Meal Plan for Monday May 23 - Sunday May 29
Friday - Spinach and artichoke quesadillas, rice and beans, simple guacamoe
Meal Plan Monday Post
Our CSA box variety is really ramping up! They're slowly transitioning from the spring greens into bountiful summer produce. We enjoyed squash and snap peas this week as well as spinach, romaine, cauliflower, and kale. Good thing we had such a productive week cooking in the kitchen because we indulged in quite a few restaurant meals over the holiday weekend! We couldn't resist with wonderful family and friends in town.
Meal Plan for Monday May 23 - Sunday May 29
Monday - Pasta with squash and snap peas
Tuesday - Throw together salad with romaine, farro, strawberries, basil vinaigrette
Wednesday - Egg noodles with cauliflower and kale
Thursday - Lasagna from the freezer
Friday - Spinach and artichoke quesadillas, rice and beans, simple guacamoe
Saturday & Sunday - Activities with family and friends!
Meal Plan for Monday May 23 - Sunday May 29
Friday - Spinach and artichoke quesadillas, rice and beans, simple guacamoe
Meal Plan Monday Post
The beginning of this week was basically a "use up whatever's in the fridge" as inspiration for dinners. There were lots of green things hanging out in there; including buttercrunch lettuce, kale, bok choy, and broccoli. We made a soup, had a few salads, and then did a stir fry with all the other non-green veggies in the fridge. Then our CSA box arrived at the end of the week for the weekend but we also had a weekend full of family activities - cookouts and graduation celebrations! We hosted folks over here one night and served lasagna. Good week!
Meal Plan for Monday May 16 - Sunday May 22
Monday - Salad topped with broiled tilapia
Tuesday - Broccoli cheese soup, kale salad
Wednesday - Separate (Patrick at work; I had leftovers)
Thursday - Egg rolls (from freezer), veggie stir fry
Friday - Out with friends
Saturday - Breakfast Lemon poppy seed muffins, fruit
Lunch Cookout
Dinner Lasagna, garlic bread and salad; fruit tart and saltine toffee
Sunday - Brunch La Place Louisiana Cookery in Hillsborough
Dinner Mediterranean stuffed sweet potatoes
Meal Plan for Monday May 16 - Sunday May 22
Thursday - Egg rolls (from freezer), veggie stir fry
Saturday - Breakfast Lemon poppy seed muffins, fruit
Dinner Lasagna, garlic bread and salad; fruit tart and saltine toffee
Sunday - Brunch La Place Louisiana Cookery in Hillsborough
Dinner Mediterranean stuffed sweet potatoes
It's Always Caturday
A cootie cat cuddle up in bed
Spring Tortellini
This is a wonderful springtime dish! Patrick and I made this a few weeks ago when his mother was in town. This dish comes together super quick so we didn't have to worry about a lot of prep stuff while we were busy having a fun weekend. This utilizes lots of fresh, spring vegetables including asparagus. It's a great meatless meal too and since it's full of flavor you won't mind that it's vegetarian.
Tortellini with asparagus, peas, and mint From Mod Meals on Mendenhall
Ingredients
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 lb. fresh cheese tortellini
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed of tough, woody stems, and cut crosswise into 1/2" pieces
1 cup shelled fresh peas (or thawed frozen peas)
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
2 oz. fresh goat cheese, softened
Salt and pepper
Directions
In a 6-quart covered pot, bring 3 quarts well-salted water to a boil over high heat.
Directions
In a 6-quart covered pot, bring 3 quarts well-salted water to a boil over high heat.
In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp. salt.
Cook the tortellini, asparagus, and peas in the boiling water until the tortellini is al dente, 2 to 3 minutes.
Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and vegetables and toss with the garlic-oil mixture. Add the pine nuts, mint, and goat cheese and stir until the cheese melts into a sauce, adding cooking water as needed to moisten the pasta. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Meal Plan Monday Post
May is breezing right on through! We enjoyed a beautiful weekend outdoors in our yard. We kept ourselves busy with some yard work. We had a good mix of dates, eating out, and using our CSA vegetables this week. Strawberry season has just a few more weeks here in NC so I bought a large bucket and canned another round of jam Saturday night.
Meal Plan for Monday May 9 - Sunday May 15
Monday - Sushi date
Tuesday - Orzo with chard and pancetta
Wednesday - Seperate
Thursday - Orzo with sweet potatoes and caramelized vegetables
Friday - Mahi mahi with arugula-radish salad
Saturday - Breakfast Strawberries biscuits (from the freezer)
Lunch date
Dinner Beef stroganoff
Sunday - Breakfast Mediterranean quiche
Lunch Leftovers
Dinner Pizza, salad
Meal Plan for Monday May 9 - Sunday May 15
Tuesday - Orzo with chard and pancetta
Wednesday - Seperate
Thursday - Orzo with sweet potatoes and caramelized vegetables
Lunch date
Dinner Beef stroganoff
Sunday - Breakfast Mediterranean quiche
Dinner Pizza, salad
It's Always Caturday
Nacho thought Dupree needed a hug
Meal Plan Monday Post
What a relaxing weekend we had! We enjoyed the company of family and friends throughout the week. It's been nice to have a little downtime from the painting demands. We're taking a painting break in May to do some landscaping; the past two weekends we've been prepping the yard and will be adding new mulch and flowers soon. Then we'll be finishing up the last room that needs to be painted! Mostly cooking last week but a few weekend splurges out and about. It's all about moderation.
Meal Plan for Monday May 2 - Sunday May 8
Monday - Turkey spaghetti sauce, salad
Tuesday - Pork egg rolls, crispy edamame, brown rice
Wednesday - Junior League Year End Celebration Picnic
Thursday - Spicy corn cakes with black beans, salad and avocado
Friday - Salmon, honey dijon broccoli and lentil salad
Saturday - Breakfast Biscotti, fruit, yogurt and granola
Lunch Dame's Chicken and Waffles before a DPAC matinee
Dinner Crudite platter with beet-walnut dip, gouda, apples, veggies, ranch dip
Sunday - Brunch Cinnamon rolls, sausage patties and scrambled eggs
Dinner At the baseball game!
Meal Plan for Monday May 2 - Sunday May 8
Tuesday - Pork egg rolls, crispy edamame, brown rice
Thursday - Spicy corn cakes with black beans, salad and avocado
Lunch Dame's Chicken and Waffles before a DPAC matinee
Dinner Crudite platter with beet-walnut dip, gouda, apples, veggies, ranch dip
Dinner At the baseball game!
It's Always Caturday
Morning snuggles
Morning snuggles
Brunch with a frittata
At the end of April we had the pleasure of hosting Patrick's mother. She decided to fly down for a spring visit and to celebrate our belated birthdays as well as the announcement of our upcoming arrival. We had a wonderful weekend and, even though NC decided to display a bit of its unpredictable spring weather, we were able to enjoy some quality together on our deck (including this brunch).
Patrick and I love a good Sunday morning brunch so we planned a frittata with some fruit and pastry goodies. Originally I was planning to pick us up some Ninth Street Bakery biscotti, which I can usually find at a local Harris Teeter, but the grocery store was sold out of them. Fortunately our downtown Durham Saturday adventures walked us right past the storefront for the bakery and we left with something even better than the biscotti - a cinnamon bun and a blueberry cream cheese danish!
On Sunday morning while the frittata was finishing in the oven I sectioned orange halves and sliced a pear. We warmed the baked goodies in the toaster and then cut them into smaller pieces for everyone to share and nosh on as they please. Frittata recipe is below! We served it with toast from a Gulghupf loaf. We had some leftover bread after our Saturday morning breakfast which was homemade strawberry jam with toast.
Tomato Scallion and Cheddar Frittata inspiration from Martha Stewart
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes (I'd recommend halving the tomatoes)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated cheddar
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add scallions and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook about 5 minutes.
Add eggs and cheese, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook, undisturbed, until edges are set, about 2 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until top of frittata is just set, 10 to 13 minutes.
Invert or slide frittata onto a plate and cut into 6 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.
We brought the baked goods platter out to the table and served the frittata on a cutting board. Everything was serve yourself and accompanied by the Sunday paper.
Patrick and I love a good Sunday morning brunch so we planned a frittata with some fruit and pastry goodies. Originally I was planning to pick us up some Ninth Street Bakery biscotti, which I can usually find at a local Harris Teeter, but the grocery store was sold out of them. Fortunately our downtown Durham Saturday adventures walked us right past the storefront for the bakery and we left with something even better than the biscotti - a cinnamon bun and a blueberry cream cheese danish!
On Sunday morning while the frittata was finishing in the oven I sectioned orange halves and sliced a pear. We warmed the baked goodies in the toaster and then cut them into smaller pieces for everyone to share and nosh on as they please. Frittata recipe is below! We served it with toast from a Gulghupf loaf. We had some leftover bread after our Saturday morning breakfast which was homemade strawberry jam with toast.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes (I'd recommend halving the tomatoes)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated cheddar
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add scallions and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook about 5 minutes.
Add eggs and cheese, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook, undisturbed, until edges are set, about 2 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until top of frittata is just set, 10 to 13 minutes.
Invert or slide frittata onto a plate and cut into 6 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.
We brought the baked goods platter out to the table and served the frittata on a cutting board. Everything was serve yourself and accompanied by the Sunday paper.
Perfect Sunday brunch if I do say so myself.
Crab cake sandwiches
Whitney loves the State Farmers Market with its wide variety of cheap produce and other local businesses, so much so that she seems to forget that we are already subscribed to receive a box of produce every week from our CSA. One day she came home with ingredients for crab cake sandwiches and we got to work making use of our large stock of perishable foods.
Everything except condiments in this meal is from local farms and businesses. We used sweet potato from our Brinkley Farms CSA to make fries; crab from Locals Seafood; cabbage (for slaw), lettuce, and tomato from various NC Farmers Market vendors; and rolls from La Farm Bakery in Cary (sourced at the NC Farmers Market).
Maryland Crab cake Sandwich Inspiration from Bryan Voltaggio & Esquire
For 2 sandwiches
Ingredients
3 Tbsp mayonnaise, preferably Duke's
1 tsp Old Bay
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 ½ tsp lemon juice
1 egg
2 scallions, minced
2 drops Tabasco sauce
pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 lb jumbo lump crabmeat, picked of fragments
1/3 cup cracker meal for breading
1/3 cup clarified butter*
2 buns, toasted and buttered
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Old Bay, Worcestershire, mustard, lemon juice, eggs, scallions, Tabasco, and sea salt. Using a wire whisk, mix the ingredients together to incorporate evenly. Add the crabmeat by thirds and fold gently with a spatula to be sure the crab does not get broken up.
Evenly coat the bottom of a baking dish with a generous dusting of the cracker meal, about ½ cup. Use an ice-cream scoop or a similar tool to divide crabmeat mixture into six or eight individual cakes. Place each crab cake in the cracker meal and dust with the remaining cracker meal, coating all sides. In a large frying pan, slowly heat the clarified butter. Use a candy thermometer to get it to 325 degrees, or stick the end of a chopstick into the butter — when it gives off a steady stream of bubbles, you're at 325.
Using a slotted metal or other high-heat-resistant spatula and working one at a time, place each cake into the butter, leaving a half inch between them so the crab cakes brown evenly. Cook crab cakes on both sides in the clarified butter, about 6 full minutes per side, until golden brown. (If you need to cook in multiple batches, set your oven at the lowest temperature and insert a cooling rack over a baking sheet, to rest the crab cakes on.) Let cakes sit for a minute, and then transfer them to the buns. Top with tartar sauce.
Baked Sweet Potato Fries from Paula Deen
Ingredients
Olive Oil, for tossing
1 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced in 1/4-wide inch strips
1 tablespoon House Seasoning (salt, black pepper, garlic powder)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Line a sheet tray with parchment. In a large bowl toss sweet potatoes with just enough oil to coat. Sprinkle with House Seasoning and paprika. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet, being sure not to overcrowd. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Tartar Sauce
Combine dab of mayo, some chopped pickle relish, dash of white vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
Serve crab cake on sandwich with tartar sauce, baked sweet potato fries, and slaw.
Everything except condiments in this meal is from local farms and businesses. We used sweet potato from our Brinkley Farms CSA to make fries; crab from Locals Seafood; cabbage (for slaw), lettuce, and tomato from various NC Farmers Market vendors; and rolls from La Farm Bakery in Cary (sourced at the NC Farmers Market).
Maryland Crab cake Sandwich Inspiration from Bryan Voltaggio & Esquire
For 2 sandwiches
Ingredients
3 Tbsp mayonnaise, preferably Duke's
1 tsp Old Bay
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 ½ tsp lemon juice
1 egg
2 scallions, minced
2 drops Tabasco sauce
pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 lb jumbo lump crabmeat, picked of fragments
1/3 cup cracker meal for breading
1/3 cup clarified butter*
2 buns, toasted and buttered
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Old Bay, Worcestershire, mustard, lemon juice, eggs, scallions, Tabasco, and sea salt. Using a wire whisk, mix the ingredients together to incorporate evenly. Add the crabmeat by thirds and fold gently with a spatula to be sure the crab does not get broken up.
Evenly coat the bottom of a baking dish with a generous dusting of the cracker meal, about ½ cup. Use an ice-cream scoop or a similar tool to divide crabmeat mixture into six or eight individual cakes. Place each crab cake in the cracker meal and dust with the remaining cracker meal, coating all sides. In a large frying pan, slowly heat the clarified butter. Use a candy thermometer to get it to 325 degrees, or stick the end of a chopstick into the butter — when it gives off a steady stream of bubbles, you're at 325.
Using a slotted metal or other high-heat-resistant spatula and working one at a time, place each cake into the butter, leaving a half inch between them so the crab cakes brown evenly. Cook crab cakes on both sides in the clarified butter, about 6 full minutes per side, until golden brown. (If you need to cook in multiple batches, set your oven at the lowest temperature and insert a cooling rack over a baking sheet, to rest the crab cakes on.) Let cakes sit for a minute, and then transfer them to the buns. Top with tartar sauce.
Baked Sweet Potato Fries from Paula Deen
Ingredients
Olive Oil, for tossing
1 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced in 1/4-wide inch strips
1 tablespoon House Seasoning (salt, black pepper, garlic powder)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Line a sheet tray with parchment. In a large bowl toss sweet potatoes with just enough oil to coat. Sprinkle with House Seasoning and paprika. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet, being sure not to overcrowd. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Tartar Sauce
Combine dab of mayo, some chopped pickle relish, dash of white vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
Serve crab cake on sandwich with tartar sauce, baked sweet potato fries, and slaw.
Meal Plan Monday Post
Happy May! Yesterday May brought some lingering April showers but some gorgeous sunshine. We spent Saturday in the yard doing some prep work for our upcoming landscaping project. We only have one room to paint in the house but we're putting that on hold so we can have the yard looking just as good as the house. Lots of cooking this week and lots of salads! We're trying to incorporate more plant-based, whole foods into our diets and pondering a vegetarian lifestyle. I also had a successful adventure out to the state farmers market. NC strawberries are coming in by the truckload and I brought us a flat home to dabble in strawberry jam making. Meal plan is below!
One other notable kitchen experiment from the week was making everything from scratch for breakfast one morning - homemade strawberry jam, butter, and bread. Two of the three were hits so that's not bad! As Patrick was consoling my dumpy bread loaf he reassured me that it's not my fault I just don't have the magic touch for getting bread to rise!
Meal Plan for Monday April 25 - Sunday May 1
Monday - Salmon cakes, kale salad with cherry tomatoes and goat cheese
Tuesday - Orzo beet salad with walnuts
Wednesday - Brought a picnic lunch for Patrick at work - Mexican salad
Dinner Sundried tomato and mushroom fettuccine
Thursday - Tomato, avocado and chickpea salad
Friday - Dinner Club Cookout: bring pigs in a blanket
Saturday - Breakfast Buttermilk pancakes with strawberry jam
Lunch BLT sandwiches with pineapple
Dinner Ginger rice with stir fry asparagus and shiitake
Sunday - Breakfast Strawberry biscuits, bacon and eggs
Lunch Quinoa with sugar snaps and apricot
Dinner Risotto with beets and greens
One other notable kitchen experiment from the week was making everything from scratch for breakfast one morning - homemade strawberry jam, butter, and bread. Two of the three were hits so that's not bad! As Patrick was consoling my dumpy bread loaf he reassured me that it's not my fault I just don't have the magic touch for getting bread to rise!
Meal Plan for Monday April 25 - Sunday May 1
Thursday - Tomato, avocado and chickpea salad
Friday - Dinner Club Cookout: bring pigs in a blanket
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| Fire pit for smores |
Lunch BLT sandwiches with pineapple
Dinner Ginger rice with stir fry asparagus and shiitake
Lunch Quinoa with sugar snaps and apricot
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