Spaghetti with amatriciana sauce and guanciale. 3/28/26

Spaghetti with amatriciana sauce and guanciale

Sarah picked up a “Too Good To Go” bag from Eataly on Thursday when we were celebrating her birthday in San Jose. Among many other things was a jar of amatriciana sauce. Amatriciana sauce is flavored with some sort of pork. In this case, guanciale. It so happened that we also had a piece of guanciale in our freezer so Sarah cut it up and fried it and we had a delicious guanciale garnish.

It was a very enjoyable dinner!

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Fish sandwiches with beans and slaw. 3/27/26

Fish sandwiches withs beans and slaw

We opted for something easy tonight. I enjoy having these crunchy but low-calorie fish fillets in the freezer. They cook up in the air fryer in about 12 minutes. Along side of our open-faced fish sandwiches I heat up some leftover spicy beans from our shrimp taco dinner and whip up some cole slaw using part of a package of pre-shredded cabbage.

Our 12 minute dinner is a hit!

Posted in American, Easy, Fish, Legumes, pescatarian, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Birthday Lunch. 3/26/26

Lunch at Zeni’s

We had a birthday lunch for Sarah at Zeni’s, an Ethiopian restaurant in San Jose. We ordered a veggie platter with extras of crispy lamb and a chicken dish. It was all delicious! For dinner we just had cereal since we were still pretty full for lunch.

Happy birthday, Sarah!

Posted in Dining out, Ethiopian, Lamb, Legumes, Lunch, Poultry, Salad, Special occasion, Vegetables | Leave a comment

Whole grain penne with broccoli and tuna 3/25/26

Whole grain penne with broccoli and tuna

This is a super easy, quick, and delicious dinner. In the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta, I have sautéed half an onion in olive oil along with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and oregano. With five minutes left on the pasta cook I add the broccoli to the onions and cook the florets until crisp/tender. I put chunks of tuna from a drained can in with the broccoli and onions and then spill the drained penne on top. After adding additional olive oil and some pasta water I carefully stir trying not to break up the chunks of tuna. A grating of Parmesan is all that is needed to complete the dish.

Posted in American, Easy, Fish, Italian, Methods, Pasta, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Open-faced shrimp taco. 3/24/26

Open-faced taco

One problem I have with tacos is that I eat them too fast! I have the taco cradled in my hand and it is impossible to put down without the insides falling apart. My open-face taco is like a tostada but without the fried tortilla. My tortilla is charred over a burner on my stovetop and then I just pile all the fixings on top and around it.

Tonight’s taco has shrimp, spicy black beans, cabbage, mango, salsa, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. I am slowed down by using a knife and fork. I feel much more satisfied with my non-traditional taco.

Posted in Shellfish, Vegetables, pescatarian, rice, American, Easy, Mexican, Weeknight dinners, Methods, Hot weather meals | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Fried rice with chicken, egg, and veg. 3/23/26

Fried rice

In the age-old question, what came first the chicken or the egg, I can say that John made the egg first in our dinner tonight. He scrambled the eggs in our large skillet first and then put them aside while he stir-fried the rest of the dish. My job was to feverishly cut up all the vegetables and the chicken so they would be ready when he wanted them. The veg consisted of broccoli, carrots, green onions, and garlic. What came last? The green onions!

Posted in Asian, Chinese, Easy, Methods, Poultry, rice, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Oatmeal for dinner. 3/22/26

We had banh mi for lunch today and we’re not too hungry for dinner so we decided on oatmeal for dinner. John cooked up Bob’s Red Mill steel cut oats and then we each fixed our bowls with our favorite accompaniments. I never used to be an oatmeal fan. I am more of a cream of wheat girl but John prefers oatmeal and I have come around to liking my gloppy bowl of oatmeal once a week.

I put a lot of stuff in my bowl — a whole packet of Splenda, a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt, cinnamon, walnuts, and blueberries. It takes some stirring to get everything mixed in. It is quite delicious and the steel cut oats are really preferable to the quicker cooking rolled oats.

I have been getting tired of our weekly eggs on Sunday. I think I may opt for oatmeal for a while!

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Weekly Menu. March 23-29, 2026

Screenshot
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Tilapia with mustard sauce. 3/21/26

Tilapia with mustard sauce, mashed potatoes, and asparagus

It’s springtime and definitely the time for asparagus! Tonight’s dinner was quick-cooking tilapia, some mashed potatoes left over from last night, and big, fat asparagus. The mustard sauce goes well with all three!

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Chicken dinner. 3/20/26

Chicken with broccoli and mashed potatoes

Tonight was our typical Classic Chicken Dinner. It consisted of rotisserie chicken, chicken gravy, broccoli, and Idahoan mashed potatoes. The only real cooking I did was to steam the broccoli. John really enjoys this easy dinner. We make it often.

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