Week of August 3rd

It’s summer. It’s hot. This makes me lazy. So, this week’s menu is organized as such. I may switch things up, may whip up meals based on what looks good at the market and will likely not follow many recipes. That being said, here’s what we’ll be dining on this week (sort of):

Saturday:

• Grilled eggplant and peppers topped with spicy marinated mozzarella
• Roasted cherry tomatoes
• Dry-aged rib eye steaks (the older the better). These are going to be simply grilled with just a bit of good olive oil and a crust of herbs de Provence. 

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Sunday:

• Some kind o’ fish. Whatever looks fresh and still jumping from the Farmer’s Market
• Grilled corn on the cob
• Green salad with feta-stuffed grilled nectarines and violet balsamic vinaigrette

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Monday:

• Grilled Asian chicken skewers with holy basil
• Smoked eggplant with sumac-yogurt sauce
• Grilled corn on the cob

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Tuesday:

• Leftover chicken
• Green salad

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Wednesday:

• Grilled oysters with hot-sauce butter & lemon
• Corn on the cob
• Green salad

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Thursday:

• Heirloom tomato salad omelets with fresh basil, olive oil and sea-salt. Simply make a plain or cheese omelet and top with fresh heirloom tomatoes, high quality extra virgin olive oil, basil and sea-salt. This dish is simply heavenly but does require the freshest ingredients possible.
• Zucchini Salad

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Friday:

• Date Night!!!

Week of July 27th

Saturday:

• Grilled chicken breasts with fresh cheese and honey-roasted cherry tomatoes:  my plan for this chicken is to coat the breasts with finely grated Parmesan cheese, then grill and top with a slice of fresh cheese (mozzarella, burrata or Camembert are all good choices), then spoon the tomatoes over the top.
• Caponata

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Sunday:

• Watermelon & peach gazpacho with blue cheese & tarragon
  
• Coffee-marinated steaks
• Fresh Maryland corn on the cob with Old Bay butter: simply grill fresh-as-can-be corn and top with softened butter mixed with a good douse of Old Bay. Baltimore summer on a plate!
• Lemonade jelly with basil: this should be interesting.

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Monday:

• Indian butter chicken (also known as chicken tikka masala): this recipe comes from my favorite Indian cookbook — Indian Home Cooking  by Suvir Saran. This is one of the few recipes in the book I have yet to try, so I am looking forward to tasting this classic dish.
• Mint raita: a riff on the classic cucumber raita with yogurt and lemon juice
• Grilled farmer’s market vegetables

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Tuesday:

• We are taking advantage of Baltimore’s summer restaurant week and are headed out to dinner this evening

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Wednesday:

• Leftover chicken with honey-roasted tomatoes
• Shaved zucchini salad with pine-nuts and pecorino romano cheese

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Thursday:

• Leftover Indian
• Green salad

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Friday:

• Date Night!

Week of June 29th

Saturday:

• We have been invited to a BBQ and baby-viewing, so that is where we are headed tonight. I am not clear on the menu, but I do know I will be bringing freshly made guacamole.

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Sunday:

• Vietnamese lemongrass pork: I am on a Vietnamese kick thanks to the drool-worthy photos and recipes from my new cookbook,  Vietnamese Home Cooking by Charles Phan.
• Green papaya salad, also courtesy of Charles Phan. Sometimes I substitute Napa cabbage or julienne zucchini if green papaya is not available.
• Sticky rice

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Monday:

• Indonesian swordfish, I know, I know, this was recently on my weekly menu. It’s THAT good, that’s all I can say.
• Spicy mango salad
• Long beans and shallots with Indonesian kecap manis. Although you can purchase kecap manis in some specialty shops or online, I like to make my own. It’s easy, keeps for several months in the refrigerator, and tastes much better than the bottled version. Kecap manis recipe.

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Tuesday:

• Leftover pork
• Green salad

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Wednesday:

• Chopped ceviche
• Avocado toasts, rub thick slices of bread with a half a garlic clove and then brush with oil. Toast bread. Top toasted bread slices with chopped/slightly mashed avocado, hot pepper flakes, sea-salt and a drizzle of good quality olive oil. Delicious!
• Blackberry salad

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Thursday:

• 4th of July festivities! We are headed to a BBQ — time for good food, friends and fireworks.

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Friday:

• Date Night!

Week of June 22nd

Saturday:

• Out on the town with pals from the burbs — whoo hoo!

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Sunday:

• Turkey shawarma with tomato relish and tahini sauce
•  Cucumber, tomato and feta salad with fresh oregano

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Monday:

• Vietnamese caramelized lemongrass shrimp: I am very excited to try this dish. I have cracked open my new Vietnamese cookbook (Vietnamese Home Cooking by Charles Phan) and cannot wait to try some of the recipes. I have been drooling over the street food chapter. I plan to make a big batch of the caramel sauce over the weekend so it’s ready to go. Apparently it stores very well in the pantry.
• Roasted eggplant and leek salad: Also from my new cookbook

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Tuesday:

• Gal’s Night Out! This means nacho night and boy movie for my husband.

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Wednesday:

• Grilled chicken with lemon, shallots and mint: I plan to toss chicken pieces in a combination of lemon juice, white wine, thinly sliced shallots and fresh herbs from the garden. Marinate for 30 minutes or so and toss on the grill. Slice and fan over the pea puree. Crumbled feta on top is a nice touch as well.
• Pea puree: yes, this is a repeat from just a few weeks ago. I need to get my peas in while they are fresh at the Farmer’s Market.
• Roasted Cauliflower

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Thursday:

• Leftover shawarma

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Friday:

• Date night!

Week of June 15th

Saturday:

• We are joining good friends and checking out a new (new to us anyway) farm-to-table restaurant called Maggie’s Farm. No cooking for me tonight! If you go, pay close attention to the art on the walls — it’s beautiful work and the artist happens to be a dear friend of mine. I have some of her stuff hanging in my kitchen. Apparently you get food AND art at this restaurant. Two for one!

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Sunday:

• Vietnamese pork chops
• Twice-baked sweet potatoes with sesame-bacon brittle: oh my these potatoes are outstanding. The bacon brittle is divine!
• Stir-fried baby bok choy

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Monday:

• Indonesian swordfish:  my Las Vegas pal Eryn turned me on to this fish recipe. I haven’t tried it yet but she knows her way around food and in the kitchen. Thank you Eryn!
• Greek composed salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado and fresh oregano: this is simple to put together. Chop everything and toss with high quality olive oil and red wine vinegar. I sometimes like to add feta cheese or goat cheese. Certainly if you have bell peppers on hand, feel free to toss them in as well. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Be sure to use fresh oregano, not dried for this dish.
• Whole steamed artichoke

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Tuesday:

• Leftover pork chops
• Green salad or roasted Farmer’s Market vegetables

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Wednesday:

• Poached eggs over roasted asparagus with bacon and pecorino romano: top roasted or grilled asparagus with poached or fried eggs, crumbled bacon and cheese of your choice. A few toasted pine-nuts is also delicious.
• Green salad

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Thursday:

• Bacon, lettuce & tomato sandwiches (may even toss in some avocado here): no explanation needed
• Green salad

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Friday:

• Date night!