November 8 - 12

We saw Anthony Bourdain last night at the Michigan Theatre. Love him, love him, love him. Even though we went to dinner beforehand, I was still hungry again by the time the show was over. And of all the great stuff he talked about (great food, the evilness of Ronald McDonald, why he's going to stop bashing Rachael Ray) the thing that kept popping up in my brain on the way home was noodles. Maybe with pork. And spicy. I don't know that he talked specifically about this, but a combination of topics led me to believe that it's the only thing we can cook tonight for dinner.

Sunday

Some kind of noodle-y thing with some rice noodles, pork, bok choy, onions, chile paste, soy sauce. It will probably be a "what else should we add" kind of dinner, as opposed to a set-recipe kind of dinner.

Monday

Maple-glazed Salmon with Crispy Proscuitto Salad

Good bread

Wednesday

Huevos Rancheros

because I don't usually like eggs, but every now and then crave a fried one where I can cut it and the yolk gets all mixed in with the food underneath it and it's spicy and delicious. And when I crave that, I make huevos rancheros.

Thursday

Gnocci with tomato sauce

Salad

November 1 - 6

Happy November! Let's eat some trashy tailgating food!

Sunday

The aforementioned tailgate feast:

Ribs (Phil's secret recipe -- I couldn't tell you how to make them if I tried. I think there's pineapple juice involved somewhere, but that's all I know)

Chili

Koegel's hot dogs

Other assorted chips, snacks, non-vegetable related items

beer

And then, we try to atone for our gluttony with some fairly healthy stuff:

Monday

Pasta Fagioli soup

Tuesday

Lentil pilaf

sauteed broccoli, red pepper, onion, mushrooms to go on top

Wednesday

Salmon melt (like a tuna melt, but with, you know, salmon) with some lovely sharp cheddar and crunchy multigrain bread

I'm thinking carrot sticks and apple slices with this...

Thursday

Acorn squash with turkey sausage stuffing (see October 11 2009 for recipe details)

And I know it goes without saying, but for dessert all week?

Leftover Halloween candy.

Like the bag of fun-sized Heath bars I hid in the closet so we wouldn't have to hand them out to kids...

October 24 - 31

We've been defrosting this 11-pound chicken for a few days. It's almost thawed -- we plan to roast it tomorrow. My mom knows a chicken farmer who raises these big guys. The farmer says this breed just grows to be giant... so anyway, we'll try it and see. Needless to say, when I heard my mom was planning on buying some chickens from someone she knew, I never anticipated the one she'd get for me would be bigger than some turkeys.

Agricultural monstrosities aside, it looks to be a pretty regular week... nothin' fancy. It's cold and windy and rainy now, and I just want to stay home and cook things so the stove and oven will create warmth and good smells. And maybe if I cook good stuff, I'll be less tempted to break into all the Halloween candy I finally bought today...

And so...

Saturday

Homemade pizza. I'm trying a new crust, since the two recipes I have require more machinery than I care to wash right now (one is for a bread machine, the other for the Cuisinart). Just basic pizza crust with a mix of white and whole wheat flour, then just regular stuff: sauce, mozzarella, ham, onion, mushroom, red pepper...

Salad to go with it

Sunday

We're gonna roast a giant chicken! (We'll use the extra later this week, and I might try to freeze some of the meat -- I have no idea how cooked chicken freezes -- and I hope to make stock with the giant chicken's bones)

Roasted brussels sprouts

Roasted squash

Monday

Chicken quesadillas (with leftover chicken, duh)

Beans

Wednesday

Pasta with chicken, veggies and pesto

Friday

Take out! Yummmmmmmm

Saturday

Happy Halloween... I think we're making chili -- good for munching between trick-or-treaters.

October 11 - 15

So, I bought a bunch of squash a few weeks ago. I get my squash varieties all mixed up, so I just let it sit there, thinking I'd suddenly remember what kind it was and then magically know what to do with it. Well, it didn't happen, but God bless Google, who gave me pictures, labels and recipes, so I could properly identify and cook my little nuggets of joy...

And, I know, acorn squash should be a pretty easy one to recognize, but, well, I'm challenged that way, I guess...

So for dinner tonight, acorn squash! We know what it is!

Sunday

Acorn squash stuffed with sausage: Cut a squash in half, turn face down in a baking dish with an inch of water, cook for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Meanwhile, saute some turkey sausage with casings removed to brown it. I'm thinking there might also be some onion involved here. When the squash is cooked, put brown sugar on the inside, then stuff with the sausage & onion. Bake for 15 minutes more.

We'll have broccoli and lovely sourdough bread with this.

Monday

Pork tenderloin (olive oil, salt, pepper, sear in a pan, then cook in 400 degree oven until done)

Oven-roasted brussels sprouts

Sauteed apples

Tuesday

Tomato soup: I'm not really going to follow a recipe, but I'm thinking saute onion & garlic, add some veggie stock, simmer, add some tomatoes (I canned a bunch and haven't used any yet, so maybe a jar of those), cook, then blend with my handy-dandy stick blender that you can put right into the soup pot.

And either toast or grilled cheese, depending on how things go.

Wednesday

More soup.

Thursday

Grilled halibut, maybe with capers. Sprinkle some lemon juice at the end.

Salad

Baby potatoes

Have a good week!

October 4 - 9

Happy October!

I did well a few weeks ago, and then last week fell back into my old habits... random grazing from the fridge, take-out... it wasn't pretty. But I think I'm turning a corner and getting my ducks back into some kind of a row.
Here's the plan:

Sunday

Sausage, beer and cabbage soup -- I love this stuff.

Good bread for dipping

Monday

Pasta with beans and endive: based on a recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home:

3 cloves garlic

1 onion

olive oil

endive

salt and pepper

1 can tomatoes

1 can cannellini beans

lemon juice

penne pasta

Start cooking the pasta. Saute the onion in the olive oil, then add garlic. Add the endive, season, and cook until it wilts a bit. Add tomatoes and beans, simmer. Add some lemon juice right at the end.
Serve sauce over pasta with grated cheese on top.

Tuesday

Meatloaf, boiled baby potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts. This is the meatloaf I planned to make a few weeks ago -- it didn't happen, so I'll try it now.

Wednesday

Pizza on Naan flatbread: Pizza sauce, then whatever pizza-ish veggies are hanging around: mushrooms, red pepper, sundried tomatoes, some artichokes from the jar in the fridge, maybe some zucchini, and mozzarella on top. If it's nice, I'll cook it with indirect heat on the grill. If it's not nice out, I'll bake it for 10 minutes or so in the oven at about 425 degrees.

Thursday

Fish tacos!

Season up some cod, saute in a pan.

Make tacos with whole wheat tortillas, fish, shredded cabbage (save a bit from the soup on Sunday), salsa, avocado, shredded cheese, etc.

Loving this fall thing...

Isn't it just so deliciously crisp and lovely right now? The beautiful blue sky and the cool nights and the leaves beginning to change and the Lions... well. Anyway. I'm even okay with waking up at night with camping hand -- when you leave the window open at night even though the temperature drops to 40 degrees, and that one hand that sneaks outside the covers slowly freezes until you wake up and have a near-frozen hand. That's camping hand, although it happens more at home than camping, at least for me.

Speaking of deliciously crisp, bought my first Honeycrisps of the year just now! Had one for an after-grocery-shopping snack. Yuuuh-uuummm!

This is what we're eating this week. Happy fall!

Sunday

Breakfast for dinner!

Blueberry pancakes (or maybe banana-chocolate chip in homage to Alan & Rachel)

Canadian bacon

Orange slices

Monday

Salmon with Asian slaw

Tuesday

Roasted corn and goat cheese quesadillas (an old favorite)

Black beans

Wednesday

Sandwiches, grilled-cheese style, but with mozzarella, tomato slices, and basil

Thursday

Meat loaf

Boiled baby redskin potatoes

Broccoli, sauteed with garlic

Time to get back in gear

This new-job-get-home-and-stare-glassy-eyed-until-someone-orders-take-out phase has to end soon. There are too many styrofoam and cardboard containers in our lives right now. I miss vegetables. I have big plans to cook for real this week. But I'll try to go easy...

So here's our plan:

Sunday (the first football Sunday, even):

Barbecue sirloin and blue cheese salad

with good bread

And Phil's planning on making some decadent mid-afternoon snack for football watching, probably involving some sort of boxed cheese product, so we'll pretend dinner's healthy by calling it salad. With steak. And more cheese.

Monday

Grilled salmon

Lentils (I've been craving them lately) probably cooked then sauteed with a bit of onion, garlic, maybe red pepper?

Sauteed greens -- maybe chard, maybe spinach

Tuesday

Chicken and spinach soup

Yummy bread

Wednesday

Leftovers, probably. Or take-out, if the withdrawal is too much to bear.

Thursday

Gnocci with tomato sauce and sausage. I bought some gnocci at the Clarkston Farmers' Market a few weeks ago, and have been anxious to try it. It's spicy red pepper, so I thought it might be yummy with sausage. We have some spicy Italian chicken sausage in the freezer. We shall see.

That's the plan! Wish me luck...