First, a warning: I bought myself a bag of Easter-themed peanut butter M&Ms. They are delicious, but they are the exact shape/heft of a peanut M&M, which means that I am always, every single time, surprised when there is no peanut inside.
Now, a heads up: Looking up a link for the peanut butter M&M eggs, I discovered that there is something called M&Ms Easter Mystery Mix Eggs, which is a bag full of eggs and some are chocolate and some are peanut butter and some are double chocolate. FYI. There is only so much time left until Easter, so I advise trying them right away to determine how many bags you need.
This week is my birthday and birthday plans are in the offing. We are having not only tacos on The Day, but we are also getting Mexican takeout (including margaritas) on the weekend. AND my husband is making me a lemon cheesecake, which is VERY exciting and also darling (he has never made a cheesecake before! he is also planning to make his own lemon curd! plus he took the afternoon off to make the cake and spend extra time with me!). AND a friend is taking me out for birthday tea (we plan to park next to each other and chat between cars). In non-food fun, I have a Zoom happy hour planned with my high school girl friends; it has nothing to do with my birthday, which is ideal. AND my family and I have an outdoor excursion planned with another family. If we have any energy leftover, I have requested that Carla and my husband and I play games; I bought Clue for this very reason, but we have many other games as well. (Apparently there are TWO Clue movies?!?! Perhaps I will force encourage my husband to watch one or both with me!) I am going to buy some champagne to sip while we play. Should be a lovely celebratory weekend!
Since not everything is about me (gasp), Purim falls during this week, so I will be attempting to make hamantaschen. (They will be filled with apricot and raspberry preserves, per my husband’s request. The recipe makes plenty for sharing with the neighbors.) Also also, I am cooking dinner for a friend and her family one night this week and I am planning to make some chocolate brownie cookies for them. I have already made a banana chip snack cake with the inevitable overripe bananas that accumulate when I try to meet my family’s banana needs; there is no way to achieve an ideal number of bananas at an ideal level of ripeness: I have either too few bananas or far, far too many; they are either mostly green or nearly black. Thank goodness for banana snack cakes, amirite?
It is indeed a food filled week! Which, as you know, is my favorite kind of week.
Dinners for the Week of February 23-March 1
OMG INTERNET NEXT WEEK IS MARCH.
- Chicken and Zucchini Stir Fry: Have I noted in the past that I add a sliced onion to this stir fry? I do and it adds a little extra something. Onion pairs very well with zucchini, I think.
- White Bean Enchilada Soup with Southwest Salad: This is what I’m making for my friend; the salad will be a side salad, with no salmon.
- Crockpot Spicy Vegetarian Tortilla Soup: Or maybe I will do this soup for my friend instead; I haven’t decided. (I will make the other soup for me and my husband.) Because I am a recipe developer’s worst nightmare, I plan to eject the quinoa and add some beans and corn for oomph.
- Tacos
- Caprese Salad with Balsamic Chicken and Balsamic Dressing
- Birthday Mexican takeout!
- Probably leftover cheesecake!
If nothing else, I will start my fifth decade with a full, happy belly. And I will definitely report back on the cheesecake.