March 25 - 29

There still isn't a ton of cooking in the plan for this week, but what we're lacking in quantity, we're making up in FUN!

Last night Phil and I attended our most educational dinner party ever, and we learned to make sushi!  I was so very proud of myself, especially since my tendency when making anything requiring rolling or stuffing is to put WAY too much stuff in (think burritos that won't roll, sandwiches you can't bite).  But I showed a little bit of restraint...

Phil's holding our first-ever sushi creations!

This morning was fun too -- our chives are sprouting, and so I clipped some and sprinkled them on my egg.  Since I watch Top Chef, I, too, think I can deconstruct food.  So this morning I made a deconstructed omelet.  Sauteed the veggies, put them on the plate, sprinkled feta cheese over them, and then topped it with a lovely fried egg.  And home-grown chives on top.

And for dinner?  Lots of events and meetings again this week, so the menu's pretty minimalist.  (Side note:  when I typed the word 'minimalist' I accidentally wrote 'minimalish.'  Which might make more sense.)

Sunday

It's sunny and not cold, so we're grilling.  One of Phil's favorite cookbooks is an oldie from college:  Grill it Right.  We're trying to make Zesty Drumsticks, German potato salad, sauteed cabbage & red onion, and watermelon on the side.

Zesty drumsticks:

Make a sauce with 1/4 c currant jelly, 1/4 c chili sauce, 1 T vinegar, 1 T Worcestershire sauce, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, and hot pepper sauce to taste.  Put it in a saucepan and simmer  until bubbly.  Grill the chicken drumsticks and brush with sauce in the last 10 minutes of grilling.

German potato salad:

Cube about a pound of potatoes, cook in boiling water for about 10 minutes.  Drain and cool.  In a skillet, cook 4 slices of bacon.  Save a teensy bit of the bacon drippings and saute about a 1/2 cup chopped onion and 1/2 cup chopped celery in the drippings (supplemented with olive oil if necessary).  Stir in 1 T flour, 1 T sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp celery seed, 1/4 tsp dry mustard, 1/8 tsp pepper.  Add 1/3 c water and 1/4 c cider vinegar.  Cook and stir until thick and bubbly.  Stir crumbled bacon back in.  

On a big piece of heavy tin foil, put potatoes in center.  Pour dressing over top.  Fold foil around & seal with a double fold.  Grill on medium/medium-high for 15 - 20 minutes.

Cabbage:

Slice red onion, saute in a bit of olive oil.  Add shredded cabbage, continue to cook.  Season with salt and pepper.

Thursday

The theme today is use-it-all-up.  So we're making naan pizzas:

Put a piece of naan (we buy 4-packs frozen at Trader Joe's) on the pizza stone.  Top with sauce, whatever veggies are around, some sliced sausage or ham, and cheese.  Mozzarella is good, but so is feta, goat, or parmesan.  Bake at about 425 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown nicely.

Have a lovely week!