A Week's Worth of Dinners...And Then Some!

This week, I made an extra effort to get back into the swing of things, cooking dinner each evening. After two weeks of Restaurant Week outings, it was definitely nice to sit down to dinner at home for a change! While I didn't get to the entire menu, and some of the recipes were definitely NOT keepers, we enjoyed some delicious food this week, so I thought I'd share the recipes with you!

On Sunday night, I decided to make Sweet Onion Mac and Cheese, along with a side of Slow-Cooked Broccoli with Lemon Breadcrumbs. The mac and cheese is delicious (as I still have leftovers to eat!) but the broccoli left a little bit to be desired. In fact, I didn't serve it with dinner! It just seemed overcooked, and tasted limp and lifeless! So, it was mac and cheese for dinner, no veggies, unfortunately. Sometimes things just don't work out! If you try the broccoli recipe and have better results, please share your secrets! I really enjoyed the main course though, and the fried shallots that top the dish really made it extra special!

The next night, I made Pan Roasted Pork Chops with Olives and Sambuca-Brasied Fennel. While preparing this meal, I was excited about the flavors I was putting together. I love the flavors of fennel, and pork, together, so I thought this was going to be a home-run! However, once the fennel mixture, including the onions and olives, cooked down with the anise-flavored liqueor, I found the flavors to be a bit overwhelming. I would definitely use less anise liqueur if I made this again, and possibly leave out the olives. They seemed to soak up the flavors in a very strange way! Granted, instead of Sambuca, I used Pernod, because I had it on hand, but I don't think it would have made a huge difference, as those two liqueurs are very similar. Sadly, that dinner was not a success for me...but I would give it another shot, with a few tweaks to see if I could make it more to my liking! It sure looked pretty though!

The next night, I went to the movies with my friend, Sara, to see The Hunger Games. We'd had plans on the books for awhile, so my husband was in charge of food for the evening. He made a delicious pizza of chicken, mozzarella, Arrabiata sauce and bacon! I thought I took a picture of it, but I can't seem to find it now! I just had the last piece for lunch, and it was just as good the second time around!

I've got a bunch of steaks in my freezer from a great deal I purchased a month or so ago, so I try to plan at least one meal a week around a nice grilled steak! I decided to pair it with an Orzo with Caramelized Fall Vegetables and Ginger dish this week. This was a nice hearty side for a perfectly grilled steak, which my husband had marinated in a Sriaracha-based marinade that he found the recipe for online. Every ingredient in the orzo dish was cooked and caramelized separately, and when all the flavors melded together, it made for a great bite of food! It was pretty to look at too!

The last meal I prepared for this past week is the best one, so I saved it for last! Jamie Oliver's Pea and Goat Cheese Risotto is rich and decadent in the best possible way. The goat cheese added at the end really made the risotto creamy and delicious, and my homemade stock really amped up the flavors as I cooked the rice. The bacon added the perfect bite of saltiness, and the peas were cooked just enough to add a bit of pop when you bit into one! This one is definitely a keeper!

I didn't get to the Cassoulet, or the Kim-Chi Fried Rice, but we'll have those recipes on deck for this week. I've also updated the Current Menu for the coming week! Stay tuned for much more coming soon!

An Impromptu Dinner Party

Sometimes, it's really nice to let someone else do the cooking! Our friends Kenny and Marcy came over this evening with all the fixin's for pizza! Matt made the dough, and the actual pizzas, and Marcy concocted some delicious sangria and a yummy salad (with this awesome poppy seed vinaigrette) as well! And Kenny, he did a great job on the dishes when we were finished eating! They wanted to meet the puppy and I wanted to sit back and relax for a little bit so this was the perfect evening!

from Flickr - by jcolman

When you invite people over for an impromptu dinner party, it's fun to give everybody a job. Try a taco night, where all of your guests bring their favorite add-on. You can also do what we did with the pizza toppings! Another fun idea would be to make the meal, and leave your guests in charge of an ice cream sundae bar for dessert! You can't always have everything you need in your fridge at all times, for every occasion...unless you live at the grocery store. Don't ever be ashamed of that! Just make it into a group effort and you'll have a delicious meal on the table in no time!

Enter King Arthur's Esteemed Court

While I was galavanting around the snowy state of Vermont this weekend, I managed a quick visit to the King Arthur Flour Baker's Store. I've spoken about the necessity of good all-purpose flour, and King Arthur's flour is some of the best, but they don't stop there...no sir!

Not only does this wonderful place carry all sorts of flour (wheat, white, durum, pastry, etc) but they have tons of different boxed mixes, ingredients, bakeware, and gadgets too. And if that wasn't enough, they also have a bakery and cafe, where you can order lunch, or have a coffee and just wrap yourself in the wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen! Because of the recent arrival of the Breadman,  I wanted to pick up a few bread mixes. I also needed to replenish my supply of Perfect Pasta flour, as well as the flour we use to make pizza dough.

Because they offer a 15% discount if you purchase five or more mixes at one time, I opted to take the deal. I decided on French Herb,  Brown Sugar Cinnamon,  Semolina Herb and Cheese, Six Grain, and Brioche. I figured this was a good start, and who knows when I'll get to the store again. Not to say that I won't be making my own concoctions for dough as well, but it's nice to be able to throw a mix in there and just let it go on a busy evening. I don't normally recommend boxed anything, but the mixes from King Arthur Flour really taste so delicious, and you know from the their seal that it's a quality product (and...they're all natural!).

Look at all my goodies!

Aside from the store, there is also a separate building where the company holds all sorts of baking classes. If you are in the area, stop in and get a schedule. You can also find the schedule, along with all sorts of other wonderful information online at www.kingarthurflour.com. I definitely suggest signing up for their catalog as well...or just browse online. If you can get your friends in on an order, you'll save on shipping!

Mmmm...Za!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope all of you are sharing the love in some gourmet-rific way tonight! Matt (my husband) and I have our own tradition for this, the 14th of February. We try and avoid the craziness that surrounds this day with some takeout from a very special pizza joint near us. Pizza and our DVR...does it really get any better than that?

This special pizza joint I speak of is called Za and it's located on Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington, MA. My favorite part of this restaurant's concept is that many of their ingredients are locally sourced and the menu rotates based on what's growing in the area. They even serve locally brewed beer, along with some wines.

We frequent this establishment quite often but we've made it a special tradition to get takeout on Valentine's Day. The menu consists of salads and pizzas, both interesting and unique combinations. Their trademark chalkboard depicts the seasonal specials up on the wall, and we usually choose from those, rather than the regular varieties available on the everyday menu.

From Za's website

While the pizzas are on the small side, we've found that getting one salad and one pizza works well for a two-person meal. On special occasions, like today, we usually add a dessert or two as well. Tonight, we opted for the Crisp Iceberg Lettuce salad with tomatoes, red onions, grated carrots, Applewood Smoked Bacon, and blue cheese. It's all topped off with a Creamy Buttermilk Dressing. As our main course, we chose one of the special pizzas, per usual. Pears, gorgonzola, fontina, toasted walnuts, cranberries, thyme  and scallions top this yummy 'Za! They had some really interesting special desserts on the menu so we decided to try one each - and try each other's! :) I decided on the Lemon Tart with Organic Strawberries, and Matt opted for the Chocolate Goat Cheesecake.

The salad is from the regular menu, and we order it all the time. I'm not sure how they do it, but they've managed to get the dressing to drip in-between each layer of iceberg lettuce, making each bite totally delicious. The pizza was piled high with nice big pieces of crisp pear, and I thought the dried cranberries were really a lovely touch. The flavors meld so well together in all of their combinations. Dessert was yummy, and mine was quite colorful wasn't it?! I found that the tartness of the lemon went really well with the light, fluffiness of a slight bite of whipped cream. Yummy!

We washed all this down with a lovely bottle of white wine. It was a very enjoyable dinner, and everything is packaged nicely for take-out. I find the restaurant itself endearing as well. The owner has an adorable collection of different pigs on all the shelves in the restaurant: piggy banks, pig statues, pig collectibles, you name it. The walls are adorned with local artwork that's also for sale and rotates on a regular basis. It will always be a different scene when you walk in! The staff is super-friendly and welcoming, and the surroundings are cozy in the winter, airy in the summer. I love when they open all the windows!

If you haven't visited Za, I highly recommend it. They can be found at 138 Massachusetts Avenue. They don't take reservations, but I do think they'll take a call-ahead on busy evenings.

Hug someone special tonight!

A Quick Weeknight Meal

I don't normally go to the gym on Tuesday nights, but I promised some friends I would try this kickboxing class, so I got home a bit later than normal tonight. (And phew, what a workout! I am going to be in PAIN tomorrow!) Up next on the menu are the tuna tacos, so I will be making those tonight. While making my own salsa, and the Jicama Slaw to go with it probably won't be as quick and easy as other taco dinners, I'm sure we'll enjoy a lovely meal, albeit a little later than normal. However, tuna cooks really fast, so the prep work will be the most tedious part tonight...once that's all done, dinner will be ready in a flash! And voila...doesn't that look DELICIOUS!?

Meals like this can be put together rather quickly, and that's why they make for really great mid-week menu items. We're all running around, going here, and coming from there, but we still need to find time to cook. Not only is it healthier, but it's also a lot more budget-friendly too! The added bonus: if you get in time at the gym, you won't feel guilty enjoying your yummy dinner and maybe even a nice glass of wine to wind down the day!

Tacos are a great mid-week meal because you can put out all the fixin's and let everyone make their own. Whether there's two people in your household, or five, as long as you have enough to go around, you're golden. This is the same with salads - put all the toppings in little bowls and let everyone make their own! It's a salad bar in your kitchen! Another great idea is pizza. You can buy pre-made pizza dough in the supermarket, flatten it out, spread some sauce on, sprinkle some cheese, add the toppings, and voila...into the oven it goes (and homemade pizza is WAY better for you than the fast food variety).

Photo from Flickr - by surekat

When the process is simple, and the ingredients are simple, you're bound to score a home-run every time. Share your quick and easy weeknight meals in the comments section so we can all broaden our horizons...and quicken the pace in the kitchen!

Leftovers for Breakfast?

It's that time again, the time when I spend a few days using up what's left in the fridge, putting use to the ingredients in the pantry, and cleaning things out for the next shopping trip and even more exciting, the NEW MENU! :) My task today is to see what things I can put together for the next few days of meals, and then plan my menu and make my grocery list. Over the next week, I'll start to gather the ingredients from that list so that the menu can begin.

Shopper iPhone App

This morning, I used some of the things in the fridge to make a great scrambled egg dish! Eggs are a great base for most vegetables and they make for a great way to use up those scraps from previous dinners. I chopped up a tomatillo, which I then sauteed for a few minutes, and some leftover chives. When I make scrambled eggs, I beat the eggs with the ingredients mixed in, so that it all cooks together. Once the eggs, tomatillo and chives were cooked through, I sprinkled a little goat cheese through out and seasoned it with salt and pepper. What a delicious breakfast!

Other great ways to use leftovers: pizzas, pastas, "garbage" salads (salads with LOTS of stuff thrown in)

We have plans tonight, so there won't be any more cooking today, but tomorrow, I'll roast those beets from the farmer's market last weekend, and I have a few leftover cuts of meat from the freezer to defrost. There may even be a parsnip puree in my future!

And now...on to the menu planning!