Week of May 4th

This is going to be another goofy week in terms of menus and cooking. I am headed out of town for the weekend so expect very simple work-week dinner plans. I usually do most of my cooking and prep work for the week on Saturday and Sunday, but I won’t be around to accomplish anything this weekend.

Saturday:

• I have no clue. I will be out of state visiting an old college buddy and former teammate. We used to eat a lot of vegetable stir-frys with plenty of rice and home-made sugar cookies coated in frosting — all of which we burned off on the basketball court. 

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Sunday:

• Same as above

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Monday:

• Thai curry lime chicken with brown rice. I have altered this recipe quite a bit over the years.  So much so, in fact, that I have even changed the name of the recipe. It is good as is, but I will share my secrets: I use boneless chicken breasts or thighs and do the entire thing in a big skillet on the stove — much easier and faster. Sometimes I cube the meat or sometimes just halve the breasts, it’s really up to you. I also often quadruple the amount of red curry paste — we like it HOT. And finally, I omit the brown sugar and add the juice of several limes at the end. Dump in fresh broccoli or bok choy to create a healthy, one dish wonder. 

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Tuesday:

• Surprise night out for my husband’s 40th birthday — yes, the celebration continues. But this is it! Sheesh. 

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Wednesday:

• Grilled salmon with pomegranate-chile sauce
• Roasted sugar snap peas with fresh chives and fleur de sel
• Grilled asparagus

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Thursday:

• Leftover curry lime chicken & salad

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Friday:

• Date night! 

Week of April 27th

Saturday night is my husband’s 40th birthday bash and we are hosting a dinner & game party for 16 — whew. 🙂 I am going with an Asian theme per my dear husband’s request so expect to see a large menu for Saturday. I am trying to stick with simple dishes that can be made ahead of time so I can play with our friends rather than be stuck in the kitchen. So what’s on tap for the remainder of the week? An easy and tentative menu based on any party leftovers and how much (or how little) I feel like being in the kitchen.

Saturday:

• Asian summer rolls with peanut sauce: I won’t easily part with my peanut sauce recipe. In fact, I am not going to. I have spent years perfecting this sauce and could eat it with a spoon. YUM. So, you’ll have to bribe me, feed me, ply me with good wine or tempt me with jewelry (I don’t say no to diamonds or Tiffany’s) to get my spicy peanut sauce recipe. I will confess, however, that although I have made my own spring rolls many times, I am not going to go to the trouble for this party. We are getting a platter from our favorite Vietnamese restaurant instead. I’ll just swap out their peanut sauce for my own. 
• Roasted red pepper dip with rice crackers & crudites: This is a fast, easy and delicious appetizer. I don’t bother with the white bread the recipe calls for as it really doesn’t need it. I also sometimes add feta for a creamier dip or hot pepper flakes or harissa for a spicy kick. Or both! Make it your own. Leftovers are great on sandwiches. 
• Chinese BBQ pork loin with garlic dipping sauce: This dish always gets gobbled up. It’s great for parties as it’s even better at room temperature, so make it ahead and enjoy your guests. 
• Thai spicy ground chicken with toasted rice
  
• Coconut rice: Simply toss freshly steamed rice with toasted coconut flakes and chopped cilantro. You can even simmer the rice in coconut milk instead of water if you wish. 
• Soba noodle salad: Toss cooled noodles with peanut sauce (thinned with soy sauce and lime juice) and any slivered or julienned vegetables you have on hand. I like to add colorful bell peppers, carrots and sugar snap peas. Toss in fresh Thai basil, cilantro and mint just before serving and top with chopped peanuts. Delicious cold or at room temp. 
• Spicy cabbage salad with garlic & lime
• Dessert — thankfully, somebody else offered to bring this

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Sunday:

• Farmer’s market menu: basically whatever looks delicious this morning at the farmer’s market. Something simple. 

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Monday:

• Chicken-tortilla soup with all the fixings: My friend and fellow cook and dirty martini drinker Eryn passed this recipe along to me. She recommends adding more spice, but says it’s definitely worth a re-make and makes great lunches the next day. Cheers Eryn! 
• Simple green salad

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Tuesday:

• Party leftovers, hopefully

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Wednesday:

• Poached eggs over roasted mushrooms
• Green salad

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Thursday:

• Leftover tortilla soup

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Friday:

• Date night — out to dinner we go!

Week of April 13th

I admit that some of my menu items this week are repeats from last week. This is only because I never got around to preparing them last week (and I am still craving them), so back on the menu they go. I must have over-bought ingredients as we were swimming in leftovers, so, rather than waste food, we dined on re-purposed leftovers for much of the week. So, a few of this week’s dishes may look familiar …

Saturday:

• Tunisian grilled chicken kebabs with currants & green olives 
• Roasted cauliflower with Tel Aviv tomato relish  (from Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue)
• Hot pepper soba noodles: simply toss cooked soba noodles with fresh hot peppers, mint, cilantro, chopped peanuts, perhaps a splash of soy sauce – whatever you have on hand. 

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Sunday:

• Lucknowi lamb chops on the grill (from Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue)
• Green herb chutney (also from Planet Barbecue)
• Simple green salad with tomatoes and feta

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Monday:

• African Adobo-rubbed tuna steaks on the grill
• Avocado salsa with roasted piquillo peppers & lime
• Cucumber salad with champagne vinaigrette

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Tuesday:

• Leftover Tunisian chicken and green salad

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Wednesday:

• Leftover lamb or chicken
• Tomato & feta salad

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Thursday:

• Tuscan pepper chicken with fresh lemon (this recipe is one of the most simple yet utterly delicious recipes I have ever come across. Although you can easily roast the chicken in the oven, we prefer to toss the breast halves on the grill. Don’t be shy about the freshly ground black pepper and lemon wedges — they make this dish). 

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Friday:

• We are off to Atlantic City for a long weekend at the beach! Not quite Vegas, but perhaps I can get away with some sequins and flash. 

Week of April 6th

Saturday:

• We have no clue what we are doing tonight for dinner (this is a rare circumstance). We are attending an afternoon wine-tasting event and aren’t sure yet what, if anything, we’ll be munching on during the afternoon. We are trying out a lovely Italian restaurant for lunch, so my hope is that a big lunch in combination with some afternoon wine and cheese will tide us over until morning. 

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Sunday:

• Grilled Asian chicken with tare (soy basting sauce). This recipe actually calls for making chicken meatballs. I am sure they are delicious, but if I don’t feel like dealing with meatballs on Sunday afternoon, I will simply marinate chicken breasts in the meatball spices and baste with the tare sauce. 
• Seaweed salad
• Grilled vegetables from the farmer’s market (our beloved market opens for the season today, so that is where we’ll be every Sunday morning until Christmas). 

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Monday:

• Thai beef salad
• Steamed broccoli with fish sauce
• Brown rice 

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Tuesday:

• Leftover Asian chicken and salad

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Wednesday:

• African Adobo-rubbed Tuna steaks on the grill
• Avocado salsa with roasted piquillo peppers and lime
• Cucumber salad with champagne vinaigrette

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Thursday:

• Tuscan pepper chicken with fresh lemon (this recipe is one of the most simple yet utterly delicious recipes I have ever come across. Although you can easily roast the chicken in the oven, we prefer to toss the breast halves on the grill. Don’t be shy about the freshly ground black pepper and lemon wedges — they make this dish). 
• Simple green salad or grilled vegetables

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Friday:

• Friday Night Date Night!

Week of March 30th

Saturday:

• Dinner & dancing this evening

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Sunday:

• Roasted mushroom soup with hazelnut gremolata
• Seared scallops with red onion marmalade
• Roasted brussels sprouts

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Monday:

• Grilled or broiled lamb chops with mint chimmichurri
• Green peas
• “Burnt” carrots with goat cheese and arugula

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Tuesday:

• Leftover mushroom soup (I may float a poached egg on top if I get a wild hair)
• Green salad

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Wednesday:

• Basque clam chowder (recipe to come, assuming it’s any good). 
• Fennel & orange salad with horseradish vinaigrette

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Thursday:

• Leftover lamb chops and salad

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Friday:

• Out! Out! Out!