houseguests

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Meal Planning Roadblocks, Dinners This Week

It continues to be hot and smokey, and we continue to have no rain. Not my ideal summertime conditions, for sure. (Although, to be clear, we have it a LOT better than many.)

Here I am, all ready to half-ass some dinner plans for the week, and I just remembered that we will have houseguests starting Thursday. Perhaps I should come up with something a little jazzier than “scrounge around for something resembling food.”

Things that are hampering my planning:

  • We continue to have no reliable grill. Earlier this month, I had someone come out to look at our existing built-in grill and give us quotes for replacing it. I have never gotten the quotes. (Although, very oddly, the same salesperson who came out to examine the grill showed up at my front door last week. He was looking for someone else, and had mixed up the addresses.) I should call the grill company to follow up, and I should also get a second quote from someone else but I have done neither thing.
  • The heat makes me resistant to turning on the oven. Clearly I need to lean more heavily on my air fryer.
  • Are we still avoiding lettuce? I can’t keep up with the latest on the cyclosporiasis outbreak and have no idea what produce are okay and not okay to eat. It would be wonderful to have some salads on the menu but… is that advisable? Well, the NYT has an article all about that very question, and I guess the answer is: maybe, as long as it’s from the whole head of lettuce and not iceberg lettuce. That helps, slightly… although I feel more comfortable putting myself and my husband at risk than I do putting my child and houseguests in the same position.

I think I’ve completely talked myself out of making dinner at all, ever again. How’s that for a Dinners This Week?

Dinners for the Week of July 20-26

  • Pasta with Chopped Pesto and Peas: I can use fresh basil from my “garden” and frozen peas. Maybe I can make a couple of chicken breasts and salmon fillets in the air fryer for those who require a separate protein.
  • Green Chile Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas: This will require the use of the oven, but it seems worthwhile.
  • Beef and Veggie Stir Fry: Did I tell you that I jettisoned my wok? For years, my wok was my most-loved appliance. And then I just… stopped using it. Ever since we moved to this house (THREE YEAR AGO OMG), I have been making stir fry in my big chili pot, and I’ve never missed my wok. Not sure why I felt the urge to share this little tidbit with you, but there it is.
  • Shortcut Korean Pulled Pork: This recipe calls for kimchi pickles and shredded cabbage, but I could also/instead make a quick and tangy slaw.

I cannot think of anything else, but there’s always takeout.

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Dinners This Week

What makes meal planning even MORE fun? Meal planning when you have a brand new afterschool activity to adjust to, and a time change to adjust to, and semi-surprise houseguests!

Dinners for the Week of March 8-15

  • Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma: I often feel like I need to come up with something new! and different! for people who’ve eaten at my table before. Well, I don’t think I’ve served this to guests before. I plan to serve it with broccoli and couscous, which are my favorite accompaniments.
  • Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork with Coleslaw: And then again, sometimes I just make things we’ve all had so many times we’re well and sick of them. But I NEED a crockpot meal one night this week, and this one is easy, and we haven’t had it in awhile. Maybe I’ll grab some green beans to amp up the veggie quotient?
  • Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms: Not quite sure what to serve with this one. Maybe some asparagus?

Yes, I realize this is only three meals. But we didn’t eat the chicken paprikas last week, so that’s up for grabs again this week. And we’re going out for dinner one night. And I am hoping we have at least SOME leftovers.

What are you eating this week?

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Weekend Report, Snack Suggestion, Dinners This Week

I drafted this post earlier today, and it clocked in at a lean, mean 137 words. That’s… too few words, even though I don’t have a whole lot to say. 

I mean, the weekend with my friend was GREAT. It was just like no time had passed, and her children are delightful, and everyone had a great time together. Even though we had three whole extra people in our house, they were so easy. Also: I COOKED NOTHING. The only meals we ate at home were breakfasts. The only appliances I operated were the stick blender (smoothie), toaster (toast), and microwave (hot chocolate). My friend made eggs for herself and her kids, my kid and husband made their own breakfasts. The only time my oven was even on was during the afternoon when my kid and my friend’s younger kid had a cookie baking competition. During which my friend and I went for a leisurely four mile walk and returned to a completely clean kitchen and two kinds of cookies. We spent most of our time enjoying the gorgeous high-seventies weather at various outdoor spots. 

Let’s see. What else can I tell you? Oh! I recently visited a South Asian market with Carla. She and I wandered the aisles, loading our arms with things to buy. Sweets for her, hot sauce for me. My husband would have loved this place, so we picked out a few snacky things for him to try. It was so hard! The selection was enormous, and I have ZERO reference points for South Asian food brands, which made the choosing a little overwhelming. I told myself I couldn’t go wrong and grabbed things at random. 

My husband shared his snacks with me and two of them were So Good. I got this one because it came in an appealing green chutney flavor, and it was spicy and tangy and crunchy and I need more immediately. I got this one because it had a variety of shapes and textures, and because it said “sweet and spicy” on the package rather than simply “spicy.” It was, to be fair, more spicy than sweet, but it was so flavorful and crunchy and delicious. If you like spicy, flavorful, crunchy snacks, I highly recommend either of these. I could shovel bag after bag into my gob all day long. 

Okay, that’s all I’ve got for you, which means…

…it’s that special time again: time to frown perplexedly into the middle distance, trying vainly to remember what, if anything, I have ever prepared or eaten for dinner. 

Dinners for the Week of September 29-October 5

I am also in the mood to make fall-y muffins, so if I have some time I may whip up a batch of these.

What’s your favorite savory snack food? Do you have a South Asian grocery store near you? 

Growing up, my small rural hometown had no specialty groceries at all. Just two regular old American supermarkets. In fact, the only restaurants that served anything besides burgers, steak, or pizza were a couple of fast-food taco joints and a single Chinese restaurant. One of the things I love best about living near a mid-sized city is the variety of food options. It is so fun to be able to eat foods from all over the world without traveling more than an hour from my house, and to pop into a specialty grocery store whenever I want.