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Discoveries

April 7, 2014 //
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Don’t you just love when you discover something new? The other day I was browsing my Facebook feed when I came across a friend’s status update which was basically a glowing review for an upcoming cookbook. My friend is a culinary magazine editor so not only does she know a lot about food, she is lucky enough to have cookbooks mailed to her on a daily basis. She knows her way around the kitchen, so when she is enamored with a cookbook I pay attention. By now I’m sure you are dying to know what book I am talking about…

The cookbook is The Forest Feast and its author, Erin Gleeson, is the creator of this gorgeous tumblr site. I’m not going to lie, it was love at first site. When I originally came up with the idea of publishing a meal planning blog the thought of taking photographs, especially of food, terrified me. Patrick is the photographer in our family, and I happily let him take over the task of chronicling our family. But, blogs without at least some photos, are pretty boring so I make an attempt. However, I am envious of bloggers who are also super talented photographers. So, when I saw The Forest Feast’s posts I was blown away – everything about them is beautiful. And then, when I actually read her recipes and saw that they were super simple and seasonally focused, I was hooked. I immediately had to try something so, of course, two of the recipes I made – the cauliflower gratin and the red roasted carrots – are on this week’s meal plan for you to try. Enjoy the discovery!

I can't wait to get my hands on this cookbook! “Photos by Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast”

I can’t wait to get my hands on this cookbook!
“Photos by Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast”

Meal #1 Roasted Pork Loin with Pearled Onions + Cauliflower Gratin
Meal #2 One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes + Green Salad
Meal #3 Lemon and Olive Chicken + Red Roasted Carrots
Meal #4 Honey-Soy Salmon + Baby Bok Choy with Cashews

Your weekly grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

pearled onions – 1 bag (1 lb.)
cauliflower – 1 medium head
carrots – 1 large bunch
scallions – 1 bunch
onion – 3 large
baby bok choy – 1 lb.
grape or cherry tomatoes – 1 pint
lemons – 2
milk – 2 cups
butter – 1/2 stick
cashews – 4 ounces
semi-pearled farro – 1 cup
chicken stock – 2 cups or 16 ounces
cheese (gruyere or cheddar) – 8 ounces
boneless pork loin – 1 1/2 – 2 lbs.
salmon fillet – 1 ½ lbs.
bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts halves – 1 per person
green olives (if you don’t already have them)
dried thyme (if you don’t already have it)
dried rosemary (if you don’t already have it)
fennel seeds (if you don’t already have it)
crushed red pepper (if you don’t already have it)
cinnamon (if you don’t already have it)
paprika (if you don’t already have it)
garlic powder (if you don’t already have it)
chili powder (if you don’t already have it)
dijon mustard (if you don’t already have it)
sesame oil (if you don’t already have it)
soy sauce (if you don’t already have it)
rice vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
honey (if you don’t already have it)
mustard (if you don’t already have it)
flour (if you don’t already have it)

 

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Categories Meal Plans

Celebrations

March 18, 2014 //
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This week kicked off with two celebrations – Eliza’s 2nd birthday and St. Patrick’s Day. For Eliza’s birthday we hosted a small family party and kept it simple by ordering pizza, but we did have a homemade birthday cake. Last year, I made the same chocolate cake with vanilla icing and decorated it in a festive confetti style.
Elizas 1st bday cake_web
But, this year, since Eliza’s interests are much clearer, I indulged her love of Elmo and all things Sesame Street with this cake. I was pretty proud of my work!
Elizas 2nd bday cake_Web

Since St Patrick’s Day was the next day, and fell on a Monday, I didn’t have it in me to make a stew or shepherd’s pie (I am not a corned beef and cabbage girl). So instead, I opted for something a little easier, but still in line with the holiday – Martha’s recipe for salmon, red cabbage and potatoes. I figured it had cabbage and potatoes, and the Irish love salmon so it worked. Plus, Patrick and I each had a Guinness with dinner – and there is nothing more Irish than that!

Meal #1: Salmon, Red Cabbage and Potatoes
Meal #2: Butternut Squash Salad with Pine Nuts, Pecorino and Balsamic Vinegar
Meal #3: Skirt Steak with Winter Salad
Meal #4: Penne with Brussels Sprouts, Chile and Pancetta

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

lemon – 2
red cabbage – 1 small head
red potatoes – 4-6 depending on size
Brussels sprouts – 1 lb.
butternut squash – 1 small (about 2 lb.)
fennel – 1 bulb
radicchio – 1 head
arugula – 1 bunch or bag
rosemary – 1 bunch
horseradish
sundried tomatoes
pecorino cheese – ¼ lb.
kalamata olives (if you don’t already have them)
grainy mustard (if you don’t already have it)
ground coriander (if you don’t already have it)
ground cinnamon (if you don’t already have it)
ground cumin (if you don’t already have it)
crushed red pepper flakes (if you don’t already have it)
pine nuts (if you don’t already have it)
Parmesan cheese (if you don’t already have it)
penne – 1 box
pancetta – 6 oz.
salmon filet – 1 ½ lb. skinless
skirt steak – 1 ½ lb.

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Categories Meal Plans

Panko-Crusted Salmon with Fennel and Parmesan Salad

February 28, 2014 //
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Panko-Crusted Salmon
Panko Crusted Salamon_Web

I adore Ina Garten. I think we share a similar mindset toward food, which is that it should be, delicious and approachable. Last Friday, Patrick mentioned that he was in the mood for salmon, and while I have a pretty good rotation of salmon recipes on hand, I wanted something new. However, I don’t have a lot of free time on Fridays to look up new recipes since I’m home with Eliza all day. So in between her Little Gym class and Trader Joe’s, I jumped on my iPhone and plugged “salmon” into the Food Network’s search engine. Fortunately, this recipe was at the top of their list. It is quick to prepare and so good. If you have never had panko before this is the recipe to try. It used to be hard to find, but now even 4C makes it so it should be in most grocery stores. Panko give it such a great crunch, and the mustard keeps the fish moist and adds a nice flavor.

Fennel and Parmesan Salad
Fennel salad_Web
I have no idea when I started to make this salad, or where I got the idea for it. I’ve been eating fennel non-stop since first trying it at The Farm School where we grew it. It is great cooked, but to really show off its flavor you should eat it raw. The crispness and slight anise flavor is a nice counterpoint to the richness of the salmon.

2 heads of fennel, halved, cored, and sliced very thin
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, shaved
¼ cup olive oil
2 TB. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Add fennel and parmesan cheese to a large salad bowl. Pour in olive oil, lemon and season with salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients and taste. If you need more oil or lemon juice add a little bit at a time until you are happy with the salad.

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Categories Meals

Try it, You’ll Like it!

February 28, 2014 //
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When I was a kid I ate nothing but chicken cutlets, hamburgers, pizza, pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, cheese, corn and peas. As I got to be a teenager I added a few items to the list, such as steak and salad. An exciting palate, it wasn’t. In fact, it wasn’t until I was in my early 20’s, and lived in California’s Bay Area for a year, that I started to be adventurous with food. I was at least 22 before I even tried hummus for the first time! You want to know what finally got me to try new things? I felt left out. In California, I was exposed to so many new foods that I was tired of always saying no. Moving to CA was already a big adventure, so why not eat a little shrimp?

These days, I eat, or at least will try, almost anything. At the same time that I started to eat a bunch of new foods, the whole country seemed to become exposed to a lot of new items which are now relatively easy to get at the grocery store or a farmers market. Arugula, fennel, kalamata olives, etc. are all foods that I didn’t have to reject as a kid – I had never heard of them!

Expanding the variety of foods I eat has also made me a better cook because I now have more ingredients to experiment with. One tip for getting over the fear of preparing or eating something for the first time is to have it with something else that you already love. For example, take this week’s recipe for sausage with caramelized red onions and radicchio. Maybe you haven’t had or cooked radicchio before, but you love sausages and caramelized onions. How bad could it be? Pairing one new thing with a few, old favorites is a less scary way for you, or others in your family, to try new things. So, try it – you’ll like it!

(Meals should feed four adults and take about 30-40 minutes to prepare, or the time it takes Patrick to give Eliza a bottle and put her to bed.)

Meal #1: Panko-Crusted Salmon + Fennel and Parmesan Salad
Meal #2: Sausage with Caramelized Red Onions and Radicchio + Green Salad
Meal #3: Lemon Chicken Breasts + Sautéed Spinach
Meal # 4: Penne alla Vodka + Green Salad

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

parsley – 1 bunch
fennel – 2 heads
lemons – 5
red onion – 2 medium
radicchio – 2 large heads
spinach – 2 large bunches or bags
panko breadcrumbs
Italian plum tomatoes (diced or crushed) – 1, 35 ounce can (or 1 large and 1 small can)
penne – 1 box
egg noodles – 1 bag
heavy cream – small container
balsamic vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
Parmesan cheese (if you don’t already have it)
dried oregano (if you don’t already have it)
fresh or dried thyme (if you don’t already have it)
pine nuts (optional)
salmon fillets, skin on – 4 (6-8 oz. each)
sausages – 1-2 per person depending on their size
chicken breasts – 4 bone-in, skin-on (if you have a butcher get them to debone the chicken)
dry white wine
vodka

 

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Categories Meal Plans

Honey-Soy Salmon and Baby Bok Choy with Cashews

January 31, 2014 //
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Honey-Soy Salmon
This recipe on Eating Well’s website – which if I’m being completely honest, I have never made exactly as written – inspired this recipe. I’m sure the original recipe is great, but I have a tried and true method for cooking salmon that I learned from the Pioneer Woman and now I rarely make salmon any other way.

1 scallion, chopped
2 TB. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 TB. rice vinegar
1 TB. honey
1 ½ lbs. salmon filet

Whisk scallion, soy sauce, rice vinegar and honey together. Place salmon in a sealable plastic bag with sauce and marinate for 15 minutes.

Remove salmon from bag and place on a baking sheet (in order to avoid a messy clean-up you may want to spray some oil on the sheet first). Place baking sheet in a cold oven, turn the oven on to 400 degrees. 25 minutes later (20 min. if your salmon filet is less than a 1 lb.) remove salmon from oven, and serve. I promise you, it will be perfect.

Baby Bok Choy with Cashews

Baby Bok Choy_Web

I do not mess around with this recipe – it is perfect, as is.

 

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Categories Meals

Improv

January 31, 2014 //
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By now, you have probably gathered that while I love cookbooks and online recipe generators I rarely stick to the script. For me, cooking is like an improv show at the Upright Citizens Brigade; you never know what you’re going to get! I work with what I think is the best of a recipe, and then I tweak it so that it is faster, easier and (hopefully) more delicious. A few of this week’s meals are like that. I tried something once, and when I made it again I changed it up. Feel free to do the same with my recipes!

Just a few of the cookbooks I use for inspiration

Just a few of the cookbooks I use for inspiration

(Meals should feed four adults and take about 30-40 minutes to prepare, or the time it takes Patrick to give Eliza a bottle and put her to bed.)

Meal #1: Honey-Soy Salmon + Baby Bok Choy with Cashews
Meal #2: Italian “Stir Fry”
Meal #3: Chicken Breast Sautéed in Sweet Red Onion and Lemon + Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
Meal #4: Brussels Sprouts and Pork (or Beef) Stir Fry + Rice

Your Grocery List, excluding the usual pantry items:

scallions – 2 bunches
baby bok choy – 1 lb.
pepper (red, yellow or orange) – 1
jalapeno pepper – 1
brussels sprouts – 1 lb.
red onion – 3
lemon – 3
zucchini – 1
summer squash – 1
carrots – 2 medium
broccoli – 2 large bunches
plum tomatoes – 3
ginger – 1 piece (you can freeze or refrigerate the rest)
pine nuts – ¼ lb (optional – if you buy them, freeze the extra)
salted cashews, ¼ lb.
ricotta cheese – small container (optional)
bottle of pesto (optional)
Parmesan cheese (if you don’t already have it)
bottle of sesame oil (if you don’t already have it)
bottle of rice vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
bottle of oyster sauce (if you don’t already have it)
salmon fillet, 1 ½ lbs.
boneless, skinless chicken breast – 1 ½ lb.
boneless, pork chops – 2 (4-6 oz. each) OR skirt steak, 8 oz.

 

 

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Categories Meal Plans

Salmon, Red Cabbage and New Potatoes

January 17, 2014 //
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Salmon, Red Cabbage and New Potatoes
IMG_0982 Web

I LOVE this recipe. I kept making salmon with a lemony, fennel salad, and it was delicious, but I was getting bored. This is so easy and interesting. One warning: the potatoes take longer than the recipe says. I recommend roasting the potatoes for 15-20 minutes by themselves,  then add the cabbage and roast for another 15-20 minutes before adding the salmon.

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Categories Meals

One-Dish Meals

January 17, 2014 //
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Okay, so I didn’t exactly just serve one dish per meal this week, but I could have! Each of the main dishes offer a combo of proteins with veggies and/or carbs. I love these types of dishes; especially for weeknights. I didn’t grow up eating casseroles, so you won’t see too many on this site, but I do like a dish that can serve as not only the main event, but the only event.

(Meals should feed four adults and take about 30-40 minutes to prepare, or the time it takes Patrick to give Eliza a bottle and put her to bed.)

IMG_3517

Meal #1: Chicken Thighs, Fennel and Artichoke Fricassee with Noodles
Meal #2: Pork Chops with Peppers and Capers, Green Salad
Meal #3: Salmon, Red Cabbage and New Potatoes
Meals #4: Chicken and Vegetable Fried Rice

Your Grocery List, excluding the usual pantry items:

bell peppers – 1 each green and yellow, 3 red
large red onion – 2
ginger – 1 piece (you can freeze or refrigerate the rest)
zucchini – 2
bunch of scallions
small red cabbage – 1
new potatoes – 10
lemon – 1
fennel bulb – 1
lettuce, or whatever greens you like for a salad – 1 head or bag
parsley – 1 small bunch
artichoke hearts – 1 can
chicken stock – 1 can (you’ll need 1 cup, but you can always freeze the rest in an ice cube tray and use later)
water chestnuts – 1 can
horseradish – 1 bottle (it’ll keep, or you could make bloody marys!)
egg noodles – 1 bag
bone-in chicken thighs – 8
bone-in pork chops – 4
skinless salmon fillet – 1 1/2 lb.
chicken cutlets – ¾ lb.
dry white wine

 

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