——————————————-

Saturday

• Falafel with all the fun falafely fixings as follows:
• Zahav’s Tahini Sauce: This is the creamiest, lightest, most luscious tahini sauce I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. And, I have an Israeli husband. Translation: we have tried just about every version of tahini and hummus everywhere, including all over Israel. This is, hands down, the winner. The link will take you to Michael Solomonov’s recipe for hummus tahini (which is also unbelievable), but the sauce recipe is in the instructions. The first time I made his tahini and hummus my husband swooned. And then he proceeded to make dinner reservations at Solomonov’s restaurant Zahav, which is 3 hours away mind you. So yes, we made a road trip to Philadelphia just to dine at Zahav. His food IS THAT GOOD.
• Zahav’s beets with tahini and dill: use up more of that wonderful tahini sauce you just made. This salad has turned beet haters into true beet lovers. Magic!
• Roasted red pepper salad with harissa
• Sumac onion salad: thinly slice red onions. Toss with mint, lemon juice, salt and sumac
• Israeli salad: Finely chop the following and mix with lemon juice and salt and pepper: red onion, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, fresh mint and/or parsley

——————————————-

Sunday

• Burmese red pork stew: start this a day ahead so the eggs have time to marinate.
• Steamed broccoli 

——————————————-

Monday

• Leftover falafel: the beauty of all that work on Saturday — the entire feast makes great leftovers.

——————————————-

Tuesday

• It’s the anniversary of the day my husband proposed — 13 years ago! We are going to our favorite Italian restaurant, Cinghiale. It works out nicely that our “anniversary” falls on a Tuesday this year as it’s half-priced bottles of vino on Tuesdays at Cinghiale. And, they have one heck of a wine cellar.

——————————————-

Wednesday

• Leftover Burmese stew

——————————————-

Thursday

• Lucky Peach lamb burgers: These were on my list to make all summer long. Well, I never got around to it and I cannot wait any longer. Summer be damned!
• Roasted green bell peppers and onions

——————————————-

Saturday

• Aperitivo: Paper plane cocktail — try it. You’ll like it.
• Roast salmon with potato salad and horseradish yogurt: Buy enough fish for leftovers. Salmon holds up well and can quickly be transformed into a main course salad on a weeknight. 
• Roasted broccoli with chile-caper vinaigrette

——————————————-

Sunday

• Lamb loin chops with rosemary and garlic: I will rub these beautiful chops down with a bit of oil, slather them with a paste of rosemary and garlic and then treat them to a sear in a super hot cast iron skillet. I plan to finish them off low and slow in the oven.
• Caramelized cauliflower puree: Even better than mashed potatoes. Roast cauliflower florets drizzled with olive oil for about 25 minutes in a 450 degree oven. Puree with a bit of chicken or veggie broth (you can even throw in a nub or two of butter) and season to taste with salt and pepper. I like to drizzle on a bit more olive oil and hit it with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan just before serving.
• Celery and tart apple salad: What to accompany the rich, unctuous lamb and the sweet, creamy puree? A crisp, tart salad that will provide crunch and liveliness. Although the recipe calls for radishes, I plan to use a tart green apple instead. If I had radishes around, I would probably use both.

——————————————-

Monday

• Bistro dinner salad with salmon and roasted vegetables: Put that leftover salmon to work. Gently warm the fish and flake it over a bowl of lightly dressed roasted veggies and greens. Sprinkle with toasted nuts and a squirt of lemon.

——————————————-

Tuesday

• Omelets with caramelized onions, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and goat cheese (yes, we are having these again, although I may change up the ingredients. It’s my go-to weeknight dinner).
• Butter lettuce salad with apple and lemon

——————————————-

Wednesday

• Gal’s Night Out! 

——————————————-

Thursday

• Chicken mafe: This is a West African dish that just looks too interesting not to try. Quite frankly, it has peanut butter in it, so I am SOLD. I will likely amp up the heat factor and swap out the starchy vegetables for bell peppers and cauliflower instead. A one dish wonder my friends!

——————————————-

Saturday

• Roast duck breasts with pomegranate-chile sauce
• Celeriac remoulade
• Wilted Swiss chard with lemon, shaved pecorino and pine nuts

——————————————-

Sunday

• Cauliflower soup: I know the recipe calls for truffle oil, but I tend to find it too aggressive, especially for this delicate dish. I think the soup is much better with a drizzle of excellent olive oil — olio nuevo if you can get your hands on it. I pre-purchase mine from McEvoy Ranch in California every year as this neon green, liquid delight is seasonal and sells out quickly. The soup is thick, velvety and flavorful on its own, but the vibrant oil really makes this first-course soup restaurant-worthy.
• Roasted mushrooms with garlic and rosemary
• Tuscan-style porterhouse steak with red wine-peppercorn jus: I am splurging on a beautifully crusty, dry-aged hunk of meat (bone-in, of course). It is Valentine’s Day after-all. Dibs on that bone!
• Wine. We are opening something fabulous from our cellar. Most likely a Napa cab.

——————————————-

Monday

• Omelets with caramelized onions, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and goat cheese
• Green salad with walnuts and lemon-tarragon vinaigrette

——————————————-

Tuesday

• Pan-roasted halibut with herbed corona beans: I admit, I did splurge and order an $11 bag of dried heirloom beans online. I know, I know, ridiculous. I hear it’s worth it, however. My understanding is that my life will forever be changed once I taste the magic of super duper special beans. We shall see. I will not hold my breath.
• Roasted root vegetables with cumin, paprika and cayenne

——————————————-

Wednesday

• Slow-cooker chicken cacciatore: a healthy, one-dish wonder. Well, here’s hoping anyway. I have not yet made chicken cacciatore in the slow-cooker. I will likely tweak this recipe as I go, but it’s a good start.

——————————————-

Thursday

• Leftover night

——————————————-

Saturday

It’s Supper Club night and the theme is Cuban. I am bringing dessert and plan to make a Cuban coconut rum flan. I have no idea what the remainder of the menu entails, but I look forward to devouring what our friends choose to create.

——————————————-

Sunday

• Chicken with shallots, prunes and Armagnac
• Slow-cooker fennel braised with artichokes

——————————————-

Monday

• Mustard-roasted salmon with lingonberry sauce
• Roasted cauliflower and butternut squash

——————————————-

Tuesday

• Leftover night

——————————————-

Wednesday

• Steaks with mushrooms sauteed in red wine and shallots: I am going to wing this as I go along. I will post my loosely followed recipe, assuming it’s worth posting.
• Roasted tomatoes with Stilton and arugula: Yes, I know I just made this. It was that good. Plus, I have a love affair with blue cheese.

——————————————-

Thursday

• We are likely having leftovers again tonight. That, or omelets based on what’s left in my refrigerator. I already know that by the time we get to Thursday, I will be zonked. I have a very busy work week …
• Some kind of vegetable or big-ass salad

——————————————-

Sunday

I have been craving some old school Mexican food so enchiladas it is. Homemade red enchilada sauce even. Say it isn’t so!

• Chicken enchiladas in red sauce with guacamole.
• Homemade enchilada sauce:  I am only making the sauce from this recipe. The rest is too time-consuming for a lazy Sunday. I am loosely following the remainder of the recipe from the Pioneer Woman. Rather than saute my chicken, however, I decided to poach the breasts the day before in the slow-cooker, which makes moist, shredded chicken a snap.
• Roasted Hatch chiles: Don’t need to use canned here as I was the lucky recipient of a bag of freshly roasted Hatch chiles, which have been waiting patiently in my freezer. Thank you Kurt, my fellow foodie, friend and writer. Check him out at tasteoftravel2.com.
• Salad with a spicy lime vinaigrette and toasted pepitas

——————————————-

Monday

• Dinner with friends at our favorite local French bistro, Petit Louis. Monday night is steak tartare night — heaven! Nothing like a bowl of raw meat topped with a raw egg. I know, it sounds disturbing, but I adore the stuff.

——————————————-

Tuesday

• Feta-brined roast chicken. This is awesome. You now have my permission to toss out every other roast chicken recipe. Moist, flavorful and perfectly crisp skin. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
• Roasted root vegetables

——————————————-

Wednesday

• Leftovers tonight as I have jury duty and am not sure when I’ll be home in the evening. We will likely bust out those enchiladas again.
• Some sort of veggie or salad. I’ll figure it out.

——————————————-

Thursday

• Slow-roasted salmon with fennel, citrus and chiles
• Fall salad with apples and comte cheese 

——————————————-

Friday

• Mom’s quick linguine with clam sauce: easy to turn out on a week night. Use fresh clams and homemade tomato sauce when time permits.
• Green salad with toasted pine nuts and pecorino