Thank you for your Thanksgiving advice, Internet. I am going to (TRY TO) treat it like an unusual day and just… delegate. The logistics of delegating are boggling my mind right now, but I think I can figure it out. (Just… ask my mother-in-law if she will take over X and Y and I will cover A and B and then… tell her when she has free rein in the kitchen?) (She is coming in from out of town, so will have to do actual cooking in my kitchen rather than bringing something she made at home.) (Making some things in advance will be KEY. Definitely I can do cranberry sauce and gravy a few days before, and maybe even the mashed potatoes…? Well, maybe not, but the mashed potatoes aren’t hard.) I am happy to let go of the traditional stuff and let her have at it; I can try Swistle’s idea for cajoling her into making my husband’s favorite dressing, because he IS her Darling Baby, so she probably will want to do what he wants. And then I can make whatever my husband and I missed for Actual Thanksgiving. We’ll see if I can make it work. I will report back.
Well. That’s enough Thangstgiving talk. Ha.
Let’s talk about the more immediate necessity of feeding myself and my family, shall we?
My mood regarding meal planning remains grim. Nothing – not even TACOS – sounds appealing. Can we somehow blame this on the end of Daylight Saving Time? Or maybe on it being NOVEMBER already?
Whatever it is, we must just grit our teeth and get through the week. Here’s what I’m grudgingly planning:
Dinners for the Week of November 5-11
- Tacos
Note: The return of Taco Tuesday and I’m not even a little bit excited. What is my DEAL?
- BBQ Pork with Baked Potato
Note: I don’t know if I can drum up enough cooking enthusiasm to make coleslaw for my husband. Maybe I can get away with some roasted green beans on the side instead?
- Sheet Pan Fajitas: https://www.bakingwithjoshandange.com/sheet-pan-chicken-and-steak-fajitas
Note: I probably won’t include the steak here, just chicken. By the way, I heard about this recipe from Jenna Fisher on her The Office Ladies podcast, which I am enjoying IMMENSELY. My husband and I are re-watching The Office, and even though we are way ahead of where Jenna and Angela are on their show, it’s fun to experience each episode again through the lens of two people who were there. And who talk about it so charmingly.
- Zucchini Shrimp Scampi: https://damndelicious.net/2015/01/24/zucchini-shrimp-scampi/
Note:This is fairly easy and relatively healthful and I know it’s good, so. You know. As little effort as possible this week, folks.
- Salmon and Potato Foil Packets: https://www.averiecooks.com/easy-salmon-and-potato-foil-packets/
Note: This is a new-to-me recipe, but it sounds easy and tasty. I do need something green to eat alongside it… Maybe I will try to sneak a side salad onto the table…
- Something else that’s easy?
Note: I have hundreds of recipes bookmarked and hundreds more recorded in these pages or in my “dinners this week” emails to myself and NOTHING SOUNDS GOOD. Not even leftover Halloween candy. I am sick, aren’t I? That’s the only possible explanation.
- Out
What are you eating this week, Internet? Hit me with your foolproof favorites.
Tonight I am making breakfast-dinner: fried potatoes, eggs, kielbasa, toast, plus smoothies to try to use up the bananas Paul overbought.
Even this may be Too Much, particularly if it means a trip to the store, but one of the best coleslaws I ever had was when I bought a bag of coleslaw mix and a jar of coleslaw sauce and mixed them together.
I ALWAYS forget about breakfast for dinner… but it’s simple and FUN. And I will definitely try buying some coleslaw mix and dressing. Why has this never occurred to me before???
Thangstgiving, ha! Brilliant!
Agree with Swistle, easy coleslaw is best. My neighbor swears by Marzetti’s dressing (I’ve never tried it). We had chicken chili over rice last night and everyone commented that they’d forgotten how yummy it is. I use the recipe that’s on the back of the can of Bush’s Navy beans. Tonight it’s Pioneer Woman’s creamy tomato pasta w/broccoli, I think, if we can squeeze in time for it, sheesh, Fall Activities!
Fall activities are really cramping my style!
“Thangstgiving talk” made me laugh. I was going to suggest store-bought coleslaw. But to be honest, even if I did cook, coleslaw would never appear on the table…ick. And, of course, I live in coleslaw country – some places even put it on hamburgers *shudders*
Yay! I’m glad you decided to delegate a bit.
Nothing sounds good to me either. And the planning, listing, shopping makes me so weary. We’re doing a meal prep box again to help with this (Plated this time around). Usually after a few weeks of those I am grumpy enough about them to muster the energy to plan things myself again. I am a ray of sunshine.
Breakfast for dinner is a great plan–or maybe a more dinner-y version like shakshuka or frittata