How pleasing to discover that so many of you enjoy reading dinner posts! Should you want to chat about what YOU’RE having for dinner, I am all ears!
Here’s what’s on the schedule for the coming days:
Meals for the Week of December 4 through December 10
- Salmon cakes (made previously and frozen, and I have no idea which recipe I used) and Asian zucchini noodles:https://gimmedelicious.com/2016/06/03/easy-10-minute-asian-zucchini noodles/
Follow up: My husband wants to include the zucchini noodles in our meals more regularly.
- Mulligatawny soup (recipe adapted from The Joy of Cooking)
- Thai basil chicken: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/20-minute-thai-basil-chicken/
Follow up: This is good and very simple… but the marinade is kind of boring (it is just soy sauce, after all). Maybe next time, add a bit of brown sugar and/or some ginger?
- Salad with Chipotle Chicken (although I will be omitting the strawberries and bacon): https://www.howsweeteats.com/2018/04/cobb-salad-chicken/
Follow up: This is good; nicely spicy. But I think I prefer the Honey Chipotle Chicken version (https://www.howsweeteats.com/2014/01/honey-chipotle-chicken-bowls/). The marinade has more complexity because of the honey and the mustard. (This is important because I like to use the cooked marinade as a second dressing.) And the lime vinaigrette also has honey, which adds a little sweetness to an otherwise pretty simple dressing.
- Black bean burritos
- One-pan parmesan chicken with broccoli: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a53187/one-pan-parmesan-crusted-chicken-with-broccoli-recipe/
- Baked pork chops with mushrooms & onions: https://www.recipetineats.com/oven-baked-pork-chops-with-potatoes/
- Tilapia en papillote with steamed broccoli: https://www.cooksmarts.com/articles/fish-tilapia-baked-en-papillote-easy-recipes/
Follow up: This is super delicious. My husband enjoyed it even though he’s not crazy about tilapia. I did not cook the filets individually en papillote; I put them all together in a glass baking dish and poured the marinade over the top.
Edited to add: While I was at the grocery store, I spotted some really yummy Brussels sprouts, so I will swap those in for one of the broccolis.
While I’m thinking about cooking, I am also strongly considering getting a half sheet pan. Right before Thanksgiving, I bought a couple of new cookie sheets – something like this, with a bakeable cooling rack, but mine (where did I buy it???) had two cookie sheets – and it’s got me all itchy to buy MORE.
A half sheet pan would be really useful. I am often baking small amounts of things – chicken nuggets for Carla, a single can of chickpeas for Carla, a piece of salmon for Carla; okay, pretty much I do all my small batch baking for Carla – and I think it would be nice to have a smaller space for a smaller piece of food. Plus, less aluminum foil to use and less space on top of the oven to occupy once the thing is done.
This set of two half-sheets is currently in my Amazon cart, but I haven’t quite been able to get over my price hurdle yet.
Why are cookie sheets so expensive, is what I want to know. They’re HALF sheet pans, why are they nearly $20?
I’ve pinned the Thai basil chicken and the baked pork chops recipes. Do you use the spicy peppers in the Thai basil, even with Carla?
Carla will not eat any of these things on my list. But if she did, I would omit the hot peppers.
I love meal planning posts. Just one note – check the measurements of the “half sheet pan”. It may not be what you are expecting. In my experience, half sheet pan is a term in commercial kitchens for a rimmed baking sheet about the size (or just slightly larger) that your standard home kitchen cookie sheet. I got some as a wedding present from a woman who works as a dietician in a hospital and they are my favorite baking sheets. But it sounds like you may be looking for something smaller (quarter sheet pan). The best place to get that kind of stuff is at a restaurant supply store – better quality and less expensive than home goods stores.
This is SO HELPFUL – thank you!
Thanks for these recipes, they all look delicious. I’m trying the pork chops next week. I’m in the UK, so sometimes have to translate a bit, but this looks worth it!
It is SO good.
I have a quarter sheet pan and it is great for small batches of things for little kids. Mine is Sur la Table with a silicone coating (probably not the cheapest but I put it on my Xmas list last year) and I love it – so easy to clean. I use it almost every day.
I’m so impressed you have something different planned for dinner every night! I cook a lot, but I try to have at least one or two things that will carry over to the next night. Either as leftovers or to be repurposed somehow. Otherwise it starts to feel a little Sisyphean to me. Plus my children generally don’t eat what we eat so there is even more prep involved (sighs deeply).
I think my kids might do flips if I introduced a new recipe. I am vowing to try the parmesan chicken and broccoli . . . soon. It doesn’t appear to have any gluten in it. We (OK, ‘I’) don’t eat fish. Thanks for sharing!