home cooking

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Dinners This Week

German food is not really my favorite. While my husband was super excited about all the schnitzel and sausages, I was… excited about the salad? (Seriously, in Vienna, my meals were always accompanied by a little green salad with a simple, lemony dressing. Super simple, but something about the fresh-from-the-garden lettuce – none of that limp, brown-at-the-edges stuff you often see in US restaurants – and the tang of the dressing made it irresistible.) As I mentioned yesterday, I really enjoyed the abundance of asparagus… but even delicious asparagus can’t staunch my craving for spicy, full-flavor food. So when we first got back from Bavaria, I gorged myself on all the foods I missed. Tacos, spaghetti with meat sauce, homemade curry, hamburgers (I bet that there are plenty of hamburgers in Bavaria, but I ordered one in Vienna and something about the seasoning of the meat or the meat itself just turned me off completely and I was afraid to order a burger the rest of the trip), stir fries, nachos, enchiladas, copious amounts of hot sauce.

But now I’m ready to get back to normal, semi-healthful cooking. Here’s my meal plan for the week ahead:

Dinners for the Week of June 18-June 24

* Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Broccoli: https://themodernproper.com/posts/perfectly-roasted-broccoli

* Garlic Grilled Shrimp with Quinoa Salad: https://www.acouplecooks.com/garlic-grilled-shrimp/ and https://avocadopesto.com/thai-veggie-quinoa-bowl-gluten-free-vegan/#wprm-recipe-container-19442

* Chicken Shish Kebabs with Asian Zucchini Noodles: https://whatsgabycooking.com/chicken-shish-kabobs/ and https://gimmedelicious.com/2016/06/03/easy-10-minute-asian-zucchini

Note: Did I tell you I bought a… noodler? Okay, it has a real name that is escaping me right now… It’s a… Oh! Yes! A spiralizer! I bought an inexpensive one per Lee’s recommendation and have used it exactly one time. So I plan to use it for the second time this week, to see if it is as labor intensive as it was last time. (Wait a second. That link is taking me to a spiralizer that costs $23; when I bought it, it was $8.99. I get price fluctuations and all, but this makes me cranky. It is NOT worth $23, that’s for damn sure.)

* Fish Taco Bowls: https://damndelicious.net/2018/12/29/fish-taco-bowls/

* Mexican Salad with Chipotle Grilled Chicken: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/everyday-mexican-salad/and https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/chipotle-chicken-marinade/

* Fire Fry: https://lifeofadoctorswife.wordpress.com/2009/08/30/fire-fry/ 

* Chili

 

What’s for dinner at your house this week?

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Dinners This Week

Let’s talk about food!

Note: Combining salad and tacos is becoming a regular pastime of mine, I see. And I am HERE FOR IT.

Note: I have had this on my To Eat list for a very long time. It sounds slightly… off-puttingly-sweet to me? But I think if I add some broccoli and maybe some rice it should be good.

Note: This marinade sounds super good. And I have a bunch of pork chops in the freezer just begging to be eaten.

Note: We haven’t had this in a long time, but it was so good the last time I am wondering why I waited so long? Per usual, I will be amping this up with extra veggies.

Note: I can’t remember, but I think last time I turned this into a stir fry? Whether I did it or not, I plan to do it THIS time.

Note: I may or may not make a Greek salad to go along with this chicken. Lots of leafy lettuce with some cucumbers and onions (and tomatoes for those who eat such things) and maybe some avocado and maybe some Kalamata olives? Sounds pretty delicious to me.

Note: I haven’t made anything in the instant pot in a long time. Perhaps this yummy sounding chicken will get me back in the groove.

 

What does your weekly menu look like, Internet?

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Dinners This Week

Another Tuesday, another list of delicious meals I am eager to eat and not as eager to prepare!

My lovely mother-in-law got us a gift subscription to Bon Appetit a while back. I love reading through it, but it’s rare that I find a recipe that speaks to me enough that I want to make it. But we finaly got around to reading a recent issue and it really pulled out all the stops! My husband and I found three whole recipes to cut out and save. The theme for this week is, once again, veggies! Lots of bell peppers and lettuce. And hopefully a whole lot of flavor.

  • Balsamic Pork Tenderloin:  https://addapinch.com/balsamic-pork-tenderloin-recipe/

Note: I never remember that Tuesdays are awful, from a timing perspective. We get home late because Carla has A Sports Activity and she’s always cranky and exhausted so I need to put her dinner in front of her immediately and then throw her in the bath and then put her to bed. Which leaves very little time to prepare dinner for myself and my husband. So tonight I am making this crockpot meal that requires next to no prep and only needs me to chop and caramelize some onions once we get home. AM GENIUS.

Note: This is a new-to-me recipe, but my husband picked it out and it sounds delicious. You know I love a good stir fry. I am going to add some bell peppers, onion, and maybe some broccoli to the mix to make it less shrimp-centric. Also, I am not sure about using two whole tablespoons of fish sauce, per the recipe… Fish sauce, like Chinese five spice, caraway seed, and anise seed, is one of those flavors that hits me REALLY hard, even in small amounts. So I may end up replacing some or all of it with soy sauce.

Note: Another new recipe! I am giving this one the side-eye already because I don’t typically cook with orange. Don’t get me wrong, I love citrus! I am happy to use lemons and limes in my recipes anytime. But… orange? I mean, in bakingoccasionally, sure… But with fish? Well. I am always interested in new ways to make fish and this sounds really fresh and flavorful. I have no idea where I will get a single clementine, but I do enjoy a challenge.

Note: Mozzarella was on sale at my grocery store last week, so I bought some and then realized I didn’t know what to use it for. NOW I DO. I am super excited about this salad, although you know there will be no tomatoes on my portion. I am marinating chicken for my husband and cooking shrimp for myself. PUMPED.

Note: I am totally going to eat black beans instead of chicken and I CAN’T WAIT.

Note: This marinade is super yummy and I think it’s good to have an easy meat-plus-veg dish in the rotation.

  • Out

 

What are you excited to make for dinner this week?