't get to make it over the weekend. Life happens... especially when there's a little baby around. Serve with fresh watermelon.

THU 9/2 - Easy Meal.  Salsa and Chips, and Shredded Pork Wraps made from the pork loin I cooked in the crock pot on Tuesday. We'll have Fresh Cucumber Salad (with sliced field tomatoes mixed in) on the side. All the leftover pork will go to the freezer for future wraps.

FRI 9/3 - Fishy Friday!  Baked Tilapia and Couscous with Sausage, cooked something like this recipe but with no olives and less sausage. I'll keep you posted!  For a veggie, I'll cook up some of the fabulous corn I froze, from The Produce Box. 

SAT 9/4 - Dinner on the Deck.  Grilled Chicken Breast drizzled with a Simple Balsamic Reduction, Grilled Apple Tossed Salad (I'm going to experiment with changing the dressing), and Rosemary Roasties.

Peach Freezer Jam - I have peaches, packaged pectin, sugar, lemon juice, and freezer containers. Here goes nothing! Here's a site with great step-by-step instructions.


Speaking of peaches, if you've never made Peach Sludge (great name, huh?) then you're missing out! Freeze chopped peaches, then mix them in the blender with milk. Use 1-2 cups of milk for each cup of peaches, depending on how thick you want the drink to be. Add a bit of sugar or sweetener if you'd like.

SUN 9/5 - Spaghetti Sunday.  Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, nothing fancy. But I'm also going to try to make little bowls out of melted Parmesan cheese. How cool is that?! (A disc of melted cheese is called a frico.) This should be fun!

The Continuing Saga of the Carrot Muffins. So, I made these really great carrot muffins at last... but I measured by weight rather than by volume. When I converted the recipe to volume, they came out terrible. So, the saga continues. I press on, though, because once I have a recipe we like, I'm done. ::phew:: So, it's one more round of carrot muffins this week!

MON 9/6 - Mexican Monday!  Burritos made from Cuban Black Beans (using leftovers in the freezer) and shredded chicken (also from the freezer). I'll also make a salad with lettuce, canned orange slices, and avocado.

Once a week, plan a meal that would freeze well. By cooking once, you'll have dinner that night and have a future super-easy meal (or two!). Those frozen meals are great for nights you just don't feel up to cooking much. It's easy to do take-out, too... but sometimes that's not so easy on your budget! So plan ahead a little, and you'll have a meal in the freezer ready to go.

TUE 9/7 - Grilling Again (please don't rain!)  Grilled Pork Chops and Fried Apples and Onions. 


Can I just tell you how excited I am that apples are coming in? Share your favorite apple recipes on JustRightMenus.com. 

Surely the apple is the nobles of fruits.  - - Henry David Thoreau

MENU Wed 8/25 to Tue 8/31

Summer Just Keeps on Coming 
.... A meal from the freezer, a meal heading to the freezer. Call it a trade.

I can't wait to see this week's delivery from The Produce Box! I'm particularly excited about the melons and the muscadine cider.

This week, I received:
 

• 2 Butternut Squash (2.75 lb)
• Watermelon
• 5 Peaches (1.75 lb)
• Grape Tomatoes were scheduled; I got big ones instead!
• Sprite Melon
• Local Muscadine Grape Cider
• Sweet Potatoes (3 lb)

Last Week's Successful Experiments

Making bagels was downright easy! The process took a long time, but most of that time I was just waiting for dough to rise. The actual work didn't take long at all.

Lesson Learned: Careful when Blending. I also made 3 varieties of the Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce - using Dr.P, A&W Root Beer, and Coke. Dinah and I liked the Dr.P and Coke best. However, I learned that you must be very, very careful when running a blender with hot liquids inside. I had no idea... so, the lid of the blender blew off, I spent quite a while cleaning the kitchen walls and counters, and I still have burn marks on my arm. Please check out this advice from my favorite cooking Q&A site before you attempt that recipe!

Decreasing Recipes Made Easy! I actually cut the Watermelon Dressing recipe down, making only 1/8 of the original. It was still plenty of dressing for two nights of salad. If you ever need help cutting a recipe down (say, figuring out what 1/8 of 2/3 cup is), I highly recommend downloading the simple program, EZConvert. You can find it (FREE!) at http://mcrackan.com/software.html ... just scroll down to the bottom of the page, and you'll see it. Here's how it works:

Just type in (or copy/paste) the original value, select multiply or divide from the drop-down, give what amount you're multiplying or dividing by, and it will provide an answer for you! So, instead of 2/3 cup of oil for the dressing recipe, I just used 1 TB plus 1 tsp, since I was dividing the whole by 8.

Even our bring-the-baby-to-a-restaurant experiment went well! Here's hoping for anther great week of meals.


Here's the Week's Menu: 

WED 8/25 - Visiting  We're meeting Dinah's parents for dinner, so I'm off the hook tonight!

THU 8/26 - Italian Night! Lasagna Rolls served alongside Italian sausage cooked w/ onions and peppers.

FRI 8/27 - Easy Friday  Go to farmer's market for peaches (destined for cobbler and jam) and grape tomatoes. I received two GIANT tomatoes from The Produce Box, so we'll have Stuffed Tomatoes for dinner, made with frozen stuffing from the last batch. Serve with Butternut Cheddar Shells. I am not sure that these recipes really go well together... but they're two things I really want to have, so oh well!

SAT 8/28 - Lazy Daze!  Cary, NC has a fabulous festival, Lazy Daze, every August. I can't wait to go; last year we didn't stay long due to rain.
Breakfast: Aussie omelette w/ shrimp
Lunch: Meatball subs for lunch if we eat here; pack sandwiches if we eat at the festival. 
Dinner: Grilled Porterhouse, sweet potatoes baked & whipped, veggie stir-fry of red pepper strips & asparagus.

SUN 8/29 - Hoping for Good Weather 
Lunch: I had planned on grape tomatoes from The Produce Box but will get them from the farmers' market instead... add to that, shrimp in the freezer, and leftover cilantro & celery in the fridge... sounds like Shrimp & Black Bean Salad to me!
Dinner: Barbecue Sauce Pizza for dinner. Trying again on the peach cobbler, since a certain baby didn't let me get to it last week.

Muffins? What muffins? My poor husband had to make do with packaged breafast granola bars... going to try to get to the muffins again this week. I might need to go back to freezing extras for just-in-case. They're just not as good once frozen, though. 

MON 8/30 - An Old Friend.  It's been a long time since we've had Chicken Marsala, so here we go! Served with Rosemary Roasties and Steamed Asparagus w/ Toasted Almond Slices.

TUE 8/31 - Making Extra for the Freezer  Half a pork loin (on sale for $1.99/lb, wahoo!) cooked in the crock pot with the leftover Soda Barbecue Sauce. Serve as pulled pork sandwiches with homemade BBQ Baked Beans (made with that same sauce), and corn. I'll freeze all the extra pork for future meals - it'll make great sandwiches and burritos. 


Not the most original week of recipes, but we're getting by. Will life get any easier as this little baby grows up?!  


It's bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children's health than the pediatrician.  - - Meryl Streep

MENU Wed 8/18 to Tue 8/24

Experiments Galore!
Watermelon Dressing, Soda-Based Barbecue Sauce, and Carrot Muffins

I'm excited about all the fruit in this week's delivery from The Produce Box! As you may have seen in Raleigh's Sunday Paper, The Produce Box is a local Community Supported Agriculture group that provides a box of farm-fresh, local fruits and vegetables right to my door. Talk about convenient!! To find a CSA near you, check out LocalHarvest.org.

This week, I received:

• Roma Tomatoes (3 lb)
• 5 Peaches (2.5 lb)
• Scuppernong Grapes (1.5 lb)
• Red Potatoes (2 lb)
• Watermelon, seedless personal size
• Sprite Melon
• 2 Banana Sweet Peppers

Last week's Muscadine Grape Hull Pie turned out great! It reminds me of blackberry pie, probably due to the tart but sweet flavor. The recipe calls for 5 cups of grapes. Post-munching, I had about 3. So, I just used about half of the remaining pie filling ingredients, and it still worked well. Give it a try this week!

If you're looking for more recipes for produce currently in season, check out justrighmenus.com - there, you'll find all the recipes from this year's The Produce Box newsletter. 


Here's the Week's Menu: 

WED 8/18 -  Something New  Italian Breaded Pork Chops,  Tomato Pie, and salad topped with Watermelon Basil Vinaigrette. When I first came across the recipe, I was not yet willing to sacrifice any watermelon as dressing fodder. I think my craving has subsided enough to allow it at this point.

...and Bagels, too! After the baby's in bed, I'll start work on bagels. I've never made them before... I'll keep you posted. Please comment with any bagel-making advice you have!

Moroccan Chicken and Lentils

THU 8/19 - Super-Quick Meal  All in one hour: feed the baby, make dinner, eat dinner, and get ready to leave for the evening. Ready, Set, GO! Fortunately, we have leftover Moroccan Chicken and Lentils from Monday. I also froze some leftovers, so you'll see it on the menu one more time. It turned out fairly bland, though topping it with Tzatsiki Sauce helped. I'll dice up the sweet pepper from this week's box and mix it in to the leftovers, too.
 
More Quick Meal Ideas:

• Fajitas (Delicious use of sweet bell peppers!)
• Polynesian Chicken
• Sauteed Chicken Breast with Cucumber Salad
• Poached Fish with Tomato and Basil (works well with fresh tomatoes)
• Eleven More Ideas! 

Summertime Pasta Salad

FRI 8/20 - Fishy Friday  Crunchy Oven-Fried Fish, Summertime Pasta Salad, and Steamed Corn. 

SAT 8/21 - Soda Barbecue Experiment  Using the Simply Recipes Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce recipe, I'm going to make one batch with Coke, one with root beer, and one with (of course) Dr. Pepper. We're having baby back ribs (I've begged a friend for their fabulous recipe) slathered with said barbecue sauce, Skillet Corn Bread Pudding, and salad with more of the Watermelon Dressing.

Tasty Tomatoes: If you're looking for how to use big, ripe tomatoes, check out Spiced Lamb Stuffed Tomatoes. Also, Broiled Parmesan Tomatoes would make a great side-dish to any meal. or you could check out this great dish, which also uses fresh new potatoes. Make it a vegetarian meal, or add some chicken.

SUN 8/22 - Trade-off: Shrimp and Peaches  Grilled Shrimp and Veggie Kabobs, Corn Pudding - made with fresh corn, and Peach Cobbler. My sweet husband doesn't really like peaches, so I have held off making it, not wanting to do something special when it's just for me. But I can no longer take the temptation. It's August, and there are peaches everywhere! I give in. I shall appease him with shrimp. 

Don't forget the weekly muffins! Corn pudding only partly uses a can of evaporated milk, so I'll use the rest in this week's muffins. The great carrot muffin experiment continues! Last week's muffins were too nutmeg-heavy and too cake-like for me. Once I have a winning recipe, I'll share it with you.   

MON 8/23 - More Grilling!  Honey-Teriyaki Chicken (using store-bought Honey-Teriyaki Marinade, then grilled), Roasted Red Potatoes using garlic instead of rosemary, and sauteed broccoli.

TUE 8/24 - Baby Experiment  We're going to try to take Rosie out to a restaurant. Plan B: Pasta w/ meatballs from the freezer and canned sauce.

A Couple Fresh, Fun Summer Meal Ideas: 

• I highly recommend the salad trio we had last week: Balinese Cucumber Salad, Cool Shrimp Salad, and Easy Fresh Corn Salad. 
• Shrimp and Black Bean Salad is another of our summertime favorites. I can't even mention that one if I'm not planning to make it - my husband loves it that much.

Salad Trio: Cucumber, Shrimp, and Corn Salads

Share your successful experiments on justrightmenus.com or as a comments here - I'd love to try them! 

You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - 
just good food from fresh ingredients. 
- - Julia Child

MENU Wed 8/11 to Tue 8/17

Into the Heat of Summer: Easy Cooking ....
Leftovers, Salads, Grilling, and Slow Cooker

As you may have seen on Monday's post, I build my menu by taking stock of what's on hand and build my menu from those ingredients. I also have now received this week's veggies from The Produce Box, a local Community Supported Agriculture group that provides a box of farm-fresh, local fruits and vegetables right to my door. To find a CSA near you, check out LocalHarvest.org.


This week, I received:

• Muscadine Grapes (1.5 lb)
• Large Field tomatoes (1.5 lb)
• Bell Peppers (qty 2)
• Corn  (4 ears)
• Red Potatoes (1.5 lb)
• Spicy Sweet Dill Pickles, 1 pint

Last week's chicken-salad-with-squash lunch plan never came to fruition, as I had sufficient dinner leftovers for lunch that I didn't need to make anything new. Fortunately, Rosie is starting to eat baby food, so she will be getting some of that squash. If you'd like to learn how to make and freeze baby food, check out this helpful site. 


Here's the Week's Menu: 

WED 8/11 - Leftovers! We have some corn chowder leftover from Sunday night and some Pibil in the freezer; I'll saute the last of the summer squash as the veggie. I made extra brown rice the other night, too, so we'll add that to the mix. I have a nasty cold, so I need an easy meal night.

THU 8/12 - Exploring Muscadine Grapes. Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Grape Sauce - recipe in the making, though it will be something like this one. Serve with arborio rice and steamed corn.

If the baby lets me, I'll also try out Muscadine Grape Hull Pie.

Need Muscadine Grape recipes? I found the mother lode! The NC Dept of Commerce site has a recipe for all things Muscadine:  Juice, Jelly, Grape Butter, Grape Ice, Ice Cream, Pie, Dump Cake, Sherbet Floats, Cider, Fondue, and Sweet & Sour Glaze.

FRI 8/13 - Salad, salad, salad! Cool Shrimp Salad, Balinese Cucumber Salad, my new favorite Corn Salad, and instant brown rice. The salads don't take long to make, and can all be made ahead of time.

Tonight, after the baby's in bed, I'm going to put together Tomatoes Stuffed with Spiced Lamb so they're ready to pop in the oven to bake for lunch tomorrow. Why don't you try putting them together the night before, too, so they're ready for dinner the next night?

SAT 8/14 - Optional Menu. We may or may not be eating at home tonight, so I'll plan for Easy Shepherd's Pie. I know, I know, that's lamb for lunch and lamb for dinner. Hey, I'm not expecting to be home for dinner anyway. This is a just-in-case plan. The ingredients will all keep for future use if not used this night. If I do make it, I'll use some of the red potatoes I received in my produce box this week.

SUN 8/15 - Dinner on the Deck. Bison burgers, German Potato Salad, and Grilled Corn.

Muffins! I'll also make Oatmeal Carrot Muffins for the week's breakfasts - supercook.com helped me find the recipe, using up the yoghurt and carrots I have hanging out in the fridge. I'll let you know how it goes!

MON 8/16 - Slow Cooker Day. Moroccan Chicken and Lentils, served over white rice, Tzatsiki Sauce spooned over all.

TUE 8/17 - Italian Night!
Italian Sausage, prepared with fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions. Served alongside lasagna noodles, rolled up with ricotta, mozzarella, and parsley, sauce spooned over the top and then baked. I'll post the recipe once I make them. EDIT: Here's the Lasagna Rolls recipe!

How are you beating the heat? What's your favorite easy, summertime dinner? 

Great torpid grapes, all fattened through
With moon and sunshine, shade and dew
- - James Whitcomb Riley

MENU Wed 8/4 to Tue 8/10

What a week! Between the store not having any okra (I wasn't up to another trip to the Farmers' Market with the baby), baby Rosie having a hard time, and my computer having a virus, it was a rough week... life did not go as planned, and that's okay. No ingredients went bad, as I made sure to still use the ones that would be in danger.

Meal planning is meant to help you, not create a burden. I believe in having a dinner plan, but also in the ability to be flexible. If you need to do a different dinner than what you planned, go for it! Just be sure to use up ingredients that would otherwise go bad. Don't give in to take-out when you've had a bad day! Just make something super-easy (like quesadillas) and move on.

Example: Last night, I had chicken defrosted in preparation for Tarragon chicken. I typically have shredded cheese and flatbread around b/c flatbread seems to keep forever and makes nice sandwiches. So we had Super-Easy Quesadillas instead. Ta-daaa! Dinner.

Here's hoping this week goes better!

I chose the "Surprise" box from The Produce Box this week. I received:

 

• Yellow Summer Squash (1.75 lb) - - used in four recipes this week!
• Peaches (1.75 lb)
• 4 ears Corn
• 1 Cantaloupe (at least I think that's what it is)
• 1 Sprite melon
• Salsa (16 oz jar)
• Honey (8 oz jar)

Lunches - I'm going to experiment in making chicken salad with grated summer squash in it. I'll keep you posted on that. Dinah's not a big peach fan, so I'll mostly be enjoying those w/ my lunches.

WED 8/4 - Previously, I froze leftover Cuban Ground Beef Creole and Cuban Black Beans, knowing they would make for great burritos. Tonight, I'll be enacting that plan. I have a few grape tomatoes and a little bit of mint hanging out in the fridge, so I'll also make Roasted Tomatoes with Mint. Give it a try!

THU 8/5 - Off to the Farmers' Market for okra! We'll have Okra with Shrimp, served over rice. Really, I'm making it this time. I'll toss some summer squash in the recipe, too. I'm thinking it will be like a simpler version of Gumbo. Cucumber Salad on the side.

FRI 8/6 - Roasted Chicken Quarters, Fresh Corn Salad, Rosemary Roasties. I'll be working on a new recipe for Fresh Corn Salad, so keep your eyes out for it on justrightmenus.com.

SAT 8/7 -
Lunch: Easy Meatball Subs - frozen meatballs, a couple of rolls, canned sauce, and deli cheese. Done!
Dinner: Pork Stir Fry, using onion, green pepper, carrots, and summer squash as the veggies. Served over brown rice.

SUN 8/8 - 
Breakfast: Chorizo and Eggs, from Simply Recipes.  I picked up some chorizo at the Farmers' Market, and I've been dying to try it!

Dinner: I'm cooking a birthday dinner for my father-in-law. He loves Stuffed Mushrooms, so I'll make them as an appetizer (using the same proportions as this recipe, cut down for 4 people). We'll also have Corn Chowder (my sister owes me the recipe!) and sauteed chicken and summer squash over pasta... One-Ingredient Ice Cream for dessert.

MON 8/9 - I'm going to try Thai-Style Chicken Legs from Smitten Kitchen. Yes, I'm going to use Fish Sauce. No, I've never used it before. Here goes nothing! Served with brown rice and steamed corn.

TUE 8/10 - Chicken Tetrazzini - just defrost and bake! Serve with salad and bread. I'm a big fan of making a big batch of something & freezing the rest for later. It's not much extra work, and it will save you a lot of time for future meals.

What do you do with summer squash? Please share your recipes!

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.  
- - Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story

MENU Thu 7/29 - Tue 8/3

Loving the Summer Produce!

Only another day or so of my sister and her boyfriend being in town, then it's back to regularly scheduled life. I will miss them!! They are, however, leaving me with a fabulous recipe for corn chowder (I'll share it in a future post).

In this week's delivery from The Produce Box, I received:

• 6 peaches
• 4 large tomatoes
• Personal watermelon
• 5 ears of corn
• 24oz bottle Muscadine grape cider

The newsletter that comes with The Produce Box contains great recipes, using (of course!) produce that's in season. All those recipes can be found on Just Right Menus, updated weekly. This week's new recipes will be posted by tomorrow morning... I got my box and newsletter late today, so I'm a bit behind!

Please share any peach tea recipes you have - I'm experimenting!




Here's the Week's Menu:

THU 7/29 - Appetizer: Fresh Melon Salsa. Puerco Pibil, boiled red potatoes (sliced thinly to serve). 

FRI 7/30 - Okra and Shrimp, which is made with fresh tomatoes, too; serve with hot, steaming white rice and cucumber-tomato salad on the side. I'll be making lots of extra rice, because stir-fried rice is best made with leftover rice. 

SAT 7/31 -
Lunch: Shrimp Salsa Salad. 
Dinner: We're trying out ready-made ribs from Harris Teeter (grocery store); they come with a high recommendation. I think the rotisserie chicken available from most grocery stores is a good option for a low-cost takeout meal, too. With the ribs, we'll have Skillet Corn Bread Pudding, and leftover cucumber-tomato salad (which I think is better on the second day anyway). I can't resist it - I'm also making Tomato Pie. 

SUN 8/1 - Polynesian Chicken served with fried rice (made using leftover rice from Friday). 

MON 8/2 - Salmon with Caper Relish, wild rice mix (to which I'll add some nuts and canned oranges), Steamed Corn. 

TUE 8/3 - Tarragon-Crusted Chicken (TOH 2/Spring08/7), macaroni salad, and Zucchini Carpaccio. 


When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what the angels eat.
  - - Mark Twain

MENU Wed 7/21 through Wed 7/28

Another Week, Another Box of Produce!

This week's delivery from The Produce Box looks great, as always. If you're looking for an organization like The Produce Box in your area (i.e. Community Supported Agrliculture, or CSA), check out www.localharvest.org/csa.

This week, I received:

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• New potatoes (1.75 pounds)
• 1 spaghetti squash (2 pounds)
• 2 cucumbers
• Field peas (in pods, 1.25 pounds)
• Personal watermelon
• Sprite melon
• 2 Korean Stripe melons

Not bad for $22, eh? I also opted for a quart of okra (.75 lb).
If you're looking for more recipes, check out www.justrightmenus.com; all the recipes from this year's The Produce Box newsletter are in their own category. 

Here's the Week's Menu:

WED 7/21 - Chicken and Black Bean Burritos (using leftover Cuban Black Beans) and yellow rice mix. I'm trying out this recipe for the chicken. I'll slice up some of the cherry tomatoes and some cilantro to go in them as well - and if I can get cheap avocados, we'll have guacamole, too. For an appetizer, I'm definitely making Fresh Melon Salsa to serve with tortilla chips.


THU 7/22 - Caribbean-Style Tilapia with Fresh Lime (I've tweaked the recipe a bit), leftover Cuban Black Beans, Corn, and Fried Plantains.


FRI 7/23 - Venetian Chicken served with Spaghetti Squash Ratatouille over Potatoes Boulangere (doesn't that sound fancy?). I typically make Rosemary Roasties out of red potatoes, but I'd like to try something new. Then, I'll make chicken salad for Saturday lunches, using the leftover chicken.


SAT 7/24 - One of my beautiful sisters and her boyfriend are in town! I'm really looking forward to cooking with Amy (as a companion, not as an ingredient).
Baked Brie (with Basil Pesto, pine nuts, and olive oil; served with fresh bread) as an appetizer; Baby Back Ribs with Kansas City Rib Sauce, Grilled Corn, Fried Okra with Remoulade, and field peas (aka black-eyed peas). Key Lime Pie is scheduled for dessert.
This New England girl has never made black-eyed peas before; I'm trying out this recipe.

SUN 7/25 - Headed to the Lake! Grilled Hamburgers and Hot Dogs, Watergate Salad, Mixed Bean Casserole, and LOTS of fresh, sweet melon.

MON 7/26 - Amy and Dan will be at the beach, so it's back to cooking for two. They may be going out to Lucky 32 for dinner. If you're ever in the Raleigh area, Lucky's makes a nice treat for dinner. They have a continually changing, seasonal menu. Dinah and I will have Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss with tossed salad on the side.

TUE 7/27 - Amy and Dan are choosing dinner tonight!

WED 7/28 - Last night of cooking with Amy and Dan.  We'll make it a finger-food dinner! Baked Buffalo Wings (served with celery sticks and blue cheese & ranch dressing, of course), Frank's Red Hot Chicken Dip, and french fries ... OR ... we'll make Puerco Pibil served over rice. Amy & Dan can pick.

By the way, the Greek Picnic Pie we had this past week was delightful!

Even if you don't much care for the admittedly strong flavor eggplant usually has, this is quite good. You may want to peel the eggplant, though.




"If he is thin, I will probably dine poorly. If he is both thin and sad, the only hope is in flight."  
- - Fernand Point (considered the father of modern French cuisine), on the chef as the critical indicator when sizing up an unfamiliar restaurant.

MENU Wed 7/14 through Tue 7/20

Let's Hear it for Fresh, Local Produce!

I just received this week's delivery from The Produce Box, full of fresh, local produce. The Produce Box is a Community-Supported-Agriculture (CSA) organization in the Raleigh, NC area. Look for a farm co-op in your area on www.localharvest.org.

This week, I received...

• 1 medium white eggplant (3/4 pound) - - I've never had this kind before!
• 3 small purple eggplants (3/4 pound)
• 2 medium butternut squash
• 3 pickling cucumbers
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 pint of blueberries
• 11 roma tomatoes (2 3/4 pounds)
• 7 peaches (2 1/2 pounds)
• 1 personal watermelon.

I also received two extra green bell peppers and 3 roma tomatoes from my coordinator, as an apology for having forgotten last week's newsletter. Wow!!

This week's box included a sample of Yah's Best: Herbal Delight seasoning mix. I bought a packet of this at the State Farmers' Market a couple of weeks ago. It's WONDERFUL!! My neighbor saw my packet and exclaimed over it; she also bought a packet at the Farmers' Market. Use to season dips, sprinkle on pizza, mix w/ olive oil for a grilling baste (on meats or veggies), in dipping oil for bread... I make a similar mix myself, and we use it a lot!

Looking for more recipes using fresh, local produce? Check out all the recipes from The Produce Box newsletters, on JustRightMenus.


Here's the Week's Menu:

Can you tell I've been flipping through my Mediterranean cookbook?

WED 7/13 - Shrimp and Okra Gumbo will make good use of my remaining okra! Serve over white rice.

THU 7/14 - Lamb Pitas with Mint Yogurt Dressing, served with Greek Boats (using my white eggplant), and Fresh Cucumber Salad on the side. I'll add some fresh, sliced tomatoes to the cucumber salad, too.


FRI 7/15 - Baked Cod in the Style of Spetses, Tomato and Basil Tart, Wild Rice Mix.


SAT 7/16 - For lunch, I'll make New Potato, Rosemary, and Garlic Pizza. We'll also have dip with veggies (definitely including some of the tasty bell peppers from The Produce Box). For dinner, we'll have Grilled Porterhouse, leftover Pizza from lunch, and leftover Tomato and Basil Tart from the night before. As dessert, we'll enjoy Wine-Soaked Peaches with Ice Cream.


SUN 7/17 - Marinated Pork Kebabs with Tzatsiki Sauce, Butternut Squash.


MON 7/18 - Cuban Black Beans (I'm trying out this recipe ) and Cuban Ground Beef Creole over rice. Between the two recipes, you'll need 4 bell peppers and 4 onions, so be sure you're stocked up!


TUE 7/19 - Grilled Barbecue Chicken Thighs, Greek Picnic Pie (using my purple eggplants).



This weekend, we'll have more blueberry pancakes! I'll make some blueberry muffins for the week, too. I'm continuing to experiment with different muffin recipes. You'll be hearing from me soon on those.

"This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!" - - Julia Child, My Life in France

MENU Wed 7/7 through Tue 7/13

It's Produce Day!

My delivery from The Produce Box has arrived. This week, I received 8 ears of corn, 5 summer squash, a quart of red potatoes, a quart of okra, a pint of blueberries, 2 cucumbers, a personal watermelon, and a Canary melon. I didn't receive a copy of the newsletter this time, but once I do, I'll post the recipes from it on justrightmenus.com.


Last week's hamburgers came out great! I found that using 1/2 tsp of seasoning for each 1/4 pound burger worked just right. I also grilled big, fat onion slices alongside the burgers. I added the cheese for just the last couple of minutes on the grill. Proud of myself? Yes, yes I am. I'll be making the burgers like this for Saturday's party, for sure!

I bought a lot of basil from the State Farmers' Market (3 big bunches for $5), so I'll be making Basil Pesto today or tomorrow. Please post your favorite recipes using pesto on justrightmenus.com!


Here's the week's menu:

WED 7/7 - Since we went to Dinah's parents' for dinner on Monday, the menu shifted back one day. So, we're having Savory Peach Chicken served over jasmine rice tonight (it was scheduled for last night). We'll also have Quick Saute of Zucchini with Toasted Almonds, but I'll be using summer squash instead of zucchini.

THU 7/8 - Broiled Tilapia, Broiled Parmesan-Basil Tomatoes, and Rosemary Roasties (red potatoes).

FRI 7/9 - "Proscuitto" Chicken Kabobs, Grilled Corn, and Zucchini Fritters (though I'm using summer squash instead of zucchini). We'll have the Canary melon for dessert. That'll be a first for me; I've never had it before.

SAT 7/10 - Happy Fourth of July on the Tenth of July Party! I'm grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. I'll also make pasta salad and steamed corn. Friends are bringing macaroni and cheese, fruit salad, and brownies.


SUN 7/11 - Cajun Blackened Catfish, Fried Okra served with Remoulade Sauce, Corn Pudding, and watermelon. I'm excited about the watermelon; the last one we got from The Produce Box was one of the best I've ever had!

MON 7/12 - Chicken Tetrazzini - I'm making LOTS, so we can freeze 2 pans of it and bring 2 pans to a friend who just had a baby. I'm going to experiment by sprinkling pesto on top for the last few minutes of cooking time.

TUE 7/13 - It's been so hot, I prefer grilling over running the oven when possible. So, it's Grilled Barbecue Pork Chops on this night! Serve with Red Potatoes and Fresh Corn Salad.

The blueberries are destined for Blueberry Muffins for breakfast during the week, and Blueberry Pancakes this weekend. I can hardly wait!


"Sex is good, but not as good as good as fresh, sweet corn." - - Garrison Keillor