Meatless Monday: Asparagus and Penne. 3/26/19

Posted on March 26, 2019 by

Eating asparagus always tastes like springtime. I am old enough to remember when  asparagus was only available for a few weeks and during that time it seemed like asparagus was omnipresent in every meal. Now, of course, we can eat it almost any time of the year (but not for $1.99/lb.!)

I cut the asparagus into the same shape as the penne and really only cook it while adding the penne, pasta water, pepper, and parmesan together to make a sauce. It turns out kind of like cacio e pepe except with penne instead of strands and asparagus.

Penne and asparagus

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Burger and a salad. 3/24/19

Posted on March 25, 2019 by

As I said we are keeping things pretty simple this week. We start dinner off tonight with a bagged salad that I enhance with various toppings.

Salad

The weather is lovely today so it is great for grilling. John cooks us each a burger and I add a bit of onion and lettuce to mine.

Burger with onion and lettuce

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Short week menu. 3/24-27/19

Posted on March 24, 2019 by

This week is a short week for cooking since we are on vacation starting on Thursday. As usual I will be posting occasionally when we have something especially interesting or beautiful to eat.

We did an excellent job with our menu this past week having prepared everything that we set out to do. Not only was it fun cooking from all around the world but the leftovers (which we mostly ate for lunches) were great too. This week’s short menu is  very  simple since we have a lot to do to get ready!

Four day menu 3/14-27/19

Grilling Sunday – hamburgers and salad

Meatless Monday – penne with asparagus

Soup-y Tuesday – pasta fagioli and artisanal bread

Lazy Wednesday – purchased sandwiches and leftovers

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Roasted chicken thighs, rice, broccoli. 3/22/19

Posted on March 23, 2019 by

After preparing dinners from all over the world this week, we come back to a humble chicken dinner to finish off the work week. John bakes the chicken thighs in the oven and then crisps the skin under the broiler. I reheat the rice from Thursday and steam some broccoli.

We are child-watching Saturday night while our son and his wife go to a wedding. I am making Beeba’s much loved mac ‘n cheese (the blue box) for the kids and toting along some of our leftover lasagna for adult dinner. That being said, no new posts until Sunday or Monday when we will be having a short week since we are leaving on Thursday for vacation.

Roast chicken thighs, basmati rice, steamed broccoli

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Shrimp biryani. 3/21/19

Posted on March 22, 2019 by

Biryani is an Indian dish thought to have been brought to India by Arab traders and has an etymology stemming from the Persian word for rice. Since it is the first day of Spring, it is also Nowruz, a new year’s celebration which is observed by more than 300 million people from the Balkans to the Black Sea Basin to Central Asia to the Middle East. Plus the Indian Spring festival of Holi is also occurring. I am always looking for an inspiration to cook something and today’s shrimp biryani seems like a good way to celebrate Spring.

Shrimp biryani

John marinates the shrimp in the same spices I am using for the rice – ginger, chili powder, smoked paprika, turmeric, salt, and garlic. I am making the basmati rice in the Instant Pot using those spices plus a can of tomatoes, water, onions, and lime zest which is standing in for curry leaves today. When the rice is cooked, I add some lime juice to it and John quickly sautés the shrimp. Our Spring dinner is garnished with cilantro and lime wedges.

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Lasagna. 3/20/19

Posted on March 21, 2019 by

When we were planning this week’s menu, John suggested we have a family favorite that we hadn’t had for quite a while.  Hmm, Kenwood shrimp? Eggplant parmigiana? BBQ ribs? I suggest lasagna – end of discussion.

Lasagna

Who does not love lasagna with its tangy sauce and creamy cheese? Plus it is a one pot dinner if you use the parboiled noodles. The last time we ate lasagna was for Christmas dinner in Florence. It is always a good time, special meal. I make the sauce in the morning and assemble the lasagna at dinner time. It is so good!

Piece of lasagna

I bet you are thinking of making lasagna for yourself right now!!

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Sausage with peppers and onions on polenta. 3/19/19

Posted on March 20, 2019 by

Today is not all about baking (see my other post, Nana Banana Cake) we also need to eat dinner! While John is taking lead on the dinner making the sausage and polenta, I have a supporting role in the onions, peppers, and garlic.

Dinner cooking on the stove

John makes his polenta with a 5:1 water to polenta ratio and starts the sausages in some water and later browns them off. The polenta is deliciously loose and the sausage are well-cooked but not dry. The topping of onions, peppers, and garlic is yummy.

Sweet Italian sausage with onions, peppers, and garlic on polenta

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